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RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings

Breaking down the full field for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway :

 

1. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing. A historic win. Truex set so many records, we can’t list them all. So we’ll settle for this one: He led a Sprint Cup-record 588 miles. Oh, and his 392 laps led … taken alone, they would rank 121st all time in series history. Grade: AAA+ (and that might be a tad low)

 

2. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Another second-place finish for Harvick (47th of his career). One more and he ties Lee Petty for 10th all time. Grade: A

 

3. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson sniffed the lead after the final restart, but Superman said no. Instead, Johnson will be the answer to the trivia question: Who led the second-most laps (five) of the 2016 Coca-Cola 600? Sort of like: Who was the second-leading scorer the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game? And, no, I don’t know. Grade: A

 

4. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin picked up 5 seconds on leader Martin Truex Jr. on the night’s second pit stop … and still lost by 6.4 seconds. That’ll happen in a 600-mile race. Grade: A

 

5. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski and Kevin Harvick raced so close to each other for the first half of the race, you’d have thought a big ol’ magnet in one of the cars was keeping them side by side. Grade: A

 

6. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch increased his series-leading top-10 finishes to 11 and also moved up a spot to second in the standings behind Kevin Harvick. Grade: A

 

7. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Disaster came knocking on a green-flag pit stop late in the first half of the race when Austin Dillon fired out of his pit stall and went way wide into Kenseth. Fortunately the impact was minimal. Grade: A

 

8. Chase Elliott, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Elliott was running eighth when he was hit with a speeding penalty on the first pit stop; 373 laps later he finished eighth. Nice job. Grade: A

 

9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Not that Logano would have been able to run down Martin Truex Jr., but any chance at the win went away during green-flag pit stops around Lap 254 when a crew member was over the wall too soon. After serving the penalty, Logano was 21st, one lap down, which effectively ended his night. The team battled back, but that’s a mistake that can’t be made, especially with your driver running so well in such a big race. Grade: D

 

10. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman was penalized for speeding on pit road during the third caution but battled back to post his fourth top 10 of the season and move up a spot to 16th in the standings. Grade: B

 

11. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle posted his best finish of the season but couldn’t end his drought of top-10 finishes. His previous top 10 was last September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when he finished fourth. Grade: B

 

12. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon started 28th and needed all 400 laps to claw his way up. Grade: B

 

13. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Larson made a lot of noise early and was running fourth at the halfway point before fading. Grade: B

 

14. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Junior was on pit road when the final yellow flag came out, and he took the wave-around to return to the lead lap … albeit a little deeper in the field for the final restart with 56 laps to go. He was never vying for a win, but that cost him a higher finish. Grade: B

 

15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse was the lucky dog on the final caution, enabling him to score his sixth finish in the teens (13th through 16th) in the past seven races. Grade: B

 

16. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger’s 19.3 average running position was highest among drivers finishing in the top 20 and his 10 laps in the top 15 were the lowest. Grade: C

 

17. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard’s 11th-place-finish at Dover coupled with his 17th Sunday gave him his second-best back-to-back finishes of the season, behind his 15th-8th at Auto Club and Martinsville. Grade: C

 

18. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards was a fixture in the top 10 and running third when he was hit with two green-flag pit-road speeding penalties. The first came when he was too fast entering the pits on Lap 298. The second came when he was too fast entering pit road to do his pass-through penalty, which required him to do a stop-and-go on the next lap. That put a fork in any chance for a decent finish: Grade: D

 

19. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. McMurray’s average running position was 19.1, and that’s exactly where he finished. Grade: C

 

20. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Not a bad finish considering Blaney was hit with his first pit-road speeding penalty of the season on the competition caution, had to return to pit road because of a loose wheel during the third caution and had his right rear tire go down with three laps to go. Grade: C

 

21. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Danica’s consistent: Sunday’s finish was her eighth in the 20s this season. Grade: C

 

22. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne’s right front tire went down early putting him two laps back, and he spent the rest of the night slowly making up ground. Grade: C

 

23. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Bowyer was never a factor and saw his string of top-20 finishes end at three. Grade: C

 

24. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart qualified 21st but rolled off the grid 39th when NASCAR caught a crew member making an unauthorized change to the car on pit road before the race. A pit-road penalty for speeding during the third caution didn’t help things, either. Grade: D

 

25. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Since getting his first top 10 of the season at Bristol, Bayne has had a top-10 finish every other race. If the pattern holds, he’ll get his first top 10 at Pocono next week. Grade: C

 

26. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola finished outside the top 10 for the 14th consecutive race, the fourth-longest such streak of his Cup career. Grade: C

 

27. Landon Cassill, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Of the season’s 13 races, Cassill has finished 25th, 26th, 27th or 28th six times. Grade: C

 

28. Regan Smith, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Smith posted his second-best finish in his past eight races. Grade: C

 

29. Brian Scott, No. 44 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Scott finished in the top 30 for the fourth race in a row. Grade: C-

 

30. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears’ finish is his worst in the 600 since a 33rd-place finish in the rain-shortened 2009 race while driving for Richard Childress Racing. Grade: D

 

31. David Ragan, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Ragan finished seven laps back but was running at the finish; he had DNFs in both Charlotte races last year. Grade: D

 

32. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. Although he finished 32nd, DiBenedetto was running at the finish, unlike in two of the previous three races. Grade: D

 

33. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch was running 10th and flirting with a top-10 finish when he cut a tire with seven laps to go and smacked the outside wall hard. Instead, he finished with his second straight DNF. Grade: B-

 

34. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Chevrolet, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing. McDowell posted his worst finish of the season. Grade: D

 

35. Cole Whitt, No. 98 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Whitt was running at the finish, nine laps back. Grade: D

 

36. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett finished 10 laps back. Grade: F

 

37. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher could not build on his career-best 18th-place finish at Dover. Grade: F

 

38. Josh Wise, No. 30 Chevrolet, The Motorsports Group. Wise finished 13 laps back but was running at the finish for the fourth time in the past five races. Grade: F

 

39. Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. Earnhardt’s finish was a season low. Grade: F

 

40. Reed Sorenson, No. 55 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Sorenson completed 200 laps before clutch issues ended his night. Grade: F

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings

 

CONCORD, N.C. — Finishing as a runner-up is a familiar feeling for Kevin Harvick. He’s done it three times this season after doing it a modern-era record 13 times last year.

 

Then there’s Jimmie Johnson, a mainstay on the intermediate tracks with seven career wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Yet in the Coca-Cola 600, finishing second and third as Harvick and Johnson respectively did, to the dominant performance of Martin Truex Jr. could almost feel like a victory in its own right. Truex was on a completely different level Sunday, leading 392 of 400 laps (a Charlotte Motor Speedway record) and 588 of the 600 miles run (the most ever in a NASCAR race) to score the victory.

The changing conditions of the race saw Harvick’s car come to life in the latter quarter of the night, and he overtook Johnson for second place but couldn’t quite get to Truex. That result was a departure from the beginning of the night where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader had what he described as a “10th-place car.”

“Early on, we were just really, really bad,” Harvick said. “Our Jimmy John’s Chevy was just tight getting into the corners and loose getting up off the corners and there were just a lot of problems that we really couldn’t narrow-in on one thing to change something.

“Rodney (Childers, crew chief) came on the radio and he said ‘Hey, we just made a huge adjustment.’ And from that point on, it was a lot better. I really thought we were just going to drive right by him (Truex), but I got tight those last two runs compared to the run that we were really good and made up all the ground.”

The gains the No. 4 crew made over the night were not lost on the 2014 champion, a three-time winner at Charlotte.

“When you’re able to take a 10th‑place car at best, for the first 450 miles and make adjustments on it, those are huge gains,” Harvick said. “I was just happy we were competitive at the end of the race. We didn’t have the fastest car, obviously. It seemed like the 78 must have led the whole race.”

