Coke Zero Sugar 400
Location: Daytona, Fla.
Course: Daytona International Speedway
Format: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 160
NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Preview
Austin Dillon shook up the playoff standings with a win at Richmond last week, leaving just two playoff spots left to claim and only one potentially wild race left to do it. The Richard Childress Racing driver also won at Richmond last season, but NASCAR stripped him of that playoff entry after deeming his drive to the win to be over the limit of aggression. He left no ambiguity this year with a fast car all weekend and a convincing victory with no controversy. That win ended the intramural battle on the cutline between Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, leaving Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman in the final two transfer spots. Both of those drivers are well clear of the rest of the field on points, and it would take a new winner this week at Daytona to force either of them out. However, nothing is assured at Daytona and this track has a history of producing unexpected and first-time winners. The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoff field is set to be finalized in this week's unpredictable Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
Key Stats at Daytona International Speedway
- Number of races: 156
- Winners from pole: 26
- Winners from top-5 starters: 76
- Winners from top-10 starters: 115
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 14
- Fastest race: 183.295 mph
Previous 10 Daytona Winners
2025 spring - William Byron
2024 fall - Harrison Burton
2024 spring - William Byron
2023 fall - Chris Buescher
2023 spring - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2022 fall - Austin Dillon
2022 spring - Austin Cindric
2021 fall - Ryan Blaney
2021 spring - Michael McDowell
2020 fall - William Byron
Daytona International Speedway is a famous 2.5-mile high-banked superspeedway where drafting and pack racing is the norm. Due to the rules package, the playing field is somewhat leveled and cars move fastest when lined up end to end. Having a car that can make passes in that pack, taking advantage of runs as they come throughout the day, is what teams and drivers will try to dial into their machines. Those moves often require help from other drivers, though. Superspeedway racing recently is a game drivers need help to succeed at. Drivers will look for teammates or friends they can work with to get to the front and stay there until the final miles, also pitting together in order to draft back up to maximum speed as quickly as possible.
Mistakes on pit road will ruin all that coordination, though. Accidents can also ruin those plans. Daytona is also more of a handling track than Talladega. The track is more narrow and smaller, leaving less room for cars to move around, which can trigger mistakes and crashes. For this reason, tires will not be out of the conversation Saturday night. Qualifying at this track is less important than others, too. Five of the last six Daytona races were won by someone starting outside of the top 10, and having a car that handles well in the draft and can make passes is more important than having a starting spot up front. Also of note, no Toyota driver has won at this track since Denny Hamlin at the start of the 2020 season.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Joey Logano - $10,500
William Byron - $10,400
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Denny Hamlin - $10,100
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Elliott - $9,900
Brad Keselowski - $9,600
Austin Cindric - $9,200
Christopher Bell - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Chris Buescher - $8,600
Tyler Reddick - $8,500
Bubba Wallace - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Alex Bowman - $7,800
Ryan Preece - $7,600
Carson Hocevar - $7,200
Noah Gragson - $6,100
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Coke Zero Sugar 400
Joey Logano - $10,500
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Alex Bowman - $7,800
Ryan Preece - $7,600
Carson Hocevar - $7,200
Noah Gragson - $6,100
The Team Penske Ford teammates of Joey Logano (DK $10,500, FD $13,000) and Ryan Blaney (DK $10,200, FD $13,500) have spent a significant amount of race time at the front at superspeedways and Daytona. The pair combined to lead 66 laps in the Daytona 500, and Logano led another 24 at Talladega. It would be a big surprise not to see these two at the front again this Saturday night. Both need to overcome bad luck to turn that speed into a top finish, though. Either driver is capable of winning this race, but navigating the many potential accidents will be what makes the difference between just leading more laps or potentially winning the race. Each already has a Daytona victory on their resume, but adding to those feels overdue. Those looking for an alternative route could also consider Penske teammate Austin Cindric, who won at Talladega in April.
The remainder of the lineup for Daytona has some extra playoff motivation to go for the win Saturday night. Alex Bowman (DK $7,800, FD $8,000) is the safest among them, but he is not home free by any stretch. A first-time winner Saturday night would knock Bowman out of the playoff spots despite him sitting ninth in the standings. Bowman has never won at Daytona and is likely to just go run his race like any other, though. Plus, having a teammate who has won two of the last three Daytona races can help him with getting the most out of his car. He already finished sixth or better in four of his last five visits to the track. Ryan Preece (DK $7,600, FD $7,800) has no other path to the playoffs other than winning Saturday. What should have been a cutline battle between he and teammate Chris Buescher was turned into a must-win scenario for both with Austin Dillon's Richmond victory. Daytona hasn't exactly been kind to Preece recently with some heavy crashes, but he is competent in the draft with three top-10s at Daytona and another three at Talladega. Either of the RFK teammates could be good choices, but Preece has a bit more upward momentum this week.
Further longshots worth considering at Daytona include Carson Hocevar (DK $7,200, FD $8,200) and Noah Gragson (DK $6,100, FD $5,500). Either of these drivers would not be a surprising candidate to score their first series win at Daytona, and what better reward than a playoff berth that comes with it? Hocevar has been very good at superspeedways in this series. He finished 11th in this race last season and came home sixth at Talladega in April. Spire Motorsports has consistently fielded competitive entries at Daytona, which makes Hocevar one to watch. Similarly, Noah Gragson has shown his superspeedway potential with two Daytona top-10 finishes from six series tries and a best finish of fifth in 2022. He also has two top-five finishes at Talladega, one of which was his fourth-place finish earlier this season.
NASCAR Cup Series Best Bets for the Coke Zero Sugar 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 5:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Joey Logano +1100
Top-Five Finish - Ryan Preece +235
Top-10 Finish - Noah Gragson +200
Winning Manufacturer - Ford +145
For all the same reasons we've already discussed, Joey Logano is a worthy favorite this week at Daytona. The Team Penske Fords have been very competitive at these tracks, and Logano has spent a lot of his racing time at the front of the field. He led a combined 122 laps at Daytona in the last three races, and just getting to the finish should put him in contention for the victory. Getting to the finish has been his struggle, though. Those last three races all ended in crashes, which is the biggest risk of choosing Logano this week. However, bad luck has to end at some point and odds where they are make for a compelling return for those who opt in.
In addition to selecting one of the favorites to win, wagerers can augment or hedge their choices by adding some longer-shot options. Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson both fall into that category. Both of these drivers have shown skill in the draft at superspeedways and have scored multiple to finishes at the tracks as well. Extra motivation is on the line for both drivers as they would get a playoff spot if they were to win. That is a lot to race for and both Preece and Gragson should feel like it is within their reach. Preece brings three Daytona top-10s and a best finish of fourth to the table, while Gragson offers a best finish of fifth with two top-10s. Either driver should be expected to have a top-10 within their reach, but both could conceivably be in the mix for a victory, too.
For the first time is several weeks, Ford is getting some respect in the odds for winning manufacturer. The reason is that they power many of Saturday night's favorites. While the odds are not as good as we've gotten at other tracks, it is still better than Chevrolet and wagerers have the added benefit of getting a stable full of drivers and teams that could conceivably win this race. The manufacturers tend to work closely together at Daytona and with the final playoff positions on the line, fans should expect those manufacturer bonds to be even tighter than usual this week. Ford should be the favorite manufacturer to take Saturday's win, and wagerers are currently getting better odds than that, which makes this a bet worth taking again this week.
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