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  • NASCAR: Charlotte Bank of America 500 Race Recap

    NASCAR: Charlotte Bank of America 500 Race Recap

    Charlotte Motor Speedway is becoming Martin Truex Jr’s next home. In 2016 Truex scored his first Charlotte victory in dominant fashion by leading the majority of the race. However, the journey to his second Charlotte win in Sunday’s Bank of America 500 yesterday wasn’t easy.

    Missing the third round of qualifying on Friday, Truex was determined to search for the speed that he was missing from his fellow competitors. Heading into Saturday’s practice rain forced NASCAR to cancel both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice sessions and Truex would go into Sunday’s race scratching his head.

    Starting seventeenth on Sunday, Truex hoped that his Friday struggles would not factor in the race. With weather approaching, NASCAR moved the start time up one hour to give a cushion from hurricane Nate quickly approaching the Carolinas.

    Truex missed out by gaining any stage points after Stage 1, finishing 12th. Truex thanked his pit crew for getting him in the position to have a shot to win. Truex would grab the lead from Kevin Harvick during the green flag pit stops on lap 234. He would go on to take the checkered flag winning by 0.911 seconds over second place Chase Elliott.

    After Sunday’s win, Truex spoke to the media on his success at Charlotte.

    “Unbelievable win,” Truex said. “Just a total team effort. Every single guy – every guy on this team just did a perfect job today, and I can’t be more proud of them—and this time of the year is just when you want it to happen.”

    Chase Elliott, for the second consecutive week, finished in the runner-up position and currently sits 25 points above the cutoff position which is Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    Chase Elliott spoke about his fight back to another top-five finish and proclaimed that a win is coming for his team.

    “It was a hard-fought day and really, from where we were in those middle stages, I was proud of the way we fought back and were able to get back to the front. It’s frustrating to run like this. We’re definitely tired of running second. But, if we keep running like we are, hopefully, the opportunities will be there,” Elliott said.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. enters Talladega as the proclaimed favorite after winning the last two restrictor plate tracks.

    The second race of the round of 12 kicks off next Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern on your local NBC channel.

  • Alex Bowman Drives to Victory at Charlotte in First XFINITY Start This Season

    Alex Bowman Drives to Victory at Charlotte in First XFINITY Start This Season

    CONCORD, N.C. — Alex Bowman claimed his first NASCAR national series victory Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the rain-delayed XFINITY Series race.

    In his first XFINITY start this season, he led 32 laps in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Chevrolet, capturing the Drive for The Cure 300 checkered flag on his way to Victory Lane. Next year, Bowman will take over the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement.

    “It’s a dream come true,” said Bowman, who admitted to being slightly rusty in his return to competition. “I’ve got to thank Mr. Hendrick and Chip and everybody that made this possible. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced, so to come here and be as competitive as we were all night, even until that last restart, I was really pleased with how competitive we were.”

    Sam Hornish Jr. finished second for Team Penske in his fifth XFINITY start this season while Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon and Brennan Poole rounded out the top five finishers. The race was also the final event in the Playoff’s Round of 12, eliminating four drivers from the post-season championship Playoffs.

    William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Elliott Sadler, Daniel Hemric and Cole Custer secured their spots in the Round of 8 when points were awarded after the first two stages of the XFINITY race. They were joined by Poole, Matt Tifft and Ryan Reed, who earned one point more than Brendan Gaughan, at the completion of the Drive for The Cure 300.

    Reed spoke about going “all-in” during the Playoffs to gain that extra point by going three-wide with Gaughan and Byron at a critical point of the race.

    “I ran a pretty conservative race,” he said, “tried not to make too many radical moves and then there at the end I think in these Playoff races you have one or two moments where you have to lay it all out on the line and you have to go all-in so to speak. That was my moment to go all-in and it worked out. I’m glad.”

    Gaughan was eliminated as a championship contender along with Michael Annett, Blake Koch and Jeremy Clements.

    The next XFINITY Series race will be held at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 21.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Charlotte-NXS-results-N1729_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Charlotte NXS results N1729_UNOFFRES”]

  • Charlotte Motor Speedway – Did You Know – Playoff Edition

    Charlotte Motor Speedway – Did You Know – Playoff Edition

    CONCORD, N.C. — Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts the opening race of the Playoff’s Round of 12 this year with the Bank of America 500 Sunday afternoon. Martin Truex Jr. leads the hunt for the championship trophy but Kyle Busch is closing fast.

