The NASCAR Cup Series arrives at its most iconic venue – Daytona International Speedway – for a Saturday night race filled with playoff implications.
Only two races remain in the regular season before the 10-race playoffs begin Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Twelve of the 16 playoffs berths have been clinched, leaving four spots available to winless drivers. Those drivers have two chances left to lock up berth: either by winning at Daytona or next weekend at Darlington Raceway, or, if they are on the bubble in the standings, building up enough points to secure one of the remaining slots.
Because Daytona can be such an unpredictable race, an unlikely winner from well below the cutline wouldn’t be a huge surprise. Some of the recent winners of the summer race at Daytona include Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Justin Haley, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher.
Will Daytona produce another surprise Saturday night? Here is all the information you need to get ready for the Coke Zero Sugar 400:
What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Daytona start?
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Daytona on?
NBC is broadcasting the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Daytona?
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 can be live streamed on the NBCSports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Daytona?
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) – Stage 1: 35 laps; Stage 2: 60 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.
Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup races at Daytona?
And one year ago, on Aug. 26, 2023, Chris Buescher prevailed in overtime, edging Roush Fenway Kesolowski Racing teammate and co-owner Brad Keselowksi by 0.098 seconds after taking the lead on the green-white-checkered restart.
Which drivers have already clinched berths in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs?
Drivers can clinch playoff berths by virtue of a regular season victory. Here are the 12 drivers that have at least one win this season (with number of wins and points before the Cup Series race at Daytona):
Kyle Larson 4 (782); William Byron 3 (728); Denny Hamlin 3 (711); Christopher Bell 3 (703); Tyler Reddick 2 (814); Ryan Blaney 2 (732); Chase Elliott 1 (804); Brad Keselowski 1 (677); Alex Bowman 1 (627); Joey Logano 1 (561); Daniel Suarez 1 (526); Austin Cindric 1 (460).
NOTE: Austin Dillon won the Aug. 11 race at Richmond Raceway, but three days later, NASCAR stripped him of an automatic playoff berth after reviewing the final lap of the race, and communication from the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 team. Dillon wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap before taking the checkered flag. An appeals panel upheld the penalty
What is the lineup for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona?
(Car number in parentheses)
1. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
2. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
3. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
4. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford
5. (4) Josh Berry, Ford
6. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford
7. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
8. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
9. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
10. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
11. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
12. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
13. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
14. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
15. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford
16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
17. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
18. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
19. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
20. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford
21. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
22. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
23. (33) Austin Hill, Chevrolet
24. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
25. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
26. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
27. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
28. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet
29. (62) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet
30. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet
31. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
32. (16) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
33. (15) Cody Ware, Ford
34. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
35. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
36. (51) Justin Haley, Ford
37. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
38. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
39. (44) Joey Gase, Chevrolet
40. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
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