2024 NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Odds, Predictions and Winner

On Saturday, August 24, NASCAR’s Cup Series returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. This weekend’s event marks the 25^th race of the 2024 Cup Series Season. Including this event, there are two races left before the Cup Series Playoffs begin in Atlanta and the 16 qualified drivers compete for the Cup Series Championship.

Last weekend, the Cup Series tackled Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400. That race was filled with drama as bad weather pushed it from Sunday to Monday. Once the race was underway, many of the top drivers were caught up in a big wreck during Stage 2. Additionally, the race needed double overtime before Tyler Reddick could come away with the victory. 

This week, Reddick isn’t even found in the top favorites to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. A big reason for that is, Daytona is unpredictable most of the time. The wrecks, including the “big one”, always seems to throw all pre-race predictions out the window. 

Joey Logano comes in as the betting favorite to win at Daytona on Saturday night. He’s followed by Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher. It certainly isn’t your normal group of favorites that we typically see each week. 

With that said, let’s take a look at the latest Coke Zero Sugar 400 odds and make our NASCAR Cup Series predictions for this weekend’s night race at the Daytona International Speedway. 

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Profile

Daytona International Speedway is the most well-known track in the sport of NASCAR. It’s the home of the Daytona 500, which is the biggest race in the Cup Series. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is the second annual trip to Daytona and is often raced under the lights. 

From 1988 until 2019, this race was held on the Saturday closest to the 4^th of July. In 2020, it was moved to late August. 

Daytona’s tri-oval track has been a part of NASCAR since 1959. It’s an asphalt track with a lap length of 2.5 miles. The track features four turns with 31 degrees banking, a tri-oval with 18 degrees banking and a back straightway at 3 degrees banking. 

Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 race breaks down as follows:

• Total Miles: 400 miles
• Total Laps: 160 laps
• Stage 1: 50 laps
• Stage 2: 50 laps
• Final Stage: 60 laps

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is set to begin at 7:30 pm ET and will air live on NBC.

Previous Coke Zero Sugar 400 Winners

David Pearson holds the record for the most all-time wins in this second annual Daytona race with five victories. He’s followed by Cale Yarborough and Tony Stewart who both won four apiece. No active driver has more than one race win. 

The following is a list of the most recent winners for the August Daytona race:

• 2023: Chris Buescher
• 2022: Austin Dillon
• 2021: Ryan Blaney
• 2020: William Byron
• 2019: Erik Jones
• 2018: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• 2017: Brad Keselowski
• 2016: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

Wood Brothers Racing holds the record for most team wins in this race with nine. Of the active teams, Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at seven. 

Two races remain in the regular season.

Who is feeling good and who is thinking they need a win? pic.twitter.com/kSGlfj69fR

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 20, 2024

NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Odds

The following NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 odds are courtesy of the top sports betting sites:

NASCAR Odds	NASCAR Odds
Joey Logano +900	Denny Hamlin +1000
Kyle Larson +1200	Ryan Blaney +1200
Chris Buescher +1200	Brad Keselowski +1600
Chase Elliott +1600	Bubba Wallace +1600
William Byron +1600	Ross Chastain +1800
Kyle Busch +1800	Martin Truex Jr. +1800
Christopher Bell +1800	Tyler Reddick +1800
Alex Bowman +2200	Ty Gibbs +2200
Michael McDowell +2800	Austin Cindric +3500

NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Favorites

The following drivers are considered by oddsmakers to be the odds-on favorites to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400:

• Standings: 15
• Win: 1
• Top 5: 4 
• Top 10: 7

At Michigan, Joey Logano finished 33^rd after getting caught up in the wreck caused by Kyle Larson on Stage 2. He was one of a handful of contenders who had their night ruined by Larson’s mishap. 

It’s the third straight race where Logano finished 19^th or worse. Two of those results were 33^rd and 34^th in Indianapolis where he also crashed. 

It’s not often you see a driver sitting 15^th in the standings listed as the odds-on favorite for a race. But with Daytona being so wild at the end, any driver near the front of the final few laps has a shot at winning. 

