Posted on by Staff Report

Joey Logano rose to a Stage 3 win Sunday as the Coca-Cola 600 entered its latter stages at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Logano took command of the top spot on Lap 278 and led the final 23 laps of the third stage in the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest race. The outcome marked his first stage win of the season.

RELATED: Stage 3 results | Charlotte race week schedule

Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet held close for second place in the stage after having swept the first two stages. He was just ahead of Ryan Blaney, Logano’s Team Penske teammate in the No. 12 Ford. Jimmie Johnson finished fourth with Martin Truex Jr. fifth.

Matt Kenseth brought out the stage’s only caution flag after he spun backward into the Turn 2 retaining wall with his Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet on Lap 275. That shuffled the running order as teams opted for varying pit strategies. Logano’s crew opted to keep him on the race track, placing him in the lead for the stage’s final restart.

The full distance is scheduled for 400 laps, split into four stages. Every other race on the Cup Series schedule is divided into three stages.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Joey Logano Team Penske 10
2 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 9
3 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 8
4 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 7
5 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 5
7 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 4
8 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 3
9 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 2
10 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 1

Bowman cruises in Stage 2

Alex Bowman notched a Stage 2 victory Sunday night as the Coca-Cola 600 reached the halfway point at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Bowman padded his laps led for the evening to 140 of a possible 200 laps in the 400-lap race. The performance sealed a sweep of the first two stages of the 600-miler and secured his third stage win this season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Martin Truex Jr. came home second at the end of Stage 2. Kyle Busch claimed third place with William Byron fourth and Chase Elliott fifth.

Bowman’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet gave up the lead only during an exchange of green-flag pit stops after the stage’s midpoint. Four other drivers popped up to lead laps for first time Sunday during that cycle: Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Preece, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and John Hunter Nemechek.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 10
2 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 7
5 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 6
6 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 5
7 Joey Logano Team Penske 4
8 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 3
9 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 2
10 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 1

Bowman rises to take Stage 1

Alex Bowman landed the opening stage win in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of season for the NASCAR Cup Series.

Bowman led 46 of the 100 laps in the opening stage at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The result marked his second stage win of the season, banking Bowman another playoff point for use in the postseason.

RELATED: Stage 1 results 

Martin Truex Jr. took second place in the first stage with Chase Elliott, rookie Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano completing the top five.

The race was stopped by rain showers after 50 laps were complete. After track-drying efforts were effective, the red flag was lifted after a 68-minute delay.

Pole-starter Kurt Busch led the opening 54 laps until Bowman took the lead during the first exchange of pit stops after the rain delay. Bowman’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports crew opted for a two-tire change, which placed him out front. Busch wound up 10th at the conclusion of Stage 1, netting the last stage point.

Clint Bowyer’s No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford crashed heavily in Turns 1 and 2 with four laps remaining, forcing Stage 1 to end under caution. He exited his car under his own power.

Denny Hamlin lost several laps after the drop of the green flag after ballast fell from his No. 11 Toyota in pace laps. He headed to pit road before the start for repairs and joined the race in last place. He finished Stage 1 still last in the 40-car field, eight laps off the pace.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 10
2 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 8
4 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing 7
5 Joey Logano Team Penske 6
6 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 5
7 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 4
8 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 2
10 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 1
Posted on by Staff Report

Inclement weather has put a pause on Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 for the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway (FOX, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

A light shower began to pass through Turns 1 and 2, bringing the caution out on Lap 49. NASCAR officials brought cars down pit road shortly after, red flagging the race on Lap 51.

NASCAR officials have a host of Air Titans to lead the track-drying delegation at the 1.5-mile oval located in Concord, North Carolina.

RELATED: Ballast falls off Denny Hamlin’s car

Kurt Busch is the current leader, pacing every lap so far in the 400-mile event after starting on the Busch Pole. Martin Truex Jr. is second, followed by Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano to round out the top five.

The race is scheduled for 400 laps with Stage 1 ending on Lap 100, Stage 2 on Lap 200 and Stage 3 on Lap 300.

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin started Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 on pit road for repairs as his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota lost ballast during pace laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

RELATED: At-track photos

Hamlin was scheduled to start 13th in the 600-mile race, but tungsten weight fell from his car during the pre-race warm-up. He headed to pit road just before the green flag but lost eight laps as his JGR crew scrambled to replace it.

According to guidelines established in the 2020 NASCAR Rule Book, improperly secured ballast is expected to result in a significant post-race penalty beyond the early deficit. Rule 12.5.2.7.4.d states: “Loss or separation of added ballast from the vehicle will result in a four-race suspension of the crew chief, car chief, and head engineer.”

Hamlin has two victories this year, the season-opening Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series’ most recent race, last Wednesday at Darlington Raceway.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials confirmed Sunday that five cars will drop to the rear of the field for the start of the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford of Matt DiBenedetto will drop to the rear after the team opted for a backup car after a crash in Turn 4 during Busch Pole Qualifying earlier Sunday. He had qualified 33rd at the 1.5-mile track.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Charlotte race week schedule

Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Ford also spun during qualifying, but his Stewart-Haas Racing entry will drop to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments. Almirola had not posted a qualifying speed and was scheduled to start at the rear of the 40-car field anyway.

Other teams dropping to the rear because of unapproved adjustments:

• No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski
• No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet of JJ Yeley
• No. 66 MBM Motorsports Toyota of Timmy Hill

Posted on by Staff Report

Kurt Busch won the Busch Pole Award for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch turned a lap of 181.269 mph around the 1.5-mile track in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. That was quicker than Jimmie Johnson, who finished second with a top speed of 181.214 mph in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

For Busch, this was his 28th Busch Pole Award in the NASCAR Cup Series and his first pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five, all in Chevrolets.

RELATED: Full starting lineup

“I’m just so proud of (crew chief) Matt McCall and all our guys and the way we have to communicate right now, and get through everything as far as those last-minute details and those fine adjustments,” Busch said. “But, wow, what a Chevrolet brigade up front. This is pretty sweet!”

Defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Martin Truex Jr. will line up eighth in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Truex’s teammate and defending Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will start 11th in the No. 18 JGR Toyota.

Matt DiBenedetto hit the wall coming out of Turn 4 in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. DiBenedetto qualified 33rd, but he went to a backup car.

Aric Almirola also spun coming out of Turn 4 but didn’t appear to damage the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford enough to go to a backup. Almirola, who did not post a qualifying speed, will start last.

Green flag for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for 6:28 p.m. ET with coverage on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Staff Report

To help you get ready for the crown jewel 600-miler at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, NASCAR will host a pre-race show presented by Coca-Cola at 5 p.m. ET on NASCAR.com and NASCAR social channels.

Bubba Wallace and Joey Logano will join us to preview the big race, which airs at 6 p.m. ET on FOX. Other special guests include:

• Championship crew chief Cole Pearn offers his expert analysis in previewing the 400-lap race

•  NBC Sports analyst Steve Letarte and The Action Network’s PJ Walsh give fantasy and gaming tips

• North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper

• Speedway Motorsports Inc. President & CEO Marcus Smith

Posted on by Staff Report

Joey Logano will reach a life milestone on the same day as he competes in a milestone race.

“Sliced Bread,” the kid from Connecticut with buckets of talent and promise, turns 30 years old Sunday. In the evening, he’ll strap into his No. 22 Ford for Team Penske and attempt to win his first career Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The milestone age feels like an appropriate time to pause and examine the career of Logano, the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion, particularly compared to some of the sport’s all-time greats.

Two things seem evident after looking at the numbers below.

One, Logano ranks among the very best in NASCAR, ever, before the age of 30.

Second, he’s only going to get better like the greats before him did.

CAREER WINS BEFORE TURNING 30

Only six drivers in NASCAR history won at least 20 Cup Series races before turning 30, including two we’ll specifically compare Logano to later.

That list:

• Richard Petty, 60 wins
• Jeff Gordon, 55 wins
• Kyle Busch, 29 wins
• Joey Logano, 25 wins
• Junior Johnson, 22 wins
• Fireball Roberts, 20 wins

KEY DATES IN LOGANO’S CAREER

• Sept. 14, 2008: Logano makes his first career start for Joe Gibbs Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway at just 18 years, 3 months and 21 days. He would start 40th and finish 32nd.

• June 28, 2009: On his next visit to New Hampshire, Logano made NASCAR Cup Series history by becoming the youngest winner at the sport’s top level. In his 20th career start, he won at 19 years, 1 month and 4 days.

• March 21, 2010: Another record — Logano becomes the youngest polesitter in NASCAR Cup Series history at 19 years, 9 months and 25 days. He finished 27th at Bristol Motor Speedway.

• Aug. 18, 2013: Given fresh life at Team Penske, Logano captures his first victory for the organization at Michigan International Speedway, a track important to all manufacturers — it was Logano’s first win in a Ford.

• Feb. 22, 2015: Logano etched his name into one of the most exclusive clubs in all of NASCAR: Daytona 500 champion.

• Nov. 18, 2018: “The Big 3 and Me.” That’s how Logano viewed the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It may be perhaps the most defining quote of his career — for now — as Logano outdueled favored Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick to win his first career title.

AMONG THE GREATS

Logano is a generational talent, as Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch were before him. Here’s a look at the numbers these three drivers racked up at age 30.

Driver Jeff Gordon Kyle Busch Joey Logano
Age at Cup Series debut 21 years, 3 months, 11 days 18 years, 10 months, 5 days 18 years, 3 months, 21 days
Wins at age 30 55 29 25
Top fives at age 30 141 118 118
Top 10s at age 30 179 178 203
Laps led at age 30 12,231 10,242 6,135
Titles at age 30 3 0 1

 

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

Just one week ago NASCAR restarted its season at Darlington Raceway with social distancing measures in place. Over the past seven days, the NASCAR Cup Series has held two events at Darlington, while the Xfinity Series resumed on Thursday at the track “Too Tough to Tame” as well.

If you thought that was a lot of racing over the course of just one week, then you’d better prepare yourself.

Starting with today’s Coca-Cola 600, we’ll see four straight days of NASCAR racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Xfinity Series will return to action on Memorial Day with the Gander RV Outdoors Truck Series getting its turn to restart its season on Tuesday, followed by the Cup Series running another race on Wednesday.

That’s a lot of racing for fans … and bettors.

Whether you’re a seasoned NASCAR bettor or looking for something to sweat over the holiday weekend, here are my three favorite bets for today’s Coca-Cola 600.

NASCAR at Charlotte Best Bet Picks

*Odds as of Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Martin Truex Jr. (+550)

When it comes to Charlotte Motor Speedway, Truex immediately comes to mind.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won three of the past six races on the Charlotte oval, including a dominant victory in the 2019 Coca-Cola 600 in which Truex finished with the most laps led, the most fast laps and the best driver rating.

In fact, in his last four races on Charlotte’s oval, Truex has two wins and a sparkling 1.8 average finish.

DraftKings Sportsbook is offering the best price on Truex, so shop and grab the +550.

[Bet now at DraftKings. CO, NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]

Chase Elliott (+850)

Elliott finished fourth and had the third-best driver rating in the Coke 600 last year, and his speed at Las Vegas in February makes me like him even more on Sunday.

Chase won the first two stages in Vegas, but spun out due to a flat tire while leading the race, which resulted in a 26th-place finish.

And why does Las Vegas matter for this weekend? It’s the only 1.5-mile track (just like Charlotte) that the Cup Series has visited this season.

[Bet now at PointsBet. NJ and IN only.]

Ryan Blaney (+1900)

Blaney struggled at Darlington in both races over the last week, but that’s not all that unexpected. Ryan has never finished better than 13th at the track “Too Tough to Tame” in seven career Cup starts.

On the other hand, Blaney had the fourth-best driver rating in this race last year and the third-best rating at Las Vegas earlier this season.

