Coke Zero 400 Preview

What: Coke Zero 400
Where: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile tri-oval)
Distance: 160 laps, 400 miles
When: July 4, 2009
Green Flag: 8:19 PM (ET)
TV: TNT
Defending Winner: Kyle Busch

Questions To Be Answered Tonight:

• Is this the weekend that Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to victory lane for the first time in over a year? Let’s be honest, if he is going to win a race this year, it’s more than likely either going to happen tonight or at Talladega in November.
  


• Mark Martin was fast here in February, and looked to be in excellent shape to possibly get his first Sprint Cup points win at Daytona until the rain came late and dashed those hopes. So, with Martin needing a good finish to keep pace in the Chase for the Championship, can Martin finally get that long sought Cup points win at Daytona and further enhance his Chase prospects?
  


• After running the Grand-Am race earlier in the day, how much will Kyle Busch have left in the tank towards the end of the 400? Busch says he plans on drinking lots of fluids to stay energized, but regardless it’s going to be interesting to see how running two races in one day impacts Busch.
  


• How will the new double-file restart rule play out? Will it lead to exciting racing? Will it lead to more multi-car acccidents? Or will it do both? I'd go with option C.

Coke Zero 400 By the Numbers

• 12-Career restrictor-plate wins by Jeff Gordon
  
  


• 6-Career wins at Daytona by Jeff Gordon.
  
  


• 7-Restrictor-plate wins for Dale Earnhardt Jr., two of which have come at Daytona.
  
  


• 3-Drivers who have won races at Daytona in the Car of Tomorrow (Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth).
  
  


• 27.0-Average finish for Jimmie Johnson at Daytona since winning the Daytona 500 in 2006.
  
  


• 14- Daytona wins by the Wood Brothers, the most by any car owner.
  
  


• 4-Number of drivers who have swept both Daytona races in a single season. They include Fireball Roberts in 1962, Cale Yarborough in 1968, LeRoy Yarbrough in 1969 and Bobby Allison who was the last to do it in 1982.
  

Contenders
1) Tony Stewart
There’s not enough space to list all the reasons why Stewart should be considered the favorite tonight. Just know this though, barring an accident or a mechanical failure, Stewart will be a major player in who wins tonight’s race.

2) Jeff Gordon
The active leader in wins at Daytona with six, Gordon comes into tonight’s race with momentum on his side after an impressive run last weekend at New Hampshire. It’s a very real possibility that win number two on the year and Daytona win number seven might happen tonight for Gordon.

3) Kyle Busch
The defending winner of this race hasn’t won since early May, which means he’s due for a return trip to victory lane. Also keep in mind that Busch dominated the 500 in February, leading 88 of the 123 laps that he completed.

Sleepers
1) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
With Junior seemingly gelling better with his new crew chief Lance McGrew every week, this race presents a perfect opportunity for him to breakthrough and perhaps, set himself up for a last-ditch run to try and make the Chase.

2) Kevin Harvick
Like Junior, if Harvick is going to win this year it’s more than likely going to happen on a plate track. And with an RCR engine underneath him, and coming off a runner-up finish in the 500, isn’t not out of the realm of possibility to see Harvick near the front towards the end of tonight’s race.

3) David Ragan
Typing this I just realized that all three of my Sleepers for tonight are the three biggest disappointments of 2009. Nonetheless, Ragan like the other two members of the Disappointing Club of 2009 runs very well here with top-six finishes in the last two Daytona races. And for what it’s worth, Ragan was also the fastest in opening practice.

The Official “Racing Geek” Pick: Kyle Busch
Though he only has two-career wins on them, it’s more than fair to say that Busch is the new king of the plate tracks. Expect him to dominate tonight, leading the most laps, and like he did last year; withstand a late race restart and win race number four on the year.