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- What: Coke Zero Sugar 400
- Date: Saturday, August 26, 2023
- Location: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: USA, NBC Sports Streaming, MRN
With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs set to start with next week’s Cook Out Southern 500, Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the famous Daytona International Speedway is the last chance for several drivers to secure a spot in the top 16 in the standings and get into this year’s playoffs. One of those drivers is 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott. The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy is in the unenviable position of having to win in Daytona to make the playoffs. An early season injury and a suspension hurt the former champ early this year. His best finish at Daytona was runner-up in 2020.
The Daytona International Speedway is 2.5 miles long. This year’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona marks the 153rd NASCAR Cup Series race on this track. David Pearson has the most wins at Daytona, claiming victory five times. The winningest team at Daytona is Wood Brothers Racing, with nine checkered flags. However, the team has not had a winner since 1983. Hendrick Motorsports has three wins in the past 10 years. No current NASCAR Cup Series driver has multiple wins on the track. Austin Dillon won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2022.
Before we look at the odds, betting picks, and predictions for the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, check out the best betting sites for NASCAR, as well as our tips on how to bet on NASCAR.
Daytona – Coke Zero Sugar 400 betting picks
Joey Logano
Joey Logano has not been known as a very good driver on superspeedway courses. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford driver changed that perception in 2023 with a runner-up finish on this track in the Daytona 500 and a win at Atlanta. If Logano, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Champion can put together a strong performance at the Coke Zero Sugar 400, it will go a long way toward putting his misfortunes on superspeedway tracks behind him forever.
Logano is currently in 13th place in the points race with 666. He has one victory in 2023, seven top-five finishes, and 12 inside the top 10.
Ryan Blaney
No NASCAR Cup Series driver has picked up more points on superspeedways this year than Ryan Blaney. The driver of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske, Blaney has 148 points on these tracks. Blaney has finished in the top 10 four times on superspeedways this year, with his best performance being his runner-up finish in Talladega. The 29-year-old has a 2021 victory in this race and has finished in fourth and eighth in the past two Daytona 500 races.
Blaney is in ninth place in the NASCAR Cup Series points race with 694. He has one win this year, four finishes in the top five, and 12 inside the top 10. Blaney has never finished a NASCAR Cup season higher than seventh place. Last year, he closed out the season in eighth place.
Austin Cindric
The 24-year-old driver of the No. 2 Ford for Team Penske, Austin Cindric doesn’t have much experience at Daytona. His first race as a NASCAR Cup Series driver came at the 2021 Daytona 500, where he finished in 15th. Cindric won the Daytona 500 in 2022 and followed that with a third-place finish in the summer race last year. However, things did not go well for Cindric at the Daytona 500 this year, where he placed 23rd.
Overall, Cindric performs well on superspeedways, but he has not been consistent. He has three top-10 finishes to go with three races where he placed worse than 20th. He finished 26th at Talladega this year.
Cindric is in 22nd place in the points race and is one of the drivers who need a win to make the cut for the playoffs. His betting odds are long, but on a course with a lot of variance, Cindric is a good value bet to win the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Best bets to win 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona
With the betting favorites to win the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 listed at around +1200, there is a lot of value to be had in betting on the summer Daytona race. The problem with that, of course, is the high betting variance on superspeedway courses. Joey Logano is our betting pick for Saturday’s final regular season NASCAR Cup Series race.
Best 2023 NASCAR 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 bet: Joey Logano to win.
See below a list of reliable sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.
