Daytona International Speedway has long been considered one of the most dramatic, high-action venues in all of auto racing, and come Friday night, it’s likely to live up to the hype, hosting the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series regular-season finale, the Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, ESPN Unlimited, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Eight drivers have clinched a position in the 12-driver Chase field, with six drivers vying for the final four spots to race for a title.
RELATED: Daytona weekend schedule | O'Reilly Series standings
And in one of the most compelling subplots of this regular-season finale, positions 11th through 13th are covered by a single point -- and all three drivers currently occupying those positions compete for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Viking Motorsports driver Parker Retzlaff needs to earn just 10 points in Friday night’s race, and he'd clinch a Chase berth to make his first career championship run. Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer, a perennial title contender, sits 10th in the points and holds a 33-point advantage over 14th-place Rajah Caruth.
That tight tussle features JGR teammates William Sawalich, Brent Crews and Taylor Gray.
None of the six drivers -- Retzlaff, Mayer, Sawalich, Crews, Gray or Caruth -- has ever won an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Daytona. Among them, Caruth earned the best finish (10th) in February’s first visit to the speedway.
The 2024 series champion, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, has turned in one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory, earning a career-high and series-best six wins and holding a massive 238-point advantage over second-place Carson Kvapil heading into Daytona. This will be his record 11th title run.
JR Motorsports' Carson Kvapil, reigning series champion Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing, Haas’ Sheldon Creed, Hendrick Motorsports rookie Corey Day, JGR’s Brandon Jones, RCR’s Austin Hill and JRM’s Sammy Smith have all clinched Chase positions.
Daytona has traditionally been a place where Hill shines, and he arrives this week after being named to drive full time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027 for RCR.He is a four-time Daytona winner, including this February. Love (2025) and Allgaier (2023) have also visited Daytona’s famed Victory Lane.
The last two Daytona O'Reilly Series races have been won from pole position. Kennametal Pole Qualifying is set for Friday at 3 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN Unlimited.