Seven months ago, the green flag for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season flew at the \u201cWorld Center of Racing\u201d, with Team Chevy\u2019s William Byron becoming a back-to-back DAYTONA 500 champion.<\/p>\n
With 25 races in the books and a series-leading 12 trips to victory lane earned, the Bowtie brigade will head back to the historic 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway to close out the series\u2019 regular season. With Team Chevy\u2019s Austin Dillon becoming the 14th different driver to win his way into the playoffs, just two postseason positions remain up for grabs in Saturday\u2019s Coke Zero Sugar 400.<\/p>\n
For the Xfinity Series, a trip down to Daytona for Friday\u2019s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola will mark three-to-go on its regular season schedule. After an idle weekend, the Chevrolet camp will look to carry their dominate 20-win season to a track that\u2019s seen a Chevrolet-powered machine in victory lane in 14 of the past 16 races.
\u200a<\/p>\n
Chevrolet at the \u201cWorld Center of Racing\u201d:<\/p>\n
In Feb. 2024, Chevrolet accomplished a feat that no other manufacturer has reached at Daytona International Speedway by earning its milestone 100th all-time NASCAR win at the \u201cWorld Center of Racing\u201d. Fast forward to this season\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale weekend, Chevrolet has only further extended its record as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at the track with now 104 all-time wins \u2013 most recently in the 2025 DAYTONA 500 when William Byron became a back-to-back champion in the crown jewel event. Byron\u2019s DAYTONA 500 title delivered Chevrolet its 52nd all-time Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway, with 22 of those triumphs coming in the series\u2019 summer race at the track. Most recently, it was Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Austin Dillon that collected a summer race victory \u2013 driving the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet to a \u201cwalk-off\u201d win en route to a spot in the playoffs (Aug. 2022).
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DILLON EXPANDS TEAM CHEVY PLAYOFF LINEUP<\/p>\n
Austin Dillon proved he knows how to wrangle Richmond Raceway once again \u2013 driving his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to the victory and a spot back into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The victory was backed by a strong night overall for the team \u2013 highlighted by a race-high 54 points accumulated. The 35-year-old Welcome, North Carolina, native extended Chevrolet\u2019s playoff berths to a series-leading six with representation by three different organizations. Joining the Richard Childress Racing driver with a guaranteed postseason position includes Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 William Byron, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, as well as Trackhouse Racing\u2019s Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen.
\u200a<\/p>\n
Opportunity for a \u201cWalk-Off\u201d Win:<\/p>\n
Austin Dillon is the 14th different winner of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, leaving just two spots up for grabs for drivers to either point or win their way into title contention. Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 Alex Bowman will enter the regular season finale in the final provisional points position with a 60-point advantage over the cutline. Despite the unpredictability that Daytona International Speedway delivers, the 32-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native has proven he knows how to get around the iconic venue \u2013 earning top-six results in his last five starts at the track.<\/p>\n
Just like Dillon\u2019s 2022 Daytona summer race triumph, a \u201cwalk-off\u201d win is very much a reality with a strong list of past Daytona winners heading into the weekend under the playoff cutline. Among those includes Dillon\u2019s Richard Childress Racing teammate, Kyle Busch, who\u2019s not only a past summer race winner (July 2008), but a driver hungry for redemption after falling just one spot short of the win one year ago. Also in a position to shake up the playoff standings includes two-time Daytona winner, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as well as a pair of Spire Motorsports teammates, Justin Haley and Michael McDowell, with one win each at the track.
\u200a<\/p>\n
BYRON BRINGS HOME REGULAR SEASON TITLE<\/p>\n
Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 William Byron has checked yet another box in his young career \u2013 earning the title as the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion. The title came one week early for Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet team after building a 68-point lead over Chase Elliott in the penultimate race of the regular season at Richmond Raceway last weekend.<\/p>\n
The 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native solidified his title hopes right out of the gate by earning his second consecutive crown in the 2025 DAYTONA 500. Byron claimed the points lead for the first time just three races into the season at Circuit of The Americas and has since held the top position for 20 of the 25 races. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is one of five repeat winners in the series thus far this season, with Byron making his second trip to victory lane at Iowa Speedway earlier this month. The 2025 season will mark Byron\u2019s seventh consecutive appearance in the Cup Series Playoffs, also entering the postseason with momentum from back-to-back appearances in the Championship Four.
