2008 Coke Zero 400
# 2008 Coke Zero 400

The 2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola was the eighteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, marking the official halfway point of the season.

## Summary

This race was held on July 5 of that year at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and was the third race utilizing restrictor plates this season. TNT's air time began at 6:30 PM US EDT, and MRN with Sirius Satellite Radio carried the radio broadcast beginning at 7:15 PM US EDT.

### Pre-Race news

* Dario Franchitti is out of a ride and Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 car is out of the series. The Dodge team shut down July 1 due to a lack of permanent sponsorship along with a lack of success in qualifying for races, even with Franchitti injured earlier in the season. Ganassi Racing fired some 70 employees who had been working on the car at the time of closure.
* The Dale Earnhardt, Inc. #1 car driven by Truex was a backup car, as NASCAR impounded the primary car due to a rules violation on the roof in a pre-practice inspection. On July 8, Martin Truex Jr. was docked 150 driver points, the team docked 150 owners points, and their crew chief slapped with the now seemingly mandatory $100,000 fine, six-week suspension and probation until December 31.
* David Reutimann tied the record for most consecutive Lucky Dog passes due to a pitting strategy that forced him to pit about 6 laps before the other leaders did. As soon as he pitted, a caution came out almost instantly. As a result, Reutimann finished 21st.

## Qualifying

Paul Menard won his first pole of his career in Sprint Cup racing, edging his teammate, Mark Martin out for the honor.

| RANK | DRIVER | NBR | CAR | TIME | SPEED | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Paul Menard | 15 | Chevrolet | 48.409 | 185.916 | |
| 2 | Mark Martin | 8 | Chevrolet | 48.421 | 185.870 | |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 88 | Chevrolet | 48.534 | 185.437 | |
| 4 | Joe Nemechek | 78 | Chevrolet | 48.573 | 185.288 | * |
| 5 | Johnny Sauter | 70 | Chevrolet | 48.583 | 185.250 | * |
| 6 | David Ragan | 6 | Ford | 48.584 | 185.246 | |
| 7 | Boris Said | 60 | Ford | 48.601 | 185.181 | * |
| 8 | Regan Smith | 01 | Chevrolet | 48.655 | 184.976 | |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Toyota | 48.694 | 184.828 | |
| 10 | Patrick Carpentier | 10 | Dodge | 48.734 | 184.676 | * |
| 11 | Travis Kvapil | 28 | Ford | 48.735 | 184.672 | |
| 12 | Dave Blaney | 22 | Toyota | 48.740 | 184.653 | |
| 13 | A.J. Allmendinger | 84 | Toyota | 48.744 | 184.638 | * |
| 14 | Kevin Harvick | 29 | Chevrolet | 48.772 | 184.532 | |
| 15 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Toyota | 48.773 | 184.528 | |
| 16 | Casey Mears | 5 | Chevrolet | 48.784 | 184.487 | |
| 17 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Toyota | 48.788 | 184.472 | |
| 18 | Sterling Marlin | 09 | Chevrolet | 48.791 | 184.460 | * |
| 19 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Ford | 48.799 | 184.430 | |
| 20 | Bobby Labonte | 43 | Dodge | 48.810 | 184.388 | |
| 21 | Michael McDowell | 00 | Toyota | 48.817 | 184.362 | |
| 22 | Jon Wood | 21 | Ford | 48.817 | 184.362 | * |
| 23 | Scott Riggs | 66 | Chevrolet | 48.842 | 184.268 | * |
| 24 | Jeff Burton | 31 | Chevrolet | 48.857 | 184.211 | |
| 25 | Carl Edwards | 99 | Ford | 48.869 | 184.166 | |
| 26 | Clint Bowyer | 07 | Chevrolet | 48.869 | 184.166 | |
| 27 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet | 48.889 | 184.090 | |
| 28 | David Gilliland | 38 | Ford | 48.891 | 184.083 | |
| 29 | J. J. Yeley | 96 | Toyota | 48.892 | 184.079 | * |
| 30 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | 48.900 | 184.049 | |
| 31 | Michael Waltrip | 55 | Toyota | 48.921 | 183.970 | |
| 32 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet | 48.961 | 183.820 | |
| 33 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 42 | Dodge | 48.964 | 183.809 | |
| 34 | Ryan Newman | 12 | Dodge | 48.977 | 183.760 | |
| 35 | Greg Biffle | 16 | Ford | 48.983 | 183.737 | |
| 36 | David Reutimann | 44 | Toyota | 49.013 | 183.625 | |
| 37 | Martin Truex Jr. | 1 | Chevrolet | 49.023 | 183.587 | |
| 38 | Kurt Busch | 2 | Dodge | 49.035 | 183.542 | |
| 39 | Robby Gordon | 7 | Dodge | 49.062 | 183.441 | |
| 40 | Elliott Sadler | 19 | Dodge | 49.085 | 183.355 | |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | 41 | Dodge | 49.098 | 183.307 | |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | 26 | Ford | 49.111 | 183.258 | |
| 43 | Terry Labonte | 45 | Dodge | 49.127 | 183.199 | PC |
| 44 | Kasey Kahne | 9 | Dodge | 49.269 | 182.671 | OP |
| 45 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 77 | Dodge | 49.523 | 181.734 | OP |

OP: qualified via owners points

PC: qualified as past champion

PR: provisional

QR: via qualifying race

* - had to qualify on time

Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: Scott Riggs (#66), J. J. Yeley (#96), Dario Franchitti (#40-WD)

## Race recap

The biggest news in the event was that Tony Stewart dropped out during a caution in Lap 72 because of flu-like symptoms, and J. J. Yeley took his place in the #20 Toyota. Yeley was on standby after he failed to qualify in the #96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota.

Also making news was David Reutimann, driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing #44 Toyota, as he tied the record for most consecutive lucky dog free passes in a race between the fourth and eighth of 11 cautions overall, as in each case his car was the first car one lap (or more) down, and as a result, finished 21st.

The tenth caution sent the race went to a green-white-checker finish with four laps remaining. In the first lap of "Checkers or Wreckers", second place driver Jeff Gordon was bumped by Carl Edwards, and spun onto the infield but the green flag stay aloft. However, the second "Big One" occurred on the white flag lap involving Michael Waltrip, Travis Kvapil and Yeley amongst others, and when the yellow light was lit, Kyle Busch, who was as far down as 37th due to a steering wheel problem, was declared the winner over Edwards by 0.026 of a second.

## Results

| POS | ST | # | DRIVER | SPONSOR / OWNER | CAR | LAPS | MONEY | STATUS | LED | PTS |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Interstate Batteries (Joe Gibbs) | Toyota | 162 | 315950 | running | 31 | 190 |
| 2 | 24 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Aflac (Jack Roush) | Ford | 162 | 243625 | running | 1 | 175 |
| 3 | 19 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | R&L Carriers (Jack Roush) | Ford | 162 | 208191 | running | 0 | 165 |
| 4 | 36 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Miller Lite (Roger Penske) | Dodge | 162 | 139650 | running | 0 | 160 |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | David Ragan | AAA Insurance (Jack Roush) | Ford | 162 | 141150 | running | 0 | 155 |
| 6 | 37 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Menards (Robby Gordon) | Dodge | 162 | 145058 | running | 1 | 155 |
| 7 | 41 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Budweiser (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) | Dodge | 162 | 148491 | running | 0 | 146 |
| 8 | 3 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | National Guard / AMP Energy (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 162 | 123325 | running | 51 | 152 |
| 9 | 25 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Jack Daniel's (Richard Childress) | Chevrolet | 162 | 121175 | running | 0 | 138 |
| 10 | 2 | 8 | Mark Martin | U.S. Army (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 162 | 139258 | running | 0 | 134 |
| 11 | 28 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull (Dietrich Mateschitz) | Toyota | 162 | 109800 | running | 0 | 130 |
| 12 | 14 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Reese's (Richard Childress) | Chevrolet | 162 | 146761 | running | 0 | 127 |
| 13 | 20 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Cheerios / Pillsbury Cinnabon (Petty Enterprises) | Dodge | 162 | 136936 | running | 0 | 124 |
| 14 | 10 | 10 | Patrick Carpentier | Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) | Dodge | 162 | 97650 | running | 0 | 121 |
| 15 | 1 | 15 | Paul Menard | Menards / Vertis (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 162 | 119750 | running | 19 | 123 |
| 16 | 43 | 45 | Terry Labonte | Richard Petty Driving Experience (Petty Enterprises) | Dodge | 162 | 114233 | running | 0 | 115 |
| 17 | 35 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops / Swing Vote (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 162 | 127558 | running | 0 | -38 |
