Coca-Cola 600 Preview: Memorial Day Marathon

This article is part of our Weekly Preview series.

This weekend NASCAR stays in North Carolina and comes to the intermediate oval in Charlotte. On the heels of this past weekend's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, we visit Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. This has been the traditional event for Memorial Day weekend for many years now. This 600-mile marathon, the longest race of the season, is the perfect way to celebrate the long holiday weekend. Charlotte Motor Speedway sets the stage for this high speed, big stakes battle of survival. CMS is one of the NASCAR Cup Series' many 1.5-mile tri-ovals. It's very similar to both Kansas & Texas in many respects, but the oval at Charlotte seems to produce more side-by-side racing than the other intermediate tracks. Horsepower is the name of the game at this high-speed oval, and the durability of the equipment is pushed to the max. The 400 laps run at during the Coca-Cola 600, under the lights, and late into the night take their toll on both the cars and the drivers. In summary, this race is about equipment preservation, driver preservation and fuel preservation. The long green flag runs we typically see in the 600 can often set up a fuel-mileage run to the finish, so crew chiefs have a lot to keep their eyes on in this very long race. The extra 100-miles raced may not seem like a lot, but rest assured it's enough to make a major difference in who wins and who loses this Sunday night.

This past week's unique All-Star Race at the 5/8-mile North Wilkesboro Speedway did little to prepare the teams for the Coca-Cola 600. While it was racing under the lights, the similarities end there. The 250 laps, short track and segments of the All-Star Race won't resemble most of the action we'll see at Charlotte this weekend. One thing is for sure, the 600-mile distance provides the teams with several pit stops and chances to improve the handling of their race cars. It will be the team that keeps up with the constantly changing surface and cooling evening air that will be doing a victory burnout at the end of the night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The team that starts out this race the fastest doesn't always end the evening the fastest, as we have seen many times over the years. Some practice and qualifying laps this weekend will help to temper this factor some for the 600, but the race is so long that the track is never the same from a handling standpoint at 6 PM vs. 10 PM.     

We need to take a brief look at the historical loop stats for the oval at Charlotte. The extended length of this event does play a major factor in the performance of the drivers.   The long green flag runs and pit strategy we'll see in the Coca-Cola 600 cannot be replicated in any other race. For this event, the loop data from Charlotte Motor Speedway will play a significant role in our fantasy racing picks. The 1.5-mile oval in Charlotte has been a track of streaks the last few years, and that could make it an easily-predictable race this weekend. The loop stats in the table below cover the last 19 years or 34 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota teams have each won in the last four events at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track that bowtie teams have dominated for years has become a venue of parity the last few seasons. With Christopher Bell's victory in this event one year ago, Toyota has now won two of the last three Coca Cola 600's. Ford driver, Ryan Blaney, won this event two years ago. He ran a smart and strategy-based race, led a lot of laps and took the checkered flag at the end of 600 miles. Kyle Larson's victory in 2021 was Chevrolet's last victory at the Charlotte oval. If this manufacturer hopes to climb back over both Toyota and Ford, the burden will largely fall on Larson and his No. 5 Chevrolet team. 

Considering what we've seen to this point in 2025 on the cookie cutter ovals, the two best-positioned drivers to win this Sunday night could be Larson and Bell. Larson has two wins already on mid-sized ovals and Bell is coming off the big All-Star win and a very recent runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway. When all the variables are considered, we could be looking at a new victor at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. With so many young talents now in the NASCAR Cup Series, we could easily see a first-time Charlotte winner in the Coca-Cola 600. We'll outline below the drivers you need to stock up on to dominate your fantasy racing leagues at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

The Contenders – Drivers in the hunt for the win

Christopher Bell – Bell has an Atlanta win and Kansas runner-up finish this season in the mid-sized oval lineup. Kansas Speedway in particular is important as it's similar in size to Charlotte. Bell qualified third on the grid, led 3 laps and finished a strong second-place in that event. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster has made six Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway and won this event one year ago. With three Top-10 finishes (50-percent) to his credit and 140 laps led. Coming off the big All-Star win this past Sunday night, Bell is riding a huge wave of momentum into Charlotte Motor Speedway. This driver and team has the capability to battle at the front and win this Sunday evening. 

Kyle Larson – The Hendrick Motorsports star is coming off an impressive victory at the similar sized oval at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago and a win at Homestead earlier this spring. The return to Charlotte Motor Speedway should favor Larson very well in his pursuit to win his fourth race of the season. He's led 403 total laps on these style ovals in 2025 and has two victories so far. Larson is a one-time Charlotte winner (2021), and he's led close to 400 laps in just his last three starts at the facility. Given his current hot streak and his excellence on 1.5-mile ovals this season, Larson could be the man to beat in Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600.

