Arena: Daytona International Speedway

Location: Daytona Beach, Florida

Date: July 7, 2012

NASCAR Betting Online: The Coke Zero 400 is a 160-lap, 400-mile (640 km) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on the first Saturday night of July, usually around Independence Day weekend, at Daytona International Speedway. Regarded as one of NASCAR's most prestigious events on the Sprint Cup Series calendar, the Coke Zero 400 is also the only other race to be held at Daytona International Raceway, other than the first race of the year, the Daytona 500.

Previously held at different distances and under different names ver the years, such as the Pepsi 400 and more popularly the Firecracker 400, this 400-mile night race has a history of being won by some of NASCAR's biggest superstar names.

History

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 inception in 1959, the race was 100 laps for 250 miles, and since the race was scheduled for July 4th, it was nicknamed the Firecracker 250.  In 1985 the distance was increased and came to be known as the Pepsi Firecracker 400.

Given the long, 51-year history of the race and list of drivers spanning that period, it should come as no surprise that the Coke Zero 400 has been the first career NASCAR victory for a number of famous drivers; a list including the likes of A.J. Foyt, Sam McQuagg, Greg Sacks, Jimmy Spencer, John Andretti, and other.

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2011 Daytona Coke Zero 400 Winner - Georgia Native David Ragan Wins Coke Zero 400

After giving away a shot at winning the Daytona 500 with an improper lane change on the next-to-last restart in February, David Ragan has won his first Sprint Cup Series race, taking the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

Teammate Matt Kenseth was second, followed by Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, and Kyle Busch.

There were two crashes on the final lap of the race, in the second green-white-checker period, but the race remained green to the finish line, with Ragan's No. 6 Ford crossing the line ahead of the field.

On the first green-white-checkered, Mark Martin and Joey Logano made contact, triggering a multi-car cras that collected many drivers who had contended throughout the night such as Martin Truex Jr., David Reutimann, and Clint Bowyer.

Ragan's win is the first for Atlanta-based UPS since Dale Jarrett's Talladega victory in 2005. It comes in his 163rd career start. There have been rumors and speculation abound about his future with the Roush-Fenway Racing organization, but he has had a solid season thus far and perhaps solidified his place with the team with his win tonight.

2010 Winner

Kevin Harvick held off Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon to win NASCAR's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

The race start was delayed almost two hours by rain. But when the field finally took the green flag, the early portions of the race were hardly the uncontrolled wreck-fest many predicted of the slippery summer conditions. Most of the 47 lead changes came early on in a respectable game of give-and-take.

"Daytona has just been one of those magical places for us. Tonight, that wasn't the situation I wanted to be in. I wanted to be behind him and push him. But we got split up on the restart and that was it '', said Harvick.