The longest race of the season — the Coca-Cola 600 — kicked off under cloudy skies at Charlotte Motor Speedway, setting the stage for a busy Memorial Day weekend tribute to military and first responders.
Fresh off a DNF at the Indy 500, Kyle Larson led the first lap of the race before handing it off to his Hendrick teammate, William Byron, who jumped out front on Lap 2. Larson’s double-duty day took a bad turn early — he slapped the wall, spun off Turn 4, and slid through the infield grass. His team eventually discovered a bent toe link and went to work under the hood.
Meanwhile, pole sitter Chase Briscoe was hit with a drive-through penalty after his crew let a tire get away on pit road. On Lap 98, Alex Bowman spun out and smacked the wall exiting Turn 4, bringing out the caution with Byron still in control — and securing the Stage 1 win.
Byron led the field to green for Stage 2 but just a few laps later, Jimmie Johnson ended his night early after getting into the wall and collecting Cole Custer and Connor Zilisch in the process. That restart kicked off a tight battle between Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Denny Hamlin.
Green-flag pit stops began around Lap 150, but Riley Herbst spun trying to get onto pit road. Once the cycle finished, Byron found himself back up front and went on to win Stage 2 as well. All cars then came to a stop on pit road for the traditional mid-race moment of silence in honor of fallen service members.
Stage 3 opened with Byron as first off pit road, followed by Hamlin. The caution came out again on Lap 238 after Zane Smith took a hard hit into the inside wall. On the restart, things got messier — Briscoe checked up on the frontstretch and got into Daniel Suárez, who spun and collected Ryan Blaney, Justin Haley, and Kyle Larson. Larson and Blaney were both done for the night, marking Blaney’s 5th DNF of the season.
Byron again jumped to the lead on the next restart, but Hamlin passed him on Lap 261 before Byron surged back and took Stage 3 for the sweep.
The final 100-lap stage began with Hamlin out front. Carson Hocevar, who had driven an impressive race and was in contention for the win, also started on the front row. However, the green flag no sooner flew when his engine blew. He quickly fell back through the field and eventually spun, collecting Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace — ending both of their races.
Byron retook the lead on Lap 334 just before the final round of green-flag pit stops. While Byron’s stop went smoothly, Hamlin’s team had a fuel can malfunction and came up short on gas. That miscue opened the door for Ross Chastain, who surged past Hamlin on Lap 381 and then chased down Byron, taking the lead for good on Lap 394.
Chastain — whose team had worked overnight repairing his car after a practice crash — sealed the deal and claimed his first win of the season and a crown jewel victory. True to form, he celebrated by smashing a watermelon on the front stretch.
Top 10 Finishers:
- Ross Chastain
- William Byron
- Chase Briscoe
- AJ Allmendinger
- Brad Keselowski
- Chase Elliott
- Michael McDowell
- Christopher Bell
- Ryan Preece
- Noah Gragson