2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Betting Preview/Prop Play
27 August 2021
The next NASCAR event takes place in Florida at the famous Daytona International Speedway. Many drivers have competed countless times and have respectable results.
With the last race of the season, many drivers have their place in the Cul Series rankings. However, there is an opportunity for a few to get a last chance for the playoffs.
Race Details
Date: Sat, Aug 28, 6:00 PM
Watch on: NBC
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Betting Overview
With this being the last race of the season, you never know what to expect. Some drivers still need a win to secure a spot in the playoffs, so this is a potential scenario. It looks like we are in for another close and exciting race!
On top of that, this race has a history of having g extra laps needed for overtime. The race is at 160 laps, but the last six races have all needed extra time.
Head to Head Matchup to Watch
Kyle Larson (138.870) and Denny Hamlin (148.250) make a unique duo to watch. Larson, who surprisingly is not the favorite, will still make for a competitive race.
Hamlin has not had great success lately; maybe a slump is a good word for it. However, he has great success driving at this track specifically and is second in the Cup Series rankings.
Dunkel Index For This Event
The Dunkel Index is showing these top 10 drivers that could win this event. The following ten are:
1 Kyle Larson 138.870
2 Chase Elliott 139.929
3 Ryan Blaney 141.910
4 Kyle Busch 142.262
5 Martin Truex Jr 143.122
6 Kurt Busch 143.490
7 Aric Almirola 146.440
8 Kevin Harvick 147.219
9 Denny Hamlin 148.250
10 Matt DiBenedetto 148.463
*index is subject to changes
Drivers That Could Win
Denny Hamlin (148.250) makes a great case to win here, even with his slump over recent races. He has, however, been successful at winning the Daytona 500 in three out of the last six times.
In addition, he has won the most recent two of three. He has never won this specific race, though, but he arguably has the best experience driving here with past success.
Aric Almirola (146.440) is somewhat of a wild card here and a potential value bet. His first-ever Cup Series victory came at this race back in 2014.
Almirola has had past success at this track that could lead to another solid finish. He placed fourth in the Daytona 500 in 2017, finished 11th in 2018, and had a seventh-place finish in 2019.
Potential Winning Pick
Chase Elliott (139.929) was a runner-up in this race last year. In addition, he was a runner-up in this year’s Daytona 500, which is also held here.
Elliot also happens to be on a solid driving streak and is fifth in the Cup Series rankings. Look for him to succeed against top drivers like Larson, who have not won here.
Prop Play
Top 5 Finish: Kyle Larson (+130)
Larson will start Saturday’s race where he’s finished many times this season – first. The six-time winner this season came up just short last week at Michigan.
Still the third-place finish kept him ahead of Denny Hamlin in the Cup Series standings and he’s in position to clinch the regular season championship and pick up an additional 15 Cup Playoff points with a strong run Daytona.
History hasn’t been kind to him at Daytona as he has only five Top 10 finishes in 14 starts at the track with a sixth-place finish being his best. But Larson hasn’t had a season like this before either.
Rated No. 1 in this week’s Dunkel Index, we’ll bank on Larson (+130) to stay in the groove and finish in the Top 5.
Keep up with your latest NASCAR news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
