Drivers to race into NASCAR Playoffs in regular-season finale

Only one more regular-season race remains until the grid of 16 playoff drivers is set. As the Cup Series heads back to Daytona International Speedway for a Saturday night tilt (7:30 ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock) will a new name be added to this list of drivers to race their way into the Cup Series Playoffs in the regular-season finale?

Jeremy Mayfield, 2004

Going into the 2004 cutoff race at Richmond Raceway, Mayfield was 14th in points. Mayfield put the No. 19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge in Victory Lane to make the 10-driver postseason field, replacing Kasey Kahne, who finished 24th in the race after going into it ninth in points.

Ryan Newman, 2005

Newman went into the cutoff race at Richmond 11th in the series points standings. A 12th-place finish boosted Newman to sixth in points to make the playoffs, replacing Jamie McMurray who finished 40th at Richmond after coming into the race 10th in points.

Kasey Kahne, 2006

In 2006, Kahne headed to Richmond 11th in the standings, while Tony Stewart came into it in eighth. Kahne locked himself into the playoff field with a third-place finish at Richmond, finishing eighth in the standings. Stewart's 18th-place finish in the event dropped him back to 11th in points and out of postseason contention.

Brian Vickers, 2009

In his third season with Red Bull Racing, Vickers came into the cutoff race at Richmond 13th in points, while former champion Matt Kenseth owned the final playoff position in 12th. A seventh-place finish at the .75-mile Virginia short track propelled him into the final postseason spot after Kenseth finished 25th in the race.

Jeff Gordon, 2012

In the 2012 cutoff race at Richmond, Gordon came into it 13th in points. Fighting an ill-handing No. 24 Chevrolet all night, bold adjustments by crew chief Alan Gustafson allowed Gordon to make a late-race run through the field, finishing second to climb into the final wild-card position for the playoffs. Gordon replaced Kyle Busch, who finished 16th in the race and missed the postseason by a mere three points.

Ryan Newman, 2019

Like in 2005, Newman went into another regular-season cutoff race behind the 8-ball. This time, the race was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he achieved the same result. Going into the Brickyard 400 16th in points, tied with Daniel Suarez, an eighth-place finish placed Newman into the postseason. The Roush Fenway Racing driver replaced Suarez in the playoffs by four points after Suarez finished 11th.

William Byron, 2020

Byron entered the Daytona regular-season finale +4 over Jimmie Johnson for the final spot, but Johnson took the points lead following Stage 2. Byron had to finish eight spots better than Johnson to advance, and the driver of the No. 24 rallied to win the race and punch his ticket.

Austin Dillon, 2022

Dillon entered the final regular-season race needing a win to advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Through a rain-delayed and caution-filled thriller, the No. 3 found RCR teammate Tyler Reddick and held off the remaining field to capture his fourth Cup Series win and second at Daytona.

Chase Briscoe, 2024

Briscoe entered the regular-season finale well below the elimination line and needed a win to make his second career playoff appearance in the premier series. In a clutch performance, Briscoe held off a late-race, hard charge from Kyle Busch to win the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington, giving Stewart-Haas Racing a shot to battle for a championship in the organization's swansong season.