NASCAR race at Daytona: How to watch, playoffs bubble drivers and starting lineup

The regular NASCAR season will finish where it started: Daytona International Speedway. The Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 takes place Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

The superspeedway race serves as the final chance for drivers not yet locked into the postseason, including seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, for them to secure their place in the playoffs. Johnson sits four points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron and nine points behind Wood Brothers Racing driver Matt DiBenedetto.

Johnson said he’s not spending time “getting overly sentimental” and is instead focused on the task at hand: Running well at Daytona and avoiding the wrecks. He said he spoke with his former championship winning crew chief Chad Knaus, who’s the crew chief for Byron, about the situation earlier this week.

“We had a good laugh about it,” Johnson said. “We certainly both look at the year and know there are moments that could have kept us both from being in this position, but it is what it is and we’re going to Daytona, which makes it even more awkward.”

Both Knaus and Johnson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels said that the Hendrick teams have been open with each other on car notes and strategy, and that the Chevys will look to work together during the race to try to get both cars into the postseason.

The same goes for Penske teams working with DiBenedetto. His Wood Brothers Racing team has an alliance with Team Penske.

“You’re trying to win the race yourself, but at the same time, you’re gonna help out your teammates as much as you can,” No. 12 Penske driver Ryan Blaney said. “We consider that whole (Wood Brothers) group part of the Penske organization, so I’m gonna definitely help them out and try to get Matt into playoffs.”

DiBenedetto is starting 15th, while Byron and Johnson are starting sixth and seventh, respectively. Last Sunday’s Dover race winner and regular season champion Kevin Harvick is starting on pole.

Coverage for the 400-mile race starts at 7 p.m. on NBC.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR AT DAYTONA

• Race: Coke Zero Sugar 400

• Distance: 400 miles, 160 laps (stages end on lap 50, 100, 160)

• When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

• TV: NBC (broadcast starts at 7 p.m.)

• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Daytona 500 race winner: Denny Hamlin

NASCAR AT THE DAYTONA LINEUP

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription