NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte: How to watch, track and race info, prediction

Racing has returned in spectacular, masked fashion. After the NASCAR season was placed on a two-month pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sport has resumed just in time for the Coca-Cola 600 race on Memorial Day weekend.

Fans will not be permitted to enter Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, nor the rest of the week for any upcoming races, but the timing of the crown jewel event will not be changed in its 61st year.

“One of my favorite lines I’ve heard this whole time is ‘Don’t let a good crisis go to waste,’” No. 22 driver Joey Logano said, adding that he has felt “safer at the racetrack than at the grocery store” for the sport’s first two return races at Darlington Raceway.

“We had a big opportunity in front of us,” Logano said about the sport resuming amid the pandemic. “We took it and it’s paying off right now. You look at the ratings. We’re putting on good races. We’re finding ways to race close to home so we don’t have to worry about travel.”

Indeed, drivers will not need to travel far this weekend to get to the Concord-based racetrack from their Charlotte-area homes and team garages, but once the green flag waves, 40 drivers will have 600 miles ahead of them in the longest race of the year.

“I’ve always enjoyed the Coke 600 because, hey! There’s more racing to watch!” Logano said.

Unlike last week’s races at Darlington, the starting order will be set by a qualifying round at 2 p.m. Sunday before the race at 6 p.m. on FOX. The Observer will be tuning in from the track.

Drivers we like to win the Coca-Cola 600

No. 19 Martin Truex Jr.

It’s tough to talk about the Coke 600 without mentioning Truex Jr. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is the reigning race winner and has won three of his last six events at the speedway. Truex Jr. is also coming off of a strong showing at Darlington (10th-place finish on Wednesday) and is a safe bet to finish in at least the top-10 at Charlotte. If he posts a strong qualifying lap, his odds of a consecutive Charlotte win could be boosted since three of the past six race winners have been the pole-sitters. However, Truex Jr. said it’s not about where you start. It’s where you finish.

“I think especially being such a long race, I don’t know that it really matters where you start,” Truex Jr said. “I think there’s plenty of time, if your car is good enough, to make it through the field.”

No. 11 Denny Hamlin

Truex Jr’s JGR teammate Hamlin has already been a force this season, and is coming off a win at Wednesday night’s rain-shortened race at Darlington. He and Logano are in a similar position — both drivers have already won two races this season, but have not yet notched a Coke 600 victory. Logano won the Bank of America 500 in 2015 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but Hamlin’s Toyota equipment looked stronger Wednesday. It could come down to a battle between those two given their personal motivation to prove themselves on the 1.5-mile asphalt track.

“I definitely think that we’ve got a great chance,” Hamlin told The Observer. “Like I said, it’s the highest priority race for me to win for my personal accomplishments.”

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR’S COCA-COLA 600

• Race: Coca-Cola 600
• Distance: 400 laps, or 600 miles (stage breaks on Laps 100, 200, 300, 400)
• Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway
• When: 6 p.m. Sunday
• TV: FOX (5:30 p.m. broadcast start time)
• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• 2019 Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
• Worth mentioning: Charlotte Motor Speedway will continue its tradition of military tributes in recognition of Memorial Day Weekend. There will be a pre-race military flyover and a moment of silence to honor fallen military members at the conclusion of Stage 2. Drivers are individually honoring service members through their car paint schemes.
• Also this week at Charlotte: Xfinity Series race Monday (7:30 p.m. on FS1), Truck Series race Tuesday (8 p.m. on FS1) and Cup Series race Wednesday (8 p.m. on FS1)

COCA-COLA 600 STARTING GRID

This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 8:00 AM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription