Coca-Cola 600 Preview: Memorial Day Marathon

This weekend NASCAR returns to North Carolina and comes to the intermediate oval in Charlotte. On the heels of this past weekend's All-Star Race at Dover, we visit Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. This has been the traditional event for Memorial Day weekend for many years now. This 600-mile marathon, the longest race of the season, is the perfect way to celebrate the long holiday weekend. Charlotte Motor Speedway sets the stage for this high speed, big stakes battle of survival. 

CMS is one of the NASCAR Cup Series' many 1.5-mile tri-ovals. It's very similar to both Kansas & Texas in many respects, but the oval at Charlotte seems to produce more side-by-side racing than the other intermediate tracks. Horsepower is the name of the game at this high-speed oval, and the durability of the equipment is pushed to the max. The 400 laps run at during the Coca-Cola 600, under the lights, and late into the night take their toll on both the cars and the drivers. In summary, this race is about equipment preservation, driver preservation and fuel preservation. The long green flag runs we typically see in the 600 can often set up a fuel-mileage run to the finish, so crew chiefs have a lot to keep their eyes on in this very long race. The extra 100-miles raced may not seem like a lot, but rest assured it's enough to make a major difference in who wins and who loses this Sunday night.

This past week's unique All-Star Race at the one-mile Dover Motor Speedway did little to prepare the teams for the Coca-Cola 600. The 350 laps, short track and segments of the All-Star Race won't resemble most of the action we'll see at Charlotte this weekend. One thing is for sure, the 600-mile distance provides the teams with several pit stops and chances to improve the handling of their race cars. It will be the team that keeps up with the constantly changing surface and cooling evening air that will be doing a victory burnout at the end of the night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The team that starts out this race the fastest doesn't always end the evening the fastest, as we have seen many times over the years. Some practice and qualifying laps this weekend will help to temper this factor some for the 600, but the race is so long that the track is never the same from a handling standpoint at 6 PM vs. 10 PM.     

We need to take a brief look at the historical loop stats for the oval at Charlotte. The extended length of this event does play a major factor in the performance of the drivers.   The long green flag runs and pit strategy we'll see in the Coca-Cola 600 cannot be replicated in any other race. For this event, the loop data from Charlotte Motor Speedway will play a significant role in our fantasy racing picks. The 1.5-mile oval in Charlotte has been a track of streaks the last few years, and that could make it an easily-predictable race this weekend. The loop stats in the table below cover the last 20 years or 35 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota teams have each won in the last three events at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track that bowtie teams have dominated for years has become a venue of parity the last few seasons. With Ross Chastain's surprising victory in this event one year ago, Chevrolet picked up their first win at the Charlotte oval since 2021 and returned the bowtie brand to dominance at Charlotte. Toyota driver, Christopher Bell won this event two seasons ago in a rain-shorted affair that didn't go the full 600-mile distance. It was Toyota's second victory at CMS in the last four races. Ford driver, Ryan Blaney, won this event three years ago. He ran a smart and strategy-based race, led a lot of laps and took the checkered flag at the end of 600 miles. If this manufacturer hopes to climb back over both Toyota and Chevrolet, the burden will largely fall on Blaney and his No. 12 Ford team. 

Considering what we've seen to this point in 2026 on the cookie cutter ovals, the three best-positioned drivers to win this Sunday night could be Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. Reddick and Hamlin each have two wins on mid-sized ovals in the past five races on these size tracks and Elliott is coming off a big win last time out at Texas Motor Speedway. When all the variables are considered, we could be looking at a repeat victor at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. Although Reddick could be the monkey in that wrench as he has never won at the Charlotte oval. We'll outline below the drivers you need to stock up on to dominate your fantasy racing leagues at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

The Contenders – Drivers in the Hunt for the Win

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 AM ET Thursday

Tyler Reddick (+650) – Reddick has seven-career Cup Series starts on the Charlotte oval, and he's managed an impressive five Top 10's in those efforts. That 71-percent Top-10 rate here speaks to his consistency, but Reddick has never won on the high banks of Charlotte. That could change this Sunday evening. The 23XI Racing star has been sharp on the cookie cutter ovals of late with two victories (Atlanta & Kansas) and four Top-5 finishes in his last five starts on the 1.5-mile tracks. That razor sharp 4.8 average finish over the span is a real attention getter. The driver of the No. 45 Toyota is going to finally break through in this 600-mile marathon, this weekend seems like the most likely of times.    

Chase Elliott (+1100) – The No. 9 Chevrolet team have had some success of late on the mid-sized ovals so it's worth adding him to the contenders list this week. He has been quite a performer at the Charlotte oval in recent races. Elliott has one win and three runner-up finishes at this track since the 2017 season. With close to 350 laps led in his career at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he's quite used to racing up front here. Elliott has finished sixth- and seventh-place in his last two Coca-Cola 600's. These recent performances have lowered his average finish to 14.2 at the Charlotte oval. Elliott cracks the Top 10 at a steady 57-percent rate at this facility. The Hendrick Motorsports star finished runner-up earlier this season at Las Vegas and won a few weeks ago at Texas. He's a sneaky-good fantasy play at Charlotte.  

