The best racing weekend is about to grace the fans. Memorial Day weekend is packed with marquee events. IndyCar has their biggest race of the season with the Indy 500. Meanwhile, the NASCAR Cup Series will host their second crown jewel event this year with the Coca-Cola 600. The marathon race tests the drivers’ mental and physical stamina in NASCAR’s longest race. Drivers will come and go from the top of the leaderboard. Denny Hamlin, last year’s winner, only led 15 laps. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott, who led the second most laps, crashed out about halfway through the race. The Coca-Cola 600 is the perfect way to cap off a great day of racing.
Not only is the Coca-Cola 600 a crown jewel event, it kicks off the second half of the NASCAR season. For many drivers, this is an opportunity to improve or maintain their current momentum of their season. There are 13 races left before the playoffs begin. With nine unique winners already this season, the pressure to win will start heating up if new winners emerge, especially if those winners come from outside the Top-20 of points. While drivers like Ross Chastain and Kevin Harvick are likely moderately safe, the remaining drivers who would be pointing their way might start feeling the heat of the playoff window closing. What would be a better way to ease those concerns then by winning the Coca-Cola 600?
If you want a statistical insight heading into Sunday, check out Daniel Smith’s notable starts and statistical outlook articles.
Alex Bowman
It was announced on Wednesday that Alex Bowman would be returning from his injury for the Coca-Cola 600. For the second straight return from injury, Hendrick Motorsports has decided to test the driver immediately upon return. With Chase Elliott, they tested his fractured leg via 400 laps of braking at Martinsville. Meanwhile for Bowman, he is returning to NASCAR’s longest race. While it surely is coincidence about when both drivers were able to return, it will be interesting to see how Bowman’s back feels after 600 miles around Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Alex Bowman’s return inserts him back into the Cup Series playoff picture. Currently, Bowman sits five points out of the final playoff spot. After missing three points paying races, his current position is a testament to how well Bowman ran to begin the season. Before the injury, Bowman was battling with Ross Chastain for the points lead. While Bowman making the playoffs feels like a certainty, remember that has not come close to winning a race this season. While his runs have been good, Bowman has been a step down from Kyle Larson and William Byron. With three races of zero points, does this put Bowman in jeopardy if there are more new winners?
Ross Chastain
The man who led the most laps last year at this race was the Melon Man. Ross Chastain led 153 laps and won Stage 3. For the majority of the race, he was the car to beat. His average running position was fourth. An incident with Kyle Larson led to Chastain damaging his nose and falling down the leaderboard during the late race restarts. His strong run only netted the Melon Man a fifteenth place finish.
At this point, Ross Chastain is the points leader for the Cup Series despite not having a win. Even if he does not win a race, Chastain would lock himself into the playoffs by having the points lead. With the recent focus on his aggressive driving style, Chastain seems to have a bit of a target on his back. Chastain’s points lead might be in jeopardy if he is on the receiving end of more retaliation like Denny Hamlin’s at Phoenix. His points barrier should be safe, but a win might be the needed protection from chaos. Based on his run last year, the Coca-Cola 600 would not be a bad bet.
Tyler Reddick
Toyota won the Coca-Cola 600 last year with Denny Hamlin. While Hamlin was not a front runner all race, Toyota was represented well within the top runners. Kurt Busch specifically had a good run going until he wrecked out on lap 191. The driver who is in Busch’s ride finished within the Top-10 last year. Tyler Reddick might be Toyota’s best driver come Sunday. Last year, Busch spent nearly all of his running laps within the Top-10. There is no reason to expect Reddick to not replicate that this year.
Tyler Reddick’s season has been a bit of an odd one. At the start of the season, Reddick constantly found bad luck, wrecking out at both Daytona and Auto Club. After a mediocre run at Las Vegas, he rebounded swiftly by finishing Top-5 in three straight races, including his win at COTA. Many thought these results would become the norm rather than a hot streak. Well, that has not happened. Outside of his run at Bristol Dirt, Reddick has not pushed his way into the top tier of drivers this year. He is having a good season, but it is a bit less than what many were expecting, especially after his Phoenix to COTA run.
Chase Briscoe
Currently the last driver in the playoffs, Chase Briscoe does not have a lot of breathing room when it comes to points. Despite Bowman missing the past three races, Briscoe has not done much to distance himself from the first driver out of the playoffs. While Bowman was missing races, Briscoe was a non-factor. In the past three races, Briscoe’s average finish was 26.3. That average should be lower if not for the carnage that took place at Darlington to allow Briscoe to eek out a Top-20 finish. Bottom line, Briscoe has been slow recently.
Much like Reddick, Chase Briscoe went on a three race stretch with three straight Top-5s. It boosted him into the playoffs. The All-Star break came at the perfect time to break up the bad runs Briscoe was having. The Coca-Cola 600 will likely be a welcome sight for the driver. Last year, the Coke 600 was one of the better intermediate races for the 14 team. Briscoe finished in the Top-5 after running 80% of the race in the Top-15. While Stewart-Haas Racing has been hit or miss (outside of Kevin Harvick) this season, Charlotte should be kind to the team. Look for Briscoe to run better than he has recently and potentially nab another Top-5.
Harrison Burton
Was Harrison Burton called up to the Cup Series too soon? Probably. Will Harrison Burton be booted from his ride at the end of this season? Maybe; it all depends on how he finishes the season. If Darlington was any indication of the potential Burton has, then there might be something to salvage from this season. At Darlington, Burton had the best run of his Cup Series career. While Burton has finished inside the Top-10 twice before in his career, this was the first time Burton ran there during the course of the race. His average running position was thirteenth, which is best at a non-superspeedway in his career. His percentage of laps in the Top-15 was the highest in his career outside of Fall Martinsville last season.
Harrison Burton’s strong run leads into a race where he barely missed the Top-10 last year. His eleventh place result last season was the best for the young driver to that point in his career. While it was similar to his other Top-10s the year prior (where he essentially survived his way to that spot), his running at Darlington gives some hope that he can turn his season around. Though a playoff run is out of question (unless he wins at Atlanta or Daytona), seeing Burton progress in his ability at the Cup Series would be great to see. Although he might not be battling for the win, watching Burton this weekend might give an insight into whether Burton will remain with the Wood Brothers.
