Daytona Coke Zero 400 Race Recap

For the first time in the 2013 season the gen-6 car comes to a track it has raced at before as the teams came back to where it all started Daytona International Speedway. The season opener here was the first time we had seen the new car turn a wheel in anger and it was widely recognised that the results were not what the fans had been hoping for. Daytona is all about fast pack racing with drivers ducking and weaving to find the best draft and move up. But in February what the fans were given was a race that mainly ran in single file along the top of the track and left many feeling cold about the gen-6. But as the season moved on we’ve grown to love what this new car can do and so all eyes were on it once again to see if lessons had been learned.

Jul 5, 2013; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch (18) celebrates winning the pole position during qualifying for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Friday afternoon’s qualifying session took place in the full heat of the Florida sun which meant that speeds wouldn’t be as high as they would for the evening race. To the surprise of many when all 43 cars had run it was Kyle Busch who was sitting at the top of the tree for not only his third pole of the season but also his first ever pole at a restrictor-plate track with a time of 46.458 seconds (193.723 mph). Toyota’s dominated the top 5 with 4 of them in it but at a track where engines are pushed to the limit would their troubles come back to bite them.

As the green flag drops it’s a so so start for Kyle on the inside line but for second place Matt Kenseth, with a good shove from Kasey Kahne behind him, he manages to take the lead as the pack enters turn four. After helping Kenseth to the lead Kahne then has to defend his position from Clint Bowyer who is diving all over the the back of the 5. As the cars begin lap two they are three wide down the pack and Kenseth, who is leading the middle line, seems to have picked the slowest line as he falls back allowing Kyle Busch to take the lead on the bottom with Kahne leading a hard charging high line. Positions are changing hands virtually every few seconds as the three lines jostle for positions with each moving faster in certain sections of the track.

The three line madness only lasts for a few laps as the middle line quickly dissolves into the outside and inside line. Some drivers also take an arguable sensible approach and drop down the pack in an effort to stay out of trouble until the latter stages of the race. Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr are just some of the drivers who make this decision. Back up front it is no surprise that the high line is the one to be on and the leading cars start to form a single file with Kyle at the head and immediately behind him Kahne, Paul Menard, Joey Logano (who started in 18th) and Trevor Bayne (who started 20th). While the top 25 settle into single file on the high line there are a few cars, Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick and Jr that have slid to the bottom of the track and are trying to get that line going. Very slowly the bottom line appears to be working with Johnson up into 12th and with each lap he gets closer and closer to the front.

Jul 6, 2013; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) leads the pack as Paul Menard (27) emits flames from his engine during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The field comes back together on lap 24 when Menard, who’s running third, suffers an engine failure (his first DNF of the season) to bring out the first caution of the day. Luckily the failure doesn’t result in smoke pouring over the trailing cars instead the underside of the 27 car has flames coming out of it! The leaders all come to pit road and take two tyres and fuel, Busch uses the last pit box to full advantage as he wins the race off. Jr mentions on his radio that the bottom line does seem to be faster but that they need more drivers to work with them.