Denny Hamlin (+500) – Coming off the big All-Star Race win, Hamlin will carry that momentum into Charlotte. He's been a good performer on the cookie cutter ovals of late with a pair of wins in his last two Las Vegas starts and a recent runner-up effort in Texas. The veteran driver has 21 Top 10's at Charlotte in 34-career starts for a stellar 62-percent rate. Hamlin won this event in 2022 for his first-career victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He led 53 laps in last season's Coca-Cola 600 but didn't get the finish he deserved. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has had some mixed luck at Charlotte recently but he has incredible career statistics at this oval. We believe Hamlin will rebound and challenge for the win in this Coca-Cola 600.    

Christopher Bell (+850) – Bell won this event two seasons ago for his first Charlotte Motor Speedway victory. He qualified an impressive third-place in that event and led a strong 90 laps en route to the win. The Joe Gibbs Racing star now has one win, two Top-5 and three Top-10 finishes in his last four races at the Charlotte oval. With 146 laps led combined thus far, racing up front here is starting to become a habit for the No. 20 Toyota team. Mid-sized ovals have been a mixed bag for Bell of late with two Top-5 finishes and three finishes outside the Top 20 in his last five starts. However, he's been fast and has led 109 laps in that span. If the good luck component shows up this weekend, Bell could be looking at a second-career Coca-Cola 600 win.   

Solid Plays – Near Locks for Top 10 with an Outside Shot to Win

William Byron (+850) – The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet is a three-time pole winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has led 485 combined laps to this point. Byron has finished Top-3 in his last three appearances in the Coca-Cola 600 and he's now cracking the Top-10 for 56-percent for his career at the speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports star has not been a big impact driver on the intermediate ovals this season but he does have finishes of third-, seventh- and eighth-place in his last three 1.5-mile oval starts. Byron qualifies well on these mid-sized ovals and his 3.0 average start at Charlotte in his last five attempts is exceptional. We believe the No. 24 Chevrolet team has a high ceiling this Sunday evening in Charlotte.

Chase Briscoe (+1100) – This driver and team have had some ups-and-downs this season but the cookie cutter ovals have been generally pretty good. Briscoe has fetched four Top 10's in his last five starts on these size tracks and the 8.0 average finish over that span speaks volumes. Charlotte Motor Speedway has been a mixed bag for the veteran driver but he has turned in a pair of Top 5's in his last four starts at the oval. Briscoe's last start in the Coca-Cola 600 netted the pole position and a strong third-place finish. To-date that is his career-best finish at Charlotte. We believe this Joe Gibbs Racing driver and team are going to be dialed into the Top 10 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.   

Kyle Larson (+750) – The Hendrick Motorsports star is a one-time Charlotte winner (2021) but he has been a mixed bag performer at this track over the years. It's reflected in his 40-percent Top-10 rate here. Still, the No. 5 Chevrolet team brings a high ceiling into this Coca-Cola 600. Larson has led well over 400 laps for his career at CMS and that's a lot of time spent racing up front. The veteran has been a pretty steady performer on the intermediate ovals of late. Larson has a pair of runner-up finishes and three Top 10's in his last five starts on the cookie cutter tracks. The 317 laps led during that span leads all drivers. Larson should be a driver of focus in this Coca-Cola 600.

Alex Bowman (+4000) – His recent third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway really stands out. Bowman has had a mixed season due to the injury earlier in the spring but he's steadily making progress back into consistency. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet has netted five Top 10's at Charlotte Motor Speedway since the 2018 season. Over that span that's a good 56-percent Top-10 rate. It's helped to lower his average finish here and improve his standing in the loop data statistics. Bowman has a pair of Top 10's in his last four intermediate oval starts and a reasonable 12.8 average finish over the span. We believe he and his race team really like the Charlotte oval and his current level of performance on these size tracks is a good indicator coming into Memorial Day weekend.        

Sleepers – Drivers with Good History at Charlotte & Solid Upside

Ryan Blaney (+850) – Blaney has been mediocre at best on intermediate ovals of late. However, he was a 10th-place finisher at Texas recently and that's enough to give him sleepers list credentials this week. The Penske Racing star is a 40-percent Top-10 finisher on 1.5-mile ovals lately so that checks out with the sleepers list ranking. As for Charlotte Motor Speedway, Blaney is a one-time winner here (2023) but he only has four-career Top 10's at the oval since 2017. The driver of the No. 12 Ford has better tracks in his resume but he's still got some fantasy racing utility in the Coca-Cola 600.       

