The NASCAR Cup Series rolls back down to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. The green flag drops Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET (televised on NBC). Below, we analyze the Coke Zero Sugar 400 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.
Coke Zero Sugar 400: What you need to know
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 2:25 a.m. ET.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick is on the pole for Saturday’s night race at DIS, although his numbers at this superspeedway are surprisingly poor.
- Harvick has managed just one finish better than 19th place in his past eight starts at Daytona, posting a surprisingly dismal 25.5 Average-Finish Position (AFP) across his past eight Cup starts at the Florida superspeedway.
- Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. will start on the outside of Row 1 next to Harvick. He has finished better than 13th just once in his past eight starts at Daytona, including a poor 32nd-place finish in February’s Daytona 500.
- Corey LaJoie of GoFas Racing has been strong at DIS, posting finishes of sixth in last July’s race, and eighth in February’s 500.
- Spire Motorsports driver Justin Haley won the rain-shortened Coke Zero Sugar 400 last July in just his third-ever Cup start, but he isn’t even in Saturday’s field.
Who will the top finishers be in the Coke Zero Sugar 400?
DENNY HAMLIN (+600 for Saturday’s race) won the Daytona 500 back in February, and he also seems to find himself in position to at least challenge at the superspeedway.
Hamlin has won the Daytona 500 each of the past two seasons, and he has an impressive 13.1 AFP across his past 10 Cup starts at this track.
Penske Racing’s RYAN BLANEY (+1200) is the driver from his team to target. He has unfinished business, ending as the runner-up to Hamlin in February’s race. Teammate Brad Keselowski (+1100) has a win at Daytona in July 2016, but he has a rather uneven 26.3 AFP across the past 10 starts, while teammate Joey Logano (+1100) is slightly better with a 17.1 AFP, but he was 26th in the 500 back in February and 25th in last summer’s run.
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JIMMIE JOHNSON (+2000) can use another strong finish to keep his hopes alive for a playoff spot in his final season. He was third in last summer’s July race at Daytona, and has a pair of top-10 runs in his previous three starts. It’s now or never for the seven-time series champ, and he is worth a small-unit play.
Daytona International Speedway long-shot bets
RYAN NEWMAN (+4000) has some rather long odds, but he actually leads all drivers with a 10.7 AFP across the past 10 starts at Daytona (minimum three starts). He was ninth in the Daytona 500, a race which ended with a horrific crash and an injury. How amazing of a story would it be for Newman to return with a win?
CHRIS BUESCHER (+4000) has posted a solid 11.7 AFP across his past three starts this season, including a fifth-place run in the inaugural Daytona road race. He was an outstanding third in the 500 back in February, too, so there is something about this place which agrees with him. He has three top-5 runs in his past five Cup starts on the superspeedway setup at DIS, too.
Lastly, TY DILLON (+8000) is worthy of a little love. He was an awful 30th in the 500 in February, but he was sixth, sixth and fourth in his previous three Daytona starts.
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