NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Will Daytona See a 15th Different Winner of 2025?
160 laps around Daytona International Speedway are all that separate two lucky drivers from making the 2025 NASCAR Playoffs. Since the Coke Zero Sugar 400 was moved to the high-drama regular season finale, its delivered a new winner in three of five years. Is another breakthrough victory in the cards for 2025? Last year’s race alone saw one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR Playoff history, leaving out a champion. Here are a few masters of the draft who hope to add another trophy to their case Saturday night.
Austin Cindric
Considered by his competitors to be the best Next Gen superspeedway racer, Austin Cindric can never be counted out at Daytona. The Penske No. 2 Ford took home the checkers from Talladega in April. That win stands tall on Cindric’s career résumé, right alongside his 2022 Daytona 500 triumph. Cindric also led more laps than anyone else in this year’s season opening race. Driver 2 has laps led in six of eight Daytona starts, showing his superspeedway prowess. Cindric shared details on what makes his drafting craft so elite.
“Fast cars, man,” Cindric said. “I’d like to say it’s that simple and in a lot of ways it really is. Obviously, I feel like anybody who is driving a Ford Mustang has a great advantage when we go to these drafting style racetracks. Roush Yates and everybody does an awesome job at providing us a complete package for those races. Past that, it’s just study and observe and apply.”
“I give a lot of credit to my team as well as my spotter on the roof, Doug Campbell. We’ve been able to do a good job at executing those races and putting ourselves in position. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been crashed a multitude of times out of the lead, but that wouldn’t make me any special because there’s been a lot of people who have had that, too. I’m proud of the performance there, but it’s never a guaranteed result, that’s for sure.”
Entering Daytona with two top-fives and five top-10s on the year, many would be quick to overlook Cindric. With the Playoffs on the near horizon, however, a strong performance is exactly what this Ford team needs. The 2 rounded out a Team Penske 3-4-5 effort in Richmond last week, and looks to carry that momentum into Daytona. Cindric is tied with teammate Joey Logano as Daytona’s odds on favorite. Boasting laps led across all four 2025 drafting races is another feather in Cindric’s cap. If he makes it to Saturday’s closing laps, Cindric should not be glossed over chasing a second Daytona win.
Kyle Busch
Perhaps the sentimental favorite at Daytona hopes to give his team two-straight wins. Kyle Busch was within a half lap of winning this race last year, before Harrison Burton broke through. 12 months removed, Busch has seen similar struggles and heartache put him in another Daytona do-or-die scenario. Busch said the pressure’s no different this weekend but knows a lot is riding ahead.
“I think pressure is always high anyways,” Busch said. “Through the field, every position, doesn’t really matter, you know, they’ll crash for 10th-place for a finish. Just deal with what you can, and hopefully you’ve got a fast enough race car to be in front of the field and drive away.”
“We just know time is running out, but I don’t think the pressure is any greater. It’s just a matter of being able to get it done and right now is the best time, you know, so you can go try to prepare for a championship.”
“No, I’m not stressed out over it. I think that we go to each and every single weekend with the mindset to try to go out there and win, and, you know, we haven’t put ourselves in that position to be able to score a victory. So, you know, we need to. But I wouldn’t say that this weekend puts any added pressure on that.”
Busch is gearing up for his series-leading 41st Daytona start, with laps led in four of five races here in the RCR No. 8. Few have been as painfully close to multiple Next Gen Daytona victories and struck out as Busch. Teammate Austin Dillon also said after winning Richmond that his primary goal in Daytona will be to help the 8. Can the stars be aligning for Busch’s first Daytona win in over 17 years? Several circumstances will have to fall in Busch’s favor, but the 8 is always a threat on the high banks.
Bubba Wallace
How dangerous can a care-free Bubba Wallace be at Daytona? Already locked into postseason contention, Wallace only has momentum and confidence to gain from Daytona with no points on the line. This is a radical departure from years past in the regular season finale for team 23. The last two years alone have seen Wallace both rise and fall under immense pressure in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Still riding the high of winning Indianapolis, Wallace is pleased to see 23XI Racing putting results on the board.
“It’s just nice to see everybody vibing together,” Wallace said. “Putting everything that we’ve learned and worked on for months and months. Finally to see it all come to fruition has just been uplifting and it produces results.”
Despite still riding an 0-16 record at The World Center of Racing, Wallace has top-10s in two of his last three Daytona starts. The No. 23 also won a Duel race here in February, proving Wallace is as formidable as ever in the draft. Wallace may be tasked with playing teammate for either Tyler Reddick or Riley Herbst this weekend to lock them into the postseason. If that’s not the case late though, expect Wallace to be very aggressive in chasing down another checkered flag.
