NASCAR results, highlights: Buescher wins at Daytona, Preece has scary wreck, Wallace advances to playoff
The Cup Series regular season came to a close Saturday night
Coke Zero Sugar 400 results
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Austin Hill (62), Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
Chandler Smith (13), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
J.J. Yeley (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Josh Berry (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Riley Herbst (36), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Brennan Poole (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings
William Byron – 2,036
Martin Truex Jr. – 2,036
Denny Hamlin – 2,025
Chris Buescher – 2,021
Kyle Busch – 2,019
Kyle Larson – 2,017
Christopher Bell – 2,014
Ross Chastain – 2,011
Brad Keselowski – 2,010
Tyler Reddick – 2,009
Joey Logano – 2,008
Ryan Blaney – 2,008
Michael McDowell – 2,007
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 2,005
Kevin Harvick – 2,004
Bubba Wallace – 2,000
Coke Zero Sugar 400 TV and streaming schedule
All times Eastern
Friday
5-6:30 p.m.: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports app)
Saturday
7-7:30 p.m.: Pre-race show (NBC, Peacock)
7:30-10:30 p.m.: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (NBC, Peacock)
Coke Zero Sugar 400 track, lap count, stage lengths
Track: Daytona International Raceway (2.5-mile, tri-oval superspeedway) in Daytona Beach, Florida
Length: 160 laps for 400 miles
Stages: 35, 60 and 65 laps
Banking: Turns – 31 degrees | Tri-oval – 18 degrees | Backstretch – 3 degrees
Coke Zero Sugar 400 starting lineup
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Riley Herbst (36), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Hill (62), Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Josh Berry (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
J.J. Yeley (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Brennan Poole (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Chandler Smith (13), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Top drivers and best bets for the Coke Zero Sugar 400
For the second straight week, Chase Elliott is a favorite in a must-win situation. Oddsmakers like a desperate Elliott with Hendrick Motorsports horsepower on a superspeedway, so he enters the weekend as the co-favorite with Denny Hamlin at +1200, according to BetMGM.
Best odds to win
Chase Elliott +1200
Denny Hamlin +1200
Ryan Blaney +1300
Brad Keselowski +1300
Joey Logano +1300
In addition to the favorites, Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg wrote on the betting outlook earlier in the week and identified Ross Chastain (+2500) and Christopher Bell (+3000) as good midtier bets. If you want a long shot, A.J. Allmendinger — who could still make the playoffs on points, but a win would secure it — is sitting out there at 40-to-1.
Playoff bubble entering Coke Zero Sugar 400
Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski are locked into the playoffs on points after their finishes at Watkins Glen. Wallace sits on the cut line 32 points ahead of Ty Gibbs. The good news for Wallace is that he owns the second-best average Daytona finish in the field, at 13th; the bad news is he could easily be ganged up on in the draft by multicar teams, with drivers off the cut line looking to vault ahead him and 23XI.
16. Bubba Wallace +32
17. Ty Gibbs -32
18. Daniel Suárez -43
19. A.J. Allmendinger -72
20. Alex Bowman -96
Coke Zero Sugar 400 entry list
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chandler Smith (13), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Brennan Poole (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Riley Herbst (36), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Josh Berry (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
J.J. Yeley (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Austin Hill (62), Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Coke Zero Sugar 400 weather forecast
The forecast is hot and dry with temperatures in the lower 90s for both days of Cup Series running. Hotter weather does mean more tire degradation, but more than that, fuel burning faster will be a greater influence on the pit strategy as fuel windows shorten.