For Logano, he’s 9^th among active drivers with a 17.5 average finish at this track. The #22 car has made 31 appearances at Daytona International Speedway and has one win, eight Top 5s and 11 Top 10s. Both of those marks are behind Denny Hamlin. 

Logano finished 5^th in this race last year and 2^nd in the 2023 Daytona 500. He was 32^nd in this year’s Daytona 500 after starting on the pole. Logano led 45 laps before a crash ruined his day. 

I like his consistency over the last few races at Daytona. If Logano can stay out of trouble late in the race, which we can say about every driver on this list, then he has a real shot at contending for the checkered flag. 

Denny Hamlin +1000

• Standings: 3
• Win: 3
• Top 5: 9 
• Top 10: 11

As mentioned above, Hamlin leads the Cup Series in Top 5s (8) and Top 10s (12) at Daytona. He also leads the field with three wins and has the 5^th best average finish at 17.1. Over his career, Hamlin is generally one of the best at this track. 

From 2019, until late 2021, Hamlin had two wins and four Top 5s, six Daytona races. Over that span he had an 8.1 average finish. Unfortunately for the #11 car, the last handful of Daytona races have not gone as smoothly. 

Over his last five Daytona appearances, Hamlin has finished 17^th or worse in all of them. This includes two crashes as well. Hamlin was 19^th in the 2024 Daytona 500 and 26^th in this race last year. 

On the season, Hamlin sits 4^th in the standings. I had him as a contender to win in Michigan last year but he finished 9^th after starting on the pole for a second consecutive race. Hamlin has three Top 9 finishes in the last four races on the season. 

There’s a decent chance that Hamlin can get back to his winning ways this weekend. Look for the #11 car to be a contender on Saturday night. 

Kyle Larson +1200

• Standings: 4
• Win: 4 
• Top 5: 9 
• Top 10: 12

The biggest loser from Michigan was Kyle Larson. Not only did he wreck and finish 34^th, but Larson also fell from first in the driver standings down to fourth. Despite sitting fourth, Larson is still on top of the Playoff standings due to his Cup Series leading four wins. Hamlin and Christopher Bell are right behind him with three wins apiece. 

Larson’s abysmal performance in Michigan also marked his second crash in the last five races. That brings his tally up to four DNFs on the year. A surprising stat considering he’s one of the best, if not the best drivers in the Cup Series. 

Unfortunately, things won’t get much better for the #5 car this weekend as he’s pretty bad at these superspeedways. Anyone who’s a fan of Larson, or a longtime fan of the sport, knows that Kyle has not fared well at Daytona in his career. 

In 20 DIS starts, Larson has zero wins, zero Top 5s, five Top 10s, and a 22.1 average finish. He also has a whopping 9 DNFs. Larson has four DNFs in the last six races. Although, he has completed the last two races at this track. 

Larson finished 11^th in this year’s Daytona 500, but was 27^th in this race last year. In fact, he has six consecutive finishes of 20^th or worse in this race. 

As big of a fan as I am of Larson, I will be fading him this weekend and looking for value elsewhere. 

Ryan Blaney +1200

• Standings: 5
• Win: 2
• Top 5: 7
• Top 10: 11

For the last three races, Ryan Blaney has sat 5^th in the driver standings. He was 18^th last weekend in Michigan, which is his second consecutive finish outside of the Top 10 on the year. Prior to that, he had five Top 10 finishes in the previous six races, including both of his wins on the season. 

Unlike Larson, Blaney has actually had modest success at Daytona. In 18 starts, he has one win, four Top 5s, seven Top 10s, and a 19.2 average finish. However, he also has 8 DNFs with two in his last two appearances. 

Blaney crashed out of this year’s Daytona 500 and finished 30^th. Last year in this race, Blaney was 36^th after a crash. Prior to those crashes, Blaney had one win, two Top 5s, three Top 10s, and four Top 15s for a 7.0 average finish. 

