Overview

• Austin Dillon dominated at Richmond with 107 laps led, taking the final 49 to become the 14th different winner of 2025 and vault from 28th in points into the playoff field.
• Only two playoff berths remain on points, with Tyler Reddick at +89 and Alex Bowman at +60, both vulnerable if a new winner emerges in the Daytona finale.
• A crowded must-win list now targets Daytona, including Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suárez and Carson Hocevar.
• Denny Hamlin praised Dillon’s clean execution on his podcast yet argued the win-and-you’re-in format can unfairly erase a season of consistency on a late restart.
• Kevin Harvick warned a surprise Daytona winner is plausible given superspeedway chaos, and Richard Childress publicly defended Dillon against renewed nepotism claims.