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Coca-Cola 600 Driver Tale of the Tape
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ortho Ford)
· Five top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.3
· Average Running Position of 15.3, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.7, eighth-best
· 303 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.378 mph, ninth-fastest
· 3,918 Laps in the Top 15 (54.6%), ninth-most
· 700 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), ninth-most
Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 19.4
· Driver Rating of 84.4, 12th-best
· 216 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 3,833 Laps in the Top 15 (53.4%), 10th-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Skittles Toyota)
· 10 top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.1
· Average Running Position of 9.8, second-best
· Driver Rating of 106.7, second-best
· 478 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 177.219 mph, second-fastest
· 5,624 Laps in the Top 15 (78.4%), second-most
· 1,007 Quality Passes, second-most
Carl Edwards (No. 19 Subway Toyota)
· Six top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.3
· Average Running Position of 14.6, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.6, seventh-best
· 1,671 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· 4,450 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), seventh-most
· 848 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Five wins, 17 top fives, 24 top 10s; nine poles
· Average finish of 15.5
· Average Running Position of 14.2, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, sixth-best
· 280 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.644 mph, third-fastest
· 4,562 Laps in the Top 15 (63.6%), sixth-most
· 826 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)
· Four top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.5
· Average Running Position of 12.6, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.8, fifth-best
· 239 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.433 mph, sixth-fastest
· 4,837 Laps in the Top 15 (71.4%), third-most
· 791 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser / Jimmy John’s Chevrolet)
· Three wins, five top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.8
· Average Running Position of 16.4, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.7, 11th-best
· 214 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 1,609 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· 4,254 Laps in the Top 15 (59.3%), eighth-most
· 743 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Patriotic Chevrolet)
· Seven wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 11.4
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.6
· Series-best Driver Rating of 111.6
· Series-high 688 Fastest Laps Run
· 1,444 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 177.298 mph
· Series-high 6,277 Laps in the Top 15 (87.5%)
· Series-high 1,031 Quality Passes
Kasey Kahne (No. 5 LIFTMASTER Chevrolet)
· Four wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.5
· Average Running Position of 11.8, third-best
· Driver Rating of 100.8, third-best
· 667 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 1,642 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.601 mph, fourth-fastest
· 4,725 Laps in the Top 15 (65.9%), fourth-most
· 874 Quality Passes, third-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 DEWALT Toyota)
· Two wins, nine top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.6
· Average Running Position of 13.8, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.5, fourth-best
· 379 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 1,531 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.531 mph, fifth-fastest
· 4,680 Laps in the Top 15 (65.2%), fifth-most
· 854 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· One win, two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.7
· Average Running Position of 14.6, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 86.5, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.408 mph, eighth-fastest
Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Four top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 10.0
· Average Running Position of 14.0, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.4, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.344 mph, 11th-fastest
Coca-Cola 600 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
Okay fellow gear-heads, we've got one hell of a day of racing action ahead of us on Sunday. It's the ultimate motorsports day of the year for us, much like the first Thursday of the college basketball tournament or Super Bowl is for everyone else.
It starts bright and early as the sun rises with the Monaco Grand Prix Formula-One race (8:00 a.m. ET), then just as breakfast is served you get to watch the Indy 500 (12:00 p.m. ET) and just when you start to get hungry again and thirsty for a beer, NASCAR’s 12th race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600, takes center stage (6:15 p.m. ET). Man, this is going to be some kind of marathon, and truth be told, I’m likely to get thirsty closer to lap 50 of the Indy 500.
I wish I had some advice to offer on the two open-wheel races to start the day, but I don’t and it wouldn’t be fair to just throw some names down and opinions when I haven’t followed each series as close as I did when keeping my own ratings chart on all auto series when working for sports books. I know Lewis Hamilton is dominating again in F-1 and Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel are a notch below. In the IndyCar Series, I know the Penske Racing cars are the ones to beat and I’ve always liked Juan Pablo Montoya, so that’s who I’ll root for. I will watch both races regardless on my limited current knowledge on them and my only bet between the two races will be Montoya to win, who is listed at 7/1 (Bet $100 to win $700) at the Westgate SuperBook.
