Posted on August 27, 2021August 28, 2021 by Sean Montgomery

Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (⏰ 7 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s Cup Series regular-season finale, the 26th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.

Where: Daytona International Speedway, aka The World Center of Racing, a 2.5-mile track located in Daytona Beach, Florida
Starting Lineup: Kyle Larson will lead the field to green under the lights, accompanied by teammate William Byron on the front row. See the full lineup.
Green flag: 7:44 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Possible thunderstorm in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 80. East southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, according to NOAA.gov
Grand Marshal: Noah Lyles, Tokyo 2020 U.S. Olympic medalist and 200-meter world champion in track and field
Race Distance: 160 laps, 400 miles
Stages: 50 | 100 | 160
Pit-road speed: 55 mph
Caution car speed: 70 mph
Daytona 101: Get the full lowdown
Entry list: See who’s in the field
Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where | Expert breaks down pit-road selections

Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images

Five to watch

Here are five big story lines we’ll be following at Daytona:

1. We have reached the regular-season finale, meaning a driver will be leaving Daytona International Speedway with an incredible trophy in hand. The only question is: Will it be Kyle Larson or Denny Hamlin? Hamlin has had control over the season standings for most of the season to date, despite being winless. But Larson’s summer streak has put a halt to Hamlin’s reign and the N0. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver is in ideal position to secure the 15 bonus points for the playoffs that come with the regular-season championship. Heading into the finale, Larson leads Hamlin by 28 points — the largest deficit the veteran has faced all season. If there’s one thing we know about Daytona, it’s don’t count out Hamlin. See the full standings here.

2. The Cup Series playoffs’ Round of 16 looms large with 15 drivers already gearing up for a 2021 Championship 4 bid in Phoenix, Arizona later this year. Just one final race decides who moves on to the title hunt and who might need to regroup for next season. Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon have been locked in a friendly battle over the last few races, but Reddick’s grip on the final points position is still strong — plus 25 over the cutline. If history has any say, Dillon should be the most comfortable of the two, having already won at the daunting Daytona track. But pump the brakes. The battle for the final position isn’t just between the two RCR contenders, it extends much further below them. In addition to the RCR duo, if any driver in 17th through 30th position in the points standings gets a win, he is automatically in. The temperature in the field just got a little hotter. See the drivers locked in the bubble battle. | Explore the clinching scenarios.

3. Every time the Cup Series heads to Daytona, or any superspeedway for that matter, all eyes seem to turn to Denny Hamlin. How does he do it? How is he so consistent at the most unpredictable track type on the schedule? Hamlin has won two of the last five races at Daytona and has finished in the top five in six of the last seven superspeedway races. Another win at The World Center of Racing would give him four in his career, placing him in a tie for seventh-most all time. Needing a high-pressure win — which would shockingly be his first of the 2021 campaign — it all comes down to one of Hamlin’s best tracks. Already locked into the playoffs on points, the regular-season title honors (trophy and points) and all the momentum heading into the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway would be that much sweeter for the No. 11 camp. He is undoubtedly the driver to beat.

4. This year has been the season of new winners. From Michael McDowell‘s season-opening win at the Daytona 500 to Aric Almirola‘s clutch victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the entire season has been filled with new tracks and unpredictability. Through 25 races, the Cup Series has seen 13 different drivers in Victory Lane. Though slowed drastically by Kyle Larson‘s blazing-summer run, there has still been a substantial amount of parity this season as a whole. And the same holds true at a track like Daytona. Nine different drivers have combined to win the last 10 races there. If there has ever been a season (or a single race) to bet on the underdogs, this is it.

5. Joe Gibbs Racing superstars Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. have had a rough time of it at superspeedways in recent memory. Busch has failed to finish the last three races at Daytona, and his best superspeedway finish in the last eight tries is 14th. Truex notched finishes of 20th or worse in 10 of his last 11 trips to the big ovals and is 0-for-65 in superspeedway races in his career. Currently, Truex sits second in the projected playoff standings, followed by the younger Busch brother in third. Will the dynamic JGR duo fare better this weekend under the lights?

