It’s race day at Daytona International Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race:
START TIME: Retired U.S. Army Colonel Gregory Gadson will instruct drivers to start their engines at 7:11 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 7:23 p.m. ET.
RACE DISTANCE: The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile Datyona International Speedway for a total of 400 miles.
RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for tonight’s race: Stage 1: 40 laps, Stage 2: 40 laps, Stage 3: 80 laps.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: The 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus from Fort Bragg, N.C., will perform the national anthem at 7:01 p.m. ET followed by a flyover by two F-22’s from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Fla.
TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC, with a pre-show on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) at 6:30 p.m. ET. Radio calls can be found on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio.
LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider’s credentials.
CUP DRIVERS: Expect aggressive tactics, intense racing at Daytona
WALLACE: Seeking reprise of stellar Daytona run
REPLACING STARS: Are NASCAR’s young guns feeling pressure to perform?
NASCAR ON NBC: Innovating for Saturday night’s Daytona broadcast
WEATHER: The temperature should register around 80 degrees at the green flag but isolated thunderstorms are also in the forecast. There’s a 35% chance of precipitation in the early evening hours, but the race should finish under mostly cloudy skies with tempeartures in the high 70s.
LAST TIME: Austin Dillon spun race leader Aric Almirola after an overtime restart and held off Bubba Wallace by 0.260 seconds to record his first Daytona 500 victory in February. And last summer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. grabbed the lead off an overtime restart and topped Clint Bowyer by 0.213 sec to record his first victory at Daytona.
LINEUP: Hendrick Motorsports drivers took three of the top four spots in qualifying, while Chevrolet and Ford shut Toyota out of the top 12. Chase Elliott won the pole and Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman will start along side.
Here’s the starting lineup for tonight’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (car number in parentheses):
1. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
2. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
3. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford
4. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
5. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford
6. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford
7. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
8. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
9. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford
10. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
11. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
12. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
13. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
14. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
15. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota
16. (62) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet
17. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
18. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
19. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
20. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford
21. (38) David Ragan, Ford
22. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet
23. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford
24. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
25. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet
26. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford
27. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
28. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
29. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota
30. (21) Paul Menard, Ford
31. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford
32. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota
33. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
34. (7) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet
35. (96) DJ Kennington, Toyota
36. (00) Joey Gase, Chevrolet
37. (99) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet
38. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
39. (51) Ray Black II, Chevrolet
40. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota
