NASCAR's longest race still pushes humans, machines to limits
The Coca-Cola 600 marks NASCAR's annual test of endurance, its 600 miles around the Charlotte Motor Speedway the longest event of the calendar by a clear 100 miles. Since 2017, when stage racing was introduced, the 400-lap contest has marked the longest race of the year by time in six of the last eight years. But this crown jewel has always carried a unique amount of weight to its name. The conquerer is the last competitor standing tall at the end of a 600-mile journey on Memorial Day weekend, a holiday weekend already marked by its own somber backdrop as fallen United States military service members are remembered for their ultimate sacrifice. MORE: Cup Series standings | Full 2025 schedule One driver -- Kyle Larson -- will attempt to run 1,100 miles Sunday, partaking in the Indianapolis 500 hours before climbing into his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in Charlotte. (Update: Larson's Indy 500 day came to an end on the 92nd lap following a wreck.) Chase Briscoe, a native of Indianapolis, grew up with a deep appreciation of both events. But the 600 has always stood in its own significant space. "It’s a special weekend. No matter where you are from, if you grew up watching NASCAR, you watched the Coke 600," Briscoe said Friday. "It was one of those iconic events, especially with the Indy 500 in the afternoon and the 600 at night. For me, as a kid, it was one of those races that you dream about racing in, and once you become a competitor and you are here, competing in the event, it is just super special. You have the patriotic paint schemes, Memorial Day Weekend – but I feel like the pre-race is unlike anywhere else we go. "It really puts things in perspective. We all are carrying a solider on our car, so you get to meet the family prior to the race -- it is just different than any other race, but it is also different because it is 100 more miles than any other race too. It is just special being here for this race and this weekend. There is a lot of significance with it. You add all that on top of it all being in all of our backyards, and the pride of winning here -- it is a big deal. Excited for this weekend and excited to be a part of it.” Ahead of his 700th career NASCAR Cup Series start, seven-time Cup champion and four-time Coke 600 winner Jimmie Johnson still relishes the circuit's longest race, even as he prepares to drive the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Sunday at 49 years old. "I love endurance events, and this is our marathon," Johnson said Saturday. "And as a kid watching this, before I was ever back here racing, I was always so intrigued by a 600-mile race. Cars back then had a tough time making it. The drivers did as well. But it's in a space now where it certainly is hard on the drivers and it is a long event. I think it's probably more difficult on the party-animal fans in the infield to go that extra distance. It's just an incredible weekend with a ton of pride and prestige. You leave here after winning the 600 at this very difficult track, you hold your head high." As both the cars and track evolve, the durability of the machines continues to improve. But the rough bumps of the track's aging asphalt rattle both pilots and their vehicles to their cores. "The track itself has become more challenging, which makes it even more physical for the driver," said three-time Cup champion Joey Logano. "But also the car gets shook around. You know, things come loose, things happen, things can break. There's a lot of pit stops -- lots of them, right? There's gonna be a lot of opportunity for mistakes throughout the event. So it's just trying to keep your head in the game and keep grinding it out throughout the whole event." MORE: Full Saturday recap [caption id="attachment_471834" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]From atop the pit box ...
What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday's race? A race as long as the Coca-Cola 600 will feature plenty of visits to pit road for Goodyear tires, fuel and adjustments. And at Charlotte, that isn't necessarily as straightforward as it sounds. A fairly narrow pit lane and tight pit stalls combine to create close-quarters action that can often lead to contact and chaos. MORE: Power Rankings entering Charlotte With that comes an emphasis on qualifying -- the better you qualify, the earlier you can select your pit stall. For example, Austin Cindric posted the 14th-best lap in time trials Saturday. Crew chief Brian Wilson selected stall No. 37 for the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, near pit entry. Just in front of them will be third-place qualifier William Byron, and behind is the No. 99 Chevrolet of Daniel Suárez, who qualified 25th. "It is definitely a tough pit road," Wilson told NASCAR.com. "Pit stalls are small and there's not that many openings, so you want to be in the top 10 to try to get one of the stalls that has an open 'in' or open 'out.' We're just outside of that. I still like our pit stall. We were able to be in pit stall 37. We've got the 24 car in front of us. So depending on how he runs, it could be a decent stall for us. But no matter what, I know my guys are ready to attack the pit stops tomorrow." The bumps across the track's surface also come into play as crew chiefs try to supply their driver with the right balance of stability, maneuverability and speed. Carson Hocevar and crew chief Luke Lambert battled that Saturday, posting the fastest lap in practice before Hocevar spun through the exit of Turn 4 on his qualifying lap. "It's a delicate balance because it's a fast track, but it is super bumpy," Lambert told NASCAR.com ahead of practice. "And so you have to balance the setup to have the right amount of ride and the ability to navigate the bumps, but you also want to be aggressive on the aero platform. And so it's a challenge, but it has to do with all the details of the setup to get that right." Charlotte's asphalt is also among the most weather-sensitive surfaces on the NASCAR calendar. An Accuweather forecast predicts cloudy conditions in Concord on Sunday with a 40% chance of precipitation. That cloud cover can quickly impact the handling of the race car. "That's the first question we have to ask is, how are the conditions going to be different than what we just practiced in?" Wilson explained. "Make sure that we start the race with a with a strong balance. We're starting in the top 15. We'd like to move forward early on, make sure we establish ourselves in the top 10. "You want to make sure your balance is strong there, but we know the track could change. This is one of the most temperature-sensitive tracks. We know that going into the night, it can change. It's a long race." RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Sunday's race [caption id="attachment_471847" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]History tells us ...
Stay until the finish. Despite this race being the longest of the year, six of the last eight editions of the Coca-Cola 600 have featured the final pass for the lead within the final 30 laps of the event.
He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for ...
TYLER REDDICK. The defending regular-season champion has been slightly off in recent weeks, finishing outside the top 10 in each of the last four races in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. However, in five Coca-Cola 600 starts, Reddick holds the best all-time average finish in the event at 6.4, never finishing worse than ninth. He hit the wall in qualifying but is scheduled to start 12th Sunday.Fantasy update
NASCAR Fantasy Live expert Dustin Albino provides insight for your Sunday lineup.
Compared to some other race weeks, basing a fantasy lineup off practice results for Charlotte seems quite deceiving. A considerable amount of cars from the opening 25-minute group were faster than those in the second group with a cool race track. That said, the Hendrick Motorsports trio of Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman are a lock for my lineup. I'm keeping Ryan Blaney available based on his strong intermediate showings in 2025. The only change in my fantasy lineup is replacing Josh Berry with Chris Buescher. The biggest modification will come from 36 for 36, where I’m swinging big and using Byron over Blaney.
Lineup: Kyle Larson, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick.
Garage: Chris Buescher.
MORE: Get lineup advice in Fantasy Fastlane