A Lap 246 incident ended the days of multiple contenders in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as a spinning Daniel Suárez collected Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson.
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, clipped Blaney exiting Turn 4 and bounced into Suárez, sending both drivers around. Blaney hit the wall and Suárez went for a slide down the frontstretch and into Larson, who was fresh back on the lead lap from a Lap 42 incident.
“It was three-wide and tight getting off the corner,” Blaney said. “I thought I was kind of high enough as I could go and it seems like, I don’t know if it was just a big squeeze, a couple of us bounced off each other, just tight off (Turn) 4. The first caution set us back, and then finally got close to the top 10, but now we’re gonna go home early. It’s one of those things.”
Suárez, Larson and Blaney were credited with 36th, 37th, and 38th place finishes, respectively. All three were evaluated and released from the infield care center.
Justin Haley was able to make repairs to his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and return to the track, finishing the 600-mile event in the 30th position.
The green flag of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway marked 700 career Cup Series starts for NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. He became the 21st driver in history to achieve the milestone, and it came at the track where he made his debut on Oct. 7, 2001.
“To reach my 700th start at the very race and track where my Cup career began makes this moment incredibly special,” Johnson said. “It’s a full-circle journey, and to share it with fans on Memorial Day weekend while honoring a fallen service member adds even more meaning.”
The majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, Johnson rolled off 17th in his second and final scheduled start of the 2025 season. Since his full-time retirement in 2020, the 49-year-old has made sporadic starts over the last three years, including nine last year in the No. 84 Toyota. His third-place result in this year’s Daytona 500 was his best finish since finishing fifth in his final race with Hendrick Motorsports.
However, Johnson couldn’t continue his momentum from Daytona in February as a Lap 112 crash ended the veteran’s Coca-Cola 600 abruptly. He got loose exiting Turn 4, a trouble spot for many early on in the 400-lapper, also claiming Cole Custer and Connor Zilisch. Johnson limped his Toyota to the garage and chalked up the incident as “a rookie mistake with these cars.”
Johnson drove the No. 48 Chevrolet for HMS for 19 seasons, missing just one race in that time. He won seven championships, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most of all time. His 83 race victories tie Cale Yarborough for the sixth most in NASCAR history.
Other drivers achieving milestone starts Sunday included:
Daniel Suárez: 300 starts
Ryan Preece: 200 starts
Ty Gibbs: 100 starts
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing, is scheduled to reach 700 career starts next weekend at Nashville Superspeedway (Sun., June 1, 7 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Editor’s Note: After initially finishing 27th, Larson has now been scored with a 24th-place result in the 2025 Indianapolis 500 following post-race inspection.
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — A day filled with high hopes and trophy expectations after weeks of hard work at track and a year to contemplate the quest ended abruptly Sunday after NASCAR star Kyle Larson crashed just before the midpoint of Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 — a race ultimately won in a sprint to the finish by three-time and reigning IndyCar champion, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson, who is the fifth driver in history to run Memorial Day’s famed “Double” didn’t get to finish the first half of this doubleheader day, leaving Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 27th-place finish but was grateful to have another shot at a trophy Sunday evening in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Larson’s No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet got loose in traffic on a restart and spun out into the Turn 2 wall, having completed only 91 of the scheduled 200 laps.
“I got a little too eager,” an obviously disheartened Larson said.
“Just made a mistake. I was really close to Takuma [Sato] and got kinda tight because I was really tucked up underneath him and as I peeked out left, just got loose and spun. I hate that I caused that crash there and hate it for everybody at Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports. A lot of people here to see a better result than that.”
The incident collected the cars belonging to Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb, who both were quite sympathetic toward the NASCAR superstar racing in uncharacteristically challenging conditions even for fulltime drivers — temperatures in the low 60s, overcast skies and light rain that delayed the race start and then brought out an early caution flag.
“Frustrating day, not much I could do in that scenario for Kyle,” Robb said. “It’s an easy mistake to make, cold track, long running stints there, marbles on the inside, cold tires on the restart, race conditions were tough. These cars were tricky.”
They were three of nine drivers that did not make it to the checkered flag in a race that presented challenges even for the most experienced of drivers.
For Larson, the adversity began immediately after driver introductions as he was standing at his car with his family and a long list of NASCAR dignitaries from his team owner Rick Hendrick and team executive Jeff Gordon to NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell.
Light rain sprinkles started falling while the cars were on the grid during all the pre-race pomp and circumstance that makes the Indianapolis 500 one of the biggest races in the world; a race that the talented Larson — a driver referred to as a “generational talent” — so badly wanted to compete in and win.
The wet weather created a green flag delay and cars rolled off the starting line 42 minutes later than the planned 12:46 p.m. ET starting time — significant for Larson who was on a specific timeline and needed to leave the track by 4:07 p.m. in order to make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 green flag.
Then there were a pair of incidents immediately thereafter, slowing the pace further — with Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin hitting the wall and crashing out while trying to get his tires up to temperature on the warm-up lap. Minutes later, on the first lap of green, veteran Marco Andretti crashed out.
It really seemed to be the tone of the day, but at least early on, Larson was still turning the laps and patiently moving forward. He ran top-20 all day, methodically working up from his seventh row starting position, even overcoming a slow pit stop.
It was a promising start after being involved in a pair of crashes during practice earlier this month that frustrated Larson. He rallied to earn a 19th-place starting position on the 33-car grid and was consistently among the fastest in long-run speed. He climbed out of his car following Friday’s practice, seeming optimistic about his chances on Sunday.
He ran well in a race that featured multiple strategies in light of all the incidents, only to have his day end early Sunday.
“Just very disappointed,” Larson said. “Made a mistake on pit road and it obviously just kind of compounded from there, you feel like you’re behind and feel like you need to catch up, and that was probably the wrong thing to do and got a little bit too overzealous there on the re-start just trying to overcome the mistake I made.”
Editor’s Note: After initially finishing 27th, Larson has now been scored with a 24th-place result in the 2025 Indianapolis 500 following post-race inspection.
The biggest day in racing featured NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway (won by Ross Chastain), the Indianapolis 500 for IndyCar (won by Alex Palou) and the Monaco Grand Prix in F1 (won by Lando Norris). Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson was attempting to race all 1,100 miles in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600, but his effort fell short after a crash on Lap 92 of the Indy 500. He also crashed out of the Coca-Cola 600 after 245 of 400 laps.
Recap his day going after the “Double”:
9:29 p.m. ET: NASCAR scoring confirms Larson is out of the race, ending his night scored in 37th place. Larson was evaluated and released from the infield care center.
9:18 p.m. ET: Larson is involved in a multicar wreck at Lap 245 of 400 that does major damage to the right-rear suspension of the No. 5 Chevrolet. Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Chevrolet came down the track after wrecking and sideswiped Larson’s vehicle as he was trying to slip past on the inside.
8:38 p.m. ET: Larson finishes 26th in Stage 2 and gets the free pass after Kyle Busch spins.
7:33 p.m. ET: Larson finishes 32nd in Stage 1, which ends under caution because of an Alex Bowman spin.
6:52 p.m. ET: From the lead, Larson spins coming out of Turn 4 and slides through the infield grass to bring out a caution.
6:30 p.m. ET: Green flag and the Coca-Cola 600 is underway at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson leads Lap 1.
6:17 p.m. ET: Engines are fired for the Coca-Cola 600.
6:13 p.m. ET: Television shows Larson in the cockpit of his car.
5:58 p.m. ET: Television shows Larson on the grid outside his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
5:22 p.m. ET: Larson’s helicopter lands at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
5:05 p.m. ET: Larson’s plane touches down in Concord, North Carolina.
3:22 p.m. ET: Television shows Larson’s helicopter leaving Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
3:08 p.m. ET: Larson was checked and released from the care center and was interviewed on television. Sounding disappointed, Larson said he would try to get over this quickly and get on to Charlotte. Larson was scored in 27th place after the wreck.
2:56 p.m. ET: Larson spins and wrecks the No. 17 Chevrolet on his 92nd lap, ending his day at the Indy 500 and chance to complete the “Double.”
