Coke Zero Sugar 400 recap: Chris Buescher wins again, Ryan Preece taken to hospital

DAYTONA BEACH — The fourth August edition of NASCAR's summertime Daytona race — the Coke Zero Sugar 400 — takes the green flag tonight at 7:46.

Moving the race from Fourth of July weekend to its new slot in 2020 ended a longtime NASCAR and Daytona tradition. The "other race" at Daytona International Speedway, like February's all-important Daytona 500, also dates back to the Speedway's opening in 1959.

Planting it in August, as the 26th and final race of the Cup Series regular season, has traded in that old July tradition for new overall importance to the season at hand — the 400-miler's results finalize the upcoming 10-race playoff field.

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5 TAKEAWAYS: Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski sweep top two in wild Coke Zero Sugar 400

BUBBA GETS IN: Bubba Wallace in with Chris Buescher Daytona win, let the house hunting begin!

Ryan Preece taken to local health facility

After a violent crash on the backstretch late in Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400, Ryan Preece was transported to Halifax hospital. No further update was given on his condition.

Chris Buescher again! Win in Coke Zero Sugar 400 is third in past five weeks for RFK racer

Chris Buescher darted to the lead at the start of a two-lap overtime and stayed there, winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400. It's Buescher's third win in the past five weeks, quite remarkable for a racer who previously had two career wins in eight full-time seasons.

Teammate Brad Keselowski was on Buescher's bumper through the checkers, followed by Aric Almirola, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano.

Bubba Wallace, who finished 12th, retained his 16th-place position and a spot in the upcoming playoffs, which begin next Sunday at Darlington.

Crash at Daytona! Ryan Preece takes nasty tumble on backstretch to bring out yellow flag

Nearing Lap 155 of 160, another nasty crash erupted on the backstretch to bring out the yellow flag again. This one included a violent barrel-rolling tumble by Ryan Preece in the No. 41 Ford.

After a couple moments, he was helped from the car and put on a stretcher. He was taken to the infield care center and then transported to Halifax Hospital for further evaluation.

As the field came to a halt, the leaderboard showed Kevin Harvick on top, followed by Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola.

Kevin Harvick leads late at Daytona

The last round of green-flag pit stops, barring another crash, ended with Kevin Harvick in the lead with 12 laps remaining.

This is Harvick's final race at Daytona, since he's retiring at year's end.

Briscoe, Almirola, Preece lead Stewart-Haas Racing Fords at the front

Chase Briscoe and Aric Almirola are right back where they started with 40 laps to go.

Briscoe started from the pole and after eventful couple of stages, leads a Ford/Stewart-Haas Racing train at the front of the field with teammates Almirola and Ryan Preece behind in second and third. All three drivers need a win to get into the Cups Series playoffs.

Chris Buescher runs fourth and the final Stewart-Haas Racing car, Kevin Harvick, is in fifth. Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, Chandler Smith and Martin Truex Jr. round out the top 10.

Martin Truex Jr. clinches regular season championship

After surviving a Stage 2 crash, and winning Stage 1, Martin Truex Jr. clinched the regular season points championship.

Truex Jr. will get 15 playoff points to start next week's postseason as well. Truex flirted with retirement last season but has already announced that he will return for next year as well.

Massive crash collects Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson among others red flag waves as Stage 2 ends

Ty Gibbs lost control while in the high line, turning left and spinning Ryan Blaney head-first into the wall, setting off a massive crash as the field came to the end of Stage 2. The field is currently frozen under a red flag.

Gibbs was getting a push from Christopher Bell but couldn't hold it and with the wreck at the front of the field and with nowhere to go, several playoff hopefuls were collected including AJ Allmendinger and last year's winner, Austin Dillon.

Brad Keselowski went on to win the stage with Kyle Busch, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman and William Byron rounding out the top five.

Gibbs was on the verge of scoring pivotal stage points in the chase to catch Bubba Wallace for the final playoff spot. Instead, it appears his night has come to a premature end.

Stage 2 results:

Ross Chastain seizes lead as single-file line forms at the front

Ross Chastain has taken the lead from AJ Allmendinger with Joey Logano and Stage-1 winner Martin Truex Jr. behind him after 63 laps of the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

The early parts of Stage 2 turned into a three-by-three drag race with Chastain moving out front. There are 30 laps left in Stage 2.

Third lane forms, Chase Elliott and AJ Allmendinger surge to front in Stage 2

Racing has intensified after a calm Stage 1 at the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

AJ Allmendinger, using a push from Chase Elliott, has surged into the lead as a third line has formed on the outside. Allmendinger and Elliot are among the several drivers that needs a win to break into the playoff field.

Martin Truex Jr. wins orderly Stage 1 over Christopher Bell, Kevin Harvick

Martin Truex Jr. pulled ahead on the final lap to win the first stage of Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Truex and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin used the high line to finally overtake the Ford of Chase Briscoe, who led the early parts of the first stage. Running side by side as the white flag flew, Kevin Harvick pulled out from behind Hamlin to attempt a pass in the high line while Truex used a push from Bell to get to the stripe first.

Harvick finished third in the stage, followed by Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Hamlin, Briscoe and Daniel Suarez.

Stage 1 results:

Coke Zero Sugar 400 underway, Chase Briscoe leads

Chase Briscoe brought the field to the green and was still out front on Lap 10 as Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 went green.

Teammate Aric Almirola started second and remained there with Harrison Burton giving a lock on the top three positions. Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.

