With just two more races remaining in the regular season, the Cup Series is set to do some Saturday night racing at Daytona International Speedway with the Cole Zero 400.  This year the race will include a full field of 40 drivers with Xfinity drivers Shane van Gisbergen, Joey Gase, Austin Hill, and Parker Retzlaff doing “double duty” this weekend.

After Corey LaJoie took a wild ride flying through the air at Michigan last week and sliding down the track on his roof, NASCAR is mandating all of the drivers carry an air deflector in the right side rear window to match the one on the left side to help keep the cars on the ground.  NASCAR will be supplying the parts for the teams.

With Cup Series qualifying, broadcaster Leigh Diffey joins the NBC NASCAR broadcasting team.  Diffey has covered racing in Formula One, IndyCar, and all over the world.

This week the drivers do not get an opportunity to practice before taking to the track for single car one lap qualifying.  There are no groups this week, the top 10 drivers will move on to a second round of qualifying to set the pole.

One of the drivers “doing the double”, Joey Gase is the first driver on the track to make a qualifying run and posted a time of 51.395 seconds around the 2.5 mile track.

BJ McLeod broke the 51 second mark with a time of 50.721 seconds.

Austin Hill, just the third driver out, broke the 50 second mark with a time of 49.769 seconds.

Teammates Todd Gilliland and Michael McDowell posted the exact same time for their qualifying run at 49.218 seconds.

Chase Elliott is the first driver in the top 10 to make a run in round two of qualifying and posted a time of 49.518 seconds.

With a time of 49.136 and a new track record for the Next Gen car Michael McDowell puts his number 34 car on the pole for the third time.  Teammate Todd Gilliland will start alongside McDowell on the front row.  This is the first time that Front Row Motorsports fills out both places of the front row.

The starting lineup for the Coke Zero 400:
Michael McDowell
Todd Gilliland
Joey Logano
Ryan Preece
Josh Berry
Chase Briscoe
William Byron
Austin Cindric
Kyle Larson
Chase Elliott
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Chris Buescher
Ryan Blaney
Noah Gragson
Austin Dillon
Martin Truex Jr
Bubba Wallace
Denny Hamlin
Harrison Burton
Alex Bowman
Daniel Suarez
Austin Hill
Ross Chastain
Tyler Reddick
Ty Gibbs
Christopher Bell
Daniel Hemric
Parker Retzlaff
Zane Smith
John Hunter Nemechek
Shane van Gisbergen
Cody Ware
Corey LaJoie
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Justin Haley
Carson Hocevar
BJ McLeod
Joey Gase
Erik Jones


Todd Gilliland’s number 38 car failed the inspection process three times; as a result he has lost his crew chief and the opportunity to select his own pit stall.

Stage one is 35 laps, stage two is 60 laps, and stage three is 65 laps for a total of 160 laps around the 2.5 mile track.

Michael McDowell brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Todd Gilliland alongside.  McDowell and teammate Todd Gilliland go side by side as the drivers stay two by two; getting the engines up to speed.

Lap two, Austin Dillon tries to form a third lane as Joey Logano pushes Michael McDowell for the lead.

Lap three, the top five are Michael McDowell, Todd u Brad Keselowski pushes Austin in the high line.

Lap six, Joey Logano gets out in front.

Lap seven, Josh Berry takes the lead.

One the outside lane, Michael McDowell retakes the lead.

Lap eight, Josh Berry leads the race but Brad Keselowski passes to take the lead.

Lap nine, the top five are Brad Keselowski, Josh Berry, Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, and William Byron.

Lap 10, Josh Berry and Brad Keselowski battle back and forth for the lead.  Joey Logano moves up in the center lane to make it a three way battle.

Lap 13 Josh Berry and William Byron battle for the lead.

Lap 14, Josh Berry leads the race with Joey Logano in second; William Byron, Michael McDowell, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

Lap 15 Joey Logano takes the lead.

Lap 17, Joey Logano leads the race but Josh Berry comes up on the inside to battle for the lead.

Lap 18, Chris Buescher moves up on the outside to make it a three way battle for the lead.

Lap 20, Chris Buescher has taken the lead on the high line.

After starting the race in last place, Erik Jones has moved up 22 spots.  He had an issue during qualifying that forced him to abort the lap and he started the race in 40th place.

Lap 22, Joey Logano takes the lead.

Lap 24, Chris Buescher has retaken the lead with Austin Cindric on his bumper.

Lap 26, bossman Brad Keselowski battles with Chris Buescher for the lead.

Austin Cindric takes the lead from the high line.

Lap 28, Josh Berry takes the lead with Joey Logano in second.

Ryan Blaney is reporting that his car is “slow”.

