CONCORD, N.C. - It's time to race for another crown jewel of the NASCAR Cup Series. This weekend, the tour heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.
Charlotte's 600-mile race dates all the way back to 1960. For Hendrick Motorsports, the team first found victory lane in the prestigious event during the 1988 running with Darrell Waltrip and repeated as champions in 1989. Jeff Gordon would find victory lane three times ('94, '97 and '98) while Jimmie Johnson won three years in a row ('03 - '05) and again in 2014. Casey Mears (07), Kasey Kahne ('12) and Kyle Larson ('21) have each won the Coca-Cola 600 once for Rick Hendrick's team.
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Outside of the scheduled activities for stock car racing's highest division, Larson will compete in the No. 17 entry at the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26. The Elk Grove, California, native will start in the fifth position for the first leg of the #Hendrick1100 before making his way to Charlotte in the 600-mile Cup Series main event.
Chase Elliott will also pilot a No. 17 car this weekend. Outside of his duties with the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team, he will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Hendrick Motorsports. The No. 17 group has already been to victory lane once in 2024 after a last-lap pass at Circuit of The Americas helped secure Hendrick Motorsports' first Xfinity Series win on a road course in team history.
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Last year's main event saw all track activity prior to the race cancelled due to weather. Monday's race saw William Byron finish in the runner-up position while leading 91 circuits on the day. That said, it was the No. 24 team's pit crew that stole the show. Per Racing Insights data, the team gained their driver 24 spots on pit road during the race, powering Byron to his best ever finish in the Coca-Cola 600.
Alex Bowman scored a 12th-place finish in what was his first event back from injury while Larson was scored 30th. The No. 5 team restarted from the second row late in the race but found trouble in turn two when Larson got loose and made contact with several competitors. Elliott's night also ended early after an incident in stage two took the team out of contention.
KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR CHARLOTTE
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, No. 5 team
With six top-five finishes, Larson now leads the Cup Series in this category. What's more impressive is his ability to run up front on a consistent basis. The No. 5 entry has spent 2276 laps inside the top five this season, the most of any driver. Larson will go for a second Coca-Cola 600 victory this Sunday.
Elliott, No. 9 team
While Elliott has yet to take home the 600-mile race at Charlotte, his record on 1.5-mile tracks has been solid. At Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway (the most recent races on tracks of this nature), Elliott has finished first and third respectively. His average finish of 9.85 in 2024 is also the best of the Cup Series. Watch for Elliott to be a factor on Sunday night in what will be his 300th start in the Cup Series.
Byron, No. 24 team
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native nearly tasted victory at his home track last season. For 2024, Byron will lean on his 153 laps out front at Charlotte over the last six races run on the oval configuration. He's also finished inside the top-10 in eight of the last 10 races on 1.5-mile tracks and will look to make it nine of the last 11 this weekend.
Bowman, No. 48 team
The No. 48 Ally Racing team has earned eight top-10 finishes in 2024, tying the group with the No. 24 team for the most of the season. In terms of average finish, Bowman sits sixth in the category at 12.69 and his four top-five results through the first 13 races of a season are a career best. He'll aim to win his first crown jewel race at Charlotte.
Hendrick Motorsports
In the last six events held on a 1.5-mile track, Hendrick Motorsports has won five times while leading 741 laps. The team has swept the three races on 1.5-mile circuits in 2024 thus far, winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas with Larson and at Texas with Elliott.
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DID YOU KNOW?
With 12 victories in the Coca-Cola 600, Rick Hendrick's group has six more victories then the next closest team.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TV COVERAGE
Friday, May 24
3:35 p.m. ET: Practice (Xfinity) - FS1
4:05 p.m. ET: Qualifying (Xfinity) - FS1
Saturday, May 25
1 p.m. ET: Xfinity Series race - FOX
5:05 p.m. ET: Practice (Cup) - FS1
5:50 p.m. ET: Qualifying (Cup) - FS1
Byron will be in Group A while Larson, Elliott and Bowman will be in Group B.
Sunday, May 26
6 p.m. ET: Cup Series race - FOX
RELATED: Every Hendrick Motorsports win on the Charlotte oval
STAGE LENGTHS: Xfinity Series race
Stage 1: Lap 45
Stage 2: Lap 90
End of Race: Lap 200
STAGE LENGTHS: Cup Series race
Stage 1: Lap 100
Stage 2: Lap 200
Stage 3: Lap 300
End of Race: Lap 400
WILL THE RACE BE ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find both events on PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
WHERE CAN I STREAM THE BROADCAST?
Fans can watch all the action with the FOX Sports Live app. For live updates and additional content during the race, head over to X and follow @TeamHendrick for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
HOW CAN I FIND FS1?
The channel number may vary depending on the location. Use this link to enter your zip code and select your television provider for assistance in finding what channel number FS1 is on your provider.