Race-day staples

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Power Rankings: Will Matt DiBenedetto come in clutch at Daytona? | Scope the ranks
• Paint Scheme Preview: Shining bright under the lights | See the schemes
• Fantasy Fastlane: See who to use, avoid | Full Fantasy advice | Set your roster
• Preview Show: Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver preview the race | Watch the show

Get in on the action

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Bet on it: Betting odds for Daytona | See the odds
• NASCAR betting: See how the sport is ascending, according to an expert | Read more
• Locking in the lines: Playoff scramble impacts odds for Daytona | Read more
• Q&A: Vegas native Brendan Gaughan talks NASCAR betting, growing up in casinos and more | Full conversation
• No risk, big reward: Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ

Fast facts

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Excluding 2013, seven drivers have raced their way into the postseason in Race 26, the regular-season finale.
• Every driver 15th in points through 30th in points could make the playoffs by winning.
• If Kyle Larson earns 32 points in the race, he becomes regular-season champion regardless of what Denny Hamlin does.
• Martin Truex Jr. has 65 superspeedway starts, leading all active drivers who are winless at the track type.
• Corey LaJoie has finished top 10 in three of the last four races at Daytona, and Spire Motorsports won here in 2019 with Justin Haley.

Catch the pack

Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Saturday’s race.

• On the move: Kurt Busch is heading to 23XI Racing for the 2022 season | Read more
• Don’t forget my number: Number placement is moving forward on the Next Gen car |Read more
• Partnering up: Xfinity named presenting partner for Cup elimination races | Read more
• Unfinished business: Crew chief Todd Gordon chasing one more title | Read more
• Back in Petty blue: Erik Jones returning to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2022 | See details
• Remembering Robin Miller: Motorsports media personality dies at age 71 | Read more
• Ever been to Dawsonville?: Take a tour of Chase Elliott’s hometown — documentary airing on Peacock now | See the images
• Partner-driven technology: NASCAR launches global Technology Partner Platform initiative | Learn more

Say what?

The best quotes from big names in the sport heading into this weekend’s race.

• “With a playoff spot still available, I’m sure it’s going to be intense. (Second place in standings) Denny (Hamlin) runs well at Daytona, so I am glad we have a bit of a cushion in the points. But that lead can be gone in an instant, so I hope to avoid all the craziness and have a good solid finish.” — Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

• “Daytona is always exciting because of the unknowns that it presents. For me, it hasn’t been too kind over the years. We’ve had strong cars more often than not and not much to show for it because of being caught up in the big wrecks. In February, I felt like we had a great car all week and then got caught up in that big wreck early and had to ride around in the back all day. We’ll go down there this week and try to run up front all night and see what happens.” — Martin Truex Jr. driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• “I think about growing up I never raced for points in anything. We never purposely raced to try and win a track championship or any national events that were big ones. We wanted to go where everybody was showing up and go win that race, and so that was something that I grew up not really racing for points. It’s was you maximize your weekend and it will get you the maximum amount of points that you’re capable of. Winning every race will win you championships, so it’s something that I don’t have a whole lot of experience in doing and actually kind of dislike doing because of it, and I think that it always has to be on your mind as we look towards the playoffs, but in our scenario now we don’t have to think about the points side and we haven’t for a couple weeks now. Now, it’s go to the race track and figure out how to win a race.” — Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

• “Anything I do to help him, hurts me. Anything he does to help me, hurts him. So, we really can’t work together at all, unfortunately. At the end of the day, I still want an RCR car to be in the playoffs over anybody else, obviously. And he feels the exact same way about that. But for him to do everything for his team to get into the playoffs, he can’t be helping the 8 and I can’t be helping the 3. It’s kind of a weird spot. But, for sure, I know where he stands because I’m the same way. We want an RCR car to be in the playoffs this year. It’s just a difficult place to be in because we’re obviously not going to go out there and screw each other over because neither one of us will make the playoffs potentially if someone new wins. It’s just a very complex situation.” — Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on battling his teammate for the final spot in the playoffs. Reddick and Dillon are the only drivers who can make the playoffs without having to win at Daytona.

Posted on August 27, 2021August 27, 2021 by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rain has pushed the remainder of Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway to a Saturday finish.