Chris Buescher
In this race just two years ago Chris Buescher secured his maiden drafting win, thanks to some teammate help. If Buescher wants any chance at putting RFK Racing’s No. 17 back into Playoff contention, he will have to repeat this feat. Daytona’s quietly turned into a great track for Buescher, with top-10s in four of the five Next Gen races. Facing a win or go home night, Buescher touched on the plusses and minuses of his position.
“Certainly not ideal in our situation,” Buescher said. “When you are close to that cut line – and that is mostly on us for not having a win before now. If we had been able to win a couple of races throughout the year to this point then you would say ‘I am sure it is exciting and it creates a little bit of extra drama there [at Daytona].’ But where we are at it just creates a last second opportunity for a very competitive car that is way up there in points. We have seen it, it could be a car buried in the 30s in points.”
“That’s the hard part when you talk about championship racing and putting your whole season together. When it comes down to that race, and how that can be that kicker that takes a year that you feel you were very consistent and fast and didn’t get the win when you needed to and it kicks you out of the Playoffs. It isn’t my favorite option but I do understand the excitement that it can bring and the drama to it. But, it is on us to win before now. I would like to be sitting on the other side of it saying: ‘it will be what it will be because we are locked in.’”
“With Daytona being the cut off right, you just can’t plan for that. It’s such an unknown and it’s gotten us before. You can’t pick out just a small group that could win that race. It’s really the field. So we got to be one of them. Got to go do what we can and keep after it. We’ve been close to winning a handful of these things and need to go capitalize.”
RFK Racing in particular has a very tough path ahead for Daytona. All three of their Fords are capable of winning this race, as shown two years ago with Buescher and Keselowski’s 1-2. Any teamwork may be at a detriment, however. They will all be racing against each other for one Playoff berth. While Keselowski was locked onto Buescher’s bumper in 2023, the same may not be the case this year. It will certainly be fascinating to see how this Blue Oval brigade manages this unfavorable Playoff scenario, and if anyone leaves the other out to dry. Buescher may just be the steady guiding light to deliver Jack Roush another shot at the championship.
Ryan Blaney
Maybe the closest active driver to the ‘Pied Piper of Daytona’ title is Ryan Blaney. 2021’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner has been lights out on the Florida track for over a decade. The Penske No. 12 is in the midst of a dogfight for second in regular season points. This is a testament to the banner summer months put together by the 2023 Cup-winning team.
“I think we’ve been executing really well and haven’t been making mistakes anywhere,” Blaney said. “Our cars have just been where they need to be. I’ve been really happy with the consistent finishes. I’m finishing in the area where I feel like we should. We haven’t really had that a lot this year. We’ve had a lot of unfortunate things happening, but we just waited it out and kept doing our job and this is definitely where this team should be and where they deserve. We’ll just try to keep it going and try to build momentum before we get to Darlington.”
Blaney has laps led in six of the last eight trips to Daytona, including 23 circuits out front in February. That run in the 500 ended a three-race streak of vicious crashes suffered by Blaney at Daytona. Should the 12 live to see the closing laps, few are as calculated and crafty in the draft as Blaney. With a wealth of bonus points on the line, Blaney has a lot to race for across Saturday’s 400 miles.
Brad Keselowski
Dating back to Charlotte in May, the summer turnaround for Brad Keselowski has been something to marvel. Can the late-season surge cap off in winning fashion with the 6 taking the Daytona checkers? Keselowski is the active superspeedway wins leader (seven) and one of the best to ever race in the draft.
Despite only one Daytona win to his name (July 2016), Keselowski is always a cunning force in Florida. If anyone other than Buescher was ahead of Keselowski in this race two years ago, he likely makes a last-lap move for the win rather than settle for second. BK also went onto cross the line eighth and sideways in this race 12 months ago.
Keselowski enters Daytona riding a 48-race losing drought. Only a win will put the 2012 Cup champion through to his 13th Playoff appearance. Driver 6 knows the art of the draft like few others throughout NASCAR history. Should he win on Saturday, it would go up there as arguably his most clutch performance yet.
Between Byron, Dillon, and Burton, some last-second winners have changed the course of many Playoff pictures at Daytona. The green flag flies in Florida Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 has the chance to see another Hail Mary drive end with the ultimate glory for one and unparalleled heartbreak for another.
Written by Peter Stratta
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