Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona
NASCAR Cup Series: Coke Zero Sugar 400
Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Last Week's Race
Go Bowling at the Glen took place at Watkins Glen last week.
This race featured strong road course guys performing at a high level.
Kyle Larson, the previously slumping Chase Elliott, and AJ Allmendinger were all in contention.
Upon a restart with five laps left in the race, Larson passed Elliott for the lead and maintained his lead against both Allmendinger and Elliott.
Standings Update
Larson's win was the second of his season and positions him in second ahead of Joey Logano.
Elliott, it is official, is regular season champ as he continues to sit atop the NASCAR Cup Series standings with an insurmountable 922 pounds.
This week's race will be more exciting because of what's happening toward the bottom of the standings.
16 drivers will clinch a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, which begins after this week's race.
Currently, Ryan Blaney holds the 16th and final spot while Martin Truex Jr. sits on the other side of the boundary, 25 points behind Blaney.
Race Info
This week, Coke Zero Sugar 400 takes place at one of NASCAR's most famous tracks, the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
For this upcoming race, drivers must complete a total of 160 laps.
As has almost always been the case, there will be three stages for this event.
Stage 1 requires drivers to complete 35 laps.
Stage 2 consists in the following 60 laps.
Stage 3 terminates upon completion of Lap 160.
Entry List
By the middle of the week, an entry list gets posted for the upcoming race.
37 teams/drivers are listed for 40 possible spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
The starting lineup for the race gets determined via qualifying.
Remember that this race takes place on Saturday and not Sunday.
Qualifying will take place the day before the race.
On Friday, qualifying is from 5-6:30 p.m. ET.
Its format is single-vehicle, one-lap, and two rounds.
There is no practice session.
Track Info
The Daytona International Speedway is known as a superspeedway.
High speeds at this track are facilitated by the length of its straightaways and its high level of banking.
Long straightaways facilitate higher speeds by giving drivers more time to drive without turning.
As for banking, drivers use it to corral more momentum for their vehicles particularly on turns.
The turns at this track are banked at an excellent 31 degrees.
Also, the tri-oval is banked at 18 degrees and the back straightaway at two degrees.
Each lap here is 2.5 miles.
So, in completing 160 laps, drivers will have accumulated 400 miles.
Drivers I Dislike
Drivers may be inclined to invest in Martin Truex Jr., because he sits just below the cutoff for playoff qualification.
But he is unreliable both at this track and in general this season because he is very hit-or-miss.
Kyle Busch is also someone who wildly alternates between finishing top-10 and finishing outside the top 30 in Daytona.
He should be avoided because he tends to perform better when there is a practice session, but there is no practice session for this race.
My Guy
Driver history indicates that this weekend provides an excellent opportunity to invest in a somewhat lower-profile driver.
Austin Cindric intrigues me the most because he has finished top-two in his last two races at this track.
Crucially, he has proven that he can win at Daytona.
Best Bet: Cindric Top 3 Finish at +500 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Coke Zero Sugar 400
Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Last Week's Race
Go Bowling at the Glen took place at Watkins Glen last week.
This race featured strong road course guys performing at a high level.
Kyle Larson, the previously slumping Chase Elliott, and AJ Allmendinger were all in contention.
Upon a restart with five laps left in the race, Larson passed Elliott for the lead and maintained his lead against both Allmendinger and Elliott.
Standings Update
Larson's win was the second of his season and positions him in second ahead of Joey Logano.
Elliott, it is official, is regular season champ as he continues to sit atop the NASCAR Cup Series standings with an insurmountable 922 pounds.
This week's race will be more exciting because of what's happening toward the bottom of the standings.
16 drivers will clinch a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, which begins after this week's race.
Currently, Ryan Blaney holds the 16th and final spot while Martin Truex Jr. sits on the other side of the boundary, 25 points behind Blaney.
Race Info
This week, Coke Zero Sugar 400 takes place at one of NASCAR's most famous tracks, the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
For this upcoming race, drivers must complete a total of 160 laps.
As has almost always been the case, there will be three stages for this event.
Stage 1 requires drivers to complete 35 laps.
Stage 2 consists in the following 60 laps.
Stage 3 terminates upon completion of Lap 160.
Entry List
By the middle of the week, an entry list gets posted for the upcoming race.
37 teams/drivers are listed for 40 possible spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
The starting lineup for the race gets determined via qualifying.
Remember that this race takes place on Saturday and not Sunday.
Qualifying will take place the day before the race.
On Friday, qualifying is from 5-6:30 p.m. ET.
Its format is single-vehicle, one-lap, and two rounds.
There is no practice session.
Track Info
The Daytona International Speedway is known as a superspeedway.
High speeds at this track are facilitated by the length of its straightaways and its high level of banking.
Long straightaways facilitate higher speeds by giving drivers more time to drive without turning.
As for banking, drivers use it to corral more momentum for their vehicles particularly on turns.
The turns at this track are banked at an excellent 31 degrees.
Also, the tri-oval is banked at 18 degrees and the back straightaway at two degrees.
Each lap here is 2.5 miles.
So, in completing 160 laps, drivers will have accumulated 400 miles.
Drivers I Dislike
Drivers may be inclined to invest in Martin Truex Jr., because he sits just below the cutoff for playoff qualification.
But he is unreliable both at this track and in general this season because he is very hit-or-miss.
Kyle Busch is also someone who wildly alternates between finishing top-10 and finishing outside the top 30 in Daytona.
He should be avoided because he tends to perform better when there is a practice session, but there is no practice session for this race.
My Guy
Driver history indicates that this weekend provides an excellent opportunity to invest in a somewhat lower-profile driver.
Austin Cindric intrigues me the most because he has finished top-two in his last two races at this track.
Crucially, he has proven that he can win at Daytona.
Best Bet: Cindric Top 3 Finish at +500 with Bovada