Pole-starter AJ Allmendinger is scored as the leader of the Wawa 250, which ran 19 of the scheduled 100 laps before showers and nearby lightning forced a stoppage. The event is scheduled to resume Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Allmendinger, driver of Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Chevrolet and the series’ most recent winner, has led 15 of the 19 laps so far. Fellow front-row starter Noah Gragson led the other four laps in the JR Motorsports No. 9 Chevy before sliding back to 17th place at the time of the red flag.

Christopher Bell, making his second Xfinity Series start of the season in the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, is second in the current order. Myatt Snider runs third with defending series champ Austin Cindric fourth and Brett Moffitt fifth.

Brandon Jones is the race’s only retiree. Debris on the grille of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota caused an overheating issue, and the car was pushed back to the garage after completing just 17 laps. Jones will be credited with last place in the 40-car field, marking his fourth DNF in the last six races.

The 250-mile race is the 23rd of 33 events for the Xfinity Series this year, and stages are scheduled to end on Laps 30, 60, with 100 laps making the full scheduled distance. Just four races remain in the regular season.

The remainder of the Xfinity Series event will be an afternoon opener to the NASCAR Cup Series’ regular-season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, scheduled for 7 p.m. (7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). Saturday’s race will set the 16-driver playoff field that will vie for the NASCAR Cup Series championship in a 10-race elimination-style Playoff format that concludes Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

Contributing: Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service

Posted on August 27, 2021August 27, 2021 by Staff Report

In a video released Friday, Kurt Busch announced he will drive for 23XI Racing in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series and unveiled the new No. 45 Toyota he will pilot full time next season. A full shot of the Camry revealed the number placement on the Next Gen car will be different from what it is currently.

Photo of the look from the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race (Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images)

NASCAR confirmed the change Friday as well, and said in a statement: “There remains incredible interest from new owners and new sponsors in joining the NASCAR family. We are committed to working with our race team partners to innovate and deliver opportunities to increase the value to sponsors who support our sport.”

The number on the Next Gen car will be moved forward from its normally centered position. The Next Gen car features a smaller quarter panel, therefore impacting space available for sponsors. Moving the number forward will allow more space for logos.

NASCAR tried the opposite in 2020 with the All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The numbers then were placed further back on the car, which also sported an under glow for the exhibition event (see inset photo).

The 2022 Next Gen car is set to make its official on-track debut Feb. 20 at Daytona International Speedway with the annual Daytona 500 season opener.

“We are extremely enthusiastic about the launch of the Next Gen car in 2022,” Richard Childress Racing President Torrey Galida said. “All three manufacturers did a great job with the styling of the new race cars. We all know how important the number is to a fan’s connection with their driver. Moving the numbers forward should make them more visible, and will also provide the race teams an opportunity to give sponsors some enhanced branding opportunities. The teams and sponsors are going to have fun creating some bold new designs on the new car.”

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Marcus DiNitto

With a 25-point cushion over Austin Dillon for the 16th and final spot in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, a conservative strategy may be the way to go for Tyler Reddick at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. This notion is part of oddsmakers’ thought process, as they price the No. 8 Chevrolet at longer odds than they would have had Reddick needed to take more aggressive approach.

At SuperBook USA in Las Vegas, Reddick opened at 30-1 to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400, the final race before the start of the 10-race playoffs. Reddick and Dillon can both get in on points; 13 other drivers need a victory.

“He’s really good at restrictor plate,” Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at the SuperBook, said of Reddick. “I’d probably have him at 20-1 if he needed to win. …

“Basically, Reddick just needs not to crash and have one of those other guys win. So I would assume that (Reddick’s team is) going to race essentially not to wreck. But you never know, sometimes these guys do things that you would never expect them to do.”

Dillon, who figures to be aggressive to clinch a spot over his Richard Childress Racing teammate, is priced at 18-1 on multiple oddsboards, including the SuperBook.

Among NASCAR’s three betting partners, WynnBET has the best price on Reddick (40-1), and Wynn and BetMGM are both dealing 20-1 on Dillon.