National Anthem finished, engines set to be fired, green flag imminent

The singing of the national anthem has been finished, completing prerace festivities as the green flag for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, set to wave at 7:46 p.m., is drawing near.

Chase Briscoe will lead the field of 39 drivers to green in the last regular season race of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Bubba Wallace is currently in the 16th and final postseason spot but a new winner, other than Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick, would knock him out.

Driver introductions underway as race start time draws near

Driver have begun to make their way onto the stage and out on the track for intros as the Coke Zero Sugar 400's start time of 7:46 p.m. draws near.

Chase Briscoe is on the pole and will lead four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers and seven fords in the top 10. Kyle Larson is the lone Chevy in that group with the Toyotas of Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs starting fourth and fifth respectively.

Niko Moon on stage as driver intros approach

Country artist Niko Moon is on stage for the day's prerace show as driver intros get set to start.

The green flag is set to drop at 7:46 p.m.

Is it going to rain at Daytona for Coke Zero Sugar 400?

It's hot, it's sunny and the skies are clear. The weather looks good for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 tonight at Daytona International Speedway.

No rain appears on the Daytona Beach forecast for the next 12 hours, and the temperature currently registers at 87 degrees.

Ricky Carmichael readies for duties as honorary pace car driver

Most of Ricky Carmichael's triumphs have come on two wheels but on Saturday night, he'll be in the spotlight while on four.

The native of Clearwater, Fla. and 15-time AMA champion will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and visited the media room on Saturday to discuss his duties.

“Certainly, an honor for sure,” Carmichael said. “Being a fourth-generation Floridian, I think about how much time I’ve spent here on two wheels.

“I love this place.”

Carmichael competed in NASCAR from 2008-2011, making three starts at Daytona in each the Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards series.

Kurt Busch officially retires from Cup Series competition

Kurt Busch gave an emotional statement on Saturday in the media room, officially retiring from the NASCAR Cup Series.

Busch, who was injured in a qualifying accident at Pocono in 2022, announced he was leaving full-time competition in the fall but has still not been cleared by doctors to return. He read a statement to the media on Saturday, officially closing the book on a career that was comprised of 34 wins including the 2017 Daytona 500 and the 2004 Cup Series championship.

'A BATTLE WITH FATHER TIME': Kurt Busch retires from NASCAR at Daytona

“Last year in Las Vegas, where my racing career began, I sat in front of many of you and that was one of the toughest and hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my racing career and that was to talk about not being behind the wheel of a racecar,” Busch said. “After decades spent at a racetrack with helmet in hand preparing to compete, I was forced to take a step back and focus on my health.

“While stepping away from full-time racing for the 2023 season, it’s been difficult, but it has provided me with a different perspective and more time to continue focusing on my recuperation and reflect on all the sport has given me and all I still have left to give back to it. Racing at NASCAR’s highest level requires every last bit of focus, heart, stamina and determination and I know right now I can’t give what is required to compete at that level week in and week out.”

Starting lineup for NASCAR race today

A look at final results from Coke Zero Sugar 400 qualifying, held on Friday afternoon:

Michael McDowell finally gets family celebration at Daytona International Speedway

After winning at Indianapolis two weeks ago, Michael McDowell got to celebrate with his family for the first time in Victory Lane.

But it wasn't his first win.

That came in the 2021 Daytona 500 but because of COVID-19 restrictions and travel considerations, his family wasn't in attendance. Daytona International Speedway president Frank Kelleher and the staff rectified that one missing piece on Saturday afternoon.

McDowell, his wife Jami and children Trace, Emma, Rylie, Lucas and Isabella were brought to Daytona's Victory Lane under the pretenses of doing a family interview about the Indy victory. Instead, McDowell was presented with the Harley J. Earl trophy again and his kids and family were given confetti poppers in a celebration that was two years overdue.

"I really appreciate the effort and the thought, it's very cool," McDowell said. "This is definitely unexpected."

Bubba Wallace has the edge in NASCAR playoff race. Who can catch him at Daytona?

This year, 15 drivers (and their teams) have clinched postseason spots for playoffs beginning next week at Darlington. One available opening remains, and it's Bubba Wallace sitting on that 16th-place bubble. He is ranked higher than any other full-time Cup racer without a win this year.

His points lead isn't insurmountable but it's formidable — 32 points over Ty Gibbs in 17th place. Even if Wallace maintains a positive margin over 17th, he could still lose a playoff spot if a non-winner takes Saturday night's checkers and earns the automatic playoff entry that comes with a win.

Or Bubba could clinch the spot outright by winning the race himself. Defending race winner Austin Dillon did just that last year when he came to town 19th in points and left with a narrow victory and playoff ticket. - Ken Willis

JEFF & JUNIOR: Dale Jr., Jeff Burton discuss making, missing NASCAR playoffs

How many laps is the Coke Zero 400?

Drivers will take 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track at Daytona, totaling 400 miles in the race.

The race typically lasts about 3 hours. The 2022 race was a marathon, getting rained out of its original Saturday date and then running from 10 a.m. until after 4 p.m. Sunday through multiple crashes and rain delays.

When is the Coke Zero Sugar 400?

7 p.m. Saturday, August 26

Where can I watch the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on TV, streaming?

TV: NBC for most viewers, The CW for select markets (including Orlando and Tampa)

Live stream: Peacock ($5.99 per month), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial), fuboTV (7-day free trial)

How can I listen to Coke Zero Sugar 400 on radio?

Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM (Channel 90)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Coke Zero 400 at Daytona race recap: Ryan Preece crash steals show