2015 Coke Zero 400
The 2015 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that was held between July 5 and 6, 2015 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 161 laps – extended from the scheduled 160 laps – on the 2.5 mile (4 km) superspeedway, it was the 17th race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race, his second win of the season. His teammate Jimmie Johnson finished second while Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 36 in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
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2015 Coke Zero 400 program cover, featuring Aric Almirola, the 2014 winner | |||
| Date | July 5–6, 2015 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 161 laps, 402.5 mi (644 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (640 km) | ||
| Weather | Rain with a temperature of 81 °F (27 °C); wind out of the southwest at 5 mph (8.0 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 134.941 mph (217.166 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 44.492 (Qualifying rained out; lineup set according to opening practice speeds) | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 96 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
2.6/7 (Overnight) 2.7/7 (Final) 4.0 Million viewers | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4) | ||
With qualifying rained out, the field was set by first practice speeds and Earnhardt Jr. was given the first starting spot as a result. Further rain delays pushed the race's green flag back to 11:42 p.m., with the race concluding at 2:40 a.m. ET the following morning. Earnhardt Jr. led a race high of 96 laps on his way to winning the race. The race had 22 lead changes among twelve different drivers, as well as nine caution flag periods for 43 laps. The race was marred by a violent crash at the finish, most notably featuring Austin Dillon's car flipping into the outside catch fence.
It was Earnhardt Jr.'s 25th career victory, tenth career restrictor plate race win (in points competition), fourth at Daytona, and 14th at the track for Hendrick Motorsports. The win moved him up to second in the points standings. Chevrolet left Daytona with an 83-point lead over Ford in the manufacturer standings.