Here’s how the SuperBook and NASCAR’s trio of official books, price the baker’s dozen win-and-their-in drivers:

Driver	Superbook	Barstool	BetMGM	Wynn
Matt DiBenedetto	25-1	22-1	25-1	22-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	30-1	22-1	20-1	25-1
Bubba Wallace	30-1	25-1	25-1	25-1
Ross Chastain	40-1	40-1	40-1	50-1
Chris Buescher	50-1	40-1	40-1	40-1
Ryan Newman	50-1	33-1	33-1	33-1
Daniel Suarez	50-1	60-1	50-1	50-1
Cole Custer	50-1	60-1	50-1	60-1
Chase Briscoe	60-1	60-1	50-1	60-1
Ryan Preece	60-1	80-1	66-1	66-1
Erik Jones	100-1	50-1	66-1	80-1
Corey LaJoie	100-1	80-1	80-1	80-1
Anthony Alfredo	100-1	200-1	150-1	100-1

Does the reality that these guys have to go all out, coupled with the randomness that tends to ensue on restrictor-plate tracks, prompt bookmakers to price them shorter than usual?

“You kind of have that in the back of your mind,” Salmons said, “but you know the guys that are good at restrictor place. Austin Dillon’s really good at this stuff, so his odds are gonna be much lower than what he would be at a normal race, just because at a restrictor plate he can win. At the other tracks he can win, but it just would take a little bit more.”

The Favorite

Denny Hamlin seems to be the exception to the rule that restrictor-plate racing is dictated by randomness – especially when it comes to Daytona. Over the last seven races at Daytona, Hamlin has piloted the No. 11 Toyota to a pair of wins and five top fives. This past February, he won both stages and led 98 laps before his bid for a third straight Daytona 500 victory fell short, largely due to misfortune on pit road.

Hamlin is the only driver in Sunday’s field priced with single-digit odds, listed at 8-1 at the SuperBook.

“At Daytona, he really seems to excel,” Salmons said. “He’s definitely the starting point this week, but it’s Daytona and you get these 20 wrecks, and anything can happen.”

Also Lurking

After Hamlin, the oddsboard strikingly suggests the “anything can happen at Daytona” mantra. Five drivers opened at 12-1 odds at the SuperBook– Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Then, there’s a tight gap to Brad Keselowski (14-1) and Kevin Harvick (16-1), Dillon (18-1) and Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola all offered at 20-1 odds.

A perusal of past performances indicates a driver’s overall ability doesn’t typically translate to success at Daytona. After Hamlin, among drivers who have raced in all seven Cup events at Daytona since 2018, Michael McDowell has the best average finish, followed by Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Ryan Newman, Bowman, Corey LaJoie and Matt DiBenedetto. That’s not a list that mirrors the top of the Cup standings.

This analysis isn’t quite fair to Larson, who has raced in six of the seven races and would fit right behind Buescher on the list with a 15.83 average finish.

How about some other top drivers in the series? Well, most are pretty far down the list. Martin Truex Jr. (30-1 at the SuperBook) has compiled a modest 19.71 average finish, Elliott a 20.00 average, with Byron (20.71), Blaney (21.71) and Busch (22.14) also not finishing near the front.

There’s a reason many sharp bettors stay away from these races. Indeed, anything can happen at Daytona.

Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced Friday that Xfinity, a NASCAR Premier Partner and title sponsor of NASCAR Xfinity Series, will be the exclusive partner of NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Races. The NASCAR Playoffs signal the most competitive time of the season, and Xfinity will help amplify the drama and unpredictability of the NASCAR Playoffs as drivers look to avoid elimination and safely secure their spot in the next round.

“There is no better time in the NASCAR season to highlight the importance of providing a fast, safe and secure internet to customers during their most important moments,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s vice president of brand partnerships and amplification. “When everything is on the line, the best drivers in NASCAR know it requires peak performance to advance to the next round and we look forward to celebrating those moments of excellence with NASCAR fans.”

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Race schedule will begin under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway, navigate the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway and culminate with the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The platform will feature additional branding to signify the elimination race at all three tracks and will feature additional interactive elements across the race broadcast. NASCAR’s social and digital platforms will give fans even greater access to the excitement and drama of the NASCAR Playoffs.

“Xfinity continues to find creative ways to elevate their brand during key moments of the season and our elimination races are among the highest anticipated events on the schedule,” said Jeff Wohlschlaeger, NASCAR’s chief sales officer. “Xfinity is the gold standard in delivering integrated activation and we are excited to introduce a customized platform that ties Xfinity’s reliable performance to the reliable performances that the best drivers in the world will need competing at their highest level in the most critical of moments.”

