The
2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-ColaThe Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on the first Saturday night of July, usually around Independence Day weekend, at Daytona International Speedway. Starting in 2008, an agreement is in place for Coca-Cola to become the...
was the eighteenth race of the
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup seasonThe 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
, marking the official halfway point of the season. This race was held on July 5th of that year at
Daytona International SpeedwayDaytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home to the biggest and greatest race in all of NASCAR, "The Great American Race", the Daytona 500. Today the facility has a seating capacity of almost 168,000 spectators...
in
Daytona Beach, FloridaDaytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,421. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had a...
, and was the third race utilizing
restrictor plateA restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to limit top speed and thus increase safety, to provide equal level of...
s this season.
TNTNASCAR on TNT is the tagname for any NASCAR series race that has been broadcast on Turner Network Television by Turner Sports.-Prior to 2001:...
once again had "wide-open coverage" of this race (more on this subject can be found below), with air time at 6:30 PM
US EDTThe Eastern Time Zone of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America. Its time offset is −5 hrs GMT or UTC−5 during standard time and UTC−4 during daylight saving time...
, and
MRNThe Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
with
Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in the United States and Canada, owned by Sirius XM Radio. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and...
carried the radio broadcast beginning at 7:15 PM US EDT.
For the second consecutive year, TNT had what was billed as "Wide-Open Coverage" of this race, having first done this
a year agoThe 2007 Pepsi 400 was the 18th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season and held on July 7, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida....
.
The
2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-ColaThe Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on the first Saturday night of July, usually around Independence Day weekend, at Daytona International Speedway. Starting in 2008, an agreement is in place for Coca-Cola to become the...
was the eighteenth race of the
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup seasonThe 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
, marking the official halfway point of the season. This race was held on July 5th of that year at
Daytona International SpeedwayDaytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home to the biggest and greatest race in all of NASCAR, "The Great American Race", the Daytona 500. Today the facility has a seating capacity of almost 168,000 spectators...
in
Daytona Beach, FloridaDaytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,421. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had a...
, and was the third race utilizing
restrictor plateA restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to limit top speed and thus increase safety, to provide equal level of...
s this season.
TNTNASCAR on TNT is the tagname for any NASCAR series race that has been broadcast on Turner Network Television by Turner Sports.-Prior to 2001:...
once again had "wide-open coverage" of this race (more on this subject can be found below), with air time at 6:30 PM
US EDTThe Eastern Time Zone of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America. Its time offset is −5 hrs GMT or UTC−5 during standard time and UTC−4 during daylight saving time...
, and
MRNThe Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
with
Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in the United States and Canada, owned by Sirius XM Radio. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and...
carried the radio broadcast beginning at 7:15 PM US EDT.
TNT's "Wide-Open Coverage"
For the second consecutive year, TNT had what was billed as "Wide-Open Coverage" of this race, having first done this
a year agoThe 2007 Pepsi 400 was the 18th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season and held on July 7, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida....
. The race was shown on the top two-thirds of the screen in a 16:9 format, with statistics and other information below on the lower third of the screen. Additionally, commercials were shown in the lower right hand corner of the screen. The only times that there were breaks from the format was for local
cable TVCable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required...
operators as well as satellite services
DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
and
Dish NetworkDish Network Corporation is a direct broadcast satellite service provider that offers satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States. Dish Network services were launched in March 1996. Today, the company competes...
to insert ads twice an hour as is the standard in the industry.
Pre-Race news
- Dario Franchitti
George Dario Marino Franchitti is a Scottish racing driver of Italian descent. He formerly competed in the CART series before switching to the IndyCar Series where he was 2007 champion, and won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500...
is out of a ride and Chip Ganassi RacingChip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series and Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates...
's #40 car is out of the series. The DodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
team shut down July 1 due to a lack of permament sponsorship along with a lack of success in qualifying for races, even with Franchitti injured earlier in the season. Ganassi Racing fired some 70 employees who had been working on the car at the time of closure.
- The Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is a NASCAR team based in Concord, North Carolina, United States, owned by Dale Earnhardt's widow Teresa Earnhardt, Chip Ganassi, and Felix Sabates...
