NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 preview in 3 minutes | Charlotte Observer

Everything you need to know about Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in three minutes:

Three things to watch

1. NASCAR’s longest race will be run under the threat of rain. Will it at least make it to the halfway point to make it official?

2. Kyle Busch hasn’t won on two tracks – and Charlotte is one of them (along with Pocono). He’s been strong enough this season to break through Sunday.

3. Kyle Larson has been close in recent weeks, finishing second at Dover and leading late in the All-Star race. Is his first career victory just around the corner?

Observations

▪  Nice touch for recent NASCAR hall-of-famer Mark Martin to get the nod to drive the pace car. Martin is planning on attending the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the day, then flying to Charlotte.

▪  Charlotte gets a first look at this season’s new aerodynamic package. Local fans should like what they see. The question is whether the improved racing can be sustained over 600 miles.

▪  Pole-winner Martin Truex Jr. followed up his fast qualiying performance with the top practice speed (178.489 mph).

Best bets

Three picks for your fantasy team:

Jimmie Johnson: Always runs well at Charlotte (seven career victories); has finished outside the top 15 in three consecutive races, however. He’s ready to bounce back.

Carl Edwards: He won last year’s 600 on fuel mileage. So he’d like to prove he can do it again on pure speed.

Kyle Busch: NASCAR’s hottest driver wants nothing more than to add one of the sport’s crown jewels to his resume.

He said it

“I really like the Coca-Cola 600. I’m so focused in on it that I don’t really watch anything else. ” – Joey Logano, when asked if he will watch Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 on television.

N@SCAR