In terms of value, this is my favorite bet for the Coca-Cola 600.

[Bet now at FanDuel. CO, NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]

Posted on by Staff Report

In honor of Memorial Day, NASCAR Cup Series drivers and accompanying on-track vehicles in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM) will carry the name of a fallen military member on their cars.

For some drivers and teams, it’s an extra personal connection. Read on to see some of the stories.

MORE: Every fallen servicemember honored

Chip Ganassi Racing

Kurt Busch and the No. 1 Chevrolet will honor Construction Electrician Petty Officer Second Class (US Navy) Phil Grieser on the No. 1 GEARWRENCH Chevrolet. Grieser served with the father of Doug Newell; Doug is an electrician tech at Ganassi. Grieser was killed from injuries suffered by a rocket attack near the camp of Seabee team 1013 on May 18, 1969, in Vietnam

Doug, through his father, had been in contact with the brother of Phil Grieser, Mark Grieser, who lives in Ohio. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR races currently are running without fans. Knowing they could not attend the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 as fans, Grieser, his wife Ann and their family drove down to the Chip Ganassi Racing shop to see the car in front of the shop — and, specifically, to see Phil’s name on the car.

Embed Car Ganassi Unveil

Gaunt Brothers Racing

Daniel Suarez and his GBR brethren will honor the memory of U.S. Army SPC Ronald David Rennison of Dubuque, Iowa, who was killed in action Feb. 25, 1991, along with 27 other individuals by a Scud missile strike in Dhahran in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. There is a personal connection between SPC Rennison, who was 22 at the time of his death, and the GBR Toyota team. Rennison’s younger brother, Randy, was a high school friend of GBR road crew mechanic Barry Boeckenstedt. Randy Rennison served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed in Korea at the time of his brother’s death. — Courtesy Gaunt Brothers

Stewart-Haas Racing

The windshield header of Clint Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford Mustang will carry the name of Private First Class Andy Krippner of Garland, Texas, who lost his life in Kunar Province, Afghanistan in 2011. Krippner spent just six weeks in Afghanistan and celebrated his 20th birthday days before his death. He lost his life when the Army vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device. The other soldiers killed in the attack included SSGT Kristofferson B. Lorenzo, 33, of Chula Vista, California; PFC William S. Blevins, 21, of Sardinia, Ohio; and PVT Thomas C. Allers of Plainwell, Mich. The soldiers were part of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Bowyer’s SHR teammates Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola will honor Lorenzo and Blevins on their Ford Mustangs Sunday.

SHR fabricator Matthew Ridgway joined that battalion after the incident and said he “knows them as well as you could know someone you’ve never met based on the stories from fellow soldiers (I) served with.” — Courtesy SHR

Richard Petty Motorsports

Fallen Tuskegee Airman, Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson will have his name displayed above the windshield of driver Bubba Wallace’s No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet. as part of NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600 Memorial Day tribute at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 25, 2020. The car will also be painted to resemble the iconic A-10 Thunderbolt II, right down to the tiger shark teeth on the grill.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps, a precursor of the U.S. Air Force. Pilots, navigators, maintainers, bombardiers, instructors and support staff all trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 sorties during World War II in Europe and North Africa.

Dickson, who was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, flew 68 missions during WWII. On December 23, 1944, he was returning from a reconnaissance mission when his Mustang P-51 experienced engine failure. His plane crashed along the Italy-Austria border, according to the Pentagon. Searches of the crash site were unsuccessful, and in 1949, the military declared his remains non-recoverable. — Courtesy U.S. Air Force

Team Penske

No. 2 Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski will compete with SSGT Michael Donovan Reep’s name atop his windshield in Sunday night’s 600-mile event. Reep, a member of the 27th SOCES (Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron) out of Cannon Air Force Base, lost his life in Columbia, South Carolina in 2015.

In the tweet below, Keselowski had the honor of giving Reep’s family the chance to be the first to see the Ford Mustang with his name on it via a video call.