Josh Berry is back in the lead.  Learning to race the high banks of Daytona, Berry said that he talked to Junior.  Berry noted that the problem was, Junior made it sound so easy.

Lap 31 Brad Keselowski is out in front but Joey Logano comes up on the inside to take the lead.

Just four laps remain in stage one and the drivers are three wide through the field.

Two laps remain in stage one, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski continue to battle for the lead.

Josh Berry wins stage one  for his first Daytona stage win.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Josh Berry
Joey Logano
Chris Buescher
Austin Cindric
Ryan Blaney
Todd Gilliland
Brad Keselowski
William Byron
Kyle Larson

Drivers come down pit road for service with Joey Logano winning the race off of pit road.

There was a fire in Daniel Suarez’s pit and as he drove away the rear exploded in flames.  Daniel is out of the car and out of the car.  The rear of the car is melted.

Several of the drivers stayed out on the track and did not  make a pit stop.

The camera in Daniel Suarez’s pit shows that some fuel from Denny Hamlin’s pit is what ignited the back of Daniel’s car.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 42.  Fifteen cars are at the back of the field after making a second trip down pit road to top off the fuel tank.

Lap 43, Joey Logano leads the race with Chris Buescher in second; Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and  Josh Berry round out the top five.

Daniel said that he only has a rear camera but not a mirror.  He noted that he felt heat but couldn’t see it.

NASCAR has told the 99 team that they may rejoin the  race if the wish but the car may be too damaged to do so.

Lap 46, Bubba Wallace has taken the lead but Chris Buescher moves up on the inside to battle with Wallace for the lead.

Lap 48, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace battle for the lead.

Daniel Hemric has moved up 31 spots since the start of the race.

Lap 50, Chase Briscoe moves up to battle with Bubba Wallace for the lead.

Drivers back in the field can run an extra 20 to 25 miles on a single load of fuel due to the draft.

Lap 53, Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher continue to battle for the lead.

Lap 56, Bubba Wallace leads the race with Chris Buescher in second, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.

Lap 60, the first caution for an on track incident comes out for a wreck that involves several drivers.  Noah Gragson lost control of his car after some contact from Corey LaJoie that sent Gragson into Ross Chastain who went spinning.  Martin Truex Jr., Noah Gragson, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, Austin Hill, Corey LaJoie, Denny Hamlin, John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Preece, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, and Tyler Reddick were all involved in the crash.

Drivers come down pit road for tires and fuel.  Chris Buescher ns the race off of pit road.

Chris Buescher brings the field down for the green flag restart with Brad Keselowski alongside on lap 67.  Buescher has the lead with Joey Logano on his bumper; Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric round out the top five.

Lap 70, Chris Buescher leads the race with Joey Logano in second; Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.  Shane van Gisbergen is in eighth place.

Lap 74, Bubba Wallace comes up on the inside to take the lead.

Lap 75, Joey Logano gets out in front for the lead.

Lap 77, Team Penske have taken the top three spots.

Kyle Larson comes up on the outside lane to break up the Penske team..

Austin Cindric gets loose but saves the car and the track stays green.

Lap 79, Kyle Larson takes the lead and battles with Joey Logano.

As many races as he has run in numerous formats, Kyle Larson has never won a race at Daytona.

The caution flag comes out on lap 81 for the heavily smoking car Shane van Gisbergen with a blown engine.  Erik Jones blows a tire.  Martin Truex Jr also has a flat tire.

Shane van Gisbergen said that he never felt or heard a thing before the engine blew.  There were flames coming out of the pipes.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart with just seven laps remaining in stage two.  Logano and Kyle Larson battle for the lead.  Getting a push from Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson takes the lead.

Five to go in stage two and the third line has formed with Bubba Wallace leading the charge.  Kyle Larson leads the race on the inside lane.  Joey Logano leads the middle lane.

Four to go, Brad Keselowski moves up in front of Joey Logano.

Brad Keselowski takes the lead with two laps remaining in stage two.

Joey Logano takes the lead.

Joey Logano wins stage two.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Joey Logano
Ryan Blaney
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Larson
Todd Gilliland
Justin Haley
Kyle Busch
William Byron
Chris Buescher
Bubba Wallace

Drivers come down pit road for service with Michael McDowell winning the race off of pit road.

Several of the drivers made a second trip down pit road to top off the fuel tank.

Michael McDowell brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Josh Berry alongside on lap 101.  Kyle Busch passes Josh Berry for second.

Josh Berry retakes second.

The top five are Michael McDowell, Josh Berry, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, and Austin Cindric.

Lap 105, Michael McDowell leads the race with Justin Haley in second; Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

Lap 110, Michael McDowell holds on to the lead with Justin Haley in second; John Hunter Nemechek, Josh Berry, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Lap 114. Michael McDowell continues to lead the race with Justin Haley just one tenth of a second back; John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Larson, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.

