Harrison Burton’s No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang team hope to battle for a Coca-Cola 600 win on Sunday night at Charlotte. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)
CONCORD, N.C – No matter the generation of stock car, crop of talents or year, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a genuine crown jewel event. While it is the 14th round of the NASCAR Cup Series season, it is the event that a driver and team pursue to tally the most points possible in the calendar year.
Unlike its prior 13 races and the 22 races succeeding it, no other event provides a maximum of 70 points. For a racer wishing to make up ground for a Playoffs spot or a winner wanting to pad their postseason position, the 600 is as good as any opportunity gets.
Then again, the 400-lap, 600-mile race is truly about the test between equipment and the driver alongside their team. Sure, the cars are more reliable and equally lengthed stages may assist with breaking up the action.
That said, the motivation remains fervent. Besides a win, the cash prize and points, momentum is something worth pursuing for the driver and team wanting to add to the 63 prior editions of this race.
Kyle Larson knows a thing or two about winning this marquee event and the momentum that comes with it. In 2021, the Coca-Cola 600, Larson’s second win at that point of the year, provided all the boost he needed to win the championship.
As Larson pursues his second 600 win, others like William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick will vie for such distinct honors. A hometown victory at the 1.5-mile speedway provides bragging rights on the traditional layout for a year and some pride until the race at the ROVAL in October.
Once the flagman unfurls the green flag on race day, it is anyone’s guess as to who will prevail in this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. For the time being, come along for the ride this and each race weekend with Podium Preview. Additionally, this weekend’s preview delves into our picks for Sunday’s 107th Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This weekend, Cody Shoppe, Jasmine Sharpe, Kobe Lambeth, Luis Torres, Matt Sisoler and yours truly ponder over the best picks for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 and the prestige factor with this crown jewel race.
Podium Perspectives
Question 1
Kyle Larson’s No. 5 car may be a favorite come Sunday night at Charlotte. (Photo: Cody Porter | The Podium Finish)
Despite practice and qualifying being canceled on Saturday, who stands out as a strong candidate for the Coca-Cola 600 victory at Charlotte?
Lambeth : Entering the Coca-Cola 600 with plenty of momentum following a dominant performance in last Sunday night’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, I’d say that Kyle Larson is probably one of the favorites to win NASCAR’s longest race.
With practice and qualifying getting canceled due to rain, crew chief Cliff Daniels will have the No. 5 Chevrolet rolling off the truck fully prepared for the grueling 600-mile race in the Queen City. Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates will likely be in the mix too.
Tiongson : Kyle Larson seems like the prime pick for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. When it comes to a driver and team who excel with a “show up and race” schedule, the No. 5 team has some practice with this, no pun intended. Remember that only a few races had practice and qualifying in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts.
Larson was a few laps away from being a two-time winner of this event before Chase Briscoe spun off Turn 2 to set up a couple of Overtime restarts. Look for Larson to be in the hunt on Sunday night and drive his patriotic paint scheme to the winner’s circle for a hometown Hendrick win.
Question 2
Charlotte prepares for a showdown on Sunday night. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)
With four stages totaling 100 laps, is the Coca-Cola 600 still a crown jewel event in terms of strategies and endurance?
Shoppe : This is absolutely a crown jewel. I may argue it’s a bigger crown jewel then the Daytona 500! A race of endurance, strategy, not a drafting track and the drivers and cars make much more of a difference.
While the challenge of endurance isn’t as much of a issue of reliability these days, the challenge of keeping up with the ever changing track conditions in a full day to night transition is something that separates the absolute best from the rest!
Sisoler : It is definitely still a crown jewel race. It’s still a test of will, consistency and endurance to go the 600 miles, even with the 4, 100-lap (150-mile) stages and a presumed long break after the second stage. If a driver only wins one race in their whole career, the Coca-Cola 600 (formerly known as the World 600) is only behind the Daytona 500 and, arguably, the Southern 500 on the list of races drivers want to win.
Sharpe : The Coca-Cola 600 is still a crown jewel race. Its legacy and lasting reputation has been etched into the minds of race fans for decades now. Even with four stage breaks it is a test for teams and drivers alike. This year with the uncooperative weather, teams are going in semi-blind with how the cars will overall handle.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a fantastic track in the center of where NASCAR has taken root. The majority of race teams in the three series are within an hour’s distance of the location and it has become a focal point for racing in general.
Testing the cohesiveness of a group, this race displays the sport’s goal to the public. Winning such a prestigious event not only cements a team into the playoffs, but shows their overall effectiveness to the organization as a whole.
Two laps around a drying Charlotte Motor Speedway proves quite challenging and worthy of enough to quench our thirst with Coca-Cola. Before proceeding further with our Coca-Cola 600 thoughts, let us rewind two weeks back to Round 13 of 36 with the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway!
Sisoler and yours truly had the winning combination.
As a result, Sisoler closes the gap a bit on Lambeth heading into Round 14 at Charlotte.
With practice and qualifying rained out, here is a look at the top 10 starters for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte!
