2011 NASCAR Coke Zero 400 Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
(The Spread) - This Saturday night, NASCAR puts on its own fireworks show at Daytona International Speedway when they drop the green flag for the Coke Zero 400.
After watching how the races at Daytona and Talladega played out it's hard to bet any serious money on this type of racing due to the unpredictability. So this week we’ll just make a few small plays to see if we pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Over the years, this race has produced some long shot winners who gambled and won using a fuel mileage strategy. And with the way these plate races have ended, it wouldn't shock us if we see another long shot winner like we did earlier this year at the 500.
Kurt Busch 12/1
Kurt Busch might be the best restrictor plate racer who has never won a points plate race. Over the years, he has overcome numerous problems only to come up short at the finish line. In his last 19 races here, he has 10 top-5 finishes, with his only bad outings coming in the form of accidents. This team has made great strides the last few races, producing some great finishes over that span (including last weeks win at Sonoma). We think he might finally get that elusive first win on a plate track on Saturday night.
Clint Bowyer 15/1
Bowyer has always run well here and Talladega, where he lost by inches to Jimmie Johnson in a photo finish. This week Bowyer brings the same car that ran so well that day and earlier this year in the Daytona 500. During speedweeks leading up to the 500, the RCRs were the cars to beat but didn't show much due to engine problems. But they turned it around at Talladega and we expect another strong showing this week.
Live Long Shot
Jeff Burton 25/1
Burton started the year with a win in one of the Duel 150 races but since then it’s been a season he would rather forget. In the 500, Burton had a great car until his engine let go. And just like Bowyer, he’ll bring that car back this week so we see no reason why he can’t produce this weekned. If he can just stay out of trouble, we could see him get his season back on track with a win at a very nice price.
2011 Coke Zero 400 Information
Race Date: Saturday, July 2
Location: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Pre-Race: 6:30PM ET
Green Flag: Approx. 7:49PM ET
TV Coverage: TNT
Radio Coverage: MRN
Track Type: Oval (160 laps)