 

RELATED: A dominant showing for Truex


Harvick wasn’t the only one trying to run down Truex’s No. 78 Toyota in the race. Johnson also had a few shots at trying to get by the 78 but couldn’t quite make it stick.

“I thought I had him clear twice and somehow he just drove by on the straightaway,” Johnson said. “His car was just really strong and there were many times where I thought I’d get close and then he’d pick the pace up a couple tenths. I think he had plenty of speed on the side and could really control the race.”

Johnson, victorious at the 1.5-mile track as recently as 2014, led five laps on the night — the second-highest total.

“This is the best car we’ve had in Charlotte for a long, long time,” Johnson said. “It just shows you how good the 78 (Truex) was and the 4 (Harvick) got a little better than us in the end.”

The third-place finish was Johnson’s first top-five finish in a month since a third-place effort at Richmond International Raceway. The result also saw Johnson move up two spots to third in the point standings. 

 

“It just drove really good all night long,” Johnson explained. “Balance stayed very similar from corner entry to corner exit, which is tough to do here. I could drive the car, the car wasn’t driving me. The last few times we’ve been here, I’ve just been kind of hanging on so I think we are going the right way with the race cars.”

 

RELATED: Johnson on Truex: He wouldn’t be denied

Posted on by Nascar

CONCORD, N.C. — Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick have more in common than being long-time car owners in NASCAR.



Both men have seen their teams win multiple championships. Both have fielded entries for some of NASCAR’s most talented drivers.



And both are going into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2017.



Their friendship has been built on respect for each other’s accomplishments as well as years of fierce competition.



Sometimes, what has taken place on the track has tested the limits of that friendship. But it remains unchanged.



“We’ve had some situations where we’ve had to go up to each other and say, ‘You know, we’re not driving the cars,’ ” Hendrick said Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of the Coca-Cola 600.



Specifically, in 1988 when Dale Earnhardt, driving for Childress, and Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick, were embroiled in a feud that became so intense it resulted in all four being summoned to NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida, to meet with CEO Bill France.



It was a rivalry that had been building for quite some time. It all came to a head here at CMS.



“That was back when Dale and Geoff were wrecking each other, right here (at Charlotte), and it was costing us a lot of money,” Hendrick said.



It was the Coca-Cola 600 race weekend, and during the Saturday race, the Winn-Dixie 300, contact from Earnhardt sent Bodine spinning and into the wall. Afterward, Bodine made a trip to Earnhardt’s garage stall, drawing an imaginary “X” over the car.



“That was his engine builder next to the car. I was just wishing him good luck for today,” Bodine said during a pre-race television interview.



In Sunday’s 600, contact between the pair sent Bodine’s No. 5 Chevrolet to the garage. This time, NASCAR officials penalized Earnhardt, holding the driver of the black No. 3 Chevrolet on pit road for five laps.



The following week, both drivers and the two car owners were summoned to Daytona. The incident was recreated for the movie “Days of Thunder.”



“They made a movie about it,” Hendrick recalled. “We got summoned to Daytona; Bill France brought us in a room … Dale, Geoff Bodine, Richard and myself.



“I’m not going to use all the words he used but he said, ‘There aren’t two monkeys that are going to mess up our show. … We can sit here and watch videos all day.’ … but Richard and I had already agreed that we couldn’t control it; we tried to, but it was costing us a lot of money.



“Mr. France said, ‘We’re going to go have dinner.’ Dale said, ‘I’ve got some plans.’ Mr. France said, ‘There’s the phone, change your plans.’



“Richard and I rode together; Dale and Bodine rode together and we never did have any more trouble.”



Childress, who won six premier series titles with Earnhardt at the helm of his cars, said such incidents weren’t exactly “great,” but said it was a fun time in the series.



“That wasn’t fun that night,” Hendrick said.



