Coca-Cola 600 Betting News and Notes

Coca-Cola 600 - Driver Tale of the Tape

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)

· One win, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.917, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.378, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.4, 10th-best
· 287 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.202, 11th-fastest
· 5193 Laps in the Top 15 (60.1), 10th-most
· 863 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Ten top fives, 15 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.000, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 9.948, second-best
· Driver Rating of 104.8, second-best
· 533 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 177.199, second-fastest
· 6728 Laps in the Top 15 (77.9), second-most
· 1175 Quality Passes, series-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Six top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 20.773, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 18.392, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.1, 13th-best
· 215 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.221, 10th-fastest
· 4069 Laps in the Top 15 (51.0), 11th-most
· 757 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· One top 10
· Average finish of 19.667, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.056, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.6, seventh-best
· 72 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 177.025, third-fastest
· 514 Laps in the Top 15 (45.3), 13th-most
· 70 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Six top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.130, third-best
· Average Running Position of 11.386, third-best
· Driver Rating of 95.6, third-best
· 313 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.571, sixth-fastest
· 6255 Laps in the Top 15 (75.9), third-most
· 948 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion)

· Three wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.375, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.255, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.3, ninth-best
· 318 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.430, eighth-fastest
· 5525 Laps in the Top 15 (63.9), sixth-most
· 915 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Eight wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 13.833, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 8.105, series-best
· Driver Rating of 110.6, series-best
· 822 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 177.311, series-fastest
· 7449 Laps in the Top 15 (86.2), series-most
· 1164 Quality Passes, second-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Four wins, ten top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.000, second-best
· Average Running Position of 13.972, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 95.1, fifth-best
· 710 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.629, fourth-fastest
· 5222 Laps in the Top 15 (60.4), ninth-most
· 971 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Two wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.083, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 13.716, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.2, fourth-best
· 447 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.578, fifth-fastest
· 5766 Laps in the Top 15 (66.7), fourth-most
· 1011 Quality Passes, third-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, three top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.400, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.224, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.7, eighth-best
· 197 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.520, seventh-fastest
· 3325 Laps in the Top 15 (60.7), eighth-most
· 620 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One top five, two top 10s
· Average finish of 17.857, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.451, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.1, 12th-best
· 70 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.165, 12th-fastest
· 1180 Laps in the Top 15 (46.5), 12th-most
· 224 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, five top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 11.188, series-best
· Average Running Position of 13.012, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.0, sixth-best
· 145 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.420, ninth-fastest
· 3695 Laps in the Top 15 (64.8 ), fifth-most
· 764 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Martin Truex Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry)

· One win, three top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.217, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.602, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 84.5, 11th-best
· 267 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.097, 13th-fastest
· 5075 Laps in the Top 15 (61.1), seventh-most
· 829 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Coca-Cola 600 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

I used to have more wagers on Sunday's during Memorial Day weekend than any pro football Sunday. It was a gear-head paradise for people like me with the Formula-1 race on the streets of Monaco followed by the Indy 500 and then NASCAR's longest race of the season with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A triple-header like no other.

I still watch all three races with excitement, but I only follow the NASCAR Cup Series with attention to detail on everything going on in the series to the point I feel comfortable wagering my hard-earned money. For F-1 and the Indy cars, I'll still have a few small wagers, but it's just because I'll be up watching both of them and I want a driver or two to bet on.

Plus, breakfast with an F-1 race at Monaco is awesome television with the most amazing race cars in the world and they turn this beach side community into the place everyone wants to be, including me -- someday hopefully. I don't watch too many Formula-1 races, but I always watch Monaco because of the colors, the homes on the hillsides, the boats lined up in the harbor, the tunnel and the dressed up beautiful people everywhere. The prestige is what sets it apart from anything else. The race has been run since 1929 and it's considered one of the triple crowns of motor sports. One of the others in that group is the Indianapolis 500 and the green flag on it drops a few hours after the checkered flag waves in Monaco.

The Indy 500 has been running on the 2.5-mile layout in Speedway, Indiana since 1911. It is an American tradition and the annual race on Memorial Day Weekend has been billed as the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. I don't follow the series closely anymore, but I always watch this race. It's simply been a part of my life. It's embedded in me.

