Coca-Cola 600 Race Preview and Pick
NASCAR Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600
Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 6 p.m. ET (FOX) at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
Last Week's Race
Last Sunday, the All-Star Race took place at the Texas Motor Speedway.
This race was an emotional one for Ryan Blaney in several respects.
At first, he thought he won the race.
However, the caution flag appeared just before his car crossed the finishing line.
This caution flag appearance meant that he could not win the race because, per the All-Star Race rules, a race cannot end in a caution flag.
So, he had to participate in an overtime session in which he was able to replicate the initial outcome.
Because he, in a sense, won the race twice, he certainly deserved the victory, although Denny Hamlin was very close behind him.
Blaney's win netted him a million dollars in prize money.
Because it is very hard to win back-to-back races as it happens quite rarely, we will exclude Blaney from the list of our potential candidates to win.
Race Info
This week, the NASCAR Cup Series brings us to the Coca-Cola 600, which takes place in the Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is positioned just outside of Charlotte.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 400 laps.
As is only rarely the case, there will be four stages for this event.
Stage 1 ends upon completion of the 100th lap.
Stage 2 requires drivers to complete 100 more laps.
Stage 3 ends with the 300th lap.
Stage 4 consists in the last 100 laps.
By the middle of the week, an entry list was posted for this event.
37 teams/drivers are listed out of 40 possible spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in the race.
We can expect all of the usual suspects.
As for the starting lineup, this is no longer a midweek product of a predetermined formula.
The starting lineup this year gets determined in qualifying.
Qualifying for this race will take place on Saturday night.
It is scheduled to begin at 7:35 ET, directly following a 35-minute practice session, and it will end at 9 p.m.
For this race, qualifying will be single-vehicle, single-lap and it will last two rounds.
Fuel Milage
This event is one in which strategy is particularly important. Drivers need to have good team support in order to follow a good strategy.
The particularly important strategic element is planning fuel milage.
Successful drivers will be more likely to plan well for fuel and to have sufficient gas in the tank in the race's final moments.
Track Info
This track is a quad oval consisting of an asphalt surface.
Each lap is 1.5 miles long.
So, in completing 400 laps, drivers will have accumulated 600 miles.
The banking at this track is pretty good. The turns are banked at 24 degrees and the straights at five degrees.
Banking is important because drivers use it to corral momentum for their vehicles.
So, when there is more banking then there is more potential for greater speeds.
Drivers I Dislike
I dislike Kurt Busch, although he has received some positive media attention in recent weeks.
This is a bad event in which to trust Kurt Busch because he has finished outside the top 15 in more than half of his last 18 tries here.
With Kurt Busch, there is a lot of potential for failure at this track.
Given this reality, this track is one of his worst historically.
Who Will Win?
My favorite driver for this race is Chase Elliott.
He has thrived most recently at this track, finishing fourth, second, first, and second in his last four tries.
While his last two races this season has been poor, they took place at two of his worst tracks historically.
This venue is just the one for him to bounce back.
Best Bet: Chase Elliott Outright at +650 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600
Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 6 p.m. ET (FOX) at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
Last Week's Race
Last Sunday, the All-Star Race took place at the Texas Motor Speedway.
This race was an emotional one for Ryan Blaney in several respects.
At first, he thought he won the race.
However, the caution flag appeared just before his car crossed the finishing line.
This caution flag appearance meant that he could not win the race because, per the All-Star Race rules, a race cannot end in a caution flag.
So, he had to participate in an overtime session in which he was able to replicate the initial outcome.
Because he, in a sense, won the race twice, he certainly deserved the victory, although Denny Hamlin was very close behind him.
Blaney's win netted him a million dollars in prize money.
Because it is very hard to win back-to-back races as it happens quite rarely, we will exclude Blaney from the list of our potential candidates to win.
Race Info
This week, the NASCAR Cup Series brings us to the Coca-Cola 600, which takes place in the Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is positioned just outside of Charlotte.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 400 laps.
As is only rarely the case, there will be four stages for this event.
Stage 1 ends upon completion of the 100th lap.
Stage 2 requires drivers to complete 100 more laps.
Stage 3 ends with the 300th lap.
Stage 4 consists in the last 100 laps.
By the middle of the week, an entry list was posted for this event.
37 teams/drivers are listed out of 40 possible spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in the race.
We can expect all of the usual suspects.
As for the starting lineup, this is no longer a midweek product of a predetermined formula.
The starting lineup this year gets determined in qualifying.
Qualifying for this race will take place on Saturday night.
It is scheduled to begin at 7:35 ET, directly following a 35-minute practice session, and it will end at 9 p.m.
For this race, qualifying will be single-vehicle, single-lap and it will last two rounds.
Fuel Milage
This event is one in which strategy is particularly important. Drivers need to have good team support in order to follow a good strategy.
The particularly important strategic element is planning fuel milage.
Successful drivers will be more likely to plan well for fuel and to have sufficient gas in the tank in the race's final moments.
Track Info
This track is a quad oval consisting of an asphalt surface.
Each lap is 1.5 miles long.
So, in completing 400 laps, drivers will have accumulated 600 miles.
The banking at this track is pretty good. The turns are banked at 24 degrees and the straights at five degrees.
Banking is important because drivers use it to corral momentum for their vehicles.
So, when there is more banking then there is more potential for greater speeds.
Drivers I Dislike
I dislike Kurt Busch, although he has received some positive media attention in recent weeks.
This is a bad event in which to trust Kurt Busch because he has finished outside the top 15 in more than half of his last 18 tries here.
With Kurt Busch, there is a lot of potential for failure at this track.
Given this reality, this track is one of his worst historically.
Who Will Win?
My favorite driver for this race is Chase Elliott.
He has thrived most recently at this track, finishing fourth, second, first, and second in his last four tries.
While his last two races this season has been poor, they took place at two of his worst tracks historically.
This venue is just the one for him to bounce back.
Best Bet: Chase Elliott Outright at +650 with Bovada
