Information By: TAYLOR SMITH / TEAM PENSKE – DAYTONA BEACH, FL
Coke Zero Sugar 400: Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla. – August 23, 2024
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY – NASCAR 101
The NASCAR Cup Series made its much-anticipated return to the legendary Daytona International Speedway on Friday as teams prepare for the always-thrilling Coke Zero Sugar 400 under the lights on Saturday night. The iconic venue, which previously hosted the regular season finale from 2020 to 2023, is now set to stage the penultimate race of the 2024 regular season as the playoff field continues to take shape.
Drivers strapped in Friday evening under the Florida skies for qualifying, setting the starting lineup for the 400-mile marathon.
- Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – 3rd
- Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang – 8th
- Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – 14th
HEAR FROM CINDRIC: “I think it’s a good spot. I like the speed that we’ve shown in our Ford Mustangs here early on and it’s obviously a good place to be. There’s going to be a lot of pit cycles, race strategy and a lot racing to have to go on throughout the night. It should be a good place for me to feel out the car and try to race up toward the the front of the field.”
DAYTONA BY THE NUMBERS: Team Penske has scored five wins at the iconic Florida track, most recently emerging victorious in 2022 when then-rookie Austin Cindric etched his name in history with a historic win in the DAYTONA 500. The achievement signaled his first career win in the NASCAR Cup Series in just his eighth start. Now, with six starts under his belt at Daytona, Cindric has led a total of 49 laps. Ryan Blaney has also visited the famous victory lane, winning the 2021 edition of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Across 18 starts on the 2.5-mile course, the driver of the No. 12 has led an impressive 208 laps. As for Joey Logano, the longtime Team Penske driver has started 31 races at the legendary venue, achieving a victory in the Great American Race in 2015 and a runner-up finish in the 2023 presentation of the 500-mile race. The organization’s other two Daytona wins came in the 2008 DAYTONA 500 with Ryan Newman and the 2016 Coke Zero 400, which marked the team’s 100th win in the Cup Series.
TUNE IN ON SATURDAY: Coverage of Saturday’s 400-mile race under the lights at the World Center of Racing begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.