Records and facts
Last year's Coca-Cola 600 was dominated by William Byron, who led 283 of 400 laps. However, in the closing laps, Ross Chastain ran him down and took the lead with six laps to go. From there, Chastain held on to take the win.
Byron was .673 seconds back in second. Chase Briscoe was third, then AJ Allmendinger and Brad Keselowski.
Among active drivers, Jimmie Johnson has the most victories at Charlotte with eight. Keselowski has two career wins and eight 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 23,
4:30 - 5:25 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Qualifying: Saturday, May 23, 5:45 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Say What?!
"When it comes to traditions, my favorite is the Coca-Cola
600. It’s more than just a race because it happens on Memorial Day weekend, honoring the sacrifice of the men and women who served our country. The moment of silence in the middle of the race and hearing the crowd afterward gives me chills every time. This race is really exciting, fun, and something I truly enjoy. The Coca-Cola 600 is more than just a race to me — it’s a test of focus, endurance, and mentality. Fans see the speed and excitement, but they don’t always see the pressure that comes
with competing for 600 miles under the lights. Racing is just as mental as it is physical, and every decision matters. Once my helmet goes on, fear disappears. It becomes all about staying locked." - Daniel Suarez
"Our team has been looking forward to this one. Last year we had to start in the back, but worked forward pretty quickly. When we lined up on the front
row I was ready to go for it and race it out, but a mechanical issue ended our night right after we took the green. I am just excited to have another shot at it. We have been really fast on the mile-and-a-halves, especially when you look at what we did at Texas a couple weeks back - winning the pole and running up front all day. I think we are in for a really good weekend." - Carson Hocevar
"The race doesn’t seem too long when your car is fast and it’s good and the effort level is down. It’s those days when the thing drives terrible and you’re just fighting demons in that thing. When it just drives evil, that’s when you’ve got your hands full and the effort level is through the roof and that’s when you definitely burn a lot more calories. It’s a long race. Hydration is key. We also got pretty lucky last year . It was maybe
only 70 degrees for that race, so I’m hoping we can maybe have another year like that, but it could be one of those races where it’s really hot, too. We’ll see." - Noah Gragson
"The Coca-Cola 600 is always a great race. It’s Memorial Day weekend, and we’re at home. Waking up Sunday morning and not having to travel far is always a pleasure. I’m excited for this
race. It’s unique in the sense that it’s 600 miles, and it’s a different feel and pace than a normal 1.5-mile race. I’m really looking forward to it after Texas. I feel like we made some big gains on our mile-and-a-half program that weekend. Watching the race from last year, I think both Legacy Motor Club cars were strong throughout the race. Excited to carry some momentum from Dover over to hopefully have a strong run and earn some good stage points to keep ourselves in contention for the
Chase. We’ll see how it plays out this Sunday." - Erik Jones
Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at [email protected]. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.
