NASCAR At Daytona International Speedway: Two-Car Drafts Will Dominate Again

This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to the Daytona International Speedway for the annual Coke Zero 400. If the Daytona 500 was any indication, the two-car draft will once again dominate this weekend’s 400-mile race. Many teams already have strategies in place going into this weekend’s race, and most expect to stick to the plan.

Throughout the weekend’s practice, expect drivers to work on perfecting the two-car tandem as best they can. The biggest keys to creating a successful tandem are solid communication and keeping the engines cool.

As Jeff Gordon said earlier this week, communication between the drivers and spotters is essential in this newest drafting development. With such little visibility for the car pushing in tandem, the role of the spotter has increased dramatically. Drivers will be able to talk with one another with multiple radio channels in their cars, and expect one spotter to call the race for two cars most of the time.

“You can’t see anything in front of you,” Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton said. “You have no idea what you’re catching. You’re totally committed to that guy in front of you. He’s communicating with you - telling you what’s going on. You’re committed to your spotter. It’s truly blind racing.”

Blind racing, two-car tandems and the possibility of another surprise winner. This weekend’s Coke Zero 400 has a lot of unknowns, but at the end of the night on Saturday there will sure to be fireworks.