Row 1 – William Byron and Kevin Harvick
(Graphic: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Row 2 – Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin
(Graphic: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Row 3 – Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott
(Graphic: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Row 4 – Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney
(Graphic: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Row 5 – Christopher Bell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
(Graphic: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Now, let us consider our picks to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte!
This starting five may be a surefire selection of a 2023 Coca-Cola 600 winner. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
Sisoler : I think, aside from the superspeedways, the Coke 600 is the hardest to gauge who is gonna do well, doubly so when it rains all weekend. This is NASCAR’s endurance race, and oftentimes, the best car doesn’t win. I think the Closer, Kevin Harvick, survives the chaos and takes home the checkered flag to win the race in his final attempt as a full time driver.
Sharpe : The sport’s veteran racer, Kyle Busch, is able to defeat and conquer tracks of all shapes and forms. This will come in handy for the RCR driver as this event is a great test for teams both mentally and physically. His ability to read a situation and to adapt is incredible.
Tiongson : Kyle Larson excels at Charlotte Motor Speedway much like Cliff Daniels’ former driver, Jimmie Johnson. It comes as no surprise that the No. 5 team, essentially the former No. 48 team, thrives at Charlotte. While Larson starts 12th, look for the three-time NASCAR All-Star Race winner and 2021 Coca-Cola 600 champion to add to his trophy case on Sunday night.
Lambeth : In the last year, Ross Chastain has stacked up an impressive list of on-track enemies and hasn’t won a race since April 2022, but I believe that’ll change this weekend when the Trackhouse Racing driver finally puts it all together to win the Coca-Cola 600.
Torres : Hendrick Motorsports’ Cup dominance will continue with William Byron winning a crown jewel race. I see his dream season continuing in dominant form that even his teammates will have a hard time catching all day.
Shoppe : William Byron and the 24 team have been on fire this year and may be the strongest team so far. The coke 600 is a race that showcases the best of the best. Hendrick motorsports has had the edge between the 5 and 24 this year and it may come down to them after 600 miles!
As a bonus for race fans on “The Greatest Day in Motorsports,” various members of The Podium Finish team provide their picks for Sunday’s 107th running of the Indianapolis 500!
There is about an 18% chance that one of us gets the winning pick for the 107th Indianapolis 500. (Photo – Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
Tiongson : This is probably the strongest field for the Indianapolis 500 in recent memory. A case can be made for Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Marco Andretti and Scott McLaughlin. However, I like Pato O’Ward’s chances on Sunday afternoon. He may not have the best car in the field but he starts in Row 2 and the Arrow McLaren team have been on point throughout the Month of May.
If O’Ward wins, it only propels his commanding popularity with his fanbase and those learning about his story. Likewise, O’Ward has a great handle of the Indianapolis oval and it would not be surprising if he puts the No. 5 car in Victory Lane.
Nadwodny : Pato O’Ward for me. He was on it last season with Ericsson and Arrow McLaren has showed very good race pace. With his previous success and good run last year and his consistent improvement at this race, he will, as Townsend Bell alluded to, improve his position exponentially again to go from second to first.
Sisoler : My heart says to pick Romain Grosjean, but I think instead I’m gonna go with another ex-F1 star, Takuma Sato.
Fastest in the final practice on Friday, think he’s got the car to go for the win.
Torres : After careful considerations, I’m not going to follow the norm and say the trends go to Tony Kanaan. Instead, I’m going to lean towards a guy who probably has a sense of urgency to win the 500. It’s been since Road America in 2020 that Felix Rosenqvist won an INDYCAR race. Why not prove your worth and cap off a solid and consistent month by bringing Arrow McLaren its first 500 win. I think he will surprise some folks, but something about Rosenqvist feels right to pick him for the win.
Rush : Alex Palou, fastest man of the month, has had one of the best race cars the last 3 years. This will be the year all of the pieces come together.
Lambeth : After winning the GMR Grand Prix, taking the pole and being fast in every practice session, look for Alex Palou to take home the glory and drink the milk after claiming the 107th Indianapolis 500.
Conley : Simply put, Alex Palou is fast. And speed builds confidence. With that, he could just go ahead and park it in Victory Lane now, and say, “The heck with the race.”
Moore : I’m going with Scott Dixon. Even though he has had a very unlike Dixon year, I feel with the Ganassi strength shown so far at Indy along with Dixon’s racecraft, this could be his second 500 win.
Solomon : Josef Newgarden has checked nearly every box in his career besides an Indianapolis 500 victory. Expect the 32-year-old to finally piece it all together and kiss the bricks Sunday afternoon.
We’re ready for some racing. How about you? What do you think are the biggest storylines heading into the race? Who are your favorites to win? Tweet us now @ThePodiumFinish and tell us now!
Thanks as always to the TPF team for their amazing efforts this week as we celebrate our 15th anniversary of operations!
The opinions and thoughts expressed in Podium Preview are solely of the authors. They do not reflect any organizations affiliated with the participants and author outside of TPF. This weekly feature is strictly for entertainment purposes. Ultimately, they are not indicative of TPF, the organization and its staff.
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