RICK WARE RACING
Coke Zero Sugar 400
Date: Aug. 29, 2026
Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Round 26 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (35 laps/60 laps/65 laps)
Note: Race extended six laps past its scheduled 160-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Ryan Preece of RFK Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
RWR Finish:
● Cody Ware (Started 25th, Finished 35th / Accident, completed 165 of 166 laps)
RWR Points:
● Cody Ware (35th with 201 points)
RWR Notes:
● Ware led twice for eight laps to bring his laps-led total at Daytona to 31.
Race Notes:
● Ryan Preece won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to score his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory.
● Preece became the 13th different driver to win his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona. In fact, five of the last nine summer races at Daytona have seen a first-time winner: Erik Jones (2018), Justin Haley (2019), William Byron (2020), Harrison Burton (2024) and Preece (2026).
● There were four caution periods for a total of 23 laps.
● Thirty-one of the 40 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship to lead the Chase standings.
Sound Bites:
“Daytona gives and she takes. We had a really stout Super.com Chevrolet tonight. I always say it, but my boys build some of the best superspeedway cars out there, and we showed that by getting up front and leading the pack. Really happy that we put on a good show for our partners and our fans. Just wish we had the result to show for all the effort.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Super.com Chevrolet
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The first race in the 10-race Chase starts at 5 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
