# 2014 Coke Zero 400

The 2014 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was scheduled to be held on July 5, 2014 but was pushed to July 6, 2014, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was originally scheduled to be run over 160 laps, though only 112 laps were contested due to rain, it was the 18th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Aric Almirola was leading when the race was called for rain and scored his first career win and the No. 43's first win since the 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500. Brian Vickers was second, while Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, and top rookie Austin Dillon rounded out the top five. Behind Dillon, the top rookies of the race were Alex Bowman in 13th, and Michael Annett in 21st.

## Previous week's race

In what was an absolutely dominating performance from Team Penske, Brad Keselowski led 199 of the 267 laps to win the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. He described his car as "awesome" and that his crew did a "great job".

## Report
### Background

Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees. The backstretch, which has a length of 3,000 ft (910 m), has minimal banking that is used for drainage. Jimmie Johnson was the defending race winner from the 2013 event.
Following the Daytona 500 in February, 2,400 ft (730 m) of additional SAFER barriers were added to the circuit, in order to improve safety. The additional barriers were added from the exit of turn four, through the tri-oval and to the entrance of turn one; this left only the super stretch outside walls with concrete barriers. "We're always looking at ways to enhance our safety and it is a priority for us," said Lenny Santiago, senior director of public relations for Daytona International Speedway. "Whenever we have an incident on track, we always take a look in consultation with NASCAR, the University of Nebraska and other experts that are a part of the Motorsports Technology Group and take their recommendations. In consultation with them, we made sure we added additional safer barriers to these areas."
Prior to the start of the race, Barney Hall announced that this race would be his last in the booth for the Motor Racing Network. "The years have gone by so quick, it's just so hard to believe," Hall said with a smile during a break at Daytona International Speedway. "The voice of NASCAR is the voice of MRN and that's Barney Hall," said David Hyatt, president and executive producer of Motor Racing Network. "To have him still be a part of what we do in a way that highlights all the memories that he has, all the history he's brought to the sport, everything that he's done, not just for this MRN brand but for the NASCAR brand is an important part of this transition. MRN isn't MRN without Barney Hall."

### Entry list

The entry list for the Coke Zero 400 was released on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at 11:40 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-four cars were entered for the race.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Cessna, Jacobsen, NASCAR Salutes |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (PC2) | Team Penske | Ford | Alliance Truck Parts |
| 3 | Austin Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, NRA Museum |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Budweiser, Folds of Honor Foundation |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance, G. I. Jobs |
| 7 | Michael Annett (R) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Pilot, Flying J |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | DeWalt, Wounded Warrior Project |
| 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Florida Lottery, GoDaddy |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Ground |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (PC3) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Ducks Unlimited |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | RK Motors Charlotte |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 3M Stars and Stripes |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | Cargill, Winn-Dixie |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Interstate All Battery Center |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth (PC5) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | The Home Depot, Husky Tools |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (i) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Shell, Pennzoil |
| 23 | Alex Bowman (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | Dr. Pepper |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (PC6) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pepsi-Cola "Made with Real Sugar" |
| 26 | Cole Whitt (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | Scorpion Window Film |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Menards, Splash Products |
| 29 | Joe Nemechek | RAB Racing | Toyota | ToyotaCare |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | WIX Filters |
| 32 | Terry Labonte (PC8) | Go FAS Racing | Ford | C&J Energy Services |
| 33 | Bobby Labonte (PC7) | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | Thunder Coal |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | FarmRich |
| 36 | Reed Sorenson | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Golden Corral |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Love's Travel Stops "We Love Our Troops" |
| 40 | Landon Cassill (i) | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | Newtown Building Supplies |
| 41 | Kurt Busch (PC4) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Haas Automation Made in America |
| 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Target, NASCAR Salutes |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | United States Air Force |
| 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Scott Products |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (PC1) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's Patriotic |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier (R) | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | AccuDoc Solutions |
| 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine, FSU National Champions |
| 66 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Royal Teak Collection |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | Furniture Row, Denver Mattress |
| 83 | Ryan Truex (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | VooDoo BBQ & Grill, Armed Forces Motorsports |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | National Guard |
| 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | JPO Absorbants |
| 98 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Chevrolet | Charlie Crist for Governor* |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | Subway "Aahvocado!" |
| Official entry list |||||
| Key | Meaning |
| (R) | Rookie |
| (i) | Ineligible for points |
| (PC#) | Past champions provisional |
*Was taken off of the car due to NASCAR rules and regulations. Replaced with a black hood.

## Practice

Two practice sessions were scheduled for the Sprint Cup Series at Daytona. The first practice session was delayed an hour by weather and shortened to 45 minutes. Jamie McMurray was the fastest with a lap time of 44.565 and a speed of 201.952 mph (325.010 km/h). The final practice session was cancelled due to weather.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 44.565 | 201.952 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 44.579 | 201.889 |
| 3 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 44.590 | 201.839 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

David Gilliland won the pole with a lap time of 45.531 and a speed of 199.322 mph (320.778 km/h) after only one round of knockout qualifying was completed due to weather. Gilliland stated that his pole position would be a "morale booster" for his Front Row Motorsports team. Joe Nemechek was the one driver that failed to qualify.