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THREE-TO-GO IN XFINITY SERIES REGULAR SEASON<\/p>\n
The regular season for the NASCAR Xfinity Series is still in full swing with this weekend starting the three-race countdown to the start of its postseason competition. Building onto an already impressive rookie campaign, Team Chevy\u2019s Connor Zilisch collected his series-leading sixth win at Watkins Glen International two weeks ago \u2013 bringing Chevrolet\u2019s win total to 20 with 23 races complete. The series has seen eight full-time competitors win their way into an early playoff berth, including six drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations. Joining Zilisch includes defending Daytona winner, Jesse Love, who earned the first ticket into the postseason with his win in the series\u2019 season-opener at the \u201cWorld Center of Racing\u201d. \ufeff
\u200a<\/p>\n
Burton Among List of Potential New Winners<\/p>\n
Sitting in the first position on the outside looking in is Jordan Anderson Racing\u2019s Jeb Burton, with the No. 27 Chevrolet team entering the Daytona race weekend just 30-points below the cutline. The 33-year-old Halifax, Virginia, native is among an elite list of drivers that could shake up the playoff field with a victory in Friday\u2019s 250-mile event. Burton is a two-time winner in the series \u2013 both of which came on a superspeedway (Talladega Superspeedway \u2013 2021 and 2023). The No. 27 Chevrolet team has proven to be strong on drafting-style tracks this season \u2013 earning results no worse than 16th in each of the four races on the configuration this season, including a runner-up finish at Talladega in April.
\u200a<\/p>\n
Chevrolet\u2019s season statistics with 25 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:<\/p>\n
Wins: 12<\/p>\n
Poles: 10<\/p>\n
Laps Led: 3,071<\/p>\n
Top-Fives: 50<\/p>\n
Top-10s: 107<\/p>\n
Stage Wins: 20<\/p>\n
Chevrolet\u2019s season statistics with 23 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:<\/p>\n
Wins: 20<\/p>\n
Poles: 14<\/p>\n
Laps Led: 2,804<\/p>\n
Top-Fives: 77<\/p>\n
Top-10s: 147<\/p>\n
Stage Wins: 33<\/p>\n
Chevrolet\u2019s season statistics with 18 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:<\/p>\n
Wins: 6<\/p>\n
Poles: 2<\/p>\n
Laps Led: 887<\/p>\n
Top-Fives: 41<\/p>\n
Top-10s: 84<\/p>\n
Stage Wins: 7
\u200a<\/p>\n
BOWTIE BULLETS:<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the doubleheader weekend at Daytona International Speedway, with the Corvette Stingray pacing the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series in their respective events.<\/p>\n
\ufeff\u00b7 Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway:<\/p>\n
William Byron \u2013 three wins (Aug. 2020, Feb. 2024 & Feb. 2025)<\/p>\n
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. \u2013 two wins (July 2017 & Feb. 2023)<\/p>\n
Austin Dillon \u2013 two wins (Feb. 2018 & Aug. 2022)<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell \u2013 one win (Feb. 2021)<\/p>\n
Justin Haley \u2013 one win (July 2019)<\/p>\n
Kyle Busch \u2013 one win (July 2008)<\/p>\n
\u00b7 In 156 NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 52 wins, with 22 of those victories coming in the series\u2019 summer event at the track \u2013 most recently by Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team (Aug. 2022).<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Chevrolet has earned 104 points-paying wins at Daytona International Speedway across all three NASCAR national series, making Chevrolet the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at Daytona International Speedway.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in 12 of the 25 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 In 133 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 64 victories \u2013 a winning percentage of 48.12%.<\/p>\n
\u00b7 With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 878 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
\u200a<\/p>\n
TUNE-IN:<\/p>\n
NASCAR Cup Series<\/p>\n
Coke Zero Sugar 400<\/p>\n
Saturday, August 23, at 7:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
(NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)<\/p>\n
NASCAR Xfinity Series<\/p>\n
Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola<\/p>\n
Friday, August 22, at 7:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
(CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
\u200a<\/p>\n
QUOTABLE QUOTES:<\/p>\n
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet<\/p>\n
Richmond was a good race for you. You led the last 49 laps to win your second consecutive race at the Virginia short track. Does locking yourself into the NASCAR Playoffs take some of the pressure off?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a special weekend Richmond Raceway was for us. A little pressure is taken off because we\u2019re in the NASCAR Playoffs now. We want to go help our teammate Kyle Busch try and lock himself in. This is the last opportunity to get into the NASCAR Playoffs, so we\u2019ll be focused on helping him, while also trying to get some bonus points for the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE\u00ae (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) team for the NASCAR Playoffs. We\u2019re excited for the opportunity for RCR and all of our partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a Daytona 500 Champion, does Daytona International Speedway just feel special every time you drive through the tunnel there?<\/p>\n
\u201cDaytona International Speedway is so special in so many ways to my family and I. We\u2019ve had some crazy memories there. We\u2019ve been to Victory Lane, tore down the fence, and done a little bit of everything. We\u2019re looking for a clean, fun night this Saturday and hopefully, if the opportunity arises, we can go back to Victory Lane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway one of the coolest in our sport?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is, for sure. I always look forward to Daytona.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s August so you never know what you are going to be dealing with, weather-wise. It could be sunny one moment, then you might have the weather to deal with. How do you handle that unpredictability?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to stay grounded. Execution is key, and putting yourself in good positions. Weather does seem to always play a factor at Daytona. It could rain at any time. so we\u2019ll try and stay ahead of that weather and see. We have great engineers watching it constantly, so if a shower does pop up, we\u2019ll look at some strategy if need be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Describe the mood leading into the last race of the regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, it\u2019s different for the drivers that are in the NASCAR Playoffs versus those who are not. I think we\u2019re already focused on Darlington Raceway, which is the first race in the NASCAR Playoffs, and trying to get our baseline dialed in at the simulator. Right now, this is the grind of our season. We\u2019ve been going for a long time now. We only had one off weekend this year and that was Easter, so we have been going at it and everybody\u2019s just pushing as hard as they can to the to the finish. It sure felt good getting that win to get that off your shoulders and feel like you can go ahead and get after it in the Playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your schedule like when you get to town?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always make the most of our trip to Daytona. I\u2019m actually going to do some deep sea fishing with our friends at Huk when I get there. In addition, Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops are a big partner of ours, so anytime I can get out on the water and try and reel in a fish before a race, I\u2019m all about it. I love to get out there and fish a little bit, maybe catch a big one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet<\/p>\n
What are your thoughts on pulling double duty at Daytona?<\/p>\n
\u201cDaytona is one of my favorite tracks. I\u2019m excited to get back to superspeedway racing this weekend and make a final push for the playoffs with our No. 7 Gainbridge Chevy. Hopefully, we can learn a couple things Friday night in the Xfinity Series car so we can be there at the end and race for a win both nights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet<\/p>\n
Is the pressure any higher going into Daytona this weekend with it being the last race before the playoffs?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s always high anyways. Through the field, every position, doesn\u2019t really matter, you know, they\u2019ll crash for 10th-place for a finish. Just deal with what you can, and hopefully you\u2019ve got a fast enough race car to be in front of the field and drive away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Have you looked at the flap on the eight post and you have any thoughts on it? \u2029<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen it. I mean, if it works, it works, great. That\u2019s the whole point and process of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is the pressure to win now to make the playoffs any different than week two or week three?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so, no. We just know time is running out, but I don\u2019t think the pressure is any greater. It\u2019s just a matter of being able to get it done and right now is the best time, you know, so you can go try to prepare for a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Are you stressed out over this being the last weekend to make the playoffs?<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m not stressed out over it. I think that we go to each and every single weekend with the mindset to try to go out there and win, and, you know, we haven\u2019t put ourselves in that position to be able to score a victory. So, you know, we need to. But I wouldn\u2019t say that this weekend puts any added pressure on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet<\/p>\n
\u201cDaytona is basically all or nothing. We have to go there and try to win so we will do everything it takes and take chances. At the end of the day, winning is what matters this weekend and we\u2019re going to do everything we can to give ourselves an opportunity to be there when it matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet<\/p>\n