It's my birthday weekend and every year, I watch the Indy 500 and I celebrate all the fallen soldiers who sacrificed everything for my freedoms. I thank my grandfather Jay Roberts who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and my other Grandfather Paul Kukich who fought in Guadalcanal. Always and forever proud of them.

And then I watch the race. It's a routine that in many ways defines me. I love military history, I love my country, I'm proud of my own family history in this country and, of course, I also love auto racing. This day gives it all to me in a big package with a huge bow like no other.

As if the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 weren't enough to satisfy my car racing thirst, I get my favorite auto racing series, NASCAR, to finish off my best Sunday of the year.

Lewis Hamilton won at Monaco last season and I'm going with him again to just barely beat Sebastian Vettel who won at Monaco in 2011. Fernando Alonso is a two-time winner at Monaco, but he's racing in a McLaran Andretti Honda in the Indy 500. He'll start fifth and will look to be the first F-1 champion to win the Indy 500 in 22 years. He's been fast in practice, and daring in some of his moves. He's been the talk of the month at the track and a few drivers have shown they're not too happy about the attention he's getting. I love it and wish more drivers jumped over to race the Indy 500. I wish NASCAR had a couple drivers participating.

Juan Pablo Montoya won at Monaco in 2003 and he won the Indy 500 in 2000 and 2015 and each time I posted it right here in this column. Just because he's my guy, I'm betting him again. No exact science like in the past, it's just a fan bet. My top wager will be on Scott Dixon who was fastest Sunday during the Fast 9 session with an average speed of 232.164 mph.

As for the NASCAR race, I'll have plenty of wagers with a thought process where I think I know what I'm doing unlike the other two races which is more just for fun. The thing that always stands out to me most each year for the Coca-Cola 600 is trying to figure out who will be fastest at the end after all the changing conditions from daylight, to dusk to night.

“It’s just a marathon mentality," said Las Vegan Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Ford. "It’s the exact opposite of the All-Star Race. The race starts during the daytime and, even if you’re getting behind early in the race – although you can’t get too far behind – it’s difficult to find a setup that works well at both the beginning and end of the race because of how much the track changes from start to finish. It’s the end of the race, though, when they hand out the points and the check, so you hope your car will race the same way at the end as it did for the All-Star Race, provided you had a good All-Star Race. The mentality is that it’s just pit stop after pit stop with long sequence after long sequence. The All-Star Race is a 100-yard dash. The 600 is a marathon.”

This is the fifth race of the season on a 1.5-mile track, not including last week's non-points All-Star race, and Martin Truex Jr. has won two of the previous four. Last season in this race, Truex put on the most amazing display of domination Charlotte Motor Speedway has ever seen. He led 392 of the 400 laps in the Coca-Cola 600. He won on the last 1.5-mile track at Kansas two weeks ago and he also won at Las Vegas in March.

Kyle Larson is also going to be tough to beat. He doesn't have a win on a 1.5-mile track this season, but he's got three runner-ups and a sixth-place. He's also got a win on the 2-mile layout at Fontana and he dominated two stages last week in the All-Star Race last week at Charlotte. I'm looking for him to carry over a strong performance on Sunday night and get the win.

We can also expect Penske teammates of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano to both be very good Sunday. Logano's 11.2 average finish is the best among all active drivers despite finishing 36th last fall. He won the fall Charlotte race in 2015. Keselowski won the fall Charlotte race in 2013 and has been ninth or better in the past four races. He was fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 last season. The duo has been outstanding on 1.5-mile tracks all season.

I've been waiting for Joe Gibbs Racing to show speed on 1.5-mile tracks and I finally got it with Kyle Busch winning the All-Star Race last weekend, but I'm still skeptical. That was a small sample size and no one else showed speed within the team. Busch just got a great jump on the final restart and used a slower car in front of him as a pick, and then he got clean air and only had to stay in the lead for 10 laps. I take note that he fast under the same night conditions as we may see Sunday night, but the fact also remains that Busch has never won a points Cup race at Charlotte.

