Only four races remain in the Cup Series regular season, so on paper, the drivers above the cutline just need to focus on stacking points and avoiding mistakes.
Simple enough, right? Well, not really, considering there is one large wild card remaining in the regular season -- Daytona International Speedway.
This track has shaken up the playoff picture multiple times in the last few seasons due to its often wild races, and it will potentially do so once again on Saturday, Aug. 24.
Take 2020 for example. Jimmie Johnson was in a position to point his way into the playoffs and contend for a championship in his final season. He scored points in the first two stages before finishing 17th after being involved in a multi-car incident.
This incident sent the race to overtime and ultimately led to Johnson's elimination.
William Byron WINS to make the NASCAR Playoffs! His first career win!
Credit One Lap To Go presented by @CreditOneBank. pic.twitter.com/1zwi1jWCNj
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 30, 2020
William Byron, Johnson's teammate, took the lead in overtime and he went on to win for the first time in his Cup Series career. He locked up one of the three remaining playoff spots while Matt DiBenedetto took another by finishing 12th. Clint Bowyer had already locked up one spot earlier in the race.
Of course, the 2020 race is fairly tame compared to 2022's regular-season finale. This race is one that featured a stunning multi-car crash, a long red flag delay due to rain, and a new winner.
The wild weekend began, fittingly enough, with a postponement. NASCAR had to move the regular-season finale from its Saturday evening slot to Sunday morning due to heavy rainfall. The drivers were able to complete the first two stages but then rain and lightning brought out the red flag once again.
This red flag delay was immediately after a shocking turn of events for multiple drivers. Rain suddenly fell in Turn 1 and caused a massive crash that collected Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and multiple other drivers.
BIG CRASH in Turns 1 and 2 and Daytona!@austindillon3 SOMEHOW avoids all the mayhem and comes out in the lead! #NASCAR
📺 : @CNBC and @peacockTV pic.twitter.com/aYYdF1hp6l
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 28, 2022
One car navigated through the chaos unscathed, one controlled by Austin Dillon. The Richard Childress Racing driver took the lead and then he went out and won from well below the cutline after a red flag delay lasting three hours and 19 minutes.
Dillon was the 16th different winner in the first 26 races. He took a playoff spot from Martin Truex Jr., who had the third-most points in the regular season but did not have a win.
2020 and 2022 are only two of the numerous examples of Daytona serving as a wild card. This track has a reputation for chaos, which is one reason why it recently the regular-season finale. Anything can -- and likely will -- happen.
Drivers seeking their first win of the season often head to the superspeedway with a mixture of dread and excitement. They know the chaos could improve their chances of winning more than Michigan or Richmond. They also know they could be collected by a random wreck early in the race and see their playoff hopes crumble.
The regular-season finale since 2020, Daytona actually hosts the penultimate race of the regular season in 2024 due to the two-week Olympic break. The Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is now the final race before the playoffs begin.
Moving Daytona out of its spot as the regular-season finale provides an extra opportunity for drivers without a win this season to put themselves in the playoffs. If a new winner from below the cutline wins at Daytona, drivers such as Ty Gibbs or Chris Buescher could still rebound at Darlington.
Of course, moving Daytona out of the finale spot still doesn't decrease the wild card factor considering that cautions occur with regularity at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, often due to rain and increasingly aggressive moves by drivers out of the playoff picture.