Chris Buescher (+2000) – The veteran driver of the No. 17 Ford has been strong in recent intermediate oval races with three-straight Top 10's on ovals this size and a pair of Top 15's in addition over this last five. That average finish of 9.6 is tantalizing. He will look to keep the good speed and momentum rolling in the Coca-Cola 600. Buescher has scored Top-10 finishes in four of his last eight starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The average finish across that eight-race span is a solid 15.6. That's well below his career average finish at CMS of 18.8. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has been a steady performer this season on the mid-sized ovals and he's had a lot of success at Charlotte in recent seasons.  

Bubba Wallace (+2500) – Wallace has been very sharp in recent intermediate oval races. He rides a four-race Top-10 streak on 1.5-mile tracks into this weekend's Memorial Day weekend battle in Charlotte. The 23XI Racing veteran finished a steady ninth-place most recently at Texas Motor Speedway and that could be a good benchmark for this Sunday evening. Wallace doesn't have the best career numbers at this oval, but he does have fourth- and 11th-place finishes in his last three starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Those have been the best performances of his career at the North Carolina speedway.  

Brad Keselowski (+2500) – The two-time Charlotte winner has been steady and consistent on these mid-sized ovals in 2026. Keselowski has three Top-10 and four Top-15 finishes on these tracks in his last five starts. The average finish is coming in at a sharp 11.2. The owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford has 12-career Top-10 finishes on the Charlotte oval spread across 26 starts. That works out to a reasonable 46-percent Top-10 rate and respectable 13.6 average finish. Keselowski's last two starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway have netted impressive second- and fifth-place finishes.  

Carson Hocevar (+1500) – The Spire Motorsports youngster really impressed us with what he did at Texas Motor Speedway a few weeks ago. Hocevar grabbed the pole position, led 40 laps and turned in an impressive seventh-place finish in the Wurth 400. That is just one of his last five starts on intermediate ovals and there's been a definite uptick in performance. Hocevar also fetched a Top 5 at Atlanta earlier this season and a Top 15 at Kansas. The No. 77 Chevrolet is showing speed and Hocevar is showing aggressiveness. He has just two-career starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway so his book has yet to be written here yet. We believe his best starts this Sunday evening.

Ty Gibbs (+1600) – Aside from his crash in Fort Worth a few weeks ago, Gibbs has been sharp on the mid-sized ovals this season. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota grabbed fifth- and ninth-place finishes at Las Vegas and Kansas. Those are performances to pay close attention to. Gibbs has just three-career starts at the Charlotte oval, but he turned in a real gem in this event two seasons ago. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster won the pole, led 74 laps and finished a strong sixth-place at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2024. He qualified well, led laps and had good speed last season but didn't get the finish that Gibbs deserved. He'll look to set that straight in this Coca-Cola 600.  

Slow Down - Drivers to Avoid This Week

Joey Logano (+2200) – The Penske Racing star has struggled on cookie cutter ovals earlier this season, with just one Top-10 and two Top-15 finishes in his last five starts. The 21.2 average finish over the span is not a good look. Logano is a one-time Charlotte winner (2015) but he hasn't cracked the Top 10 here since 2020. That has dropped his career Top-10 rate at CMS to just 41-percent and inflated his average finish to 13.3. Considering that the driver of the No. 22 Ford crashed and DNF'd at the similar oval in Texas a few weeks ago, we are very skeptical of Logano's chances this weekend in Charlotte.

Michael McDowell (+18000) – Despite collecting his two-career Charlotte Top 10's at the track in his last four visits, we're calling for the McDowell fade this weekend. The Spire Motorsports veteran has had a real tough time on these mid-sized ovals lately. With just one Top-20 in his last five starts, the average finish is checking in at a disappointing 24.6. That mirrors his career numbers at Charlotte Motor Speedway. McDowell cracks the Top 10 here at just 8-percent and the average finish is around 27.8. Given his current lack of traction on these style ovals and his career record at Charlotte, we're recommending the bench for McDowell.          

Austin Cindric (+6500) – His four-career starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been a story of struggles for the Penske Racing driver. Cindric has just one Top 20 in those four attempts and three finishes outside the Top 30. The average finish is a bloated 29.0. Despite the driver of the No. 2 Ford being Top 15 in his last two intermediate oval starts with 12th-place at Kansas and 15th-place at Texas, we're skeptical of Cindric's chances at an oval where he's struggled so deeply. Cindric has yet to finish on the lead lap in his four prior Charlotte starts, and that's a disturbing statistic to consider prior to this Coca-Cola 600.    

Daniel Suarez (+10000) – Suarez has been pretty good in recent cookie cutter oval outings. The Spire Motorsports driver has two Top-10 and five Top-20 finishes in his last five starts. The average finish is checking in at a reasonable 13.6 for this driver and team. However, Charlotte has been a difficult nut to crack for Suarez. 11-career starts have netted just one Top-10 finish (9-percent) and he hasn't visited the Top 15 here since 2021. Suarez hasn't cracked the Top 20 in his last four trips to Charlotte Motor Speedway. He seems to be facing some very tall odds this Sunday evening.