Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press Once again led by Kyle Busch, the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Saturday for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Busch won a thrilling race in Chicago a week ago, meaning he's tied with Kevin Harvick with five victories. Also notable on the leaderboard is the fact only four drivers overall have multiple wins, with only six drivers clutching a checkered flag this year. Daytona is a good way to spice things up after one year ago crowning a surprise winner. An event that dates back to 1959, the 400 laps as darkness encroaches and the spotlights come on should serve as one of the better events of the summer and a pivotal race for playoffs hopefuls. Viewing Details Where: Daytona International Speedway Video Play Button Videos you might like When: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET Watch: NBCSN Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Tickets: StubHub Coke Zero Sugar 400 1. Kurt Busch (41) 2. Brad Keselowski (2) 3. Kyle Busch (18) 4. Kevin Harvick (4) 5. Joey Logano (22) 6. Aric Almirola (10) 7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) 8. Erik Jones (20) 9. Ryan Blaney (12) 10. Denny Hamlin (11) Note: Qualifying takes place Friday. 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings 1. Kyle Busch 736 2. Kevin Harvick 674 3. Martin Truex Jr. 594 4. Clint Bowyer 579 5. Joey Logano 617 6. Austin Dillon 314 7. Brad Keselowski 592 8. Kurt Busch 560 9. Denny Hamlin 537 10. Kyle Larson 524 11. Ryan Blaney 495 12. Aric Almirola 493 13. Jimmie Johnson 442 14. Chase Elliott 435 15. Erik Jones 408 16. Alex Bowman 390 ESPN.com. Drivers to Watch Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Derik Hamilton/Associated Press Ricky Stenhouse Jr. represents a bit of the unpredictable element this event has produced in the past. A year ago at Daytona, Stenhouse unexpectedly grabbed his second win of the season after leading only 17 laps. Still, just on the outside of the playoff race looking in, Stenhouse could use a little of the two-win magic he found last year to help him jump up the leaderboard. But he hasn't had a top-10 finish in five events, finishing no better than 14th over his last four outings. Instead, he's only surfaced on the radar recently as a good teammate in Chicago for helping Kyle Larson secure his runner-up finish. "I felt like (Ricky) Stenhouse Jr. and (Ryan) Newman did a good job of holding him up for me and I was very thankful of that," Larson said, according to NASCAR.com's Allie Davison (via Yahoo Sports). "So, first off, thanks to those two." But at some point, Stenhouse is going to have to get into business for himself if he wants to make some noise in the playoff picture. With so few names hogging all the wins so far, there is an opening here for an unexpected driver to seize the moment. That moment could be Saturday night, where Stenhouse looks to make it two in a row. Brad Keselowski Derik Hamilton/Associated Press Before Stenhouse shocked the globe with his second win of the season last year, it was Brad Keselowski securing the checkered flag at this event. Like Stenhouse, Keselowski is a guy who could use a boost over the weekend. Though he's had four top-10 finishes over his last five outings with two of the appearances in the top five, Keselowski has done more in the way of surprising fans via his lack of wins. It doesn't help Keselowski that his manufacturer, with Stenhouse included, keeps creating such thick competition atop the leaderboards: Last year, Keselowski kicked off the season with a win and added two more while mostly looking consistent. This year, the hump has been harder to get over and consistency hasn't been assured. Then again, this is the summer race where almost everything goes out the window anyway. Like Stenhouse, Keselowski surely sees the window of opportunity open to him here, so expect some aggressive driving. Kyle Busch Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press Fans have to be realistic here: it might not matter that eight different drivers have won the summer Daytona race over as many years. Busch is that good. So is Harvick, but Busch is the latest winner between the two drivers who have combined for 10 total wins so far. He's the driver with only two non-top-10 performances on the season and five consecutive top-five showings, including two wins. The casual recital of stats undersells how impressive Busch has been—Chicago came down to the final lap: Fans in attendance didn't seem to love the result too much, but it's not going to stop Busch from trying to drum up his win total and keep the momentum rolling right into the playoffs. And with Harvick racing at least just as well, Busch can't afford to relax. He hasn't won this event since 2008, but he's easily a favorite going into the weekend and, funnily enough, he'd be the ninth different driver to win over as many races. Even so, it wouldn't exactly qualify as unpredictable.<doc-sep>It's race day at Daytona International Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race: START TIME: Retired U.S. Army Colonel Gregory Gadson will instruct drivers to start their engines at 7:11 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 7:23 p.m. ET. RACE DISTANCE: The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile Datyona International Speedway for a total of 400 miles. RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for tonight's race: Stage 1: 40 laps, Stage 2: 40 laps, Stage 3: 80 laps. NATIONAL ANTHEM: The 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus from Fort Bragg, N.C., will perform the national anthem at 7:01 p.m. ET followed by a flyover by two F-22’s from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Fla. TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC, with a pre-show on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) at 6:30 p.m. ET. Radio calls can be found on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials. CUP DRIVERS:Expect aggressive tactics, intense racing at Daytona WALLACE:Seeking reprise of stellar Daytona run REPLACING STARS:Are NASCAR's young guns feeling pressure