Frontstretch Newsletter: The Big Weekend Gets Underway

Published: Fri, 05/24/24

Updated: Fri, 05/24/24

Frontstretch Newsletter: May 24, 2024
Volume XVIII, Edition LXXXI

What to Watch: May 24-26

- Today is a busy day at Charlotte Motor Speedway as teams from three different series will be on-track today.

- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams will practice today at 1:30 p.m. ET. The coverage will air live on FOX Sports 1. Qualifying will follow shortly afterwards.

Coverage of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will start with NASCAR RaceDay - NCTS Edition at 8 p.m. ET tonight on FS1, assuming that the ARCA race does not run long. Race coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET with the green flag around 8:40 p.m. ET.

- NASCAR Xfinity Series teams will also be in Charlotte to prep for their race this weekend. Xfinity practice is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET this afternoon and will air live on FS1. Qualifying will follow afterwards.

Coverage of the BetMGM 300 will start with NASCAR RaceDay - Xfinity Edition at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Race coverage will start at 1 p.m. ET with the green flag around 1:15 p.m. ET. Remember that this weekend is the annual Drivers Only broadcast.

- ARCA Menards Series teams will race this evening in the General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Live coverage will begin at 6 p.m. ET today on FS1.

- NTT IndyCar Series teams are in the middle of their final practice session right now for the Indianapolis 500 as part of Carburetion Day. That coverage can be seen live on Peacock.

Later today will be the annual Pit Stop Competition. That will be at 2:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.

Coverage of the Indianapolis 500 will start Sunday morning at 11 a.m. ET on NBC with pre-race festivities. Race coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET with the green flag around 12:45 p.m. ET. If you live in Indianapolis, you won't be able to watch live because the race is likely still blacked out in the immediate region until Sunday night.

- Formula 1 is in Monaco for their crown jewel event, the Grand Prix of Monaco. Friday's on-track activity is already complete.

Free Practice No. 3 is scheduled for 6:25 a.m. ET Saturday morning and will air live on ESPN2. Qualifying will also be on ESPN2 at 9:55 a.m. ET. A pre-qualifying show will be on ESPN3 starting at 9:10 a.m. ET.

Coverage of the Grand Prix of Monaco will start with Formula 1: Grand Prix Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on ABC. Race coverage starts at 8:55 a.m. ET with the formation lap starting precisely at 9 a.m. ET.

- World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series teams will be at Ohio's Atomic Speedway tonight and tomorrow for the Xtreme Chillicothe Classic with the Xtreme Outlaw Series. Coverage will start at 5:45 p.m. ET tonight and 6 p.m. ET Saturday on DirtVision.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:

CHARLOTTE:

Mark Kristl (@MarkKristl)

Stephen Stumpf (@stephen_stumpf)

INDIANAPOLIS:

Christopher DeHarde (@CdeHarde)

Tony Donohue (@tonydindy)

Alex Gintz (@AlexGintz1)

Michael Massie (@m_massie22)

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates from Charlotte.

TV Schedule: Here

Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Around the World in Motorsports: May 23

- In Free Practice No. 1 in Monaco, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was fastest overall with a lap at 103.457 mph. His lap was .029 seconds faster than McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Hamilton's teammate George Russell was third, then Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

The Red Bulls were off the pace during the session with Max Verstappen's normal edgy setup not allowing him to be as precise as necessary on the narrow and twisty 2.074-mile street course. Verstappen ended up 11th fastest, while teammate Sergio Perez was 12th.

There was a red flag during the session when Kick Sauber's Zhou Guanyu spun at Sainte Devote and hit the barriers. Leclerc ran over debris from Zhou's No. 24.

- Free Practice No. 2 saw Leclerc top the charts with a lap at 104.750 mph in his Ferrari. The lap was .188 seconds faster than Hamilton. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was third, then Verstappen and Norris.

Despite the quick times, there were moments of sprinkles during both sessions Friday.

- SiriusXM announced an exclusive distribution deal with Dirty Mo Media Thursday. As a result, The Dale Jr. Download will air twice a week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio starting in June. SiriusXM will also have exclusive ad sales for the rest of the Dirty Mo podcasts (Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, Door Bumper Clear, etc.).

