Coke Zero Sugar 400 Picks: Chase Elliott, Joey Logano Co-Favorites

OnlineSportsBetting
By , Updated on: Aug 25, 2023 12:00 AM
Coke Zero Sugar 400 picks

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season proceeds this weekend with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the iconic Daytona International Speedway on Saturday at 7 PM ET. William Byron is coming off a win at the Go Bowling at the Glen but doesn't find himself as one of the favorites here despite his impressive campaign. Instead, for the second race in a row, Chase Elliott is expected to make some noise with +1000 odds. Joey Logano also sits at +1000, followed by Ryan Blaney (+1100), Brad Keselowski (+1200), Denny Hamlin (+1200), Bubba Wallace (+1600), and Chris Buescher (+1600), among others. The reigning winner of this event is Austin Dillon, who hasn't finished first even once in 2023. Below, find the Coke Sugar 400 picks.

Before we get into the preview, odds, and predictions for this race, check out our how-to bet on NASCAR page.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Odds

DriverBetOnlineBovadaBetUS
Chase Elliott+1200+1000+1100
Joey Logano+1200+1000+1000
Denny Hamlin+1000+1200+1100
Bubba Wallace+1800+1600+1600
Chris Buescher+1600+1600+1600
Kyle Busch+1200+1600+1400
William Byron+1800+1800+1600
Austin Cindric+2000+2000+2000
Kyle Larson+2000+1600+1800
Ross Chastain+2000+2500+2500

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 first debuted in 1959 under a different name. It's 400 miles with 160 laps in total. 50 in stages 1 and 2 and 60 in the final stage. There are actually zero multiple winners of this race on the Cup Series circuit. But, Chevrolet has won two of the last three editions.

Chase Elliott (+1000)

Between injuries and a suspension, it's been hard for Elliott to find much rhythm this year after such a dominant season in 2022. He was one of the favorites at Watkins Glen due to his past success on road courses but Elliott stunk up the joint, finishing in 32nd. Regardless, this is the last race before the playoffs and a chance for Elliott to rack up some points. He needs a massive result to even qualify for the playoffs. However, just three top-10 finishes in the last nine outings don't exactly bode well.

Joey Logano (+1000)

Logano, the 2022 Cup Series winner, isn't having a great season. He's way down in 13th in the standings with only one win to his name. However, superspeedways are his forte this year. Logano won at Atlanta and finished second at Daytona in February. He's racked up the third-most points in the Cup Series on superspeedways. That means something, right? Could be a good one for Logano, who needs a big result just like Elliott.

Ryan Blaney (+1100)

Blaney was the winner here two years ago and won twice at Talladega, too. He was ninth at Watkins Glen and has finished top-10 in two of the last three weeks. Not bad. He hasn't finished worse than eighth on superspeedways this season, either. Sitting ninth in the standings, Blaney has 12 top 1o finishes in 23', four top-fives, and one victory. He's one to watch Saturday.

Denny Hamlin (+1200)

Hamlin sits third in the table and just 39 points behind William Byron for first place. There is no shortage of motivation at Daytona. He is in fantastic form at the moment as well, finishing second, 19th, third, second, first, and seventh in the last six races. He won Pocono. You can never go wrong by betting on a guy who is high on confidence. Hamlin is certainly that man right now. But, he was 25th in this race a year ago.

Brad Keselowski (+1200)

Keselowski is lowkey very good on superspeedways. He was the frontrunner for a lot of laps at the last two Daytona 500s but eventually fell back. He was second at Atlanta, second at Talladega, and sixth in his next race at Atlanta, all superspeedways. Oh, he also won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2016. He's had success here before in more ways than one. Do not sleep on Keselowski.

Bubba Wallace (+1600)

I'm not too sure why Wallace has such decent odds. He's 16th in the standings and hasn't finished above 11th in the last five races. Wallace hasn't even won a race this season. I'm not loving the value at +1600 because he was also 11th here last year.

Kyle Busch (+1600)

Busch is fifth in the standings and has had some respectable results on superspeedways. He won Talladega, was fifth and 10th in Atlanta, and was in the running at the Daytona 500 in February. Busch has three wins, eight top-fives, and 13 top-10s in 2023. Perhaps he can roll into the playoffs with another win?

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Picks

As always, we'll bet on a few different drivers to maximize the value. First, hammer Chevrolet as the winning manufacturer at +125 odds. Next, take Hamlin for a top-five finish. He's driving too well to overlook. Lastly, I'm also liking Elliott to turn up and make a statement.

Chevrolet To win Coke Zero Sugar 400
Bovada
+125
Denny Hamlin To finish top-five at Coke Zero Sugar 400
Bovada
+275
Chase Elliott To finish top-five at Coke Zero Sugar 400
Bovada
+225

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