The 2020 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte had a little bit of everything. Denny Hamlin started the problems before the race started when a piece of tungsten ballast fell out of his car. The No. 11 car had to come to the pits to fix the problem causing Hamlin to start the race 6 laps down. The race was also interrupted by rain on lap 49. When the race restarted it was the Alex Bowman Show. The No. 88 car won the first two Stages and finished 2nd in the third Stage. Chase Elliott took over the end of the race but a late caution for William Byron brought the No. 9 car to pit road for four tires while Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson stayed on the track. The race went into overtime and Keselowski held off Johnson for the win. After the race the No. 48 car failed post-race inspection and Johnson was handed a 40th-place finish.
The Cup Series came back to Charlotte Motor Speedway four days later and ran the Alsco 500. Alex Bowman once again dominated the race and Chase Elliott went to Victory Lane.
Race Rewind Charlotte: Coca-Cola 600 (2020)
– The 10 drivers who looked the best in the race: Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, William Byron, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Dillon
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Stage / Race Results |
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| Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
Race Results |
| 1. Alex Bowman | 1. Alex Bowman | 1. Brad Keselowski |
| 2. Martin Truex Jr. | 2. Martin Truex Jr. | 2. Chase Elliott |
| 3. Chase Elliott | 3. Kyle Busch | 3. Ryan Blaney |
| 4. Tyler Reddick | 4. William Byron | 4. Kyle Busch |
| 5. Joey Logano | 5. Chase Elliott | 5. Kevin Harvick |
| 6. Kyle Busch | 6. Erik Jones | 6. Martin Truex Jr. |
| 7. Austin Dillon | 7. Joey Logano | 7. Kurt Busch |
| 8. William Byron | 8. Austin Dillon | 8. Tyler Reddick |
| 9. Kurt Busch | 9. Ryan Blaney | 9. Christopher Bell |
| 10. Ryan Newman | 10. Kevin Harvick | 10. Chris Buescher |
– Martin Truex Jr. is no stranger to running up front at Charlotte. His average finishing position in his last 6 races at Charlotte is 3.6. The No. 19 car started 8th in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. Truex finished 2nd in Stage in 1, 2nd in Stage 2, 4th in Stage 3, led 87 laps (2nd most in the race), had a series-best 2.8 average running position and finished 6th. Charlotte ranks as the 2nd best track for Truex so he should be a good pick this week.
– Kyle Busch dominated the Coca-Cola 600 in 2018 when he led 377 of the 400 laps and went to Victory Lane. He came back to the track and finished 3rd in the 2019 Coca-Cola 600. Last year the No. 18 car started 11th and spent most of the race in the top 10. Busch finished 6th in Stage 1, 3rd in Stage 2, 5th in Stage 3, did not lead any laps, had a 8.5 average running position (7th best) and finished 4th in the race. Busch should be fast again this week.
– Denny Hamlin had a disaster of a race last year in the Coca-Cola 600. The No. 11 car had a piece of tungsten ballast fall out of the car on the parade laps before the race. The team had to fix the problem and it caused Hamlin to start the race 6 laps down. Hamlin finished the race 7 laps down in 29th place. He came back 4 days later and finished 2nd in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, so I would not worry too much about his 29th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. Hamlin will be fast again this week.
– Christopher Bell had some problems in the Coca-Cola 600 last year but he was able to stay patient and overcome his problems. Bell started 15th. He was running 12th when he was spun out in Stage 1. He had to come to pit road to change his flat tires and Bell lost all of his track position. It took him a while to race his way back to the front. Bell finished 9th in the race. He will be driving the No. 20 car that Erik Jones drove to an 11th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 last year.
– Brad Keselowski did not have the fastest car in the Coca-Cola 600 last year but he has proved many times through-out his career that he does not need the fastest car to win the race. Keselowski started 9th and ran outside the top-10 in the first two Stages. When the sun went down, the No. 2 car came to life. Keselowski finished 7th in Stage 3 and had an 11.1 average running position (12th best). Keselowski was running 3rd when the caution came out with 2 laps to go in the race. The race leader (Chase Elliott came to pit road for fresh tires) and Keselowski took over the lead. He was able to hold off Jimmie Johnson for the win in the Coca-Cola 600. He came back 4 nights later and finished 7th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte.