    Busch is looking for his third consecutive win to secure his spot in the Round of 8.  But that’s only part of his story. Did you know that a victory at Charlotte would give him a win at every active track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit? Busch has the second-best driver rating (105.6) at Charlotte.

    From 2004 – 2014 the 1.5-mile track held the fifth race of the playoffs but in 2015, Charlotte began playing host to the fourth. Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner and is usually one of the top competitors at the track with the series-best driver rating (110.4). But did you know he also leads the series with eight checkered flags? Another trip to Victory Lane would tie him with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the Cup Series all-time wins list.

    Johnson, however, failed to make it past the first round of qualifying for the Bank of America 500 Friday evening and will start the race from 25th place.

    He explained the challenge he will face during Sunday’s race, “There is far less opportunity to work strategy in order to leap-frog people and have something work for you. Last weekend in Dover we finally got to the top 3 and then the checkered fell. It just takes a long time to pass quality cars, and you get inside the top 10, and they’re quality cars. It takes 50 laps per position and then you just mathematically run out of (the) opportunity to get to the front. So, I’m disappointed with tonight. I’m disappointed with the way qualifying has been going. We’re trying hard but we just can’t get our fingers on it right now.”

    But don’t count him out yet. In 2003, Johnson won the Coca-Cola 600, after starting 37th.

    Matt Kenseth is currently ranked 11th in the Playoffs and will need a win to advance to the next round. He has the third-best driver rating (96.1) with two victories, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s and two poles. Pole-sitter, Denny Hamlin, has the fourth-best driver rating (95.8) with seven top fives, 15 top 10s and one pole but did you know he has never scored a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway?

    The odds are in favor of a victory by one of the top 12 drivers. Only once has a non-Playoff competitor won the Charlotte Playoff race – Jamie McMurray in 2010.  Another significant factor is qualifying well and that’s good news for Matt Kenseth who will start second in the race. It’s the most proficient starting position, having produced 17 winners.

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue Sunday with the Bank of America 500. Tune into NBC at 1 p.m. ET for all the action.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     

  • Denny Hamlin Captures Pole for Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

    Denny Hamlin Captures Pole for Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — Denny Hamlin captured the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Award Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a qualifying speed of 191.598 mph. It was his first pole this season, his second at Charlotte and his 25th career pole.

    Hamlin has scored at least one pole each season during his 13-year career in the Cup Series, with the exception of 201l.

    “It’s good, you always like to keep streaks alive,” he said. “Hadn’t had a pole this year and have had one every other year, but it’s good. We’ve been so close and we’ve made so many final rounds, been in the top five, but not as fast as our teammates. Today we adjusted on it, got it a little better each round and had some goodwill.”

    The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s No. 11 Toyota will lead the field when the green flag waves for Sunday’s Bank of America 500. Teammate Matt Kenseth will join him on the front row after a 191.489 mph lap, starting second, in the first event of the Playoff’s Round of 12.

    Kevin Harvick, with a speed of 191.394 mph, will start third followed by Kyle Busch in fourth and Clint Bowyer in fifth.  Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson will start in positions sixth through 10th, respectively.

    The pre-race inspection had some teams rushing to make qualifying runs during the first round after failing their first attempt to pass the inspection process, including Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Erik Jones. Busch and Earnhardt were able to qualify in the closing minutes while Erik Jones did not make it through in time to qualify.  Jones will start 38th. Corey LaJoie and Brett Moffitt also failed to make qualifying runs and will start in 39th and 40th.

    Of the remaining Playoff drivers, Ryan Blaney will start 15th, Martin Truex Jr. 17th, Jamie McMurray 18th and Stenhouse 22nd. Jimmie Johnson did not make it past the first round of qualifying and will begin the race in 25th place.

    A frustrated Johnson told NBC Sports, “Multiple trips through inspection doesn’t help by any stretch. We just missed it, so, another frustrating Friday, unfortunately. Back tomorrow and we’ll have to pass a bunch of cars Sunday. It sucks getting behind and starting the weekend behind, but it is what it is and we’ll have to go to work on Sunday.”

    On-track activities will continue Saturday with two Cup Series practices at 11 p.m. ET and 1:30 p.m. ET. The Bank of America 500 will be broadcast Sunday on NBC at 2 p.m. ET

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Charlotte-BOA-500-starting-lineup-C1730_STARTROW.pdf” title=”Charlotte BOA 500 starting lineup C1730_STARTROW”]

     

  • Austin Dillon Puts the No. 3 Back in Victory Lane at Charlotte

    Austin Dillon Puts the No. 3 Back in Victory Lane at Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — Austin Dillon scored his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, taking the legendary Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet back to Victory Lane.

    Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson was leading the Coca-Cola 600 but with two laps to go, he ran out of gas, handing off the lead to Dillon. Dillon was also running on fumes with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch closing fast, but, as it turned out, he had just enough for those final two laps.

    Dillon is the 10th driver to post their first Cup Series win at Charlotte joining David Pearson (5/28/1961), Buddy Baker (10/15/1967), Charlie Glotzbach (10/20/1968), Jeff Gordon ( 5/29/94), Bobby Labonte  (5/28/1995), Matt Kenseth ( 5/28/2000), Jamie McMurray (10/13/2002), Casey Mears ( 5/27/2007) and David Reutimann (5/25/2009).

    Dillon was ecstatic but said, “It hasn’t sunk in truthfully. I’m just so proud of all the effort that all these guys put in. I really feel like I have the best team and the best pit crew. I have no doubt in them.

    “My grandfather has done everything he can to give us the best we can get. Sometimes I feel like we’re the small team out there trying to get everything we can. Tonight proved that 600-mile race when it came down to it, we had everything we needed. It just feels amazing.”

    Dillon’s grandfather and team owner Richard Childress was almost as thrilled as Dillon and spoke about the emotional impact of seeing the No. 3 car claim the checkered flag in NASCAR’s premier series. Dale Earnhardt won his last race in the No. 3 on Oct. 15, 2000, at Talladega. After Earnhardt’s death in 2001, Childress decided to retire the number from Cup Series competition. It wasn’t until Dillon’s first full season in the series, in 2014, that the No. 3 was brought out of retirement.

    “I’m so proud…it’s just unbelievable,” he said. “Having my grandson just made it that much more special. I know Dale is up there smiling down because he would want this win, he’d want to see it with Austin.”

    “I didn’t want to put just anyone in the 3 car. I probably never would have brought it back. We kept the number with NASCAR throughout the whole time. We ended up, when the opportunity was there, to put Austin back in it. He started in the Truck Series. He won races there. He won races in the XFINITY with it. Ty has won with it.

    “Today is special. Here in Charlotte, on Memorial Day, such a special day for all the people that have gave so much to this country for us all to be here tonight. To be able to enjoy what we’re doing, I’m just honored to be here.

    Dillon also gave special credit for the win to his crew chief, Justin Alexander, who made the tough call not to pit when all but eight drivers (including Dillon) headed to pit road on Lap 368. This was Alexander’s first race as crew chief for the No. 3 team, replacing Richard “Slugger” Labbe, who had been with Dillon since mid-2015.

    Alexander discussed his decision, saying, “We had a good car all race. We run top 10 all race. Austin did a heck of a job, the whole team did. We were right there in position on that last stop when the caution came out. We were two or three laps short. Just right in that window where you have the option to stretch it, but there’s a risk with that. You give up a little track position early on trying to stretch it on fuel.

    “We got good fuel mileage all day. It really didn’t make much sense to do anything but that. He didn’t really have to back off that much. We didn’t give up that many spots on the racetrack doing it. I think we were around 10th when we started saving.

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch won Stage 1 of the Coca-Cola 600 and finished in the runner-up position, followed by Martin Truex Jr. in third. Truex won Stage 2 and led a race-high 233 laps, leading the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600 for the straight year.  He clearly had the dominant car but lost the race when Dillon’s fuel strategy paid off with a trip to Victory Lane.

    Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (winner of Stage 3) rounded out the top five, giving the JGR team three drivers in the top five but still searching for their first win this season.

    Race contenders Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski exited the race early after getting caught up in the first caution of the night. On Lap 20 the No.  33 car of Jeffrey Earnhardt suffered a mechanical failure which left debris and fluid on the track. Elliot, who was running fifth, slowed to avoid the fluid but was hit by Keselowski who slid into the back of Elliott’s No. 24 car.

    “Somebody broke and there was just oil everywhere and I couldn’t turn,” Keselowski said of the incident.”

    The 400-lap race was red-flagged during the second segment due to heavy rain and the threat of lightning which resulted in a one hour, 39 minutes and 56 seconds delay. There were nine cautions for 53 laps during the event.

    Truex leads the points standings followed by Kyle Larson (-5), Brad Keselowski (-82), Kevin Harvick (-103) and Kyle Busch (-102). Check the link below for the complete driver standings.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Driver Standings

    Coca-Cola 600 Race Results:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coca-Cola-600-Results-C1712_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Coca Cola 600 Results C1712_UNOFFRES”]

     

  • Blaney Surges in Final Laps to XFINITY Win at Charlotte

    Blaney Surges in Final Laps to XFINITY Win at Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — With two laps to go, Ryan Blaney executed the move of the race, powering by Kevin Harvick in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford to reclaim the lead and capture the XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Justin Allgaier led the field to green in the XFINITY Series race Saturday afternoon but his lead in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevy was short-lived, as the race came down to a battle between Blaney and Kevin Harvick with some surprise runs thrown in by Austin Dillon and Darrell Wallace Jr. just to keep things interesting.

    Harvick won Stage 1 and led three times during the race for 58 total laps while Stages 1 and 2 went to Blaney who led four times for 107 laps. Though Harvick led fewer laps overall, he put himself in position to win as the race neared its conclusion, leading from Lap 181-197 after Blaney got blocked in his stall on his last pit stop and lost the lead. A final caution on Lap 195 and the subsequent restart on Lap 198, gave Blaney the opportunity he needed to pass Harvick and capture the checkered flag.

    It’s his fifth XFINITY Series career win and the second victory for Team Penske this year. It also has special meaning for Blaney and his father, Dave Blaney as they became the first father-son duo to win a XFINITY Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Blaney spoke about the significance of the win for Team Penske.

    “It means a ton,” he said. “Anytime you can win for Mr. Penske is huge. That’s super-special to me. He’s given me my opportunity. It was a combination of Brad’s truck team and Mr. Penske giving me a shot in 2012 and I’ve been really lucky to drive great race cars for him, so you want to do the best job you can for him, especially on this weekend, where he has the Indy 500. That’s such a huge race for them and he’s been so dominant in that race. To deliver for him early, hopefully, that will put him in a good mood for tomorrow and get those guys going.”

    When asked about his Dad’s influence, Blaney began by saying, “He’s the best race car driver ever,” adding, “That’s how I’ve always looked at him and that’s how I’ve always thought of him, not only as my father but the way he drives car – and not only his driving ability, but his mindset towards things. I think he’s one of the smartest people I know, personally, in the race car, outside the race car, building parts, coming up with inventions and ideas.

    “He always just supports me and it was cool to have him here today. That’s really special to me to have him at the race track through the good and bad times of getting a stern talking to or helpful support and it’s usually support. I’ve been lucky to have somebody like that to help me through these weekends to try to get myself better, whether it’s restarts or long runs or just communication. He’s been the best person, so in my mind, I’ll never be half the race car driver he is, personally. I think he’s the greatest one ever and that’s how I’ll always think of him.”

    Harvick finished second, posting his 18th top-10 finish in 28 races at Charlotte and his third top-10 finish this season. He talked about the last restart and the decision to start on the outside.

    “It was a tough decision for our Hunt Brothers Ford team. I knew that we had the 22 behind us if we were on the top and he pushed me a little bit and then kind of laid off there, getting into one. The 12 had the best car on the restart getting going. He’s the one who helped us get the lead and I knew I was gonna have my hands full, but he just beat me there at the end and we wound up getting second.”

    Austin Dillon, who led 20 laps during the race, placed third in his No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet.

    Although he didn’t get the finish he wanted, Dillon said, “We did a really good job adjusting the car over the course of the race. The Rheem Chevrolet really came to us at the end when the clouds came in. I hate that we weren’t able to visit Victory Lane today for our pit crew, especially. They did such a good job today.

    “So did my new crew chief, Randall Burnett. We had a few good restarts there but we were in a Penske sandwich and couldn’t do much about it. I got hit on the restart and it just wasn’t enough to carry me into Turn 1. I had a lot of fun today. I’m proud of this RCR XFINITY Series program.”

    Christopher Bell drove his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to fourth place in his debut start in the XFINITY Series. Denny

    “I’m glad it was 200 laps, because we used every single bit of it,” Bell said after the hard-fought fourth place finish. “We didn’t have a lot of luck on the restarts at the beginning of the race, starting on the bottom, but we got the luck (starting on the top) when we needed it at the end.”

    Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five in the No. 20 JGR Toyota but thought the team should have finished stronger.