The Indy 500 has always been an important event every year of my life and that won’t change, but I’m certainly at the lowest point of interest I’ve ever had and I think millions of other Americans have kind of the same feeling. The betting here in Las Vegas has reflected it as well -- I've got only one bet myself. It was just 10 years ago when I offered three full pages of props at my books and scoured the city looking for any 'mistakes' at other books. Now I don't care as much and I couldn't clearly differentiate what a 'mistake' is.
However, NASCAR is an entirely different story as my interest seems to have grown and my rating chart has expanded to include more variables. I’m excited about seeing the longest race of the season, but also come in with hopes we don’t see the same type of racing we saw during the All-Star Race where there was very little passing -- only four different lap leaders. Get out from, and stay out from. That was the theme during Friday‘s qualifying races and Saturday‘s race.
So I guess the question is who is going to be able to get out front and be there at the end of 600 miles. Denny Hamlin’s win last week showed that Joe Gibbs Racing can compete on 1.5-mile tracks with the Stewart-Haas duo of Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch as well as Hendrick Motorsports Jimmie Johnson. Harvick has finished first of second on four 1.5s so far this season and Johnson has won three of the four. Hamlin got the win, but it’s not a points race, so it kind of doesn’t count except for the big $1 million check he got.
But what we can take away from the All-Star Race was practice and how the cars moved during the race. Aside from Hamlin winning, Busch and Harvick were the most impressive. Jeff Gordon also performed better than Johnson, which is a good sign because he hadn’t fared too well on 1.5s, or at least early on. He’s progressively gotten better and had a best of fourth at the last one in Kansas.
With the race being so long, as always, it’s about who can adjust to changing conditions the best. The race starts in the day, then moves to dusk and then at night and all three changes alter the way to car handles.
Johnson’s crew won that battle last year which gave him fourth Coca-Cola 600 win and seventh overall at Charlotte, not including his four All-Star race wins. Johnson’s win last season was his first on a 1.5-mile track in 2014 and he would go onto win Texas later in the year. In 2015, he’s gone 3-for-4 already on them. He wasn’t impressive in the All-Star Race, but he’s a tough guy to go against at Charlotte.
Harvick won in the fall at Charlotte last season for his third career win there, and since then has finished second or better on all seven 1.5-mile tracks. The races he didn’t win, Johnson did. That’s a pretty telling stretch for both drivers making it hard to come up with reasons why they won’t win again this week.
The best argument for betting against them is Kurt Busch, who actually had his driver rating match Harvick’s on a 1.5-mile track for the first time this season. Busch had the fastest five and 10-consecutive lap averages during All-Star practice, and while his team is likely to use a different chassis this week, they have some great notes to apply and get them started in the right direction for Sunday night’s race.
Kyle Busch looked good Saturday night in his return and gave further evidence that JGR cars are getting close to being ready to halt Harvick and Johnson’s run. Sunday’s race will be his first official race of 2015 and he’ll be looking for his first career Charlotte Cup win. It’s surprising he doesn’t have one because he’s ran very well there with 10 top-five finishes in 22 starts.
Joey Logano has the best career average finish (10th) at Charlotte among all active drivers. He’s led 179 laps on the four 1.5s this season and won twice on them last season. His teammate, Brad Keselowski, won on them three times last season, but Harvick and Johnson have been hogging them all up lately. Both Penske drivers are right next to Kurt Busch as the most likely drivers to topple Harvick and Johnson.
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #22 Joey Logano (8/1)
2) #4 Kevin Harvick (4/1)
3) #41 Kurt Busch (6/1)
4) #2 Brad Keselowski (8/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
Drivers to Watch - Charlotte
By Sportsbook.ag
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Coca-Cola 600
Sunday, May 24th – 6:00 p.m. ET
Charlotte Motor Speedway – Concord, NC
The All-Star racers stay in North Carolina and will be joined by the others for the Coca-Cola 600 this week, a long-standing race that was first established in 1959. Since that time there has been 14 different racers that have claimed multiple victories on the 1.5-mile, asphalt track, with four of them (Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick) running this week.
The best of that group has been Johnson who has won this event four times in the past (2003, 2004, 2005, 2014), dominating the 24-degree banks with his time of 4:07:27 in the win last year. Just last week, the track was busy with the Sprint All-Star race which was won by Denny Hamlin, but featured a very different format.
Let’s now look at some of the entrants who have a chance to do well this week.
Drivers to Bet
Kevin Harvick (3/1) - Vegas believes that Harvick is the clear-cut favorite this week in Charlotte and there is good reason for that as he’s dominated this year with top-eight finishes in all but one race, which was Bristol where he led for 184 laps, and has been either first or second nine times. He has been the runner-up at three of the past four races and is coming off one of those at this track last week. He does have three career wins when running on Charlotte Motor Speedway and has done great recently at the Coca-Cola 600 with two wins, a runner up and an eighth-place showing in the past four years. Harvick is as good as a lock as there could be to top the leaderboard and it would not be a mistake to drop some units on him.
Matt Kenseth (15/1) - Kenseth has also been running hot recently with four top-seven finishes, including a win in Bristol, over his last five times out. His fifth place in the All-Star race last week was no fluke as he has been tremendous at this venue in the past with two wins and a total of 16 top-10s in 31 races. His driver rating of 95.5 at the track ranks fifth-best and he’s always been near the top with an average running position of 13.8 (5th best) behind blazing fast speeds (176.531 MPH, fifth-fastest). Kenseth is nowhere near Harvick at this point, but the price point is nice for him and putting a few units on the 32-time Sprint Cup race winner could pay out.
Kyle Busch (20/1) - Busch made his return to the track last week after dealing with multiple injuries during the Xfinity Series race in Daytona back in February. Following a lengthy recovery, he showed up at the All-Star race ready to compete again and was able to grab a sixth-place finish. He could continue a solid comeback in Charlotte this week as he has 10 top-five finishes here in 22 attempts, putting him only behind Jimmie Johnson for most since 1975, as Johnson has needed 27 visits to the track to accomplish his mark of 13. He’s spent 5,624 laps (78.4%) in the top-15 (second-most) when here and is always on the lookout to make moves with 1,007 quality passes (second-most). Busch’s odds are likely low with his limited races this year, so now is the time to jump on him before they go up.
Jamie McMurray (30/1) - McMurray is joined by Johnson, Kahne, Harvick and Kenseth as the five active racers who have earned multiple wins here in their careers and all four of them sit ahead of him in odds. He did struggle in the All-Star race, ranking 16th out of 20, but was fifth in this race during the 2014 season and has been one of the more consistent racers this year. He ranks 10th in the Sprint Cup Series standings behind finishing in the top-14 at each of the past six races prior to last week and had a runner-up performance in Phoenix back in March. Charlotte Motor Speedway is where McMurray won his first of seven Sprint Cup Series races back in 2002, and now 449 starts later, he could get an upset win here once again.
Paul Menard (100/1) - Menard has just one career win, but is in the midst of a career season and has finished in the top-20 at the last four point earning races. As a result, he’s jumped up to 14th in the Sprint Cup Series standings and looks to build on that mark in Charlotte where he has earned two top-10s in the past. He has been able to improve his standing in this particular race over each of the past four years and earned one of those top-10s here last season when he finished eighth after starting with a pole position of 21st. Menard has been having success this year and his improvements at this track in recent years put him as one of the top sleepers.
Sportsbook.ag - Odds to win Coca-Cola 600
Kevin Harvick 3/1
Jimmie Johnson 6/1
Brad Keselowski 7/1
Joey Logano 7/1
Kurt Busch 7/1
Jeff Gordon 12/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15/1
Matt Kenseth 15/1
Carl Edwards 20/1
Denny Hamlin 20/1
Kasey Kahne 20/1
Kyle Busch 20/1
Kyle Larson 20/1
Martin Truex Jr. 20/1
Jamie McMurray 30/1
Ryan Newman 60/1
Tony Stewart 75/1
Chase Elliott 100/1
Clint Bowyer 100/1
David Ragan 100/1
Paul Menard 100/1
Ryan Blaney 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
AJ Allmendinger 200/1
Aric Almirola 200/1
Austin Dillon 200/1
Greg Biffle 200/1
Danica Patrick 300/1
Ricky Stenhouse 500/1
Trevor Bayne 500/1
Driver-By-Driver Breakdown
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com
NASCAR's longest race of the season takes place this Sunday night (6 p.m. ET, Fox) at Charlotte Motor Speedway to cap off the most exciting auto racing day of the year. It's a three-chapter story of thrills with the Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 happening one after another.
Less than a decade ago, the Indy 500 saw the most betting action in Las Vegas among the three events with pages of props offered, but if you walk up and down the Strip today, you'll be lucky to find Indy driver matchups. At some point this week, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook will post matchups, but no one is beating down the doors to bet it.