Ryan Blaney – Blaney won this event two seasons ago in a dominant performance and for that alone he's a contender worthy pick this week. After a slow start on the intermediate ovals, he's racked up a pair of third-place finishes recently at Fort Worth and Kansas. Blaney has had a lot of success at Charlotte Motor Speedway since 2020 and that can't be overlooked. He's netted a victory and three Top-5 finishes in the last six Charlotte starts. This driver and team like this place if they have a car that will cooperate this weekend and we believe they will. Watch Blaney closely in the lead-up practice and qualifying as that may dictate his fantasy deployment for the 600.     

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin has been an uneven performer this season on the cookie cutter ovals but he showed Top-5 potential as recently as Homestead. The veteran driver has 21 Top 10's at Charlotte in 33-career starts for a stellar 64-percent rate. Hamlin won this event three years ago for his first-career victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He qualified well and cracked the Top 5 in last season's Coca-Cola 600. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has had some tough luck of late but he has incredible career statistics at this oval. We believe Hamlin will rebound and challenge for the win in this Coca-Cola 600.     

Solid Plays – Near locks for a Top 10 with an outside shot to win

Joey Logano – The Penske Racing star has struggled on cookie cutter ovals earlier this season, but he's turned it around in more recent starts. Logano grabbed an impressive win at Fort Worth a few weeks ago and a steady ninth-place finish more recently at Kansas Speedway. The No. 22 Ford team finally showed some signs of life and we believe it will carry over. Logano is a one-time Charlotte winner (2015) and he cracks the Top 10 here at a respectable 43-percent rate. Logano is coming off a strong performance and runner-up finish in the All-Star Race this past Sunday. Charlotte Motor Speedway provides a great opportunity for this veteran driver and team to get back to their Top 10 ways in the Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday night.

Alex Bowman – While Bowman has been reasonably good this season, he has been pretty consistent on the intermediate ovals. The Hendrick Motorsports veteran has two Top-5 and three Top-10 finishes on similar sized tracks this season including 54 laps led, so he's been racing his fair share up front. Recent success at Charlotte Motor Speedway with three Top 10's in his last four starts and an average finish of 9.0 across that span, we have to recommend Bowman and the No. 48 Chevrolet team as a solid fantasy play this weekend. His recent Top-5 finish at Kansas Speedway a couple weeks ago is another major endorsement for deployment at the Charlotte oval.      

William Byron – The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet is a three-time pole winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has led 202 combined laps to this point. Byron has finished second- and third-place in his last two appearances in the Coca-Cola 600 he's now cracking the Top-10 for 50-percent for his career at the speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports star has not been an impact driver on the intermediate ovals this season but we feel Charlotte falls into a different category with this driver. Byron qualifies well on these mid-sized ovals and his fourth-place finish earlier this season at Las Vegas is a good comp for this race. We believe the No. 24 Chevrolet team has a high ceiling this Sunday evening in Charlotte.

Ryan Preece – With three Top-10 finishes on the 1.5-mile ovals this season, Preece has been a steady performer on these style ovals. That 60-percent Top-10 rate is strong and the 13.2 average finish is a good mark. Preece has never really made an impact in his seven prior Cup Series starts at the North Carolina oval but the move to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teases some big potential for the Coca-Cola 600. The driver of the No. 60 Ford finished seventh a couple weeks ago at Kansas Speedway and that's a very good last look on a mid-sized oval heading to Charlotte. He was also a steady 11th-place finisher in last Sunday evening's All-Star Race.

Sleepers – Drivers with good history at Charlotte & solid upside

Tyler Reddick – Reddick has six-career Cup Series starts on the Charlotte oval, and he's managed an impressive five Top 10's in those efforts. In this event one year ago, Reddick collected a strong fourth-place finish in last season's Coca-Cola 600. The driver of the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing has been trying to get his struggles sorted out this season so this is the perfect race to get Reddick and his team back on track. With an eighth-place finish at the similar sized oval in Homestead a few weeks ago, there's reasonable hope this driver and team can get back on track on a good oval for them. A good performance in Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 seems fairly certain.  

Chase Elliott – The No. 9 Chevrolet team has had their struggles on intermediate ovals this season, but Elliott is a big performer at Charlotte so we're slotting him in the sleepers this week. He has been quite a performer at the Charlotte oval in recent races. Elliott has one win and three runner-up finishes at this track since the 2017 season. With close to 350 laps led in his career at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he's quite used to racing up front here. These recent performances have lowered his average finish to 14.8 at the Charlotte oval. Elliott cracks the Top 10 at a steady 54-percent rate at this facility. Considering how well he's raced at this track over the years, we expect a good performance in this long battle under the lights.