| 18 | 4 | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Furniture Row Racing (Barney Visser) | Chevrolet | 162 | 92550 | running | 0 | 109 |
| 19 | 12 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Caterpillar (Bill Davis) | Toyota | 162 | 109108 | running | 0 | 106 |
| 20 | 17 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Home Depot (Joe Gibbs) | Toyota | 162 | 141786 | running | 0 | 103 |
| 21 | 34 | 44 | David Reutimann | UPS (Michael Waltrip) | Toyota | 162 | 93350 | running | 0 | 100 |
| 22 | 39 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Polaroid / Tums (Chip Ganassi) | Dodge | 162 | 119839 | running | 0 | 97 |
| 23 | 30 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 162 | 143736 | running | 4 | 99 |
| 24 | 8 | 01 | Regan Smith | Principal Financial Group (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 162 | 99225 | running | 0 | 91 |
| 25 | 21 | 00 | Michael McDowell | Champion Mortgage (Michael Waltrip) | Toyota | 162 | 102633 | running | 0 | 88 |
| 26 | 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Office (Joe Gibbs) | Toyota | 162 | 124716 | running | 6 | 90 |
| 27 | 29 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | NAPA Auto Parts (Michael Waltrip) | Toyota | 162 | 98622 | running | 1 | 87 |
| 28 | 5 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Hunt Brothers Pizza (Gene Haas) | Chevrolet | 162 | 85450 | running | 0 | 79 |
| 29 | 42 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Truck Rental (Roger Penske) | Dodge | 162 | 131100 | running | 0 | 76 |
| 30 | 26 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 162 | 134486 | running | 46 | 78 |
| 31 | 11 | 28 | Travis Kvapil | Ford. Drive One. (Yates Racing) | Ford | 161 | 114589 | running | 0 | 70 |
| 32 | 40 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Irwin Marathon with WeldTec (Jack Roush) | Ford | 157 | 92750 | running | 0 | 67 |
| 33 | 22 | 21 | Jon Wood | U.S. Air Force (Wood Brothers) | Ford | 155 | 103920 | running | 0 | 64 |
| 34 | 16 | 5 | Casey Mears | Kellogg's / Carquest (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 152 | 102500 | running | 0 | 61 |
| 35 | 7 | 60 | Boris Said | No Fear / Advance Auto Parts (Mark Simo) | Ford | 149 | 84325 | crash | 2 | 63 |
| 36 | 32 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Alltel / Samsung HDTV (Roger Penske) | Dodge | 149 | 126250 | running | 0 | 55 |
| 37 | 23 | 31 | Jeff Burton | AT&T Mobility (Richard Childress) | Chevrolet | 140 | 129408 | crash | 0 | 52 |
| 38 | 31 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Slim Pack (Chip Ganassi) | Dodge | 132 | 111758 | crash | 0 | 49 |
| 39 | 38 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Best Buy / Garmin (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) | Dodge | 129 | 110070 | running | 0 | 46 |
| 40 | 27 | 38 | David Gilliland | FreeCreditReport.com (Yates Racing) | Ford | 124 | 83580 | crash | 0 | 43 |
| 41 | 18 | 09 | Sterling Marlin | Miccosukee Resorts & Gaming (James Finch) | Chevrolet | 103 | 83450 | handling | 0 | 40 |
| 42 | 13 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull (Dietrich Mateschitz) | Toyota | 100 | 83355 | running | 0 | 37 |
| 43 | 33 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M (Jack Roush) | Ford | 69 | 91612 | crash | 0 | 34 |

NOTE: Race extended two laps due to green-white-checker finish.

Failed to Qualify: Scott Riggs (#66) and J. J. Yeley (#96).

### 2009 Race

It was announced in August that next year's Coke Zero 400 would have the superstretch grandstand closed and tickets limited to the 110,000 seats all the way around the current seating configuration from outside Turn Four to Turn One as an economic measure.

* ↑ "Weather of the 2008 Coke Zero 400". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
* ↑ "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
* ↑ "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-01.

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