Heading into Daytona, the points battle around the few remaining spots in the playoffs is incredibly close. Martin Truex Jr. enters the weekend in the safest position, 77 points ahead of the cut-line. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs is in an okay spot unless misfortune befalls him at 39 points up. But the battle between Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace is far from over. Buescher is just 16 points clear while Chastain holds the 16th and final spot with a one-point margin over Wallace. These drivers will all be chasing stage points at Daytona, and desperate to avoid the inevitable carnage.
However, from Kyle Busch on down, the goal is much simpler — win at all costs. While some may have an opportunity to win the Southern 500 at Darlington, many look to Daytona as their only remaining chance to snag a 2024 playoff berth. There are 17 drivers in a must-win situation, so let’s take a look at those most likely to pull off a dramatic eleventh-hour victory at the 2.5-mile superseedway.
Stenhouse Jr. may be the driver everyone should keep an eye on. His aggressive style has earned him two wins at the historic speedway, including last year’s Daytona 500, but it’s also ended in disaster many times. In his last five starts at Daytona, he crashed out four times. The one time he didn’t, he was victorious. Whether he wins or not, the JTG driver will absolutely play a role in this weekend’s showdown.
Watch: Stenhouse wins longest Daytona 500 in NASCAR history
A 2x Cup champion, yet, finds himself facing a winless season for the first time in his full-time Cup career. But this season has been a struggle for him and RCR. He has one victory at Daytona, but that came back in 2008. During his short time with RCR, he has shown to be strong at the superspeedways and just missed out on victory in last year’s Daytona 500. Being the most experienced and successful driver below the cut-line, it would be foolish to bet against KB this weekend.
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, Cheddar’s Patriotic Chevrolet Camaro and Randall Burnett, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
The 2021 Daytona 500 winner has always been a force to be reckoned with at drafting tracks. Earlier this year, he crashed just moments away from winning at Talladega. Also a proven winner on the road courses, McDowell’s only shot to make the playoffs in back-to-back years is to capture…
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