As betting interest on the Indy 500 has dramatically fallen, action on NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 has risen. The origins of the divide between the two events can be traced to former Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George, who helped jump start NASCAR's popularity in 1994 by allowing stock cars to race on the storied bricks, and in 1996 formed the Indy Racing League and left Indy car fans divided since the the best drivers were still in CART.
However, the Indy 500 is still an American institution and part our Memorial Day tradition. I'll still watch as a a way to honor my grandfather, a man who was in the 'Battle of the Bulge' and saw many of his friends die while fighting Nazis. This was his day for honoring those friends, and he chose to watch the Indy 500, and I will continue to do the same no matter how unpopular the event becomes. I just won't have many bets like years past -- only one this year: Juan Pablo Montoya at 7-to-1 odds to win.
One of the most interesting things to watch during the Coca-Cola 600 is who best adjusts to the changing conditions, because the race begins in the day, goes to dusk and then night falls. Each of those changes drastically alters the way the car performs. There's also more miles put on an engine at maximum RPMs than in any other race, which is why we'll see drivers not run so many laps during practices.
Let's take a look at all the Coca-Cola 600 odds offered by the Westgate:
KEVIN HARVICK 3/1: When he won the fall Charlotte race last season, it began a run of seven straight races finishing first or second on 1.5-mile tracks. In the four races he finished runner-up, Jimmie Johnson won. He's won three times on this high-banked quad oval, including twice in the Coca-Cola (2011, 2013).
JIMMIE JOHNSON 6/1: He looked very sluggish during the All-Star Race and practices, but his three wins on 1.5s this season suggest he'll be just fine. In each of those three wins, he closed out strong with crew chief Chad Knaus making the winning adjustments near the end. He won this race last year for the fourth time. He also has three fall race wins at Charlotte as well as four others in the All-Star Race. The track may not be sponsored by Lowe's anymore, but Johnson has done a job marketing the company by dominating with his No. 48 Chevrolet. He's led 1,733 laps at this track over his career, nearly double the next closest active driver.
KURT BUSCH 7/1: He won this race in 2010, but what makes him a nice pick -- if you dare go against Harvick or Johnson -- is how he performed in the lone All-Star practice, where he had the fastest five and 10-consecutive lap averages. He'll likely be using a different chassis this week, but the No. 41 team definitely hit upon something that will be effective on long runs Sunday night.
BRAD KESELOWSKI 7/1: He won the fall race in 2013 and three times on 1.5s last season. He led 27 laps at Texas and 43 laps at Kansas in the past two 1.5s, demonstrating an upward progression. Give him a green-white-checker with him in the first two rows and his tenacity will prevail, just like at Fontana's wide 2-mile layout where he led only one lap -- the last one.
JOEY LOGANO 7/1: His 10th-place average finish at Charlotte is the best among active drivers, and he's led 179 laps this season on 1.5s. He's a good candidate to win the pole and lead a bunch of laps early, and might just be in store for his first career Charlotte win.
JEFF GORDON 12/1: He won this race in 1994 and then three straight from 1997-99, but his only other win here came in the fall of 2007. He was second last fall and looked very racey during the All-Star race.
DALE EARNHARDT JR 15/1: How is it possible that a kid who grew up minutes from the track and has spent more time there than at any other track has never won in 30 career points races there? He won the All-Star Race as a rookie in 2000, but that's it in the Cup series. Maybe this is the year where everything falls into place, and he's never come in with so many wonderful credentials on 1.5s as he has this year, finishing fourth or better on all four. For a driver that has been so consistent on these type of tracks, 15-to-1 is certainly attractive to take a shot with.
MATT KENSETH 15/1: He won his first career Cup race in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600, one week after another rookie, Dale Jr., won the All-Star race. His only other win in Charlotte came in the 2011 fall race, but he's got a strong 13.6 average finish in 31 career starts.
KYLE BUSCH 20/1: He makes his official 2015 Cup debut this week and showed promising speed with the fastest lap during All-Star practice. The fact that teammate Denny Hamlin held on to win the All-Star Race makes any driver within the Joe Gibbs Racing organization a little more attractive -- they're closing the gap on the Hendrick engines. He's had 10 top-five finishes in 22 career starts and has led 903 laps.
