Kevin Harvick, who claimed the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season title a race early at Dover International Speedway on Aug. 23, is among 13 drivers who head into the 2020 regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday already with playoff berths clinched. Other drivers already in the playoffs, by virtue of race wins or points, include Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and Cole Custer.
With 13 drivers already clinched, three positions remain in the 16-driver playoffs. Any other full-time Cup Series driver in the top-30 of the points standings would claim one of those remaining playoff berths by winning the Daytona race. A small handful of drivers, though — Clint Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron, Jimmie Johnson and Erik Jones — still have chances to make the playoffs on points.
Bowyer, DiBenedetto and Byron head into the Daytona race provisionally in the final three advancing positions, while Johnson is the first driver provisionally out of advancement, four points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Byron.
“Yeah, of course we want all four [HMS] cars in the playoffs and to go through the rounds in the playoffs,” Johnson said. “So that would be the sweet thing. For me, I feel like I’m racing more for my team. On top of that and an extension of that would be for the fans. I know where I am in my heart, and I know that I’m still very, very competitive, can get the job done, win races and be a threat for the championship. There’s just more variables to the reality of that than I think even I realized. I’ve had it so good with all those variables in place and was able to win five championships in a row, win all those races and seven championships in total. But I’m a better driver today than I was then, and I firmly believe that.”
Johnson and Jones are inside the top-16 of the points standings, but race wins for Dillon and Custer, both outside the top-16 in points, nudge them ahead of Johnson and Jones in playoff consideration.
Bowyer is close to making the playoffs, needing to claim only three points at Daytona to guarantee advancement, regardless of any other driver’s result in the race. If a driver already locked into the playoff wins at Daytona, Bowyer automatically will advance.
DiBenedetto is the only other driver among those not already in the playoffs who has a shot at getting in on points, regardless of anyone else’s finish. To advance without help in the form of another driver’s finish, he needs to earn 51 points Saturday night.
Byron, Johnson and Jones need help to advance on points. Byron, though, would advance with at least 52 points earned, if a driver already locked into the playoffs wins at Daytona.
Johnson and Jones would need additional help to get into the playoffs. Jones is in the most trouble. Aside from a race win, himself, the only way Jones has a shot at advancing would be a Daytona win by a driver already with a playoff berth clinched.
Here is a look at the driver points standings, heading into the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Byron and Johnson are the only two drivers who’ll be in the top-10 on the Daytona starting grid Saturday. Here is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 starting grid.
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