It’s the longest race of the season…a 600 mile race… and a home field race for many of the drivers in the field.  Teams look to make a good impression as many of the family, friends, and employees look on from the stands.

A full field of 40 drivers will be running in the race and carrying the names of members of the military who lost their lives while serving their country.

On a hot steamy later afternoon, the drivers have been divided into two groups for a 20 minute practice session before making a qualifying run.

Tyler Reddick had some issues with inspection.  While he passed on the first time through, NASCAR felt that the 45 crew had made an unapproved adjustment.  He made a second visit through inspection and failed.  The car made it through on the third try but his car chief has been ejected, he will have to start the race from the back of the field,y and he will have to make a pass through penalty once the green flag drops on Sunday.

William Byron spins out during practice but keeps it off the wall and doesn’t hit anyone.

Of the 20 cars in Group A, JJ Yeley was the only driver who did not make a practice run.

Chris Buescher spins out and hits the wall with a flat tire.  Buescher reports that he blew a tire prior to hitting the wall.

Joey Logano reports that his car is so loose that it is “undrivable”.

The skies over the track have gotten very cloudy and there is a chance of bad weather on the way.

The first driving on the track in Group A to make a qualifying run is Truck Series regular Ty Dillon who posted a time of 30.624 seconds.

JJ Yeley will not make a qualifying run.

Daniel Suarez is the first driver to break the 30 second mark with a time of 29.872 seconds.

Doing some rim riding, Tyler Reddick posted a time of 29.714 seconds but no matter where he lands in qualifying, he will be starting the race from the back of the field.

Christopher Bell ran the same time as Tyler Reddick.

Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, and William Byron will all move on to round two of qualifying from Group A.

BJ McLeod is the first driver on the track from Group B with a time of 30,484 seconds.

Zane Smith was the first driver to break the 30 second mark in Group B with a time of 29.928 seconds.

Chris Buescher is moving to a backup car after his on track incident during practice and will not make a qualifying run.

Martin Truex Jr, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Ty Gibbs will all move on to round two of qualifying from Group B.

From the time the drivers first took to the track for practice, the track temperature has dropped 20 degrees after the clouds moved into the area.

With a time of 29.355 seconds, Ty Gibbs puts his number 54 car on the pole to earn his first pole.  William Byron will start alongside on the front row.

The starting lineup for the Coca-Cola 600:
Ty Gibbs
William Byron
Christopher Bell
Martin Truex Jr
Chase Elliott
Alex Bowman
Ross Chastain
Tyler Reddick
Michael McDowell
Kyle Larson
Denny Hamlin
Bubba Wallace
Josh Berry
Daniel Suarez
Kyle Busch
Ryan Blaney
Austin Cindric
Chase Briscoe
Noah Gragson
Carson Hocevar
Corey LaJoie
Justin Haley
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Daniel Hemric
Zane Smith
John Hunter Nemechek
Austin Dillon
Joey Logano
Jimmie Johnson
Brad Keselowski
Ryan Preece
Harrison Burton
Kaz Grala
Erik Jones
Todd Gilliland
Shane van Gisbergen
BJ McLeod
Ty Dillon
Chris Buescher
JJ Yeley

With the additional 100 miles, there are four stages in the race with each stage lasting 100 laps.  The drivers can run 60 to 64 laps on a single load of fuel.

With Kyle Larson in Indianapolis, Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier is taking over the driving duties of the number five car until Larson makes it to Charlotte.  Allgaier will have to start the race from the back of the field due to the driver change.

Kyle Busch has finished the Coca-Cola 600 top 10 for the past seven years; he is looking for the record setting eights top 10 finish.

Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane with William Byron alongside before a packed house.  Gibbs gets out in front for the lead and begins to pull away from the field.  William Byron and Christopher Bell battle for second.

Lap three, ty Gibbs leads the race with William Byron in second; Christopher Bell, Martin tReux Jr, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.

After serving his pass through penalty, Tyler Reddick returns to the track in front of leader Ty Gibbs.

Lap five, since the start of the race, Joey Logano has moved up eleven spots after starting the race from the back of the field.

Lap six, Ty Gibbs leads the race with William Byron in second; Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr, an Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

The teams have 12 sets of sticker tires and one set of scuff tires in their pits for the race.

An Xfinity Series regular, Justin Allgaier has never been in a Next Gen car.  His first laps in the car were the start of the Coke 600.

Lap 16, Ty Gibbs has led every lap so far with William Byron in second over a half second back; Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.

Lap 18, also starting the race from the back of the field, Chris Buescher has moved up 16 spots since the race start in a backup car.

