THE LEFT TURN
NASCAR at Daytona: Coke Zero Sugar 400 preview, picks
Aug 26, 2022, 6:07 pm
THE LEFT TURN
The stars of the NASCAR Cup Series head for the sandy shores of Daytona Beach, Florida for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. This is the final race of the regular season, as there are now two spots available to race for a championship in the playoffs. Daytona is the most prestigious racetrack on the NASCAR schedule, winning here would be a huge accomplishment for any driver. The track is a two mile superspeedway so here anything goes. As we all know, avoiding the big one will be the primary goal of each driver if they want a shot at winning. There is a chance of rain in the forecast this weekend, so we could very well see them race on Sunday.
Last week, Kyle Larson broke out of his slump by capturing his second win of the season at Watkins Glen. On the final restart, Larson drove into turn one as deep as he could and moved his teammate Chase Elliott aside. This was controversial, as Elliott was seen venting to car-owners Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon. The team would hold an emergency meeting the next day to hash it out, and everything seems to be back in order at Hendrick Motorsports.
On Wednesday, Kurt Busch announced that while he may return this season, that he will not race for a championship in the playoffs. This has been tough to hear considering Busch was having a pretty good season with a victory. Over the course of the year, Kurt took some hard hits, including a head on crash at the LA Coliseum. There had already been plenty of questions as to if Kurt will return for next season, and unfortunately we might have our answer. It has been quite a career for the 2004 Cup Series champion, let’s hope Kurt is able to come a decision on his terms. Because Kurt is out, this means there are now two spots available in the playoffs. This definitely makes an easier path for Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr to get in on points, but if there is a new winner, one of them will be the odd man out.
The driver that I have winning this weekend is Austin Cindric. While it’s difficult to predict who usually wins these types of races, taking the guy who won here last would be a good bet. Cindric has a knack for this kind of racing, as he also has the highest average finish among all active drivers on superspeedways. Team Penske has sort of become the team to beat on these superspeedway type tracks, and I don’t see that changing now. It is important to note that Cindric is locked into the playoffs so his motivation to win this weekend isn’t as high as it was back in February, but if he’s in the picture, I believe that he will have the best chance at taking victory.
The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.
Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.
Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.
All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.
Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.
With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs
Astros lineup for the finale
What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
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