Getty Bubba Wallace prepares for qualifying at Charlotte.
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues on Sunday, May 30, with a highly-anticipated race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest event on the schedule and serves as the annual sign of gratitude to military members that gave their lives in the line of duty. Here is the important information to know ahead of the green flag.
The Coca-Cola 600 takes place at 6 p.m. ET. Fox will provide the broadcast with Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Jeff Gordon in the booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith will serve as pit reporters during the 600-mile race while Larry McReynolds provides analysis from the booth. Fans can also listen via PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Prior to the green flag, Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks will serve as grand marshals. They will utter the most famous words in motorsports and tell drivers to start their engines. Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey will then hop behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry TRD and lead the field on pace laps as the honorary pace car driver.
The Pole Winner Has the Best Odds to Win the Crown Jewel
GettyKyle Larson celebrates the Busch Pole win.
Prior to race day, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers headed out onto Charlotte Motor Speedway for their respective practice sessions and then a qualifying lap. There were several that fought for the Busch Pole, but Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson turned in the best performance. He posted a lap time of 29.953 seconds at a speed of 180.282 mph.
According to NASCAR and BetMGM, Larson will enter Sunday’s race with the best odds (7-2) in the field. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. currently has the second-best odds at 11-2. He sits just ahead of teammate Kyle Busch (13-2).
Larson does not yet have a win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval in his Cup Series career, but he is midway through a career year. He has seven top-five finishes in 14 races, as well as a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He has also led the most laps (778) of the Cup Series drivers. Denny Hamlin is second with 751 laps led.
A Winless Driver Joins Larson on the Front Row
GettyNASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. poses at Daytona.
With the Cup Series drivers securing their spots through qualifying sessions, there were many that did not have to start near the back based on previous performances. Instead, they could head out onto Charlotte Motor Speedway and race for the best possible spot.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is one driver that benefited from the practice and qualifying sessions. He posted the second-fastest lap (29.960 seconds) during his single lap and secured the second position. He will start next to Larson on the front row while Chase Elliott and William Byron make up the second row. Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon round out the top six.
Stenhouse started the year consistently with top-20 finishes and even took second place during the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. However, Stenhouse had a string of tough outings. He finished 33rd at Talladega, crashed at Kansas, and then posted back-to-back 20th-place finishes at Darlington and Dover. Now he will head to Charlotte and attempt to win his first race of the 2021 season.
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