Last weekend, the NASCAR regular season officially ended with the Cup race at Daytona. Chris Buescher had the honor of being the race victor. The best part is that his win had no consequences for the Playoff qualification. Naturally, it was a heated battle to win that final berth into the last 16. In the end, Bubba Wallace, who was on the bubble ahead of the race, retained his spot and qualified.

But one does have to wonder how the race played out and did the fans enjoy it. In a recent poll by journalist Jeff Gluck, many NASCAR fans certainly got their money’s worth.

How did this NASCAR race compare to previous editions and other races?

Apparently, 91.1% of the fans were of the opinion that it was a good race, and the evidence is there. This race had plenty of action, overtakes, and the usual big wrecks, the ingredients of a classic NASCAR race.

According to Gluck, this was the top-rated Daytona race, with the previous best being the 2020 edition. That race had 90% of the fans dubbing the Coke Zero Sugar 400 as the best race.

Additionally, it was the number 2 superspeedway race out of 35, with only the 2020 Talladega race beating it with 94.3%. Other stats include it being the 28th race to breach 90% out of 289 races. Finally, it was ranked as the third-best race after Kansas and the Coca Cola 600 respectively.

Truthfully, the race was a bit marred by the violent crash that Ryan Preece suffered. The good news is that it looks like he is on the mend and will soon recover. Whether he will be back in the #41 car is anyone’s guess, but hopefully that will be the case. Stewart-Haas Racing will also be hoping that he recovers and returns, but could look for a replacement just in case.

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Did the fans agree with the assessment of the Coke Zero Sugar 400?

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Chase Briscoe started this race in pole position, ahead of Aric Almirola, Harrison Burton, and Bubba Wallace. All four drivers were in with a chance to reach the Playoffs, and they were in prime positions. For Wallace, this was do or die, since he was the driver on the bubble, and once the race concluded, he prevailed.

Admittedly, the responses ranged from positive to lukewarm. Some loved the race and agreed with the sentiment that the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was a great race.

According to one fan, “Honestly, I kind of didn’t mind Daytona this year outside of the “Big Ones”. Handling being a factor on Super Speedway tracks again feels “Right” to me, even if the pack racing is what it is”.

Another commented, “I feel confident saying this was the 3rd best race I’ve seen in 2023 Indy500, Indycar Texas, Cup Daytona Night Race.”

Others confessed that for a superspeedway race, this was actually pretty decent. Some compared it to a few great IndyCar races and few were even baffled that 9% of faces thought it was a bad race. Another fan noted, “Not sure how 9 out of 100 could even say that race wasn’t good. I hate super speedway racing and even I liked this”.

Interestingly, some people suggested a few theories on why this race did so well with the fans. They noted, “I think the story lines of the race were better than the race it self cause 2009 COT super speed way races were better I don’t think this package is top 5 in best super speed racing.”

In essence, they were suggesting that the race for the final Playoff spot between multiple drivers was the biggest contributor. Additionally, there was also the frightening crash of Ryan Preece during the race. Nevertheless, the race is finally over and fans can now look forward to the Playoffs.

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