#1 car driven by Martin Truex, Jr. carried a promotion for the film Swing VoteSwing Vote is a 2008 dramedy film about an entire U.S. presidential election determined by the vote of one man. It was directed by Joshua Michael Stern and starred Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, George Lopez and Madeline Carroll...
and have the star of the movie Kevin CostnerKevin Michael Costner is an American actor, musician, producer, and director. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Oscars and a Golden Globe Award. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
(who also serves as the film's producer) as an honorary crew chief on the hood. However, the car in use was a backup car, as NASCAR impounded the primary car due to a rules violation on the roof in a pre-practice inspection. On July 8, Truex was docked 150 driver points, the team docked 150 owners points, and their crew chief slapped with the now seemingly mandatory $100,000 fine, six-week suspension and probation until December 31.
- Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch is an American race car driver. He drives the #18 Mars/Interstate Batteries/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the #18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the #51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota...
was one of a select handful of drivers who endorses Coke Zero, the race's new sponsor. Since he won the race, fans in the USA would get a free 20-ounce bottle of said drink in a promotion that ran for one week following the race by downloading a coupon from their website.
- David Reutimann
David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the #10 Beringer Vineyards/Camping World Toyota Camry for Braun Racing in the Nationwide Series...
tied the record for most consecutive Lucky Dog passes due to a pitting strategy that forced him to pit about 6 laps before the other leaders did. As soon as he pitted, a caution came out almost instantly. As a result, Reutimann finished 21st.
Qualifying
Paul MenardPaul Menard is a NASCAR driver currently competing in the Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #98 Menards Ford Fusion for Yates Racing in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, though the latter is part time. For 2010 he will continue to drive the #98 Menards Ford, but for Richard Petty...
won his first pole of his career in Sprint Cup racing, edging his teammate,
Mark MartinMark Anthony Martin is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver for Hendrick Motorsports and the #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet Impala SS. Mark is also a part-time driver in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. He has also qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup 4 years out of 6 during it's...
out for the honor.
Recap
The biggest news in the event was that
Tony StewartAnthony Wayne Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars, as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation." Tony currently owns...
dropped out during a caution in Lap 72 because of flu-like symptoms, and J.J. Yeley took his place in the #20 Home Depot Toyota. Yeley was on standby after he failed to qualify in the #96
Hall of Fame RacingHall of Fame Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing team principally owned by Jeff Moorad, Tom Garfinkel, and Tom Davin. The team currently operates as a subsidiary of Yates Racing, fielding the #96 Ask.com/Texas Instruments DLP HDTV/Academy Sports + Outdoors Ford Fusion for Erik Darnell and...
Toyota sponsored by
Texas InstrumentsTexas Instruments , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology. TI is the No. 4 manufacturer of semiconductors worldwide after Intel, Samsung and Toshiba, and is the top supplier...
DLPDigital Light Processing is a trademark owned by Texas Instruments, representing a technology used in projectors and video projectors. It was originally developed in 1987 by Dr...
.
Also making news was
David ReutimannDavid Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the #10 Beringer Vineyards/Camping World Toyota Camry for Braun Racing in the Nationwide Series...
, driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing #44 Toyota sponsored by
UPSUnited Parcel Service, Inc. , commonly referred to as UPS, is the world's largest package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the world...
, as he tied the record for most consecutive
lucky dogFor other uses, see Lucky dog The Lucky dog rule is a popular term for a rule in some motor racing leagues allowing the closest lapped driver to the front of the field to gain back a lap when a caution is called...
free passes in a race between the fourth and eighth of 11 cautions overall, as in each case his car was the first car one lap (or more) down, and as a result, finished 21st.
The tenth caution sent the race went to a
green-white-checker finishThe green-white-checker finish is a rule implemented into many levels of automobile racing in the United States. When the race would otherwise end during a yellow-flag caution condition , this rule gives the field an attempt to finish the race under a green-flag, racing condition...
with four laps remaining. In the first lap of "Checkers or Wreckers", second place driver
Jeff GordonJeffery Michael Gordon is a professional American race car driver. He was born in Vallejo, California, raised in Pittsboro, Indiana, and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina...
was bumped by
Carl EdwardsCarl Michael Edwards, II is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series driver for Roush Fenway Racing.In the Sprint Cup Series, Edwards Drives the #99 Aflac Ford Fusion...
, and spun onto the infield but the green flag stay aloft. However, the second "Big One" occurred on the white flag lap involving
Michael WaltripMichael Curtis Waltrip is a professional race car driver and co owner of Michael Waltrip Racing. He is the younger brother of Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR champion . Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 , and drives a self-owned #55 NAPA Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series...
