DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series’ regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway unfolded as billed with dramatic action all Saturday night that included 45 lead changes, a 14-minute red-flag period and a wild final lap of overtime to decide the championship playoff picture.
Ultimately, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney managed it all and took his second NASCAR Cup Series victory in as many weeks as a huge multicar accident happened behind him in the last corners of the track on the final lap.
Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford led only seven of the 165 laps, but the 27-year-old North Carolinian took the lead from fellow Ford driver and Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher for the two laps of overtime to claim his third win of the season and seventh of his career.
Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick earned the 16th and final playoff position with a fifth-place finish in a close and suspenseful battle with his own teammate, Austin Dillon.
“How about that,” Blaney said. “That was a lot of fun. Gosh, we just barely missed that wreck. Got to line up on the front row and got a good push by the 7 (Corey LaJoie). You never know how the end of these things is going to play out. Down the back you don’t know what lane is getting a bigger run. I guess someone got tangled up over there, hopefully everyone is OK.”
LaJoie was one of the drivers who was collected in that nine-car crash in Turn 3 on the final lap. He was one of four drivers – including Dillon, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez – running among the top 10 on the final restart and needing a victory to qualify for the playoffs. Instead, all four of them were unfortunately involved in the final incident that eliminated much of the front-running pack.
Kyle Larson, who has a series-best five wins on the season, clinched his first NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship with a 20th-place finish. Both he and Denny Hamlin were in the last-lap wreck. Hamlin, who has led the points standings for all but three of the previous 25 race weekends, finished 13th.
Blaney’s Daytona win caps an impressive summer run that is good enough to move him into second place in the playoff standings – 28 behind Larson – heading into next week’s playoff opener at Darlington Raceway.
Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the playoff reset, followed by 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Hamlin and William Byron. Joey Logano, who led a race-best 37 laps Saturday but finished 23rd, is seeded ninth, followed by Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Christopher Bell, 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, Aric Almirola, Reddick and Kevin Harvick.
“Got good momentum,” Blaney said smiling. “Nice to make it three in a row. We’ll see.”
Bubba Wallace, who led eight laps late in the race, finished second – his best result of the 2021 season. Ryan Newman, Ryan Preece and Reddick rounded out the top five; a season best for Newman and Preece as well.
Haley, who won the Xfinity Series race earlier in the afternoon, was sixth and followed by Alex Bowman. Chase Elliott, B.J. McLeod and Josh Bilicki rounded out the top 10. It was McLeod’s first top-10 finish in 76 NASCAR Cup Series starts.
The 10-race elimination style NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin with next Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Harvick is the defending race winner. Truex won at Darlington this spring.
NOTE: The race winning No. 12 Team Penske Ford passed NASCAR’s post-race inspection, thus confirming Ryan Blaney’s victory. The No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Chris Buescher, however, was disqualified as it did not conform to the NASCAR rule specifications per the following rule: 20.3.3.3.b REAR SUB-FRAME ASSEMBLY; I-4 Track Bar Mounting Assembly. Buescher’s second-place finish was altered to 40th, last in the 40-car field, as a result.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson won the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship Presented by Coca-Cola and was awarded the trophy after the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet has led the point standings since his fifth win of the season at Watkins Glen International earlier this month. For the season, he has five wins, 14 top fives and 18 top 10s — all of those marks are the best in the Cup Series this season. In his first year with Hendrick, Larson also won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600, Sonoma Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway as well as the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway. In July, Larson inked an extension to keep him at Hendrick through the 2023 season.
“We had a stretch there where we won like every stage and every race for a few weeks in a row,” Larson said. “I think we took huge chunks out then. I think I read somewhere where we overcame I think a 166-point gap to Denny (Hamlin). I didn’t think it was possible, but our team has worked so hard all of the regular season. I couldn’t do it without Mr. Hendrick and Linda and all of their support. Everybody back at the shop, too. This is a long season and we still have 10 races to go.”
Clinching the regular-season title hands Larson a 15-point bonus heading into the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs, which begin Sept. 5 with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The top-10 finishers in the regular-season standings receive bonus points on a sliding scale, starting with 15 for first and ending with one playoff point for 10th.
With five victories, paired with a series-high 12 stage wins, Larson will carry 52 playoff points and will enter the postseason as the top seed.
“I mean, I think there’s a lot of good tracks for us,” Larson said. “I don’t know which ones specifically. I feel like we have a shot to win anywhere right now. That’s encouraging.
“I really just look forward to getting it started next week, kind of getting into the flow of that, racing in the playoffs against multiple other drivers chasing points and wins. Yeah, I feel good about it.”
Kevin Harvick won last year’s regular-season championship, Kyle Busch took the honor in 2018 and 2019, while Martin Truex Jr. scored the prize in 2017. Truex and Busch (in 2019) are the only regular-season champions to date to win the playoff title in the same season as the regular-season title.
