Coca-Cola 600
In a surprising turn of events, Chase Briscoe won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600. Kyle Larson wrecked in the Indianapolis 500 and made it to Charlotte with plenty of time to spare. He ended up wrecking on Lap 42 of the Coke 600, bringing out the first caution of the day.
To end the opening stage, Alex Bowman wrecked with three to go. This forced the stage to end under yellow, and the win went to William Byron. Stage 2 ended uneventfully with another Byron stage win. However, after the conclusion of the stage, Kyle Busch went spinning through the front stretch grass.
On this Memorial Day Weekend, we pause after Stage 2 to Honor and Remember our fallen heroes. #NASCARSalutes pic.twitter.com/XFJK0e2A80
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 26, 2025
Stage 3 was filled with a handful of bizarre wrecks, but Byron continued his dominating ways. Until Lap 262, when Denny Hamlin claimed the lead. With five to go in Stage 3, Byron reclaimed the lead and set sail for another stage win.
The final stage got off to a chaotic start, but it was quickly back to the Byron and Hamlin show. With 25 to go, Hamlin was forced to pit after his fueler failed to fill the tank on the final pit stop. During this time, Ross Chastain was beginning to close in on Byron.
With six laps remaining, Chastain made a move on Byron and secured the lead.
The pass. The win. The emotion. @RossChastain is victorious in the #CocaCola600! pic.twitter.com/liBvLVh0lZ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 26, 2025
That was all the Melon Man needed to claim the Coca-Cola 600 win!
Rich MARvelous Move of the Race
Chastain’s move on Byron was quite impressive, considering the dominance displayed by the Hendrick Motorsports driver. However, there was one other thing that made the win stand out even more.
Chastain started last.
In Saturday’s practice session, he wrecked his car and was forced to go to a backup car.
The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team stayed up till all hours of the night to ready the machine for 600 miles.
Switching to the backup, put him in the back of the field.
Chastain’s first laps in the car came just after 6 o’clock Eastern time. Five hours later? He was standing in Victory Lane after one of NASCAR’s crown jewels.
Chime in and let us know what you thought was the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race!
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