DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Florida National News) – Chris Buescher has won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, and Bubba Wallace has secured the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. This will be Wallace’s first time racing for a championship.

Chris Buescher in Victory Lane after the Coke Zero 400. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

Wallace had entered the race in 16th place, but a victory from a driver below the cut line could have knocked him out of the playoffs. An early accident took out several drivers including Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and several others. A spectacular crash late in the race by Ryan Preece had him flipping at least ten times over the grass. Fortunately, he was able to exit the vehicle.

Bubba Wallace clinches Playoffs. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

The sixteen drivers in the Playoffs include the points leaders William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Bubba Wallace.

NASCAR’s first Playoffs Round of Sixteen race takes place next weekend at Darlington, Sunday, September 3rd. Each three-week round of the playoffs will reduce the field by four drivers, leading up to the Season Finale on Sunday, Nov. 5th at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the final four drivers competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Be sure to stay tuned to Florida National News (www.FloridaNationalNews.com) and Florida Sports Channel (www.FloridaSportsChannel.com) for more.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Florida National News) – NASCAR fans are already packing the Daytona International Speedway as the regular season comes to its finale Saturday, August 26, with the Coke Zero 400. While fifteen drivers have already secured a spot in the playoffs, the 16th is still up for grabs based on the race results.

Fans at Daytona International Speedway. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

The fifteen drivers who are already guaranteed a spot in NASCAR’s first Playoffs Round of Sixteen race at Darlington, Sunday, September 3rd include the current points leaders Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell. The top two drivers, Truex and Hamlin, will compete Saturday night to win the Regular Season Championship. There are seventeen drivers who are competing at the Coke Zero 400 for that final spot in the postseason. Bubba Wallace is currently in 16th place, and could clinch with 24 points. Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suárez could clinch with enough points to pass Wallace or with a victory. AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola, Todd Gilliland, Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe and Ty Dillon need to win on Saturday night to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Bubba Wallace competes for a spot in the Playoffs. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

Each three-week round of the playoffs will reduce the field by four drivers, leading up to the Season Finale on Sunday, Nov. 5th at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the final four drivers competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship. Joey Logano is the reigning champ after winning in Phoenix last season.

The action begins Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to stay tuned to Florida National News (www.FloridaNationalNews.com) and Florida Sports Channel (www.FloridaSportsChannel.com) for more.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Talladega Superspeedway is proud to announce that multi-Platinum singer-songwriter Chase Rice, who also has NASCAR ties, will be the featured artist for the track’s traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert, Oct. 1, during an exciting NASCAR Playoffs weekend, featuring the YellaWood 500.

Rice will take the stage at NASCAR’s “Party Capital” just hours after the conclusion of the Sparks 300 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) and Chevy Silverado 250 (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) races, and the night before the YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series event (Sunday, Oct. 2). It will mark the second time that Rice has performed at the biggest and baddest race track on the planet (spring of 2015). The best part about the concert is that admission is FREE with the purchase of a Sunday race ticket for the YellaWood 500. Breakout country artist Bailey Zimmerman will open the anticipated night.

“We are thrilled to have Chase Rice back with us at Talladega Superspeedway for our popular Saturday Night Infield Concert,” said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Brian Crichton. “We have amazing fans, and knowing what an incredible entertainer Chase is, everyone in attendance is going to have an incredible time. Chase will continue the tradition in our world-famous infield, and it’s one fans will not want to miss.”

With more than 2.3 million albums sold and over 2.3 billion total streams, plus a legion of passionate fans at his high-energy concerts across the globe, Rice has established himself as a powerful force in Nashville and beyond. With a forthcoming album crafted in his rural Tennessee home-turned-studio, his sound continues to evolve to reflect the realities of his life, as evidenced by recent single “If I Were Rock & Roll” and his latest release, “Key West & Colorado.” The new music serves as a follow up to his three-part project, The Album, featuring his latest Platinum-certified No. 1 hit, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen. (featuring Florida Georgia Line)” and Platinum-certified Top 10 hit “Lonely If You Are.”

This is the same gravelly-voiced Chase Rice fans first fell in love with years ago – but better. Freer. Unbeholden and uninhibited, somehow capable of evoking Chris LeDoux and The Chronic, campfire singalongs and stadium anthems, all at once. The new music builds upon the success of his sophomore album, Lambs & Lions, which featured the Triple-Platinum, two-week chart topper “Eyes On You” – Rice’s first No. 1 as an artist and the most-streamed song of his career.

In addition to a hugely successful music career, Rice also has an athletic background as a former linebacker at the University of North Carolina, and was a part of the sport of NASCAR, serving as a rear tire carrier for the Hendrick Motorsports team pit crew before moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time.

Warner Music Nashville / Elektra Music Group breakout country artist Zimmerman is following an explosive trajectory after an unexpected, whirlwind rise. His undeniable smash “Fall In Love” features Zimmerman’s “blistering…effortlessly gritty, fervent vocal” (Billboard). The song is currently racing up the country radio charts and multiple all-genre Billboard charts, having already charted at No. 1 on Apple Music’s Top Country Songs chart and SiriusXM The Highway’s Top 30 Countdown earlier this year.

A victory by a playoff eligible driver in any of the trio of October events will make it to the next round of their respective NASCAR Playoffs series. The YellaWood 500 will serve as the second race in the Round of 12 and will feature NASCAR’s ’Next Gen’ car. Bubba Wallace is the defending Champion of the YellaWood 500. Brandon Brown won last year’s Xfinity Series race while Tate Fogleman took the top honors in the Camping World Truck Series race.

Guests attending the weekend can be immersed into the sport of NASCAR by being a part of the Talladega Garage Experience, which gives the ability to be up-close to NASCAR’s top drivers and teams via a fan walkway under the same roof as the NASCAR Cup Series garage bays. For all race weekend ticket information, log onto www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

Fans are encouraged to keep up with all the happenings at the biggest, baddest race track on the planet by following Talladega Superspeedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as the all-new NASCAR Tracks App. for the latest speedway news.

Follow Chase Rice at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chasericemusic

Twitter: @chasericemusic

Instagram: @chaserice

TikTok: @chasericemusic