Race recap: William Byron holds finishes second in NASCAR Cup Series Coke 600

CONCORD, N.C. – Welcome to the longest night in motorsports!

The Coca-Cola 600, one of the crown jewel races in NASCAR, is set to get underway on Sunday evening. The race is set to begin at 6 p.m. and will stream on Prime Video.

Nobody has been better in the Coke 600 or at Charlotte Motor Speedway than Hendrick Motorsports. The organization is the all-time leader in wins (12), poles 913), top fives (40), top 10s (64) and laps led (3,832) in the event while also topping the sport in victories (21), poles (19), top fives (71), top 10s (116) and laps led (6,077) in all races on the 1.5-mile quad-oval.

Both Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Larson’s coming in the 2021 Coke 600. That victory, which came as part of his NASCAR Cup Series championship season, gave the organization its record-breaking 269th.

William Byron rallied late to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Larson will take his second swing at the #H1100 on Sunday, trying to become only the second driver to complete all laps in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. He’ll lead Hendrick Motorsports on the starting grid, rolling off second. William Byron, fresh off an Xfinity Series win on Saturday, will start just behind in third with Alex Bowman ninth and Chase Elliott 21st.

Check in periodically for updates throughout the day and the race as Hendrick Motorsports searches to pad its resume in NASCAR’s ultimate endurance test and as Larson chases history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

William Byron fell one spot short of a clean sweep on Sunday night, winning the first three stages of the Coca-Cola 600 before coming home second.

Byron led a race-high 283 laps but got caught battling a lapped car with just five laps remaining, allowing eventual-race-winner Ross Chastain to slip past. Still, Byron piled up a whopping 65 points to go with three valuable playoff points.

It was also a solid showing for Chase Elliott, who brought the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet home in sixth place. Elliott scored stage points in each segment as well, unofficially logging 37 points on the day.

Who won the Coca-Cola 600?

Ross Chastain, No. 1
William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet
Chase Briscoe, No. 19
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16
Brad Keselowski, No. 6
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
Michael McDowell, No. 71
Christopher Bell, No. 20
Ryan Preece, No. 60
Noah Gragson, No. 4
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
Josh Berry, No. 21
Erik Jones, No. 43
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88
Kyle Busch, No. 8
Denny Hamlin, No. 11
Joey Logano, No. 22
Todd Gilliland, No. 34
Ty Dillon, No. 10
Austin Dillon, No. 3
Cole Custer, No. 41
Chris Buescher, No. 17
Connor Zilisch, No. 87
Ty Gibbs, No. 54
Cody Ware, No. 51
Tyler Reddick, No. 54
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
Riley Herbst, No. 35
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet
Justin Haley, No. 7
Austin Cindric, No. 2
Derek Kraus, No. 44
Josh Bilicki, No. 66
Carson Hocevar, No. 77
Bubba Wallace, No. 23
Daniel Suarez, No. 99
Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
Ryan Blaney, No. 12
Zane Smith, No. 38
Jimmie Johnson, No. 84

Byron holds off Hamlin, takes stage three

William Byron was challenged for the first time all evening and the driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet passed his first test with flying colors.

A three-car breakaway quickly formed at the front of the field with Byron, Denny Hamlin and Carson Hocevar jostling for position over the last 40 laps. Hamlin passed Byron with 38 laps to go in the stage by Byron and Hocevar kept pace.

Then, with nine laps to go until the stage break, Byron was able to work back past Hamlin. The three went three wide down the backstretch a lap later but eventually, Byron was able to hold the field at bay to collect his third stage win in as many tries thus far on Sunday.

Chase Elliott continued to pile up valuable points, finishing the stage eighth. Byron has collected 30 stage points and three playoff markers thus far.

William Byron dominates stage two

William Byron’s reign of terror continued at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet rolled to a win in stage two, sweeping the first half of the Coca-Cola 600.

So far, Byron has led 157 of 201 laps in the event and was out front throughout stage two save for a few laps during the green flag caution cycle. He’s piled up 20 stage points and two playoff points as the event crossed over the halfway mark. Chase Elliott came home 10th in the segment, collecting a point as well.

Meanwhile, Kyle Larson finished in the Lucky Dog spot and will finally get his lap back. Larson spun out while leading in stage one with the No. 5 crew making repairs throughout the opening 200 laps.

