Successes and disappointments from the Coke Zero 400

The 2016 Coke Zero 400 managed to encompass everything that is great about restrictor plate races. Close racing, big crashes, lots of lead changes and good results for usual mid-field runners, this year's event had it all and here are the drivers that succeeded and the drivers who disappointed.

The successes

Brad Keselowski: Leading multiple laps at a restrictor plate track is hard, leading more than two thirds of the race is almost unheard of but that is exactly what Keselowski did. The Team Penske driver was absolutely dominant and there was never any doubt that Keselwoski would achieve a good result. This win holds significance for the former champion as not only is it his first win at Daytona, it's also his third win of 2016 - a feat achieved by only one other driver this season.

Roush Fenway Racing: The past few years have been hard for the former championship calibre team but 2016 has seen a slight rejuvenation and this upward trend of results continued in the Coke Zero 400. All three drivers came home in the top ten with Trevor Bayne third, Ricky Stenhouse Jr fifth and Greg Biffle eighth. Biffle would also claim pole position, his first since 2012. While the team's good results were undoubtedly helped by a lack of cars finishing, only 23 completed the full distance, this weekend's race was a positive sign for things to come. Roush Fenway Racing is on the up.

Kyle Larson.: After a slow start to 2016, the last few races have seen Kyle Larson finally break his slew of poor results. Since the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover, Larson hasn't been out of the top twenty once and the Coke Zero 400 would continue this trend. Not only would the twenty three year old claim his fourth best result of the season, he would also finish as the top Chevrolet and move being just thirty points below the chase cut-off spot. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver is starting to look like a potential chase contender,

Clint Bowyer: 2017 can't come quick enough for Bowyer, this season has been miserable for the H Scott Motorsports driver and he currently has only three top tens to his name. After a car problem last time out at Sonoma cost Bowyer a potential good result, it was a welcome return to the top ten. Ninth place isn't the best finish in the world but it is Bowyer's third best result this year and perhaps this cloud may have a silver lining for Bowyer after all.

Casey Mears: Apart from a fourteenth place finish at Atlanta right at the start of the year, Mears has achieved nothing noteworthy this year. However, that changed in the Coke Zero 400 when Mears lead for two laps and eventually came home twelfth - his best result since this race last year. Once again, Mears managed to prove that his reputation as a solid restrictor plate racer is well grounded.

The disappointments

Ryan Newman: Once a championship contending driver, Newman's results have been relatively unspectacular over the past few years. A former Daytona 500 winner, Newman was known for his consistently good performances on restrictor plate tracks but the past two races have yielded poor results. Newman had a quiet race, never leading a lap and finishing a dismal eighteenth. Newman currently has a chase spot but that may be under threat soon if Newman doesn't get back on the pace.

Kasey Kahne: This isn't the first time that Kahne has been on this list which is perhaps an even bigger indication of his lack of pace. The former race winner was unlucky and suffered a problem which cost him thirty nine laps but up until that problem, Kahne hadn't been performing particularly well. It never looked like Kahne would be a front runner and was outclassed by all of his teammates including rookie Chase Elliott. A thirtieth position finish is not what Kahne needed if he is to qualify for the chase. He needs to start scoring.

Kurt Busch: Last car on the lead lap is a phrase very rarely used to describe Kurt Busch but at the finish of the Coke Zero 400 that was exactly where the 2004 champion was. Twenty third and last of the cars to complete the full distance isn't exactly what is expected of Busch and to add further insult to injury, he never lead a lap. Although locked into the chase, results like this are not what Kurt Busch needs.

Bobby Labonte: Former champion, twenty-one time race winner, Bobby Labonte is a fantastic driver. However it may be time that Labonte hung up his helmet and retired. One lap down and a finish in twenty fourth place is hardly ideal considering that Go FAS Racing brought him in as a restrictor plate specialist. Instead of getting a great result for the team, Labonte had a poor finish and took seat time away from rookie Jeffrey Earnhardt who hasn't been allowed to run a single plate track race all season. If Labonte was winning or earning top fives than fair enough, but he isn't. He's finishing poorly and taking much needed experience away from Earnhardt.

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