Coke Zero Sugar 400
Daytona International Speedway — August 26, 2023
Chris Buescher
Winner
267
Laps
36
Entries
17
Leaders
Chris Buescher won the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 26, 2023, leading 2 of 267 laps. Brad Keselowski finished second; Aric Almirola rounded out the podium. The race featured 17 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Season
2023
Winner
Leaders
17 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | +19 | Chris Buescher |
| 2 | 19 | +17 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | 21 | +18 | Aric Almirola |
| 4 | 8 | +4 | Chase Elliott |
| 5 | 7 | +2 | Joey Logano |
| 6 | 16 | +10 | Alex Bowman |
| 7 | 5 | -2 | Kyle Busch |
| 8 | 14 | +6 | William Byron |
| 9 | 22 | +13 | Kevin Harvick |
| 10 | 24 | +14 | Corey LaJoie |
| 11 | 37 | +26 | Ty Dillon |
| 12 | 4 | -8 | Bubba Wallace |
| 13 | 13 | — | Michael McDowell |
| 14 | 33 | +19 | Austin Hill |
| 15 | — | — | Chandler Smith |
| 16 | 2 | -14 | Christopher Bell |
| 17 | 12 | -5 | Ross Chastain |
| 18 | 23 | +5 | Erik Jones |
| 19 | — | — | J.J. Yeley |
| 20 | 3 | -17 | Daniel Suarez |
| 21 | — | — | Chris Buescher |
| 22 | — | — | Michael McDowell |
| 23 | — | — | Justin Haley |
| 24 | 11 | -13 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 25 | — | — | Todd Gilliland |
| 26 | 9 | -17 | Denny Hamlin |
| 27 | — | — | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 28 | 31 | +3 | Harrison Burton |
| 29 | 6 | -23 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 30 | 30 | — | Chase Briscoe |
| 31 | — | — | Ross Chastain |
| 32 | — | — | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 33 | — | — | J.J. Yeley |
| 34 | 27 | -7 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 35 | — | — | Josh Bilicki |
| 36 | 17 | -19 | Ryan Blaney |
* Laps led data may be incomplete for this race.
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | 5 | 2 | — | 15 |
| Chase Elliott | 7 | 1 | — | 14 |
| Bubba Wallace | 2 | 7 | — | 13 |
| Ross Chastain | 3 | 6 | — | 13 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 4 | 8 | — | 10 |
| Denny Hamlin | 12 | 3 | — | 8 |
| Daniel Suarez | 6 | 17 | — | 5 |
| Kyle Busch | 8 | 10 | — | 4 |
| Michael McDowell | 16 | 9 | — | 2 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 10 | 12 | — | 1 |
| Chandler Smith | — | — | — | — |
| J.J. Yeley | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Buescher | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Justin Haley | — | — | — | — |
| Todd Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| John Hunter Nemechek | — | — | — | — |
| J.J. Yeley | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Bilicki | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 27 matched drivers, the model averaged 7.9 positions off — better than the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 13.6 | 1 | +12.6 |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | 16.0 | 2 | +14.0 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 10.4 | 4 | +6.4 |
| 5 | Joey Logano | 20.5 | 5 | +15.5 |
| 6 | Alex Bowman | 15.1 | 6 | +9.1 |
| 7 | Kyle Busch | 15.1 | 7 | +8.1 |
| 8 | William Byron | 13.9 | 8 | +5.9 |
| 10 | Corey LaJoie | 23.3 | 10 | +13.3 |
| 11 | Ty Dillon | 21.1 | 11 | +10.1 |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 16.0 | 12 | +4.0 |
| 13 | Michael McDowell | 20.0 | 13 | +7.0 |
| 14 | Austin Hill | 24.0 | 14 | +10.0 |
| 16 | Christopher Bell | 17.4 | 16 | +1.4 |
| 17 | Ross Chastain | 17.4 | 17 | +0.4 |
| 18 | Erik Jones | 18.5 | 18 | +0.5 |
| 19 | J.J. Yeley | 25.2 | 19 | +6.2 |
| 20 | Daniel Suarez | 15.1 | 20 | -4.9 |
| 23 | Justin Haley | 23.4 | 23 | +0.4 |
| 24 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 20.1 | 24 | -3.9 |
| 25 | Todd Gilliland | 22.9 | 25 | -2.1 |
(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
- Chris Buescher: has 25 career starts at Daytona International Speedway with a 16.2 avg finish (1 win) — 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 P4 on the day.
- Joey Logano: was the biggest surprise, finishing P5 vs predicted P21. Track history: 44 starts, 15.5 avg finish.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400?
Chris Buescher won the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway driving for RFK Racing.
Where was the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 held?
The 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was held at Daytona International Speedway on August 26, 2023.