It’s the longest race of the season on the oldest mile and a half track on the NASCAR circuit with the Coca-Cola 600.
While the Xfinity Series race was postponed and Cup Series practice and qualifying was cancelled the inspection process for the 37 cars set to run in the Coca-Cola 600. For the third week in a row, a 23XI Racing car failed inspection twice before finally making it through.
This week it was the number 23 car driven by Bubba Wallace who had difficulties with inspection. As a result, car chief Zachary Marquardt has been ejected for the weekend and the number 23 team will not get the opportunity to select their pit stall for the race. He will not have to give up his top 10 starting spot.
With the cancellation of qualifying, NASCAR has set the lineup via their metric that includes finishing position from the previous race, fastest lap, and point standings. William Byron has won the pole and will bring the field to green with Kevin Harvick starting alongside on the front row.
Joining the Cup Series regulars for the longest race of the season is seven time champion and Legacy Motorsports co-owner Jimmie Johnson. With the lineup set by NASCAR’s metric, Johnson will start the race from the back of the field.
Continuing the tradition, each driver will carry the name of a fallen military member on their windshields. FOX broadcasters will be revealing some of the stories of those military members throughout the race. At the halfway mark of the race, the engines will shut down as NASCAR pays tribute to the U.S. military.
The lineup for the Coca-Cola 600:
William Byron
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Busch
Chase Elliott
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Blaney
Christopher Bell
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Chris Buescher
Kyle Larson
Harrison Burton
Ross Chastain
Tyler Reddick
Justin Haley
Joey Logano
Martin Truex Jr
Ty Gibbs
Chase Briscoe
Austin Cindric
Ryan Preece
Aric Almirola
Daniel Suarez
Corey LaJoie
Erik Jones
AJ Allmendinger
Noah Gragson
Zane Smith
Michael McDowell
Alex Bowman
Ty Dillon
Austin Dillon
BJ McLeod
Todd Gilliland
JJ Yeley
Jimmie Johnson
With a 600 mile race, the Coke 600 has four stages instead of the normal three stages. Each stage is 100 laps in length to make up 400 laps around the mile and a half track.
Due to all of the rain in the area, the Coca-Cola 600 has been postponed to Monday at 3pm. Due to the doubleheader on Monday because of the rain, the Xfinity Series has been moved up to an 11am start instead of noon.
The rains have finally stopped and the track is dry as the Cup Series drivers finally climb into their cars to run 600 miles of racing.
NASCAR has given the teams 14 sets of tires for the race. A competition caution has been called for lap 35.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag start of the race…on a green track after a weekend of rain…with Kevin Harvick alongside. William Byron gets out in front for the lead as the drivers spread out across the track.
The drivers can run 60 to 65 laps on a single load of fuel.
Lap three, William Byron has a lead of nearly half a second on Kevin Harvick; Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Lap five, after starting in last place, Jimmie Johnson has moved up five spots to 33rd.
Lap six, William Byron is the first driver this season to lead 600 laps.
Lap seven, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Kevin Harvick; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap eight, Denny Hamlin passes Kevin Harvick for second with Kyle Busch taking third. Harvick has dropped to fifth after Ryan Blaney passed to take fourth place.
Lap eleven, Martin Truex Jr has moved up to fifth place after starting the race from the middle of the pack.
Lap 13, Denny Hamlin passes William Byron for the lead.
Lap 16, Denny Hamlin leads the race with William Byron in second; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Lap 17, Jimmie Johnson has entered the top 30.
The Stewart-Haas drivers have dropped in the field citing ill handling loose cars.
Lap 20 Denny Hamlin has a lead of just under half a second on William Byron; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Lap 21, Kyle Busch drops to fifth place.
Lap 23, leader Denny Hamlin has begun lapping cars.
Several of the drivers are having major handling issues after the cars were originally set up for a late afternoon-twilight-night race.
Lap 30 Denny Hamlin holds on to the lead by nearly half a second; Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Lap 34, Christopher Bell passes Denny Hamlin for the lead.
NASCAR throws the yellow flag for the competition caution on lap 36. There are 33 cars on the lead lap.
BJ McLeod is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service. With pit stall number one, William Byron edges out Ryan Blaney to win the race off of pit road.
Joey Logano had a slow stop when he had to back up to get into his pit box. Ty Dillon and Aric Almirola were on pit road with their hoods up.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 42 with Ryan Blaney alongside. After a 9.7 second pit stop, William Byron battles with Ryan Blaney for the lead. Drivers are three and four wide across the track.
Ryan Blaney takes the lead with William Byron in second; Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 46, Ryan Blaney has a lead of just under half a second on William Byron; Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 48, Christopher Bell passes Brad Keselowski for third.
Ryan Blaney’s crew was not able to make the adjustments they wanted during his pit stop.
Lap 51, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on William Byron; Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 53, Ryan Blaney now has a lead of over a second on William Byron; Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 60, Christopher Bell passes William Byron for second with Ryan Blaney a half second out in front; Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin round out eht top five.
Lap 63, Christopher Bell has caught up to leader Ryan Blaney and passes him to take the lead.
Daniel Suarez is reporting a very loose condition in his car.
Lap 66, Christopher Bell has a lead of over half a second on Ryan Blaney; William Byron, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 70, Jimmie Johnson is in 25th place.
Lap 71, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a lead of a second and a half on Ryan Blaney; William Byron, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 73, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin continue their battle for fourth place.
The caution flag comes out on lap 74 when Jimmie Johnson spins out and slides against the wall.
Drivers come down pit road for service and adjustments. Some drivers are reporting loose conditions in their cars. William Byron wins the race off of pit road to retake the lead with Ryan Blaney coming out second.
Coming out of his pit box, Michael McDowell hits Bubba Wallace. McDowell’s crew was also charged with a vehicle interference penalty.
Austin Dillon makes a second trip down pit road with some damage to the nose of his car.
AJ Allmendinger was also charged with an equipment interference penalty.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 79 and gets out in front with the help of Christopher Bell.
With 34 cars on the lead lap, William Byron leads the race with Ryan Blaney getting second; Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five. Kyle Larson is just outside the top five in sixth.
Lap 83, William Byron has a half second lead on Ryan Blaney; Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Lap 87, William Byron has a lead of less than half a second on Ryan Blaney; Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Lap 90, William Byron has a narrow lead on Ryan Blaney with Christopher Bell one second back in third; Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
The drivers on the track are not the only ones fired up, during the last pit stop William Byron has driven through Brad Keselowski’s pit stall and nearly hit the jack man.
Lap 98, William Byron and Ryan Blaney battle for the lead.
William Byron wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
William Byron
Christopher Bell
Ryan Blaney
Tyler Reddick
Martin Truex Jr
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Larson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off of pit road once again.
NASCAR has told the 24 crew to keep their car out of the number six’s (Brad Keselowski) pit box.
Erik Jones makes a second trip down pit road and takes his car to the garage with radiator issues.
Alex Bowman makes a second trip down pit road and the crew raises the hood once again.
After staying out on the track, Michael McDowell brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 108 but gets passed by William Byron for the lead.
Lap 109, William Byron leads the race with Christopher Bell in second; Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Kyle Busch round out the top five. On old tires, Michael McDowell is falling through the field.
Lap 112, William Byron holds a narrow lead over Christopher Bell; Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Lap 114, Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney battle for second.
Noah Gragson has taken his car to the garage also with radiator issues.
Jimmie Johnson has also taken his car to the garage.
Lap 117, the top five are William Byron, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski.
Christopher Bell passes William Byron for the lead.
Lap 123, after passing William Byron for the lead, Christopher Bell has a lead of over half a second on Tyler Reddick; Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and William Byron round out the top five.
Lap 127, Christopher Bell has a lead of over half a second on Tyler Reddick; Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and William Byron round out the top five.
