The longest race of the NASCAR Cup Series season is on deck for Sunday evening. The Coca-Cola 600 is an annual staple of Memorial Day Weekend. In addition to the must-see pre-race festivities and tributes, all cars will be carrying the name of a fallen soldier tonight during the 600-mile race. After tying the all-time series wins mark last week, the Hendrick Motorsports quartet are all near the front of the Coca-Cola 600 starting lineup.
This article contains all kinds of vital information to get you set for this weekend’s action at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Read on for the Coca-Cola 600 starting lineup, start time, race facts and NASCAR stats.
NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway
61st Coca-Cola 600
Date: Sunday, May 30, 2021
Start Time: 6 p.m. EST
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway — Concord, NC
Coverage: FOX
Pole Sitter: Kyle Larson
Defending Champion: Brad Keselowski
Coca-Cola 600 Race Details
Distance: 600 miles
Laps: 400
Lap Length: 1.5 miles
Stages: Four (Laps 1-100; 101-200; 201-300; 301-400)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4
Coca-Cola 600 Starting Lineup
See below for a breakdown of qualifying.
| Starting Position | Driver | Car Number | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Ty Dillon | 42 | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 11 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | Kurt Busch | 45 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 14 | Erik Jones | 43 | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing | Ford |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 18 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing | Ford |
| 19 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 20 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 21 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 23 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 24 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 25 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 26 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Justin Allgaier | 77 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 28 | Noah Gragson | 16 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | J.J. Yeley | 15 | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 30 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 31 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 32 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 33 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 35 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 36 | Josh Williams | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Overview
Most weeks, this section has been reserved for the same canned overview of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying formula. But this week, we had actual qualifying! Along with the Daytona 500 and each of the races at new tracks, the Coca-Cola 600 was one event that NASCAR permitted the normal time trial qualifying and practice sessions that we are accustomed to.
As a result, this week’s Coca-Cola 600 starting lineup truly reflects those cars that were fast in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying. Kyle Larson picked up right where he left off on 1.5-mile ovals with a time of 29.953 seconds to grab the pole position. He was joined by four other drivers in posting a sub-30 second qualifying time. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (29.96), Chase Elliott (29.969), William Byron (29.97) and Kevin Harvick (29.993) round out the top five.
Coca-Cola 600 Race History and NASCAR Stats
- Originally known as the World 600, this race was started with the goal of competing with the IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day Weekend. However, due to Charlotte Motor Speedway construction not being finished in time, the first race in 1960 was held in mid-June.
- The Coca-Cola 600 is considered to be one of the NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel races. It has been run on Memorial Day Weekend every year since 1961 and makes up part of what is known as ‘The Greatest Day of Racing’.
- Darrell Waltrip leads the all-time wins list for drivers with five victories in NASCAR’s longest race. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is just behind with four.
- Among active drivers, only two have won the Coca-Cola 600 multiple times. Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag in 2011 and 2013 while Martin Truex Jr. triumphed in both 2016 and 2019.
- Thanks to an overtime finish, last year’s race covered a total distance of 607.5 miles. Brad Keselowski earned the victory with an average speed of 135.024 mph.
- Hendrick Motorsports owns the most all-time victories in this race among teams with 11. However, no HMS driver has won the event since Jimmie Johnson back in 2014.
- Richard Childress Racing is a distant second to Hendrick Motorsports with six career Coca-Cola 600 wins. Interestingly enough, Brad Keselowski’s triumph last year marked just the second win in this race for Team Penske.
- Chevrolet owns a sizable lead over all other manufacturers with 24 total wins in this race.