to perform? NASCAR ON NBC:Innovating for Saturday night's Daytona broadcast WEATHER: The temperature should register around 80 degrees at the green flag but isolated thunderstorms are also in the forecast. There's a 35% chance of precipitation in the early evening hours, but the race should finish under mostly cloudy skies with tempeartures in the high 70s. LAST TIME: Austin Dillon spun race leader Aric Almirola after an overtime restart and held off Bubba Wallace by 0.260 seconds to record his first Daytona 500 victory in February. And last summer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. grabbed the lead off an overtime restart and topped Clint Bowyer by 0.213 sec to record his first victory at Daytona. LINEUP: Hendrick Motorsports drivers took three of the top four spots in qualifying, while Chevrolet and Ford shut Toyota out of the top 12. Chase Elliott won the pole and Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman will start along side. Here's the starting lineup for tonight's Coke Zero Sugar 400 (car number in parentheses): 1. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 2. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 3. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 4. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 5. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 6. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 7. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 8. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 9. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 10. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 11. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 12. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 13. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 14. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 15. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 16. (62) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet 17. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 18. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 19. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 20. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford 21. (38) David Ragan, Ford 22. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet 23. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 24. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 25. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 26. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford 27. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 28. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet 29. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota 30. (21) Paul Menard, Ford 31. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford 32. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 33. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 34. (7) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet 35. (96) DJ Kennington, Toyota 36. (00) Joey Gase, Chevrolet 37. (99) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet 38. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 39. (51) Ray Black II, Chevrolet 40. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow<doc-sep>It's race day at Chicagoland Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for today’s Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race: START TIME: Overton’s Director of Operations Pat Baker and Overton’s Vice President of Merchandise & Business Development Nicolas Goureau will instruct drivers to start their engines at 2:23 p.m. ET (1:23 p.m. local) followed by the green flag at 2:32 p.m. ET (1:32 p.m. local). Times were moved up 14 minutes from the original schedule because of rain in the forecast. RACE DISTANCE: The Overton's 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway. That's 400 miles. RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for today's race: Stage 1: 80 laps, Stage 2: 80 laps, Stage 3: 107 laps. NATIONAL ANTHEM: Jim Cornelison, voice of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, will perform the national anthem at 2:18 p.m. ET (1:18 p.m. local) followed by a flyover by a C-130H Hercules from the 910th Airlift Wing of the Youngstown, Ohio Air Reserve Station. TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), with a pre-show starting at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local). Radio calls can be found on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials. PREVIEW:Hot drivers, hotter weather roll into Chicagoland SURPRISING SEASON:Victory lane still eludes many top Cup drivers SUMMER STRETCH:Provides multiple paths on road to playoffs WEATHER: Be prepared for hot and sticky weather and possibly rain. The race should begin under partly cloudy skies with highs in the low 90s, but there is a strong chance rain or thunderstorms could reach the area before the race ends. LAST TIME: Martin Truex Jr. dominated last year's race — which was then the playoff opener in September — winning by more than seven seconds over runner-up Chase Elliott. Truex also won the Chicagoland playoff opener in 2016. LINEUP: Paul Menard scored just his second Cup Series pole and first since the summer of 2008 at Daytona International Speedway as he tries to get Wood Brothers Racing its 100th win. Former Wood Brothers driver Ryan Blaney qualified second and will also start on the front row. Here's the starting lineup for today's Overton's 400 (car number in parentheses): Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow FULL LINEUP: Overton's 400 1. (21) Paul Menard, Ford, 180.012 mph. 2. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 179.880. 3. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 179.748. 4. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford, 179.545. 5. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 179.491. 6. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 179.259. 7. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 179.093. 8. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 179.057. 9. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota, 178.826. 10. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 176.315. 11. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 178.761. 12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 178.731. 13. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 178.489. 14. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 178.047. 15. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 177.754. 16. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 177.684. 17. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 177.288. 18. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 177.223. 19. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 177.061. 20. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 176.373. 21. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 176.557. 22. (43) Bubba Wallace , Chevrolet, 176.378. 23. (38) David Ragan, Ford, 175.890. 24. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 175.827. 25. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 175.467. 26. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, 174.306. 27. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 174.087. 28. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 174.020. 29. (23) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 173.902. 30. (99) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 170.740. 31. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 170.412. 32. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 169.194. 33. (51) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 169.099. 34. (7) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 168.471. 35. (66) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 167.567. 36. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 0.000. 37. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 0.000. 38. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 0.000. 39. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 0.000.<doc-sep>
It's NASCAR race day at Michigan International Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race: START TIME: Country music star Trace Adkins will instruct drivers to start their engines at 2:07 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 2:16 p.m. ET. RACE DISTANCE: The FireKeepers Casino 400 is 400 miles and 200 laps around the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway. RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for today's race: Stage 1: 60 laps, Stage 2: 60 laps, Stage 3: 80 laps. NATIONAL ANTHEM: Michigan International Speedway's own Lisa Bascom will perform the national anthem a 2:01 p.m. ET, followed by a flyover by a C-130H Hercules aircraft from the 910th Airlift Wing of the Youngstown, Ohio Air Reserve Station. TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on Fox starting at 2 p.m. ET, with a pre-show starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Radio calls can be found on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: Fox is offering a live stream through its Fox Sports Go app. LARSON:Looks to keep riding Michigan mojo after three wins at MIS KESELOWSKI:Michigan win would be my Daytona 500 JONES:Michigan native looks for first Cup win on home turf BIRTHDAY:Michigan International Speedway celebrate 50 years of racing WEATHER: The Weather Channel is calling for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the high 60s for most of the race. There is a threat of rain although it may hold off until just after the race concludes. A delayed green flag or mid-race delay are possible, however. LAST TIME: Kyle Larson swept both races last season, and now has recorded three of his five career Cup Series wins at Michigan. In August, Larson led only two laps — both in overtime — to edge reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. by .310 second. And one year ago, Larson led a race-high 96 laps and beat Chase Elliott by nearly one second in the June race. LINEUP: Kurt Busch leads a Ford front row and will start first after winning his second pole of the season. Michigan native Brad Keselowski start along side Busch. Here's the starting lineup for today's FireKeepers Casino 400 (car number in parentheses): 1. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 2. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 3. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 4. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 5. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 6. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford 7. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 8. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota 9. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 10. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 11. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 12. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 13. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 14. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 15. (21) Paul Menard, Ford 16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 17. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 18. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 19. (6) Matt Kenseth, Ford 20. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 21. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 22. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 23. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 24. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 25. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 26. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 27. (38) David Ragan, Ford 28. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet 29. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet 30. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford 31. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 32. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 33. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 34. (23) Gray Gaulding, Toyota 35. (51) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet 36. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet 37. (7) DJ Kennington, Chevrolet 38. (66) Timmy Hill, Toyota 39. (99) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow