This Saturday, NASCAR rolls into Daytona International Speedway for the regular-season finale. With one last shot for several contenders to punch their ticket to the playoffs, the race is expected to be nothing short of chaotic, and it comes with added prize money for the victor.
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According to a recent post by a Fox Sports journalist, NASCAR will award $9,797,935 for this year’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, a slight increase from last season’s $9,193,568. The Daytona weekend purse covers all payouts and positions, along with charter payouts for Cup teams, contingency awards, and the year-end points fund contribution.
With the Truck Series idle for this weekend, Xfinity Series drivers will battle for a $1,651,939 purse, slightly down from last year’s $1,886,123.
Purses for Daytona weekend, includes all payouts, all positions plus all charter payouts for Cup teams and all contingency awards, year-end points fund contribution, etc.:
Cup: $9,797,935
Xfinity: $1,651,939
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 20, 2025
Still, Xfinity drivers have two more weekends and two more chances to lock in their playoff spots, with their postseason beginning in the second week of September, featuring two rounds and a single championship finale.
Drivers to look out for at Daytona in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race
After last weekend’s unexpected triumph by Austin Dillon, predicting this Saturday’s winner is no easy call. Bettors have Joey Logano and Austin Cindric pegged as favorites, though last year’s surprise victor, Harrison Burton, proved the script can be flipped. Based on average finishes, though, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Cindric, Dillon, and Kyle Busch are the names fans will be watching closely.
At least one winless driver is guaranteed a playoff berth, with Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman holding the final two provisional spots in the standings after last week’s race in Richmond, Va. Neither has reached victory lane this season.
The 16-driver playoff field locks in any competitor who wins one of the first 26 races, meaning a first-time winner on Saturday could completely rewrite the playoff picture.
Die-hard fans, though, will be hoping for a spark of magic to see Busch punch his ticket after missing the cut last year.
