Coca-Cola 600 Preview

The green flag flies at Charlotte Motor Speedway. [Drew Hallowell/NASCAR via Getty Images]

NASCAR’s longest race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600, kicks off Sunday evening as the final act of the Memorial Day Weekend motorsports crown jewel events, wrapping up the day following Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix and Indycar’s Indianapolis 500.

The Coca-Cola 600 takes the green flag in the late afternoon and finishes under the lights on the Charlotte Motor Speedway, one of the most temperature sensitive race tracks on the circuit. That means the handling characteristics of the cars will change greatly throughout the race and the teams that can keep up with the ever-changing track conditions while at the same time surviving the extra 100 miles will be the ones challenging for the prestigious “600” win.

Odds for our driver picks at the Coca-Cola 600 courtesy of MyTopSportsbooks.com:
Kasey Kahne 12/1
Jimmie Johnson 12/1
Kevin Harvick 11/2
Jamie McMurray 12/1
Matt Kenseth 11/2
Brad Keselowski 15/4
Jeff Gordon 12/1
Kyle Busch 2/1
Kurt Busch 12/1
Joey Logano 12/1

Here are some drivers and storylines to watch out for in Sunday evening’s Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte…

Kasey Kahne
Dan Margetta: Once again, Kasey Kahne comes to Charlotte in desperate need of a victory, and if history holds true, Charlotte could bail him out as it has done three times in the past. Kahne’s worse Charlotte finish in the last five events here was 8th in a span that includes a fourth, two seconds, and a win. Last week in the All-Star race, Kahne had the field covered until a late accident derailed his chances, continuing a pattern of racing strong and faltering at the end that has become all too common for Kahne and the #5 team. Last year, Kahne had another “600” victory in hand before a late race pit call, left him a sitting duck for eventual winner Kevin Harvick to charge by for the win. If Kahne and the #5 team can finally avoid beating themselves, then Sunday night could very well see them kick start their season with a much needed Coca-Cola 600 victory.

Jimmie Johnson
John Wiedemann: Usually the odds on favorite to win this race and a number of previous races on the schedule, Jimmie Johnson is still looking for his first win of 2014. And, once again like a broken record, this is a track that he should win at. Currently tied atop the list of all-time winners at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip at six wins, Johnson is the statistical pick to take the victory and break through as the all-time winner. But, looking at the season so far, I have to take a step back and say Johnson will be one to watch until he wins and then I will start picking him as a race winner. A win is gonna come, but I will wait and see.

Kevin Harvick
DM: The defending Coca-Cola 600 winner has another strong chance to make it two in a row on Sunday as Kevin Harvick has been strong on the 1.5 mile tracks. Harvick has the pit support needed in crew chief Rodney Childers to stay ahead of the changing conditions and he’s coming off a very good run in the All-Star race where he led often and finished second. Both driver and team felt they lost last week’s race in the pits and they should be intensely motivated this week to close the deal and not give away another victory. If he can avoid trouble early, and if the team has definitely erased the mechanical demons that plagued them early in the year, Kevin Harvick has a very good shot at capturing his second consecutive Coca-Cola 600 and third overall.

Jamie McMurray
JW: Jamie McMurray has captured a win in every event at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the exception of the Coca-Cola 600. If McMurray can win on Sunday, he would be the eighth driver to capture the All-Star race and 600 victories in the same season. Charlotte has been good to McMurray in the past as he won his first career Cup race at this track in only his second series start. McMurray’s average finish in the 600 is 18th, but I’m betting that he will finish much higher than that on Sunday night.

Matt Kenseth
DM: The Coca-Cola 600 with its extra distance and changing car and track conditions plays right into Matt Kenseth’s hands. The race has been one of his favorites as teams are required to constantly work on adjusting their car to keep up with the track. Kenseth’s strong suit is his keen ability to communicate what his car is doing to the crew and his knowledge of set-ups to offer sound suggestions on what changes are to be made. Kenseth and the #20 team have steadily improved each week and their first victory of the season seems to be within their grasp. The Coca-Cola 600 can be considered a “thinking” driver’s race and no one is more analytical during a race than Kenseth. That could prove beneficial on Sunday night and Kenseth and the #20 team shouldn’t be counted out when looking for Coca-Cola 600 favorites.

Brad Keselowski
JW: The winner at Charlotte last fall should be up front in Coca-Cola 600. Even with an average finish at the track of 16th, Brad Keselowski will be piloting the Miller Lite Ford at the front. With only two top fives, one being the win last fall, in nine races at Charlotte the statistics don’t look good for Keselowski. But this is a big stage, a big race and the Penske Fords are still at the top of their game. I’m looking for a win for Keselowski, just like he accomplished at Las Vegas Motor Speedway which is another mile and a half track. Keselowski led the most laps in Vegas and he will be back at the front on Sunday.

Jeff Gordon
DM: Has it really been 20 years since Jeff Gordon broke into the win column with his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in the Coca-Cola 600? Since then, the “600” results have been inconsistent but this year, Jeff Gordon seems to be rejuvenated, having already won at Kansas, a track similar to Charlotte. Gordon had a very good run going last week in the All-Star race before crashing out in the second half. The #24 team has shown they are competitive just about everywhere during the opening quarter of 2014 and if they can steer clear of bad luck Sunday night, a repeat visit to the “600” victory lane is not out of the question.

Kyle Busch
JW: Kyle Busch had everything going right in the All-Star race until he ran up to his brother’s back bumper and got into an accident with Clint Bowyer. Look for a little more patience, that’s right I said patience, in the long race this weekend from Kyle and likely a better finish than last week. Busch hasn’t captured the flag at Charlotte yet but does have nine top five, twelve top ten finishes and an average run of sixteenth at the track. The Joe Gibbs Racing teams, even with two wins, haven’t shown the dominance of last season. Keep an eye on them to see if they are making their way back to consistent top five and in contention finishes.

Kurt Busch
DM: Kurt Busch has a big day ahead of him on Sunday as he becomes the fourth driver to do the “double” and race in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. That’s 1100 racing miles if he is able to complete both events and the odds makers in Las Vegas are skeptical as they put him at 40-1 odds to win at Charlotte and 20-1 at Indianapolis. You can’t put odds on determination however, and Kurt Busch has plenty of that. He finished third here last year and he’ll most likely be running on pure adrenaline if he’s in contention late in the “600”, but don’t count him out just because he’s had a busy day. Two wins in the Indy-Charlotte double would be the greatest motorsports accomplishment of all time and should it somehow happen, fans attending either of the events should be grateful they got to see it in person.

Joey Logano
JW: With an average finish of 10th at Charlotte, Joey Logano has a better average than any of the drivers mentioned ealier. This weekend will be Logano’s eleventh race at Charlotte and he already has three top five and six top ten finishes. Even when he was running for Joe Gibbs, Logano finished well at Charlotte. Logano already has two wins this season and could be looking at number three on Sunday night. Recently it has been a hit or miss finish with a win, 35th, win, 32nd, 4th and 22nd place runs in the last six races counting the All-Star race. Keeping up with that pattern, Logano is due for another solid top five run and possibly that third win of the season.

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