William Byron claims stage one

William Byron took the lead after yellow-flag pit stops and never relinquished, staying out front through the end of stage one to collect 10 bonus points and a playoff point.

Caution waved again a few laps short of the stage end, this time for Alex Bowman, who slid across the infield in similar fashion to teammate Kyle Larson earlier. Bowman was running ninth at the time.

Chase Elliott also scored a couple of valuable stage points, finishing the first of four segments in ninth.

Larson leads early, spins to bring out caution

Kyle Larson grabbed the lead from teammate William Byron on lap nine and led 33 laps.

But just as green flag pit stops had begun, Larson lost control off of turn four and spun through the infield grass, luckily avoiding contact with anything.

Meanwhile, Byron regained the lead as the field was set to hit pit road under the yellow flag. Alex Bowman was showing 10th in the No. 48 Ally Chevy with Chase Elliott up to 14th from his 22nd starting spot.

Command given as green flag looms

Cars have hit the race track for warm-up laps for the Coca-Cola 600.

Kyle Larson will have a front-row starting spot on the outside of row one while William Byron will fire off from third place.

Kyle Larson arrives at Charlotte in time for driver intros

Kyle Larson’s journey from Indianapolis to Charlotte Motor Speedway is complete.

The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet arrived via helicopter around 5:15 p.m. and will be on time for driver introductions, which are set to begin in the infield.

Larson is a former Coca-Cola 600 winner, taking the checkered flag in 2021 as part of his NASCAR Cup Series championship season.

NASCAR green flag time

While coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 is slated to start at 6 p.m., green flag for the race is scheduled to fly at 6:27.

Jon Edwards honored in Charlotte media center

Hendrick Motorsports’ Jon Edwards was a staple in the NASCAR garage for three decades.

Even after his passing in early April, he’s presence is still felt in the Charlotte Motor Speedway media center this week.

A small table was set up in the main lobby, complete with flowers and a framed reserved sign with the words, “in memory of Jon Edwards, devoted professional and beloved friend.”

Prior to last week’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Edwards was the recipient of FOX’s “Byrnsie Award”, given to someone in NASCAR “who exemplifies principles (Steve) Byrnes embodied in his professional and personal life — preparation, teamwork and family.”

Larson cleared and released from care center

After his crash on lap 92, Larson was cleared from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield care center and gave a brief comment during the television broadcast.

“I got loose and just kind of got all over the place,” Larson said. “Just hate that I got a little itchy there on the restart.

“Just bummed out. Try to get over this quickly and get on to Charlotte.”

Larson will now begin his trek southeast for Charlotte Motor Speedway to run in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night. The race is set to start shortly after 6 p.m.

Larson involved in crash on lap 92, out of the Indy 500

During a frantic restart on lap 92, Larson spun through the grass and into the wall, knocking the No. 17 Arrow McLaren entry out of the Indianapolis 500.

Larson was making a second attempt at the #H1100 in an effort to become the second driver to ever complete all laps of the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.

He will try to win his second Coke 600 starting at 6 p.m. at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports is the all time leader in wins in the NASCAR crown jewel event with 12.

Indianapolis 500 airing live on Charlotte backstretch

For those in the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield already, keeping up with Larson’s bid for the #H1100 is as simple as looking up.

The live broadcast of the Indianapolis 500 is on the big screen on the backstretch of the 1.5-mile quad-oval, keeping fans updated on Larson’s progress.

Engines fire at Indy 500

Much of Larson’s estimated leeway to make both races in the #H1100 is gone after a brief rain delay at the Indianapolis 500.

However, Engines have been fired and the race is set to get underway.

Larson is attempting to become only the second driver to complete all the laps in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. However, the latter, a NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel, remains the priority and will start at 6 p.m.

Stay tuned for updates.

Indianapolis 500 rain delay threatens #H1100

Kyle Larson’s bid for the #H1100 is again being held hostage by Mother Nature.

The start of the 109th Indianapolis 500 is under a rain delay. Larson entered the event with about a 45-minute window of leeway before he’d have to leave the track in order to make the start of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Stay tuned for updates.

Charlotte Motor Speedway weather forecast

Key in Kyle Larson’s bid to complete the #H1100 is weather.

