This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Coke Zero Sugar 400
Location: Daytona, Fla.
Course: Daytona International Speedway
Format: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 160
NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Preview
Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 is one of two remaining regular-season races before the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs get underway in a 10-race run up to crowing the series champion. Tyler Reddick converted his top finishing streak through the last several races into his second win of the season a week ago at Michigan. His victory (and Austin Dillon's current exclusion from the playoff positions) leaves four spots left to be claimed if a first-time season winner can step forward this week at Daytona or next. William Byron was the last driver to leave Daytona International Speedway with a race win after capturing the Daytona 500 in February. Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs are in good standing on points alone, but Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace remain locked in a heated race for the final two playoff positions. Only 16 points separate Wallace in 17th from Buescher in 15th, which makes position crucial in the next two races. The unpredictable Daytona racing is sure to raise the pressure even more as the regular season reaches its climax.
Key Stats at Daytona International Speedway
- Number of races: 154
- Winners from pole: 26
- Winners from top-5 starters: 75
- Winners from top-10 starters: 114
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 14
- Fastest race: 183.295 mph
Previous 10 Daytona Winners
2024 spring - William Byron
2023 fall - Chris Buescher
2023 spring - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2022 fall - Austin Dillon
2022 spring - Austin Cindric
2021 fall - Ryan Blaney
2021 spring - Michael McDowell
2020 fall - William Byron
2020 spring - Denny Hamlin
2019 fall - Justin Haley
Drafting and pack racing will be the game this week at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR Cup Series teams will work to get maximum speed out of their machines, but have to ensure their car can make passes in the draft in order to move forward through the pack. Pit strategy at Daytona and Talladega also come under the spotlight. Many teams and drivers will work to save as much fuel as possible as early in the evening as they can. Doing so means less time spent on pit road and less of a chance of falling out of the draft and losing valuable time to the competition. In order to help prevent that, teams will also coordinate their green-flag stops with other drafting partners in order to ensure they can draft back up to speed quickly. Any mistakes on those trips to pit road can suffer severe consequences and ruin a race, too. Caution periods are expected and happen frequently at the front of the field as every position matters in a close points battle. Daytona is a place where longshots have a real chance at winning, which gives fantasy players many different strategies to consider when building their rosters.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $10,300
Brad Keselowski - $10,000
Ryan Blaney - $9,800
Chase Elliott - $9,600
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
William Byron - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,300
Kyle Larson - $9,200
Bubba Wallace - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chris Buescher - $8,900
Kyle Busch - $8,800
Christopher Bell - $8,400
Ross Chastain - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Michael McDowell - $7,700
Austin Dillon - $7,300
Corey Lajoie - $6,300
Austin Hill - $5,600
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Coke Zero Sugar 400
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Brad Keselowski - $10,000
Joey Logano - $9,300
Bubba Wallace - $9,000
Alex Bowman - $8,000
Austin Dillon - $7,300
Corey Lajoie - $6,300
He may have come up short again at his home race at Michigan, but Brad Keselowski (DK $10,000, FD $11,500) may have a better shot at victory this week at Daytona. The superspeedway ace has seven total victories between Daytona and Talladega, and he isn't dealing with the pressure of trying to qualify for the playoffs this week. Keselowski will be free to race for the win, which could make him one of the favorites to win Saturday night. His former Team Penske teammate Joey Logano (DK $9,300, FD $13,500) is in a similar position. Inconsistency in 2024 has been the No. 22's struggle, but with his playoff spot secured, Logano can also just go for the win Saturday. He has one prior Daytona victory, but he also finished inside the top five in two of the last three races at the track.
Locked in the thick of the playoff battle, Bubba Wallace (DK $9,000, FD $11,000) should be a driver fantasy players pay attention to this week at Daytona. In the past, he has been one move away from victory at the track and he is a prior winner at Talladega. While points are very important to his playoff push, he knows Daytona is a race he could win. That may make him one of the top contenders this week. Alex Bowman (DK $8,000, FD $7,800) is a quieter option this week. He has his playoff spot secured and is looking to end a three-race skid of poor finishes. Daytona should be a place he can do that, too. He has six top-10s from 16 starts and finished sixth or better in his last three visits. Another driver with the potential to win is Austin Dillon (DK $7,300, FD $6,500). Richard Childress Racing consistently prepares some of the best cars on superspeedways and Dillon is a proven winner on these tracks. With his playoff eligibility revoked by NASCAR, he is extra motivated to prove he deserves a playoff spot with another race win. Daytona is his best chance, too. He is a two-time Daytona victor but crashed out of two of the last three races there.
Finally, Corey Lajoie (DK $6,300, FD $5,500) has made himself a driver to consider with each superspeedway stop. He consistently navigates his way to the finish and outperforms his typical results at this track. Lajoie has five top-10 finishes from 15 Daytona appearances and finished fourth in the Daytona 500 earlier this season. Lajoie's consistency at this track has made hime one of the more reliable superspeedway selections.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Denny Hamlin - $10,000
Ryan Blaney - $9,800
Chris Buescher - $8,900
Michael McDowell - $7,700
Noah Gragson - $6,900
Austin Hill - $5,600
Denny Hamlin (DK $10,000, FD $14,000) continues to be one of the top drivers every race in 2024. That is no different this week at Daytona where he has three past victories. Hamlin scored his 11th top-10 of the season last week at Michigan and has led laps in the last four races at Daytona. While this week's outcome is more difficult to predict, Hamlin is one that is expected to factor into the outcome. Ryan Blaney (DK $9,800, FD $13,000) should also be a factor. He won this race in 2021 and is a three-time winner at Talladega. No stranger to success in the draft, Blaney did crash out of the last two Daytona races, though. However, the Ford contingent works well together and may have an advantage in this week's race. Part of that contingent will be Chris Buescher (DK $8,900, FD $12,500). The RFK Racing driver is fighting for one of the final playoff spots and needs points and a top finish this week. He is the defending winner of this race and finished 18th in the Daytona 500 in February. He is another driver that will enter this weekend's contest with the confidence that a win could be within his grasp.
Michael McDowell (DK $7,700, FD $7,200) and Noah Gragson (DK $6,900, FD $5,800) are also Ford drivers hoping they have an advantage Saturday night. McDowell is a former Dayton 500 champion who typically outperforms at superspeedways. He has eight top-10 finishes from 26 career starts at the track but only has a best finish of 13th from the last three visits despite starting on the front row for this season's Daytona 500. Gragson's Cup Series record at the track is brief but includes a top-five and another top-10 from just four starts. In the Xfinity Series, he won in 2020 and had two other top-10s from eight starts. Another Xfinity Daytona victor is Austin Hill (DK $5,600, FD $4,500). Hill won three of his six Xfinity starts at Daytona and one of six tries in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. This will be his fourth start in the series this season and second series start at Daytona. He finished 14th in that one prior series start at this track in this race last season.