DENNY HAMLIN 20/1: He got his first Charlotte win of any kind last week, but is still winless in 19 points-paying races. However, his 13.4 average finish is fifth-best among active drivers. In 2012, he was runner-up in both Charlotte races. Seven different times a driver has won the All-Star and Coca-Cola 600 on back-to-back weekends with Kurt Busch being the last in 2010. His team gets a boost in the ratings by having the best pit crew in the series.
CARL EDWARDS 20/1: His 11.2 average finish is second-best among all active drivers, but he doesn't have a win in 20 starts. Career-best of third-place three times.
KASEY KAHNE 20/1: He's got four Charlotte wins and an 11.4 average finish over 22 starts. He's got a knack for this track, and he's got a Hendrick engine. However, his best finish on a 1.5 this season was eighth at Texas, where led six laps.
MARTIN TRUEX JR 20/1: Career-best seventh during his track debut in 2005. What makes him attractive this week is finishing ninth or better on the four 1.5s this season.
KYLE LARSON 20/1: Makes his fourth start on the track where he made his Cup debut, and his best finish here was sixth-place last fall.
JAMIE McMURRAY 30/1: He grabbed his first career Cup win at Charlotte in the fall of 2001 while filling in for an injured Sterling Marlin and won again in 2010. Last season he was fifth and third between the two races and also won the All-Star Race. Of all the long shot possibilities, he presents the best opportunity to win.
RYAN NEWMAN 60/1: Runner-up in 2009 and has an 18.5 average finish over 28 starts.
TONY STEWART 75/1: He won in the 2003 fall race, but still hasn't taken a Coca-Cola 600 victory. That leaves this race and the Daytona 500 as his two biggest voids over such a great career. Because teammates Harvick and Busch are doing so well, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him sprout up one day and run just as fast as them. Let's see it happen before betting him, though, even though we've never seen his odds higher (he was 75/1 at Kansas, too).
CHASE ELLIOTT 100/1: Makes his third career Cup start in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 25. The first two were at Richmond (16th) and Martinsville (38th), but over his Xfinity Series career, he's been at his best on 1.5s with wins at Chicago and Texas.
RYAN BLANEY 100/1: This isn't Talladega where everyone has a chance like he did a few weeks ago, so don't expect too much out of the famed No. 21 this week.
DAVID RAGAN 100/1: A 23.6 average finish over 16 career starts with a best of second-place in 2011 in this race. One positive this week is the No. 55 finished eighth at Atlanta in March with first-time driver Brett Moffitt.
PAUL MENARD 100/1: A 22.9 average with a career-best of eighth-place twice, including this race last year.
CLINT BOWYER 100/1: 2011 fall race winner, but no speed to brag about on 1.5s in 2015. However, he looked fast while winning one of the Sprint Showdown segments last week.
GREG BIFFLE 200/1: He had an outstanding Sprint Showdown practice and then checked out in clean air en route to winning the second segment. He finished fourth in both 2012 races, but has been 16th or worse in his past four starts.
AUSTIN DILLON 200/1: Two solid runs last season (16th, 13th), but he's yet to match it on any 1.5 this season.
AJ ALLMENDINGER 200/1: His lone top-five finish came in 2011, and he's got a 21.9 average finish in 14 starts. Finishing sixth at Las Vegas and 14th at Kansas shows he can be trusted in matchups.
ARIC ALMIROLA 200/1: One thing you have to admire about him this season is that he battles. His +9.4 ratio from start position to finish position is tops in the series. He's made six Charlotte starts with a 19.6 average finish.
DANICA PATRICK 300/1: Five career starts at this track with a 28.8 average finish. She currently sits 17th in points, just two points behind Bowyer for the final Chase transfer position. It's still way too early to talk Chase, but we've never seen her so close this late.
TREVOR BAYNE 500/1: A 22.6 average finish in five career starts.
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 500/1: Made his first career Cup start at Charlotte in 2011 and finished 11th. That finish remains his best among five other starts.
FIELD 500/1: Instead of making this awful wager, try betting Lewis Hamilton in the Monaco Grand Prix instead.
Chassis Selections
Jayski.com
#3-Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 503 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is a new chassis for the RCR stable being utilized under race conditions for the first time this weekend.
