THE LEFT TURN

NASCAR at Daytona: Coke Zero Sugar 400 preview, picks

NASCAR at Daytona: Coke Zero Sugar 400 preview, picks
Kyle Larson got a big victory last week. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
NASCAR: Wise Power 400 preview, picks

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.

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The White Sox beat the Astros, 5-4. Photo by Griffin Quinn/Getty Images.

Luis Robert Jr. tied it with an RBI single with two outs in the sixth inning, stole second base and scored the go-ahead run on Edgar Quero's single as the Chicago White Sox rallied to beat the Houston Astros 5-4 on Sunday in a game shortened to seven innings by rain.

The game was delayed for 80 minutes before being called. It was the White Sox’s second series victory of the season and their first series win against the Astros since July 2021. Chicago had lost or split its last six series with Houston.

Chicago reliever Mike Vasil (1-1) earned his first career win after holding the Astros without a hit in 2 1/3 innings.

Lance McCullers Jr. made his first start for Houston since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. The 31-year-old right-hander missed the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons, but kept the White Sox scoreless Sunday in 3 2/3 innings. McCullers allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four.

Astros reliever Steven Okert (1-1) allowed two earned runs in one inning. Zach Dezenzo hit his first homer of the season for Houston and Mauricio Dubón had a two-run single.

Key moment

With two outs in the sixth and a rain delay looming, Robert dropped a 2-1 pitch into center field for a single. Chase Meidroth came around to score from second, tying it at four. Robert stole second, enabling Quero to bring him home on what turned out to be the winning base hit.

Key stat

Entering Sunday, Chicago was 30th in the majors with runners in scoring position, hitting just .202 this season. The White Sox initially struggled, but finished the game 4 for 13 with runners in scoring position. All five of the team’s runs came with two outs.

Up next

The Astros will continue their road trip in Milwaukee, while the White Sox head to Kansas City for a four-game series against the Royals. Both series are scheduled to begin Monday.

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