The 2025 NASCAR regular season came to an end in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.
Ryan Blaney emerged victorious following a close finish, marking his second win this year.
There were high stakes entering the event, as 14 drivers had already qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs while two more spots were still available.
With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at the Round of 16 schedule and point standings.
Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. ET
Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. ET
Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings
Alex Bowman held one of the final two playoff spots heading into the race, but a win from a driver that hadn’t stood atop the podium during the 2025 season would have prevented him from advancing.
Bowman also would have made the playoffs with a win, but his hopes of doing so were extinguished after he was involved in a Stage 1 wreck.
The race went four-wide on the final lap with Justin Haley, Cole Custer and Daniel Suárez alongside Blaney. A win from any of the three drivers would have knocked out Bowman, but Blaney’s victory wasn’t his first of the season and allowed Bowman to clinch a playoff spot.
Following the narrow finish, Bowman and the rest of the playoff field will now look towards the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.