Erik Jones and Noah Gragson both hit debris on the track and punctured their radiators; they are out of the track. Jimmy Johnson is in the garage with the crew working on the car.
Lap 134, Christopher Bell leads the race but Tyler Reddick is on his bumper; Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and William Byron round out the top five.
Lap 139, after staying out on the track at the end of stage one, Michael McDowell has fallen through the field and had to make a pit stop; he is now two laps down in 32nd place.
Lap 142, Christopher Bell leads the race with Tyler Reddick in second.
Austin Cindric gets into the wall and has to make an unscheduled trip down pit road.
Lap 144, leaders have encountered slower traffic.
Lap 145, Denny Hamlin brings his car down for a green flag pit stop that begins the cycle.
Lap 148, pit road is filling up with drivers making their green flag pit stops.
Lap 149, leader Christopher Bell makes his green flag pit stop and gives the lead over to Chase Elliott.
Lap 150, Chase Elliott, Corey LaJoie, Harrison Burton, and Chase Briscoe have yet to make a green flag pit stop.
Bubba Wallace was charged with an equipment interference penalty. He will have to serve a pass through penalty.
Lap 154, Chase Elliott and Corey LaJoie make their pit stops completing the cycle of green flag pit stops. Tyler Reddick is the new leader in the North Carolina Tar Heels blue car.
The caution flag comes out on lap 155 for rain in turns three and four – turns one and two are dry.
After green flag pit stops, there are 24 cars on the lead lap.
Jimmie Johnson has returned to the track 52 laps down.
The drivers have brought their cars down pit road and the race has been red flagged.
During the red flag, Aric Almirola and Bubba Wallace were involved in a spot of bother on pit road. NASCAR security stepped in after Almirola shoved Wallace.
The rain has stopped and the track has been dried; the drivers have been called to their cars and fired the engines as they get ready to go racing once again after a 31 minute red flag.
Crews are not allowed to touch the cars during a red flag condition. Christopher Bell’s crew made some unapproved adjustments to the car and he will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Drivers come down pit road for service before the take the green flag.
Kyle Larson is on pit road with the hood up.
Joey Logano was charged with an equipment interference penalty when a tire rolls out of the pits.
Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 163 with Reddick getting out in front.
Jimmie Johnson brings out the caution flag on lap 164 when he spins out after contact with Noah Gragson. Bubba Wallace is the “lucky dog”. Johnson has taken his car back to the garage.
Noah Gragson and Erik Jones are back on the track after crews repaired the radiators.
Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 170 and battles with Ryan Blaney for the lead. Drivers are getting three wide across the track.
After going side by side for a few laps, Tyler Reddick gets out in front of Ryan Blaney for the lead; Martin Truex Jr, Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez round out the top five.
Lap 175, Tyler Reddick has a third of a second lead on Ryan Blaney; Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr, and Chase Elliott round out he top five.
Kyle Busch brings out the caution flag after contact with Brad Keselowski and Daniel Suarez. Keselowski also hit the wall. Busch rolled backwards down the track before finally getting turned around and heading for his pit stall.
Some of the drivers come down pit road; leaders stay out. Kyle Larson is on pit road with the hood up again as the crew tries to free up his car.
Tyler Reddick brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 182 with Ryan Blaney alongside. Ryan Blaney gets out in front for the lead from the inside lane. Aric Almirola gets into the wall but the track stays green. Drivers are three and four wide across the track.
Noah Gragson is off the track.
Lap 183, Ryan Blaney leads the race with Tyler Reddick in second, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Ju, and William Byron round out the top five.
Chris Buescher passes Tyler Reddick for second.
The caution flag comes out for a crash on lap 185 involving Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. Elliott hits the wall before hitting Hamlin. Hamlin, who is known for intentional retaliation, jumped on the radio saying that Chase Elliott should be parked.
Denny Hamlin climbs out of his heavily damaged car and walked away. Hamlin said that Chase Elliott put a right hook on him in what he calls a tantrum.
