Posted on May 27, 2023 by Staff Report

Granite State Derby

Lee USA Speedway

Practice Results

Pos	No.	Name	Sponsor	Best Tm	Best Speed	In Lap	Laps	Diff
1	60	Matt Hirschman	Elite Towing/Baker Racing	14.772	91.389	27	28	—
2	32	Tyler Rypkema	Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting	14.781	91.333	4	49	0.009
3	64	Austin Beers	Hughes Motors/AP Marquadt & Sons/Dell Electric	14.782	91.327	35	65	0.01
4	16	Ron Silk	Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes	14.827	91.05	26	54	0.055
5	7	Doug Coby	Mayhew Tools	14.832	91.019	4	37	0.06
6	51	Justin Bonsignore	Phoenix Communications Inc.	14.84	90.97	3	35	0.068
7	79	Jon McKennedy	Middlesex Industries	14.86	90.848	6	41	0.088
8	22	Kyle Bonsignore	Bonsignore Performance Tools/Chalew Performance	14.864	90.823	19	25	0.092
9	3	Jake Johnson*	Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks	14.945	90.331	29	36	0.173
10	25	Brian Robie*	Maurice Enterprises	14.946	90.325	17	34	0.174
11	92	Anthony Nocella	Nocella Paving/K and D Associates/Airgas	14.976	90.144	4	25	0.204
12	06	Sam Rameau	Quality Fleet Services/Dennison Lubricants	14.987	90.078	11	50	0.215
13	43	Matt Kimball*	Naughton & Sons Recycling/Chucky’s Fight	15.008	89.952	2	58	0.236
14	82	Craig Lutz	Horton Ave Materials	15.013	89.922	3	44	0.241
15	54	Tommy Catalano	FX Caprera	15.03	89.82	3	36	0.258
16	34	J.B. Fortin	A&R Materials/CYA Screen Printing/Queens Concrete	15.054	89.677	3	38	0.282
17	46	Justin Brown*	Riverhead Building Supply	15.116	89.309	4	64	0.344
18	6	Woody Pitkat	Koopman Lumbar	15.132	89.215	22	24	0.36
19	18	Ken Heagy	Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant	15.215	88.728	15	38	0.443
20	26	Max Zachem	Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat	15.289	88.299	8	15	0.517
21	01	Melissa Fifield	Pine Knoll Auto Sales	15.504	87.074	5	31	0.732

Posted on May 27, 2023May 27, 2023 by Staff Report

NASCAR officials have delayed the start of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Alsco Uniforms 300, the 12th race of the 2023 season, was scheduled to take the green flag at 12:09 p.m. ET but rain in the area has necessitated track drying before the race begins. The 200-lap event will be broadcast live on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Charlotte at-track photos

Competition officials initially moved the race time up one hour due to the bleak forecast, moving the event from 1 p.m. ET to noon ET. However, consistent rainfall forced the delay further.

Josh Berry won the 2022 rendition of the spring event, leading 89 laps en route to his second of three Xfinity wins last season.

Posted on May 27, 2023May 27, 2023 by Cameron Richardson

CONCORD, N.C. — The launch of the 2023 Triple Truck Challenge upped the ante in competitiveness as a battle for a playoff spot and a $50,000 bonus were at stake Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Twelve lead changes among five drivers throughout the 134-lap event showed the importance of the program, and after a late restart, 2021 Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes took home his first checkered flag in over a year and the first for Ford in the series at the 1.5-mile North Carolina oval.

The wily 26-year-old veteran took notice of how the Triple Truck Challenge has created fervent battles through the field over the years.

“I think it helps the competitiveness with like parity through the field,” Rhodes said. “You look at the depth of the field. The depth of the field shows up really deep at the Triple Truck Challenge and when the playoffs start. It gets so closely competitive.

“The way that the trucks are prepared and how close the field is, the competition level, I think, gets packed in more. Same thing with the playoffs. When you get there, you can feel it. Like you walk into the garage, and you can feel just something in the air, and you feel that when the money is on the line.”