Xfinity entered the sport as the title sponsor of the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015 and was announced as part of the inaugural grouping of NASCAR Premier partners in 2019. Xfinity has engaged and rewarded fans and industry members with unique platforms, such as the Comcast Community Champion of the Year, and multiple team and track sponsorships. To learn more about Xfinity’s NASCAR partnership, visit Xfinity.com/NASCAR.

Posted on August 27, 2021August 27, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

The regular season of the NASCAR Cup Series comes to a close under the lights at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

With 15 of the 16 playoff spots spoken for, let’s set the stage for one final chance for drivers on the outside to win their way into the postseason conversation.

RELATED: Buy tickets | Clinching scenarios for Daytona | How the playoff picture looks

READY TO GRID

For the second week in a row, Kyle Larson will lead the field to green courtesy of the qualifying matrix formula utilized to set the starting lineup. He will be joined in Row 1 by William Byron. Behind the pair of Hendrick Motorsports teammates sit two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates as Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch roll off from Row 2. Check out the full starting lineup here.

RULES PACKAGE

Drivers will wheel cars utilizing the lower-horsepower, high-downforce package this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, featuring tall spoilers and longer splitters to promote drafting.

Following Joey Logano’s airborne tumble at Talladega Superspeedway in April, NASCAR has altered its superspeedway package to decrease horsepower from 510 HP to 450 HP in addition to removing the wicker that created drag from the top of the spoiler.

NASCAR shelved restrictor plates, a metal plate placed on the intake manifold meant to reduce horsepower and used since 1988, after the 2019 Daytona 500 in favor of the tapered spacer, which accomplishes the same goal while still suiting the pack-style racing fans have become accustomed to seeing at Daytona and Talladega.

STORYLINES ENTERING DAYTONA

– Kyle Larson holds a 28-point lead over Denny Hamlin for the regular-season championship entering Daytona. The winner of the title collects 15 playoff points while the runner-up is awarded 10.

– Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon are the only drivers who can claim the final playoff spot on points. Reddick enters the race with a 25-point advantage on his Richard Childress Racing teammate.

– Drivers who can clinch the final playoff spot with a victory are Reddick, Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Newman, Ryan Preece, Cole Custer, Corey LaJoie and Anthony Alfredo.

– Four of the last six Daytona winners were first-time Cup Series winners (Erik Jones, Justin Haley, William Byron, Michael McDowell). The other two went to Denny Hamlin.

– Hamlin is the only repeat winner in the last 14 Daytona races and has won three times, each in the Daytona 500.

– In the last 11 Daytona events, Joe Gibbs Racing is the only organization to win multiple times. Other teams who went to Victory Lane in that span include Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Spire Motorsports.

– Only once has a stage winner gone to Victory Lane at Daytona.

– There were four cautions during stage two of the Daytona 500 this season, the most cautions during stage one or two in any Daytona race.

– The final green-flag stretch was two laps or less in the last eight Daytona contests.

– The average green-flag stretch was 23 laps or less in the last 10 Daytona events.

– 10 of the last 16 Daytona races had an overtime finish including last August.

– Each of the last five superspeedway races were won by different drivers (Ryan Blaney, Byron, Hamlin, McDowell, Brad Keselowski)

Source: Racing Insights

GAMBLING ON A CRAPSHOOT?

Superspeedway racing opens the door for myriad drivers to punch their last-minute ticket into the playoffs with a victory. However, one driver is still favored over everyone else: Denny Hamlin.

BetMGM lists the three-time Daytona 500 champion at 7-1 odds over a slew of drivers at 12-1 odds, including Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, 2015 Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and defending race winner William Byron.

Michael McDowell, victor of this year’s Daytona 500, is listed at 33-1 odds and perhaps worth laying some money on considering his breakthrough win in February.

Another sleeper to keep an eye on is Corey LaJoie at 80-1. LaJoie’s four career top 10s have all come on superspeedways, three of which came at Daytona.

HISTORY ON THE HIGH BANKS OF DAYTONA

– In the early 1950s, Bill France Sr. realized the days of racing on the sands of Daytona Beach were soon disappearing. After creating Bill France Racing, Inc. in 1953, France went to work to raise funds for his 2.5-mile superspeedway dream facility. The project began Nov. 25, 1957 and Daytona International Speedway held its first Daytona 500 on Feb. 22, 1959.

– Daytona held its first night race on Oct. 17, 1998, an event postponed from the Fourth of July by Florida wildfires that summer.

– Following Kyle Busch’s crash in the 2015 Xfinity Series race that left Busch with lower-body injuries, Daytona added over 200,000 square feet of asphalt in turns one and four. In Turn 1, where Busch crashed, the track paved more than 177,000 square feet of grass and realigned the wall where he hit head on.

– All outside and inside walls on the track’s 2.5-mile tri-oval, with the exception of pit lane, have energy-absorbing barriers.

– Saturday’s race marks the 148th points race on the Daytona oval.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

Goodyear will bring the same tire compound to Daytona as it has the previous four races at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. As teams navigate Daytona’s 31 degrees of banking in the corners at 200 mph, reliability and stability play the ultimate role in this weekend’s tire setup.

“Gaining mechanical grip through the tire setup is an important factor for teams at Daytona,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “With the style of racing we see on this superspeedway, with cars side-by-side and nose-to-tail throughout the pack, stability is of the utmost importance. We design our tires for Daytona with tread compounds that give the cars the grip they need and the stability to race in such tight quarters.”

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts. It’s not too late to join in on the competition.

The 2021 Fantasy Live points leaders are Kyle Larson (990), Denny Hamlin (972) and Chase Elliott (842).

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

New for this season, NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on August 26, 2021August 27, 2021 by Reid Spencer

In sharp contrast to the NASCAR Cup Series, where 15 of 16 playoff spots have been filled, only five drivers have clinched berths in the NASCAR Xfinity Series postseason.

That leaves seven spots still open with four events left in the regular season, including the Wawa 250 (resumes Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Austin Cindric, AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, Jeb Burton and Myatt Snider have qualified for the playoffs by winning races this season.

Emblematic of the wide-open nature of the series, only Daniel Hemric, who has scored the fourth-most points this year, controls his own destiny via points margin entering Friday’s race. Currently 264 points above the cutline, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota can clinch a spot by scoring 44 points at Daytona. No other driver has a guaranteed clinch scenario, other than by winning the race.

“You know that anything can happen when you go to Daytona or Talladega,” said Hemric, who is seeking his first NASCAR national series victory. “You just have to try to put yourself in the best position possible and hope that you’re in the right place at the right time and able to capitalize on runs and not get caught up in the big wrecks when they happen.

“We’ll definitely try to work with our teammates as much as we can and try to get all four of our Supras up front. That’s always the plan going in, but these races tend to get pretty wild, especially at the end of the stages and ultimately at the checkered flag. So we’ll give it our best shot and see what we can do.”

With four races left in the Xfinity Series regular season, at least three playoff spots will be determined by points. Riley Herbst currently occupies the 12th and final playoff-eligible position by 41 points over Michael Annett, who has been sidelined for four races because of a stress fracture in his right femur and subsequent surgery to repair it.

Series leader Austin Cindric, a five-time winner this season, can become only the second driver to sweep both Xfinity races at Daytona in the same season. The only driver to accomplish the feat so far is NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003.

Posted on August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 by Davey Segal

The stat sheet will show only two races in the books for Matt Hirschman on the Whelen Modified Tour thus far in 2021, but there’s more to his season than what the numbers bare out.

Sure, the results of a win at Oswego Speedway and runner-up at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway are great. But, why only those two races? The four-time winner on the tour has opted to run a limited schedule for multiple years, with his last full-time campaign coming in 2011 — but he makes sure that whenever he shows up, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Mainly, it’s the increased cost and logistical hurdles involved with gathering up his group to go race all over the Northeast on the tour, coupled with his escapades in other series and big events, that have prevented him from running more races annually.

“I run a busy schedule, a very diverse schedule to start with,” he said. “For us to put the full team together, especially races that have pit stops in it, requires us drawing from several different states to bring everyone together. It’s just difficult to do that multiple times.”

