Stewart-Haas Racing Coke Zero 400 Qualifying

Rain showers canceled today’s qualifying session for the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. As a result, the 43-car field for Saturday night’s 160-lap event was set by current car owner points per the NASCAR rulebook.


Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing, will start ninth. Teammate Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet, will start 14th.

Stewart won last year’s Coke Zero 400 to notch his third win in the annual Fourth of July weekend race, while Newman claimed victory in the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in February 2008.

Kevin Harvick will start first as he is the championship point leader. Joining him on the outside of row one is four-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon comprise the remainder of the top-five. Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Stewart and Greg Biffle round out the top-10.

With 45 drivers slated to qualify for the 43-car field, only Michael McDowell and Todd Bodine failed to make the starting grid.

The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 3 with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.