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service with just 12 laps remaining in stage two.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart 190 with Chris Buescher alongside. Chris Buescher gets out in front as the drivers get three wide through the field.
The top five are Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, and Joey Logano
Kevin Harvick passes Tyler Reddick for third.
Kevin Harvick passes Ryan Blaney for second.
Five laps remain in stage two, Chris Buescher leads the race with Kevin Harvick a half second back; Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Noah Gragson is out of the race.
Chase Elliott said that there was no retaliation on his part, just an unfortunate circumstance.
Chris Buescher leads the race with just three laps remaining in stage two with Kevin Harvick in second; Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five.
BJ McLeod brings out the caution flag as stage two comes to an end when he spins out. Chris Buescher wins his first stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Chris Buescher
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
Joey Logano
Ty Gibbs
Ryan Blaney
Christopher Bell
William Byron
Ross Chastain
Bubba Wallace
Drivers come down pit road for service with Kevin Harvick winning the race off of pit road. There’s a fire on pit road in Brad Keselowski’s pit. Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Kyle Busch stayed out on the track.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 207 with Kyle Busch alongside. Stenhouse and Busch go side by side before Stenhouse gets out in front.
Lap 209, Kevin Harvick passes Ricky Stenhouse jr to take the lead. Joey Logano passes Stenhouse for second.
Lap 210, the top five are Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch
Lap 212, Kevin Harvick has a narrow lead on Joey Logano; Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Lap 216, Kyle Larson passes Ty Gibbs to enter the top 10.
Lap 216, Kevin Harvick has a half second lead on Joey Logano; Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
The sun has finally come out and shining brightly.
Lap 218, Brad Keselowski is falling through the field and makes an unscheduled trip down pit road with a loose tire. He is now one lap down.
Lap 219, Kevin Harvick has a lead of nearly a second lead on Ryan Blaney; Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and William Byron round out the top five.
Lap 223, Kevin Harvick has a lead of over half a second on Ryan Blaney; Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and William Byron rounds out the top five.
Lap 224, Ryan Blaney passes Kevin Harvick for the lead; Kyle Busch, William Byron, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
There has been 18 lead changes so far in today’s race.
Lap 230, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second and a half on Kevin Harvick; Kyle Busch, William Byron, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap 232, Christopher Bell brings out the caution flag when he spins out and taps the back end of the car against the wall in a single car accident.
Daniel Suarez is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off of pit road. Contact on pit road when drivers get four wide coming out of the pits – Martin Truex Jr, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, and Kyle Busch.
Martin Truex Jr has been charged with an equipment interference penalty.
Chris Buescher has to make multiple trips down pit road with a steering issue.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 237 with Ryan Blaney getting out in front for the lead with William Byron in second; Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson rounding out the top five.
Lap 239, Tyler Reddick passes Kevin Harvick for fifth.
Kyle Busch reports a possible vibration in his car after the pit road contact.
Lap 241, Kyle Larson moves up to third place with Tyler Reddick in fourth.
Lap 244, Ty Gibbs makes contact with the wall but the track stays green.
Lap 245, the top five are Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano.
Lap 248, Ryan Blaney has a one second lead on William Byron; Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.
Since his original remark about a vibration, Kyle Busch has not said anything more about the tire.
Lap 252, Ryan Blaney continues to increase his lead and is nearly a second and a half in front of Tyler Reddick; William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.
Lap 257, Tyler Reddick has closed the gap on leader Ryan Blaney to under a second with William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick rounding out the top five.
Lap 259, Ryan Blaney’s lead is down to just half a second on Tyler Reddick and closing.
Aric Almirola is the first driver to make a green flag pit stop.
Lap 262, Ryan Blaney’s lead is down to under half a second on Tyler Reddick; Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Kevin Harvice round out the top five.
Lap 265, Tyler Reddick is just a third of a second behind leader Ryan Blaney and is challenging for the lead.
Lap 268, the battle between Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick continues as Reddick looks to pass Blaney for the lead.
