Welcome back to Daytona International Speedway, which is still drying out after a long Saturday of showers and thunderstorms that postponed the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
NASCAR plans to mulligan on race day this morning, starting at 10 a.m
Firecracker 250, anyone?
huh?
stay with me
We’ve gotten pretty good at reading the weatherman’s tea leaves around here, and right now we’re good (or at least “okay”) until about noon.
Check back here for continuous updates as the order for firefighters approaches.
Summary of Saturday:What happened during the rain buildup to the Coke Zero Sugar 400?
What channel is the race on? NASCAR’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona: How to watch it on TV, live
Xfinity Summary:The Wawa 250 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series hits the finish line early in the morning
On the call:Jeff Burton high and dry in the NBC booth, but still feeling the nerves
Caution on lap 31 at Daytona; Ryan Blaney damaged; Joey Logano wins Stage 1
It wasn’t a big one, but it could have big implications in the playoffs. Ryan Blaney, who held on to a playoff spot based on his points, was one of the few drivers to mess up in a lap 31 incident.
Erik Jones had been trading the lead with Chase Elliott for a few laps, but lost speed in Turn 2, creating a chain reaction behind him that damaged the cars of Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Christopher Bell.
Blaney got back on track, but was a couple of laps down. If he finishes the day behind Martin Truex Jr. points, it needs a 2022 repeat winner or else it will be out of the playoffs.
Shortly after returning to green, the first stage ended after lap 35 with Joey Logano in front, followed by Elliott, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch and Truex.
Kyle Larson is out of the Coke Zero 400
Kyle Larson’s hopes at Daytona on Sunday were dashed due to engine problems.
10:05 a.m.: Green flag at Daytona | Hubbahubba
They’re up to speed and doing official Coke Zero Sugar 400 laps.
Chase Elliott leads the field off the green.
More details as warranted.
10:00 a.m.: We’re rolling into Daytona
The engines have started, the prerace pace laps are underway.
9:45 am: Closing on the starting order at Daytona
Most people take their time getting back to their bleacher seats, and this is always set in strange situations.
The driver introductions started at 9:20 and played like a full house: loud and proud, lots of pomp and circumstance.
When the crowd is sparse, it takes on the feel of a rehearsal.
When the engines start and the green drops, any sense of “rehearsal” will go through the safety net and out the driver’s side window.
9:20 a.m What happens to my CocaCola Zero Sugar 400 ticket if I can’t go on Sunday?
NASCAR officials sent out an email reminder last night that race ticket holders have the benefit of the “Weather Protection Plan” for regular grandstand tickets.
In the case of a rescheduled race, such as Saturday’s CocaCola Zero Sugar 400, which was postponed even before the green flag dropped, fans can exchange unused regular grandstand tickets into the new data for a future NASCAR race, according to the release. by Russell Branham of NASCAR Communications. More information is available on the Daytona International Speedway website.
8:50 a.m If it rains again, when would the Coke Zero Sugar 400 become an official race?
With the CocaCola Zero Sugar 400 scheduled to kick off at 10am, a little math tells us we should easily pass the halfway mark, making it an official race, before any potential rain arrives, assuming the forecast holds.
This race has a general duration of about three hours, depending on the number of cautions. So watch out there fellas, there’s an angry cloud from the west looking at Daytona Beach.
If we get a full two hours before potential trouble hits, we’ll have an official playoff field set today, one way or another.
Which brings us back to that earlier reference to the Firecracker 250, which is the name of Daytona’s summer race from its 1959 inauguration until 1963, when it was extended to 400 miles.
Also, back then, the race started late in the morning, so our whole “Back to the Future” vibe is strong.