NASCAR at Daytona results: Austin Dillon sneaks into playoffs with first-place finish at Coke Zero Sugar 400

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Austin Dillon leads a charmed life.

The driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet needed not only to overcome a three-hour rain delay, not only to miraculously evade a massive crash that would have ended his season, but also to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday to sneak into the playoffs.

Dillon did just that, drafting off leader Austin Cindric with three laps remaining to take the lead in the final race of the regular season. He ended up finishing first without any real challenge.

MORE: Watch NASCAR playoff racing live with fuboTV (free trial)

Dillon’s win was Martin Truex Jr.’s loss. Truex and Ryan Blaney entered the race as the last two drivers in the playoff field, provided a new driver didn’t win at Daytona on Sunday. But with Dillon winning — and with Blaney overtaking him in the final stage of the race — Truex missed the playoff by a mere three points.

The Sporting News tracked updates and highlights from the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Sunday. Here’s how the 2022 NASCAR regular season finished:

NASCAR at Daytona live updates, highlights from Coke Zero Sugar 400

(All times Eastern)

Aug. 28

4:18 p.m.: Where there’s a winner … there’s a loser. Martin Truex Jr. is out of the playoff by a mere three points. He was overtaken in points by Blaney in the final laps.

4:18 p.m.: Dillon wins! “Thank you Jesus, baby!”

4:17 p.m.: Dillon leads on the final lap!

4:16 p.m.: Oh, man! Austin Cindric falls back and Dillon leads with three laps to go!

4:15 p.m.: Ryan Blaney has now surpassed Truex in the playoff points, meaning the former almost certainly will get in even if Dillon wins. Truex is hoping for an issue from the second-place driver.

4:14 p.m.: Cole Custer’s right front side of his car is torn off, but the green flag remains out as he quickly gets out of the way of the other racers.

4:13 p.m.: Neither Blaney nor Truex wants a new driver — say, second-place Austin Dillon — here. Dillon currently is the third racer out of the field based on points.

4:09 p.m.: Austin Cindric leads with 10 laps remaining. If he wins the final race of the regular season then both Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. — who are separated by a mere five points — both get into the field.

4:05 p.m.: And they’re back! The last two playoff spots in 2022 are on the line with fewer than 20 laps remaining at the Daytona International Speedway.

3:30 p.m.: NASCAR is hoping to resume the race at 4:10 p.m. ET.

3:23 p.m.: This race could resume within the next 40 to 60 minutes.

3:22 p.m.: The sun is out in Daytona, and there is optimism this race will be able to continue.

3:04 p.m.: Progress is being made to finish drying the track.

2:48 p.m.: The drying is still ongoing, even as it continues to rain.

2:35 p.m.: Here’s a look at where the race stands if it resumes at some point today.

2:14 p.m.: The lightning hold is over, per Pockrass.

2:02 p.m.: The air titans are out. NASCAR is going to try and get this race in.

1:52 p.m.: Several drivers have expressed their frustration that NASCAR did not wave the red flag until after the major crash.

1:46 p.m.: NASCAR is still holding out hope it can finish the race today.

1:24 p.m.: The rain is continuing to come down in Daytona Beach.

12:52 p.m.: NASCAR is trying to dry the track. The hope is the race can still be resumed at some point.

12:40 p.m.: Lightning was spotted within eight miles of the track, so the race is also in a lightning delay.

12:33 p.m.: With 21 laps to go, the cars are being moved off to pit road and the red flag is coming out due to the rain. If the race ended, Dillon will be the winner, and he and Truex will be the final two drivers in the playoffs.

12:32 p.m.: Here’s a look at how Dillon miraculously made it through the wreckage in what could be a season-saving move for him.

12:29 p.m.: And the rain is coming down.

12:27 p.m.: Another huge crash, and the only driver that makes it out is Austin Dillon, who needs a win to reach the playoffs. Caution flag back out with 23 laps to go.

12:27 p.m.: Now Hamlin moves out to the front with 24 laps to go as he races along the top lane to pass Suarez.

12:26 p.m.: With 25 laps to go, Suarez makes a push to take the lead. Haley has now dropped down to third and he’s falling further back. Almirola is up to second as he needs a win to reach the playoffs as well.

12:24 p.m.: On the restart, it’s Haley, Almirola, Suarez, Buescher, Busch in the lead.

12:18 p.m.: That didn’t take long. Caution back out as Logano and Jones spin out.

12:17 p.m.: The race returns to green with 30 laps to go. Haley leads Logano, Jones, Almirola and Suarez. All but Logano and Suarez need to win to be in.

12:13 p.m.: As the rain continues to near the track with 32 laps to go, several drivers are staying out during the caution. A few cars, like Logano and Truex, go to pit road.

12:07 p.m.: Another big crash and plenty of cars collected, including the 14 of Briscoe, who had just made the move up to take the lead.

12:06 p.m.: With 36 laps left, Logano leads Briscoe, Bowman and Haley.

11:57 a.m.: Wallace and Stenhouse are making a push for first with Reddick. They need to win in order to reach the playoffs.

11:53 a.m.: Logano and Reddick lead the field back to green with 53 laps remaining in the regular season.

11:50 a.m.: Truex has managed to stay out on the lead lap.

11:45 a.m.: Truex is reporting his steering is fine, but he sustained plenty of damage to the front right side of the car when the tire popped. Chastain appears to be done as wreckers are out to pick him up.

11:42 a.m.: Another big wreck. Several cars collected, including Truex and McDowell.

11:40 a.m.: This race returns to green for the final stage. Sixty laps to go.

11:35 a.m.: McDowell, Hamlin, Logano, Busch and Harvick are the first five off pit road, but Busch is hit with speeding on pit road. He’s headed back to the rear for the second time in as many stage breaks.

11:33 a.m.: With the second-place stage finish, Truex is now only 10 points behind Blaney. If he finishes 11 spots ahead of Blaney, he will surpass him in points.

11:31 a.m.: Busch wins the second stage, and he and Hamlin helped Truex place second in the stage and earn a few more points heading into the third and final stage.

11:27 a.m.: With five laps left at Daytona, Busch and Reddick are battling for first. Truex is sixth needing stage points to continue to chase Blaney in points.

11:20 a.m.: This race has officially completed 80 laps. Should weather become a factor, the race can now become official if it needs to end early.

11:19 a.m.: The four Toyotas that went to pit road are still making up ground, but Elliott, Reddick, Stenhoue still lead the field.

11:18 a.m.: Nearly the entire field heads to pit road on green.

11:16 a.m.: The green-flag pit stops are beginning as Hamlin, Busch, Truex and Wallace each head off. Logano takes the lead with Burton, Haley, Gilliland and Stenhouse rounding out the top five with 17 laps left.

11:10 a.m.: Jones has fallen back as he’s reporting to his crew that his car is feeling a bit loose. He needs to win in order to reach the playoffs.

11:07 a.m.: Hamlin has raced up to the front of the pack with 28 laps left in the second stage, with Logano, Burton, Busch and Chastain rounding out the top five. Of those, Burton is the only driver that has not clinched a spot in the playoffs.

11:03 a.m.: Blaney has had some issues with his hood as cars begin to pass him. Each time a car goes by, it begins to flap into the air.

11:01 a.m.: William Byron is pushing Jones from the outside for the lead on the 23rd lap of the stage.

10:59 a.m.: Twenty laps into the second stage, Jones continues to lead the field, with several drivers like Chris Buescher, Todd Gilliland and Harrison Burton within the top 10 that, like Jones, need to win to reach the playoffs.

10:56 a.m.: This race is getting worse for Blaney. He told his crew he’s not sure how much longer he’ll be able to last in the race. The race is still 27 laps away from becoming official.

10:51 a.m.: Rain continues to threaten the race. Once the races reaches 80 laps, it becomes official, and if rain forces the drivers off the track, there is a chance the final standings would be how the race ended at the time of suspension. This could force some drivers to be a bit more aggressive in this second stage.

10:50 a.m.: Blaney is still in this race. He’s a lap down, but he’s hanging on as he continues to fight to stay in the playoff picture.

10:49 a.m.: Jones, LaJoie, Stenhouse and Wallace are in a tight race for the lead nine laps into the second stage.

10:47 a.m.: The second stage is underway, with Corey LaJoie, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leading the field on the restart.

10:46 a.m.: Truex filled up on fuel and now has a full tank, but will start second-to-last on the restart. But this could set him up well for the second stage.

10:43 a.m.: Busch is headed to the rear for running over equipment.

10:41 a.m.: Blaney met minimum speed and can go to pit road. Coming off pit road during the stage caution, Chastain led Logano, Burton and Chase Briscoe.

10:37 a.m.: Logano wins the first stage of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Elliott places second, Burton third, Kyle Busch fourth and Truex fifth. With the win, Truex moves to just 19 points behind Blaney.

10:37 a.m.: Keselowski’s day is over. He will miss the playoffs.

10:36 a.m.: Blaney is able to get back out on the track, but he’ll have to maintain speed to stay out there. Truex is fourth as the race prepares to return to green with one lap left in the stage.

10:34 a.m.: Bell, Brad Keselowski and Blaney are all behind more than a lap as cars have gone back out after stops on pit road. Elliott is back to the lead with Logano and Harrison Burton rounding out the top three with the caution flag still out.

10:30 a.m.: Blaney sustained heavy damage to the front right side of his car. Video replay appeared to show his front right tire was not moving.

10:29 a.m.: Big crash with five laps left to go in the first stage. Hamlin, Blaney, Christopher Bell all involved in the crash. Blaney is fighting to reach the playoffs.

10:27 a.m.: Jones has moved out in front of the bottom lane, and Denny Hamlin and Blaney fall in behind him ahead of Elliott.

10:26 a.m.: With 10 laps left in Stage 1 at Daytona, it’s still Elliott and Jones leading the low and high lanes, respectively, with Elliott currently leading the way.

10:21 a.m.: Erik Jones, leading the outside, is making a run at Elliott and Logano for the lead. He’s now running side-by-side with Elliott for first on the 21st lap.

10:18 a.m.: Larson is headed to the garage.

10:17 a.m.: Larson has dropped way back in the race. He’s heading to pit road on lap 15. He might be done for the day.

10:13 a.m.: Rain coming down on turns one and two 10 laps into the race.

10:11 a.m.: Just seven laps into the race, there is already three wide in the middle, with Ryan Blaney in the middle of it. Even went four wide at one point.

10:10 a.m.: The top lane, which is led by Larson, continues to fall behind. Larson leads the line, but has dropped down to 10th. Cars racing on the bottom continue to race out in front of the top line behind Elliott.

10:08 a.m.: Daniel Suarez keeps pushing Larson on the outside, while Joey Logano pushes Elliott on the bottom of the track. Through the first five laps, Elliott has maintained his advantage.

10:06 a.m.: It didn’t take long for the regular-season champion to move up to the front. Chase Elliott jumps past Kyle Larson on the first lap to move out to first, while Larson drops all the way back down to seventh by the start of the second.

10:05 a.m.: The green flag has been waved, and the Coke Zero Sugar 400 is underway.

9:58 a.m.: Engines have been fired at the Daytona International Speedway.

9:47 a.m.: Everything is looking good at Daytona this morning for Sunday’s race to take place.

Aug. 27

8:12 p.m.: This race will not be happening tonight. Instead, the green flag will be waved Sunday morning at 10:05 a.m. ET.

7:18 p.m.: Settle in, everyone. Sounds like it could be a while until this race is underway.

7:08 p.m.: For those wondering why coverage of NASCAR has not begun on NBC, it is because there is also a weather delay at the 2022 Tour Championship in Atlanta. Due to that, the start of the NASCAR broadcast has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m. ET.

7 p.m.: Rain has threatened the start of tonight’s race. For more updates on the weather, follow along here.

What time does the NASCAR race at Daytona start?

  • Start time: 10:05 a.m. ET

The final race of the regular season was originally listed to begin at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, but it was rained out. The race is now scheduled to star at 10:05 a.m. ET on Sunday.

What channel is the NASCAR race on today?

  • TV channel: CNBC (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Peacock, fuboTV
  • Radio: MRN

NASCAR will be on CNBC in the U.S. for the final race of the Cup Series regular season. Canadian viewers can find the race on TSN5.

Rick Allen will lead the coverage on NBC as the lap-by-lap announcer with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte providing analysis. Marty Snider, Dave Burns and Parker Kligerman will be the pit reporters.

Those hoping to stream the race can find it on Peacock or on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

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