“That wasn’t any fun at all,” replied Childress. “He (France) was serious. He definitely said ‘I don’t care if one of you has to run on one side of the track and the other run on the other side, you better not do it again.’ He was pretty serious.



“But you look back on that … to be part of it and build the friendship we did … it was quite a trip.”

In addition to Childress and Hendrick, drivers Mark Martin and Benny Parsons, along with former car owner Raymond Parks, will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2017.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Post-Charlotte standings | Updated Chase Grid

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Coverage of Stewart’s accident, comeback | Updated Chase Grid


Tony Stewart returned from a back injury in April and the three-time champion is in pursuit of one of the 16 spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his final season. Here’s a look at where the driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet stands in his pursuit after the season’s 13th of 26 regular-season races.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED

Stewart faced adversity early in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as he was forced to start the 600-mile event from the rear due to unapproved body adjustments to the No. 14 Chevrolet. Undeterred, “Smoke” made his way from the back to mid-pack, making a three-wide move for 21st place at Lap 36. But a pit road penalty halfway through the race and lightning fast frontrunners didn’t bode well for the No. 14 Chevrolet and he ultimately finished 24th, four laps down. Nonetheless, the result did allow Stewart to jump two spots in the driver standings to 35th.

 

WHAT HE NEEDS
Stewart received a waiver from NASCAR for Chase eligibility. The surest way into the Chase is by winning before the end of regular season (at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10) and climb into the top 30 in the points standings. En route to his 2015 championship, Kyle Busch faced a similar path after missing the first 11 races with a leg injury. Currently, Stewart is 35th in the standings, 60 points behind David Ragan for 30th place. 

WHAT’S NEXT
“Smoke” heads to Pocono Raceway on June 5 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio). Stewart is a two-time winner at “The Tricky Triangle,” his last trip to Victory Lane coming in 2009. In his 34 starts, he also has 12 top fives and 23 top-10 results.

 

RELATED: See all of Stewart’s wins | “Smoke” granted Chase waiver

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Truex Jr.’s history when leading 100 or more laps

 

Martin Truex Jr.’s dominating Coca-Cola 600 win on Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway was an important victory for the No. 78 team. It marked Truex’s first 2016 win and virtually punched his ticket to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

It was also record-breaking — in more than one category.

Below are the feats accomplished by Truex & Co. on Sunday night in North Carolina.

• Truex’s 588 (of 600) miles led was the most ever in a NASCAR race.

 

• His 392 laps led were the most in a Coca-Cola 600. Jim Paschal held the previous record with 335 laps in the front of the field during the 1967 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

• The No. 78 driver’s dominant win earned him a perfect driver rating of 150.0, a first for any Sprint Cup Series driver at Charlotte.

 

• The race spanned 3 hours, 44 minutes and 5 seconds, marking the quickest Coca-Cola 600 event ever.

 

• Drivers in Sunday’s race averaged a speed of 160.655 mph, the fastest average speed for a Coca-Cola 600 event in race history.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kasey Kahne: The Coca-Cola 600 is such a different animal that rewards mental acuity, pure tenacity and physical fitness. Kasey Kahne has those qualities and won NASCAR’s endurance event three times, and with two top-five finishes already this season, this is where he breaks out of his 59-race winless rut. — Kathy Sheldon



Joey Logano: It’ll be a clean Charlotte sweep for Sliced Bread, who got his mojo back during the Sprint All-Star Race. Last week’s $1 million win probably felt spectacular — the feeling may be equal Sunday night when Logano celebrates his biggest NASCAR victory to date. — Brad Norman



Carl Edwards: He’s the defending race winner and has posted five straight top 10s at Charlotte. Kevin Harvick is the only other driver who can say that, but the No. 19 pit crew gives him the edge — by a footlong Subway sandwich at the finish. — George Winkler


Kevin Harvick : This one’s an easy pick for me. There’s a reason why Harvick sits atop the standings and that’s exactly where he’ll stay after cruising to another Coca-Cola 600 win. — Maggie MacKenzie


