By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
Concord, N.C. — Charlotte Motor Speedway is hosting their 66th 600 mile race and the storylines are plentiful. Here are three:
Consider- The sold-out crowd will witness Jimmie Johnson make his 700th NASCAR start.
Connor Zilisch make his very first Cup start.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth give a pep talk to the crowd.
Now, let the race begin…
First Stage -100 laps -150 miles Top 8 after Stage 1
Chase Briscoe takes the field to the green flag over Kyle Larson and Larson leads Briscoe after the first lap. Byron passes them both by lap 2. Larson measures Byron and reclaims the lead on lap 8. Drivers settle in single file with Larson (#5) taking the high line by lap 18. No changes among the leaders by lap 34. It’s Larson, Byron, and Tyler Reddick 1-2-3. The pole sitter, Reddick is 5th. On lap 42, Larson goes sideways in the fourth turn and goes into the infield astroturf to bring the first caution. Real grass might have flipped Larson. Over half of the field pits during the caution, and Byron is your leader with Reddick, and Buescher 2-3. Larson slips to 27th.
The restart on lap 51 brings Byron to the lead with Reddick right behind him. The Stage largely ran with Byron, Reddick, and Bell 1-2-3. Bowman takes a detour through the infield on lap 97, bringing a caution. Bowman points to a toe link. Bowman is trying to fix his machine during the stage breaks and perhaps a lap or two. William Byron secures the victory in Stage 1. Tyler Reddick finishes second, followed by Christopher Bell in third. John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five for the stage.
Second Stage
With 35 drivers on the lead lap, Christopher is the first off of pit road and takes the lead. Retired HOF driver Carl Edwards said the next-gen race cars are more difficult to drive than when he retired nearly ten years ago. Larson has been to pit road three times to fix a broken toe link and he is now 26th. Stage two begins on lap 107, and Byron is in the lead with Reddick driving alongside. It’s four wide near the back of the field. Jimmie Johnson and Connor Zilisch collide in turn four and JJ has heavy damage and is out. Byron and Reddick drive side by side as the flag is dropped on lap 117.Byron clears Reddick. Drivers are fighting to move up as every spot closer to the lead gives the driver cleaner air.
Halfway through Stage 2, Legacy Motorsports has John Hunter Nemechek 4th and Erik Jones 6th. Nemechek pits on lap 148, and the leaders are starting to pit. After the green flag stops on lap 160, it’s Byron, Reddick, and John Hunter Nemechek. With the sun going down and the track cools, rear tires start to fai,l and the grip increases. On lap 191 of 400, William Byron leads the race in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Byron, who started third, has dominated with 147 laps led across six different stints at the front. He’s maintained an impressive 1.83 average running position and spent 182 laps in the top five.
The race has seen 14 lead changes among seven different drivers. There have been three cautions for 23 laps. Byron last pitted 39 laps ago and has made three pit stops total. Denny Hamlin runs second in the No. 11 Toyota, 8.981 seconds behind Byron. Tyler Reddick holds third in the No. 45 Toyota, 10.698 seconds off the lead. Hamlin has led one lap, while Reddick has also led once. Busch spins out as Byron wins S2.
Third Stage 100 Laps Third Stage Top Eight
Drivers pit between the stages to make adjustments, tire changes and fuel. Byron and Hamlin bring the field to the green flag on lap 208, and Byron pulls ahead by .0189. Twenty-six drivers of 40 are on the lead lap and only Johnson is out. Byron continues to lead Hamlin by .037 of a second by lap 236. Zane Smith crashes his #38 and brings a caution after spinning several times. Caution pit stops start on lap 240.
Both Byron and Hamlin drive the field to the green flag on lap 243. Just two laps later, Larson, Justin Haley, and Daniel Suarez connect in the front stretch. Larson goes to the garage with smoke pouring out of his machine. Ryan Blaney is towed to the garage, being the fourth driver in the crash. Hocevar has moved from 37th to challenging Hamlin for second. By lap 262, Hamlin goes around Byron, with Hocevar third. Hamlin leads Byron by .0774 at lap 270 with Hocevar a second behind. On lap 280 of 400, Denny Hamlin leads the race under green flag conditions. There have been 22 lead changes among seven different drivers, with six cautions for 41 laps. Twenty-three drivers are still on the lead lap. Byron passes a fading Hamolin on lap 290 and Hocevar is still third. The only third stage of the season goes Byron, Hamlin and Hocevar with Reddick 4th. William Byron secures the victory in stage three.
Final Stage -100 Laps
Hamlin and Hocevar lead the field to the green flag on lap 307 and on the backstretch, his engine blows up. The 9th caution flag of the night is thrown. After Hocevar leaves the race, Byron outduals Hamlin to regain the lead. Reddick is third and Bell fourth.
Ross Chastain moves up to fourth place by passing AJ Allmendinger. Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick engage in a side-by-side battle for second position, allowing William Byron to extend his lead at the front. Lap 327 shows Hamlin and Byron side by side, and Hamlin overtakes the 24. By lap 330, Byron takes the lead again by .237. Ross Chastain is third, and Reddick is 4th. Green flag pit stops are expected by lap 347, and a pit road battle is anticipated. Hamlin and Byron pit on lap 348. Byron wins the battle off pit road and Chastain momentarily takes the lead. Cycling through the green flag pit stops, Byron and Hamlin are 1-2 by lap 365. Chastain, Gibbs, and Briscoe are 3-4-5. Chastain goes around Hamlin for second and Byron’s lead is now under a second over the #1. By lap 385, Byron and Chastain are battling for the lead. Hamlin pits on 388 to drop from third. Chastaih used a crossover to pass Byron on 394 and goes up by 4/1000 of a second. With a lap to go, Chastain holds off Byron by .673 of a second. Your winner is the Watermelon Man.
Checkered Flag
Ross Chastain makes a brilliant pass using a crossover on lap 394 to win the Coca-Cola 600. He led eight laps and spoiled the party for Byron. Chastain is the first winner in a backup car since the 2024 Daytona 500. Chastain started 40th and goes to the winners circle.
They Said It…
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Body Armor Chill Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was three-wide and tight getting off the corner. I thought I was kind of high enough as I could go and it seems like, I don’t know if it was just a big squeeze, a couple of us bounced off each other – just tight off four.” YOU SEEMED TO BE GAINING SOME TRACK POSITION. “The first caution set us back and then finally got close to the top 10, but now we’re gonna go home early. It’s one of those things.”
Factoids that may interest only me
William Byron has led the first stage of the last three Coca-Cola 600’s.
In Ryan Blaney’s last 5 races, he has two thirds, two fifths and a 37th. He has 5 DNF’s on the season and Charlotte appears to be the 6th.
The 50/50 at CMS is worth just under 119k. Denny Hamlin made that tonight, driving three laps. LOL.
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have led more 1.5 mile track laps at the Coca-Cola than they have as a team all season in all 1.5 mile tracks combined.
Brad Keselowski finishes 5th and leads his first laps of the season.
Fantasy
Your team is better than mine. 139 points including 20 for winning two categories. You may serve me crow now.
Tale of the Tape
Final Race Standings <<< Top Ten Below
What’s Next
NASCAR goes to Nashville next Sunday, June 1st. Coverage on Amazon Prime
Roy J. Akers covers NASCAR for www.skyviewsports.net