Lap 22, Ty Gibbs continues to lead the race by over half a second on William Byron; Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.

Lap 34, Ty Gibbs continues to lead the race with William Byron in second; Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.

The campgrounds and the stands are all sold out for the race.

Lap 36, Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman swap the fifth place spot back and forth.

Lap 39, Ty Gibbs has pulled out to a lead of over a second on William Byron; Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Lap 40, drivers are beginning to make their green flag pit stops.

Lap 43, leaders come down pit road for service.  Michael McDowell is the new leader.

Kyle Busch was charged with an uncontrolled tire on pit road and will have to serve a pass through penalty and returns to the track one lap down.

Lap 53, green flag pit stops have cycled through with Ty Gibbs retaking the lead; William Byron, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.

Lap 58, Ty Gibbs and William Byron battle for the lead as they begin to lap slower cars.  There are 29 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 68, Ty Gibbs has pulled out to a lead of over a second on William Byron; Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

Justin Allgaier is up to 30th in the number five car, the first car one lap down.  He had caught leader Ty Gibbs and passes him to get back on the lead lap.

Lap 72, William Byron passes ty Gibbs for the lead.

Lap 74, William Byron passes Justin Allgaier to put him a lap down once again.

Lap 83, there are 26 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 84, Justin Allgaier unlaps himself for a second time after passing leader William Byron.

Lap 88, BJ McLeod spins out to bring out the first caution flag of the race.  Jimmie Johnson is the “lucky dog”.

Justin Allgaier’s crew chief reported to his driver that he was running a lap four tenths of a second faster than the leader William Byron!

Drivers come down pit road for service and adjustments with Ty Gibbs winning the race off of pit road to retake the lead.  Six drivers took the wave around.

Denny Hamlin was charged with equipment interference and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

With just six laps remaining in the stage, Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag restart.  Gibbs gets out in front for the lead.  Drivers get three wide across the track.

William Byron gets around Ty Gibbs for the lead; Alex Bowman, Christoper Bell, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.

William Byron wins stage one for his first stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
William Byron
Ty Gibbs
Alex Bowman
Chrisotpher Bell
Martin Truex Jr
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Blaney
Brad Keselowski
Josh Berry
Michael McDowell

Ty Gibbs, Ross Chastain, Noah Gragson, and Denny Hamlin stay out on the track with the remainder of the field making a pit stop.  After taking two tires Michael McDowell wins the race off of pit road.  Kyle Busch had a slow stop.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr missed his pit stall and had to come down pit road again for his stop.

Corey LaJoie was caught speeding on pit road.

Justin Haley had to make a second trip down pit road due to an issue with his helmet.

Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Ross Chastain alongside on lap 111.  Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr will restart the race side by side. Chastain and Gibbs go side by side with Chastain edging out in front.  Drivers are three wide through the field.

Lap 112, Ross Chastain leads the race with Ty Gibbs in second; Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, and Noah Gragson round out the top five.

Lap 113, Christopher Bell passes Ty Gibbs for second.

Lap 115 Alex Bowan and Denny Hamlin battle for third.

Lap 117, Josef Newgarden wins his second Indy 500 with Kyle Larson finishing in 18th.

Ross Chastain leads the race with Christopher Bell in second; Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

Lap 120, Christopher Bell passes Ross Chastain for the lead; Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

JJ Yeley is out of the race.

Lap 126, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Ross Chastain; Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Lap 130, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second and a half on Ross Chastain; Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Lap 134, Christopher Bell now has a lead of nearly three seconds on Ross Chastain; ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Lap 142, drivers begin green flag pit stops.

Ryan Blaney gets into the wall.  He is on pit road with a tire issue.

Lap 147, leader Christopher Bell makes his green flag pit stop.  Josh Berry is the new leader.

Lap 153, leader Josh Berry makes his green flag pit stop and gives the lead back to Christopher Bell.

The caution flag comes out on lap 158 after Ryan Blaney’s crew could not move the car.  They have to call for the wrecker.  He is the second driver out of the race.

The drivers come down pit road for service.  Ty Gibbs wins the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.

Shane van Gisbergen was charged with driving through too many pit boxes.

Kyle Busch was charged with a safety violation.

After staying out on the track, Martin Truex Jr brings the field down for the green flag restart with Josh Berry alongside on lap 165.  Truex gets a push from Chase Elliott to take the lead.

Drivers are three wide with Josh Berry hitting the wall but the track stays green.

Chase Elliott passes Martin Truex Jr for the lead.