But the Northampton, Pennsylvania, native enjoys the time he does spend racing side-by-side with the names that have populated the NWMT over the years. He just prefers to do so at different venues, citing his first ever trips to Langley Speedway and White Mountain Motorsports Park in recent years as something new to try, where he came home with top-three finishes.

Hirschman always had Beech Ridge in his plans — but postponements in other series made it a bit tougher for the No. 60 team to make it work as the date creeped up. Nevertheless, they came home with a runner-up result after leading a race-high 66 laps from the pole and losing the top spot inside the final 10 laps.

“We’ve tried to do something different each year,” he said. “It’s kind of a combination of things. When you’re only doing three or four (races per year), unfortunately, there’s only a few you’re going to pick and maybe there’s some others that would be of interest that you don’t do.”

RACING-REFERENCE: Career Stats For Matt Hirschman

Hirschman has spent much of his 2021 season competing in the Tri Track Open Modified Series and currently leads the standings with just one race remaining, closing in on his sixth series title. He’s also spent time competing in the Race of Champions and running locally in Pennsylvania.

On July 24, he was victorious at Star Speedway in New Hampshire, bringing home a hefty $17,000 paycheck for besting the rest over the 125-lap feature. In the five races so far in Tri-Track, he’s only finished outside the top 10 once and hasn’t finished worse than third in every other race. He won the Open Wheel Wednesday $10,000 to win race at Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday night and took home a grand total of $10,600 with bonus awards.

He’s earned the nickname ‘Money Matt’ that everyone in New England knows him by.

“What I do, I probably run as many as much or as or more than anyone in terms of tour type modified races annually,” Hirschman said. “We run a pretty diverse schedule and have been very successful. I kind of believe in the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ type of mentality.”

With four races remaining on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule, Hirschman has his eye set on Oswego, the next event on the slate on September 4, where he won earlier this season for the second time in his career with Pee Dee Motorsports, leading a race-high 70 laps.

MORE: Schedule, Times & More For Mod Tour Race Day at Oswego

He’s entering that event with high expectations — per usual — especially given their exceptionally strong results this season and successful history at the .625-mile.

“Winning races is never easy. But if we continue to put ourselves in a position to contend for wins, they seem to come your way,” he said. “If we weren’t a contender to win, it would definitely be a disappointment. But actually winning the event, they’re all tough to win. They don’t come easy. I fully expect to contend.”

The Toyota Mod Classic 150 at Oswego is scheduled to go green at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, September 4. NBC Sports Gold’s TrackPass will have live coverage of the event. The race is part of the 65th annual Classic Weekend at the historic New York oval.

Posted on August 26, 2021September 10, 2021 by Staff Report

The sport of stock car racing has a long and storied history with technology, one that has helped position NASCAR as a leader among sports leagues in the pursuit for leading-edge innovation. Recently, NASCAR took a major step to pass that tech-forward ethos to companies around the globe through a new initiative called the NASCAR Technology Partner Platform, with 30 technology companies slated to attend the platform’s inaugural event at Daytona International Speedway during Coke Zero Sugar 400 race weekend.

When Christine Stoffel-Moffett, Head of Enterprise Technology at NASCAR, joined the company a year ago, she envisioned a new NASCAR-centered community for the tech industry that leveraged the sport’s long history of pushing technological boundaries and collaborating around innovative ideas. Created from that vision is an all-new program that is set to connect tech leaders from around the globe in a collaborative and fast-paced environment that will serve as an incubator for new ideas, case studies, relationships and efficiencies.

“When I joined NASCAR in March of 2020, I established a mission statement as a goal for NASCAR technology that stated ‘NASCAR technology teams’ vision is to be looked upon as the most inspiring, future-forward, innovative and technology advanced organization across the sports and entertainment industry.’ To accomplish this, we are selecting the best-in-class technology solutions and partners to align with NASCAR and participate on this journey together. The NASCAR Technology Partner Platform is the intersection of this vision; our tech partners will become part of the fabric and community of NASCAR for many years to come,” Stoffel-Moffett said.

This new platform is open to both existing NASCAR partners as well as companies outside of the sport, and through joining the platform companies will be afforded the opportunity to become part of an exclusive community of brands looking to network and collaborate together. NASCAR Technology Partners will meet throughout the season at tentpole events to identify new initiatives and concepts that are developing in the rapidly-changing tech space. Partners will also be encouraged to utilize NASCAR events to host key clients, top prospects, and exceptional employees with an unforgettable experience.