What is the mindset heading into the Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway?<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a few Cup Series superspeedway races under my belt now, and in those races, I\u2019ve learned that the Cup car does not react the same way as the Xfinity Series car. With that being said though, there are some tendencies behind the wheel that are the same and just a product of the style of racing. Our No. 33 team wants to have a solid day and keep our United Rentals Chevrolet out of trouble. If we can find ourselves in a position in the final laps, anything can happen at the end of these races.\u201d<\/p>\n
You earned a top-10 finish in your last start behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet. Does that carry momentum into this weekend?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a little bit \u2013 almost two months \u2013 since my last race in the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet, but we had a great race in Chicago on the street course. It was a fun weekend passing a lot of cars and earning my first Cup Series top-10 finish. The style of racing is completely different this weekend and there is so much out of your control at times, but from a mental standpoint, we know what this team is capable of. Everyone at RCR has been working extremely hard to bring another fast car to the track and we\u2019ll give it our best shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet<\/p>\n
\u201cDaytona is always a race that means a lot to me, and I\u2019m excited to head there with Jack Link\u2019s Duos on our car. It\u2019s the kind of place where anything can happen and I feel like our car always has better handling here than others. We\u2019ve done pretty well at superspeedways this year, so I feel good about our chances. Hopefully we can put ourselves in the right position at the end and give Jack Link\u2019s and all of our fans something to cheer about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet<\/p>\n
Talk about your perspective heading into the final race of the 2025 regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our last chance \u2013 the last race before the playoffs start. We all know what we\u2019re trying to do, and we\u2019re definitely going to try to get one of our Spire Motorsports cars in. It\u2019s a great opportunity for us and a new partner onboard with Fly Alliance. Justin (Haley) has won there, and I\u2019ve won there. We\u2019ve had strong speedway cars this year and the time has come. Unfortunately, we put ourselves in this predicament where it comes down to the last race to get into the playoffs, but we know what we\u2019ve got to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen a shift in your approach to superspeedway racing since this year\u2019s Daytona 500. Will you continue on that path as we head back to Florida?<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I always felt like it was easier or safer to just stay out of trouble and be there at the end, but that didn\u2019t really work for us in February and I showed up at Atlanta kind of wanting to prove a point that if I ran hard, I\u2019d get caught up in something early. That didn\u2019t happen and we were fighting for a win at the checkered flag, so I guess I did prove a point, but more to myself. Superspeedway racing is tough. Everything happens so quickly and it comes down to trusting the crew chief and spotter to put you in the right position to make it to those last few laps. I think we\u2019ve done a good a job of that this year since Daytona.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is the goal for this weekend to make the playoffs?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone goes into Daytona knowing that anything can happen and you could leave with a spot in the playoff field. For us, we\u2019re going to run the best race we can. You always hope that means you\u2019re in Victory Lane at the end, but more importantly we need to keep working on putting together all of the pieces to have good races week after week. Playoffs is the goal. Wins are also a goal, but working together to be successful is what is going to help us find success consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n
GM PR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seven months ago, the green flag for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season flew at the \u201cWorld Center…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":58965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[15654,12439,12440,1801,12442,1406,1483,6166,9652,62,67,132,68,11932],"class_list":{"0":"post-162348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-charlotte","9":"tag-craftsman-truck-series","10":"tag-daytona","11":"tag-international","12":"tag-motor","13":"tag-nascar","14":"tag-ricky-stenhouse-jr","15":"tag-series","16":"tag-speedway","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-xfinity-series"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115063746999916599","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}