Frontstretch Videos:

Brenden 'Butterbean' Queen Talks Truck Series Debut, Racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway

Bringing The Heat: The DeHardest Indy 500 Preview

Newsletter Exclusive:

Frontstretch Folio: Coca-Cola 600
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the longest race of the year. Coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 starts with NASCAR RaceDay at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The show moves to FOX at 5:30 p.m. ET, with race coverage starting at 6 p.m. ET. The green flag will drop around 6:15 p.m. ET. The race can be heard on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's Coca-Cola 600 was shorter time-wise than 2022, but still took nearly five hours to complete. The last portion of the race was a bit of a slog with four crashes in the final 50 laps.

Ryan Blaney was able to take the lead from William Byron on a restart with 26 laps to go. Shortly afterwards, Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson crashed to bring out the final yellow.

After the restart, Blaney was able to hold on to win his first Coca-Cola 600. Blaney won by .663 seconds over Byron. Martin Truex Jr. was third, then Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.

Among active drivers, Jimmie Johnson has the most victories at Charlotte with eight. Martin Truex Jr. has three career victories on the quad-oval. Brad Keselowski has two career wins and seven others have one each.

Johnson's eight career victories is the best all-time on the 1.5-mile quad-oval. Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison both have six while Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt have five apiece.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5-mile quad-oval, 400 laps (600 miles)
Banking: 24 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,952.8 ft., banked 5 degrees

Backstretch: 1,360 ft., banked 5 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 89,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1960

Website: http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice: Saturday, May 25, 4:30 - 5:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Qualifying: Saturday, May 25, 5:45 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Say What?!

"Hopefully we can have a good run this year and have pace. But more than anything, I would like to just finish one of these things and get to the end. It is such a long race and a lot can happen in 600 miles. I’ve been a part of some [600s] where they’re really wild and crazy, and I’ve been a part of a couple where we’ve ran the whole thing almost green. I would just like to have a good, clean race and log a lot of laps and make it to the end." - Chase Elliott

"My favorite thing about the Coke 600 is how much the track changes and how long the race is. It’s such a big challenge to get prepared for and get through the whole race. We’ve been fortunate to win it a few times. For whatever reason, it’s been a really good race for me and my Bass Pro Shops team the past eight or nine years. I always look forward to the challenge – it’s a grind and I love that. Always honored to not only have a fallen soldier riding along with me, but also for all the work Bass Pro Shops does with the USO and all their great work with our military heroes." - Martin Truex Jr.

"The Coke 600 for me has pretty good over the years. I’ve really just enjoyed that race. You know maybe it’s that I’m probably one of the few guys now that have run the 600 miles for as long as I have versus the rest of the guys only doing 400-mile races lately. You definitely know that you have to be ready for a long, long day. I used to think that running Xfinity and Truck races in the same weekend would allow your longevity to be longer for a 600-miler but I don’t get to run those as much. I don’t think that plays as much into the races currently." - Kyle Busch

"Having a longer race like that gives us the opportunity to learn which has been our mantra since the start of the year. We have improved little by little each time at intermediates. It’s also two-fold because we can try a lot of things and see what helps and what doesn’t in order to build a better notebook. Ford gave us a new body this year with the Dark Horse, and I think having 600 miles to work on it and learn will help us with our understanding of what we can do to create speed throughout a race. I have to keep the car clean and execute on my end and hopefully we can have a shot at getting the No. 4 team a win." - Josh Berry

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.

Today at Frontstretch:

4 Burning Questions: The Coca-Cola 600 Should Not Be Split Into 4 Quarters

by Stephen Stumpf

Friday Faceoff: Where Will Kyle Larson Finish in Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600?

by the Frontstretch Staff

Where’s Tony, Where’s Gene, Where’s Waldo?

by Stephen Stumpf

Fire on Fridays: So, What’s This About Rockingham?

by Michael Massie

NASCAR 101: Going the Distance

by Wyatt Watson

NASCAR TV Schedule This Weekend: May 24 – 26

by Phil Allaway

Open Wheel Archive: The 1988 Indianapolis 500

by Tom Blackburn

Short Track Weekly: Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen Talks North Wilkesboro, Truck Series Debut

by Chase Folsom

Bringing the Heat: The DeHardest Indy 500 Preview

with Anthony Damcott, Christopher DeHarde, Trey Lyle and Bryan Nolen

Tomorrow at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have recaps and breakdowns of all the action from Charlotte, Indianapolis and Monaco.

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