By 
NASCAR drivers discuss the career and legacy of Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. recently announced that he will be retiring at the conclusion of the NASCAR season, so we asked drivers about his legacy at the USA TODAY 301.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is down to the penultimate regular season race at the Daytona International Speedway. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is the first Saturday night race of the season as well.
Cup Series leader Tyler Reddick won last weekend’s race in Michigan after a rain delay. He holds a 10-point lead over Chase Elliott, who is 22 points ahead of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. All three drivers have clinched a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Penalty stands: Appeals panel upholds NASCAR penalty to Austin Dillon after crash-filled win
NASCAR at Daytona summer 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Coke Zero Sugar 400
Twelve drivers have secured a spot in the playoffs, leaving plenty to race for Saturday night in Daytona. Follow along here for updates from the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Polesitter Michael McDowell was big climber during the pit stops and leads the way to start the final stage ofthe Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stayed out as the rest of the field pitted to save an extra lap of fuel. Kyle Busch and Harrison Burton benefitted from the stops and are now third and sixth, respectively.
- Joey Logano
- Ryan Blaney
- Brad Keselowski
- Kyle Larson
- Todd Gilliland
- Justin Haley
- Kyle Busch
- William Byron
- Chris Buescher
- Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson and Joey Logano lead the field with seven laps to go in Stage 2.
- Daniel Suárez
- Ryan Preece
- Denny Hamlin
- Noah Gragson
- Chase Elliott
- Corey Lajoie
- Shane van Gisbergen
The No. 43 car suffered a puncture and used the yellow flag period from van Gisbergen’s engine failure to stay on the lead lap.
The full-time Xfinity Series driver was in good position near the top 10 before the engine gave out in spectacular fashion. This was his first race in the Cup Series since the Grant Park 165.
Cindric nearly lost control of his No. 2 Ford after contact with Kyle Larson. Cindric dropped down below the three racing lines to gather himself and stay in it. He’s down to 19th on Lap 80 from second prior to the contact.
The Team Penske driver has led the most laps so far tonight and is out front once again ahead of teammates Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver was in contention for the regular season championship but the Lap 60 wreck took him out. This marks his first DNF of 2024.
Buescher and RFK Racing teammate Brad Keselowski lead the field as the track goes green.
Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, and more than a dozen others are assessing the damage to see if they can return to the race.
Buescher takes the lead after a round of pit stops following Gragson’s wreck. Blaney is up five spots and into the top 10 of the order.
The first contact finally happened as chaos breaks out outside the top 10. Noah Gragson made contact after a big push from Corey Lajoie and Kyle Larson and collected multiple cars. Denny Hamlin is one of the most notable names to be knocked out of the race as the Coke Zero Sugar 400 is now under caution.
After biding his time much through Stage 1, Wallace made a late push to be near the top 10 prior to pitting. He’s now in the lead after the first round of pit stops and using the higher lanes to stay in front.
Joey Logano gets a push from Austin Cindric into the lead in the higher lane of the field.
Suárez returned back to pit road after his stop when the No. 99 car caught on fire. Suárez safely exited the car and the Trackhouse Racing crew put the fire out quickly in pit road. Replay showed spilled fuel from Suárez’s pit stop caught fire from Denny Hamlin, ultimately burning the No. 99 car.
After 35 laps, here’s how the top 10 looked at the end of Stage 1:
- Josh Berry
- Joey Logano
- Chris Buescher
- Austin Cindric
- Ryan Blaney
- Todd Gilliland
- Brad Keselowski
- Michael McDowell
- William Byron
- Kyle Larson
The Team Penske driver used the high line to move to the front before dropping back a few places in the closing laps of Stage 1.
The Legacy Motor Club driver is up 22 positions from the start as the top passer so far through lap 22.
The Ally 400 winner is using the top two lines to lead the field, moving between the two on the straights.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver’s now up in the front of the bottom lane before Berry went high to get the lead as they cross the start-finish line.
