Tyler Reddick eyes Daytona sweep as playoff bubble drivers fight for position on the high banks

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, with championship implications, a potential Daytona season sweep and new superspeedway rules adding to the stakes on race weekend.

Reigning Daytona 500 champion Tyler Reddick enters the summer race with an opportunity to accomplish something that has not been done in more than a decade.

Reddick will attempt to become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2013 to win both NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona in the same season.

13 Drivers Have Clinched Chase Spots

Thirteen drivers have already secured spots in The Chase: Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, William Byron and Daniel Suarez.

That leaves the spotlight on drivers fighting around the cutoff line as Daytona’s unpredictable pack racing creates one of the season’s biggest opportunities for the championship picture to change.

Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski enter the weekend on the outside of the cutoff looking in.

Shane van Gisbergen sits 16th in the standings and will battle to remain above the cutoff line. Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric currently occupy the other two positions inside the top 16.

Blaney Chasing Back-to-Back Daytona Victories

Ryan Blaney has already secured his place in The Chase, but another milestone remains within reach.

Blaney will attempt to win consecutive Coke Zero Sugar 400 races and capture his third victory in Daytona’s summer Cup Series event.

With his postseason position already secured, Blaney can focus on adding another Daytona trophy rather than racing primarily for points.

Hocevar Eyes Superspeedway Sweep

Carson Hocevar also arrives at Daytona with history on the line.

After winning the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this season, Hocevar can become the first driver since Denny Hamlin in 2020 to win Cup races at both Daytona and Talladega in the same season.

Hocevar enters Daytona 11th in the standings.

New Rules Coming to Daytona

Drivers will also face a different aerodynamic and horsepower package for the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

The rear spoiler will be reduced from 7 inches to 4 inches, matching the height used at intermediate tracks. The change is intended to reduce aerodynamic drag.

Horsepower will also be reduced from 510 to 465 to compensate for the reduction in downforce.

NASCAR officials anticipate the changes will make single-car runs approximately 3 mph faster than under the previous package. Speeds in the draft, however, are expected to remain roughly comparable.

The changes could introduce another variable as drivers and teams determine how the new package affects handling, passing, drafting and strategy in Daytona’s tightly packed racing.

Daytona Could Reshape The Chase

Few tracks offer the unpredictability of Daytona.

With Preece and Keselowski trying to race their way above the cutoff and van Gisbergen fighting to remain inside the top 16, one crash, strategic gamble or late-race move could dramatically alter the championship picture.

Meanwhile, Reddick, Blaney and Hocevar arrive chasing their own pieces of Daytona history.

That combination puts the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the center of the NASCAR championship conversation as the field returns to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.

Season-opening NASCAR Cup Series exhibition returns to the World Center of Racing Feb. 13 after five years away

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — One of NASCAR’s longtime Daytona traditions is coming home.

Daytona International Speedway announced Wednesday that tickets are now on sale for the Wheatley Vodka Clash, which will return to the World Center of Racing on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027, kicking off Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth.

The preseason NASCAR Cup Series exhibition returns to Daytona after five years away and will be contested under the lights as the opening event leading into the 69th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21.

“Now that tickets are officially on sale, the countdown is on to welcome the Clash back home to DAYTONA,” Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher said.

“For 42 years, the Clash was part of the fabric of this special place, and after five years away, there’s something incredibly exciting about bringing it back under the lights for one special night in 2027,” Kelleher added.

The Clash Comes Home to Daytona

Daytona hosted The Clash for more than four decades after the exhibition debuted at the speedway in 1979.

The event was held on Daytona’s 2.5-mile oval from 1979 through 2020. Erik Jones won the final Clash contested on the oval in 2020.

The race remained at Daytona for 2021 but moved to the speedway’s road course configuration before leaving Florida.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosted the exhibition from 2022 through 2024, followed by Bowman Gray Stadium in 2025 and 2026.

