“It’s going to be a mess, right? I mean, we all know it.” Michael McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 winner, was convinced about the upcoming race on Saturday. Except for 14 drivers, the rest of the field are biting their nails ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale. That is because only two spots remain in the Field of 16, and 20 drivers have desperate hearts vying for a victory. That is what William Byron shed light on recently.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver is in a good spot at present. Having just clinched the regular season championship, William Byron comfortably sits fifth in the playoff picture. However, this picture could take solid hits with the wildcard race coming up at Daytona International Speedway.

William Byron expects a chaotic fallout

Remember the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400? That race featured a slew of spine-chilling wrecks, ranging from Michael McDowell’s No. 34 Ford going airborne to Josh Berry’s No. 4 Ford hitting the wall while upside down. The high speeds and aerodynamic features of the 2.5-mile superspeedway already make it a threat. Throw in drivers’ desperation heading into the playoffs, and you have a recipe for chaos. Many of the playoff contenders are also hoping to fetch points with nail-biting gaps between them. For instance, Chase Elliott has only a five-point advantage over third-place holder Denny Hamlin. Then, Christopher Bell in fifth place has 23 points to cover to get to Ryan Blaney.

William Byron suffered a penalty due to unapproved adjustments on Friday. Despite losing his crew chief, Rudy Fugle, for the race and starting from the rear, the HMS star is more concerned about the impending carnage at Daytona. He said in a pre-race conference: “Yeah, in this race, you can feel it about 20-30 laps to go. You can feel the energy. I just don’t understand the mentality – like I understand the mentality, but I don’t see a lot of people making better decisions being desperate…I think a lot of times, you see desperate moves with 10-15 laps to go, and it’s just like – man, just get to the end of the race first.” 

Despite the warnings, William Byron still hopes for his rivals to be wiser. Level-headed racers like Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, or Brad Keselowski can still make for a good race. Byron said, “For us, we can go out there and race freely and not really have to worry too much about the outcome. And I think in some ways, the guys that can do that are going to be able to have a freer mindset out there…I don’t know, maybe it’ll be different this year. Maybe guys kind of figured that cadence out a bit.” Yet Byron added a note of caution anyway: “But yeah, I think you’ll see a lot of different moves out there, for sure.”

As William Byron said, there are several drivers in the Cup Series field banking their hopes on the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Among them is a two-time Cup Series champion in the doldrums.

How the tides have turned

A few years ago, Kyle Busch reigned supreme in terms of performance. The former Joe Gibbs Racing driver used to pick up wins every other weekend and vie for championships. However, the 63-time Cup race winner is currently riding an 82-race winless streak under Richard Childress Racing’s banner. What is more, his teammate, Austin Dillon – who is historically known for his poor finishes – is helping Busch succeed. Last weekend, Dillon won his way into the gauntlet with a well-deserved victory at Richmond Raceway. He had a very enjoyable week after his upset victory from 28th in the championship standings. Now, he is motivated to pull his legendary teammate into the 2025 playoffs.

Austin Dillon said recently, “Yeah, I think it’s mostly (been about) what we can do to support him, help him put himself in good positions. It takes a lot in these races, but if we can give him the support to where it plays out good, good for him in any kind of way, we will.” Kyle Busch also acknowledged his RCR teammate’s willingness to help. The No. 8 and No. 3 teams are putting their heads together, as Busch said, “We’ve talked as a group and those guys are team players and want to be there and want to help out and if you can orchestrate it perfectly …”

Although it is far from an ideal scenario for Kyle Busch, any kind of help is crucial at this time. As Busch and other drivers give their best, let us see if William Byron’s foreboding turns into reality.