Coke Zero Sugar 400 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Race

The final race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is scheduled for this weekend. Perhaps only fittingly, the season ends right where it began at Daytona International Speedway. Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 represents the last chance for any number of drivers to win and claim the final spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. The unpredictability of superspeedway racing gives even the longshots a chance. There will be plenty of position shuffling throughout the evening, but those drivers near the front in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 starting lineup will at least have an early positional advantage.

The following article contains all kinds of vital information to get you set for Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series action under the lights. Read on for the complete Coke Zero Sugar 400 starting lineup, start time, race facts and NASCAR stats.

NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway

62nd Coke Zero Sugar 400
Date: Saturday, August 28, 2021
Start Time: 7 p.m. EST
Track: Daytona International Speedway — Daytona Beach, FL
Coverage: NBC
Pole Sitter: Kyle Larson
Defending Champion: William Byron

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Details

Distance: 400 miles
Laps: 160
Lap Length: 2.5 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-50; 51-100; 101-160)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Starting Lineup

See below for a breakdown of the qualifying metrics formula.

Starting Position	Driver	Car Number	Team	Manufacturer
1	Cole Custer	41	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
2	Christopher Bell	20	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
3	Tyler Reddick	8	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
4	Chase Briscoe	14	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
5	Kyle Larson	5	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
6	Justin Haley	31	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
7	Ty Dillon	42	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
8	Alex Bowman	48	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
9	Chase Elliott	9	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
10	Joey Logano	22	Team Penske	Ford
11	Kyle Busch	18	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
12	Austin Dillon	3	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
13	Kurt Busch	45	23XI Racing	Toyota
14	Erik Jones	43	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
15	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing	Ford
16	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
17	Michael McDowell	34	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
18	Brad Keselowski	6	Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing	Ford
19	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
20	Austin Cindric	2	Team Penske	Ford
21	Daniel Suarez	99	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
22	Bubba Wallace	23	23XI Racing	Toyota
23	Todd Gilliland	38	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
24	Harrison Burton	21	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
25	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske	Ford
26	Corey LaJoie	7	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
27	Justin Allgaier	77	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
28	Noah Gragson	16	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
29	J.J. Yeley	15	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
30	Martin Truex Jr.	19	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
31	Aric Almirola	10	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
32	Kevin Harvick	4	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
33	Ross Chastain	1	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
34	Denny Hamlin	11	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
35	Cody Ware	51	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
36	Josh Williams	78	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Overview

Following the interruption to racing last season, NASCAR did away with practice and qualifying runs at the majority of races. A combination of grouped draws and a performance-metrics formula was used to determine starting grids. That same formula remains in place for the majority of races on the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, including this Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 starting lineup.

So, what exactly is involved in the performance-metrics formula? Well, it draws on a number of factors including individual race performances and season-long results. The following breakdown illustrates the weighted grades associated with each component of NASCAR’s metrics formula:

NASCAR Cup Series Metrics Formula Breakdown

• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race History and NASCAR Stats

• The first edition of this race came in 1959 and was won by Hall of Famer, Fireball Roberts. It was a 100-lap, 250-mile event and was named the Firecracker 250 in honor of its taking place on the Fourth of July.
• Like the Daytona 500, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 has been held annualy at Daytona International Speedway since 1959. It has, however, been run under several different title sponsor names.
• From its inception through 2019, the race was run either on or around Independence Day. As part of a schedule revamp following the 2019 season, the second Daytona race was moved to late August and now serves as the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
• David Pearson tops the all-time list for total wins in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. He lifted the trophy five different times, including in three consecutive years from 1972-74.
• Cale Yarborough and Tony Stewart sit just behind Pearson on the all-time wins list with four apiece.
• No active NASCAR Cup Series driver has won this race more than once. In fact, only seven current full-time Cup drivers have previously won the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
• In chronological order, those seven drivers with wins are Kyle Busch (2008), Kevin Harvick (2010), Aric Almirola (2014), Brad Keselowski (2016), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2017), Erik Jones (2018) and William Byron (2020).
• Wood Brothers Racing leads all race teams with nine total victories in this race. However, the most recent came all the way back in 1983.
• Defending champion Hendrick Motorsports sits second on the all-time wins list among race teams with seven victories. Three have come in the last eight years. Roush Fenway Racing ranks third with five all-time wins.
• Chevrolet holds the slimmest of leads over Ford when it comes to manufacturer wins in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Byron’s 2020 victory broke a tie and gave Chevy a 20-19 advantage over Ford. Toyota, the only other current manufacturer, has just two total wins.