Blaney goes back-to-back, while Larson clinches regular-season title

By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Several NASCAR drivers were in position for a walk-off moment to advance to the Cup Series playoffs in the regular-season finale Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.

But amid crashes and moves that didn’t come to fruition, a driver – Ryan Blaney – who already won this year captured the victory ahead of four drivers hoping to salvage their seasons by qualifying for the playoffs with a win. 

Chris Buescher crossed the line in second but was later disqualified for an illegal track bar mounting assembly, followed by Bubba Wallace, Ryan Newman and Ryan Preece.

Tyler Reddick, who finished fifth, held on for the final spot in the playoffs on points, and Kyle Larson clinched the regular-season title.

"We got lucky," Reddick said.

Blaney will enter the playoffs, which open next weekend at Darlington Raceway, with back-to-back wins. Thirteen drivers made the playoffs by winning a race in the regular season, and three (Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Reddick) filled in the remaining spots as the top winless drivers in the point standings.

"A wild race," Blaney said.

Here are the points heading into the playoffs:

And here are my three takeaways from a lively Saturday night:

Reddick advances; Dillon doesn’t

Reddick was more emotionally spent than Austin Dillon after the race.

Reddick entered the race 25 points ahead of Dillon and knew that if he didn’t have trouble, and if a driver who already qualified for the playoffs won the race, he would make the playoffs.

But Reddick did have trouble, getting involved in a wreck with 13 laps remaining. The team repaired the car, and he limped to the finish line, running around 15th to 20th until he avoided a last-lap crash to finish fifth.

"[I’m] more fortunate that Ryan Blaney was able to win, and if you look at the guys from third to myself, if any of those guys win but Blaney, we are having a different conversation," Reddick said.

Dillon knew he had to finish 18 or 19 spots better than Reddick to leapfrog him for the playoff spot, and so he realized he likely would have to win the race. Despite a voltage issue and having to rally from the back, Dillon was running in the top five when he was involved in that wreck on the final lap.

"We gave it all we could and fought until the very end," he said.

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Larson clinches regular season

Kyle Larson entered the race with a 28-point edge on Hamlin, and after riding around in the back for the opening stage, Larson opted to do his best to shadow Hamlin the remainder of the race, knowing that Hamlin needed to beat him by 20-25 spots to win the regular-season title.

Both drivers were involved in wrecks, and Hamlin finished 13th, while Larson came in 20th, meaning Larson won the regular-season crown by 18 points.

Why does it matter? Hamlin really could have used the extra playoff points – points that are added to a driver's total when the playoff rounds are reset – that go to the champion. Larson gained 15 points for winning the regular-season title. Hamlin settled for 10.

Knowing that, Larson said he had points on his mind when evaluating moves in the last several races.

"It’s not been all about just winning," Larson said. "Once points kind of came into the picture of us being able to beat the 11 [of Hamlin] – kind of points racing against him – I think getting into that mindset, that kind of style it takes to not be so go-for-broke, which I feel like is a lot of what you need.

"You obviously have to have that go-for-broke somewhere in your arsenal."

Expect Larson to have that go-for-broke attitude engaged at Darlington.

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Blaney wins ... again

Blaney was having a decent season until a seven-day stretch made it a really good season. The Team Penske driver won back-to-back races entering the playoffs, thanks to wins at Michigan and Daytona.

"This one is so cool because it is two in a row right before the playoffs start," Blaney said. "You just never know how these things are going to go. We go into every weekend thinking we can win the race.

"That’s how you have to think."

In both races, Blaney admits he probably didn’t have the fastest car.

"Capitalizing on these opportunities is so big," he said. "That’s what the playoffs are all about."

Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!