Gaming enthusiasts call it a heater, and Kyle Larson appears set to go on one. After a decisive victory in last weekend’s All-Star Race, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is the favorite to win Monday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), according to Racing Insight’s metric formula.
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Where have we seen this before? Larson won the 2021 All-Star Race, then took the Coca-Cola 600 by leading 327 of the 400 laps. And that 2021 season ended with Larson hoisting the Bill France Cup at Phoenix Raceway to cap off a 10-win season.
Could we be seeing the birth of another championship run for Larson? Maybe, but some other drivers could have something to say about it before the long night at Charlotte is over.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Chase Elliott: Elliott has three top-four finishes in the last four Coca-Cola 600s and seems to be on the brink of a breakthrough win.
William Byron: Byron has led laps in three of the last four Coca-Cola 600s and is off to a career-best start with three wins this season.
Denny Hamlin: Hamlin is the defending winner of this race and has six finishes of eighth or better in the last eight Coca-Cola 600s.
Kevin Harvick: Harvick has four straight top-10 finishes in the Coca-Cola 600 and has won twice before (2011, 2013).
Martin Truex Jr.: Truex has two straight finishes of 12th or worse in this race, but his two career wins in 2016 and 2019 are hard to forget.
Projections as of Wednesday, May 24.
RACING INSIGHTS‘ PROJECTIONS FOR COCA-COLA 600
Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.
| Finish | Car number | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 8 | 8 | Kyle Busch |
| 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick |
| 10 | 48 | Alex Bowman |
| 11 | 6 | Brad Keselowski |
| 12 | 1 | Ross Chastain |
| 13 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 14 | 20 | Christopher Bell |
| 15 | 14 | Chase Briscoe |
| 16 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 17 | 43 | Erik Jones |
| 18 | 23 | Bubba Wallace |
| 19 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 20 | 99 | Daniel Suarez |
| 21 | 17 | Chris Buescher |
| 22 | 10 | Aric Almirola |
| 23 | 21 | Harrison Burton |
| 24 | 7 | Corey LaJoie |
| 25 | 54 | Ty Gibbs |
| 26 | 34 | Michael McDowell |
| 27 | 84 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 28 | 2 | Austin Cindric |
| 29 | 51 | Todd Gilliland |
| 30 | 31 | Justin Haley |
| 31 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 32 | 41 | Ryan Preece |
| 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon |
| 34 | 42 | Noah Gragson |
| 35 | 78 | BJ McLeod |
| 36 | 38 | Zane Smith |
| 37 | 15 | J.J. Yeley |