Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
(⏰ 6 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 14th regular-season event of the 2022 campaign.

Race-day info 📝

Where: Concord, North Carolina
Approximate start time: 6 p.m. ET  | Full weekend schedule
TV/Radio: FOX, TSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule
Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 87 degrees during the day and an evening low around 65, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker
Race distance: 400 laps | 600 miles
Stages: 100 | 200 | 300 | 400
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
The purse: $8,919,032
Charlotte 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: See where drivers will start | How qualifying works in 2022
Pit stalls: See where drivers will pit

Key things to watch 🔑

Big story line

Teams are still struggling to find a consistent grip on the Next Gen car through the midway point of the regular season. Past weeks have shown mistakes that simply can’t happen if you’re going to make it through the daunting 600-mile marathon Sunday. The Coca-Cola 600 has not only been the best NASCAR test of driver stamina, but also a test of which teams can execute repeatedly in the daytime and into the long night. Obviously, to win the race, you need to be in the race at the end. And that is a tall task in the longest race of the year. Hendrick Motorsports has historically dominated at these 1.5-mile ovals, but the last three Coca-Cola 600s have seen each manufacturer and three different teams take a piece of the pie (Kyle Larson – 2021 with Chevrolet, Brad Keselowski – 2020 with Ford, Martin Truex Jr. – 2019 with Toyota). At its best, this stock-car marathon is unpredictable, much like what we have seen so far in 2022. So which team and driver will rise and conquer the biggest Next Gen challenge yet?

Who’s hot? Who’s not? 

After early mishaps and flying under the radar for most of the 2022 season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has emerged as one of the most consistent drivers in the field as of late. Stenhouse is riding high after his runner-up finish at Dover Motor Speedway, following that stellar performance with consecutive eighth-place finishes at Darlington Raceway and Kansas Speedway. The No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing team has found speed, but more importantly, it has found consistency. Heading to another 1.5-mile track in Charlotte Motor Speedway, Stenhouse can continue to climb up the Cup Series standings and may even be in the mix for his first premier-series win since 2017.

For William Byron, his Martinsville Speedway win couldn’t feel any further away. Since the “Paperclip” triumph, which included a Camping World Truck Series win, the No. 24 Cup team has yet to register a top-10 finish. Yes, the incident at Darlington with Joey Logano prevented him from snapping this cold streak, but outside of that weekend, there hasn’t been much to boast about as of late. Nonetheless, one of only two multi-time winners in the Next Gen era (Ross Chastain), Charlotte should be a bounce-back week for the No. 24 group. Hendrick Motorsports has a strong footing here, and Byron registered a Coca-Cola 600 career-best finish of fourth just a season ago.

Driving under the radar

Chris Buescher’s performance this season has been pretty much on par with RFK Racing’s early struggles. Buescher won the pole at Dover and has three top-10 results, but the team has struggled to find a balance. Based on previous history, the Coca-Cola 600 could not have come at a better time for Buescher and company. Statistically, he has been one of the best in this race over the last three seasons, with three straight top 10s, including eighth in 2021. In one of the toughest races of the season, from strategy to pure will to win, history says Buescher is certainly an underdog to watch this weekend.

Saturday’s sessions

Reigning Coca-Cola 600 winner Kyle Larson pushed it to the limit in the lone practice session of the weekend, but went just a little too far. Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet slammed into the wall, damaging the right-side bodywork and preventing the team from qualifying Saturday night. However, not having to bring out a backup car should bring some comfort for Larson before the long race Sunday. Corey LaJoie also took a spill but was less fortunate and will have overnight work to do on a backup Chevrolet. Outside of these two incidents, drivers seemed to have a better handle on the car than in weeks past, and it showed with a competitive run in qualifying. Toyota once again proved to be on its game after a resurgence in recent weeks, sweeping the top four positions and landing the Busch Light Pole Award with Denny Hamlin. | Full practice, qualifying recap | Two teams see crew members ejected in inspection.

