NASCAR's "Win and you're in" playoff policy struck Martin Truex Jr. with a vengeance on Sunday.
Truex entered Sunday's Coke Zero Sugar 400 — the last race of the NASCAR regular season — sixth in the points standings. But because he had yet to win a race, he and Ryan Blaney were on the playoff bubble. Both would get in assuming there wasn't a first-time winner at Daytona International Speedway.
Sure enough, there was.
Austin Dillon overtook leader Austin Cindric in the draft — with help from Richard Childress Racing teammate Tyler Reddick — with three laps remaining and faced no real challenges after that. He earned his first victory of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and sneaked into the playoffs at Truex's expense.
.@austindillon3 explains how he was able to get to the lead late in the closing laps. #CokeZeroSugar400 pic.twitter.com/JWJVapWnds
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 28, 2022
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That Dillon was in position to take the lead was itself contentious: He evaded a massive crash that many felt was caused by rain on the track. The thought was that NASCAR officials should have gone to red-flag conditions before that.
Either way, Dillon's win secured him a spot in the playoffs and cost Truex, who finished three points behind Blaney for the final spot.
"It's a shame. It stinks," Truex said. "But just too much damage to have enough speed to do what we needed to do.
"Hindsight's always 20-20. "We gave away plenty of points throughout the season. Yeah, but, it is what it is."
He just didn't have the speed at the end. @MartinTruex_Jr reacts to missing out on the #NASCARPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/4QOpPTnxlX
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 28, 2022
Now the playoff field is set, starting with regular-season champion Chase Elliott in the first position. Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and William Byron make up the remainder of the top five, respectively.
Blaney, the lone driver in the playoff field without a win, is seventh in the playoff standings.
The playoffs will begin with the three-race Round of 16 from Sept. 4-17. Then come three Round of 12 races from Sept. 25 through Oct. 9; three Round of Eight races from Oct. 16-30; and the Championship 4 race at Phoenix on Nov. 6.
NASCAR playoff field 2022
| Driver | Playoff points | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chase Elliott* | 2,040 | 4 |
| 2. Joey Logano | 2,025 | 2 |
| 3. Ross Chastain | 2,020 | 2 |
| 4. Kyle Larson | 2,019 | 2 |
| 5. William Byron | 2,014 | 2 |
| 6. Denny Hamlin | 2,013 | 2 |
| 7. Ryan Blaney | 2,013 | 0 |
| 8. Tyler Reddick | 2,012 | 2 |
| 9. Kevin Harvick | 2,012 | 2 |
| 10. Christopher Bell | 2,011 | 1 |
| 11. Kyle Busch | 2,010 | 1 |
| 12. Chase Briscoe | 2,009 | 1 |
| 13. Daniel Suarez | 2,007 | 1 |
| 14. Austin Cindric | 2,006 | 1 |
| 15. Alex Bowman | 2,006 | 1 |
| 16. Austin Dillon | 2,005 | 1 |
* Regular-season champion
NASCAR schedule 2022: Playoff races
Round of 16
| Date | Race | Track | Start time (ET) | TV channel | Radio | Winner |
| Sept. 4 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | 6 p.m. | USA | MRN | TBD |
| Sept. 11 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | 3 p.m. | USA | MRN | TBD |
| Sept. 17 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 p.m. | USA | PRN | TBD |
Round of 12
| Date | Race | Track | Start time (ET) | TV channel | Radio | Winner |
| Sept. 25 | AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | 3:30 p.m. | USA | PRN | TBD |
| Oct. 2 | YellaWood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. | NBC | MRN | TBD |
| Oct. 9 | Bank of America ROVAL 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL | 2 p.m. | NBC | PRN | TBD |
Round of 8
| Date | Race | Track | Start time (ET) | TV channel | Radio | Winner |
| Oct. 16 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | PRN | TBD |
| Oct. 23 | Dixie Vodka 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | MRN | TBD |
| Oct. 30 | Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | 2 p.m. | NBC | MRN | TBD |
Championship 4
| Date | Race | Track | Start time (ET) | TV channel | Radio | Winner |
| Nov. 6 | NASCAR Cup Series Championship | Phoenix Raceway | 3 p.m. | NBC | MRN | TBD |
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