Tyler Reddick crashes in the playoffs after an accident at Daytona

• Tyler Reddick crashed in the playoffs, despite the accident.
• Ryan Blaney won the race, which boosted Alex Bowman's chances.
• The playoffs begin next Sunday at Darlington.

DAYTONA-BEACH, Florida. Tyler Reddick suffered an accident at the start of the NASCAR regular season finale on Saturday evening, but still crashed in the playoffs.

Everything changed when, nine laps after Reddick's accident, Alex Bowman crashed into a multi-car pileup. Although Bowman was out of the race, Reddick automatically crashed into the field of 16 drivers in the playoffs.

Before the race, Reddick and Bowman were battling for the last two spots in the playoffs. Reddick, who became the regular season champion last year, had a 29-point lead over Bowman. However, after the accident on lap 18, Reddick found himself under threat of potentially missing out on the title.

His wave of misfortune occurred on lap 27, when Bowman crashed in an accident that ended the race for Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Bowman could still contend for the last spot in the playoffs, provided that this driver does not win the race.

At the same time, Ryan Blaney won the race, finishing on the Daytona finish line with a lead of 0.031 seconds over Daniel Suarez. Blaney, who is already in the playoffs, is likely to enable other drivers to become new champions of the season.

The race opens the playoffs next Sunday at the Darlington track in Southern Carolina. In 2024, the race was won by Chase Briscoe, which allowed him to qualify for the playoffs.

Tags: USA/Sport