Familiar Daytona presents new twists for Sprint Cup midterm

The Sprint Cup Series has reached the halfway point of the season but it's right back where everything started this weekend.

Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway is the 18th race of the 36-event schedule and returns NASCAR's top division to the site of the season-opening Daytona 500.

• Daytona: Stewart on pole | Lineup | Fantasy: Kyle Busch No. 1

However, while the track is the same one the circuit kicked things off at back in February, Saturday's race couldn't be more different.

The fact that the Fourth of July affair is 100 miles less than its "Great American Race" big brother is only part of the story.

"It's a little more laid back in July," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is hoping to put last February's controversial 500 crash behind him with his first win of the season Saturday night. "In February, everybody is nervous because it's the beginning of the season. Everybody is wondering how their year is going to go, how their car is going to drive. Everybody knows by the time July rolls around."

The weather changes a lot in central Florida by the time July rolls around as well, and the elements will play a big part in determining the outcome of the race.

"Yes it is a shorter race than the 500 so that does bring more of a sense of urgency to things," said Carl Edwards. "But I think the bigger issue is that the track itself will be so much different than what we deal with in February since it's much warmer this time of the year which makes things a lot slicker on the track."

The slip-sliding when the race takes the green flag on the heels of the hot Florida summer sun Saturday will give way to the cooler nighttime temperatures, which then presents another challenge to drivers and teams.

"Adjusting the car as the night goes on will be a key," said Greg Biffle, a former Daytona summer race winner. "It'll get tighter as we get in more laps and the sun goes down so hitting that right set-up to get the car to work under the lights is something that we know we're gonna have to deal with in order to win."

There will be something else for drivers to deal with Saturday night that they haven't in the past at Daytona -- the new double-file restart rule.

Matt Kenseth wants to be the first to sweep Daytona since 1982. (Getty Images)

After implementing the policy four races ago, the double-file rule makes its Daytona debut Saturday night, which should add a bit more intrigue to the proceedings.

"The leader will have more to think about prior to each restart," said Jeff Gordon, who comes into the weekend second in the point standings. "A preferred racing line -- the top or the bottom groove through the corners –- usually helps the leader determine which lane he chooses for the restart.

"Here, though, drafting partners may enter into the decision-making process. If I'm the leader and I have the opportunity, I'm going to line up ahead of a teammate and hope we can work together."

Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth is hoping to get things together this weekend. After starting the year with a bang by taking the 500 and the following race at Fontana, Kenseth has cooled off significantly.

"We obviously started off real good, and after that it really hasn't been one thing," Kenseth said. "We broke the first lap at Vegas. We broke a part, which is really strange. There's been some races like Talladega where we were second with four laps to go, had ourselves in great position and then got a flat tire from a fender rub. Then we had a loose wheel at Charlotte.

"It hasn't really been one thing. We've just had a lot of things keeping us from getting us our finishes. Now, we haven't really been contenders to win races -- there have been a couple of races where we ran pretty good -- but we haven't been contenders to win races."

Who's hot

Jeff Gordon: Gordon is seeking his fourth win in the Coke Zero 400. He led a personal track-best 72 laps at Daytona in his first 400 win. He followed up his last Coke Zero 400 win in 2004 with his third Daytona 500 win the next season. Overall, in 33 Daytona races, Gordon has six wins (most among active drivers), 17 top 10s and has led 571 laps.

Kyle Busch: Busch's streak of three consecutive top fives at Daytona International Speedway came to an end in this year's Daytona 500 after a crash took him out of contention. Busch is the defending Coke Zero 400 race winner. Busch's win came after Jamie McMurray edged him at the line in the 2007 July race. In the past three Daytona races, Busch has combined to lead 205 laps.

Mark Martin Martin recorded his 17th top 10 in 48 starts at Daytona last year. This year's Daytona 500 was Martin's first start with Hendrick Motorsports. In that event, he scored the outside pole position and finished 16th.

Who's not

Greg Biffle: Since winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in the 2003 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Biffle has gone on to post an average finish of 22.6.

Denny Hamlin: Since winning the Budweiser Shootout in 2006, Hamlin has yet to post a top-15 finish in seven career points-paying races at Daytona.

Jimmie Johnson: Since winning the Daytona 500 in 2006, Johnson has posted an average finish of 27th at Daytona.

Make a note

• Jeff Gordon tops the all-time wins list among active drivers at Daytona with six.

• Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth is seeking to become the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to sweep both Daytona events in a single season.

• Chevrolet won eight straight Daytona races from 2004-07, but is winless in the last four.