2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400

The 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 28, 2021, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 165 laps -- extended from 160 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway, it was the 26th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, and the final race of the regular season before the playoffs.

2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 26 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
Date August 28, 2021 (2021-08-28)
Location Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4 km)
Distance 165 laps, 412.5 mi (663.9 km)
Scheduled Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (640 km)
Average speed 142.201 miles per hour (228.850 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Grid positions set by competition-based formula
Most laps led
Driver Joey Logano Team Penske
Laps 37
Winner
No. 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4)

Ryan Blaney won an incident-filled race in overtime, while Tyler Reddick, who finished in fifth place, secured the final spot in the playoffs.

Report

Background

Daytona International Speedway, the site of the race.

The race was held at Daytona International Speedway, a race track located in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, the track is the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, USCC, SCCA, and Motocross. It features multiple layouts including the primary 2.5 miles (4.0 km) high speed tri-oval, a 3.56 miles (5.73 km) sports car course, a 2.95 miles (4.75 km) motorcycle course, and a .25 miles (0.40 km) karting and motorcycle flat-track. The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The track was built in 1959 by NASCAR founder William "Bill" France, Sr. to host racing held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course. His banked design permitted higher speeds and gave fans a better view of the cars. Lights were installed around the track in 1998 and today, it is the third-largest single lit outdoor sports facility. The speedway has been renovated three times, with the infield renovated in 2004 and the track repaved twice — in 1978 and in 2010.

The 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 program cover.

On January 22, 2013, the track unveiled artist depictions of a renovated speedway. On July 5 of that year, ground was broken for a project that would remove the backstretch seating and completely redevelop the frontstretch seating. The renovation to the speedway is being worked on by Rossetti Architects. The project, named "Daytona Rising", was completed in January 2016, and it cost US $400 million, placing emphasis on improving fan experience with five expanded and redesigned fan entrances (called "injectors") as well as wider and more comfortable seating with more restrooms and concession stands. After the renovations, the track's grandstands include 101,000 permanent seats with the ability to increase permanent seating to 125,000.[7][8] The project was completed before the start of Speedweeks.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00Quin HouffStarCom RacingChevrolet
1Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord
5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
6Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord
7Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet
8Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord
14Chase Briscoe (R)Stewart-Haas RacingFord
15Joey Gase (i)Rick Ware RacingFord
16Kaz Grala (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet
17Chris BuescherRoush Fenway RacingFord
18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
21Matt DiBenedettoWood Brothers RacingFord
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord
37Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
38Anthony Alfredo (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord
41Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord
42Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
43Erik JonesRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet
47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
51Cody Ware (i)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet
52Josh BilickiRick Ware RacingFord
53Garrett Smithley (i)Rick Ware RacingChevrolet
66David Starr (i)MBM MotorsportsFord
77Justin Haley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
78B. J. McLeod (i)Live Fast MotorsportsFord
96Landon Cassill (i)Gaunt Brothers RacingToyota
99Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet
Official entry list

Qualifying

Kyle Larson was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.[4]

Starting Lineup

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
2 24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
3 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
4 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
5 9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
6 12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord
7 19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
8 1Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
9 21Matt DiBenedettoWood Brothers RacingFord
10 2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
11 4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord
12 47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
13 17Chris BuescherRoush Fenway RacingFord
14 20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
15 48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
16 14Chase Briscoe (R)Stewart-Haas RacingFord
17 8Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
18 34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord
19 10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord
20 23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota
21 43Erik JonesRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet
22 22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
23 6Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord
24 37Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
25 41Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord
26 99Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet
27 3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
28 77Justin Haley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
29 42Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
30 78B. J. McLeod (i)Live Fast MotorsportsFord
31 51Cody Ware (i)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet
32 38Anthony Alfredo (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord
33 7Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet
34 53Garrett Smithley (i)Rick Ware RacingChevrolet
35 00Quin HouffStarCom RacingChevrolet
36 52Josh BilickiRick Ware RacingFord
37 15Joey Gase (i)Rick Ware RacingFord
38 16Kaz Grala (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet
39 96Landon Cassill (i)Gaunt Brothers RacingToyota
40 66David Starr (i)MBM MotorsportsFord
Official starting lineup

Race

Kyle Larson was awarded the pole for the race. Chase Elliott won the first stage while Joey Logano won the second stage. Logano led the most laps in the race. Several lead changes occurred and the race was red-flagged due to a multicar wreck late in the race. In overtime, Ryan Blaney took the lead and won the race as a nine-car wreck occurred in turn 3 on the final lap. Blaney scored his second consecutive win and third win of the season. Larson won the regular season championship while Tyler Reddick clinched the final spot in the playoffs. B. J. McLeod and Josh Bilicki got their first top 10 results in this race.

Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 50

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
19Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet10
211Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota9
318Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota8
442Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet7
519Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota6
63Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet5
77Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet4
822Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord3
937Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet2
1020Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 50

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
122Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord10
23Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet9
324William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet8
48Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet7
55Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6
612Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord5
747Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet4
818Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota3
923Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota2
1020Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 60

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1612Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord16545
22023Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota16537
3236Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord16534
42437Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet16535
5178Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet16539
62877Justin Haley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet1650
71548Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet16530
859Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet16539
93078B. J. McLeod (i)Live Fast MotorsportsFord1650
103652Josh BilickiRick Ware RacingFord16527
112143Erik JonesRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet16526
1281Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet16525
13311Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota16533
141910Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord16523
15114Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord16522
16337Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet16425
17273Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet16434
182942Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet16426
192699Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet16418
2015Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet16423
211614Chase Briscoe (R)Stewart-Haas RacingFord16416
221247Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet16419
232222Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord16427
242541Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord16413
25921Matt DiBenedettoWood Brothers RacingFord16412
263238Anthony Alfredo (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord16311
274066David Starr (i)MBM MotorsportsFord1630
283151Cody Ware (i)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet1630
29719Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota16314
303453Garrett Smithley (i)Rick Ware RacingChevrolet1630
313715Joey Gase (i)Rick Ware RacingFord1620
321420Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota1577
33102Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord1564
34418Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota15614
353816Kaz Grala (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet1560
363996Landon Cassill (i)Gaunt Brothers RacingToyota1460
37224William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1469
383500Quin HouffStarCom RacingChevrolet1361
391834Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord231
DSQ1317Chris Buescher[lower-alpha 1]Roush Fenway RacingFord1651
Official race results

Race statistics

  • Lead changes: 45 among 15 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 8 for 31
  • Red flags: 1 for 14 minutes and 51 seconds
  • Time of race: 2 hours, 54 minutes and 3 seconds
  • Average speed: 142.201 miles per hour (228.850 km/h)

Media

Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 2000 Coke Zero 400 winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and two-time Coke Zero 400 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.

NBC
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dave Burns
Parker Kligerman
Marty Snider

Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

MRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Backstretch: Mike Bagley
Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey
Steve Post
Hannah Newhouse

Standings after the race

Notes

  1. Buescher initially finished 2nd, but was disqualified after failing post-race inspection for an unapproved track bar mounting assembly.[9]

References

  1. "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  2. "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  3. "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  4. "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  5. "Coke Zero Sugar 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  6. "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  7. Reed, Steve (January 22, 2013). "Daytona International unveils plans for upgrade". sports.yahoo.com. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  8. "Daytona Rising". Daytona International Speedway. December 5, 2013. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  9. "After Daytona near-win, NASCAR disqualifies Chris Buescher". Motorsport.com. August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.