NASCAR Charlotte predictions 2024: Expert picks for Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Cup Series holds its longest race of the season on Sunday, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
After a week of All-Star racing and talk about punches and punishments in the garage area, the field now focuses in on the start of the second half of the regular season. The 600-mile race at Charlotte is one of the crown jewel races on the schedule.
Kyle Larson plans to do the 1,100-mile double on Sunday between the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. He'll start on the second row at Indy and should be very competitive in both races.
Here are The Tennessean's expert picks for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race in Charlotte:
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Mike Organ's pick: Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Chris Buescher has been too fast and too close lately in the RFK No. 17 Ford Mustang to be overlooked. He was second earlier this month at Kansas and third last week in the All-Star race. With seven top-10 finishes this season and Ford finally solving its issues, Buescher will break through Sunday with his first win of 2024.
Tom Kreager's pick: Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Look, I see the Fords are finally finding speed. But can it be sustained for 600 miles? I'm not so sure. So I'm going with Truex, who has won the Coca-Cola 600 twice because as much as I'd like to see Kyle Larson pull off wins in the Indianapolis 500 and at Charlotte, that's highly unlikely to happen.
Nick Gray's pick: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
If the Indy 500 is postponed to Monday, I'm not sure what to think about this pick. But Larson will be fast at Indy and fast at Charlotte. It would be a good story for NASCAR if Larson were to win, and the best story has won out as of late. If he wasn't trying to do the double, Larson is the likely favorite.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Charlotte predictions 2024: Expert picks for Cup Series race