With the way the #12 car has been driving over the last two months on the season, I think we see the defending Cup Series champ turn things around at Daytona. Look for Blaney to be a contender late in the race and potentially challenge for the checkered flag. 

Chris Buescher +1200  

• Standings: 12
• Win: 0
• Top 5: 5 
• Top 10: 10

Chris Buescher is the reigning champion of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race. The only two laps he led in this race last year were the final two. That 2023 August race, went three laps into overtime where Buescher came out the victor. He’s put together a 7.6 average finish over his last three Daytona races. 

However, or his career, Buescher has one win, five Top 5s, seven Top 10s, and a 19.8 average finish. He also has 7 DNFs with three in the last seven races. In fact, two of those crashes came in this race for 2022 and 2021. So, you must take caution with Buescher as last year’s win is more of an outlier than a good indicator for this weekend’s success. 

On the season, the #17 car sits 12^th in the standings. He finished 6^th at Michigan last week, which was hist first Top 10 finish since Nashville’s Ally 400 six races ago. 

Buescher is currently 15^th in the Playoff standings, just 16 points above the cutoff line. He’s in a very tough battle with Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace for the final Playoff spots. Currently, Chastain is in 16^th, just 15 points behind Buescher. Wallace is just 16 points behind the #17 car and one point behind Chastain. 

I think Buescher’s ceiling this weekend is a Top 10 finish. I’m not confident he can repeat his victory from last year’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 race. 

The Best NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Betting Value

The following drivers are my picks for the best betting value in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 based on their current season’s stats and their previous success at Daytona International Speedway:

Alex Bowman +2200

• Standings: 11
• Win: 1
• Top 5: 6
• Top 10: 12

If there’s one driver who is flying under the radar this weekend, it’s Alex Bowman. And, at +2200, I really like his value on the board for winning the race and finishing with a Top 3 to Top 10 result. 

On the year, Bowman sits 11^th in the driver standings but he does have one win on the year, 12 Top 10s, and a 15.2 average finish. What adds to his under the radar status this weekend is the fact that he’s had three straight finishes of 27^th or worse. However, two of those races were because of rain and the third was due to a bad car. 

At Daytona, Bowman has two Top 5s, six Top 10s, a 15.2 average finish which is third best among the field. Over his last four races at this track, Bowman has a 6.7 average finish. He was second in the Daytona 500 this year, 6^th in this race last year, and 5^th in the 2023 Daytona 500. That’s a 4.3 average finish over his last three Daytona races. 

Over his last four Coke Zero Sugar 400 appearances, Bowman has an 8.5 average finish, which is great considering the carnage we see at every Daytona and Talladega race.

Consider taking a flier on Bowman to win this race or for one of the prop bets below. 

Austin Cindric +3500

• Standings: 19
• Win: 1
• Top 5: 2
• Top 10: 3

I’m not as confident in Austin Cindric as I am Bowman, but his odds do offer value considering he’s already locked into the Playoffs and has nothing to lose by taking risks to win this weekend. 

On the season, Cindric hasn’t done much outside of his lone victory. However, at Daytona, he does have a decent amount of success when he’s not crashing out. In six starts, Cindric has one win, two Top 5s and Top 10s for a 16.8 average finish which is 4^th best in the field. However, he does have two crashes in his last three Daytona appearances. 

The #2 car is a risky play this weekend, but for a former winner of the Daytona 500, he can’t be outright dismissed. Although he was 37^th in this race last year due to a crash, Cindric did finish 3^rd in the 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400 event. 

This means that Cindric is right on the border of value and longshot status. However, I like another driver better, for my longshot pick. 

The Top Coke Zero Sugar 400 Longshot

Austin Dillon (+3500) is my longshot choice to win this race on Saturday night. Yes, I’m picking the most hated man in the sport right now. NASCAR penalized Dillon after his crazy rampage in the final laps of the Cook Out 400 to win at Richmond. That penalty was being banned from the Playoffs. 

