Following Austin Dillon's clutch win at Richmond Raceway to punch his ticket to the playoffs, the NASCAR Cup Series is at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night for the running of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. This will be the regular-season finale, leaving drivers with one last opportunity to lock up a postseason berth.
Tyler Reddick (+89) and Alex Bowman (+60) are currently in possession of the final playoff spots on points, with RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece the first two drivers out. Past champions Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski also find themselves in must-win territory, setting the stage for plenty of drama under the lights at the World Center of Racing.
So, let's dive right into the Coke Zero Sugar 400 with the starting lineup as well as all the info about the TV broadcast, start time and more that fans need to know ahead of the green flag.
Coke Zero Sugar 400 starting lineup: Full NASCAR Cup Series qualifying results
Here's a look at the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying results at Daytona International Speedway and the starting lineup as a result:
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Starting Position | NASCAR Cup Series Driver |
|---|---|
1st | Ryan Blaney |
2nd | Alex Bowman |
3rd | Kyle Larson |
4th | Joey Logano |
5th | Austin Cindric |
6th | Denny Hamlin |
7th | Austin Dillon |
8th | William Byron |
9th | Chase Briscoe |
10th | Brad Keselowski |
11th | Josh Berry |
12th | Daniel Suarez |
13th | Zane Smith |
14th | Kyle Busch |
15th | Christopher Bell |
16th | Carson Hocevar |
17th | Shane van Gisbergen |
18th | Ty Gibbs |
19th | Ross Chastain |
20th | Michael McDowell |
21st | AJ Allmendinger |
22nd | Bubba Wallace |
23rd | Ty Dillon |
24th | Chris Buescher |
25th | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
26th | Erik Jones |
27th | Tyler Reddick |
28th | Todd Gilliland |
29th | Cole Custer |
30th | Chase Elliott |
31st | Ryan Preece |
32nd | Noah Gragson |
33rd | Riley Herbst |
34th | John Hunter Nemechek |
35th | Cody Ware |
36th | Austin Hill |
37th | Justin Haley |
38th | BJ McLeod |
39th | Casey Mears |
40th | Joey Gase |
Weather in the area forced NASCAR to cancel Friday's qualifying session, setting the lineup according to the rulebook. As a result, Team Penske's Ryan Blaney is on the pole. It is Blaney's second pole in the last three weeks as he looks for his second win in Daytona's summer race.
Joining Blaney in the top 10 are Bowman, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, regular-season champion William Byron, Chase Briscoe and Keselowski. Notables outside the top 10 include Busch (14th), Christopher Bell (15th), Bubba Wallace (22nd), Buescher (24th), Reddick (27th), Chase Elliott (30th) and Preece (31st).
NASCAR race start time: When does the Coke Zero Sugar 400 green flag wave?
Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to begin shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET. According to AccuWeather, the temperature is forecasted to be in the 80s with a chance of thunderstorms throughout the day.
Coke Zero Sugar 400 stages explained
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Stage | Lap Number When Points Awarded |
|---|---|
Stage 1 | 35 |
Stage 2 | 95 |
Final Stage | 160 |
For those who don't know, most of the points for the season-long NASCAR Cup Series standings will be awarded for the final stage. Stages 1 and 2, though, give teams two additional opportunities to score points, as well as extra breaks for pit stops (and for the TV product, commercial breaks).
Ten points go to the stage winners, and the remainder of the top 10 receive points in decreasing order with the 10th-place finisher getting one point. The stage victories and additional points can prove valuable throughout the season as drivers try to qualify for the 10-race playoffs that begin at Darlington Raceway on Aug. 31.
Coke Zero Sugar 400 TV channel, broadcast and streaming info
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night will be on NBC with the pre-race coverage of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can also catch the race on MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and streaming on HBO Max and Peacock.