NASCAR at Daytona 2018: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
Once again led by Kyle Busch, the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Saturday for the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Busch won a thrilling race in Chicago a week ago, meaning he's tied with Kevin Harvick with five victories. Also notable on the leaderboard is the fact only four drivers overall have multiple wins, with only six drivers clutching a checkered flag this year.
Daytona is a good way to spice things up after one year ago crowning a surprise winner. An event that dates back to 1959, the 400 laps as darkness encroaches and the spotlights come on should serve as one of the better events of the summer and a pivotal race for playoffs hopefuls.
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Viewing Details
Where: Daytona International Speedway
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
Tickets: StubHub
Coke Zero Sugar 400
1. Kurt Busch (41)
2. Brad Keselowski (2)
3. Kyle Busch (18)
4. Kevin Harvick (4)
5. Joey Logano (22)
6. Aric Almirola (10)
7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17)
8. Erik Jones (20)
9. Ryan Blaney (12)
10. Denny Hamlin (11)
Note: Qualifying takes place Friday.
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings
| 1. Kyle Busch | 736 |
| 2. Kevin Harvick | 674 |
| 3. Martin Truex Jr. | 594 |
| 4. Clint Bowyer | 579 |
| 5. Joey Logano | 617 |
| 6. Austin Dillon | 314 |
| 7. Brad Keselowski | 592 |
| 8. Kurt Busch | 560 |
| 9. Denny Hamlin | 537 |
| 10. Kyle Larson | 524 |
| 11. Ryan Blaney | 495 |
| 12. Aric Almirola | 493 |
| 13. Jimmie Johnson | 442 |
| 14. Chase Elliott | 435 |
| 15. Erik Jones | 408 |
| 16. Alex Bowman | 390 |
Drivers to Watch
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. represents a bit of the unpredictable element this event has produced in the past.
A year ago at Daytona, Stenhouse unexpectedly grabbed his second win of the season after leading only 17 laps.
Still, just on the outside of the playoff race looking in, Stenhouse could use a little of the two-win magic he found last year to help him jump up the leaderboard. But he hasn't had a top-10 finish in five events, finishing no better than 14th over his last four outings.
Instead, he's only surfaced on the radar recently as a good teammate in Chicago for helping Kyle Larson secure his runner-up finish.
"I felt like (Ricky) Stenhouse Jr. and (Ryan) Newman did a good job of holding him up for me and I was very thankful of that," Larson said, according to NASCAR.com's Allie Davison (via Yahoo Sports). "So, first off, thanks to those two."
But at some point, Stenhouse is going to have to get into business for himself if he wants to make some noise in the playoff picture. With so few names hogging all the wins so far, there is an opening here for an unexpected driver to seize the moment.
That moment could be Saturday night, where Stenhouse looks to make it two in a row.
Brad Keselowski
Before Stenhouse shocked the globe with his second win of the season last year, it was Brad Keselowski securing the checkered flag at this event.
Like Stenhouse, Keselowski is a guy who could use a boost over the weekend.
Though he's had four top-10 finishes over his last five outings with two of the appearances in the top five, Keselowski has done more in the way of surprising fans via his lack of wins.
It doesn't help Keselowski that his manufacturer, with Stenhouse included, keeps creating such thick competition atop the leaderboards:
Last year, Keselowski kicked off the season with a win and added two more while mostly looking consistent. This year, the hump has been harder to get over and consistency hasn't been assured.
Then again, this is the summer race where almost everything goes out the window anyway. Like Stenhouse, Keselowski surely sees the window of opportunity open to him here, so expect some aggressive driving.
Kyle Busch
Fans have to be realistic here: it might not matter that eight different drivers have won the summer Daytona race over as many years.
Busch is that good.
So is Harvick, but Busch is the latest winner between the two drivers who have combined for 10 total wins so far. He's the driver with only two non-top-10 performances on the season and five consecutive top-five showings, including two wins.
The casual recital of stats undersells how impressive Busch has been—Chicago came down to the final lap:
Fans in attendance didn't seem to love the result too much, but it's not going to stop Busch from trying to drum up his win total and keep the momentum rolling right into the playoffs.
And with Harvick racing at least just as well, Busch can't afford to relax. He hasn't won this event since 2008, but he's easily a favorite going into the weekend and, funnily enough, he'd be the ninth different driver to win over as many races.
Even so, it wouldn't exactly qualify as unpredictable.
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