| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 36 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 2008 Coke Zero 400 program cover, featuring the 2007 Coke Zero 400 finish | |||
| Date | July 5, 2008 (2008-07-05) | ||
| Official name | Coke Zero 400 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.5 miles (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 162 laps, 405 mi (651.784 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching as low as 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 138.554 miles per hour (222.981 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||
| Time | 48.409 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 51 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Turner Network Television | ||
| Announcers | Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Kyle Petty | ||
The 2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola was the eighteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, marking the official halfway point of the season.
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[2] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[3] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[3]
Summary
This race was held on July 5 of that year at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and was the third race utilizing restrictor plates this season. TNT's air time began at 6:30 PM EDT, and MRN with Sirius Satellite Radio carried the radio broadcast beginning at 7:15 PM US EDT.
Pre-Race news
- Dario Franchitti is out of a ride and Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 car is out of the series. The Dodge team shut down July 1 due to a lack of permanent sponsorship along with a lack of success in qualifying for races, even with Franchitti injured earlier in the season. Ganassi Racing fired some 70 employees who had been working on the car at the time of closure.
- The Dale Earnhardt, Inc. #1 car driven by Truex was a backup car, as NASCAR impounded the primary car due to a rules violation on the roof in a pre-practice inspection. On July 8, Martin Truex Jr. was docked 150 driver points, the team docked 150 owners points, and their crew chief slapped with the now seemingly mandatory $100,000 fine, six-week suspension and probation until December 31.
- David Reutimann tied the record for most consecutive Lucky Dog passes due to a pitting strategy that forced him to pit about 6 laps before the other leaders did. As soon as he pitted, a caution came out almost instantly. As a result, Reutimann finished 21st.
Qualifying
Paul Menard won his first pole of his career in Sprint Cup racing, edging his teammate, Mark Martin out for the honor.
| RANK[4] | DRIVER | NBR | CAR | TIME | SPEED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Menard | 15 | Chevrolet | 48.409 | 185.916 | |
| 2 | Mark Martin | 8 | Chevrolet | 48.421 | 185.870 | |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 88 | Chevrolet | 48.534 | 185.437 | |
| 4 | Joe Nemechek | 78 | Chevrolet | 48.573 | 185.288 | * |
| 5 | Johnny Sauter | 70 | Chevrolet | 48.583 | 185.250 | * |
| 6 | David Ragan | 6 | Ford | 48.584 | 185.246 | |
| 7 | Boris Said | 60 | Ford | 48.601 | 185.181 | * |
| 8 | Regan Smith | 01 | Chevrolet | 48.655 | 184.976 | |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Toyota | 48.694 | 184.828 | |
| 10 | Patrick Carpentier | 10 | Dodge | 48.734 | 184.676 | * |
| 11 | Travis Kvapil | 28 | Ford | 48.735 | 184.672 | |
| 12 | Dave Blaney | 22 | Toyota | 48.740 | 184.653 | |
| 13 | A. J. Allmendinger | 84 | Toyota | 48.744 | 184.638 | * |
| 14 | Kevin Harvick | 29 | Chevrolet | 48.772 | 184.532 | |
| 15 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Toyota | 48.773 | 184.528 | |
| 16 | Casey Mears | 5 | Chevrolet | 48.784 | 184.487 | |
| 17 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Toyota | 48.788 | 184.472 | |
| 18 | Sterling Marlin | 09 | Chevrolet | 48.791 | 184.460 | * |
| 19 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Ford | 48.799 | 184.430 | |
| 20 | Bobby Labonte | 43 | Dodge | 48.810 | 184.388 | |
| 21 | Michael McDowell | 00 | Toyota | 48.817 | 184.362 | |
| 22 | Jon Wood | 21 | Ford | 48.817 | 184.362 | * |
| 23 | Scott Riggs | 66 | Chevrolet | 48.842 | 184.268 | * |
| 24 | Jeff Burton | 31 | Chevrolet | 48.857 | 184.211 | |
| 25 | Carl Edwards | 99 | Ford | 48.869 | 184.166 | |
| 26 | Clint Bowyer | 07 | Chevrolet | 48.869 | 184.166 | |
| 27 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet | 48.889 | 184.090 | |
| 28 | David Gilliland | 38 | Ford | 48.891 | 184.083 | |
| 29 | J. J. Yeley | 96 | Toyota | 48.892 | 184.079 | * |
| 30 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | 48.900 | 184.049 | |
| 31 | Michael Waltrip | 55 | Toyota | 48.921 | 183.970 | |
| 32 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet | 48.961 | 183.820 | |
| 33 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 42 | Dodge | 48.964 | 183.809 | |
| 34 | Ryan Newman | 12 | Dodge | 48.977 | 183.760 | |
| 35 | Greg Biffle | 16 | Ford | 48.983 | 183.737 | |
| 36 | David Reutimann | 44 | Toyota | 49.013 | 183.625 | |
| 37 | Martin Truex Jr. | 1 | Chevrolet | 49.023 | 183.587 | |
| 38 | Kurt Busch | 2 | Dodge | 49.035 | 183.542 | |
| 39 | Robby Gordon | 7 | Dodge | 49.062 | 183.441 | |
| 40 | Elliott Sadler | 19 | Dodge | 49.085 | 183.355 | |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | 41 | Dodge | 49.098 | 183.307 | |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | 26 | Ford | 49.111 | 183.258 | |
| 43 | Terry Labonte | 45 | Dodge | 49.127 | 183.199 | PC |
| 44 | Kasey Kahne | 9 | Dodge | 49.269 | 182.671 | OP |
| 45 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 77 | Dodge | 49.523 | 181.734 | OP |
OP: qualified via owners points
PC: qualified as past champion
PR: provisional
QR: via qualifying race
* - had to qualify on time
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: Scott Riggs (#66), J. J. Yeley (#96), Dario Franchitti (#40-WD)
Race recap
The biggest news in the event was that Tony Stewart dropped out during a caution in Lap 72 because of flu-like symptoms, and J. J. Yeley took his place in the #20 Toyota. Yeley was on standby after he failed to qualify in the #96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota.
Also making news was David Reutimann, driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing #44 Toyota, as he tied the record for most consecutive lucky dog free passes in a race between the fourth and eighth of 11 cautions overall, as in each case his car was the first car one lap (or more) down, and as a result, finished 21st.
The tenth caution sent the race went to a green–white–checkered finish with four laps remaining. In the first lap of "Checkers or Wreckers", second place driver Jeff Gordon was bumped by Carl Edwards, and spun onto the infield but the green flag stay aloft. However, the second "Big One" occurred on the white flag lap involving Michael Waltrip, Travis Kvapil and Yeley amongst others, and when the yellow light was lit, Kyle Busch, who was as far down as 37th due to a steering wheel problem, was declared the winner over Edwards by 0.026 of a second.
Results
| POS[4] | ST | # | DRIVER | OWNER | CAR | LAPS | STATUS | LED | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs | Toyota | 162 | running | 31 | 190 |
| 2 | 24 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Jack Roush | Ford | 162 | running | 1 | 175 |
| 3 | 19 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Jack Roush | Ford | 162 | running | 0 | 165 |
| 4 | 36 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Roger Penske | Dodge | 162 | running | 0 | 160 |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | David Ragan | Jack Roush | Ford | 162 | running | 0 | 155 |
| 6 | 37 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon | Dodge | 162 | running | 1 | 155 |
| 7 | 41 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 162 | running | 0 | 146 |
| 8 | 3 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 51 | 152 |
| 9 | 25 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 0 | 138 |
| 10 | 2 | 8 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 0 | 134 |
| 11 | 28 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Dietrich Mateschitz | Toyota | 162 | running | 0 | 130 |
| 12 | 14 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 0 | 127 |
| 13 | 20 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 162 | running | 0 | 124 |
| 14 | 10 | 10 | Patrick Carpentier | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 162 | running | 0 | 121 |
| 15 | 1 | 15 | Paul Menard | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 19 | 123 |
| 16 | 43 | 45 | Terry Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 162 | running | 0 | 115 |
| 17 | 35 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 0 | -38 |
| 18 | 4 | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Barney Visser | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 0 | 109 |
| 19 | 12 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis | Toyota | 162 | running | 0 | 106 |
| 20 | 17 | 20 | Tony Stewart[a] | Joe Gibbs | Toyota | 162 | running | 0 | 103 |
| 21 | 34 | 44 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | 162 | running | 0 | 100 |
| 22 | 39 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi | Dodge | 162 | running | 0 | 97 |
| 23 | 30 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 4 | 99 |
| 24 | 8 | 01 | Regan Smith | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 0 | 91 |
| 25 | 21 | 00 | Michael McDowell | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | 162 | running | 0 | 88 |
| 26 | 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs | Toyota | 162 | running | 6 | 90 |
| 27 | 29 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | 162 | running | 1 | 87 |
| 28 | 5 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Gene Haas | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 0 | 79 |
| 29 | 42 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Roger Penske | Dodge | 162 | running | 0 | 76 |
| 30 | 26 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | 162 | running | 46 | 78 |
| 31 | 11 | 28 | Travis Kvapil | Yates Racing | Ford | 161 | running | 0 | 70 |
| 32 | 40 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Jack Roush | Ford | 157 | running | 0 | 67 |
| 33 | 22 | 21 | Jon Wood | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 155 | running | 0 | 64 |
| 34 | 16 | 5 | Casey Mears | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | 152 | running | 0 | 61 |
| 35 | 7 | 60 | Boris Said | Mark Simo | Ford | 149 | crash | 2 | 63 |
| 36 | 32 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Roger Penske | Dodge | 149 | running | 0 | 55 |
| 37 | 23 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | 140 | crash | 0 | 52 |
| 38 | 31 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chip Ganassi | Dodge | 132 | crash | 0 | 49 |
| 39 | 38 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 129 | running | 0 | 46 |
| 40 | 27 | 38 | David Gilliland | Yates Racing | Ford | 124 | crash | 0 | 43 |
| 41 | 18 | 09 | Sterling Marlin | James Finch | Chevrolet | 103 | handling | 0 | 40 |
| 42 | 13 | 84 | A. J. Allmendinger | Dietrich Mateschitz | Toyota | 100 | running | 0 | 37 |
| 43 | 33 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Jack Roush | Ford | 69 | crash | 0 | 34 |
NOTE: Race extended two laps due to green–white–checkered finish.
Failed to Qualify: Scott Riggs (#66) and J. J. Yeley (#96).
- Stewart started the race, but was substituted by J. J. Yeley after Stewart exited the race due to illness. Since Stewart started the race, he is officially credited with the 20th place finish.
References
- "Weather History for Daytona Beach, FL | Almanac.com". www.almanac.com. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- "NASCAR Tracks — The Daytona International Speedway". Speedway Guide. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 1, 2021.