There's just one race left until the NASCAR Cup Series odds field is whittled down to the 16-driver playoffs, and it's the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the chaos-inducing Daytona International Speedway.
My Coke Zero Sugar 400 long-shot predictions and sleeper picks have identified three drivers offering the best value on the board.
See why my free picks for Saturday, Aug. 29 believe Chris Buescher should be in your portfolio this weekend.
NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 sleeper picks
Picks made on 8-27.
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NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 long-shot predictions
Sleeper pick to win: Chris Buescher
Kalshi probability: 5%
It's no secret that it's been a down year for RFK Racing, as Chris Buescher is going to be their only playoff driver barring some minor miracles for Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski at Daytona. But that doesn't mean the No. 17 Ford can't be a factor for the win on Saturday night.
Buescher won this race in 2023, and has finished no worse than 18th in five races since. In fact, that 18th in the 2024 Daytona 500 is his only non-Top 10 finish on this oval in his last five Cup Series starts. There are six stage placings sprinkled in there for him in that span as well.
Play to 7%.
Sleeper pick to win: Josh Berry
Kalshi probability: 2%
Josh Berry has been making his case for a new ride in 2027 with a string of four straight Top 10s heading into Daytona. While most of those were picked up over tracks much shorter than this one, there's still good reason to believe the No. 21 Ford will be fighting the for the win late Saturday night.
Berry has run ninth in back-to-back efforts at Daytona. While he didn't pick up any stage points in those efforts, his average driver rating was over 80 each time, suggesting he didn't just drive around in 30th all race long then clunk his way up to a Top 10 past cars that crashed.
Play to 4%.
Sleeper pick to win: Corey Heim
Kalshi probability: 2%
Corey Heim qualified fifth in his initial Daytona 500 this year, led eight laps, and checked in sixth in Stage 2. However, he ended up getting collected in a wreck en route to a 28th-place finish.
Heim, driving part-time in the No. 67 Toyota, has since won two races (Anduril 250, Brickyard 400) and run ninth in another (eero 400). He also won the 2025 Truck Series race at Daytona, a nice feather in his cap.
He clearly isn't your average part-time driver, and that's why I can't resist this price.
Play to 4%.
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