2:38 p.m. ET: With 75 of 200 laps complete, Larson is in 20th place in the 33-car field.
2:06 p.m. ET: Green flag as the Indy 500 resumes after a 16-minute caution for weather.
2:03 p.m. ET: Larson comes out of pit stops in 31st place as we await the track to be ready for a restart.
1:50 p.m. ET: Caution for weather.
1:35 p.m. ET: Green flag and the 109th Indianapolis 500 is underway.
1:28 p.m. ET: Scott McLaughlin’s No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet is shown wrecked after he hits the inside wall swerving while trying to warm his tires. McLaughlin exits the car, and his day is over — the race laps have begun counting, despite the green flag having not yet flown.
1:22 p.m. ET: Roger Penske, chairman of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and owner of Team Penske in NASCAR, gives the command to start engines at the 109th Indianapolis 500.
12:55 p.m. ET: Television interviews Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner, who is on standby for the No. 17 Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Motorsports team should Larson need to leave the Indy 500 early to travel to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. Kanaan says Larson will need to leave by 4:07 p.m. ET to make it to Charlotte in time.
12:50 p.m. ET: Television reports the start of the Indy 500 has been delayed by rain.
12:38 p.m. ET: Larson is shown sitting in the cockpit of his car, the No. 17 Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Light rain sprinkles have been reported, holding up the command to start engines.
12:35 p.m. ET: Grand Marshals Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez announce, “Drivers, to your cars!”
12:17 p.m. ET: FOX Sports’ Jamie Little and Rob Gronkowski attempt to talk to Larson on the grid, but he’s absent. Little says Larson is in the bathroom. Gronkowski compares Larson’s double attempt to Deion Sanders when he was playing two professional sports at the same time in the NFL and MLB.
11:51 a.m. ET: Kyle Larson is introduced to the crowd along with the other Row 7 drivers, rookie Louis Foster and Callum Ilott. The announcer says Larson was the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, who is making his second attempt at the “Double.” The crowd gives a loud ovation.
Larson qualified 19th in the No. 17 Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and will line up on the inside of Row 7.
The third of three races on Motorsports Christmas is also the longest one, with drivers set to contest 400 laps in the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Charlotte Motor Speedway marks the third-straight 1.5-mile oval that the Cup Series has run in a points-paying race, so there’s plenty of relevant data to use in addition to the practice session that took place on Saturday.
Add it all up, and there’s a fun betting card to put together for tonight’s 600 miler.
Looking to do the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double, Larson will head to Charlotte as the race favorite and also as my model’s favorite.
After his dominant performance at Kansas Speedway — where he won both stages and the race — Larson somehow moves even higher in my driving metrics at 1.5-mile ovals, boosting him up on that front.
Then, in practice, Larson ranked inside the top five in my FLAGS metric in the second practice group, which is typically comprised of the faster set of cars. Add in a second-place qualifying effort, and Larson looks to be in great shape to put in another dominating performance.
My model gives him an 18.8% chance to win, so he is barely playable at ESPN BET, where he’s +450
The Bet: Kyle Larson to win (+450 at ESPN BET) | Bet to: +450
William Byron
Similar to Larson, William Byron, his Hendrick teammate, is in a good situation entering the 400-lap affair.
Byron will start one row behind Larson after qualifying third and is ranked two spots behind him in practice FLAGS. If Larson isn’t the dominant car, my model thinks Byron has the next best chance and gives him a 15.0% chance to win the race. That’s up from the 12.5% implied odds at +700, which can also be found at ESPN BET.
If you don’t have ESPN BET, BetMGM is currently hanging a +600 number, which my model still has as value, albeit a bit thin.
The Bet: William Byron to Win (+700 at ESPN BET) | Bet to: +600
Alex Bowman
Are you sensing a theme here?
My model is high on a third HMS driver, and that’s Alex Bowman, the driver of the No. 48 car.
Bowman slots right between Larson and Byron in my practice FLAGS metric and fires off ninth to start the race.
The 1.5-mile tracks have been good for Bowman, at least on the speed front. Bowman had a top-five car in speed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before finishing seventh. He gave up a late lead to Larson at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished second.