Lap 271, Ryan Blaney has pulled out and is once again over a second out in front of Tyler Reddick; Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.
Lap 274, Ryan Blaney continues to increase his lead and is now nearly two seconds out in front of Tyler Reddick.
The caution flag comes out on lap 274 when a loose Brad Keselowski and Todd Gilliland make contact, sending Gilliland into the wall and spinning.
Ryan Blaney has led 78 laps so far.
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron edging out of pit stall number one to win the race off of pit road.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 281. Drivers get three wide across the track with William Byron out in front for the lead.
Ryan Blaney comes up on the inside to pass William Byron for the lead; Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.
Lap 282, Ryan Blaney just ran the fastest lap of the race.
Lap 284, Tyler Reddick and William Byron battle for second with Reddick taking the spot from the inside lane.
Martin Truex Jr has passed Kyle Larson for fourth and battles with William Byron for third.
Lap 246, the top five are Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, William Byron, and Kyle Larson.
Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson battle for fifth.
Tyler Reddick is running faster speeds than leader Ryan Blaney.
Lap 291, Ryan Blaney’s lead is down to under half a second on Tyler Reddick.
Christopher Bell slaps the wall again but the track stays green.
Six laps remain in stage three, Ryan Blaney has a third of a second lead on Tyler Reddick; Martin Truex Jr, William Byron, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap 297, Ryan Blaney has a narrow lead on Tyler Reddick.
Ryan Blaney wins stage three for his first stag win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage three:
Ryan Blaney
Tyler Reddick
Martin Truex Jr
William Byron
Ty Gibbs
Kyle Larson
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Alex Bowman
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off ofp it road and Ryan Blaney coming out second. Martin Truex Jr los five spots with a slow stop.
Thanks to pit stall number one, William Byron brings the field down for the green flag start of stage four on lap 307 with Ryan Blaney alongside. Ryan Blaney gets out in front of William Byron as drivers get three wide. All of William Byron’s pit stops today have been under 10 seconds.
Lap 309, the top five are Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs.
Daniel Suarez hits the wall and makes an unscheduled pit stop.
Lap 310, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick battle for the lead.
Kyle Busch passes Ty Gibbs for fifth and battle with Kyle Larson for fourth.
Lap 313, Ryan Blaney has a half second lead on Tyler Reddick; William Byron, Kyle Busch, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
There are 85 laps remaining in the race and the lights are on as the sun begins to set.
Lap 316, Ryan Blaney has a half second lead on Tyler Reddick as William Byron and Kyle Busch battle for third; Kyle Larson rounds out the top five.
Lap 320, Kyle Busch passes William Byron for third; nearly two seconds behind the leader.
Lap 326, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a lead of two and a half seconds on Tyler Reddick; Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and William Byron round out the top five.
Second place driver Tyler Reddick got loose, kissed the wall with the back of his car, made a run through the grass, and saved the car.
Lap 330, Ryan Blaney has a lead of nearly three seconds with Kyle Busch in second after third place driver Tyler Reddick’s wild antics; Kyle Larson and William Byron round out the top five.
The drivers have been moving back and forth in the field all day long with penalties and ill handling cars.
Lap 335, leader Ryan Blaney has led 128 laps so far.
Lap 337, Ryan Blaney now has a lead of over three seconds on Kyle Busch; Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson and William Byron round out the top five. Blaney’s car owner Roger Penske won the Indianapolis 500 for the 19th time on Sunday when Josef Newgarden won the race; but Penske has never won the Indy 500 and Coke 600 in the same year.
Lap 342, Ryan Blaney now has a four second lead on Kyle Busch; Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Michael McDowell brings out the caution flag when he loses a tire. McDowell had just made a pit stop.
A few drivers had just made their green flag pit stops when the caution flag came out. Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off of pit road. Ryan Blaney comes out in fourth. Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace make contact on pit road.
