Coke Zero Sugar 400
Daytona International Speedway — August 28, 2021
Ryan Blaney
Winner
171
Laps
40
Entries
15
Leaders
Ryan Blaney won the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 28, 2021, leading 7 of 171 laps. Bubba Wallace finished second; Ryan Newman rounded out the podium. The race featured 15 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Saturday, August 28, 2021
Season
2021
Winner
Leaders
15 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | +5 | Ryan Blaney |
| 2 | 15 | +13 | Bubba Wallace |
| 3 | 24 | +21 | Ryan Newman |
| 4 | 31 | +27 | Ryan Preece |
| 5 | 29 | +24 | Tyler Reddick |
| 6 | 38 | +32 | Justin Haley |
| 7 | 12 | +5 | Alex Bowman |
| 8 | 8 | — | Chase Elliott |
| 9 | — | — | B.J. McLeod |
| 10 | 37 | +27 | Josh Bilicki |
| 11 | 17 | +6 | Erik Jones |
| 12 | 13 | +1 | Kurt Busch |
| 13 | 1 | -12 | Denny Hamlin |
| 14 | 21 | +7 | Aric Almirola |
| 15 | 7 | -8 | Kevin Harvick |
| 16 | 26 | +10 | Corey LaJoie |
| 17 | 14 | -3 | Austin Dillon |
| 18 | 27 | +9 | Ross Chastain |
| 19 | 25 | +6 | Daniel Suarez |
| 20 | 10 | -10 | Kyle Larson |
| 21 | — | — | Ryan Preece |
| 22 | — | — | Tyler Reddick |
| 23 | 3 | -20 | Joey Logano |
| 24 | — | — | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 25 | — | — | Corey LaJoie |
| 26 | — | — | Aric Almirola |
| 27 | — | — | Ryan Newman |
| 28 | — | — | Kyle Busch |
| 29 | 5 | -24 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 30 | — | — | B.J. McLeod |
| 31 | — | — | Cody Ware |
| 32 | 4 | -28 | Christopher Bell |
| 33 | — | — | Josh Bilicki |
| 34 | 9 | -25 | Kyle Busch |
| 35 | — | — | Quin Houff |
| 36 | — | — | Ryan Ellis |
| 37 | 11 | -26 | William Byron |
| 38 | — | — | Anthony Alfredo |
| 39 | — | — | Justin Haley |
| 40 | 16 | -24 | Chris Buescher |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | 1 | 2 | — | 19 |
| Ryan Blaney | 3 | 4 | — | 15 |
| Kyle Busch | 7 | 1 | — | 14 |
| Joey Logano | 5 | 5 | — | 12 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 4 | 8 | — | 10 |
| Kevin Harvick | 10 | 3 | — | 9 |
| Kurt Busch | 6 | 20 | — | 5 |
| Kyle Larson | 11 | 6 | — | 5 |
| William Byron | 8 | 10 | — | 4 |
| Alex Bowman | 14 | 9 | — | 2 |
| B.J. McLeod | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Preece | — | — | — | — |
| Tyler Reddick | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Corey LaJoie | — | — | — | — |
| Aric Almirola | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Newman | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Busch | — | — | — | — |
| B.J. McLeod | — | — | — | — |
| Cody Ware | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Bilicki | — | — | — | — |
| Quin Houff | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Ellis | — | — | — | — |
| Anthony Alfredo | — | — | — | — |
| Justin Haley | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 25 matched drivers, the model averaged 10.2 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Blaney | 13.9 | 1 | +12.9 |
| 2 | Bubba Wallace | 16.0 | 2 | +14.0 |
| 4 | Ryan Preece | 21.1 | 4 | +17.1 |
| 5 | Tyler Reddick | 13.6 | 5 | +8.6 |
| 6 | Justin Haley | 23.4 | 6 | +17.4 |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | 15.1 | 7 | +8.1 |
| 8 | Chase Elliott | 10.4 | 8 | +2.4 |
| 9 | B.J. McLeod | 25.5 | 9 | +16.5 |
| 10 | Josh Bilicki | 25.5 | 10 | +15.5 |
| 11 | Erik Jones | 18.5 | 11 | +7.5 |
| 13 | Denny Hamlin | 16.0 | 13 | +3.0 |
| 16 | Corey LaJoie | 23.3 | 16 | +7.3 |
| 17 | Austin Dillon | 23.4 | 17 | +6.4 |
| 18 | Ross Chastain | 17.4 | 18 | -0.6 |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | 15.1 | 19 | -3.9 |
| 20 | Kyle Larson | 18.5 | 20 | -1.5 |
| 23 | Joey Logano | 20.5 | 23 | -2.5 |
| 24 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 18.5 | 24 | -5.5 |
| 28 | Kyle Busch | 15.1 | 28 | -12.9 |
| 29 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 20.1 | 29 | -8.9 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Ryan Blaney: has 24 career starts at Daytona International Speedway with a 15.2 avg finish (2 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Chase Elliott: was the model’s top pick based on 30 career starts at Daytona International Speedway with a 15.9 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P8 on the day.
- Justin Haley: was the biggest surprise, finishing P6 vs predicted P23. Track history: 24 starts, 16.5 avg finish.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400?
Ryan Blaney won the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway driving for Team Penske.
Where was the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 held?
The 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was held at Daytona International Speedway on August 28, 2021.