At Texas Motor Speedway, Bowman rallied from 21st after the first pit stops to third by the end of Stage 2 before another slow stop dropped him just outside the top 10. Starting Stage 3, he got caught up in a crash that started in front of him, but he definitely had a top-three car on speed.
Finally, in the most recent race at a 1.5-mile track at Kansas, Bowman claimed a fifth-place finish.
That means in all four races at 1.5-mile tracks, Bowman had a car worthy of a top five.
The fact that he’s +290 for a top-five at FanDuel is a bit mind-boggling. My model gives him a 31.1% chance to finish top five, which equates to about +220 as fair odds. I’ll gladly bet on Bowman at that price.
In fact, I’ll take a full Bowman ladder, taking his top 10 at -120, his top three at +600, and even his outright at +2100, which I have at a 6.0% chance of happening.
The Bets: Alex Bowman Finishing Position Ladder (Top 10, Top 5, Top 3, and Win at FanDuel)
The Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR’s toughest test — 600 miles of strategy, stamina and focus under ever-changing conditions. It’s a marathon that demands more than speed and rewards only the strongest (Sun., 6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
With Memorial Day weekend honoring our military, the event carries an added layer of meaning. Every car bears the name of a fallen soldier on its windshield, giving Victory Lane a legacy beyond the checkered flag.
This Sunday, one of the biggest names in the sport is eyeing a second attempt at the historic “Double.”
Kyle Larson will have a 500-mile precursor in Indianapolis that starts nearly six hours before Charlotte’s nightcap gets underway. He didn’t get to run this race last year, so he is probably double-circling it looking for redemption and a chance to make history as the only driver to win after competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coke 600 on the same day. (Update: Larson’s Indy 500 day came to an end on the 92nd lap following a wreck.) The No. 5 team has been superior on mile-and-a-half tracks since he came to Hendrick Motorsports, and with the extra stage, Larson at the very least has the chance to run up his numbers and extend his points lead.
However, two multi-time winners who also have a vintage Coke machine at their houses stand in Larson’s way: Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin.
Both of their wins in the 600 came in the Next Gen car, and both excel on 1.5-mile tracks. Hamlin is tied with Kyle Busch at 12 top 10s in this event, which is the most among active drivers. As for Bell, while he did win a rain-shortened race last year, don’t discount the fact that he has three top 10s in the 600 in five starts and is coming off a thrilling All-Star win.
In a race that demands everything, only the most complete driver will survive 600 miles and rise to the moment. Whether it’s Larson chasing history or Bell and Hamlin adding to their legacies, Sunday night promises to be an unforgiving battle between heavyweights.
WILLIAM BYRON: The two-time Daytona 500 champ has come close to winning his home race several times, but no cigar. Byron has three finishes of fourth or better in the last four Coke 600s. He’s no stranger to stepping up in crunch time and closing out major races, perhaps he can do just that on Sunday.
TYLER REDDICK: All five times Reddick has entered NASCAR’s longest race, he’s walked away with a top 10. The more impressive thing, though, is that he’s improved his finish over the last three years, with the most recent two being top fives (fifth in 2023, fourth in 2024).
RYAN BLANEY: Two years ago, Blaney erupted for a masterclass performance in this race that broke a 59-winless streak and springboarded him to his first championship. Despite the season woes, the No. 12 driver still ranks first in both passing and speed rating on the year, per NASCAR Insights. He is certainly capable of producing another valiant drive.
ROSS CHASTAIN: The No. 1 driver has been wheeling strong performances all season, given his average finish is nearly 10 spots higher than his average start. He just needs to find a way to navigate the hornet’s nest. He led 153 laps in this race in 2022, but overtime tomfoolery cost him a chance at a crown-jewel win.
TY GIBBS: Last year’s polesitter will be making his 100th Cup start on Sunday. For reference, Larson and Chase Elliott won in their 99th start, meaning Gibbs has been in the “sweet spot” to earn his first win for some time now. His last two trips to 1.5-mile tracks have resulted in finishes out of the top 20; however, Gibbs did finish sixth in the 600 last year.
RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE 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. Updated on race day with practice and qualifying factored in.