Just 45 laps remain in the race, Michael McDowell continues to lead the race.

With 42 to go, Justin Haley jumped down to the bottom lane and was pushed to the lead.

Earlier in the year, the Fords had a hard time winning a race, but tonight, Fords occupy the top six spots.

Lap 122, Justin Haley and Michael McDowell battle for the lead.

With 36 laps to go, Justin Haley has the lead with Josh Berry in second. John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Larson, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.

The drivers must make one more pit stop in order to make it to the end of the race.

Lap 128, Martin Truex Jr is the first driver to make a green flag pit stop.  He had a flat tire.

Thirty to go, Justin Haley leads the race with Joey Logano in second.

The first half dozen cars are single file with Justin Haley in the lead and Josh Berry in second.

The inside lane is moving up to battle with the high line.

Just 25 laps to go, Justin Haley leads the race on the inside lane with Christopher Bell leading the outside lane and heading for the front.

The top five are Justin Haley, John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, and Christopher Bell.

John Hunter Nemechek and Justin Haley battle for the lead.

With just 22 laps to go, the crews are making plans for their pit stops.

John Hunter Nemechek gets loose after contact from Kyle Larson and spins out to bring out the caution flag with 21 laps to go.  He makes contact with Justin Haley when he turns.  Nemechek ran through the newly paved area that used to be filled with grass.

Kyle Busch is the leader of the race with 19 laps to go.

Kyle Busch leads the field down pit road for fuel with Austin Cindric winning the race off of pit road.  There was contact on pit road with Erik Jones, Christopher Bell, Carson Hocevar, and BJ McLeod.

Austin Cindric brings the field down for the green flag restart with just 16 laps remaining in the race with Austin Cindric alongside.

The restart is under review.

Brad Keselowski is charged with jumping the restart and will have to serve a penalty.

Michael McDowell pushes Brad Keselowski to the lead but comes down pit road to serve his pass through penalty.

Twelve to go, Austin Cindric leads the race but Michael McDowell gets a push from Joey Logano and takes the lead.

Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Michael McDowell are in a three way battle for the lead.

Ten to go, Kyle Larson and Austin Cindric battle for the lead.

Michael McDowell takes the lead.

Big crash with nine laps to go.  Josh Berry pushes Austin Cindric who makes contact with Michael McDowell who goes spinning and gets airborne.  Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Christopoher Bell, William Byron, Austin Hill, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Alex Bowman, and Justin Haley were all involved in the crash.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service with the remainder staying out on the track.

Austin Cindric brings the field down for the green flag restart with just three laps remaining in the race with Josh Berry alongside.  Cindric gets out in front for the lead with Kyle Busch on his bumper; but Josh Berry comes up on the outside to battle for the lead.

Josh  Berry gets flipped on his roof, hits the wall and spins around several times.  The caution flag comes out and the race goes into overtime. 

NASCAR has red flagged the race.

The safety workers are working to turn Josh Berry’s car right side up.  Josh Berry climbs out of the car!

Austin Cindric makes contact with Josh Berry’s car to start the crash.  Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Josh Berry, William Byron, Austin Hill, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones, and Zane Smith were all involved in the crash.

The engines are refired and the race goes into overtime.

Josh Berry has been checked and released from the infield care center.  He says that he is ok.

Only six of the 40 cars that started the race have NOT been involved in a crash tonight.

Kyle Busch brings the field down for the overtime shootout to the end of the race with Harrison Burton alongside.  Getting a push from former teammate Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch gets out in front for the lead.

Kyle Busch takes the white flag.

Parker Retzlaff pushes Harrison Burton to the lead and Burton gets The Wood Brothers win number 100!  This is Harrison’s first Cup Series win.

NASCAR is reviewing the end of the race, Harrison Burton went below the yellow line.  NASCAR has confirmed, Burton is the winner and joins Dad Jeff and uncle Ward as a Daytona winner.

The unofficial results of the Coke Zero Sugar 400:
Harrison Burton
Kyle Busch
Christopher Bell
Cody Ware
Ty Gibbs
Bubba Wallace
Parker Retzlaff
Brad Keselowski
Daniel Hemric
Chris Buescher
Carson Hocevar
Ross Chastain
Zane Smith
Chase Briscoe
John Hunter Nemechek
Alex Bowman
Erik Jones
Austin Cindric
BJ McLeod
Joey Gase
Kyle Larson
Austin Dillon
Todd Gilliland
Martin Truex Jr
Austin Hill
Josh Berry
William Byron
Tyler Reddick
Ryan Blaney
Michael McDowell
Joey Logano
Justin Haley
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Corey LaJoie
Shane van Gisbergen
Chase Elliott
Noah Gragson
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Preece
Daniel Suarez