Winning has come at a premium for Rhodes in his eight full-time seasons at the truck level, amassing just seven wins in 175 starts, but with a title to boast and now a win in his back pocket to tackle the rest of the 2023 regular season, he can set his sights on going for all three wins in the Triple Truck Challenge with World Wide Technology Raceway up next followed by Nashville Superspeedway.

Rhodes has been particularly good at Gateway despite being winless at the track. He owns two top fives and five top 10s at the Illinois track to the tune of an 8.4 average finish. A win on June 3 at Gateway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) would make Rhodes just the second driver to win a Triple Truck Challenge event twice in the same year (Sheldon Creed, 2020), which would net a hefty $150,000 bonus. No driver has ever swept the Triple Truck Challenge for the grand prize $500,000 bonus.

MORE: See all winners of Triple Truck Challenge

“I feel really good about Gateway, actually. Over the years, that’s a track that we’ve had tremendous speed but somehow, we’ve never been able to bring one home,” Rhodes lamented. “Last year, we were leading with like 15 to go. Alternator goes out, and we’re starting to lose horsepower, lose voltage. We’ve got speed which gives me a lot of confidence.”

Posted on May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – Grabbing the lead from Carson Hocevar after a restart on Lap 111 of 134, Ben Rhodes pulled away to win Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Rhodes, the ninth different winner in 11 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races this season, also collected a $50,000 bonus for winning the first of three events in the Triple Truck Challenge, a bonus program that could mean $500,000 for a driver who can sweep all three.

MORE: Official results | Triple Truck Challenge details

“I didn’t think we were that good in practice,” said Rhodes, who beat runner-up Corey Heim to the checkered flag by 2.398 seconds, as Heim, third-place Dean Thompson and Carson Hocevar battled for the second spot over the last 24 laps.

“I didn’t qualify the best, and here it came to life at night… Oh, man, I had so much fun. This is so much fun. Charlotte is a track that we come to — ThorSport Racing, we’re based in Sandusky, Ohio — we come to the North Carolina guys’ house, and we like to win.”

The victory was Rhodes’ first of the season, his first at Charlotte and the seventh of his career. In addition to the Triple Truck Challenge bonus, Rhodes is locked into the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs.

“The whole season is so hard to put together,” Rhodes said. “It’s unbelievably hard, and it’s only gotten more difficult over the years…. A championship being locked in, I’ll take that. The last three races have been so unbelievably hard on my team. We’ve been wrecked in the last three and haven’t had very good showings because of it.

“So I’ll take the points — thank you.”

Hocevar held the lead for the Lap 111 restart but was trapped in the middle of a three-wide situation and dropped to sixth in the running order. Heim took second and Thompson third, while Hocevar rallied and swapped the third position with Thompson before finishing fourth.

“Me and the 42 (Hocevar) and the 5 (Thompson) were probably the best trucks,” said Heim, who led a race-high 49 laps and held off Hocevar to win the first stage. “But the 99 (Rhodes) just came along really strong, and once we got to second on the restart where the 42 got put in the middle there, I really thought we had a shot at it.

“But it just proves that clean air is king here, but I feel like if I did a better job of getting by as soon as possible rather than waiting on a run, we might have had a better opportunity.”

PHOTOS: Top scenes from Charlotte Motor Speedway

Notes: Thompson’s third-place finish was a career-best… Hocevar led 43 laps and won the seconds stage by 5.746 seconds over Heim… Rhodes, the 2021 series champion, led 37 laps — 25 in the final run to the finish… The final two Triple Truck Challenge races are scheduled for World Wide Technology Raceway on June 3 and Nashville Superspeedway on June 23.

Note: Post-race inspection in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage is complete with no issues. The Nos. 11, 42 and 98 trucks will be taken to the NASCAR R&D Center for teardown and engine dyno.

Posted on May 26, 2023May 31, 2023 by Holly Cain

One week from Friday, NASCAR’s long-awaited, highly collaborative Garage 56 project will formally make its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in France – the No. 24 Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 presented for inspection at the Place de la Republique in the center of town, the world center of sports car racing for the week.