,
Travis KvapilTravis Kvapil is an American race car driver. He most recently drove the #28 Ford Fusion for Yates Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
and Yeley amongst others, and when the yellow light was lit, Kyle Busch, who was as far down as 37th due to a steering wheel problem, was declared the winner over Edwards by 0.026 of a second.
| Top Ten Finishers |
| Place |
Car # |
Driver |
Car make |
Team |
| 1 |
18 |
Nevada Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch is an American race car driver. He drives the #18 Mars/Interstate Batteries/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the #18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the #51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota...
|
Toyota |
Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J.D. Gibbs, his son...
|
| 2 |
99 |
Missouri Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards, II is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series driver for Roush Fenway Racing.In the Sprint Cup Series, Edwards Drives the #99 Aflac Ford Fusion...
|
Ford The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
|
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 3 |
17 |
Wisconsin Matt KensethMatthew Roy Kenseth is an American stock car driver. Matt currently drives the #17 DeWalt Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing. He is currently the defending Daytona 500 champion, having won a rain-shortened race in 2009, the first Daytona 500 win for the Roush Fenway...
|
Ford |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 4 |
2 |
Nevada Kurt BuschKurt Thomas Busch is a professional American race car driver. He drives the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
|
DodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
|
Penske Racing Penske Championship Racing is a racing team that competes in the Indy Racing League, ALMS, and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, Formula One and CART. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
|
| 5 |
6 |
Georgia (U.S. state) David Ragan David Ragan is a stock car racer who drives for Roush Fenway Racing in the #6 UPS Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as well as the #6 Discount Tire Company Ford in the Nationwide Series, in which he was the 2007 Rookie of the Year...
|
Ford |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 6 |
7 |
California Robby Gordon Robert W. Gordon is an American racecar driver who currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, owning his #7 Toyota Camry, sponsored by Jim Beam and Menards, and also competes part-time in the Nationwide Series driving the #55 Toyota Camry...
|
Dodge |
Robby Gordon Motorsports Robby Gordon Motorsports is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. It fields the #7 Jim Beam/Menards Toyota Camry for Robby Gordon. It is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is owned by Gordon and heavily supported by John Menard, Jr....
|
| 7 |
9 |
Washington Kasey KahneKasey Kenneth Kahne is a race car driver full time in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series and part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. For the 2009 season, he drives the #9 Budweiser Dodge Charger for Richard Petty Motorsports with teammates Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson,...
|
Dodge |
Gillett Evernham Motorsports |
| 8 |
88 |
North Carolina Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is a professional American race car driver who drives the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet Impala SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series for Hendrick Motorsports, and drives in the Nationwide Series part-time for the #5 car for his own team, JR Motorsports...
|
ChevroletChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
|
Hendrick MotorsportsHendrick Motorsports is a stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team is principally owned by Rick Hendrick, but Jeff Gordon and Mary Hendrick are listed as the owners of the #48 and #5 respectively...
|
| 9 |
07 |
Kansas Clint BowyerClint Bowyer is an American NASCAR driver. He currently pilots the #33 General Mills/BB&T/The Hartford Chevrolet Impala SS in the Sprint Cup Series and the #29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet Impala SS in the Nationwide Series part-time, both for Richard Childress Racing...
|
Chevrolet |
Richard Childress RacingRCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina and is owned and operated by former driver now businessman Richard Childress...
|
| 10 |
8 |
Arkansas Mark MartinMark Anthony Martin is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver for Hendrick Motorsports and the #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet Impala SS. Mark is also a part-time driver in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. He has also qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup 4 years out of 6 during it's...
|
Chevrolet |
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is a NASCAR team based in Concord, North Carolina, United States, owned by Dale Earnhardt's widow Teresa Earnhardt, Chip Ganassi, and Felix Sabates...
|
NOTE:
Race extended two laps due to green-white-checker finish.
Failed to Qualify:
Scott RiggsRussell Scott Riggs is a NASCAR driver. Riggs is currently a free agent. He most recently drove the #36 Toyota Camry for Tommy Baldwin Racing in the Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
(#66) and J.J. Yeley (#96).
2009 Race
It was announced in August that next year's Coke Zero 400 would have the superstretch grandstand closed and tickets limited to the 110,000 seats all the way around the current seating configuration from outside Turn Four to Turn One as an economic measure.