CONCORD, N.C. — Connor Zilisch returned to NASCAR Xfinity Series competition Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway looking like he didn’t miss a beat.
In his first race back after missing the event at Texas Motor Speedway with a lower-back injury sustained at Talladega Superspeedway, Zilisch bounced back to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with a runner-up finish in Saturday’s BetMGM 300 at his home race track.
The 18-year-old rookie from nearby Mooresville, North Carolina, was a persistent presence inside the top five all day. Through myriad caution periods late in the contest — and therefore multiple restart attempts — Zilisch found himself fighting for the win with defending Xfinity champion Justin Allgaier and two-time defending Daytona 500 champion William Byron, a Cup Series regular. Ultimately, he finished behind Byron and just ahead of Nick Sanchez, Allgaier and Dean Thompson after an overtime attempt.
But the top priority was his health, which benefitted from a two-week break built into the Xfinity Series schedule allowing more time to recover from his injury.
“I felt really good,” Zilisch said. “Sometimes, it’s good to get a few weeks off and reset. Really proud of this group. We had a really good car today. Just came up a little bit short, but we’ll go get them next week at Nashville and see what we can do there.”
“You don’t realize how much you love it till you’re out of it for a few weeks. So, yeah, grateful that I was able to get back this quickly after a wreck that hard.”
His first race back behind the wheel produced his biggest points day of 2025. A runner-up finish in Stage 1 for nine points and a third-place run in Stage 2 added another eight, propelling him to a 52-point total that exceeded even his March win at Circuit of The Americas — all on a day that wasn’t perfect for the No. 88 Chevrolet.
“Just didn’t have enough there on that last restart,” Zilisch said. “We had a tire rub and I don’t think that was helping us. We had a motor that was that was stumbling all day long. So yeah, to come away second with really good stage points is a good day, but you always want more.”
Part of his day also included a run-in with Thompson, the driver of the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota who scored his first career top-five finish in Xfinity competition Saturday. With 45 laps to go, the two were battling fiercely for second when Thompson slid up on Zilisch exiting Turn 2, sliding the No. 88 Chevy into the outside SAFER barrier. Both continued, but when the caution flag waved for a separate incident two laps later, Zilisch made his displeasure known by giving Thompson a couple of bumps under the yellow flag.
“Dean just [expletive] stuffed me in the fence off [Turn] 2,” Zilisch radioed to his crew.
“I don’t know if it’s even worth talking to him about it,” he told NASCAR.com after the race. “But yeah, he just kind of closed me off when I was coming outside of him out of 2 and then reversed into me on a pit stop, so, yeah, just kind of unfortunate circumstances. But nothing worth talking about.”
When asked about his perspective on their on-track incidents, Thompson told NASCAR.com: “If he wants to talk to me, he can.”
Zilisch isn’t done for the weekend yet, though. The teenager is pulling double duty at Charlotte, making his second NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) driving the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. He will start 33rd in his first oval start in stock-car racing’s top level.
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway Location: Concord, North Carolina Track length: 1.5 miles When: Sunday, 6 p.m. ET Where to tune in: Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Race purse: $13,651,450 Race distance: 400 laps | 600 miles Stages: 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 Defending winner:Christopher Bell, May 2024 Starting lineup:Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson on front row
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles. • NASCAR at Charlotte: Key information, links, results through the weekend | Read more
• Busch back for more: RCR picks up option on Busch’s contract through 2026 | Read more • Stenhouse riding high: No. 47 Hyak Motorsports driver off to hot start, provisionally in playoffs | Read more
• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 | Read more
• Turning Point to Charlotte: What’s to come in stretch run to postseason? | Read more
• At-track images: Best photos, scenes from Memorial Day Weekend | View gallery
• NASCAR Classics: All the thrills and intense moments from Charlotte | Watch races
• Paint Scheme Preview: Star-spangled paint schemes to honor and remember | View gallery
CONCORD, N.C. — William Byron’s long rally from a pit-road speeding penalty put the driver of the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in Victory Lane — and left reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier heartbroken.
