Remember 2022: A rain delay scrambled the cutoff, Austin Dillon won, Martin Truex Jr. fell out, and Ryan Blaney limped a wounded car into the playoffs by three points. That is how fast Daytona flips a bracket.
Saturday night sets the final two playoff tickets. Fourteen drivers are in on wins after Dillon’s Richmond upset. Tyler Reddick sits plus-89 to the cut, Alex Bowman plus-60. One new 2025 winner below Bowman would blow it up.
How to watch the 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400
Venue: Daytona International Speedway — Daytona Beach, Fla.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
TV: NBC
Streaming: Fubo (Save $30)
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Race coverage can also be streamed on Peacock.
Reddick was runner-up in the 2025 Daytona 500 and has the straight-line speed to live at the front. William Byron is the two-time defending 500 winner and clinched the regular-season title at Richmond, so if Hendrick stacks a late push, Byron and Chase Elliott can dictate closing moves.
RFK’s Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher bring speed and timing. Buescher’s 2023 summer win here proved both. Past Daytona winners lurking include Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Justin Haley and Michael McDowell. Among active drivers, Denny Hamlin leads in Daytona laps led and top-fives, and Blaney is dangerous when the outside lane forms.
Daytona is 2.5 miles long, with 31-degree turns and 18 degrees through the tri-oval. Saturday marks the 157th Cup race here. The ledger still belongs to Richard Petty with 10 victories. The double-yellow-line rule stands: You cannot advance position below it and you cannot force someone under it.
There is no practice this week under the 2025 procedures. Qualifying is Friday at 5:05 p.m. ET, and single-car speed matters because clean air helps blunt the accordion in the draft. From the first two rows, energy is easier to manage.
On pit road, the single-lug era rewards fuel-only calls and short service. Win a green-flag cycle and you can steal track position without a pass. Drift from your manufacturer pit group and you pay for it.
With two spots left, the ending is wide open.
Updated Coke Zero Sugar 400 odds
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(Photo of Ryan Blaney: James Gilbert / Getty Images)