It's NASCAR race night at Daytona International Speedway, and we've got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about Saturday's race for you below.
What time does the race start Saturday? Former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden is the grand marshal for Saturday's race and will give the command to fire engines at 7:41 p.m. EDT. Following a couple pace laps, the Daytona race will begin at 7:53 p.m. EDT. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the actual event itself, flip on your TV set at 7:53 p.m.
Race name/distance: The Coke Zero 400 is the annual race at Daytona around the July 4 holiday. It used to be called the Firecracker 400 and then was known as the Pepsi 400 for awhile. Anyway, it's a 400-mile race around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, which takes 160 laps to complete.
TV, radio and live streaming: The race can be seen on TNT. This is TNT's fifth of six broadcasts this summer before handing the reins to ESPN for the rest of the season. And guess what? Saturday's race is TNT's annual "Wide Open" coverage, with NO national commercial breaks. There will be side-by-side ads only, except for full-screen local breaks. There IS live streaming of the race, which can be found at NASCAR.com's "RaceBuddy" site. If you'll be away from your computer and TV, check the Motor Racing Network's web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.
*** NOTE: If you're out and about and can't watch the race, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter. I'll be tweeting updates from the event. ***
National anthem: HLN morning show host Robin Meade will sing the anthem tonight. She's looking for a little redemption after her last NASCAR anthem performance (two years ago at Sonoma) was a little sketchy.
Tickets: This isn't the Daytona 500, so there will be plenty of tickets available for tonight's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. If you're looking to make a last-minute trip, you'll be fine with face-value tickets at the gate.
Weather: The unofficial NASCAR weatherman, Brian Neudorff, says the weather will be typical Florida summer weather: Hot, humid and with a chance of pop-up showers or storms. Neudorff believes the storms are more likely to miss the track than hit it, but you never know in Florida.
Last time: One year ago, David Ragan got his first-ever Sprint Cup Series victory in the Coke Zero 400, making up for a miscue in that season's Daytona 500. Earlier this year, in NASCAR's last visit to the track, Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 and Juan Pablo Montoya infamously blew up a jet dryer after a 36-hour rain delay.
Starting lineup for tonight's NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway:
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