Thursday, Sept. 2 11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features—Part 1, FS2 (re-air)
12 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features—Part 2, FS2 (re-air)
3 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing Special Prototype Challenge: Virginia International Raceway, NBCSN
4 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing Special Lamborghini Super Trofeo: Virginia International Raceway, NBCSN
5 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing Pilot Challenge, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500, FS1 (re-air)
7 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN
8 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN (re-air)
On MRN
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200
Sunday, Sept. 5
1 p.m., NASCAR Raceday: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Darlington, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: In It To Win It 200, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Raceday: NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Lady in Black, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5)
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Cook Out Southern 500, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5)
10 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: In It To Win It 200, FS2 (re-air)
On MRN
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series In It To Win It 200, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
The crew chiefs for both Front Row Motorsports cars — the No. 34 Ford of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 Ford of Anthony Alfredo — have been ejected before Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway (7 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and both cars will drop to the rear before the 160-lap race. In addition, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kyle Larson and the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Corey LaJoie will start from the rear for multiple pre-race inspection failures.
Front Row Motorsports crew chiefs Drew Blickensderfer (No. 34) and Seth Barbour (No. 38) were ejected after pre-race inspection penalties. McDowell was slated to start 18th, while Alfredo was set to start 32nd. McDowell won the Daytona 500 in February and is one of three drivers with top 10s in both superspeedway races this year.
Jason Sheets, car chief for the No. 34, will fill in as McDowell’s crew chief, while competition director Derrick Finley will serve as Alfredo’s crew chief, according to the team.
The ejections came after it was found the cars did not conform to NASCAR rule specifications per: Rule 20.4.11.5.a and b. Those rules deal with the deck lid extensions teams can use as A.) only NASCAR-approved deck lid extensions will be permitted and B.) the deck lid must conform to the drawing supplied by NASCAR.
The No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet of Joey Gase (starting 37th) and the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of Kaz Grala (starting 38th) will also go to the rear after multiple pre-race inspection failures.
Larson had been slated to start from the pole in Saturday’s race and will still be credited as the polesitter. He is locked in a battle for the regular-season championship and enters the final race of the regular season with a 28-point lead over Denny Hamlin.
“Our strategy is kind of just to chill out and get to the finish,” Larson told media during a pre-race availability as he seeks his first top five in 15 Daytona starts. “Having to start from the pole sometimes can get sketchy when you’re trying to shuffle your way to the back, so having to start from the rear is not really a big deal to me as long as we can pass this time.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Coming to the checkered flag, Justin Haley nudged his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet just ahead of his teammates A.J. Allmendinger and Jeb Burton in a thrilling three-wide finish in the Wawa 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday afternoon.
The blink-of-an-eye .023-second victory marked the fourth superspeedway victory for the 22-year-old Haley but his first win of the 2021 season. He has three wins on the Daytona high banks, also including one in a rain-shortened NASCAR Cup Series race here two years ago.
Allmendinger, who took the white flag in front of the field, may have just missed the race trophy, but he led the most laps on the day (29) and his runner-up effort was good enough to take the season driver standings lead by 17 points over defending series champion Austin Cindric, who was sidelined after a Lap 27 incident.
Although Haley and Allmendinger’s third Kaulig Racing teammate Jeb Burton made it a three-wide photo at the line, JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier actually nudged just ahead in the middle to officially take third place. Burton was credited with fourth place, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Daniel Hemric, whose fifth-place finish was a massive comeback after his No. 18 was involved in the same early-race incident that took Cindric out.
NASCAR Cup Series regular Christopher Bell was sixth with Noah Gragson, Myatt Snider, Harrison Burton and Riley Herbst rounding out the top 10. Hemric, Harrison Burton and Haley all clinched spots in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs with their finishes today.
“This has just not been the best season, it’s been really, really hard on this No. 11 LeafFilter team all year,” said an emotional Haley, who teared up in car congratulating his crew after the checkered flag. “We’ve had a lot of bad luck.
“I was trying to formulate a plan there and obviously there were team orders. Hats off to Kaulig Racing. I think we’ve got the teammate thing down. It’s just so special to win here at Daytona.”
“I’ve won twice here and neither time did I get to see anyone [fans] on the front stretch, so thank you guys for being here,” he told the cheering crowd. “I love you”
The first 19 laps of the 100-lapper ran on Friday night, but Florida rain showers forced the Saturday matinee. The competition resumed, however, in the kind of typically flat-out, thrilling superspeedway storyline that NASCAR fans have become accustomed to.
“That was like the perfect photoshoot right there coming across the line for all the Kaulig Racing Chevys,” Allmendinger said with a huge grin. “Proud of my ‘son’ Justin Haley. He might be one of the best we’ve ever seen on superspeedways and Jeb did a fantastic job.
“I was just hanging on in the middle there. I thought we might get it [1-2-3 finish] but proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing.”
Haley and Burton won the opening two stages in an action-packed afternoon that had a great impact on the championship chase.