Joey Logano : The most recent Charlotte winner, Logano’s No. 22 Ford seems ready for 600 miles of action, as he topped two of the three rounds of qualifying, scoring a second-place starting position. With a fast car and plenty of momentum after his All-Star win, look for the Team Penske driver to punch his ticket to the Chase Sunday with his first ’16 victory. — Jessica Ruffin



Martin Truex Jr. : Forget about what has gone wrong late in races for the No. 78 team, Truex has consistently been one of the best on the intermediate tracks this season. The Furniture Row Racing driver will cash in on his pole run and strong pit spot for his first win of 2016. —RJ Kraft



Joey Logano : Becomes first driver to sweep All-Star race and Coca-Cola 600 since Kurt Busch in 2010. Logano drives the No. 22 Ford for team owner Roger Penske, Busch’s team owner in ’10. — Kenny Bruce

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Find FS1 in your area

All times ET

Monday, May 30
6 a.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship (re-air), FS1
6:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN

Tuesday, May 31
6 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 (re-air), FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN

Wednesday, June 1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
2:30 a.m., NASCAR The List: Rookie Seasons (re-air), NBCSN

Thursday, June 2
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race: Dominion Raceway (taped), NBCSN

Friday, June 3
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
11 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
12:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1

Saturday, June 4
9 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub – Weekend Edition, FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FS1
12:30 p.m., WeatherTech Sportscar Championship: Belle Isle Park, FS1
12:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series FOX Pre-Race Show, FOX
1 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250, FOX

Sunday, June 5
8:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250 (re-air), FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400, FS1

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | SHOP: Truex Jr. Gear 

CONCORD, N.C. — The heartbreak kid survived 600 miles without another broken heart.

Instead, Martin Truex Jr. broke records in Sunday night’s victory in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a race in which the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota set new standards for domination.

Truex led 392 of 400 laps, most ever in NASCAR’s longest Sprint Cup Series race. He spent 588 of 600 miles at the front of the field, most ever in a single race in NASCAR history.


RELATED: When Truex Jr. has led 100 laps or more


And when it was over, Truex had his first victory of the season, the fourth of his career and an all-but-guaranteed berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Perhaps more important, Truex erased a litany of crushing disappointments that continued into this season and ruined potential winning efforts at Texas, Kansas and Dover.

“It’s just kind of sinking in now that we won the 600,” Truex said in Victory Lane. “Really proud of my team — everybody that made this possible, that believed in me, gave me this opportunity. (Crew chief) Cole Pearn, Jazzy (team engineer Jeff Curtis), my guys are something special.


“I want to thank all of them. This is a big day. Got the troops on the cars (for Memorial Day recognition). This is a special weekend. It’s really neat to bring that name (of fallen hero Gunnery Sergeant Jeffrey E. Bohr Jr.) home to Victory Lane. Just a lot of emotion right now. Not really sure it’s sunk in yet. Just an amazing day, an amazing weekend for all of us. It’s a weekend you dream about.”

Truex finished 2.572 seconds ahead of Kevin Harvick, whose car tightened up during the final 56-lap green-flag run. Jimmie Johnson ran third and led the second-most laps — five.

Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski completed the top five, but the night belonged to Truex.

When darkness fell, Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet came to life, but the tight handling condition that developed over the final 80 miles prevented him from taking the fight to Truex.

“Well, I saw him for about 50 miles or 75 miles,” Harvick said. “The rest of the night I never saw him. I was back there swatting flies in the middle of the pack. I didn’t have a lot of time to see the 78.”

Johnson was pleased with the speed in his own No. 48 Chevrolet, but it was no match for Truex’s Camry.

“I kind of felt like he was playing with us,” Johnson said. “He was so fast. I would flatfoot (Turns) 1 and 2, and have a nose on him, and he would drive right back by me into Turn 3. It was so fast. It was very impressive. I’m happy for Martin. That team and those guys worked awfully hard to get where they’re at.”