The 62 cars entered for the renowned twice-around-the-clock Le Mans race, as well as their 186 drivers, must go through a series of “administrative and technical checks” – called “scrutineering” – in advance of the first practice session at the 8.467-mile Circuit de le Sarthe on Sunday, June 4. The inspection is both a technical once-over and in so many ways a grand showcase.

The Garage 56 Chevrolet – a coordinated effort among NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet, Goodyear and IMSA – was shipped to France on May 18 and is scheduled to take its formal turn at inspection next Friday morning at 11:15 a.m. ET; the only entry in the race’s “Innovative Car” class. The next day, it will join seven other cars in a famed parade through Le Mans – from the Avenue Charles de Gaulle and ultimately through the Wilbur Wright tunnel – in front of tens of thousands of fans descending on the small, French inland town for the 24-hour race.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is headlining a stellar group of drivers for the Garage 56 entry that also includes sports car great – and former Le Mans winner – Mike Rockenfeller, Formula One champion Jenson Button and multi-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series champion Jordan Taylor in a reserve role.

While his teammates have all competed in Le Mans previously, this will be Johnson’s debut in the June 10-11 race, which is celebrating 100 years on the racing calendar. The popular NASCAR champion will be competing for his own Legacy Motor Club team in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday and then leaves immediately for Paris, where he will undergo a sort of “rookie orientation” the next day.

After all the testing, preparing and anticipating, Johnson is now simply eager to get to Europe for the actual race week, with its 100th-anniversary pomp and the high-level international competition.

“It’s hard to believe it’s almost here, we’ve been preparing for so long,” Johnson said this week. “I’m excited to get there and to take in absolutely every second of this incredible opportunity. I’ve been a part of many really amazing things in my career. This is going to be on to be one of the top five.

“I am so happy I can take my family with me to Le Mans. We are all looking forward to this extremely prestigious race and taking everything in. Can’t say enough about the preparation that has gone into this by everyone at NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports.

“I’m focusing on the 600 [this Sunday], but it’s hard not to have that excitement knowing we leave in a few days.”

The last test for the No. 24 Next Gen Chevrolet came at Sebring in April under the watchful eyes of NASCAR chairman Jim France, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, IMSA president John Doonan and longtime NASCAR executive Mike Helton – all of whom will be in Le Mans next week.

“We went from testing and development to tuning and now it’s getting into execution mode,” said IMSA’s Doonan. “This all started with a vision from Jim [France] and putting all the best partners that NASCAR has together, the winningest team, winningest manufacturer, tire partner since 1954 and had all those pillars aligned and wanted to put NASCAR on a global stage and because of our relationship IMSA has with the ACO, it all fit together.

“For me, I’m a big historian of the sport and to look back at what Jim’s dad had a vision of trying to align – NASCAR was coming on strong in the south and he wasn’t satisfied yet, he felt it deserved more international notoriety,” Doonan continued. “He did that [with a Le Mans entry] in 1976 and then to recreate it now, you have a passionate fan group over there that I think will appreciate NASCAR, the sound, the pit stops, all of that.

“And I think we have a group of passionate NASCAR fans here that may now look at IMSA and the international sports car property a little differently and be able to root on their NASCAR entry.”

Posted on May 26, 2023May 28, 2023 by Marcus DiNitto

There’s been plenty of movement on the Coca-Cola 600 oddsboard since opening numbers were hung at the market-making Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas on Monday, but one driver – despite sitting atop the NASCAR Cup standings – remains below the betting market’s radar.

Considering Ross Chastain’s absence from Victory Lane since April 2022 at Talladega, his +1000 odds might not seem like much of a bargain. But the No. 1 Chevrolet has been positioned near the front of the pack all season and may have been the best car at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Memorial Day Weekend. Chastain led 153 laps in the 2022 edition of this race – most of any driver – and won Stage 3, before cutting a tire in the final stage and finishing 15th.

While Chastain interrupts the Hendrick Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing flow at the top of the betting board, that’s a deserved distinction.

MORE: Coca-Cola 600 odds | Full Charlotte preview

“Throw in Chastain” to the mix of those top two garages, Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at the SuperBook, told NASCAR.com this week. “He’s always fast.”

