Coca-Cola 600
Charlotte Motor SpeedwayThe Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR's longest race — 600 grueling miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend. The 1.5-mile quad-oval is the shop-door track for many Cup teams, which makes winning here a matter of organizational pride as much as driver skill. Jimmie Johnson won four straight Coke 600s from 2003-2005 and again in 2014, while Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson have all delivered memorable wins in the modern era. The track's character shifts dramatically from daylight into night as the sun sets and temperatures drop — early leaders rarely close it out, and setups that work at 6 PM often become undrivable by 10 PM. With four stages instead of the usual three, the 600 stretches strategy to its limit, rewarding teams that peak late rather than early. Tire wear, fuel windows, and the ability to adapt as track conditions flip make this as much a chess match as a race. In 2026, Hendrick Motorsports enters with momentum from their recent intermediate form, but the 1.5-mile specialists at Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske will be hard to beat over 400 laps of setup adjustments and strategy calls on Memorial Day weekend.
Your watchlist, historical context, and race-week curiosities.
Your Drivers' Outlook
Historical Context
- Tyler Reddick has 15 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 1 win and a 7.7 average finish.
- Chase Elliott has 20 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 3 wins and a 13.1 average finish.
- Denny Hamlin has 39 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 2 wins and a 11.8 average finish.
Based on Cup Series results at Charlotte Motor Speedway from 1949-2026.
Bobby Allison has won 7 times at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 12.7 average finish.
See Bobby Allison's full statsChase Elliott won the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
See Chase Elliott's resultsThe narrative arc, drivers to watch, and race-weekend color.
Schedule, predictions, entry list, track history, fantasy, and betting angles.
TV & Start Time
What channel is the Coca-Cola 600 on?
The Coca-Cola 600 airs on Prime Video on Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM ET, broadcast from Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule splits between FOX, FS1, TNT, NBC, USA, and Amazon Prime Video.
What time does the NASCAR Cup race start today?
The Coca-Cola 600 green flag is set for 6:00 PM ET on Sunday, May 24, 2026, airing on Prime Video. All NASCAR start times are listed in Eastern Time.
NR-Rating Track Rankings
| # | Driver | Elo Rating | Last Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 1624 | P16 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 1617 | P6 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 1597 | P12 |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 1591 | P15 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 1579 | P3 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 1570 | P5 |
| 7 | William Byron | 1561 | P2 |
| 8 | Ryan Preece | 1544 | P9 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 1543 | P35 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 1539 | P8 |
NR-Rating Predictions
Last updated: Wed, May 13, 2026, 07:50 AM ET
| # | Driver | Exp. Finish | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick Best in Field | 6.2 | 18.2% |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 7.8 | 17.8% |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 8.2 | 16.3% |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 9.2 | 15.4% |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 9.2 | 12.7% |
| 6 | Ryan Preece | 10.1 | 10.9% |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 10.7 | 9.6% |
| 8 | William Byron | 10.7 | 8.4% |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 11.2 | 7.6% |
| 10 | Chase Briscoe | 11.9 | 6.4% |
| 11 | Kyle Larson | 12.7 | 5.2% |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 12.7 | 5.1% |
| 13 | Carson Hocevar | 13.1 | 4.3% |
| 14 | Ross Chastain | 13.3 | 3.8% |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | 13.5 | 3.3% |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez | 14.0 | 3.1% |
| 17 | Ty Gibbs | 14.5 | 3.0% |
| 18 | Joey Logano | 14.7 | 2.7% |
| 19 | Austin Cindric | 15.4 | 2.2% |
| 20 | Erik Jones | 16.7 | 1.7% |
| 21 | Casey Mears | 16.9 | 1.4% |
| 22 | Michael McDowell | 17.0 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Kyle Busch | 17.0 | 1.1% |
| 24 | Austin Dillon | 17.1 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Shane van Gisbergen | 18.3 | 0.7% |
| 26 | A.J. Allmendinger | 18.3 | 0.5% |
| 27 | John Hunter Nemechek | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 28 | Zane Smith | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 29 | Todd Gilliland | 19.1 | 0.4% |
| 30 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 31 | Josh Berry | 22.9 | 0.2% |
| 32 | Connor Zilisch | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 33 | Katherine Legge | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Cole Custer | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Noah Gragson | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 36 | Riley Herbst | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 37 | Ty Dillon | 23.4 | 0.1% |
| 38 | B.J. McLeod | 24.8 | 0.0% |
| 39 | Cody Ware | 56.1 | 0.0% |
Win probabilities reflect full-field Monte Carlo simulations. A 10% pWin means roughly 1-in-10 chance of winning — higher than most bettors realize for a 36-car field where the average driver has ~2.8% odds. Top 5 and Top 10 percentages similarly reflect simulated outcomes, not historical averages. Learn how the model works.
Predictions powered by NR-Rating model (MAE: 8.5 positions)
Prediction Scorecard
Go Bowling at The Glen: Model picked Chase Elliott at P1 → Actual P24
(1/5 top-5 hits)
38% top-5 hit rate across 11 races
History at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Cup Series data from 1949-2026 (21 races)
Recent Results
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Coca-Cola 600 | Ross Chastain |
| 2024 | Coca-Cola 600 | Christopher Bell |
| 2023 | Coca-Cola 600 | Ryan Blaney |
| 2022 | Coca-Cola 600 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2021 | Coca-Cola 600 | Kyle Larson |
All Results at This Track
Laps Led Leaders
| Driver | Total Laps Led |
|---|---|
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 1058 |
| Kyle Busch | 749 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 550 |
| William Byron | 485 |
| Kyle Larson | 433 |
Track Type Tendencies
Intermediate tracks like Charlotte Motor Speedway reward the complete package — car setup, pit strategy, and driver consistency all factor in. These are the races where elite teams separate themselves.
Track position and tire management are critical, especially in long green-flag runs.
Fantasy
High laps-led totals at this track
50%+ top-5 rate at this track
Strong avg finish but no wins — lower ownership