Live updates: NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 set to start on time, but rain looms

Ready for the Coca-Cola 600? The Charlotte Observer has multiple reporters and visual journalists on-site at Charlotte Motor Speedway to document it all.

Scroll down and refresh this page for the latest news. We’ll also post results here after the race.

Live updates: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

4:25 p.m.: What a beginning to Motorsports Christmas! The Indy 500 came down to a final-lap shootout, and it ended in the closest finish in the race’s history. Relive that last lap here, with Felix Rosenqvist prevailing, somehow. Now the racing world will refocus its attention on the Coca-Cola 600. The Brad Paisley concert is just now wrapping up. The military appreciation show is about to begin, with driver introductions starting at 5:25 p.m. The race, all things remaining as they are, will still start at 6 p.m.

3:01 p.m.: No word yet from NASCAR on any schedule changes. In fact, forecasts are looking quite favorable on Sunday in Concord after a dreary and moist few days at the racetrack. According to WCNC’s meteorologist Brad Panovich, while “you can never rule out a rogue light shower or drizzle,” all the short-range guidance “hints at mostly dry until about 9 p.m. tonight.”

Now, NASCAR still has decisions to make. The Coke 600 is a mighty long race — averaging a little over four hours, historically, to run. With the green flag dropping just after 6 p.m., will they move the race’s start time up? We got you covered here with all of those possibilities.

See Panovich’s report and accompanying radar below:

3 p.m.: Two notes about what has happened so far today in the world of racing:

First up, the NASCAR Truck Series race, which officials have been trying to complete since Friday, ran on Sunday morning starting at 10 a.m. Layne Riggs won — and in celebration, he bowed with the checkered flag in his hand and pointed up to the sky, a beautiful tribute to the late legend Kyle Busch, who death earlier this week shook the sport and the nation. (Ross Chastain, who won the O’Reilly race Saturday night, also bowed to the crowd after doing so. It will be a major upset if the Coke 600 winner doesn’t bow.)

Also of note: Corey Day, who replaced Busch in the No. 7 truck, got into a scary crash in which the back section of his truck briefly went airborne, but he appeared to be OK after the race.

Next, a chance at something really cool fell short Sunday. Katherine Legge — who was attempting to complete “The Double,” aka running all 1,100 miles in the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 — crashed out of the Indy 500 in the 18th lap of the race. Rough turn of events; very similar to what Kyle Larson had to endure last year, when he attempted the same feat. She was fine, however, and should be able to make it to Charlotte to start the Coke 600. She is scheduled to start 37th and should at least have a chance to finish one of the day’s two races.

Quick facts about NC’s most important race: How to watch

Some helpful tips:

• Track Length: 1.5-mile asphalt oval
• Purse: $13,855,363
• Green flag: 6 p.m. ET
• TV: Prime Video, 5 p.m. ET
• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
• Distance: 600 miles (400 laps)
• Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 100), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 200), Stage 3 (Ends on Lap 300), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)

Starting lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race

Cup qualifying was washed out Saturday afternoon, and thus the starting lineup was set by the rule book.

This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 3:00 PM.

Scott Fowler

The Charlotte Observer

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Columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994 and has earned 26 APSE awards for his sportswriting. He hosted The Observer’s podcast “Carruth,” which Sports Illustrated once named “Podcast of the Year.” Fowler also conceived and hosted the online series and podcast “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” which featured 1-on-1 interviews with NC and SC sports icons and was turned into a book. He occasionally writes about non-sports subjects, such as the 5-part series “9/11/74,” which chronicled the forgotten plane crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 in Charlotte on Sept. 11, 1974. Support my work with a digital subscription

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription