Here Are The NASCAR Drivers That Made It Into The Playoffs

NASCAR's cutoff race took place on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, which determines the drivers that progress into the next round of the championship. It was one hell of a wild race that saw William Byron take the win and lock himself into the playoffs. Kevin Harvick was crowned the regular series champion.

If you're still a little shaky on the whole "playoffs" concept, you're not alone. NASCAR introduced the playoffs a few years ago as a way to spice up the championship hunt. So, no, the driver who wins the most races in a season or racks up the most points will not necessarily be the champion at the end of the season.

If you win during the "regular season"—or, any race that takes place before the playoffs—you're guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. If you don't win but rack up a lot of points, you can also qualify for the playoffs.

The playoffs last 10 races and are broken up into four different segments. The first three segments are three races long, while the fourth segment is the final championship-deciding race. The first segment contains 16 drivers, the second 12, the third round eight drivers, and, in the final round, four drivers compete for the final championship.

If you need a longer guide, then never fear; we have one for you:

Oh, superspeedways! The final race of the regular season was filled with contact, hard-fought battles, and late race crashes that wiped out a significant portion of the field.

The big, accident-deciding event, however, took place with just five laps to go after a different accident red flagged the race to clean up debris. That final accident took out 11 drivers, including Joey Logano, who had won the first two stages of the race, and Jimmie Johnson, who thus lost his chance to make it into the playoffs on points, just barely pipped by Matt DiBenedetto.

1. Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing2. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing3. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske4. Joey Logano, Team Penske5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports6. Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing7. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske8. Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports9. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports10. Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing11. Cole Custer, Stewart-Haas Racing12. Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing13. Clint Bowyer, Stewart-Haas Racing14. Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing15. Kurt Busch, Chip Ganassi Racing16. Matt DiBenedetto, Wood Brothers Racing