Its 2027 return restores The Clash as the opening act for one of NASCAR’s biggest weeks.

Nine Days of NASCAR Racing at Daytona

The Clash begins a nine-day stretch of racing and entertainment culminating with the Daytona 500.

Speedweeks continues Wednesday, Feb. 17, with Daytona 500 qualifying, followed by the Duel at Daytona on Thursday.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes over Friday before a Saturday doubleheader featuring the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and ARCA Menards Series.

Everything leads to the green flag for the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 21.

2027 Daytona Speedweeks Schedule

Saturday, Feb. 13: Wheatley Vodka Clash
Wednesday, Feb. 17: Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented by Busch Light
Thursday, Feb. 18: NASCAR Cup Series Duel at Daytona
Friday, Feb. 19: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Saturday, Feb. 20: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and ARCA Menards Series
Sunday, Feb. 21: 69th Daytona 500

Full Throttle Festival Returns

Speedweeks will extend beyond the racetrack.

Comedian Bert Kreischer’s Full Throttle Festival will return to the Ocean Center Convention Center in Daytona Beach on Saturday, Feb. 20 — the night before the Daytona 500.

The festival is expected to feature a full night of music and comedy with a lineup curated by Kreischer.

2027 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Weekend Set

Daytona International Speedway also confirmed its NASCAR schedule for August 2027.

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will race Friday, Aug. 28, followed by the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, Aug. 29.

The summer weekend will again bring the Cup Series to Daytona’s high banks for one of the most anticipated races on the NASCAR calendar.

Daytona’s Focus First Turns to 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400

Before the Clash returns, Daytona has major business remaining in 2026.

The Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series return this weekend for their regular-season finales.

The Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola takes the green flag Friday, Aug. 28, followed by the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 29.

For Cup Series drivers still outside The Chase, Daytona represents the final opportunity to secure a postseason berth.

Reddick Chasing Rare Daytona Sweep

Reigning Daytona 500 champion Tyler Reddick enters Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 with an opportunity to make Daytona history.

Reddick captured his first Daytona 500 victory earlier this year, delivering 23XI Racing its first win in the Great American Race.

A victory Saturday would make Reddick only the sixth driver to win the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero Sugar 400 in the same season and the first to accomplish the feat since Jimmie Johnson in 2013.

Reddick has already secured his place in The Chase, but a Daytona sweep would add another milestone to a season in which he won five of the first nine races.

2027 Daytona NASCAR Schedule

Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth

• Feb. 13 — Wheatley Vodka Clash
• Feb. 17 — Daytona 500 Qualifying
• Feb. 18 — Duel at Daytona
• Feb. 19 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
• Feb. 20 — NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and ARCA Menards Series
• Feb. 21 — Daytona 500

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Weekend

• Aug. 28 — NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
• Aug. 29 — NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400

TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and his wife, Emily Mayfield, will host the fourth annual BE the Ball event Sunday, Aug. 30, at Topgolf Tampa, bringing professional athletes, sponsors and community supporters together to raise support for local children and families.

This year’s beneficiary is the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, which works to expand access to early childhood education and school-readiness programs throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Baker and Emily Mayfield will be available to members of the media before the event to discuss BE the Ball, the work of the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation and their support for the Early Learning Coalition.

Fourth Annual BE the Ball

BE the Ball combines friendly competition at Topgolf with the Mayfields’ philanthropic efforts in the Tampa Bay community.

Now in its fourth year, the event brings together athletes, sponsors and community supporters while directing attention and resources toward organizations serving children and families.

This year’s partnership with the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County puts early childhood education at the center of the event.

Who: Baker and Emily Mayfield
What: Media availability ahead of the fourth annual BE the Ball event
Date: Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026
Time: 1:15-1:30 p.m.
Location: Topgolf Tampa, third floor
Address: 10690 Palm River Road, Tampa, FL 33619
Beneficiary: Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County