It’s the final race of the regular season for the Cup Series on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.  A full field of 40 drivers will battle their way around the 2.5 mile track for 400 miles with only two spots remaining in the playoff list.  Currently there are 14 drivers locked in to the playoffs due to race wins with Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen leading the way with four wins.

Earlier today, Xfinity Series qualifying was cancelled after multiple delays for lightening and the field was set by the metric.

And the Cup Series begins with a lightening delay and qualifying has been cancelled.  The field will be set by NASCAR’s metric.

The starting lineup for the Coke Zero 400:
Ryan Blaney
Alex Bowman
Kyle Larson
Joey Logano
Austin Cindric
Denny Hamlin
Austin Dillon
William Byron
Chase Briscoe
Brad Keselowski
Josh Berry
Daniel Suarez
Zane Smith
Kyle Busch
Christopher Bell
Carson Hocevar
Shane van Gisbergen
Ty Gibbs
Ross Chastain
Michael McDowell
AJ Allmendinger
Bubba Wallace
Ty Dillon
Chris Buescher
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Erik Jones
Tyler Reddick
Todd Gilliland
Cole Custer
Chase Elliott
Ryan Preece
Noah Gragson
Riley Herbst
John Hunter Nemechek
Cody Ware
Austin Hill
Justin Haley
BJ McLeod
Casey Mears
Joey Gase

Stage one is just 35 laps, stage two is 60 laps, and stage three is 65 laps for a total of 160 laps around the 2.5 mile track.

After crews made unapproved adjustments to the cars, William Byron and Joey Gase will have to start the race from the back of the field.  William Byron has an extra penalty of having to serve a passthrough penalty once the green flag drops and has had his crew chief ejected for the weekend.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Alex Bowman alongside.  Getting a push from teammate Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney gets out in front but Kyle Larson does some pushing of his own to get Alex Bowman up front.

Lap two, the top five are Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin.

Lap three, Denny Hamlin moves up to third place.

Lap four, the first five drivers are single file with Ryan Blaney in the lead with Joey Logano in second; Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Daniel Saurez rounding out the top five.

After starting on the front row, Alex Bowman has dropped out of the top 10 to 12th.

Lap six, after serving his penalty, William Byron stayed on the lead lap but has just been lapped and is the first car one lap down.

Lap nine, Michael McDowell started the race in 20th place and is now in the top 10.

Lap 10, Ryan Blaney leads the race with Joey Logano in second; Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

Daniel Suarez passes Denny Hamlin for third.

The first caution flag of the race come out on lap 12 when the 66 car of Casey Mears spins out in a single car incident with a flat tire.

William Byron is the “lucky dog” and is back on the lead lap.

Chris Buescher is reporting some brake issues.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart with Daniel Suarez alongside on lap 16.  Ryan Blaney holds on to the lead with Joey Logano in second; Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowkdi, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 18 when Todd Gilliland gets loose and collects Tyler Reddick.  Reddick comes to a stop on pit road and getting into the wall.

Some drivers come down pit road for service.

Todd Gilliland and Tyler Reddick were charged with pitting while pit road was closed and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.  Casey Mears was charged with too many crew members over the wall.

Casey Mears is the “lucky dog”.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 23 with Bubba Wallace alongside.  With a push from Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace takes the lead.

Lap 24, the top five are Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano.

Lap 25, Daniel Suarez comes up on the inside to take the lead.

The drivers have spread out three wide through the field.

Lap 27, Daniel Suarez leads the race with Bubba Wallace in second.

The third caution flag of the race comes out for a big crash and sending cars everywhere.  Austin Cindric, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Noah Gragson, Denny Hamlin, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr were all involved.

NASCAR has red flagged the race in order to get the track cleaned up.

After an eight and a half minute red flag condition, NASCAR pulls the red flag and displays the yellow.  The cars are moving once again.

Drivers come down pit road for service.

Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon were charged with having too many crew members over the wall and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Alex Bowman’s car is damaged beyond repair and is out of the race.  Tyler Reddick has locked has clinched a spot in the playoffs.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 33 for a shootout to end stage one.

Ryan Blaney leads the race with Kyle Larson in second.

Kyle Larson wins stage one.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Ryan Blaney
Michael McDowell
Justin Haley
Joey Logano
Todd Gilliland
Ryan Preece
Chase Briscoe
Christopher Bell

Austin Cindric, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Alex Bowman are all out of the race after the stage one crash.

Drivers come down pit road for service with Brad Keselowski winning the race off of pit road but Ross Chastain leads the race after staying out on the track.

Cody Ware brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with , Brad Keselowski alongside on lap 42.  Ware takes the lead with Daniel Suarez in second.

John Hunter Nemechek comes up on the outside to battle for the lead.

Lap 44, Cody Ware and John Hunter Nemechek continues to battle for the lead; Brad Keselowski, AJ Allmendinger, and Josh Berry round out the top five.

Lap 45, Cody Ware gets out in front with a big push from Brad Keselowski; Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, and Erik Jones round out the top five.

Lap 50, Cody Ware holds on to the lead with Brad Keselowski on his bumper; Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, and Ty Dillon round out the top five.

Lap 52, Cody Ware holds on to the lead by a tenth of a second over Brad Keselowski; Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, and Ty Dillon round out the top five.

Lap 57, Ty Dillon moves up to take the lead with Justin Haley in second; Cody Ware, Michael McDowell, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

The top five drivers have yet to win a race this season.

Lap 60 Ty Dillon leads the race with Cody Ware in second; Brad Keselowski, Justin Haley, and Josh Berry round out the top five.

Lap 64, drivers have gotten three wide through the field with Ty Dillon leading the race.

Lpa 65, Shane van Gisbergen is in the top 10 and has worked his way into the top five.

In his past two stops at Daytona, Ryan Preece has been involved in crashes that send his car airborne; this time around, his helmet resembles one worn by the pilots in “Top Gun”.

Lap 67, Shane van Gisbergen takes the lead of the race with  teammate Ross Chastain in second.

Lap 70, Michael McDowell passes Shane van Gisbergen for the lead.

Lap 71, Shane van Gisbergen retakes the lead with Cody Ware in second; Michael McDowell, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.

Lap 73 Michael McDowell comes up on the outside to retake the lead.

Lap 74, Shane van Gisbergen, Cody Ware, and Michael McDowell battle for the lead in a three wide battle.  Cody Ware takes the lead.

Lap 76, coming up on the outside lane, Joey Logano takes the lead.

With 19 laps remaining in stage two, while some drivers are in a battle for the lead; others are holding back trying to save enough fuel to make it to the end of the stage.

Lap 79, moving up on the inside lane Chase Briscoe takes the lead with Christopher Bell in second; Cole Custer, Ryan Preece, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.

Lap 80, Cole Custer takes the lead.

Lap 81 some drivers come down it road for green flag pit stops.

Lap 82, the caution flag comes out for Carson Hocevar when his car is topped on the track after a lot of smoke coming from the car.

Several drivers come down pit road for service with Joey Logano winning the race of of pit road.  Brad Keselowski had a slow stop.

After leading for several laps, Cody Ware is charged with having too many crew over the wall and will have to restart the race form the back of the field.

William Byron stayed out on the track and brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 86 with Chase Elliott alongside.  The teammates go side by side with Byron taking the lead. 

Kyle Larson comes up on the inside to battle with William Byron for the lead.

Lap 89, the top five are William Byron, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain.

Joey Logano takes the lead with six laps remaining in stage two.

Chase Briscoe takes the lead with five to go in stage two.

There are 28 cars on the lead lap.

Joey Logano moves up on the outside lane in a three wide battle to take the lead.

Ross Chastain wins stage two by a nose.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ross Chastain
Christopher Bell
Joey Logano
William Byron
John Hunter Nemechek
Ryan Blaney
Chase Briscoe
Ryan Preece
Ty Gibbs
Ty Dillon

William Byron and Chase Elliott come down pit road while it is closed because they were nearly out of fuel.  They will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Drivers come down pit road for service.

Stage two winner Ross Chastain overshot his pit box and has to restart the race from the back of the field.

Christopher Bell is the leader of the race.

Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with John Hunter Nemechek alongside on lap 102.  Nemechek takes the lead with Bell in second.

Lap 103, the top five are John Hunter Nemechek, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones; Chris Buescher, and Austin Dillon.

Casey Mears has a flat tire but the track stays green.  Mears limps his way to pit road.