McDowell’s moved up the track to the highest lane, leaving the lower spots open for Brad Keselowski and Josh Berry. Keselowski’s now up to the lead in the lowest lane.
Austin Cindric’s leading a third line highest on the oval. McDowell and Todd Gilliland lead the bottom and middle lanes, respectivel.y
The green flag flies as Michael McDowell leads an all-RFK Racing front row to start the race.
NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400: How to watch
- Date: Aug. 24, 2024
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Daytona International Speedway
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCSports.com, fuboTV
NASCAR Cup Series: Catch all the action from the 2024 Cup Series playoffs with a Peacock subscription
Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. was spotted pre-race with 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace.
RFK Racing’s Michael McDowell is starting on pole position for the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
(Car number in parentheses)
1. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
2. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
3. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
4. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford
5. (4) Josh Berry, Ford
6. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford
7. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
8. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
9. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
10. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
11. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
12. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
13. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
14. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
15. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford
16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
17. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
18. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
19. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
20. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford
21. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
22. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
23. (33) Austin Hill, Chevrolet
24. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
25. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
26. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
27. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
28. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet
29. (62) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet
30. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet
31. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
32. (16) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
33. (15) Cody Ware, Ford
34. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
35. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
36. (51) Justin Haley, Ford
37. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
38. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
39. (44) Joey Gase, Chevrolet
40. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, and Chris Buescher are separated by just 16 points. Only two will be able to make the playoffs unless there’s a new winner for 2024 who is currently behind them on points.
The Cup Series playoffs begin on Sunday, Sept. 8 with the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Here’s the full playoff schedule:
Round of 16
- Sept. 8: Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart | Atlanta Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | USA Network
- Sept. 15: Go Bowling at The Glen | Watkins Glen International | 3 p.m. ET | USA Network
- Sept. 21: Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 p.m. ET | USA Network
Round of 12
- Sept. 29: Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET | Kansas Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | USA Network
- Oct. 6: YellaWood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. ET | NBC
- Oct. 13: Bank of America Roval 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval) | 2 p.m. ET | NBC
Round of 8
- Oct. 20: South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC
- Oct. 27: Straight Talk Wireless 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC
- Nov. 3: Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | NBC
Championship 4
- Nov. 10: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race | Phoenix Raceway | 3 p.m. ET | NBC
After the Coke Zero Sugar 400, there’s just one race left in the regular season: the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Round 26 of the Cup Series schedule is the final push for the playoffs.
William Byron won the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, 2024, taking the lead on a restart with four laps remaining before edging Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman as a crash broke out just as Byron took the white flag for the final lap.
RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher won the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Through 25 championship races in 2024, 13 different drivers have won a NASCAR Cup race, including:
- William Byron (Daytona 500, EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, Cook Out 400)
- Daniel Suárez (Ambetter Health 400)
- Kyle Larson (Pennzoil 400, AdventHealth 400, Toyota/Save Mart 350, Brickyard 400)
- Christopher Bell (Shriners Children’s 500, Coca-Cola 600, USA Today 301)
- Denny Hamlin (Food City 500, Toyota Owners 400, Würth 400)
- Chase Elliott (Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400)
- Tyler Reddick (GEICO 500, FireKeepers Casino 400)
- Brad Keselowski (Goodyear 400)
- Austin Cindric (Enjoy Illinois 300)
- Ryan Blaney (Iowa Corn 350, Great American Getaway 400)
- Joey Logano (Ally 400)
- Alex Bowman (Grant Park 165)
- Austin Dillon* (Cook Out 400)
*= Dillon won the race but had playoff eligibility removed for it.
Logano and Ty Gibbs won the NASCAR All-Star Race and NASCAR All-Star Open, respectively, but neither race counts towards the championship.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) – Stage 1: 35 laps; Stage 2: 60 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.
The NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be broadcast on NBC.
You can watch a live stream of the NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Peacock and fuboTV.
Today’s forecast from AccuWeather predicts temperatures in the mid-80s with a 49% chance of rain at 7 p.m. ET.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
