Coca-Cola 600
Location: Concord, N.C.
Course: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 400
NASCAR Cup Series Race Preview
We've fittingly seen tributes for Kyle Busch roll in throughout the weekend, and that will almost certainly continue Sunday. His passing casts a very sad shadow over what should be one of the best, if not the best, racing weekends of the year.
There's no easy way to transition from Busch to a preview of the race, but that's what we have to do. Weather has wreaked havoc on the race schedule, delaying the Truck race multiple times while also pausing the O'Reilly Series race. There's a good chance that weather continues into Sunday, so be sure to keep on any news.
As for the on-track action, Denny Hamlin will look to carry his momentum from a dominant performance in the All-Star race. Tyler Reddick took pole on Saturday and is in line to expand his already substantial lead in the standings.
Key Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 127
- Winners from pole: 19
- Winners from top-5 starters: 71
- Winners from top-10 starters: 94
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 11
- Fastest race: 160.655 mph
Previous 10 Charlotte Winners
2025 – Ross Chastain
2024 - Christopher Bell
2023 - Ryan Blaney
2022 - Denny Hamlin
2021 - Kyle Larson
2020 II - Chase Elliott
2020 I - Brad Keselowski
2019 - Martin Truex Jr.
2018 - Kyle Busch
2017 fall - Martin Truex Jr.
The Coca-Cola 600 is one of the greatest spectacles in NASCAR and arguably of all motor racing. The race is set to begin at 6:27 pm, meaning sunset will come after roughly an hour and a half of racing. In addition to the spectacle, that will also change the racing and the ideal setup on cars. Getting that right, or wrong, can change the outlook of the race.
The steep banking of the track allows for multiple racing lines and the ability to move through the field. We see that reflected in the recent results, as half of the last 12 race winners have started from 15th or worse. That should be factored into DFS lineups and any bets alike, as poor qualifying could end up leading to better odds or DFS scores.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Coca-Cola 600
(Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $11,500
Tyler Reddick - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Christopher Bell- $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Elliott - $9,700
William Byron - $9,500
Chase Briscoe -$9,200
Carson Hocevar - $8,700
Chris Buescher - $8,500
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Brad Keselowski -$8,000
Alex Bowman - $7,800
Ryan Preece- $7,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $5,900
John Hunter Nemechek - $5,700
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the NASCAR All-Star Race
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Chase Elliott - $9,700
Chris Buescher - $8,500
Brad Keselowski - $8,000
Ryan Preece - $7,300
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $5,900
The top tier of drivers is loaded with choices, with Reddick and Hamlin likely to be the most popular the choice. The case for each of them is pretty straightforward, so we'll spend some time on Blaney. His average finish is poor, but he's led 163 laps in the last three races (all in 2023) and has gotten wrecked each of the last two years. Bell won the race in 2024 and has finished inside the top 10 in seven of the last eight stages.
Tier 2 offers some star power and also some drivers with a strong track record at Charlotte. Byron is a key decision point. He's had a down season relative to his lofty standards, but his track record at Charlotte is unparalleled. He's finished inside the top-three in each of the last three races at the track, giving him a 129.5 Driver Rating – the highest in the field by 18.6 points over Bell. Elliott and his team have gotten the setup right at similar tracks in recent weeks, dominating the field at Texas and finished a solid eighth at Kansas. Buescher has been solid all season and fits well at his price point.
Keselowski and Preece are both bets on track history. Keselowski has started 30th and 35th in the last two years and climbed to second and fifth, respectively. He'll start 23rd Sunday and could be in for another massive score. Preece hasn't had quite the same peaks, but he has moved through the field in Charlotte effectively in recent seasons.
Stenhouse pops as the best value on the optimizer and has consistently finished in the top 10 to 15 throughout his history at the track.
NASCAR Best Bets for the Coca-Cola 600
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 12:00 AM ET Sunday
Race Winner – Denny Hamlin (+500), Tyler Reddick (+600), Christopher Bell (+900), Ryan Blaney (+1100)
Top-10 Finish – Brad Keselowski (-105)
These picks largely track the same conversations for the DFS section, though the absence of some drivers is more noteworthy than the picks themselves. Byron would seemingly be a strong value pick, but he has the fourth-shortest odds to win the race and is only +100 to finish top five. For those willing to shop around when additional lines appear, Byron would be a target if there are better odds available.
We also haven't spent much time talking about Reddick or Bell, so this is a good space for that. Bell has race-winning upside because he won the race two years ago, and he's also led multiple laps in four of the last five races at the track. He offers some good value as a race winner. Reddick has a very strong history at the track, finishing inside the top 10 in all but two of his seven career races at Charlotte. The downside of rostering him also doesn't necessarily exist in DFS, because his odds to win would have been short regardless. For DFS purposes, he'll lose points for any positions he slips, so I'd rather get exposure to him in the betting market.
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