Austin Dillon took advantages of opportunities at Daytona International Speedway and secured a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
The Richard Childress Racing driver made it out of a large wreck on Lap 138 that took out nearly half the field. Inclement weather halted the race with 21 laps to go, but Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro tapped Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford and took the lead at Lap 158 out of the 160-lap race.
Dillon took the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and became the 15th winner of the season, which puts him into the playoffs. It’s his first postseason berth since 2020, as he snapped a 78-race winless streak that dates back to Texas Motor Speedway in 2020, according to NASCAR.
The win also puts Ryan Blaney, who finished 15th, into the playoffs, but it knocked out Martin Truex Jr., who finished eighth, by three points.
The 16-driver playoff field is now set with the competitors listed below:
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Postseason drivers will have their points reset to 2,000 and playoff point totals will then be added ahead of the three-race Round of 16 that includes Darlington Raceway, Kansas Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. The bottom four drivers in the standings will be eliminated.
For Dillon, it’s all celebrations Sunday as his season will continue, and there’s likely more content for his reality show, “Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane.”