William Byron has gained a total of 18 spots in today’s race for having pit stall number one and a crew performing sub 10 second pit stops.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with 51 laps remaining in the race with Tyler Reddick alongside. William Byron gets out in front from the outside lane with Kyle Busch in second; Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Fifty to go, William Byron leads the race with Kyle Busch in second; Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 351, it’s the Kyle and Kyle battle with Kyle Larson taking second from Kyle Busch.
Lap 353, William Byron has a third of a second lead on Kyle Larson; Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. Tyler Reddick is just outside the top five in sixth.
Lap 354, William Byron now has a half second lead on Kyle Larson.
Ryan Blaney passes Martin Truex Jr for fourth.
Tyler Reddick brushes the wall again.
The caution flag comes out for the 13th time when Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick make contact and sends Harvick on a run through the grass and back onto the track again where he saves the car.
The ”grass” along the front stretch is artificial turf; saving the cars.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires with William Byron again winning the race off of pit road. Zane Smith stayed out on the track and is the new leader.
Zane Smith brings the field down for the green flag restart from the outside lane with 38 laps remaining in the race. Drivers are three wide across the rtrack with William Byron in the lead.
AJ Allmendinger and Harrison Burton make contact and bring out the caution flag with 37 laps to go. Ricky Stenhouse Jr bumps Allmendinger who just misses Joey Logano as he spins around and collect Harrison Burton.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside with 31 laps remaining in the race. Byron jumps out in front for the lead with the drivers getting four wide. Austin Cindric spins out hitting the wall and brings out the 15th caution flag of the race. The car bouncing as he tries to drive it, Cindric brings the car to a stop on the track.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside with 26 laps remaining in the race. Byron and Blaney go side by side.
Kyle Larson gets turned around and causes “the big one”. Larson tells his crew that he is plowing tight. Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, and Aric Almirola were all involved.
Ryan Blaney was the leader when the caution flag came out.
With 23 laps remaining in the race, there has been a total of 16 laps; the Charlotte record is 22.
NASCAR calls Kyle Larson’s car to pit road; he takes the car to the garage.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart with just 20 laps remaining in the race. Getting a push from Martin Truex Jr, Ryan Blaney gets out in front for the lead. Blaney gets loose and William Byron comes up to second.
The top five ar Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr, Tyler Reddick, and Kyle Busch.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr gets into the wall but the track stays green.
With 18 laps to go, Ryan Blaney has a near half second lead on William Byron; Martin Truex Jr, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.
Fifteen ifteen to go, Ryan Blane has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Martin Truex Jr, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five with Kyle Busch right behind them.
Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr battle back and forth for sixth.
Bubba Wallace passes teammate Tyler Reddick for fourth.
Ten to go, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Martin Truex Jr, Bubba Wallace, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Eight to go Ryan Blaney has a near one second lead on William Byron.
Six to go, Ryan Blaney now has a lead of over a second on William Byron,; Martin Truex Jr, Bubba Wallace, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Three to go, Ryan Blaney holds on to a one second lead on William Byron.
Ryan Blaney takes the white flag.
After a long dry break of 59 races, the third generation driver Ryan Blaney win the race to give car owner Roger Penske the first ever Indy 500/Coke 600 win in the same year.
Copying Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, Ryan Blaney ran into the stands to celebrate. He gives the checkered flag to a small fan.
The unofficial results of the Coca-Cola 600:
Ryan Blaney
William Byron
Martin Truex Jr
Bubba Wallace
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Busch
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Chris Buescher
Austin Dillon
Zane Smith
Kevin Harvick
Alex Bowman
Ryan Preece
AJ Allmendinger
Justin Haley
JJ Yeley
Corey LaJoie
Harrison Burton
Brad Keselowski
Chase Briscoe
Joey Logano
Ross Chastain
Daniel Suarez
Christopher Bell
Aric Almirola
Ty Gibbs
Ty Dillon
Michael McDowell
BJ McLeod
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Erik Jones
Todd Gilliland
Chase Elliott
Denny Hamlin
Noah Gragson
Jimmie Johnson