NASCAR in Daytona watch info, schedule, picks for Coke Zero 400 – NBC10 Philadelphia

It all comes down to Daytona.

The Cup Series rolls into Florida this weekend for the critical regular season finale, where the 16 playoff drivers will officially be set.

Daytona International Speedway is one of the most iconic tracks on the circuit. Even though Saturday’s race isn’t as prestigious as the season-opening Daytona 500, there’s still a playoff ticket and millions of dollars up for grabs.

So, what’s in store for Daytona? What’s the TV schedule for the weekend? And who could contend for the win on Saturday? Here’s everything you need to know for the Coke Zero Sugar 400:

When is the NASCAR race in Daytona?

Green flag for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 is set for Saturday, Aug. 23, at 7:55 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be two rounds of qualifying on Friday. The 40 drivers take the track one-by-one in this order, with one lap to set the starting order based on speed. The 10 fastest drivers advance to round two, while starting positions 11 through 40 are locked in. In the second round, the 10 remaining drivers get one more lap to determine the top-10 starting order.

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend for Daytona

Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for NBC Sports, with Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Kim Coon, and Parker Kligerman serving as pit reporters. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and Hyak Motorsports co-owner Brad Daugherty will provide pre- and post-race analysis.

Here’s the full schedule for Daytona:

Friday, Aug. 22 (truTV and HBO Max)

Qualifying: 5 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max

Saturday, Aug. 23 (NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports app)

NASCAR Countdown to Green: 7 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports App

Coke Zero Sugar 400: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports App

Who is racing in Daytona? Here’s the entry list

Forty drivers will race at Daytona — the 36 full-timers, plus four additional entries.

Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing), B.J. McLeod (Live Fast Motorsports), Joey Gase (NY Racing Team) and Casey Mears (Garage 66) are continuing their part-time schedules this season. Hill is an Xfinity Series regular making his third Cup start of the year. McLeod will hit the track for a fourth time in 2025, while Gase and Mears make their second starts this season.

Here’s the full entry list for Daytona:

Car numberDriverTeamSponsor1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingSafety Culture2Austin CindricTeam PenskeMenards/Maytag3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingBreztri4Noah GragsonFront Row MotorsportsZep5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsHendrickCars.com6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingConsumer Cellular7Justin HaleySpire MotorsportsGainbridge8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingCheddar’s Scratch Kitchen9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsNAPA Auto Parts10Ty DillonKaulig RacingSea Best11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingKing’s Hawaiian12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeAdvance Auto Parts16AJ AllmendingerKaulig RacingCelsius17Chris BuescherRFK RacingFifth Third Bank19Chase BriscoeJoe Gibbs RacingBass Pro Shops20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingRheem21Josh BerryWood Brothers RacingDEX Imaging22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeShell/Pennzoil23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingColumbia24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsLiberty University33Austin HillRichard Childress RacingUnited Rentals34Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsGrillo’s Pickles35Riley Herbst23XI RacingChumba Casino38Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsAaron’s Rent To Own41Cole CusterHaas Factory TeamHaas/Bonanza42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubPye-Barker43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree44Joey GaseNY Racing TeamFire Prevention Week45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingMcDonald’s47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Hyak MotorsportsJack Link’s Jerky48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly51Cody WareRick Ware RacingArby’s54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingMonster Energy60Ryan PreeceRFK RacingKroger66Casey MearsGarage 66SI Yachts71Michael McDowellSpire MotorsportsFly Alliance77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsModo Casino78B.J. McLeodLive Fast MotorsportsPigeon Forge Racing Coaster88Shane van GisbergenTrackhouse RacingRed Bull99Daniel SuárezTrackhouse RacingCoca-Cola2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 entry list

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NASCAR Daytona picks, predictions for playoffs

Entering Daytona, 14 drivers are sleeping easy. If you’ve won a race this season, you’re locked into the playoffs — no need to worry about winning this weekend.

That leaves 22 other playoff-eligible drivers sweating in the Florida sunshine. If one of the 14 previous winners is victorious in Daytona, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman will make the playoffs on points. If there’s a new winner, Reddick and Bowman are fighting for the final spot.

That makes the strategy pretty simple for everyone on Saturday — just win, baby.

At Daytona in the summer, it’s tough to determine the best pick to do that. William Byron and Denny Hamlin have a combined six Daytona wins, but just one of them came in the summer race.

There’s been a first-time Cup winner in five of the last 14 Daytona races, including three of the last seven summer events. With the high-speed, drafting nature of superspeedways like Daytona, there’s more luck involved than any other track type.

Even with luck playing a huge factor, there’s plenty that a driver can do to make a difference. In the Next Gen era, Bowman, Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher have been the best Daytona finishers on average (10.4, 12.1 and 12.3, respectively). With Bowman on the bubble and Buescher needing a win, both should be in the mix.

Ultimately, it’s usually wise to pick a Ford driver to win at Daytona. The blue ovals have secured five of the last nine checkered flags at Daytona, plus three of the last four pole positions.

The winning pick for Daytona is Ryan Blaney, who won this race in 2021 and was seventh in February’s Daytona 500. That would leave Reddick and Bowman in the playoffs with Blaney already locked in.

Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.

NASCAR past winners, race history for Daytona

Thirteen of the 40 drivers in the field are past winners at Daytona.

Byron and Hamlin have three wins apiece to lead all active drivers, followed by two-time winners Stenhouse and Dillon. Drivers with one Daytona victory include Busch (2008), Logano (2015), Keselowski (2016), Jones (2018), Haley (2019) McDowell (2021), Blaney (2021), Cindric (2022) and Buescher (2023).