Top-5 Coca-Cola 600 Finish Prediction:

1) #42 Kyle Larson (7/1)
2) #4 Kevin Harvick (8/1)
3) #78 Martin Truex Jr. (7/1)
4) #2 Brad Keselowski (8/1)
5) #18 Kyle Busch (8/1)

Charlotte Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Who's HOT at Charlotte

• Defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. has combined to lead 523 laps in the last two Coca-Cola 600s.
• Jimmie Johnson, who finished third in this event last year, leads all drivers with eight wins.
• Kevin Harvick has finished in the top 10 in seven of the last eight races, including two wins - one coming in this event in 2013.
• Brad Keselowski has posted a 7.9 average finish in the last seven races, including a win in the 2013 fall race.
• Kurt Busch has finished in the top 10 in the last four races with a 7.2 average finish in the span.
• Kyle Busch, winner of last weekend's All-Star Race, has finished ninth or better in 14 of his last 19 starts.
• Joey Logano, winner of the 2015 fall race, ranks second in laps led (248) in the last five races.

Keep an Eye On at Charlotte

• Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray have finished in the top 10 in each of the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. Three of Larson's finishes were in the runner-up position.
• Ryan Blaney has led the most laps (231) in the last two races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Clint Bowyer (10.2), Chase Elliott (11.5) and Trevor Bayne (12.0) each have a top-10 ranked average finish at 1.5-mile tracks in 2017.
• Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman each have finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races at Charlotte.
• Kasey Kahne is a four-time winner at Charlotte, but only has one top 10 (fourth) at a 1.5-mile track this season - Atlanta.
• Teams in the Cup Series and XFINITY Series will run the same tire set-up at Charlotte this week. Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Blaney, Keselowski, Harvick and Hamlin are the drivers doing double duty.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Kevin Harvick
Pete Pistone: Brad Keselowski
Robbie Mays: Jimmie Johnson
Tyler Burnett: Kevin Harvick
John Singler: Kevin Harvick

Driver Notes - Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at Charlotte

Martin Truex Jr. dominated this event last year, leading 392 laps en route to the win. The win was his third top five in three of the last four races at Charlotte. Truex also led the most laps (131) in the 2015 running of the Coca-Cola 600. This season, Truex is the only multiple winner at 1.5-mile tracks and is second in laps led (303).

Kurt Busch is one of two drivers that have finished in the top 10 in the last four races at Charlotte. The last time he led laps at CMS came in this event in 2015 when he was up front for 118 laps. This season, Busch has finished in the top 10 in two of the four races at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Busch will debut a new chassis (No. 003) in the Coca-Cola 600.

Ryan Newman has finished in the top 15 in his six Charlotte starts with Richard Childress Racing with four of them coming in the top 10. He finished fourth last fall for his second consecutive top 10. This season, Newman has yet to finish inside the top 15 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks. A mechanical issue at Texas raised his average finish to 29.5 in the four races.

Brad Keselowski is one of two drivers that have finished in the top 10 in the last four races at Charlotte. His one Charlotte win came in the 2013 fall race. Keselowski, who won at Atlanta earlier this year, ranks second in average finish (3.5) and fourth in laps led (114) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks in 2017.

Kevin Harvick finished 38th last fall due to an engine failure to snap a streak of seven top-10 finishes. Harvick is a two-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 with the last one coming in 2013 with Richard Childress Racing. He has one win in the fall race and three runner-up finishes at CMS with Stewart-Haas Racing. This season, Harvick leads all drivers with 379 laps led in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same chassis (No. 995) he won with at Kansas last fall.

Denny Hamlin finished 30th last fall due to an engine failure to snap a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes. Hamlin has only finished outside the top 10 twice in the last 13 races at Charlotte. This season, Hamlin scored his only top 10 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks at Las Vegas, sixth.

Joey Logano finished 36th last fall to snap a streak of two consecutive top 10s that includes a win the 2015 fall race where he led 227 laps. An accident at Kansas ended a streak of finishes of sixth or better in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Jamie McMurray has finished 19th or better in the last eight races at Charlotte, including three top 10s. This season, McMurray ranks fourth in average finish (8.2) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Kyle Larson finished fifth last fall for his second top 10 in seven starts at Charlotte. This season, Larson leads all drivers with a 3.0 average finish in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks, including three runner-up finishes.