#4-Kevin Harvick: will pilot the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS built on Chassis No. 4-843 in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Charlotte. Built in 2014, Chassis No. 4-843 won two races, two pole positions and led 748 laps in its first season. It led 23 laps and finished 41st in its debut at Las Vegas. Harvick won the pole and led 238 laps en route to winning the Southern 500 at Darlington. At Dover, Harvick won the pole, led 223 laps and finished 13th. The final race of 2014 for Chassis No. 4-843 was perhaps the most impressive as it started third and led 264 laps in a must-win performance that kept Harvick's slim Sprint Cup championship hopes alive at Phoenix in November. In its only start of 2015, Harvick started and finished second and led 116 of 325 laps at Atlanta.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-911 for Sunday's race at Charlotte. In October 2014, Kahne drove the car to a 10th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In March 2015, he drove the car at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished 14th. Most recently, Kahne raced the chassis at Texas Motor Speedway in April, where he finished eighth.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-938 is a brand new racecar that has never turned a wheel on the racetrack. It has, however, visited the wind tunnel numerous times.
#24-Jeff Gordon: crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-861 for this Sunday's race. The chassis has been raced six times previously. Earlier this year, Gordon finished seventh at Texas while he had finishes of 17th at Atlanta, sixth at Michigan, seventh at Charlotte and Darlington and 13th at Fontana in 2014.
#27-Paul Menard will utilize chassis No. 501 this weekend in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is a brand new Richard Childress Racing-prepared Serta/Menards Chevrolet SS and will make its first laps on Thursday during practice.
#31-Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 511 in the Coca-Cola 600. This is the first time this season Newman will race this #31 Quicken Loans Chevy.
#32-Mike Bliss Crew Chief Clinton Cram will be bringing chassis GGR 815 to serve as the primary car. This chassis last raced at Kansas on May 9th with Joey Gase. Chassis GGR 289 will serve as the backup car.
#41-Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 933 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Built new for 2015, Chassis 933 will see its first laps of competition this weekend.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: For this weekend's event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-936, which is a brand new Chevrolet SS. The backup car is 48-824, which last raced at Pocono Raceway in June 2014.
#55-David Ragan: will drive primary chassis 794 has not raced in 2015. Jeff Burton finished 20th at NHMS in July 2014. Backup: 814 - finished eighth at Atlanta with Moffitt. In 2014 it finished 16th at Indianapolis with Clint Bowyer. Vickers finished 13th at Richmond in September & 37th at Charlotte in October.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend at Charlotte, crew chief Greg Ives and the #88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-810. Earnhardt most recently raced the chassis to fourth-place finish at Las Vegas in March. It is the same chassis Earnhardt drove to Victory Lane at Pocono in June and August of last season.
Driver Handicaps: Charlotte
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com
MRN.com's detailed notes and statistics to help you set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Who's HOT at Charlotte
• Kevin Harvick is coming off his third win in the last eight races.
• Jimmie Johnson won this event last season for his seventh win.
• Kasey Kahne has posted an average finish of 6.2 dating back to his win in this event in 2012.
• Kyle Busch, who will make his first points-paying start of the season, has finished in the top five in seven of the last 10 races.
• Five-time winner Jeff Gordon is coming off his 24th top 10 and third straight.
• Joey Logano (10 starts) leads all drivers with a 10.0 average finish.
• Carl Edwards (8.0) and Denny Hamlin (9.2) each rank in the top five in average finish in the last five races.
Who to Keep an Eye On at Charlotte
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3.2), Martin Truex Jr. (6.5), Brad Keselowski (7.0), Ryan Newman (8.8), Matt Kenseth (10.8) and AJ Allmendinger (12.0) each rank in the top 10 among the drivers that have raced in all four of the races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Aric Almirola, Kasey Kahne, Truex Jr. and J.J. Yeley participated in the Goodyear Tire Test in March.
• Harvick, Almirola, Logano, Jamie McMurray, Hamlin, Ryan Blaney. Truex Jr., Michael McDowell, Clint Bowyer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Yeley participated in the open test (one per team) the day after the tire test.
• Kurt Busch has led 65 laps and posted an 11.0 average finish in his two starts at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Greg Biffle raced his way into last weekend's Sprint All-Star Race and is coming off his best run at a 1.5-mile track this season with a 12th-place run at Kansas Speedway.
• Kyle Larson has a 14.3 average finish at 1.5-mile tracks dating back to his sixth-place finish at Charlotte last fall.
