Coke Zero Sugar 400 Picks, Odds & Predictions 8/28/2021

by Josh Schonwald - 8/27/2021

nascar picks Austin Dillon predictions best bet odds

Coke Zero Sugar 400

Saturday, August 28, 2021

7:00 PM EST

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, FL

NBC

With the NASCAR Playoffs a week away, we have one more race before they wrap up the regular season. NASCAR will be returning to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. While the 15 drivers who have locked up a playoff spot are trying to add an illustrious win at Daytona to their resume, there are many drivers looking for the win to get them into the playoffs. As we sit, Tyler Reddick is the owner of the final playoff spot and he has a 25-point lead over Austin Dillon. That said, any driver that gets their first win of the season outside of Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, will knock knock Tyler Reddick out of that final playoff spot.

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There is a lot riding on this last regular season race and you can bet that drivers will be getting after it on Saturday night. This is shaping up to be a really exciting race!

FireKeepers Casino 400 Results

In Stage 1 of the FireKeepers Casino 400, Kyle Larson led the field into green. Kyle Busch hit his teammate, Martin Truex Jr, early on and this took Truex from the fifth spot, all the way to the 30's. On lap 20, the competition caution came out because there is still no qualifying or practice. To ensure he got the lead, Denny Hamlin only took fuel on the stop and ended up getting out first. However, Chase Elliott didn't take long to get the lead from Hamlin. The second caution of the day was brought out when Joey Gase hit a wall. On the restart, Austin Dillon battled Elliott hard to get some much needed stage points, but wasn't able to over take him as Elliott took Stage 1.

Stage 2 started and Kurt Busch would be pushed all the way back to the 20th spot as he battled Matt DiBenedetto for position. Kyle Larson had the lead until Chase Elliott came back and overtook his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. The two would draft off each other and get some separation from the rest of the field. Kyle Busch made a strategic move in only taking two tires and took the lead after the green flag stops went through their cycle. This was also the stage in which Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski made contact with each other, sending Dillon into the wall and ending his day. It puts a lot of pressure on Austin Dillon this weekend. All that said, Kyle Busch ended up winning the second stage.

Kyle Larson would once again lead the field to green. Larson and William Byron would help each other by drafting and getting a little distance from everyone else. The rest of the field would start to catch up when Byron started the green flag pits. Larson would lose his lead when he ran out of gas, which led him to pit. Denny Hamlin would take over as the leader, but would hold it for long as Byron came storming back to take the lead. After a rain caution, Byron and Ryan Blaney were at the front for the restart. Blaney would battle and eventually win this race.

NASCAR Cup Standings

Heading into the final race of the regular season, all but one spot have been claimed for the playoffs. Kyle Larson leads the NASCAR Playoff standings over Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, William Byron and Chase Elliott. There is one spot to fill and you better believe there will be a battle for it.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Odds

Denny Hamlin - +750
Kyle Larson - +1100
Chase Elliott - +1200
Joey Logano - +1200
Ryan Blaney - +1200
William Byron - +1200
Austin Dillon - +1400
Brad Keselowski - +1600
Kyle Busch - +1600
Alex Bowman - +1800
Aric Almirola - +2000
Christopher Bell - +2000
Kevin Harvick - +2000
Matt DiBenedetto - +2200
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - +2200
Bubba Wallace - +2500
Martin Truex Jr. - +2500
Kurt Busch - +2800
Ryan Newman - +3000
Tyler Reddick - +3000

While Austin Dillon is in dire need of a win, we just think there is too much pressure and too many good drivers ahead of him. However, this is a race that anyone can win. There have been a lot of long-shot winners on this track, but today isn't the day.

Josh's Pick: Take Kyle Larson (+1100)

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Coke Zero Sugar 400 Picks, Odds & Predictions 8/28/2021

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