NASCAR Cup Series Predictions at Daytona
Austin Dillon and son Ace posing next to the Coke Zero Sugar 400 trophy.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads into Daytona Beach, Florida for the regular season finale this Saturday night, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 7:00 PM EST on NBC.
Last season saw a controversial ending to the race, after a pop up shower in Turn 1 caused a massive 17 car crash, resulting in Austin Dillon coming through unharmed, and would later go on to win his way into the Playoffs in the final regular season race.
Chase Elliott +1100 (Top 10 -250)
Entering this Saturday night as the favorite to win, Chase Elliott’s only way to get in the Playoffs is with a win. He’s been close to winning this race in the past, leading over 30 laps in the last two Summer races in Daytona. Since his rookie season in 2016, Chase Elliott has been apart of the Playoffs. In order to continue that streak to make it nine straight, the #9 Llumar Chevy Camero will have to end the night in victory lane.
Bubba Wallace +1800 (Top 10 -170)
Being the only driver in the Top 16 in points not locked in, Bubba Wallace cannot afford to have a new winner outside of the Top 16, otherwise he’s eliminated from Playoff contention. Wallace has finshed 2nd three times at Daytona, twice in the Daytona 500 in ‘18 and ‘22 along with the ‘21 Summer race. He was leading on the last lap at Talladega in the Spring, before a bad block resulted in a crash. He’ll need to play it safe, but in the end the #23 Columbia Toyota Camry will be a factor.
Austin Cindric +2000 (Top 10 -125)
Not much has happened for Austin Cindric since winning the 2022 Daytona 500. With only three Top 10’s this season, the driver of the #2 Penske Ford Mustang finds himself 22nd in points, 114 points behind the cutoff. He has experience in the past at Superspeedways, leading with less than 10 laps to go and finishing 3rd in last Summer’s race after avoiding the Huge One. If he stays out of trouble, Cindric will make a push to get that win into the Playoffs.
Erik Jones +3500 (Top 10 +125)
It’s been a lackluster season for Erik Jones and Legacy Motor Club. However, it could change this Saturday night where Erik Jones thrives on the Superspeedways. He won this race back in 2018 and his best finish of the season was a 6th place effort at Talladega. The famed #43 Allegiant Chevy Camero will look towards victory lane as his only option to make it into the Playoffs on Saturday night.
AJ Allmendinger +4000 (Top 10 +160)
With only one race to go before the Playoffs, AJ Allmendinger enters 19th in the points standings, 72 points behind Bubba Wallace in the final Playoff spot. He heads back to a race track where he’s been sneakily fast at. In his last five Cup starts at Daytona, Allmendinger has placed inside the Top 10, including a 6th place finish back in February. Allmendinger knows how to keep his car clean at the end, he’ll be looking to power his way into the Playoffs with a win on Saturday night.