Matt Kenseth has led 249 laps, posted five top 10s and an average finish of 11.9 in his eight starts with Joe Gibbs Racing at Charlotte. He finished in the top 10 in both events last season, including a second-place finish in the fall. Kenseth's first career Cup Series win came in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2000, driving for Roush Fenway Racing. This season, Kenseth ranks fifth in average finish (10.0) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Kyle Busch, winner of last weekend's All-Star Race, is still winless in points-paying Cup races at Charlotte. He finished sixth last fall for his 15th top 10 in 26 starts. Busch is coming off his best performance at a 1.5-mile track this season, leading 59 laps and finishing fifth at Kansas.

Austin Dillon scored his only top 10 in six Charlotte starts in the 2015 fall race - seventh. Dillon, who finished 12th in the 2016 Coca-Cola 600, is coming off his best finish (16th) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. This weekend, Justin Alexander will take over as Dillon's crew chief.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recorded his last of 12 top 10s in 33 starts at Charlotte in this event in 2015. Earnhardt has one top 10 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season, finishing fifth at Texas last month.

Kasey Kahne is coming off his 14th top 10 in 26 Charlotte starts, finishing third last fall. Kahne is a four-time winner at Charlotte, with the last coming in this event in 2012. This season, Kahne's fourth-place finish at Atlanta is his only top 10 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Chase Elliott finished eighth in this event for his only top 10 in three starts at Charlotte. Elliott did lead 103 laps last fall, up until being involved in an accident. Earlier this month, Elliott finished 29th at Kansas to snap a streak of three consecutive top 10s at 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Coca-Cola 600 - Drivers to Bet
By: StatFox.com

After an exciting All-Star Race last week, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series remains in Concord for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday. Martin Truex Jr. will be the defending champion when the drivers get back out on the track for this one, but it is Jimmie Johnson who will feel like the real king of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Johnson has won the Coca-Cola 600 four times in his career, which ties him for the most ever wins in this race. The other guy that has won this race four times is Darrell Waltrip. Two other active drivers that will be eager to start this race are Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick. Kahne has won this race three times in his career, so a three-way tie with Waltrip and Johnson is certainly doable on Sunday. Harvick, meanwhile, has won this race twice. The team that has had the most success in this race is Hendrick Motorsports, which has 11 victories here. Chevrolet, meanwhile, is the most successful manufacturer with 23 drivers winning behind the wheel of a Chevy. With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at some of the best values on Sunday:

Jimmie Johnson (6-to-1) - As previously mentioned, Johnson has won the Coca-Cola 600 four times in his career. He is arguably the best driver ever at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and that is a good reason to back him in this race. It certainly helps that Johnson is getting favorable odds at 6-to-1. It also helps that Johnson is driving well coming into this one. He might have finished in 24th at the Go Bowling 400, but Johnson has two wins in the last five races. That five-race sample isn’t even including the All-Star Race, which saw Johnson finish in third.

Kyle Larson (6-to-1) - Like Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson also drove very well at the All-Star Race last week. Larson came in second in that one, and he’ll now look to finish on top on Sunday. Larson also happens to be coming off of a sixth place finish at the Go Bowling 400. He is driving extremely well at the moment, and that is the reason he finds himself getting some not-so-favorable odds in this race. Still, he’s worth backing because of his recent performance.

Matt Kenseth (25-to-1) - Matt Kenseth is struggling a bit coming into this race, but that just makes him a better value play. Kenseth is receiving some ridiculous 25-to-1 odds, and much crazier things have happened than him winning this race. In fact, Kenseth won the Coca-Cola 600 back in 2000. And while that might have been a very long time ago, it shows that Kenseth has the chops to win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The same can’t be said for a lot of the other guys getting odds in this range.

Kasey Kahne (50-to-1) - Kasey Kahne hasn’t won a race since 2014, but his success at Charlotte Motor Speedway speaks for itself. As previously mentioned, Kahne has won the Coca-Cola 600 three times in his career. That is no easy feat, and it’s absurd that somebody with his track record in Concord would be getting odds like 50-to-1. He’s going to be one of the more comfortable drivers in this race on Sunday, and he is worth a small backing because of that.