NASCAR Playoffs: All the 16 drivers who qualified after Chris Buescher’s win at Daytona

The 26-race NASCAR Cup Series regular season came to an end with the conclusion of Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway where Chris Buescher secured his third win of the season.

The result of the final race of the regular season set the 16 drivers playoff grid who will compete against each other for the prestigious NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The 15 of the 16-playoff positions were already determined. With no new winner from below the cut-off line at Daytona, Ty Gibbs was knocked out from the race of playoffs and the last spot was clinched by Bubba Wallace Jr., who finished 32 points ahead of Gibbs in the final regular-season standings.

Wallace Jr.’s 12th place finish at Daytona allowed him to race for a Cup championship for the first time in his six-year career.

The potential drivers who missed the playoff this season are Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe.

Elliott, who won last year’s regular season championship missed the playoffs for the first time in his Cup Series career. The disruption of his plans for the season came after missing seven races during the regular season - six races with leg injury and one-race suspension from NASCAR for rough driving at Coca-Cola 600.

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NASCAR Cup Series playoff grid: Drivers who made it to the Round of 16

With 16 drivers now left to fight for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron who had a breakout season so far grabbed the top spot to begin the Round of 16. Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Bubba Wallace enter into the playoff as the four drivers below the cut-off line.

The following drivers qualified for the playoff season:

1. #24 - William Byron
2. #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
3. #11 - Denny Hamlin
4. #17 - Chris Buescher
5. #8 - Kyle Busch
6. #5 - Kyle Larson
7. #20 - Christopher Bell
8. #1 - Ross Chastain
9. #6 - Brad Keselowski
10. #45 - Tyler Reddick
11. #22 - Joey Logano
12. #12 - Ryan Blaney
13. #34 - Michael McDowell
14. #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
15. #4 - Kevin Harvick
16. #23 - Bubba Wallace

NASCAR Cup Series returns next weekend at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500, the first race of the 2023 playoff season. The action will go live at 6 pm ET on Sunday, September 3, 2023.