Fresh from the announcement of a four-year contract extension with Hendrick, Byron passed Allgaier for the lead through Turn 4 of the first lap of overtime at Charlotte Motor Speedway and stayed out front until a violent wreck involving Jeb Burton and Brennan Poole brought out the 11th caution of the race and froze the field.
By then, Connor Zilisch had taken second and Nick Sanchez third, as Allgaier faded to fourth.
But the crux of the race had occurred much earlier, when Allgaier, leading under caution on Lap 180 of 205, chose to stay on the track instead of coming to pit road for new tires.
Byron got fresh rubber under the caution. That and a spate of cautions that allowed him to move closer to the front of the field for a succession of restarts gave Byron the track position he needed to salvage the victory.
A pit-road speeding penalty during the Stage 2 break sent Byron to the back of the field for a restart on Lap 99, and it took him until overtime to get back to the front. The victory was his fifth in the series and the first at Charlotte, his home track.
“I was somewhat confident,” Byron said of his prospects for a rally. “I felt like if we got some yellows, it would be good, but, man, it didn’t work out the way we thought it (would). Just had a lot of green-flag running and couldn’t get back to the front.”
Until the final 20 laps, that is. After a multicar wreck in Turn 1 on Lap 184, Byron restarted ninth. He gained one position before an accident involving Katherine Legge and JJ Yeley slowed the field again on Lap 189.
On the subsequent restart, however, Byron gained ground and was running third when Brandon Jones’ Toyota bounced off the outside wall and collected the No. 70 Cope Family Racing Chevrolet of Leland Honeyman and the No. 28 RSS Racing Ford of Kyle Sieg.
That caution, the 10th of the race, forced overtime and gave Byron the chance to restart behind Allgaier in the bottom lane. Ultimately, the fresher tires made the difference.
“Man, it feels awesome to win at my home track,” Byron said. “It feels really good. It’s fun to be back in Victory Lane. I haven’t won in a while. I just needed to get to the front couple of rows, and I wasn’t able to get there until the last one.
“Justin got a good restart, and I was able to push him and get clear of the 88 (Zilisch) and had some clean air on the nose.”
“I should have just come down pit road,” he said. “I thought there would be a lot of games played on pit road, and if (those on fresh tires) had to travel through a lot of traffic, we were going to maybe net OK.
“And all those cautions, one after the other, it was great because we were able to hold those guys off, but they really just hurt us because they (his pursuers) were able to get a spot or two every restart.
“I’m heartbroken… My daughter, all she wanted for her birthday was a trophy, and I feel like I gave that away. That’s the hardest part.”
Allgaier led 103 laps, the most coming after Byron led 69 of his 71 laps in sweeping the first two stages. Despite the disappointment, Allgaier maintained a 72-point lead over second-place Austin Hill in the series standings.
Sammy Smith finished fifth, followed by Dean Thompson, Josh Williams, Hill, Ryan Ellis and Christian Eckes. In his 144th start, Ellis posted the first top 10 of his Xfinity Series career.
Four Sunoco rookies — Zilisch, Sanchez, Thompson and Eckes — finished in the top 10.
The Xfinity Series returns to action next Saturday for the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
NOTE: Xfinity Series post-race inspection at Charlotte is complete, confirming William Byron as the race winner. The No. 8 car driven by Sammy Smith was disqualified for failing to meet the minimum weight requirement and will be credited with a last-place finish. The No. 00 car driven by Sheldon Creed was found with one loose lug nut, which will result in a monetary fine. The Nos. 48, 26 and 39 cars will return to the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina for further inspection.
CONCORD, N.C. — Overlooked? Underappreciated? Throw any superlative you may over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the rebranded Hyak Motorsports in 2025, but one thing has been certain through 12 races this season — consistency.
Stenhouse currently sits 14th in the Cup Series points standings and 15th on the playoff grid, just ahead of Ryan Preece and Kyle Busch.
With a 17.3 average finish so far, the 37-year-old veteran is currently on pace with his career-best 2017 campaign, where he won two races and finished the 36-race calendar with a 17.1 average finish.
But best to leave the numbers on paper because Stenhouse says there’s still more for the No. 47 group to find amid a strong start to the year.
