Daytona International Speedway will play host to the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night, under the lights in hot and humid Florida. The latest stop in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is in celebration of the Fourth of July and Jeff Gordon hopes he can pick up a much-needed win.
Gordon will start the race in the No. 5 slot in the stating grid. Fellow Bay Area driver AJ Allmendinger is also sitting pretty, in the No. 8 spot in the starting lineup. Both drivers really need a strong showing to keep any hopes alive of staying in the hunt for the Cup. Overall Sprint Cup points leader Matt Kenseth will hold the pole position for the race.
The green flag is scheduled to wave at 4:53 p.m. PT and will be the fifth of six races this year that will be broadcast on TNT. There IS live streaming of the race tonight, which can be found at NASCAR.com's "RaceBuddy" site. If you'll be away from your computer and TV, check the Motor Racing Network's web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.
Here is the full starting lineup for Saturday's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona:
- Matt Kenseth
- Ryan Newman
- Kasey Kahne
- Greg Biffle
- Jeff Gordon
- Bill Elliott
- Casey Mears
- AJ Allmendinger
- Brad Keselowski
- Marcos Ambrose
- Kevin Harvick
- Carl Edwards
- Paul Menard
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Trevor Bayne
- Jimmie Johnson
- Aric Almirola
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Joey Logano
- Jeff Burton
- Mike Bliss
- Kyle Busch
- Denny Hamlin
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Regan Smith
- David Stremme
- David Ragan
- Michael Waltrip
- Clint Bowyer
- Jamie McMurray
- Josh Wise
- David Gilliland
- Dave Blaney
- Terry Labonte
- Kurt Busch
- Joe Nemechek
- Stephen Leicht
- Landon Cassill
- David Reutimann
- Travis Kvapil
- Bobby Labonte
- Tony Stewart (was second, failed post-qualifying inspection)
- JJ Yeley
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.