– Joey Logano finished 2nd in the 2019 Coca-Cola 600 so he had high expectations entering the race last year. Logano started 7th, finished 5th in Stage 1, 7th in Stage 2, won Stage 3, led 26 laps, had a 7.8 average running position (6th best) and finished 13th in the race. The No. 22 car was a lot faster than his 13th-place finish suggest. Logano spun his tires on the last restart with two laps to go. Ryan Blaney got into the back of his car Logano fell back in the field. He was running 3rd at the time.
– Ryan Blaney is always fast on the 1.5-mile tracks and that was the case at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year. Blaney started 26th in the Coca-Cola 600. It took a while for the No. 12 car to come to life. Blaney finished 9th in Stage 2, 3rd in Stage 3, did not lead any laps, had a 10.7 average running position (10th best) and finished 3rd in the race. Blaney came back 4 days later and finished 3rd in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte. He had one of the fastest cars in both races.
– Matt DiBenedetto has not had much luck at Charlotte Motor Speedway in his career. The track ranks as his worst track on the schedule. DiBenedetto has never finished inside the top 15 at Charlotte. Last year he started 33rd in the Coca-Cola 600. He did not score any Stage points, but he did lead 6 laps. DiBenedetto had a 16.8 average running position (16th best) and finished 17th. He came back 4 days later and finished 15th in the Alsco 500.
– Kevin Harvick was expected to compete for the win in the Coca-Cola 600 last year but Charlotte Motor Speedway ranks as his 20th best track (out of 25 tracks on the schedule). His average finishing position at Charlotte in the current aero package is 16.2. The No. 4 car started 22nd in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. Harvick only score 1 Stage point in the 3 Stages, did not lead any laps, had a 14.1 average running position (14th best), but use pit strategy to finish 5th. Harvick came back 4 days later and finished 10th in the Alsco 500.
– Chase Briscoe did not compete in the Cup Series race at Charlotte last year. He did not have much luck at the track in the Xfinity Series. Briscoe finished 11th, 19th and 20th in his 3 Xfinity Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He will be driving the No. 14 car this week. Clint Bowyer crashed out of the Coca-Cola 600 last year and finished 39th. He came back 4 days later and finished 16th. It will be interesting to see how well Briscoe can perform, compared to Bowyer.
– Aric Almirola did not have much success at Charlotte last year. The No. 10 car had to start last in the Coca-Cola 600 for unapproved adjustments. It took Almirola a long time to race into the top 20. Almirola did not score any Stage points or lead any laps. He had a 17.2 average running position (18th best) and finished 15th. Almirola came back 4 days later and finished 20th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Cole Custer did not do much to excite fantasy NASCAR players at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year. Custer started 28th in the Coca-Cola 600. He did not score any Stage points or lead any laps. Custer had a 21.8 average running position (21st best) and finished 12th. Custer came back 4 days later and finished 18th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Chase Elliott had a great chance to sweep the races at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year but Crew Chief Alan Gustafson decided to bring the No. 9 car to pit road with two laps to go. Elliott started 3rd, finished 3rd in Stage 1, 5th in Stage 2, led 38 laps, had a 6.9 average running position (3rd best) and finished 3rd because of his team’s poor decision at the end of the race. Elliott came back 4 days later and won the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Kyle Larson did not compete in the Cup Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year because he was suspended. It will be interesting to see how Larson can perform this week. Charlotte ranks as his 21st best track (out of 25 tracks on the schedule) but he should have a very fast car. Larson will be driving for the team Jimmie Johnson had at Charlotte last year. Johnson finished 2nd in the Coca-Cola 600, but his car failed post-race inspection. Johnson had to start dead last in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte and he was able to finish 11th.