• Chase Elliott is entered in the Coca-Cola 600.
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kevin Harvick
Pete Pistone: Kurt Busch
John Singler: Brad Keselowski
Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish (More than one start) in Last Five Races at Charlotte
Stats are for Charlotte unless noted
Kevin Harvick: Coming off third win in his last eight starts. Harvick combined to lead 262 laps and post an average finish of 1.5 in his first two track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing last season. Harvick, who leads all drivers with 407 laps led and an average finish of 1.8 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season, will return in the same car (chassis No. 843) that he led 116 laps and finished second with at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Kasey Kahne: Is a four-time Charlotte winner and finished second in both races in 2014. Kahne posted an average finish of 12.0 in both races last season and ranks 12th this season in average finish (14.0) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Kahne will return in the same car (chassis No. 911) that he last finished eighth with at Texas Motor Speedway.
Carl Edwards: Coming off sixth top 10 in the last seven races. This weekend, Edwards will make his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. His only top 10 at a 1.5-mile track with JGR came at Texas Motor Speedway, in 10th.
Denny Hamlin: Won last weekend's All-Star Race. Hamlin's best finish in a points-paying race is second (twice) coming in the last nine races where he's finished in the top 10 eight times. Hamlin's only top 10 in one of the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in fifth.
Jimmie Johnson: Won this event last year for his seventh win in 27 starts. Johnson has combined to lead 294 laps in his last three starts. He leads all drivers this season with three wins in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Johnson will debut a new car (chassis No. 824) in the Coca-Cola 600.
Joey Logano: Has finished in the top 10 in seven of his 12 starts to give him a series leading average of 10.0. Logano ranks third in average finish (5.8) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season and is coming off two straight top fives.
Matt Kenseth: Finished 19th last fall to snap a streak of two consecutive third-place finishes. Kenseth is the top Toyota driver this season at 1.5-mile tracks based on his average finish of 10.8. His last of two Charlotte wins came in the 2011 fall race with Roush Fenway Racing.
Ryan Newman: Coming off a seventh-place finish and third top 10 in the last four races. Newman ranks sixth in average finish (8.8) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks and finished 10th at Kansas Speedway in first race with substitute crew chief Todd Parrott. This weekend, Newman will race chassis No. 511 for the first time this season.
Kyle Busch: Will make his first points-paying start of the season. Busch has finished in the top five in seven of the last 10 races at Charlotte. He's won a combined 14 times in the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series at Charlotte.
Jamie McMurray: Finished in the top five in both races last season. McMurray's last of two wins came in the 2010 fall race. His lone top 10 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season came at Texas Motor Speedway, in sixth.
Tony Stewart: Has only finished in the top 10 twice in his last 13 starts. This season, Stewart has yet to finish inside the top 20 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks where he holds a 31.5 average finish. This weekend, Stewart will debut a new car (chassis No. 938) in the Coca-Cola 600.
Jeff Gordon: Finished second last fall for his third straight top 10. Gordon's last of five wins came in the 2007 fall race. He's coming off two straight top fives at 1.5-mile tracks this season, including a seventh-place at finish with the car (chassis No. 861) he will run in the Coca-Cola 600.
Austin Dillon: Has posted a 14.5 average finish in two starts. Dillon will look to improve his 25.2 average finish at 1.5-mile tracks this season by debuting a new car (chassis No. 503) in the Coca-Cola 600.
Brad Keselowski: Led 43 laps and finished 10th last year in this event. Keselowski has one win and an average finish of 15.7 in 11 overall starts. Keselowski ranks fifth in average finish (7.0) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
Clint Bowyer: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in his last three starts and also the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. Bowyer's last of five top 10s at Charlotte came in this event in 2013. He also won the 2012 fall race.
Martin Truex Jr.: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in two track starts with Furniture Row Racing. However, Truex does rank fourth in average finish (6.5) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season, including a second-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Kurt Busch: Finished 40th in this event last season in first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing due to an engine failure. Busch won this event in 2010 with Team Penske. He will look to improve his 11th-place run last fall with SHR by debuting a new car (chassis No. 933) in the Coca-Cola 600. He's coming off his first top 10 at a 1.5-mile track in two starts this season, eighth at Kansas Speedway.
Greg Biffle: Last of eight top 10s came in 2012 when he finished fourth in both races. Biffle is coming off his best finish of the season at a 1.5-mile track, in 12th.
