Cup Drivers Line Up for Daytona’s Desperation Derby

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Cars crash during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

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Without exception each driver in the NASCAR Cup Series insists that his chances of victory depend a lot not just on the equipment or team but on his own mindset.

As the regular season finale and one last shot to be among the group of 16 Championship-eligible Saturday night’s 400-miler presents a huge challenge. A victory is the only thing that absolutely assures one of those drivers without a win already that chance to advance to the Playoffs.

It’s hard to imagine that the intensity of the high-speed pack racing, at Daytona could be any more intense, but most drivers say they fully expect it will with so much on the line. For so many a victory is the only option.

“I think it makes it very clear of what you have to do and how you’re going to do it, right?” said McDowell, driver of the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and the 2021 Daytona 500. “There are times where you go — oh that’s a low percentage move. Well, it doesn’t matter… low percentage is all you got right now, right? And so I think it changes that mindset of the risk versus reward.

“But I think I’ve said it and been talking about it for a while now and it’s kind of played its way out – we treat, I treat, my crew chief treats every race like it’s ‘do or die’ and you have to win because pointing your way in is so tough, as we see.

“You look at guys like Chris Buescher, again, who’s had a great season; scored a lot of points and potentially won’t make it unless he wins. So, we treated Richmond like that. We treated Watkins Glen like that. We treated all of them like that. So, you give up a lot of points in the process of doing it like that, but that’s the mindset that you have to have to potentially get a win and change your season.

“I think last week was awesome evidence of that, right? Like you could have a tough season, a rough season, but you’re only one week away from that changing. We’re out of weeks now as we head into Daytona. This is the last week that that can change. But I do feel like that mindset for a lot of the teams is what you have to have for the Playoffs, even the best teams.”