“I feel like we’re in a really good spot as far as the point situations go,” Stenhouse said. “But on the other hand, I feel like there’s a lot of room for us to improve. I think we’re executing well. We’re not taking ourselves out of races, but there’s a lot of room for improvement on speed and handling. I thought we nailed it at Texas. We had a really good car and we were able to show that. We passed a lot of cars, got to the front and stayed there and finished up there. Kansas, kind of missed the setup a little bit. We fought and clawed. We had a penalty under green-flag stops that put us behind the whole race. Those cautions at the end helped us get back on the lead lap, and then we were able to finish 19th out of it on that long run there. That was a day that was looking like it was going to be like a 30th-place finish and kill us in the points.
We just stayed with it, stuck with it, and was able to come home in a good spot. I think we got more potential here and looking forward to hopefully doing that.”
Going from JTG Daugherty Racing to Hyak Motorsports during the offseason, it can lead to the public eye turning attention away from the organization based on the lack of name recognition alone.
However, the rebrand changed very little in the No. 47 shop and Stenhouse gave the organization a huge shot in the arm at the end of 2024 with a victory at Talladega Superspeedway.
“That win at ‘Dega at the end of the last year was huge for us,” Stenhouse said. “Just carried momentum into the offseason. For us, the competition side of our team hasn’t changed at all. So I think that’s why we weren’t too concerned about rebranding or team-name switch, because what we were doing on the competition side wasn’t really going to change that much. Confident in my guys, led by [crew chief] Mike Kelley and his group, they’re doing a good job, and we’re just trying to slowly get better every day.”
A big part of why Stenhouse currently sits in a provisional playoff spot is keeping the No. 47 clean and limiting mistakes.
Of the 3,331 laps completed in the 2025 Cup season, Stenhouse has turned all but three and has crossed the finish line in all of them.
With a tight margin of error with the competitiveness throughout the field, just staying on the track can net dividends when it comes to the points payout.
“Other people have had misfortunes and got caught in wrecks, and so we’ve escaped Talladega, we’ve escaped Atlanta and Daytona without getting in massive wrecks and [getting] good finishes there,” Stenhouse said. “Then, doing our thing at these other race tracks to finish where we can. Obviously the more laps you complete, the better finishes you’re going to have. It’s one thing that we’re focused on as well this year. So far, we’re hitting all of our marks as far as what we’re trying to accomplish with finishing races, executing, not making mistakes, not taking ourselves out of it. But at the same time, I think that’s helping us build our cars faster and really focus on what we need to do to make each car faster for us at every track versus worried about fixing them.”
Next up for Stenhouse is the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night (6 ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the biggest endurance test of the year and the race that pays out the most points with the added third stage before the final 100-lap dash to the checkered flag.
The crown-jewel event has been kind to the Olive Branch, Mississippi native recently. Stenhouse owns four top-10 finishes in the last seven Coke 600s, with a best run of fifth in 2019.
He’s finished seventh in two of the last three races on the Charlotte oval and when it comes to what makes Stenhouse comfortable here, he really enjoys the flexibility of where he can move his car.
Logan Riely | Getty Images
“It’s one of my favorite mile-and-a-halves that we go to,” Stenhouse said. “I just like the way the cars pick up the banking and it really gets loaded into the corner. [Turns] three and four is really rough, and you kind of move around all over the place. The top lanes come in quite a bit because the middle and bottom is getting kind of rough, and just good setups.
“We’ve been solid with this car here and even before this car, I felt like we had cars capable of winning, actually, if we did everything correctly. Unfortunately, we didn’t do everything correctly with some of those cars and and we didn’t get it. But I’m looking forward to this weekend. We’re sitting really in a solid spot and so looking to kind of keep maintaining that, and a lot of points on the line this weekend. If you can be in the top 10 and get points every stage, and finish there, it could be a big points day for us.”
During Saturday’s on-track sessions ahead of the Coke 600, Stenhouse put down the 11th quickest time in practice but was just 28th on 10-lap consecutive average. He then matched his hot lap position in practice and will start 11th when the green flag waves Sunday evening.