Trevor Bayne: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in five starts. Bayne's best finish in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season is 18th at Texas Motor Speedway.
AJ Allmendinger: Is coming off best finish in two track starts with JTG Daugherty Racing, in 12th. This season, Allmendinger has posted a 12.0 average finish in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks, including top 10s.
NASCAR Odds and Driver Ratings
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com
Kurt Busch is situated nicely to win his first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway since 2010 after laying down the fastest lap in each of Saturday’s final practices in preparation for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600.
Busch’s lap of 192.644 mph under the cooler conditions of the early session was almost a full mph faster than the next fastest, Matt Kenseth. In the afternoon session, Busch’s lap of 188.653 mph was 1.6 mph faster the second-fastest, Kasey Kahne. This is a continuation from last week’s All-Star Race practices where Busch looked like the driver to beat until finishing third.
The most surprising angle from Saturday’s Coca-Cola 600 practices was how mortal Kevin Harvick looked on a 1.5-mile track with only the 30th and 10th fastest lap between the two sessions, easily his worst effort on these types this season.
One way to analyze this is that the other drivers are catching up to Harvick's dominance that has seen him finish second or better on the four 1.5s this season and seven straight races dating back the last season. It’s obvious the Joe Gibbs cars are stronger than ever, including Denny Hamlin’s All-Star win and Matt Kenseth sitting on the pole this week.
From another view, one can assume Harvick’s crew was working on some different schemes in anticipation of the track running under different conditions from day to night. With all of Harvick’s recent success on these tracks, it’s hard to believe he has fallen so far down the charts. He’s also using the chassis that won twice last season and led 116 laps at Atlanta on March 1.
Still, you have to trust speed and who has it no matter what time of day the practices were run. Busch tops the charts a week after looking so dominant, and gets the slight nod over both Jimmie Johnson and Harvick as the driver to beat Sunday.
Johnson had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average during the early session and Kahne was tops during the afternoon.
Denny Hamlin didn’t show great speed like teammates Kenseth and Carl Edwards, but he had the second fastest 10-consecutive lap average in the final session. Kyle Busch should be competitive as well Sunday, but he’s a tough driver to wager on to win or in match-up props, because there's a possibility of a driver switch. Erik Jones was fitted for a seat and turned a few laps in the No. 18 during the final session.
Even though a lot can happen during those last 100 miles of the Coke 600, the cream has usually risen to the top in this race with the last real upset coming in 2009 (David Reutimann). The past five winners have been Johnson, Harvick, Kahne, Harvick again and Kurt Busch, all of whom gave indications in practice they could win again.. Come to think of it, so did Reutimann, but he wasn't a popular betting choice.
Micah Roberts’ Top-10 Driver Ratings, Coca-Cola 600
1. Kurt Busch 7/1. 2010 winner; continued smoking speeds from All-Star week into final practices Saturday.
2. Jimmie Johnson 6/1. Seven time winner; will be fourth driver ever to lead 1,000 laps in Coca-Cola 600 with 10 laps led.
3. Kevin Harvick 3/1. Three-time winner; had worst practice of season, but is using chassis that won twice in 2014.
4. Matt Kenseth 15/1. Two-time winner with 13.6 average finish; best candidate to get non-chevy a win on 1.5-mile track.
5. Joey Logano 7/1. Active leader with 10th-place average over 12 starts; has led 179 laps on 1.5-mile tracks in 2015.
6. Brad Keselowski 7/1. 2013 fall winner; won three times on 1.5s in 2014, best of 2015: fifth with 27 laps led at Texas.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15/1. No wins in 30 career starts; using fourth-place Vegas chassis that won twice at Pocono in 2014.
8. Kasey Kahne 20/1. Four-time winner with 11.4 average finish -- he loves this place; using eighth-place Texas chassis.
9. Carl Edwards 20/1. No wins, but has second best average finish (11.2) among all active drivers; Gibbs cars are fast!
10. Martin Truex Jr. 20/1. No top-five finishes in 19 starts, but has finished ninth or better on all four 1.5-mile tracks in 2015.
Note: This is the fifth of 11 races on 1.5-mile tracks this season. The major difference here is that it’s the longest race of the year with three different climate changes (day, dusk, night) and none of the practice session were run at dusk or night.