NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Claim a Career-Defining Coke 600 Win?
NASCAR’s best will compete in the sport’s longest race and for one of its most coveted wins on Sunday. Memorial Day Weekend brings with it crown jewel motorsports events across the globe; none are a bigger test of man and machine than the Coca-Cola 600. Performing at home for most of the industry, winning this history-steeped Charlotte race comes with many accolades. Above all are the most points handed out in any one day of the season. Which driver can capitalize most and make big inroads to the championship? Here are a few contenders forecasting a banner night ahead under the hometown lights.
Kyle Larson
On all intermediates so far this season, Kyle Larson has been in his own zip code. A 6.7 average running position on this track type in 2025 trumps all other drivers, and has the 2021 Coke 600 winner pinned as a prerace favorite. Larson should be fresh off competing in his second Indianapolis 500 mere hours earlier for Arrow McLaren. The jetsetting driver likes his odds ahead in both iconic races.
“It should be a good chance,” Larson said. “We finished the (Indianapolis) 500 last year and we would’ve had a good shot in the (Coca-Cola 600) had we gotten to run it. But, yeah, there’s just a lot that has to go your way and both of them are crazy races.”
“I felty like (the Indy 500) was going really smooth up until we had the brake issue and sped on pit road. So I felt really prepared last year. And I would say come race time this year, if our balance is good, I’ll feel prepared again.”
Will the second time be the charm for Larson’s attempt at ‘The Double’? Weather kept him from ever turning a lap in the Coke 600 a year ago. The Hendrick star may return to Charlotte with vengeance in 2025. Larson won two of the last three intermediate races as well at Homestead and Kansas, the 5 should be a threat up front yet again in NASCAR’s longest night.
Denny Hamlin
Few have seen as much recent success on the Charlotte oval than Coca-Cola Racing Family member Denny Hamlin. The 2022 Coke 600 winner, this makes up half of his two top-fives in the last three May races here. The 600 was one crown jewel race left for Hamlin to take. Driver 11 took extra time to bask in this milestone win three years ago.
“Knowing that you’ve got so many friends and family there watching, it’s always just special winning, in that backyard,” Hamlin said. “It was really great to do the champagne toast afterward in the suite. You got members there that have been part of the Speedway Club for decades and to have that moment with them after they just watched you do some work and come out on top is a special moment.”
Although teammate Christopher Bell has Hamlin beat on wins this year, team 11 has not been far off their weekly contending norm. The 600 is a night where veteran experience pays off dividends. Hamlin likewise owns more experience around Charlotte than almost the rest of the field. Can another crown jewel win fall into Hamlin’s favor?
Ryan Blaney
The only man within striking distance of Larson’s unreal intermediate stat line this year is Ryan Blaney. Larson’s aforementioned 6.7 average running position is matched by Blaney’s 9.6 result. This number is dragged down a bit by a few untimely DNFs for the 12, however. Having won this race two years ago, Blaney hopes to deliver Roger Penske another major win on Memorial Day Sunday.
“I hope we can still conquer it,” Blaney said. “We’ll find out this weekend, but it was cool to win this race a couple years ago. I grew up going to this race a lot watching dad run it. I spent a lot of time with the family. Memorial Day Weekend is always really special. Being able to see a lot of troops and meet their families around the racetrack and meet those families with their son or daughter that’s riding with us on our windshield is always a really special moment. It was neat to accomplish and a huge feat two years ago. Last year, I thought we had a decent run going and unfortunately we didn’t finish it, but it is a tough place. No matter what race it is at Charlotte, whether it’s the 600, whether it’s the Roval. It used to be the Bank of America 500 before the Roval and it’s just a tough place. The 600-mile race is just another test of your grit and your determination and what teams can outlast, what teams can stay in it all night and be where they need to be at the end. It is a tough racetrack, but that’s what makes it really gratifying if you can do it.”
“The key I feel like is just staying in the game. Like I said earlier, there are gonna be ups and downs all night. The racetrack is gonna change. You’ve got 600 miles to figure it out, so just mentally staying in it, not only me, but all the guys staying in the game, doing their job right and what you want your race to look like at the 450-mile mark. I try to break it up that way into quarters – 150, 300, 450, 600. Where do you want to be at each stage of this race and what does it look like for the end of this thing. You’ve got to persevere all night and we were able to do that two years ago. We were really good early. We weren’t the best car in the middle and we got to be the best car at the end, so it was just like staying with it and staying in touch with the lead and what your car needs is some of the most important things.”
Team Penske and Memorial Day weekend are synonymous with success. Penske owns a record 20 wins at The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but only three triumphs in the 600. Two of these wins came across the last five seasons though. Driver 12 also has a series-best 165 laps led here in the Next Gen Car. Blaney was head and shoulders above the field for his first win of 2023 in this race. Can team 12 find the same fortunes in 2025?
William Byron
Only once since the turn of the century has a North Carolina-born driver claimed the Coca-Cola 600. Charlotte native William Byron hopes to change this history, and get another treasured trophy for his case. Racing almost literally in the shadow of Hendrick Motorsports, the 24’s been close to Charlotte victory multiple times before. Perhaps a 600 win would rival the two Daytona 500 triumphs for the hometown hero.
“I love racing at Charlotte,” Byron said. “It’s my home track and where I grew up going to watch races. Plus it’s so close to Hendrick Motorsports. We always run well at Charlotte, and honestly I really thought we had a shot to win last year before it started raining. This is a race that I have circled every year on my calendar. I really want to this one. Not only is it a crown jewel event but it would just mean more.”
Byron is batting .500 with Charlotte oval top-10s at four, was second and third in the last two 600s, and has laps led in four-straight. Already taking home one of the biggest wins of the season in the Daytona 500, Byron hopes to remain perfect in crown jewel races with a breakout backyard victory.
Christopher Bell
The 2024 Coca-Cola 600 triumph may always have an asterisk next to it in some people’s eyes for Christopher Bell. The No. 20 Toyota did lead almost 100 laps a year ago. Despite this, questionable circumstances around calling the race early for weather still leave this night with a sour taste for many.
“I hate that it got rain-shortened last year,” Bell said. “Obviously it’s known for the 600 miles, and I want to win the 600 mile event. But Charlotte’s been a great track for me the last couple of years.”
A great stop for Bell Charlotte has been, with two top-fives and almost 150 laps led over the last three years. Coming off an All-Star Race that saw Bell vanquish Joey Logano, the Joe Gibbs Racing team eyes two-straight wins. Bell believes they are a step off on intermediate pace though. Some strategy may be needed to put the 20 back out front.
Tyler Reddick
One of the most intriguing active Coca-Cola 600 stats belongs to Tyler Reddick. The 23XI Racing driver has never been worse than ninth in the marathon night, boasting a perfect record of five top-10s. Much like Santino Ferrucci also having this same title at the Indy 500, Reddick can never truly be counted out here.
“You want to start the race good in the daytime,” Reddick said. “But it’s super important to continue staying on top of your car into the night. You got to be able to fire off on that late restart when the temperatures really start to drop.”
Reddick’s slowly been finding a groove and trending closer to the front at Charlotte. Sixth, fifth, and fourth are his three Next Gen results here. Can he buck this trend and be the one celebrating big after 600 miles? Team 45’s speed has admittedly been a step off all around this season. Should the right circumstances fall into place though, 23XI Racing could be partying hard all the way back to Airspeed.
First timers, favorites, upsets, and contenders have all won the Coca-Cola 600 in recent years. To put it simply, this year’s Memorial Day Classic has a very lengthy list of potential winning teams. One of them will stand out among the rest to close out racing’s greatest day in Charlotte. The 66th running of the Coca-Cola 600 goes green at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to David Jensen/Getty Images