Cindric, the defending Xfinity Series champion and a series best five-race winner in 2021, has led the series standings all season. But he was involved in a five-car accident toward the front of the field on Lap 26 that eliminated him from the race less than a half-hour after it re-started.
Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford was hit from behind by Snider’s No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet entering Turn 1 sending a handful of cars into save-mode, with several – including top-10 finishers Hemric and Snider – suffering damage but returning to the race.
“Pretty upset for our Ford Mustang, two weekends in a row we’ve had race-winning capable cars and I’ve had probably a total of 40 laps in the last two weeks,” Cindric said. “Really frustrating to have that situation play out so early. It only takes one, sometimes.”
Coming into the Daytona race, Cindric held a 35-point advantage over Allmendinger. Now he trails by 17 with only three races remaining to set the 12-driver Playoff field.
The top-10 work by Herbst was significant in terms of the Playoffs. He came into the race ranked 12th, but was able to extend his lead ahead of Michael Annett (30th) and Brandon Brown (34th) who both had bad luck days at Daytona.
The Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 is next Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Allgaier won at the track this spring. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones, who finished last on Saturday after his Toyota battled overheating issues, is the defending race winner.
Note: Post-race inspection was completed without major issue in the Xfinity Series garage, confirming Haley as the winner. The No. 17 Chevrolet of JJ Yeley had one lug nut not safe and secure, resulting in a monetary fine to be announced in next week’s penalty report.
Before Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR will celebrate the legacy of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Wendell Scott and present the Scott family with a trophy commemorating the driver’s historic victory on Dec. 1, 1963 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida.
A native of Danville, Virginia, Scott was the first Black driver to compete full time in the NASCAR Cup Series and his victory in the Jacksonville 200 marked the first race won by a Black driver at the sport’s top level.
On that day in Florida, however, Scott didn’t get to celebrate his win and didn’t receive a trophy as part of the standard post-race presentation. At the end of the race, Buck Baker was flagged the winner and it wasn’t until the official scoring review that race officials determined Scott had won the event by two laps – with Baker finishing second.
On Saturday, nearly 58 years after Scott’s landmark victory, NASCAR is recognizing the achievement with the pageantry it deserves before thousands of race fans at Daytona International Speedway. And less than 100 miles from the site of the old Speedway Park in Jacksonville, NASCAR will present the Scott family a trophy.
“It’s quite an honor and a privilege to be here this weekend for this historic moment in time,” said Frank Scott, Wendell’s son. “I grew up at Daytona as a young teenager and a child and came here throughout my father’s racing career. It’s good to be back in this historic place.”
Frank and his three siblings will be joined at the track by a dozen family members including grandchildren and great grandchildren. On hand for the presentation will be Steve Phelps, NASCAR President, and Brandon Thompson, NASCAR Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion.
“NASCAR is honored and delighted to have the family of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Wendell Scott with us here in Daytona in the presence of the industry and the fans as we celebrate and honor the legacy of Wendell Scott and everything he brought to the sport,” Thompson said.
“That historic moment (in 1963) wasn’t celebrated In the way that it should have been,” he added. “It is certainly one of the most iconic and monumental moments in American stock car racing history, but dare I say motorsports history.”
During a media availability on Friday, Warrick Scott, Frank’s son and Wendell’s grandson, addressed his grandfather’s contributions to NASCAR and what Saturday’s presentation means to his family.
“Wendell Scott’s legacy as a man is rooted in community and outreach,” Warrick Scott said. “The work that we’ve been doing for so many years, this moment crystallizes it. All things are possible. At this moment in time I think diversity is a really big topic, and Wendell Scott built a bridge for diversity, in the minds and ideologies for many people. We are blessed to be here in this moment.”
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During his NASCAR career, Wendell Scott competed in 495 Cup Series races and scored 147 top-10 finishes. He died in 1990 and was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the Class of 2015.
On Dec. 1, 1963, Scott won the third race of the 1964 season, a 100-mile feature on the half-mile Speedway Park. He started 15th and led 27 laps, finishing first in a field that included future Hall of Famers Baker (second), Richard Petty (fifth), Ned Jarrett (seventh), Joe Weatherly (14th) and David Pearson (16th).
While he achieved notable on-track success, much of Scott’s legacy in NASCAR is the multicultural drivers and crew members who came after him – many of whom found their path as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program. As a rookie in 2018, Drive for Diversity graduate Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver since Scott to compete full time in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“We can talk about the legacy of Wendell Scott and everything he’s done for the sport, but at this point in time his legacy is felt more than anything else,” said Thompson. “To look around our sport and a community that’s becoming more diverse and inclusive, we can see and feel his impact every day.”
“I think any grandparent would want to see fruitful things take place in the lives of their grandchildren,” Warrick Scott added. “ … It’s been a wonderful opportunity for me to build out this understanding with NASCAR.
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
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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.
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.
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.”
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.