But for the vagaries of green-flag pit stop cycles, Truex was out front for the entire race.

He led 336 of the first 344 laps, surpassing the race and speedway record of 335 set by 1967 Coke 600 winner Jim Paschal.


MORE: Most dominant races in NASCAR history


The average speed of the race, 160.644 mph, was a record for a Coca-Cola 600 that went the full distance, as was the duration of the race, 3 hours, 44 minutes, 8 seconds. Truex achieved a perfect driver rating of 150.0, the first of his career.

“I had confidence,” Truex added. “I had faith. I had confidence in my team. I’ve got a lot of great people behind me. Sherry (Pollex, Truex’s girlfriend and an ovarian cancer survivor), she gives me a lot of inspiration.

“And we keep on fighting. We never give up. We never quit. We always keep digging, and I’m proud of my guys for sticking by me. They all did a great job tonight. There are so many fans that have supported us the last few years with so many heartbreaks. I really appreciate that. I really had fun tonight.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Results | Updated standings | Post-Charlotte Chase Grid 

 

CONCORD, N.C. — On a night where Martin Truex Jr. dominated the Coca-Cola 600 and shattered several NASCAR records in one of the Sprint Cup Series’ most storied races, the rest of the field was left to tip its cap to a driver that has come oh-so-close to winning already in 2016.

 

MORE: Truex rewrites history

 

Truex led 392 of 400 laps (the most ever at Charlotte Motor Speedway) and his 588 miles led (of 600) was the most led in NASCAR history.

 

The performance was so stellar that Jimmie Johnson, who finished third, stopped mid-interview on pit road to congratulate and give Truex a high-five.

 

“He was too damn fast not to,” Johnson joked afterward.

 

Race runner-up Kevin Harvick spent the latter part of the race trying to get to Truex but couldn’t reel him in.

 

“I saw him for about 50 miles or 75 miles,” Harvick said. “The rest of the night I never saw him.”

 

Johnson led the second-most laps in the field at five and, at times, seemed to be close to making a move to get the lead. But the six-time Sprint Cup Series champion couldn’t quite get there.

 

“I thought I had him clear twice and somehow he just drove by on the straightaway,” Johnson said. “His car was just really strong and there were many times where I thought I’d get close and then he’d pick the pace up a couple tenths. I think he had plenty of speed on the side and could really control the race.”

 

Johnson knows a little something about being dominant. In 2004, he led 334 laps en route to winning the Coca-Cola 600. He has also led 300 laps two other times, both coming at Martinsville in 2008 and 2013.

 

The fact that Truex and his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota have been so close to Victory Lane this season — he led 141 laps at Texas and 172 laps at Kansas before late-race trouble found the 78 team in both instances — was not lost on Johnson.

 

RELATED: Truex: When he’s led 100 laps or more

 

“They’ve had a few runs where they’ve just been the class of the field and things have just kept them from Victory Lane,” Johnson said. “Tonight, he wasn’t going to be denied. There was no way around that.”

 

Joey Logano started the race alongside Truex on the front row and spent some time chasing Truex from the front, as well. The Sprint All-Star Race winner summed up his pursuit succinctly.

 

“We didn’t have anything for the 78,” Logano said. “Martin Truex was on fire tonight and really all weekend. They had it figured out.”

 

Like Johnson, Logano said he could stay close for a little bit, but was no match for the 78 on the long runs.

 

“There were times that we were racing him up front for the lead on restarts,” Logano said. “We’d run with him for a while and then eventually on the long run he just took off. We had nothing for him, but at times I thought we were definitely a second-place car — but unfortunately it’s a distant second.”

 

The win was a popular one in the garage with Johnson saying how well-liked Truex is by his fellow competitors. That sentiment was echoed by fifth-place finisher Brad Keselowski.

 

“You see a guy like Martin win and you can’t help but feel good about it,” Keselowski said. “He’s a good person and he deserves all the success he gets.”

 

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