Ryan Blaney held off a hard-charging Bubba Wallace at New Hampshire en route to his third Cup Series win of 2026. Next up, NASCAR heads to Daytona for the 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Anything can happen at the high banks of Daytona. We’ve seen surprise winners, thrilling finishes, and everything in between. Adding to the potential for chaos is a new package for superspeedways implemented by NASCAR for this weekend.
With the final spot in the Chase up for grabs, we have plenty to talk about heading into the regular season finale.
Let’s dive in.
2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Entry List
For the first time in a while, NASCAR will have a full 40-car field come race day. In fact, one hopeful will be heading home after qualifying with 41 cars on the entry list. The five open entries for Sunday are Joey Gase in the #44, Casey Mears in the #62, Gray Gaulding in the #66, two-time 2026 race winner Corey Heim in the #67, and Daniel Dye in the #78.
A finish that came down to inches. 😯 pic.twitter.com/z7AxDsHR77
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 28, 2026
As mentioned above, NASCAR brings a new superspeedway package to Daytona in the hopes of producing a better on-track product on Saturday night. The rear spoiler on the NextGen car will be decreased from seven inches to four inches. The horsepower will also decrease from 510 to 465, but with the decrease in downforce from the spoiler, we should see higher speeds.
Will the changes decrease the reliance on fuel-saving and increase passing opportunities? We simply don’t know. I do think, from the way I’ve heard the drivers talk about the package, that the cars will be more out of control. Does that lead to chaos or an abundance of caution?
Either way, I’m interested to see how the trial of this package at Daytona plays out.
Post-Season Picture
Heading into Daytona, 13 of the 16 Chase spots are locked in. Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Shane Van Gisbergen are not mathematically locked in. However, with Bubba Wallace 75 points above the cut line, the reality is that Bubba Wallace will be in the Chase, barring the performance of a lifetime by Ryan Preece that includes sweeping the stages and recording the fastest lap, as well as winning the race. Instead, we’re going to focus just on the drivers in danger of falling below the cut line and the drivers with a chance to make it in.
15. Austin Cindric – 44 points above the cut line
16. Shane Van Gisbergen – 31 points above the cut line
17. Ryan Preece – 31 points below the cut line
18. Brad Keselowski – 66 points below the cut line
Much like Bubba Wallace being safe in all reality, I don’t think Brad Keselowski has much hope of rising into the Chase. The final spot really comes down to Austin Cindric, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Ryan Preece. Two will qualify for the Chase, and one will be on the outside looking in.
Penske’s teamwork and performance on drafting-style tracks are well-documented. While disaster can strike, I’m expecting Cindric to perform well enough to advance. That brings us to just SVG and Preece.
That 31-point advantage for SVG is far from comfortable. RFK Racing has seen similar positive results on superspeedways to Penske. With that said, SVG has adapted to drafting well enough, and the problems Trackhouse has had with speed at other tracks don’t really apply here. I worry about SVG’s ability to adapt to this new package, but I still expect the Kiwi to hold off Preece, if only by the skin of his teeth.
2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Predictions
I throw up my hands when it comes to predicting this race. Circling back to the new package, I simply don’t know who will adapt quickest, or even if the package makes enough of a difference!
Penske, JGR, and Hendrick will all likely be in contention. I can’t discount 23XI either. The chaotic nature of the race and past drafting success means Front Row or RCR could end up near the front as well. Of course, I have to bring up Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as well anytime a superspeedway is mentioned.
It's just you and the sweet sound of race cars. 🔊 pic.twitter.com/sbWpj6YZyY
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 27, 2026
In short, we have a big field to select a potential winner from. I’m going to stick with Penske for this one, however, and take Austin Cindric to go to Victory Lane for his first win of 2026.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this week!
Friday 08/28
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying – 2:00 p.m. CT on the ESPN App
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 4:00 p.m. CT on TruTV
Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on the CW
Saturday 08/28
Coke Zero Sugar 400 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on NBC and HBO Max
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