This chart shows opening odds at the Westgate, as well as Friday’s numbers at the SuperBook and Barstool Sports. (Below, we discuss the drastic movement in the Ford pricing).

Driver	Open	SuperBook	Barstool
Kyle Larson	+500	+350	+450
William Byron	+600	+600	+700
Denny Hamlin	+700	+800	+800
Martin Truex Jr	+800	+1000	+1000
Ross Chastain	+900	+1000	+1000
Chase Elliott	+1000	+1000	+900
Kyle Busch	+1200	+1000	+1200
Joey Logano	+2500	+1400	+1600
Christopher Bell	+1000	+1400	+1300
Kevin Harvick	+2000	+1600	+1800
Alex Bowman	+1600	+2000	+1800
Ryan Blaney	+2500	+2000	+1800
Tyler Reddick	+1800	+2500	+1500
Bubba Wallace	+1800	+2500	+2000
Daniel Suárez	+3000	+3000	+3000
Brad Keselowski	+4000	+4000	+3500

“Definitely in on Ross Chastain,” Jim Sannes, a quantitative NASCAR fantasy and betting analyst at numberFire, said in a direct message. “My top tier is him with Byron and Larson all bunched together before a big dropoff. Chastain has the longest odds of them by a wide margin.”

Yes, when analysis indicates a significantly narrower gap between betting entries than the odds do, the suggestion is to make the wager.

“It’s just really hard not to have a high rating on a guy who pushed for a win here last year and has constantly been up front using this rules package,” Sannes added of Chastain. “He hasn’t won in more than a year (or ever on a non-drafting oval), but he’s just in contention far too often for it not to happen soon.”

Now We Got Bad Blood

Chastain hasn’t exactly been making friends on the Cup circuit this year, and a bettor’s nightmare is watching a competitor spin out the No. 1 under the white flag.

Can the bad blood be factored into handicapping this race?

“Not really,” deadpanned Salmons. “It’s almost impossible to try to understand how it’s gonna affect [him] — the good or the bad.”

Sannes offered a different perspective.

“I have a higher ‘incident rating’ on him than I do on other drivers, and that does impact his odds,” he said. “It shows up more in his top-10 odds, though, because it makes him more volatile, which impacts the more floor-based markets. For ceiling, it does play a role, but it’s not as big of an issue there.”

Ford’s Odds Shorten – By a Lot

Salmons didn’t give the Fords much respect with his opening numbers. Its +600 mark in the winning manufacturer prop is the longest the oddsmaker recalls ever pricing them. That number’s been adjusted to +405 (Chevy is -105, Toyota +220).

And Joey Logano at +2500? Sharp bettors are calling those odds “ridiculous” and have bet the No. 22 all the way down to +1400.

While Logano has drawn the most money at the SuperBook, Kevin Harvick has moved from +2000 to +1600, Ryan Blaney from +2500 to +2000, Keselowski from +4000 to +6000, and Chase Briscoe from +20000 to +10000.

“I don’t know where they’re coming from, to be honest,” Salmons said of these bettors. “The Fords look terrible to me on these kinds of tracks.”

He added in a text message Friday morning, “If you want to look at the history books and bet accordingly, Harvick, Logano, Blaney, Keselowski and Briscoe would look live to you.”

Sannes isn’t giving the Fords a great chance Monday, either. In fact, +600 in the manufacturers’ prop was generous, according to his model.

“I’ve got +755 as the fair price on them (11.7% chance of winning), so I can’t even bite on that, honestly,” he said. “They’ve just been so uncompetitive in these races.”

Salmons, though, cautions that the 600-mile distance of this race throws a wrench into handicapping.

“Certain tracks, like mile-and-a-half ovals, seem like they’re really settling in here as far as it’s pretty easy to predict who’s gonna be around,” the oddsmaker said. “The only thing with Charlotte, this is obviously the longest race of the year, and it just goes on forever, and there’s a million pit stops, and people make mistakes. And this race historically has had some goofy winners through the years. So I would never write off anyone, just given how long it is and all the things that can happen.”