Lap 169, the top five are Chase Elliott ,William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, nd Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 171, William Byron passes teammate Chase Elliott for the lead; Denny Hamlin, bubba Wallace, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 171 when Noah Gragson spins out and hits the inside wall hard after some contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.  Harrison Burton was charged with a safety violation.

William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 177 with teammate Chase Elliott alongside.  Byron takes the lead.

Lap 179, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Bubba Wallace; Denny Hamlin, Chrisotpher Bell, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.

Lap 183, William Byron has the lead with Bubba Wallace in second; Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.

Kyle Larson is enroute to Charlotte; Justin Allgaier has driven the car to 26th on the lead lap.

Lap 191, Christopher Bell holds a half second lead on William Byron; Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.

Alex Bowman and Brad Keselowski battle for fifth.

William Byron reports an issue with his car after hitting the wall.

The caution flag comes out on lap 197 when Harrison Burton spins out, hitting the wall, and causing some damage to his car.

Christopher Bell wins stage two under caution for his third stage win of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Christopher Bell
William Byron
Bubba Wallace
Denny Hamlin
Brad Keselowski
Alex Bowman
Chase Elliott
Josh Berry
Ross Chastain
Tyler Reddick

It’s halfway and NASCAR brings the cars down pit road for a special remembrance.

Ryan Preece came down pit road before it was open.

Drivers come down pit road for service with Christopher Bell winning the race off of pit road.

Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, and John Hunter Nemechek all have their pit boxes next to each other and have had issues getting in and out of their boxes all night.

Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with William Byron alongside on lap 207.  There are 34 cars on the lead lap.  Bell takes the lead.

Drivers are getting three wide in a battle for position.

Christopher Bell and William Byron battle for the lead with Bell holding on to the lead.

Lap 209, the top five are Christopher Bell, William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick ,and bubba Wallace.

Despite a couple of penalties, Kyle Busch has gotten his car to the top 10.

Lap 214, Christopher Bell has a half second lead on William Byron; Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five. 

Lap 217, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott pass Ty Gibbs who is now in eighth place.

Lap 220, Brad Keselowski passes William Byron for second.

Lap 227, Brad Keselowski has caught leader Christopher Bell and is challenging for the lead; William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Lap 230, Corey LaJoie spins out and brings out the caution flag.

Several of the drivers are reporting tight conditions.

Lap 231, drivers come down pit road for service with Christopher Bell winning the race off of pit road; Brad Keselowski came out second.

Daniel Suarez was charged with equipment interference.

John Hunter Nemechek was charged with an uncontrolled tire.

Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 236 with Christopher Bell edging out in front for the lead.  Drivers spread out three and four wide across the track.

The weather that delayed the race in Indianapolis is heading for Charlotte and will arrive soon!

Lap 237, Christopher Bell leads the race with Brad Keselowski in second; Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick ,and William Byron round out the top five.

William Byron drops down to the grass to pass Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs for third.  Mike Joy noted that not since the days of Dale Earnhardt have they seen a “pass in the grass” like that.

Lap 246, NASCAR displays the yellow flag for weather as Kyle Larson’s helicopter flies over the track.

Kyle Larson is suited up and preparing for the driver change.  He will have to restart the race from the back fo the field. 

Under NASCAR rules, the driver that starts the race gets the credit for the race.  The rules also say that in order to be eligible for the championship, a driver must start every race.  If for some reason, the driver cannot start the race, they can ask for a waiver.  There is no word on whether or not Hendrick Motor Sports or Larson have asked for a waiver.

NASCAR has called the cars down pit road for a weather delay with lightening in the area.  The race is now under red flag conditions.

At 11:30pm NASCAR has called the race due to the weather.  Christopher Bell has been named the winner of the race.  Kyle Larson’s attempt to make “the double” came up a bit short.

The unofficial results of the Coca-Cola 600:
Christopher Bell
Brad Keselowski
William Byron
Tyler Reddick
Denny Hamlin
Ty Gibbs
Chase Elliott
Ross Chastain
Alex Bowman
Josh Berry
Bubba Wallace
Martin Truex Jr
Justin Allgaier
Joey Logano
Kyle Busch
Michael McDowell
Todd Gilliland
Daniel Hemric
Erik Jones
Austin Cindric
Carson Hocevar
Justin Haley
Chris Buescher
Daniel Suarez
Chase Briscoe
Ryan Preece
Austin Dillon
Shane van Gisbergen
Jimmie Johnson
John Hunter Nemechek
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Harrison Burton
Zane Smith
Kaz Grala
Corey LaJoie
Ty Dillon
BJ McLeod
Noah Gragson
Ryan Blaney
JJ Yeley