    “I thought our car handled pretty decent all day and it definitely hurt with that one pit stop where we had a lugnut hang up on us. I felt we were as good as the 41 (Harvick) and the 2 (Dillon),” Hamlin said, “for sure and it all comes down to those last restarts. It just took too long for us to battle back there.”

    Elliott Sadler remains the series points leader despite a 35th place result, after getting caught up in an accident late in the race.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Unofficial Results:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/NXS-Charlotte-results.pdf” title=”NXS Charlotte results”]

     

  • Justin Allgaier Captures XFINITY Coors Light Pole in Charlotte

    Justin Allgaier Captures XFINITY Coors Light Pole in Charlotte

    CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier topped the speed charts during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 with a lap of 182.488 mph in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to earn the Coors Light Pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    It’s his fifth career pole in 217 XFINITY Series starts, his first pole this season and his first ever at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Allgaier’s pole award is also the third for JRM, who won one with Chase Elliott in 2014 as well as a truck pole by Kasey Kahne in 2015.

    Austin Dillon posted the second-fastest time in his No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet with a lap of 181.519 mph followed by Ryan Blaney in the No.12 Snap-On Ford (181.378 mph). Daniel Hemric, the fastest qualifying rookie, will start fourth (181.324 mph) in his No. 21 Chevy as Kevin Harvick rounds out the top five in the No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford.

    Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Reed and Tyler Reddick will start, sixth through 10th, respectively.  This race will mark Bell’s debut in the XFINITY Series.

    Jeff Green (No.78) and Jordan Anderson (No. 74) failed to qualify.

    The  Hisense 4K TV 300 will begin Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

    Hisense 4K TV 300 Starting Lineup:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Charlotte-NXS-Starting-Lineup-May-2017.pdf” title=”Charlotte NXS Starting Lineup May 2017″]

     

     

     

  • Kevin Harvick Wins First Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Pole

    Kevin Harvick Wins First Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Pole

    CONCORD, N.C. — Kevin Harvick scored the fastest lap time in Round 3 of qualifying in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford at Charlotte Motor Speedway Thursday with a speed of 193.424 mph, winning his first pole for the Coca-Cola 600.

    It’s his third Coors Light Pole this season and the 20th of his career. Harvick also has two previous victories in the event in 2011 and 2013 and is one of three active Cup Series drivers who have multiple Coca-Cola 600 wins (Jimmie Johnson has three, Kasey Kahne has four).

    Harvick credited his team with giving him the car to beat, saying, “The cars in qualifying were a lot looser than they were in practice and just based on past experience here it was a handful through one and two. I just about lost it the first run, but the car was so good in three and four I didn’t want to over-adjust on it and make it too tight down there because you get tighter as the lap runs, so the guys did a good job of making adjustments, but not making it so tight that I couldn’t carry the throttle like I needed to in three and four. So they just did a great job on our Mobil 1 Ford.”

    Kyle Busch, winner of last week’s All-Star race, will join him on the front row, posting the second-fastest lap at 192.513 mph in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. If he can capture the checkered flag this Sunday, he would become the eighth driver who has won the All-Star race and followed it up with a win the following week in the Coca-Cola 600.

    Chase Elliott will start third in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after a qualifying lap of 192.260, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth in fourth (192.130). Erik Jones rounds out the top five in his Furniture Row Racing Toyota (191.782).

    Kyle Larson, the series points leader, and Corey LaJoie missed the first round of qualifying when they were unable to pass inspection before the round ended. Larson will start 39th in his Chip Ganassi Chevrolet and LaJoie will start 40th in his No. 83 Toyota.

    Larson, while disappointed, isn’t overly concerned.

    “It happened to us at Texas and we rebounded from that and finished second,” he said. “I’m not too worried about it. I know the teams are frustrated with the tech process. I know nothing about how it all works. I don’t really have much to say about it other than I know my crew chief hates it.”

    The Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. on FOX.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Coca-Cola 600 Starting Lineup:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coca-Cola-600-Starting-Lineup-C1712_STARTROW.pdf” title=”Coca Cola 600 Starting Lineup C1712_STARTROW”]

     

     

  • Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 – Did You Know?

    Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 – Did You Know?

    CONCORD, N.C. — This Sunday the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series celebrates the Memorial Day weekend with the 58th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday evening, on the FOX network. The XFINITY Series will be on track Saturday for the Hisense 4K TV 300 on FS1.

