O'Reilly Series Preview Friday, August 28, 2026

Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola

Daytona International Speedway

Laps 100 Distance 250 mi Type superspeedway Coverage CW · 7:30 PM ET

2.5

asphalt

Surface

Green Flag In

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Pre-Race Race Day Post-Race

The Hook

Your watchlist, historical context, and race-week curiosities.

Your Drivers' Outlook

Historical Context

Chase Elliott has 32 starts at Daytona International Speedway with 2 wins and a 17.2 average finish.
Ryan Blaney has 26 starts at Daytona International Speedway with 2 wins and a 16.5 average finish.
Chris Buescher has 25 starts at Daytona International Speedway with 1 win and a 16.8 average finish.

Based on O'Reilly Series results at Daytona International Speedway from 1982-2026.

The Story

The narrative arc, drivers to watch, and race-weekend color.

The Data

Schedule, predictions, entry list, track history, fantasy, and betting angles.

TV & Start Time

What channel is the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola on?

The Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola airs on CW on Friday, August 28, 2026 at 7:30 PM ET, broadcast from Daytona International Speedway. All 2026 NASCAR Xfinity (O'Reilly Auto Parts) Series races air exclusively on The CW, which is free over-the-air with a digital antenna.

What time does the NASCAR Xfinity race start today?

The Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola green flag is set for 7:30 PM ET on Friday, August 28, 2026, airing on CW. All NASCAR start times are listed in Eastern Time.

NR-Rating Track Rankings

#	Driver	Badge	Elo Rating	Starts	Wins	Last Finish
1	Chase Elliott		1519	21	0	P4(2026)
2	Chris Buescher	Prev Winner	1498	21	1	P7(2026)
3	Ryan Blaney	Prev Winner	1497	22	2	P27(2026)
4	Kyle Busch		1496	28	0	P15(2026)
5	Tyler Reddick	Prev Winner	1496	14	1	P1(2026)
6	Daniel Suarez		1495	18	0	P13(2026)
7	William Byron	Prev Winner	1494	17	3	P12(2026)
8	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Prev Winner	1491	28	2	P2(2026)
9	Erik Jones	Prev Winner	1486	19	1	P21(2026)
10	Christopher Bell		1485	13	0	P35(2026)

NR-Rating: Elo-based rating from the NR-Rating prediction model. Higher = stronger at this track type. = Previous winner at this track

NR-Rating Predictions

Last updated: Sun, Aug 16, 2026, 07:09 AM ET

#	Driver	Tier	Exp. Finish	Win %	Top 5 %	Top 10 %
1	Chase Elliott Best in Field	Favorite	13.6	11.2%	39.9%	56.7%
2	Ryan Blaney	Favorite	10.4	11.0%	40.0%	57.2%
3	Chris Buescher	Favorite	13.6	10.4%	38.7%	55.9%
4	Tyler Reddick	Favorite	13.9	9.9%	37.8%	54.8%
5	William Byron	Favorite	13.9	8.9%	35.2%	51.4%
6	Christopher Bell	Favorite	15.1	7.8%	33.8%	51.3%
7	Daniel Suarez	Contender	15.1	7.2%	32.7%	49.6%
8	Denny Hamlin	Contender	15.1	6.6%	32.0%	49.8%
9	Ross Chastain	Contender	16.0	5.3%	27.3%	45.5%
10	Erik Jones	Contender	16.0	4.8%	25.2%	44.5%
11	Bubba Wallace	Contender	16.9	4.1%	23.1%	41.9%
12	Alex Bowman	Contender	17.4	3.9%	21.4%	40.1%
13	Carson Hocevar	Contender	17.4	3.3%	19.0%	37.8%
14	Joey Logano	Contender	18.5	3.2%	16.1%	33.7%
15	Brad Keselowski	Mid-Pack	18.5	3.0%	17.3%	35.1%
16	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Mid-Pack	18.5	3.0%	17.7%	36.3%
17	Austin Cindric	Mid-Pack	19.4	3.0%	15.2%	30.8%
18	Ty Gibbs	Mid-Pack	18.9	2.8%	15.8%	33.1%
19	Michael McDowell	Mid-Pack	19.2	2.7%	15.5%	32.2%
20	Casey Mears	Mid-Pack	20.0	2.4%	13.8%	29.5%
21	Jimmie Johnson	Mid-Pack	20.0	2.3%	13.3%	29.3%
22	Kyle Larson	Mid-Pack	20.1	1.6%	11.3%	26.5%
23	Chase Briscoe	Mid-Pack	20.5	1.3%	10.2%	26.5%
24	John Hunter Nemechek	Mid-Pack	20.5	1.1%	9.0%	25.3%
25	Austin Dillon	Mid-Pack	21.1	1.0%	6.9%	20.3%
26	Ty Dillon	Mid-Pack	22.9	0.9%	5.8%	17.8%
27	A.J. Allmendinger	Dark Horse	22.9	0.9%	5.2%	16.7%
28	Kevin Magnussen	Dark Horse	22.8	0.9%	5.8%	18.3%
29	Katherine Legge	Dark Horse	22.8	0.9%	5.8%	18.3%
30	Ryan Preece	Dark Horse	21.1	0.9%	8.2%	22.7%
31	Todd Gilliland	Dark Horse	22.9	0.8%	4.9%	15.8%
32	Cole Custer	Dark Horse	22.9	0.6%	4.7%	15.7%
33	Zane Smith	Dark Horse	23.4	0.6%	4.6%	15.3%
34	Shane van Gisbergen	Dark Horse	23.4	0.6%	4.6%	15.3%
35	Connor Zilisch	Dark Horse	23.4	0.5%	5.0%	14.8%
36	Riley Herbst	Dark Horse	24.0	0.4%	3.8%	12.2%
37	Noah Gragson	Dark Horse	25.2	0.4%	2.6%	9.5%
38	Cody Ware	Dark Horse	25.5	0.3%	2.1%	7.8%
39	Josh Berry	Dark Horse	24.0	0.3%	3.3%	10.7%
40	B.J. McLeod	Dark Horse	25.5	0.3%	2.2%	7.5%

Win probabilities reflect full-field Monte Carlo simulations. A 10% pWin means roughly 1-in-10 chance of winning, higher than most bettors realize for a 36-car field where the average driver has ~2.8% odds. Top 5 and Top 10 percentages similarly reflect simulated outcomes, not historical averages. Learn how the model works.

Predictions powered by NR-Rating model (MAE: 8.5 positions)

Prediction Scorecard

Anduril 250: Model picked Chase Elliott at P1 → Actual P12

(1/5 top-5 hits)

37% top-5 hit rate across 13 races

History at Daytona International Speedway

O'Reilly Series data from 1982-2026 (27 races)

Recent Results

Year	Race	Winner	Margin	Team	Laps Led
2026	United Rentals 300	Austin Hill	0.081s	Richard Childress Racing	78
2025	NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona	Connor Zilisch	—		12
2025	NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona	Jesse Love	—		30
2024	NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona	Ryan Truex	—		28
2023	NASCAR Xfinity Series at Daytona	Justin Allgaier	—		14

Laps Led Leaders

Driver	Total Laps Led
Austin Hill	258
Justin Allgaier	142
Kyle Larson	113
Ross Chastain	76
Jesse Love	71

Track Type Tendencies

superspeedway

Superspeedway races at Daytona International Speedway are defined by pack racing and drafting. Results are less predictable than any other track type; the field stays tight and late-race wrecks reshape the outcome.

Manufacturer strategy and drafting alliances matter as much as raw speed. Longshot winners are more common here than anywhere on the schedule.

Fantasy

Dominator Plays

Austin Hill 258 laps led

Justin Allgaier 142 laps led

Kyle Larson 113 laps led

High laps-led totals at this track

Consistency Plays

Kasey Kahne 6.50 avg

Jesse Love 8.75 avg

Austin Dillon 10.80 avg

50%+ top-5 rate at this track

Value Picks

Carson Kvapil 7.00 avg, 0 wins

Jordan Anderson 8.00 avg, 0 wins

Ty Gibbs 9.00 avg, 0 wins

Strong avg finish but no wins: lower ownership

Explore More

Track History