Lap 106, John Hunter Nemechek leads the race with teammate Erik Jones behind him; Dillon round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 108 for Denny Hamlin who gets into the wall with a flat tire.  He reports that the car won’t turn.  With pit road closed, Hamlin continues to drive around the track; dropping debris.  Hamlin finally comes down pit road for service.

Kyle Busch has returned to the race after an extended stop in the garage and is 64 laps down.

Once pit road opens, it becomes a very busy place with drivers coming down for service.  John Hunter Nemechek was penalized for leaving pit road with equipment – fuel can still attached.  He makes a second trip down pit road for tires.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart with Austin Dillon alongside with 45 laps remaining in the race.  Dillon jumps out in front for the lead with Logano on his bumper; Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, and Erik Jones round out the top five.

Lap 118, Joey Logano takes the lead.

Forty to go, Joey Logano has a tenth of a second lead on Austin Dillon; Erik Jones, Justin Haley, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

With 35 laps to go, Joey Logano leads the race with Chris Buescher on his bumper.  Drivers are three wide through much of the field.

Lap 128, Joey Logano leads the race from the outside lane with Chris Buescher on his bumper.  The drivers are three wide through the field.

With 29 laps to go, the cars in the front of the field have gotten double wide with Joey Logano leading the way.

Just 27 laps to go, Joey Logano continues to lead the race with Chase Briscoe in a battle for the lead.

Chase Briscoe gets out in front with Joey Logano in second; Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson rounding out the top five.

Lap 137, Joey Logano retakes the lead.

BJ McLeod gets into the wall and is limping to pit road.  The track stays green with 22 laps remaining in the race.

Twenty to go, Joey Logano holds on to the lead with Justin Haley in second; Kyle Larson, Erik Jones, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.

Erik Jones passes Joey Logano on the inside and takes the lead with Justin Haley right behind.

Sixteen to go, Joey Logano continues to battle with Erik Jones for the lead.

AJ Allmendinger has a misfire in the engine and is working his way to pit road on the apron.

With 14 laps to go, Joey Logano takes the lead.

The caution flag comes out on lap 148 for Joey Logano spins out and gets stuck in the grass.

Erik Jones is the leader with Justin Haley in second; Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

Joey Logano gets out of the grass and is moving again.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.

Denny Hamlin is the “lucky dog”.

Driving the STP car, Erik Jones brings the number 43 car down for the green flag restart with just eight laps remaining in the race with Justin Haley alongside.  Haley takes the lead with Jones coming up on the outside to battle for the lead.  Jones and Haley swap the lead back and forth.

Justin Haley takes the lead.  Drivers get three wide briefly.

Erik Jones slaps the wall but the track stays green.

Ryan Preece leads the race with four laps to go.

Getting a push from Chris Buescher, Justin Haley edges out for the lead.

Kyle Larson moves up to form a third lane to battle for the lead.

On the high line Cole Custer takes the white flag.

Ryan Blaney takes the lead on the outside.

Ryan Blaney edges out Cole Custer for the win.

Alex Bowman is the final driver in the playoffs and putting all four of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the playoffs.  All three Team Penske drivers are also in the playoffs.  Three of the four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers made the playoffs as well.  Both of the 23XI drivers and two of the Trackhouse drivers fill spots as well.

The unofficial results of the Coke Zero 400:
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
Justin Haley
Cole Custer
Erik Jones
Chris Buescher
Kyle Larson
Ty Gibbs
Josh Berry
Chase Elliott
Todd Gilliland
Michael McDowell
Christopher Bell
Ryan Preece
Ross Chastain
Shane van Gisbergen
John Hunter Nemechek
Brad Keselowski
William Byron
Cody Ware
Tyler Reddick
Ty Dillon
Chase Briscoe
Austin Dillon
Denny Hamlin
AJ Allmendinger
Joey Logano
Joey Gase
Casey Mears
Austin Hill
Zane Smith
BJ McLeod
Kyle Busch
Carson Hocevar
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Alex Bowman
Bubba Wallace
Noah Gragson
Austin Cindric
Riley Herbst

The final grid for the playoffs are:
Denny Hamlin
Shane van Gisbergen
Kyle Larson
Christopher Bell
William Byron
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
Chase Briscoe
Bubba Wallace
Joey Logano
Ross Chastain
Austin Cindric
Josh Berry
Austin Dillon
Tyler Reddick
Alex Bowman