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Lap Time |
| 1 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 45.153 |
| 2 | 36 | Reed Sorenson | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 45.176 |
| 3 | 40 | Landon Cassill | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 45.182 |
| 4 | 33 | Bobby Labonte | Richard Childress Racing-Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 45.233 |
| 5 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.274 |
| 6 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.277 |
| 7 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.295 |
| 8 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 45.298 |
| 9 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.303 |
| 10 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 45.323 |
| 11 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 45.333 |
| 12 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 45.346 |
| 13 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 45.347 |
| 14 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.369 |
| 15 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 45.401 |
| 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 45.402 |
| 17 | 26 | Cole Whitt (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 45.428 |
| 18 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.431 |
| 19 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 45.439 |
| 20 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 45.441 |
| 21 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 45.442 |
| 22 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 45.445 |
| 23 | 3 | Austin Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 45.447 |
| 24 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 45.451 |
| 25 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 45.456 |
| 26 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 45.489 |
| 27 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 45.496 |
| 28 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 45.514 |
| 29 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 45.518 |
| 30 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 45.601 |
| 31 | 51 | Justin Allgaier (R) | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.622 |
| 32 | 7 | Michael Annett (R) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 45.635 |
| 33 | 98 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 45.650 |
| 34 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 45.691 |
| 35 | 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 45.757 |
| 36 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 45.764 |
| 37 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.902 |
| 38 | 32 | Terry Labonte | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 45.923 |
| 39 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.925 |
| 40 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 45.971 |
| 41 | 66 | Michael Waltrip | Identity Ventures Racing | Toyota | 46.066 |
| 42 | 83 | Ryan Truex (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 46.588 |
| 43 | 23 | Alex Bowman (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 46.636 |
| Did not qualify ||||||
| 44 | 29 | Joe Nemechek | RAB Racing | Toyota | 45.974 |
| Official qualifying results ||||||

## Race
### First half
#### Start

The race was scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday evening, but the start was delayed by rain and finally pushed to the next day at 11:13 a.m. The start was pushed a pace lap due to light sprinkles in turns one and two and then another lap. After a total of seven pace laps, David Gilliland finally led the field to the green at 11:21 a.m. Matt Kenseth took the lead from Gilliland on lap five, before the first caution of the race flew for rain on lap 6, which ultimately led to a 26-minute delay under red flag conditions.

#### The Big One

The race restarted on lap 13, before Tony Stewart took the lead on lap 17. A competition caution was planned upon the completion of lap 20, but the second caution of the race flew on lap 20 for a multi-car wreck in the tri-oval. A total of 16 cars were involved, including points leader Jeff Gordon, defending race winner Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Daytona 500 winner. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – who was also involved in the incident – stated that he had been "heading straight...had it saved and had it straight again and got caught in the left rear." Only Johnson and A. J. Allmendinger were eliminated from the race due to the pileup.
The race restarted on lap 29, before Reed Sorenson, Landon Cassill, David Gilliland and Jamie McMurray took turns at the head of the race, prior to the third caution of the race, on lap 41, due to debris in turn 1. The race restarted on lap 45 with McMurray leading the way. Greg Biffle took the lead on lap 52, while Kurt Busch took the lead on lap 60. Biffle retook the lead on lap 86, before the start of the pit cycle, coming under green flag conditions. Gordon took the lead before it cycled back to Kurt Busch on lap 89. Debris on the backstretch brought out the caution for the fourth time on lap 94.

### Second half
#### The Huge One

The race restarted on lap 98 and the fifth caution flew for another multi-car wreck on the back straightaway collecting 26 cars. It started when Kasey Kahne got turned by Greg Biffle and Kahne turned down into Joey Logano. Everyone checked up but piled into other cars triggering the wreck. During the wreck, Cole Whitt came down the race track and ended up hitting the right rear of Kyle Busch's car and ended up turning Busch upside down. Busch even joked around while being upside down on his radio saying "Just having a good old time over here" with his spotter responding "Just hanging around?". The red flag was displayed for the second time. The cars involved in the wreck were Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, Cole Whitt, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Alex Bowman, David Gilliland, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, Josh Wise, Michael Annett, Ryan Truex, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Landon Cassill, Jamie McMurray, Marcos Ambrose, David Ragan, Denny Hamlin, Danica Patrick, Brad Keselowski, Terry Labonte, Reed Sorenson, and Michael McDowell. Gilliland described the incident as "all heck broke loose all at once", while Kyle Busch had driven through the grass before his car dug in and sent him back towards traffic; he described his roll as "real slow", After 4 minutes and 48 seconds, the red flag was lifted and the field continued under caution. Footage from this crash was used in the 2015 film Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

#### Mother Nature finally wins

The race restarted on lap 105, and it remained green for 5 laps, The sixth caution of the race flew on lap 109 again for rain, and the cars were brought back down pit road as the race was red flagged for the third time. Eventually, NASCAR called the race and Almirola scored his first career win. Almirola's victory was the first for a car numbered 43, since John Andretti did so in the 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 at Martinsville Speedway. For the first time since the 2007 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, all top ten starting drivers failed to finish within the top ten positions.

### Post-race infractions

On the Tuesday following the race, Kurt Busch was penalized 10 points for a technical infraction following post-race inspection. The infraction was a P2 level penalty and a violation of section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 20–12 (l) (for events at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, at all times, the Delta (or difference) of the Z-height measurement between the center of the panhard bar mounting bolt located at the left truck trailing arm and the center of the panhard bar mounting bolt, located at the right rear sub-frame mounting bracket, must not exceed three inches) of the 2014 NASCAR rule book.

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 15 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 112 | 47 |
| 2 | 30 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 112 | 42 |
| 3 | 40 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 33 |
| 4 | 22 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 41 |
| 5 | 23 | 3 | Austin Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 39 |
| 6 | 37 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 112 | 38 |
| 7 | 27 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 112 | 37 |
| 8 | 29 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 36 |
| 9 | 34 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 112 | 36 |
| 10 | 18 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 112 | 34 |
| 11 | 38 | 32 | Terry Labonte | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 112 | 33 |
| 12 | 9 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 33 |
| 13 | 43 | 23 | Alex Bowman (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 112 | 31 |
| 14 | 7 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 30 |
| 15 | 19 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 29 |
| 16 | 21 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 28 |
| 17 | 28 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 112 | 27 |
| 18 | 26 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 111 | 26 |
| 19 | 41 | 66 | Michael Waltrip | Identity Ventures Racing | Toyota | 111 | 25 |
| 20 | 6 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 111 | 25 |
| 21 | 32 | 7 | Michael Annett (R) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 104 | 24 |
| 22 | 8 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 102 | 23 |
| 23 | 33 | 98 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 101 | 21 |
| 24 | 20 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 20 |
| 25 | 31 | 51 | Justin Allgaier (R) | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 98 | 19 |
| 26 | 4 | 33 | Bobby Labonte | Richard Childress Racing-Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 98 | 18 |
| 27 | 14 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 97 | 17 |
| 28 | 39 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 97 | 16 |
| 29 | 10 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 97 | 16 |
| 30 | 36 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 97 | 15 |
| 31 | 3 | 40 | Landon Cassill | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 97 | 0 |
| 32 | 42 | 83 | Ryan Truex (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 97 | 12 |
| 33 | 2 | 36 | Reed Sorenson | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 97 | 12 |
| 34 | 17 | 26 | Cole Whitt (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 97 | 10 |
| 35 | 1 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 97 | 10 |
| 36 | 35 | 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 69 | 8 |
| 37 | 11 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 66 | 7 |
| 38 | 25 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 46 | 0 |
| 39 | 13 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 46 | 5 |
| 40 | 12 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 45 | 5 |
| 41 | 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 37 | 3 |
| 42 | 5 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20 | 2 |
| 43 | 24 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 19 | 1 |

### Race summary

* Lead changes: 21 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 6 for 29
* Red flags: 3 for 1 hour, 30 minutes and 31 seconds
* Time of race: 2 hours, 9 minutes and 13 seconds
* Average speed: 130.014 miles per hour (209.237 km/h)

## Media
### Television

TNT Sports :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Adam Alexander Color-commentator: Wally Dallenbach Jr. Color commentator: Kyle Petty | Matt Yocum Marty Snider Chris Neville Ralph Sheheen |

### Radio

MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Barney Hall Announcer: Jeff Striegle Guest driver analyst: Chase Elliott | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker | Winston Kelly Steve Post Alex Hayden Woody Cain |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Jeff Gordon | 651 |
| 1 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 624 (−27) |
| 1 | 3 | Jimmie Johnson | 596 (−55) |
| | 4 | Brad Keselowski | 586 (−65) |
| | 5 | Matt Kenseth | 580 (−71) |
| 1 | 6 | Joey Logano | 546 (−105) |
| 1 | 7 | Carl Edwards | 543 (−108) |
| | 8 | Ryan Newman | 534 (−117) |
| 1 | 9 | Kyle Busch | 524 (−127) |
| 1 | 10 | Paul Menard | 516 (−135) |
| 2 | 11 | Kevin Harvick | 514 (−137) |
| 2 | 12 | Clint Bowyer | 509 (−142) |
| 5 | 13 | Austin Dillon (R) | 494 (−157) |
| 3 | 14 | Denny Hamlin | 493 (−158) |
| 2 | 15 | Greg Biffle | 490 (−161) |
| 3 | 16 | Brian Vickers | 484 (−167) |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 806 |
| 2 | Ford | 786 (−20) |
| 3 | Toyota | 723 (−83) |