Race: Coke Zero 400
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2025
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Time: 7:30pm ET
Channel: NBC
What Did We Learn Last Weekend?
Austin Dillon was likely not on your bingo card if I had to guess, but he took home the win and secured a spot in the playoffs after dominating the Cook Out 400 at Richmond! He led 107 laps altogether, with the last 49 being unchallenged. Although he won this race last year, he has struggled for much of this year and was sitting in 28th in the points prior to Saturday night’s race. With only 2 positions remaining to be clinched before the playoffs begin, this was really Dillon’s last hope. He capitalized when it mattered most, but as previous years have shown, his ability to progress in the playoffs may be limited and hindered by past performance.
For many of the closing laps, frustration ensued for 2nd-place finisher Alex Bowman. Lap traffic continued to be a barrier, with purposeful blocking by drivers multiple laps down putting a damper on any shot he had to make up time. The lap traffic ultimately gave Dillon a nearly 2.5-second lead that no one could overtake. Bowman accepted the defeat and now sits in the last transfer spot ahead of Sunday’s race at Daytona.
Where Are We Headed This weekend?
We went from a road course to a short track, now to a superspeedway to close out the regular season. I guess if NASCAR is looking to jumble things up, that’s definitely the way to do it. This schedule does not provide any grace to those drivers, perhaps without a win, but consistently picking up points throughout the season. Superspeedways tend to be a crapshoot of luck, so we’ll see how this one plays out. Daytona is a track that’s been around since 1959, with a grand history in NASCAR, and is one of the most prestigious races to win. Whether it’s the 500 of the Coke 400, winning here makes a difference in a driver’s career. This track is a 2.5-mile asphalt tri-oval with 31 degrees of banking in the turns, 18 degrees through the tri-oval, and 3 degrees on the backstretch. Track position is literally everything. Drafting is the name of the game, and having no friends or losing the draft will hang you out to dry and knock you out of contention very quickly.
Odds and Value Picks
Who is the best at playing this game? Let’s take a look at your potential winners:
Winner: Joey Logano (+1000)
Hear me out on this one. Logano is a master of superspeedways. It used to be the Toyota power, but something’s changed, and he’s struggled a bit this year. Now, don’t count him out. With a win under his belt and knowing he’s locked into the playoffs, Logano is looking for nothing more than to add another notch to his belt. He’s got 62 Daytona career starts (to include Duels) and 34 top 10 finishes. That’s insanely impressive. Five of those are wins. This guy is heading to victory lane on Sunday.
Mid-Range Pick: Bubba Wallace (+2200)
Look, I’m not a fan of the arrogance, but if there’s anywhere else this guy is going to potentially win this year, it’s at Daytona. He’s already in the playoffs with a win this year and has zero pressure to perform at this point. This is just smooth sailing out of the regular season for the #23 team. Bubba has 16 starts with 5 top 5 finishes in his career here. He is going to be looking to get his first win (outside of a Duel win) this weekend.
Dark Horse: Erik Jones (+4000)
The #43 Legacy Motor Club team needs this. Jones is a talented driver working with a talented team on a shoestring budget it feels like somedays. Whether there’s truth in that, who knows, but this guy is a winner. Jones has 3 top 10 finishes in his last 5 starts at Daytona. It’s now or never for this team. Maybe he will be the one to capture the remaining spot for the playoffs this weekend.
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Let’s take a look at your current playoff contenders heading into Daytona:
- Denny Hamlin
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Kyle Larson
- Christopher Bell
- William Byron
- Chase Elliott
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Briscoe
- Bubba Wallace
- Joey Logano
- Ross Chastain
- Austin Cindric
- Josh Berry
- Austin Dillon
- Tyler Reddick
- Alex Bowman
Bowman is playing a dangerous game. He is on the bubble, where anything can happen. He currently sits 60 points ahead of Chris Buescher, but if we have another new winner this weekend, he’s out of there. With Daytona typically being as unpredictable as any race during the season, that’s 100% plausible. There will be a lot of guys willing to take chances this weekend to capture that last transfer spot into the playoffs. Desperation will show its face, leaving carnage across the track if I had to guess. Stay tuned to see how this last race of the regular season plays out. Daytona never disappoints!