– William Byron had a fast car in both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year, but bad luck in the Coca-Cola 600. Byron started 10th, finished 8th in Stage 1, 4th in Stage 2, 9th in Stage 3, had a 7th-place average running position (4th best), but had a tire go down with 2 laps left in the race. Byron came to pit road and it caused him to finish 18th. His car had top-5 speed in the race. Byron came back 4 days later and finished 12th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Alex Bowman had the fastest car in both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year but he did not win either of the trophies. Bowman started 12th, won Stage 1, won Stage 2, finished 2nd in Stage 3, led a race-high 164 laps and had a 3.9 average running position (2nd best). Bowman had a tire go down at the end of the race and it caused him to finish 19th. Bowman came back 4 days later and led the most laps again at Charlotte in the Alsco 500. He got loose and hit the wall with 55 laps to go in the race. Bowman finished 31st. His car should be fast this week but can Bowman keep it out of trouble.
– Kurt Busch started on the pole in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. The No. 1 car took the early lead and led 54 laps until the red-flag for rain came out. Busch was good but not great after the race delay. Busch finished 9th in Stage 1, had a 12.1 average running position (13th best) and finished 7th. Busch came back 4 days later and finished 5th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch has finished 8 of his last 10 races at Charlotte in the top 10.
– Ross Chastain drove the No. 77 car for Spire Motorsports in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. He had a really good race despite the cars lack of speed. Chastain started 21st, did not score any Stage points, had a 22.2 average running position (23rd best) and finished 21st. He will be driving the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing this week. The car should have a lot more speed than the Spire Motorsports car he had last year. This chould be a good race for Chastain.
– Ryan Newman probably does not like racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway much. The 1.5-mile oval track ranks as his 2nd worst track and the Roval at Charlotte ranks as his worst track. Newman has a 20th-place average finishing position at Charlotte since he joined Roush-Fenway Racing. Last year Newman started 18th in the Coca-Cola 600. He finished 10th in Stage 1, did not lead any laps, had a 18.6 average running position (19th best) and finished 27th. He came back 4 days later and finished 17th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has actually been pretty good at Charlotte Motor Speedway recently. Stenhouse has finished 3 of his last 4 races at the track in the top 10. Last year he started 17th in the Coca-Cola 600. He did not score any Stage points, but Stenhouse led 1 lap, had a 22.9 average running position (24th best) and finished 27th. He came back 4 days later and finished 4th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Chris Buescher finished 6th in the 2019 Coca-Cola 600 so he had a lot of confidence entering the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year. Buescher started 19th in the Coca-Cola 600. He did not score any Stage points or lead any laps, but he had a 17.4 average running position (18th best) and finished 10th. He came back 4 days later and finished 22nd in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Austin Dillon won the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and he has been pretty good at the track when he is able to stay out of trouble. Dillon started 6th in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. He finished 7th in Stage 1, 8th in Stage 2, 8th in Stage 3, had a 8.6 average running position (8th best), but Dillon came to the pits with 2 laps to go for fresh tires. The gamble did not pay off. Dillon finished 14th, despite having a top-10 car. He came back 4 days later and finished 8th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
– Tyler Reddick had a couple of decent races at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year. Reddick started 5th in the Coca-Cola 600. He finished 4th in Stage 1 and 10 in Stage 3. Reddick had a 9.6 average running position (9th best) and finished 8th. He came back 4 days later and finished 14th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte. This tracks ranks as his 6th best on the schedule.
– Erik Jones has not had a lot of success at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has 6 starts at the track and his average finishing position is 17.7. He started 14th in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. Jones finished 6th in Stage 2, 6th in Stage 3, had a 10.8 average running position (11th best) and finished 11th in the race. It was his 2nd-best finish at the track. Jones came back 4 days later and finished 26th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He will be driving the No. 43 car for Richard Childress Racing this week.
– Bubba Wallace is not very good at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track ranks as his worst on the schedule. Wallace has 4 starts at Charlotte on his resume and his average finishing position is 29th. He started 23rd and finished 38th in the Coca-Cola 600 last year. Wallace came back 4 days later and finished 37th in the Alsco 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. There are better tracks to use Wallace at.
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