Chris Buescher – The veteran driver of the No. 17 Ford has been strong in recent intermediate oval races with sixth- and eighth-place finishes at Homestead and Kansas. Buescher also cracked the Top 10 in last Sunday's All-Star Race. He will look to keep the good speed and momentum rolling in the Coca-Cola 600. Buescher has scored Top-10 finishes in four of his last seven starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The average finish across that seven-race span is a solid 14.7. That's well below his career average finish at CMS of 18.6. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has been a steady performer this season on the mid-sized ovals and he's had a lot of success at Charlotte in recent seasons.  

Chase Briscoe – It's taken some time for Briscoe to get acclimated to his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team, but he's finally getting a foothold. After some struggles on the intermediate ovals earlier in the season he's nabbed a pair of fourth-place finishes in his last three starts on these sized tracks (Homestead and Kansas). Briscoe doesn't have impressive Charlotte numbers (25-percent Top-10 rate and 18.0 average finish) but we feel this time around things will be different. Since the move to the No. 19 Toyota, he's been tracking towards a possible career-best season in the Cup Series. The Coca-Cola 600 is likely just another Top 10 along the way.  

Josh Berry – Short of his recent Kansas performance, Berry has qualified extremely well on the intermediate ovals this season. He had started no worse than seventh on these size tracks until his disappointment in Kansas. That good qualifying has led to good finishes for Berry. He grabbed a win at Las Vegas and a more recent sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. The Wood Brothers Racing driver has just one prior start at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600. Berry earned a steady 10th-place finish and led 7 laps in this event one year ago. We believe the driver of the No. 21 Ford is poised for more Charlotte success this Sunday night.

Ross Chastain – Chastain has been a bit of a mixed bag on the mid-sized ovals this season, however, he has had some very good highlights on the good side of the ledger. The Trackhouse Racing veteran nabbed a fifth-place finish at Las Vegas earlier this spring and he grabbed an impressive runner-up finish at Fort Worth more recently. The Texas oval races more like Charlotte so it teases some big potential for the Coca-Cola 600. Despite leading over 150-career laps at CMS, Chastain just earned his first-career Top 10 at Charlotte in last season's Memorial Day weekend marathon. We like him to repeat the feat this weekend.   

Slow Down - Drivers to avoid this week

Kyle Busch – Despite being a one-time Charlotte winner, we're calling for the fade on this driver and team this weekend. Busch has led close to 1,500 career laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway and he cracks the Top 5 at a strong 44-percent rate. The 61-percent career Top-10 rate at CMS speaks volumes of Busch's accomplishments here. However, Busch has looked very subpar on the intermediate ovals this season. With just one Top 10 in five events (20-percent) and a 20.4 average finish on the mid-sized ovals, Busch has been pretty disappointing in this form of racing. We believe he's a high-risk fantasy racing prospect for the Coca-Cola 600.         

Brad Keselowski – The two-time Charlotte winner has really struggled on these mid-sized ovals in 2025. Keselowski has no Top-10 finishes on these tracks this season and three DNF's. The average finish is coming in at a disappointing 28.2. The owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford has 11-career Top-10 finishes on the Charlotte oval spread across 25 starts. That works out to a reasonable 44-percent Top-10 rate and respectable 13.9 average finish. However, Keselowski's recent struggles, specifically on these style tracks, is much more concerning. We believe it's better to err to safety and keep him benched in all fantasy formats this weekend.  

Bubba Wallace – Wallace had a lot of struggles at Charlotte earlier in his career before starting to post good finishes here in his last two starts. He's still only 13-percent Top-10 finisher at this oval and 21.6 average finisher due to his career-long struggles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 23XI Racing veteran has been a mixed performer on the intermediate oval circuit this season. Wallace's two Top 10's on these tracks checks in at a reasonable 40-percent Top-10 rate. However, his last two starts on mid-size ovals have been disastrous. Crashes at both Fort Worth and Kansas have put this team into scramble mode this weekend. Wallace faces tall odds at Charlotte on Sunday evening.

Ty Gibbs – If you're looking for slumping drivers, look no further than Gibbs and his No. 54 Toyota team right now. The young driver has just two Top-10 finishes on the season and is a distant 26th-place in the driver standings entering this weekend. The intermediate ovals have been a big part of his struggles. Gibbs has no Top-10 finishes in five starts this season on the 1.5-mile ovals and a disappointing 26.0 average finish. Despite qualifying on the pole and finishing sixth-place in this event one year ago, we have some major reservations about Gibbs and this race team this weekend. We believe it's best to pass on any fantasy racing expectations for Gibbs at Charlotte Motor Speedway.