Race-day staples ✅

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Paint Scheme Preview: Coca-Cola 600 weekend at Charlotte | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Ryan Blaney shines after All-Star win | Updated driver rankings
• Fantasy Fastlane: Familiar faces stick out for Coca-Cola 600 | Expert advice
• Preview Show: What to expect in the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 | Watch the show
• NASCAR betting: Odds for 2022 Coca-Cola 600 | DraftKings betting odds
• Backseat Drivers: Which team will dominate Sunday? | Watch and listen
• At-track photos: See what’s going on this weekend at Charlotte | Full gallery

Catch the pack 💨

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• 600 Miles of Remembrance: First look at the fallen soldiers honored during Sunday’s race | Learn more
• More than a moment: Kurt Busch’s tribute to US military is personal, year-long initiative | Read more
• Collaboration: Spire, Corey LaJoie partner with USO, Coca-Cola for patriotic tribute Sunday | Read more
• PROJECT 91: Kimi Raikkonen to make NASCAR debut with Trackhouse Racing | More details | Trackhouse announces PROJECT91
• ‘Seven-Time’: Jimmie Johnson carries champion’s confidence into Sunday’s Indy 500 | Read more
• Penalty report: Two teams fined for violations at Texas Motor Speedway | More details
• Welcome home: Corey, Kelly LaJoie announce birth of second child | Read more
• Dudes being dads: Dale Jr., Kyle Busch join Greg Olsen’s podcast to talk family | More details
• Eyes on Cup: Truck Series owner Shige Hattori’s success in trucks is just the first goal | Learn more
• Great honor: Jim France to be awarded 2022 Spirit of Le Mans trophy | Read more
• eNASCAR: Matt Bussa wins at virtual Charlotte in Coca-Cola iRacing Series | See final laps

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Parity party: How NASCAR’s newfound parity affects Coca-Cola 600 betting | Read more
• BetMGM: Despite track record, be wary of Martin Truex Jr. in Coca-Cola 600 | Learn why
• Fantasy: Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a Coca-Cola 600 Hail Mary? | Hear the debate
• The Action Network: How to bet Bubba Wallace vs. Daniel Suárez matchup | Read more
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Going all the way: NASCAR betting: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Marathon men 🏃‍♂️

Dive into which drivers have conquered the 600-mile marathon and more history from Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

• Winner, winner: All-time Coca-Cola 600 winners | Full list
• Last year: Kyle Larson dominates in first Coca-Cola 600 win | 2021 race recap
• Race Rewind: Larson sweeps all the stages in 2021 | Relive the best moments
• Do it for Dale: Flashback to Dale Earnhardt’s first Cup start in 1975 World 600 | Watch video
• Last-lap pass!: Jimmie Johnson wins 2005 Coca-Cola 600 | Watch video

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Kyle Busch‘s pit crew had the fastest four-tire stop in each of the last five races with live pit stops.
• First raced on June 1960, Charlotte is the oldest of the current 1.5-mile tracks on the Cup Series schedule.
• The Coca-Cola 600 is the only race on the schedule with three stage breaks prior to the final stage.
• Twice a driver swept all three stages and won the Coke 600, Kyle Busch in 2018 and Kyle Larson in 2021.
• The final green-flag stretch was five laps or less in two of the last three Coca-Cola 600s.

Say what? 🎙

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

• “Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway is always special for me. I grew up watching races here as a fan, I raced Legend cars on the quarter-mile and have raced there in every series of NASCAR for the most part. It‘s a hometown race for Mr. (Rick) Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports as well. You always want to run good when the shop is literally across the street. Winning the 600 would already mean so much given the history of this race, but it would carry even more meaning for myself. We ran well in last year‘s 600, the biggest difference will be with the Next Gen car. I think we have some good notes on mile-and-a-half tracks so far this year, and with how long the race is, it gives us time to adjust throughout the race if we need to.” — William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

• “I hope it gets wide out there. That is when this car is really good when you can run the fence, the bottom, and the middle and get some air under your nose. That is when the racing is really good with this car, like at Fontana and Vegas, where there are multiple lanes to go and it is easy to make mistakes and that is what makes racing good. If it is easy for drivers to mess up and make mistakes and be on the verge of wrecking, that is when you see people go forward and backward and it takes a wide track to do that.” — Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford

• “The Coca-Cola 600 is a race that I haven‘t won that I really would like to win. It‘s a tough race, it‘s an endurance race that really tests the driver and the car, and it‘s one of the toughest for a reason. It‘s one that I‘ve been close, but I just haven‘t been able to get the checkered flag there yet. Winning this race would certainly be something that would get added very high on the resume.” — Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota