After a wild race at Daytona International Speedway, the 16 driver playoff field was set. William Byron, who came into the race only four points ahead of his teammate Jimmie Johnson, got his first career race win last night. Byron winning meant there was only one available spot left in the playoff. Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Aric Almirola were all locked in on points before the last regular season race at Daytona. There were three spots remaining in the playoffs but with four drivers battling for those spots. Clint Bowyer locked himself into the playoffs halfway through the race, leaving three drivers for two spots. William Byron, Jimmie Johnson, and Matthew DiBenedetto were left battling for the opening spots. William Byron winning made it clear that either Johnson or DiBenedetto were going to advance to the playoffs. Unfortunately, Jimmie Johnson was involved in a wreck with only one lap remaining, while DiBenedetto was running second. Even after the crash, Johnson still had a chance to advance but that did not happen. Jimmie finished 17th while his counterpart DiBenedetto finished 12th.
The playoffs are set up by how drivers run throughout the regular season. Kevin Harvick is the regular season champion based on how many playoff points and wins he has accumulated over the first 26 races. Playoff points are given out to the race winner and if you win a stage anytime during the race. Kevin Harvick has 57 playoff points, and 7 wins, most of anyone in the playoffs, which is why he is going into the playoffs at the top. Denny Hamlin is second in points with 6 wins and 47 playoff points. The other drivers who made the playoffs are Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Austin Dillon, Cole Custer. All of these drivers punched their tickets to the playoffs by winning a race either at or before Daytona on Saturday Night. Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Matt DiBenedetto, all raced their way into the playoffs based on points throughout the first 26 races of the season.
The NASCAR Playoffs are made up of four different rounds. The first round is known as the Round of 16. All 16 playoff drivers compete for the opportunity to advance to the Round of 12. The Round of 16 tracks are Darlington Raceway, Richmond Raceway, and Bristol Motor Speedway. After the race at Bristol four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs, meaning that their quest for a championship is over. The Round of 12 tracks are Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. After the race at Charlotte another four drivers will be eliminated from title contention, leaving only eight drivers with a shot at the title. The Round of 8 tracks are Kansas Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway. After the race at Martinsville, the last four drivers will be eliminated, leaving only four drivers to compete for the title at the final race of the season. The final race of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be held at Phoenix Raceway. The Championship 4, who are the only drivers who have a shot at the championship once everyone gets to Phoenix.
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