NASCAR Coke Zero 400: Preview and Prediction

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Feb 22, 2015; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) celebrates winning the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports /

NASCAR returns to Daytona this week for some Sunday night racing. Who will leave the famous speedway with a win under their belt?

After road racing at Sonoma, NASCAR is heading back to where the season began. This week the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will be racing at Daytona International Speedway for a chance at a spot in “The Chase.”

At Sonoma, Kyle Busch took his chances from being slim, to having a great shot of getting one of the last spots in. With Busch returning from injury, he was given an exempt waiver stipulating that he had to win a race and average a top-16 overall finish. The win isn’t enough, but it will help him with the overall average, considering wrecks he had at Dover and Michigan.

What will be even more interesting is to see how he overcomes adversity at Daytona. During the Xfinity Series race at the first run at Daytona this year, Kyle Busch suffered a horrific leg injury that left many wondering about his future.

Since then, Busch has worked hard to get back on the track and has been one of the best stories of the NASCAR season. He was robbed of his chance to participate in the first Sprint Cup race this season at Daytona. Now, he will get a chance to shine and overcome another set of odds.

Another cool moment happened at Sonoma for Kyle, as he and his brother Kurt Busch finished No. 1 and No. 2 for the first time in their careers. They joined a long list of famous brothers in the sport to do so.

At Daytona, speed matters and this should be a week for the drivers of Hendrick Motorsports to bounce back and have a shot at winning. Jimmie Johnson‘s strategy at Sonoma didn’t quite work out for a win, but he was arguably the strongest driver on the track.

This is the second and final race of the season at Daytona International Speedway. In the first race, it was Joey Logano who came away victorious and became the first entrant into “The Chase.” Can Logano complete the sweep and pick up another victory at one of the most famous tracks in racing?

With the Fourth of July weekend upon us, here is a preview and prediction for this week’s Coke Zero 400.

Race Notes

Track: Daytona International Speedway

Date/Time: Sunday, July 5, 2015 7:45 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Laps: 160

Most Wins (Active Driver): Tony Stewart, 4

Fantasy Outlook: Fantasycpr breaks down the best bets for Daytona

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