Posted on May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR is launching the second installment of its 75th anniversary creative campaign this weekend as the sanctioning body shifts gears from primarily honoring its past to a more dedicated focus on celebrating its present throughout the summer.

The new 30-second spot – titled “Roads” – will debut during FOX’s telecast of the Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday, May 28 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Full NASCAR 75 coverage | 75 Greatest Drivers named

“Roads” features transcendent NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the narrator and driver of the anniversary-themed No. 75 car. Reflecting on his own remarkable journey, Earnhardt Jr. provides a bridge between the past and the present, showcasing the sport’s evolution and the promising drivers who are shaping its future.

“NASCAR’s growth is really important to me, and it’s great to see the sport expanding with so many talented racers from different areas and walks of life as the sport continues to evolve,” said Earnhardt Jr., who was recently named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. “It was an honor to be included in this campaign to help celebrate where NASCAR has been and where it’s going as part of the 75th anniversary.”

As Earnhardt Jr. races around a night-lit track, viewers see snippets of his past success interspersed with visual representations of the unique journeys several NASCAR Cup Series stars of today have taken:

• Daniel Suárez: The 31-year-old driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, a team co-owned by Justin Marks and global music star Pitbull, who became the first Mexican-born driver to win a Cup Series race by taking the checkered flag at Sonoma Raceway on June 12, 2022.

• Bubba Wallace: The 29-year-old driver of the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, a team co-owned by NBA icon Michael Jordan and current Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, who became the second Black driver to win in the Cup Series with his victory at Talladega Superspeedway in the 2021 fall race prior to notching his second victory at Kansas Speedway in 2022.

• Chase Elliott: The 27-year-old driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, who won the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship, has amassed 18 total Cup series wins, and has been voted by fans as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver the past five consecutive years (2018-2022).

The visuals are paired with Earnhardt Jr.’s narration articulating the multitude of different roads drivers take to reach NASCAR’s top level and the singular direction they all aim once arriving: “Forward.”

“The current generation of NASCAR stars are carrying on the enormous legacy of the legendary figures who helped build NASCAR,” said Pete Jung, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at NASCAR. “This creative execution is a testament to the pursuit of excellence that defines NASCAR and the resilience of our tenacious competitors. We’re grateful to Dale for his enthusiasm in helping deliver this message, and to our incredible creative partners at 77 and Boomshot for bringing it to life with such authenticity.”

“Roads” was developed with NASCAR’s long-time agency partner 77 Ventures Creative, in partnership with Boomshot Productions and director Sinuhe Xavier. It was filmed at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC.

“We were thrilled to help NASCAR honor their 75th-anniversary by making this beautiful film with them. Working with Dale Earnhardt Jr. again was a true highlight and an apt reminder of the sport’s powerful and ongoing evolution,” said Meredith Weiss, managing director at Boomshot. “We’ve collaborated with NASCAR many times over the years, so paying tribute to the sport’s incredible history felt really personal to all of us.”

“Roads” will run across television and digital inventory throughout the summer until the third and final installment of the 75th campaign launches prior to the start of the NASCAR Playoffs, which begin Sunday, Sept. 3 at Darlington Raceway.

Posted on May 26, 2023May 29, 2023 by Sean Montgomery

Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
(⏰ Monday, 3 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX, FOX Sports App | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Monday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in North Carolina, the 14th points-paying race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.

Updated weekend schedule (Xfinity race also on Monday) | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Charlotte 101

🇺🇸 NASCAR Salutes: Annually involved in honoring active, former and fallen members of the U.S. military | Learn more

🚨 Sunday’s race postponed to Monday and Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions canceled due to weather. Stay tuned to NASCAR.com for updates throughout the week.

📍 Location: Concord, North Carolina
📐 Track length: 1.5 miles
🎟️ Buy tickets: Find weekend passes, seats for the race
💰 Cup Series race purse: $9,421,275
📏 Race distance: 600 miles | 400 laps
🔢 Stages: (only race with four stages): 100 | 100 | 100 | 100
—
🚪 Entry list: Cup Series drivers entered
📋 Starting lineup: Where Cup Series drivers will start Monday
🚗 Pit stall assignments: Where drivers will pit
🏆 Most recent winner: Denny Hamlin

Key things to watch 🔑

Top story line

More than motorsports. Coca-Cola 600 weekend is the pinnacle of NASCAR’s commitment to honoring fallen military members on Memorial Day weekend. Pre-race ceremonies and the gesture of remembrance mid-race — and throughout, with special decals on the windshield and Goodyear tires — make the weekend moments that much bigger. All year long, NASCAR remains active in relations and initiatives with every branch of the U.S. military through the NASCAR Salutes program. With hundreds of family, friends and comrades of fallen soldiers in attendance throughout the weekend, recognizing each of them will be a primary focus. | Check out the 600 Miles of Remembrance gallery

🕰️ ICYMI: Alex Bowman set to return this weekend after injury

History tells us…

Even in the season’s longest race, the pole winner still holds a massive edge. Four of the last seven Coca-Cola 600 winners started from the pole position, including Kyle Larson in 2021 and Denny Hamlin last year. Coincidentally, both drivers are among the favorites to win this weekend and have a decent track record in qualifying at the track. Additionally, the driver who led the most laps won three of the last five 600-milers. So despite the long night, there’s still a clear advantage to starting and staying out front. That’s good news for William Byron, who starts from P1 after qualifying was rained out.

🤖 Key stat from Racing Insights: Four of the last six Coca-Cola 600 races have seen the final lead change in the final five laps.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Jimmie Johnson. If you want to place a serious longshot bet this weekend, it’s one of the few chances you have to wager on the seven-time Cup Series champion who has returned to run a part-time schedule for his team, Legacy Motor Club. Though he has very limited experience behind the wheel of the Next Gen car compared to the majority of the field, don’t count out his prowess and knowledge in the sport’s toughest showdown. It’s a bold choice but at 150-1 odds, it may be worth it if Johnson can rekindle some of the magic he had during his incredible full-time career.

Inside the Race 🔍

Todd Gordon and Kyle Petty look at the top points earners and playoff contenders in the Cup Series.

Familiar favorites ⭐️

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Paint Scheme Preview: Patriotic paint schemes are back in action | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Which drivers have the most playoff mojo at the midseason mark? | Latest driver rankings
• Betting odds: See which driver is the favorite for Monday | Top bets, underdog picks
• Stacking Pennies: Discussing Kyle Larson’s dominance and recapping return to North Wilkesboro | Listen to the podcast

💎 NASCAR 75: Learn more about the history of the sport, from pioneers to current stars | Visit NASCAR 75 hub

Hot off the press 📰

Key stories and breaking news from the week leading up to the race.

• Mid-point superlatives: Dishing out distinctions at regular-season halfway mark | View the gallery
• Bowman’s back: No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver cleared to race | Read more
• Ty Gibbs: Competing in Saturday’s star-studded Xfinity Series race | Read more
• Christopher Bell: Driver debuts a special military scheme for Monday | Read more
• Sold out: Coca-Cola 600 grandstand reserved and camping sold out | Read more
• Next Gen update: Chassis adjustments implemented after Talladega wreck | Read more
• Coca-Cola moments: Looking back at 25 of the sport’s best | View the gallery
• Jeff Gordon: Driver looks back on 1994 win that started HOF career | Read more
• Jayski: Josh Berry reportedly coming to terms with SHR for 2024 | Read more
• Xfinity Series: Dale Jr. unveils paint scheme for Bristol race | Read more
• Truck Series: No. 88 team penalized for loose lug nut | Read more
• Chicago Street Race: Xfinity named founding partner of event | Read more
• Kyle Petty: Charity Ride Across America raises $1.7 million for Victory Junction | Read more

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy and Fan Rewards.

🚨 REMINDER: Garage picks in Fantasy Live will lock after Stage 3. Points will be awarded for Stage 1, 2 and the finish.