Last year, Mother Nature did not rule in Larson’s favor, postponing the start of the Indy 500 and shortening the Coke 600.

Forecasts throughout the week indicated that rain could be a factor again, at least on the Concord, North Carolina, end and toward the end of the race. However, the latest indicates that may not be the case with the chance of precipitation hovering under 35% all the way until Monday morning.

Temperatures are expected to hover in the lower 70s until race time, reaching the mid 60s as night arrives.

Check in for more updates throughout the day!

Jeff Gordon featured on Indy 500 prerace

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon made an appearance on prerace coverage for the Indianapolis 500 to talk about Kyle Larson’s prospects heading into a busy day of racing.

With Larson making his second attempt at the #H11, his quest to run the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day has become a major storyline across the sports world in recent weeks.

“You don’t want to give a guy like Kyle Larson a second chance at something to only get better at it,” Gordon said during the broadcast. “I’ve seen since he’s in race practices and with the car setup, he’s been aggressive, and he’s been learning and I think you’re going to see an even more poised Kyle Larson today in the Indy 500.”

“Kyle is so nonchalant about the effort he puts in. He puts a tremendous amount of effort into all the details that it takes on the Cup side and on the IndyCar side. He learns really quick; he retains that information and he applies it as good as anybody.”

What time is the NASCAR race on today?

6 p.m. – Cup Series race, Prime Video

NASCAR qualifying lineup for Sunday

Chase Briscoe, No. 19
Kyle Larson, No. 5 #Hendrick1100 Chevrolet
William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Patriotic Chevrolet
Chris Buescher, No. 17
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16
John Hunter Nemecheck, No. 42
Ty Gibbs, No. 54
Noah Gragson, No. 4
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Patriotic Chevrolet
Christopher Bell, No. 20
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
Tyler Reddick, No. 45
Justin Haley, No. 7
Austin Cindric, No. 2
Michael McDowell, No. 71
Joey Logano, No. 22
Jimmie Johnson, No. 84
Josh Berry, No. 21
Ty Dillon, No. 10
Denny Hamlin, No. 11
Ryan Blaney, No. 12
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevrolet
Zane Smith, No. 38
Kyle Busch, No. 8
Daniel Suarez, No. 99
Austin Dillon, No. 3
Erik Jones, No. 43
Ryan Preece, No. 60
Cole Custer, No. 41
Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88
Riley Herbst, No. 35
Bubba Wallace, No. 23
Connor Zilisch, No. 87
Todd Gilliland, No. 34
Brad Keselowski, No. 6
Cody Ware, No. 51
Derek Kraus, No. 44
Josh Bilicki, No. 66
Carson Hocevar, No. 77
Ross Chastain, No. 1

NASCAR Xfinity results from Saturday

William Byron, No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
Connor Zilisch, No. 88
Nick Sanchez, No. 48
Justin Allgaier, No. 7
Sammy Smith, No. 8
Dean Thompson, No. 26
Josh Williams, No. 11
Austin Hill, No. 21
Ryan Ellis, No. 71
Christian Eckes, No. 16
Sheldon Creed, No. 00
Sam Mayer, No. 41
Jesse Love, No. 2
Austin Dillon, No. 3
Ryan Sieg, No. 39
William Sawalich, No. 18
Jeremy Clements, No. 51
Carson Kvapil, No. 1
Kris Wright, No. 5
Brandon Jones, No. 20
Jeb Burton, No. 27
Harrison Burton, No. 25
Brennan Poole, No. 44
Chase Briscoe, No. 19
Blaine Perkins, No. 31
Anthony Alfredo, No. 42
Garrett Smithley, No. 14
Nick Leitz, No. 07
JJ Yeley, No. 53
CJ McLaughlin, No. 91
Taylor Gray, No. 54
Daneil Dye, No. 10
Leland Honeyman, No. 70
Kyle Sieg, No. 28
Katherine Legge, No. 32
Brad Perez, No. 45
Matt DiBenedetto, No. 99
Parker Retzlaff, No. 4

Where is NASCAR racing at this weekend?

NASCAR is finishing up a busy weekend of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night.

How many laps is the Coca-Cola 600?

The Coke 600 will run for 400 laps on Sunday night. The race is divided into four, 100-lap stages.

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