Dillon and his team will appeal that penalty on the morning of August 21. We’ll have to wait until the result is delivered before we know if the #3 car is eligible for the Playoffs. It’s certainly a tough penalty considering this is exactly how the support used to be, and still is at times. If this was a bigger star of the Cup Series, I doubt we see this kind of sanction. 

Fortunately for Dillon, he comes to a track where he’s found success at before. Dillon has two victories, four top 5s, nine Top 9s and a 17.4 average finish in 22 Daytona appearances. He’s finished 33^rd or worse in the last three Daytona races, but Dillon did win the 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400 race. 

I like the #3 car as a longshot to win this race. It would be an epic comeback if he can pick up a second victory and shove it right in the faces of his detractors. For a sport that was built on aggressive racing, Dillon didn’t do anything that hasn’t been glorified before. 

The Best Top 3 Bet for the Coke Zero Sugar 400

As mentioned above, I like Alex Bowman (+700) this week. And, for a race that’s wide open to anyone winning, Bowman having success at Daytona is a possibility. I also think it’s possible for the #48 car to finish in the Top 3 on Saturday night. 

Over his last four Daytona races, Bowman has a 6.7 average finish. In his last three Daytona races, he’s tallied a 4.3 average finish. He’s certainly capable of being our best Top 5 bet, but we need someone for this Top 3 wager and Bowman fits the bill. Plus, you have to love that +700 moneyline.

The Best Top 5 Bet for the Coke Zero Sugar 400

Joey Logano (+160) is the odds-on favorite to win this race. He certainly has the resume to do so. With that said, I like him as our best Top 5 bet due to his eight Top 5s, which is second best among the field. Additionally, he’s had two Top 5 finishes in the last three races. 

Logano was 5^th in this race last year and 12^th in 2022. That’s an 8.5 average finish. He was on the pole for this year’s Daytona 500, but he ended up crashing out with nine laps left. However, Logano did lead over 25% of the laps for that race. 

I think Logano can be a contender for the checkered flag this weekend, but a Top 5 finish should be his floor. 

The Best Top 10 Bet for the Coke Zero Sugar 400

I haven’t talked about Christopher Bell (+120) yet. And, that’s uncommon considering he’s usually one of the pre-race favorites on a weekly basis. 

At Daytona, Bell has just a 19.3 average finish with four DNFs. However, it should be noted that Bell scored four of those in his first six Daytona races. 

Over his last three appearances at this track, Bell has two third place finishes and a 6.6 average finish. He was third this year in the Daytona 500 and even led 22 laps. I think the #20 car will bounce back from getting caught up in Larson’s crash last week at Michigan. 

He’s due for a run at the checkered flag after a few weeks of coming up short. 

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Driver H2H Matchups

For these NASCAR bets, you must pick which driver will have the better result in each head-to-head matchup: 

William Byron (-125) vs. Kyle Busch (-105)

This is a battle of two drivers who score more DNFs at Daytona than pretty much anyone else in the field.  Combined, they have 19 DNFs in 51 starts. That’s laughable. Yet, there is some value with Kyle Busch’s -105 odds for this head-to-head matchup. 

With two races left in the regular season, Busch is a desperate man. The only way he can get into the Playoffs is by winning one of the races. He currently sits 18^th in the Playoff standings at 93 points below the cutoff line. 

Byron won the Daytona 500 this year and was 8^th in this race last year. He also won the 2020 August Daytona race. In between those wins, he had five consecutive finishes of 25^th or worse with four of them being DNFs. 

Busch has one DNF in the last five Daytona races, but still finished 19^th in that race. He was 12^th this year at Daytona and was 7^th in this race last year. Even with that DNF, Busch still has a 10.8 average finish in his last five Daytona races. Byron has a 22.2 average finish over that same span, even with a victory this year in the Daytona 500.

The odds of Byron sweeping both Daytona races are astronomical. Combine that with Busch’s desperation to win and get into the Playoffs, you have a recipe for the underdog to pick up the victory in this H2H prop bet.

NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Predictions: Who Takes The Checkered Flag? 

I’ve said for many years now, Daytona and Talladega are the hardest races to predict. It’s because of the speeds and the big wrecks at the end of the race that almost always take out the favorites. 

With that said, I like Logano, Bowman, Busch, Hamlin, and Bell, Bubba Wallace, or Dillon to finish in the Top 5. I also think any of those drivers can win this race. 

Unfortunately, until Busch actually wins, it’s too hard to bet on the veteran driver to take the checkered flag. Instead, it’s best to wager on a Top 10 finish for “Rowdy”. 

Personally, I will be rooting for Dillon to win the race because I think the double standard of NASCAR and his detractors is just foolish. Yet, I’m not picking him to win the race. Instead, I’m taking Wallace. 

I didn’t talk at all about Wallace in the sections above. Mostly because his odds aren’t great and don’t offer the value that other drivers do. He certainly could be a bet for Top 5 or Top 10 finish, but those odds didn’t provide me the value I was looking for. 

Instead, we’ll sneak Wallace in to this section as our pick to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race. In 14 Daytona starts, Wallace has five Top 5s and five Top 10s. His 12.4 average finish leads the field. 

Wallace was 5^th in this year’s Daytona 500. Over the last four August Daytona races, Wallace has a 7.2 average finish. His best result was in 2021, when he finished second. 

In addition to his solid Daytona resume, Wallace is in a heated battle for the final Playoff spots. Currently, he’s one point below the cutoff line. I’m taking Wallace to win a wreck-filled Coke Zero Sugar 400 race on Saturday night under the lights. 

NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Predictions: Who Takes The Checkered Flag? 

The following NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 prop bets are courtesy of Bet365:

Either To Finish Top 3: Bell or Hamlin (+170)

I’m taking Wallace to win the race, but I like both Bell and Hamlin this weekend as well. Both drivers have had decent success at Daytona in their careers. And, both have done really well on the season with six total victories. Considering that both drivers are already locked into the Playoffs, they have some wiggle room to take chances late in the race. 

The value isn’t as great as I would like, but it does give us two of the top drivers in the Cup Series this season. 

Winning Manufacturer

• Ford (+150)
• Chevrolet (+170)
• Toyota (+220)

Historically, Ford and Chevy have dominated the second Daytona race of the year. Each manufacturer has 21 victories in this event. Ford won this race last year and has five victories in the last 10 races. Chevy has four victories in the last 10 years. And, Toyota has just one victory.

Since I’m taking Wallace and his Toyota to win on Saturday, this prop bet is a good chance to hedge my bet. With that said, I’m leaning towards Chevy. I like some of the Ford drivers, but Chevy has the more desperate drivers this weekend like Busch and Dillon. Chevy also has other top drivers like Elliott, Larson, Byron, Bowman and more. 

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Group Winner

• Kyle Busch (+225)
• Martin Truex Jr. (+225)
• Alex Bowman (+300)
• Ty Gibbs (+300)

Busch has an 18.5 average finish, while Truex has a 21.2, Gibbs has a 22.5 and Bowman has a 15.2 average finish. Busch is clearly the most desperate driver of the bunch and could have a high finish. However, I really like Bowman this weekend I think he sneaks into a Top 5 finish with Busch just inside the Top 10. Truex and Gibbs will most likely be outside of the Top 10.

Team of Race Winner 

• Joe Gibbs Racing (+320)
• Hendrick Motorsports (+320)
• Team Penske (+400)
• RFK Racing (+650)
• 23XI Racing (+800)
• Richard Childress Racing (+1200)
• Stewart-Haas Racing (+1200)
• Trackhouse Racing (+1400)

My race winner, Bubba Wallace, drives for 23XI racing. I hedged this bet with Chevy above as they feature many top drivers including all four of the cars for Hendrick Motorsports. Of course, we’re talking about Larson, Elliott, Byron and Bowman. 

I think this prop bet is another opportunity for a hedge as we can take Joe Gibbs Racing to get Bell, Hamlin and Truex for this weekend or we can take Team Penske which has Blaney and Logano. 

I like getting more top-notch drivers with a team, so I’m taking JGR for this prop bet.