    The inaugural Coca-Cola 600, originally named the World 600, was held in 1960 and won by Joe Lee Johnson, the 1959 NASCAR Convertible Series champion. It was his second victory and the final win of his Cup career. But did you know he was the first of 32 different drivers to capture what has become one of NASCAR’s most sought-after trophies?

    While some drivers would be content with one victory, Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with four Coca-Cola 600 wins in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2014.  His teammate, Kasey Kahne, isn’t far behind with three. Other three-time winners include David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. But did you know that Darrell Waltrip has the most all-time victories with five, in 1978, 1979, 1985, 1988 and 1989?

    Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is the defending race and pole winner. But did you know that last year he dominated the Coca-Cola 600, leading 392 of 400 laps? It was the most laps led in any race in the history of NASCAR. Truex enters the event with the 11th-best driver rating (84.5) at Charlotte with one win, three top fives, seven top 10s and one pole.

    However, besting Johnson may be his biggest obstacle. He finished third in the All-Star race and has the best overall driver rating (110.6) at Charlotte. But did you know that in addition to his four Coca-Cola 600 wins, he has four Bank of America 500 trophies, along with 15 top fives, 19 top 10s and four poles?

    Kyle Bush (104.8) has the second best driver rating with 10 top fives, 15 top 10s and two poles. He also has the advantage of winning last week’s All-Star race. Seven times, seven different drivers, have gone on to win the Coca-Cola 600 the following weekend after winning the All-Star race.

    Denny Hamlin (95.6), Matt Kenseth (95.2, two Charlotte wins) and Kasey Kahne (95.1, four Charlotte wins) round out the top five in driver ratings at the 1.5-mile track.

    Kahne discussed what it takes to win NASCAR’s longest race, saying, “The 600 is a difficult race. So many things happen and change during a four or five-hour race depending on cautions. It’s tough mentally and physically. It gets really hot in the car and with each pit stop, you need to be able to get better. Being able to keep your momentum up is really one of the keys to the race.”

    As the drivers compete on the track, they will also honor those who have served our country by displaying a fallen military service member’s name on each windshield in the 40-car field. This will be the third consecutive year of NASCAR’s ”600 Miles of Remembrance.”

    Some of the names chosen have special significance to the teams.

    Truex’s car will display the name of 2nd Lt. John C. Yates, a Marine who served three tours of duty during the Vietnam War. He was killed in action while attempting to save the life of a fellow comrade on Oct. 17, 1968, in the Vietnam province of Quang Tri. He was 26 at the time of his death.

    “I couldn’t be more proud of my cousin for his love of God, family, country and the Marine Corps,” said Woody Boyd, chief operating officer (COO) at Furniture Row. “His commitment and ultimate sacrifice inspired me to become a Marine six years later.”

    The Memorial Day tributes will be an integral part of the weekend. Several drivers, including Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Reed will have patriotic paint schemes, Goodyear tires will once again have a special sidewall design with “Support Our Troops” messaging and the XFINITY cars will display red, white and blue windshield decals.

    The Coca-Cola 600 broadcast begins Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. on FOX. In the meantime, please view the gallery below for a look at the service members who are being honored.

    600 Miles of Remembrance

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Weekend

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Weekend

    CONCORD, N.C. — This Sunday NASCAR celebrates Memorial Day with the 58th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday evening, on the FOX network. The XFINITY Series will be on track Saturday for the Hisense 4K TV 300 on FS1.

    Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is the defending Coca-Cola 600 race and pole winner. Kyle Busch, winner of last week’s All-Star race, heads to Charlotte with the second-best driver rating with 10 top fives, 15 top 10s and two poles. Jimmie Johnson has the most impressive stats entering the race with four Coca-Cola 600 wins plus four victories in the Bank of America 500. His driver rating of 110.6 is the series best, evidenced by his 15 tops fives, 19 top 10s and four poles.

    There are 41 drivers entered for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600. Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, May 25:

    On Track:

    2-3:25 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    4-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
    6-6:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
    7:15 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)

    1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    12:45 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
    1:15 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers: Christopher Bell and Matt Tifft
    1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Combine
    3:30 p.m.: Ben Kennedy
    3:45 p.m.: Kyle Busch
    4 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    8 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

    SATURDAY, MAY 27:

    On Track:
    9-9:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    10:05 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – FS1

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    3:30 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    SUNDAY, MAY 28:

    On Track:
    6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) – FOX

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    10:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.)

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

    Hisense 4K TV 300 Entry List

    Coca-Cola 600 Entry List:

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