(photo credit Leon Hammack)

Alex Bowman didn’t know until the absolute last second whether he would have a Playoff spot or not.

On the final lap of the final NASCAR Cup Series regular-season race last Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, two winless drivers—Cole Custer and Justin Haley—alternately surged ahead. A victory by either driver would have eliminated Bowman from the Playoffs.

Ultimately, it was Ryan Blaney, a previous winner this season, who took the checkered flag and preserved Bowman’s berth in the postseason.

“It was a very uncomfortable situation,” Bowman said. “Your anxiety and stress are spiked through the roof at that point. Past that, it kind of was what it was, like it was so out of your control.

“Those last couple laps, there was so much going on… our (Hendrick Motorsports) teammates were leading, and then they got shuffled back, and then the 12 (Blaney) was in the picture.

“With all that going on, it was such a range of emotions that made it a lot more so than if it had been just one non-winner leading the whole time. That made it kind of up and down. Yeah, it was a weird thing to have to sit through.”

Now Bowman has to look ahead to the Playoffs. As the last driver in, he’s the 16th seed, and he starts the postseason five points below the elimination line for the Round of 12. The good news is that the bottom 10 drivers on the Playoff grid are covered by a spread of only 12 points.

“If we can just put together solid weeks through this first round, we should be OK,” Bowman said. “The lack of Playoff points is tough, but we’ll continue to work hard at it.”

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!