In addition, NASCAR Technology Partners will have direct access to NASCAR and its racetrack properties to test new developments, implement proof of concepts, and authenticate go-to market strategies for product launches. These technology journeys will be showcased and promoted through the brand’s marketing presence established in the partnership.

Current NASCAR Official Partners Xfinity, Comcast Business, Verizon and Amazon Web Services have committed to the program and will participate in this weekend’s event in Daytona. NASCAR has also welcomed forward-thinking and innovative brands HGC Technologies and Extreme Networks to establish its core foundation of NASCAR Technology Partners.

Through partnerships with elite, industry-leading technology partners, NASCAR will accomplish its innovation goals driving forward – and ultimately position itself as a dynamic testing ground for technological innovation and business transformation.

Companies that would like to be considered to join the NASCAR Technology Partner Program can learn more by contacting [email protected].

Posted on August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 by Zack Albert

Purists are old enough to recall when Daytona International Speedway’s 400-miler had “Firecracker” in the title, a delightfully alliterative race name often supplemented by art of exploding fireworks. Up until 1987, that event was held on July 4 — regardless of what day of the week the holiday fell on — and pre-noon start times were the norm before high-tech lighting made nighttime racing a possibility.

Purists might scoff at the NASCAR Cup Series schedule’s most recent twist, which plucked the 400 from the Independence Day slot it had held since the historic Florida track opened in 1959. There’s something to be said for planting new traditions, too, because the scheduling gods have created a firecracker of an event.

For the second consecutive year, the Cup Series will stage its regular-season finale in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Daytona. The unpredictable and perilous nature of superspeedway racing adds an extra layer of drama to the pressure-packed night, flinging the door wide open for a host of drivers vying for the 16th playoff spot — the final one available.

A schedule shift of such magnitude may have been written in the stars long before last year’s regular-season finale, an overtime classic won in clutch fashion by first-time winner William Byron. Stray chatter about Daytona potentially hosting the season-ending race in November even pre-dates the 10-race playoff format’s embryo phase. But a superspeedway end to the 26-race regular season was seemingly foretold four years ago at, of all things, a car unveiling.

Denny Hamlin had just helped to pull the cover off a new FedEx design for his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in October 2017. Talladega Superspeedway, a sister track to Daytona, was coming up on the schedule, and the venue had just been moved away from an elimination juncture in the playoff rotation. Hamlin talked about the schedule’s subtle impact, then was asked — for grins — where he would place Talladega if given full rein with the racing calendar.

“I think it should be the last race before the playoffs,” Hamlin said. One reporter stifled a bewildered half-laugh, but Hamlin wasn’t joking. “I think that is the ultimate wild-card spot, and if you want to see the craziest Talladega race ever, it would be right before the playoffs started to have that, because you’re going to have — what is this, probably 28 cars or so with their last opportunity to make it into the playoffs. To me, it’s a no-brainer where it should be in the schedule, but getting the tracks to agree to something like that is going to be very hard.”

Had such a move actually been brought up to the powers-that-be at the time? “It’s been floated with a side of push in it,” Hamlin said. “I think it would be the ultimate cutoff race. Talk about not knowing whether you’re in or out until the last lap, that would be the race.”

And now it is, only swapping in Daytona for Talladega as the superspeedway wild-card component.

Last year’s first run produced the fireworks that one might expect in July. Every push or dose of aero momentum was treated like an ounce of precious metal, and the running standings ticker stayed in continual flux.

Tyler Reddick typified the desperation of the final 10 laps with a bold move for his playoff survival that chopped the advances of Kyle Busch, triggering a 10-car stack-up that thinned the field of several front-runners. Jimmie Johnson’s hopes of making the playoffs in his final full Cup Series season fizzled in an 11-car melee that erupted just seven laps later.

Byron was left standing at the end, checkered flag and playoff berth in hand after one of the most compelling races of the season. Ask any of the contenders lacing up their driving shoes for Saturday’s Daytona reprise and more pyrotechnics are to be expected.

“It’s going to be balls to the wall for anybody that’s top 30 in points,” Busch said

Purists, buckle up.