Daytona start time, TV, live stream, lineup
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The NASCAR Cup Series comes to its most famous venue – Daytona International Speedway – for a Saturday night race with plenty of playoff implications.
There are just two races left in the regular season before the 10-race playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 8. Twelve of the 16 playoff spots are already filled, leaving four spots for winless drivers. Those drivers have two chances to earn a spot: either by winning at Daytona or next weekend at Darlington Raceway or, if they are on the verge of falling in the standings, by earning enough points to secure one of the remaining spots.
Because Daytona can be such an unpredictable race, an unlikely winner from well below the cutline wouldn’t be a huge surprise. Recent winners of the summer race at Daytona include Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Justin Haley, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher.
Will Daytona throw up another surprise on Saturday night? Here’s all the information you need to prepare for the Coke Zero Sugar 400:
When does the NASCAR Cup race in Daytona start?
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Which TV channel will broadcast the NASCAR Cup race at Daytona?
NBC will broadcast the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and offer a pre-race broadcast starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Daytona?
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 can be streamed live on the NBCSports website and the NBC Sports app. The race can also be streamed on Fubo.
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Daytona?
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 consists of 160 laps of the 2.5 mile track, for a total of 400 miles. The race consists of three legs (laps per leg) – Leg 1: 35 laps; Leg 2: 60 laps; Leg 3: 65 laps.
Who won the last NASCAR Cup races at Daytona?
William Byron won the Daytona 500, the opening race of the season, on February 19, 2024. He took the lead on a restart with four laps remaining before passing his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman when a crash occurred just as Byron was taking the white flag for the final lap.
And a year ago, on August 26, 2023, Chris Buescher prevailed in overtime, defeating teammate and Roush Fenway Kesolowski co-owner Brad Keselowksi by 0.098 seconds after taking the lead on the green-white-checkered restart.
Which drivers have already secured a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs?
Drivers can earn a playoff spot by winning the regular season. Here are the 12 drivers who 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 race on August 11 at Richmond Raceway, but three days later NASCAR stripped him of his automatic playoff spot after reviewing the final lap of the race and communications from the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team. Dillon wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap before seeing the checkered flag. An appeals panel upheld the penalty
What is the lineup for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona?
(Car number in brackets)
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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