A look at the NASCAR qualifying results and starting lineup for the 2026 Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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The NASCAR Cup Series will contest one of its crown jewel races with heavy hearts all around on Sunday night. Along with the custom tribute to many fallen servicemen and women that comes with the Memorial Day Weekend race, the sport will also contest the Coca-Cola 600 in memory of Kyle Busch who tragically passed away this week.
Richard Childress Racing announced on Friday that Austin Hill will pilot the No. 33 in place of Busch, while the iconic No. 8 car will not take the track again this season. The passing of one of the best drivers to ever compete in NASCAR is a weight the field will carry for 600 miles under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
As for the importance of NASCAR qualifying results this week, Charlotte’s 1.5-mile layout rewards track position but does not demand it. The sheer distance of the race affords the field ample time to sort itself out, and multiple grooves of speed and changing track conditions give drivers options throughout the night. Still, the grid offers useful insight into early race strategy and which teams will look to establish themselves up front from the outset.
The following shares the official starting grid for Sunday’s race, along with Charlotte Motor Speedway track details and key observations from practice and qualifying. If you are playing some fantasy today, make sure you check out our DraftKings NASCAR DFS picks for the Coca-Cola 600!
NASCAR Qualifying Results at Charlotte Motor Speedway
2026 Coca-Cola 600 Race Info
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
Start Time: 6 p.m. EST
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway — Concord, NC
Coverage: Amazon Prime Video
Pole Sitter: Tyler Reddick
Defending Champion: Ross Chastain
Coca-Cola 600 Race Breakdown
Distance: 600 miles
Laps: 400
Lap Length: 1.5 miles
Stages: Four (100 laps each)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4
Banking: Turns — 24°; Straights — 5°
Official Coca-Cola 600 Starting Lineup
Sadly, the rain storms forecasted in the greater Charlotte area throughout the week have already had an impact on the racing this weekend. Showers and unsuitable wet track conditions forced a cancellation of Saturday’s Cup Series qualifying session.
As a result, the NASCAR qualifying results and Coca-Cola 600 starting lineup have been determined via the rulebook and metrics formula based on a combination of season results to date.
Under this format, it’s no surprise that Tyler Reddick will start on the pole for Sunday’s race. With five wins already in the bag this season, he has a distinct advantage with regard to the owner points portion of the metric used.
What is interesting is that the majority of the calculus in the event of a rainout relates back to the most recent race. With last week’s NASCAR All-Star Race not awarding points, the results from Watkins Glen two weeks ago are used to help set the grid. With that being a road course, some of the prohibitive favorites this weekend will be starting much deeper in the field than expected. This could lead to some very entertaining racing early on.
The table below shares the complete Coca-Cola 600 starting lineup and NASCAR qualifying results for Sunday night’s race.
| Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team | Manufac. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | Shane van Gisbergen | 97 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Michael McDowell | 71 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 8 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 9 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 10 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Preece | 60 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 13 | Austin Hill | 33 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Daniel Suarez | 7 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 16 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 18 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Zane Smith | 38 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 20 | Todd Gilliland | 34 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 21 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 22 | Cole Custer | 41 | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet |
| 23 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 25 | Connor Zilisch | 88 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 27 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 28 | Noah Gragson | 4 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 29 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 30 | Riley Herbst | 35 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 31 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | HYAK Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 34 | Josh Berry | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 35 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 36 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Garage 66 | Ford |
| 37 | Katherine Legge | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 39 | Corey Heim | 67 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Practice and Qualifying Notes
- With Saturday’s qualifying session being rained out, NASCAR used its rule book to set the starting lineup. The qualifying metric is based 70% on the owner’s previous race finish and 30% on the current owner points position.
- Ty Gibbs will join Tyler Reddick on an all-Toyota front row as determined by the qualifying metric.
- Denny Hamlin, the betting favorite to win Sunday’s race, will roll off 11th due to his struggles on the road course two weeks ago.
- Due to their struggles at Watkins Glen, all four of the Hendrick Motorsports cars will be mired deep in the NASCAR qualifying results for the Coca-Cola 600. Chase Elliott represents the first HMS Camaro starting 16th.
- Austin Hill will start 13th in the No. 33 car for Richard Childress Racing in place of Kyle Busch.
- There was a brief practice session for the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday afternoon once the track was dry enough. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. posted the fastest lap at 185.765 mph.
- Michael McDowell ranked third in single-lap speed during practice and was the fastest car in terms of ten-lap average.
- Corey Heim hit the wall late in the practice session but was able to make it back to pit road.