• Fantasy Live: Participate in interactive gameplay from week to week | Choose your lineup
• Fan Rewards: New in 2023, get rewarded for your participation | Learn more
• NASCAR BetCenter: Don’t miss your chance to make picks each week | Visit the BetCenter
• Going the distance: 2023 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
• The Action Network: Picks and predictions for Monday’s race | Read expert analysis

Coming home to Charlotte 🏡

One of the most wholesome events for family and friends of the sport, there’s a lot of history packed into these 600 miles.

• Winner, winner: All-time Coca-Cola 600 winners | See full list here
• Where it all began: Drivers who earned their first win in the Coca-Cola 600 | Jeff Gordon, others
• Honoring our military: Photos of service members at Charlotte | Scroll through gallery
• 1976: World 600 marked a watershed event for this writer | Read more
• Race Rewind: Thriller! Denny Hamlin wins in double overtime | Watch highlights

Take some notes 📝

Five hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Hendrick Motorsports drivers led the most laps in the last three races on 1.5-mile tracks.
• Six different drivers won the last six Coca-Cola 600s.
• Kyle Larson is the only Coke 600 winner in the last 24 races to go on to win the championship that season.
• The final green-flag stretch was five laps or less in three of the last five Coca-Cola 600 races.
• All three stage winners finished outside the top 10 in this race last year.

🔮 Advance to Victory Lane: Racing Insights projects Monday’s finishing order

Posted on May 25, 2023May 27, 2023 by NASCAR Official Release

Editor’s note (May 5, 2023): Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been postponed to Monday at noon ET (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced Thursday that the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 27, will now start at noon ET – advancing one hour from the original 1 p.m. ET start time – due to the forecasted inclement weather. The broadcast networks for the Alsco Uniforms 300 remain unchanged – FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

For tickets to Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300, visit CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com. Grandstand gates will open at 10 a.m. ET. The NASCAR Xfinity Series garage will open at 9 a.m. ET and green flag for the race will be 12:19 p.m. ET.

In addition to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series are also in action at Charlotte this weekend.

The ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. ET, broadcast on FS1 and MRN. The Craftsman Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 is set for Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Memorial Day weekend culminates with the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Check out the updated TV schedule

Posted on May 25, 2023May 28, 2023 by Reid Spencer

Editor’s note: Saturday’s Xfinity Series race was postponed due to weather and rescheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. ET (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

In 13 races as a rookie NASCAR Cup Series driver this season, Ty Gibbs has three finishes of ninth as his best efforts so far.

On Monday, however, Gibbs returns to the NASCAR Xfinity Series — where he won seven times last year — to race in the Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Noon ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Gibbs won’t have a smooth path to Victory Lane. He’ll have to beat Kyle Busch, who is driving the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in his third Xfinity Series start of the season.

Busch has an enviable Xfinity Series record at Charlotte, to say the least — nine victories, 19 top fives and 22 top 10s in 26 starts at the 1.5-mile track.

Additionally, the Cup interlopers have an advantage in recent seat time. Xfinity regulars have raced only once so far this month, on May 13 at Darlington. John Hunter Nemechek, a two-time Xfinity winner this year, hopes that won’t be a deterrent.

“Charlotte is always a fun weekend, being our home track and being able to have friends and family come out,” said Nemechek, who leads the series by one point over Austin Hill. “I’m really excited about the race.

“It has been a little strange only having one race so far this month, but we’ve been meeting, and in the sim (simulator) trying to stay sharp and be ready for this stretch of races that we’re about to hit this summer. Hopefully, we can get this stretch off to a good start.”

Defending race winner Josh Berry likewise is looking for an upswing. Prolific winners last year, the JR Motorsports drivers are still seeking their first victory of 2023. Berry gave JRM its first Charlotte win last season after an intense battle with teammate Justin Allgaier.

“Winning last year was incredible after that duel with Justin, and I was really happy to earn JRM’s first win at Charlotte,” Berry said. “Our intermediate program has been on the upswing for the past couple of years, and we are coming in here confident that the Tire Pros Chevrolet will be at the front.

“I’m happy with the consistency, but we really need to get a win, and this is the place and weekend to do it.”