Drivers expect the unexpected when racing at Daytona.
They know racing in tight swarms at high speeds, inches off one another's bumpers, can lead to crashes that pull in bunches of cars. They know those crashes can come late in the race. That leading entering the final lap doesn't mean one is on the verge of a win.
Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 showed that once more. The race was marred by one major crash, but drivers made it past the midway point before it happened. While it was a major 22-car crash, it wasn't one of many such crashes in the race, as drivers managed the racing and traffic well. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr., all drivers who expected to contend for the win, were caught up in the mess, though. So were rookies Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher and Brian Scott.
MORE: Keselowski dominates | Daytona results
It was a crash that left much of the track blocked, that saw Kevin Harvick driving under Scott's car — and that shook up the outcome of this race.
"It was just one of those things that just doesn't take much for it all to go south here at these superspeedways," Harvick said after the race. "It is what it is."
Jimmie Johnson was quick to point out that the crash wasn't caused by blocking or anything like that, but the fact remains that a crash when drivers are running so close to one another is one that will pull in multiple cars.
Daytona on this night, though, also offered a lift both for drivers trying to break into the elite group dominating the top 10 on a somewhat regular basis, as well as for some trying to eke out a little ground in the standings.
Drivers hungering for a top finish, as well as some that have been enduring setbacks in recent weeks, stormed to the front late. At a track where one can lose double-digit positions easily in a lap, this group showcased drafting skills as it worked around in the pack and held on for a top finish.
Brad Keselowski was stout throughout the race, leading 115 laps en route to the win. Kyle Busch finished second after challenging throughout the closing laps.
Trevor Bayne finished third, his second top-five of the season after finishing fifth at Bristol. His Roush Fenway Racing teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fifth, also his second top-five of the season. Polesitter Greg Biffle finished eighth to put all three Roush Fenway Racing cars in the top 10.
MORE: Kyle, Kurt Busch challenge with differing results
Clint Bowyer, who gained headlines earlier this season questioning his team's equipment, who went home early from Sonoma after a crash, earned his third top 10 with his ninth-place finish. And Michael McDowell finished 10th — his previous best this season was 15th, which also came at this restrictor-plate track.
Tony Stewart, ironically, made gains despite his own crash. He moved to the front on pit strategy, but then crashed late in the race. Still, he moved into the top 30 in the standings for the first time this season. He'll need to stay there in order to make the Chase and vie for his fourth career Cup title.
Sure, there's still a lot of time left to make that field. But with 17 races in the books, nine left to lock into the championship-determining field, the battle among those that haven't won a race to date is tight.
"For our organization to be on the pole this weekend, to have three cars in the top eight, two in the top five, I think that's kind of a landmark for us as an organization with the struggles we've had to get all three teams running strong on a weekend like this," Bayne said. "Obviously a lot of it is just getting through the day.
"… overall just a really solid points day for us. It's not a win that we need to get in the Chase, but it's a great step in the right direction for making it in on points."
On Saturday night, it got a little tighter for some.
Every race now seems to matter more. For while it is not the results of one race that will make or break one in terms of the Chase, it may feel like that to some. Mentally, where one stands after each race between here and the Chase may feel like it means that much more.
The countdown has truly begun. While the shift in the standings wasn't huge after Saturday night's race, it comes in a competitive field where even a point can be the difference in making the Chase or not.
MORE: Chase standings | Next: Kentucky
Ryan Blaney climbed two spots to 15th. First NASCAR altered qualifying to make sure a non-charter team in the Chase would make every race; now Blaney has gained a couple of spots and is challenging to put the Wood Brothers team into the field. He finished 14th on Saturday, but he didn't jump at the opportunity to talk points.
"We've got nine more races to go to figure that out," he said. "We just try to go out and do the best we can in those races and the points will shake out how they do."
Each week now, after the race, drivers will turn to the points report and calculate where they need to be to make the Chase. Obviously the way to lock in is to win, but without that the points standings will fill in the final spots to make the field of 16.