Coca-Cola 600 Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Race

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.

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