Coke Zero 400
The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on the first Saturday night of July, usually around Independence Day weekend, at Daytona International Speedway. Starting in 2008, an agreement is in place for Coca-Cola to become the official soft drink provider of ISC facilities. Coca-Cola chose to use their Coke Zero brand to title the race.
History
In 1959, the race was originally scheduled to be a USAC Championship (Indy) Car event. However, after a crash-filled event in April, open wheel racing on the oval was permanently canceled. NASCAR quickly stepped in and replaced the schedule with a stock car race.The race was developed to provide a second major Cup-level racing event for the Daytona International Speedway which would not detract from the legendary status of the Daytona 500. At its creation in 1959, the race was 100 laps, for 250 miles, and owing to the scheduling on the July 4th, was nicknamed the Firecracker 250. In 1963 the race was expanded from 100 laps to 160 laps, for a distance of 400 miles, and became known as the Firecracker 400.
In 1985, the race became known as the Pepsi Firecracker 400, when PepsiCo became the title sponsor. In 1989, the "Firecracker" name was dropped, and the race was known simply as the Pepsi 400 through 2007.
From 1959 to 1987, the race was always scheduled for July 4, regardless of the day of the week. Beginning in 1988, the race was moved to the first Saturday of July (that nearest July 4).
On July 4, 1987, in the wake of Bobby Allison's massive crash at Talladega, the cars were fitted with 390 CFM carburetors. The change helped slow the cars down several mph. On the final lap, Ken Schrader flipped upside-down in the tri-oval as the field crossed the finish line. It would be the final race at Daytona without restrictor plates.
Night race
For most of its history, the race normally started in the morning (10:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m.) to avoid hot summer temperatures and the frequent mid-afternoon thunderstorms in Florida.In July 1997, Daytona International Speedway announced a massive lighting project to be done by MUSCO lighting, the same company who installed lights at Charlotte. Plans called for the 1998 Pepsi 400 to be held under the lights in primetime. It would be the longest track with a night race, and the first restrictor plate race held at night.
On July 4, 1998, however, the race had to be postponed. Wildfires in Florida consumed the surrounding areas, and the track was converted into a firefighters' staging area. Track officials rescheduled the race for October that year.
Television
In the 1970s and 1980s, the race was shown tape delayed on ABC's Wide World of Sports on the Saturday following the race. Typically, since July 4 often fell during the week, the broadcast would not air the same day the race was held. If July 4 fell on a Saturday, the race was aired later in the day, taped and edited.In 1989-1997, the race switched to a live flag-to-flag broadcast on ESPN. When it was scheduled to become a night race in 1998, broadcast rights changed to CBS, which also at that time covered the Daytona 500. However, the 1998 event was postponed until October due to Florida wildfires. CBS partner TNN showed the race live instead. For 1999-2000, the race reverted back to live broadcast on CBS in primetime. Between 2001-2006, the race was shared between NBC and FOX (NBC odd years, FOX even years, the opposite of the Daytona 500 coverage).
In 2007, TNT took over television rights under the new contract, and introduced their "Wide Open Coverage" for this race. It is similar to ABC and ESPN's Side-by-Side commercial format for IndyCar broadcasts. The race was broadcast in splitscreen format, with the race footage on the top half of the screen in 16:9 format, and scoring and graphics on the bottom half. Commercials were broadcast in a box in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, and various special two-minute advertisements were filmed for the telecast by the respective advertisers.
Presidential visits
With the race's fundamental link to Independence Day, U.S. Presidents have been in attendance on two notable occasions.On July 4, 1984, President Ronald Reagan became the first sitting U.S. President to attend a NASCAR race. The President gave the command to start the race ("Gentlemen, start your engines") by phone from aboard Air Force One. Landing at Daytona, the President proceeded to the track, and viewed the race with Bill France Jr.. During his time at the race, Reagan was interviewed by NASCAR driver Ned Jarrett, who in 1978 had begun a career as a radio race broadcaster. The 1984 Firecracker 400 is also legendary since it was the race at which Richard Petty achieved his unparalleled 200th win. Petty and President Reagan were interviewed together following the race, and the President joined Richard Petty and his family in Victory Lane.
On July 4, 1992, President George H. W. Bush attended the race, which served as a Daytona farewell tribute to Richard Petty during his "Fan Appreciation Tour." Bush participated in pre-race festivities, gave the starting command, and rode around the track in the pace car during the pace laps. Petty qualified a strong second, and led the first 5 laps of the race. He succumbed to heat exhaustion, however, and dropped out near the halfway point.
First wins
The Coke Zero 400 has been known to produce a number of drivers' first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories. Drivers include A. J. Foyt, Sam McQuagg, Greg Sacks, Jimmy Spencer, John Andretti and Greg Biffle.Past winners
- 1977: Race had a 2-hour rain delay red flag near the halfway point
- 1996: 117 laps / 292.5 miles due to rain
- 1998: Scheduled for July 4; postponed to October 17 due to Florida wildfires.
- 2008: Green-White-Checkered finish.
Manufacturer Wins
| Rank | Manufacturer | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford | 15 |
| 2 | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 3 | Mercury | 7 |
| 4 | Pontiac | 5 |
| 4 | Dodge | 5 |
| 5 | Buick | 4 |
| 6 | Toyota | 1 |
See also
- List of current NASCAR races
- Winn-Dixie 250 - A NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place during the same weekend of the Coke Zero 400
- Brumos Porsche 250 - A Gand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race that takes place during the same weekend of the Coke Zero 400
References
- http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080208005543&newsLang=en
- http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=46325&FS=GRANDAM-GRANDCUP
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday October 08, 2008 at 15:24:52 PDT (GMT -0700)
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