TAMPA, Fla. — The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona is this Saturday night, marking the final race of the NASCAR regular season before the Cup Series playoffs begin.
Five drivers are battling for three remaining spots in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoff field, with the rest either already locked in or facing a steep uphill battle to make the postseason.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. falls into the latter category, but he knows what it feels like to be on the bubble.
"Those guys around the cutoff line and going to be on pins and needles the whole race. I wish I was in their spot, I want to make the Chase. That's a nerve-racking position to be in," Stenhouse said.
Stenhouse has 4 Cup Series wins at superspeedway tracks, including the 2023 Daytona 500. He described what it takes to win at tracks like Daytona.
"It takes a good-handling race car, a driver that knows how to draft, how to lead, what lanes to block. It also takes a fantastic strategy and being a little lucky," Stenhouse said.
Adding another layer of complexity to Saturday's race, NASCAR is rolling out a unique aerodynamic and engineering package specifically for this event. Daytona Speedway President Frank Kelleher explained the change.
"The rear spoiler is going to go from seven inches to four inches, which ultimately means it's going to make the car faster. It's going to give the driver an opportunity to get out of the pack and make a run on their own. It's really what the fans want and its what the drivers want. They don't want to be stuck behind the car in front of them. They want an opportunity to get a run and challenge for the lead," Kelleher said.
Teams will have to adapt to the new package with virtually no preparation time. Stenhouse noted the challenge.
"We're not going to have any practice until we go out and run a qualifying lap and then we start the race. Theoretically, taking three inches of spoiler away, that's going to change and effect the race car a lot," Stenhouse said.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be run under the lights Saturday night at Daytona.
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