NASCAR at Charlotte 2016: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
Joey Logano leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup series into Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina.
Logano emerged as the winner of the wild All-Star Race last week and looks like a surefire contender for 600 miles of epic overtakes and fuel management Sunday evening.
Most anyone can pull off the endurance game well and compete for the checkered flag in Charlotte, though, with notables such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. always in consideration. With Martin Truex Jr. on the pole, a new face could get win No. 1 on the season and punch an automatic bid, too.
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Before the drama unfolds, let's break down the notable details to understand.
Viewing Details
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina
When: Sunday, May 29, at 6 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 418 | 1 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 397 | 3 |
| 3 | Kurt Busch | 386 | 0 |
| 4 | Carl Edwards | 381 | 2 |
| 5 | Jimmie Johnson | 370 | 2 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 368 | 2 |
| 7 | Chase Elliott | 341 | 0 |
| 8 | Joey Logano | 340 | 0 |
| 9 | Martin Truex Jr. | 336 | 0 |
| 10 | Austin Dillon | 315 | 0 |
| 11 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 314 | 0 |
| 12 | Matt Kenseth | 313 | 1 |
| 13 | Denny Hamlin | 308 | 1 |
| 14 | Jamie McMurray | 296 | 0 |
| 15 | Ryan Blaney | 288 | 0 |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | 283 | 0 |
NASCAR at Charlotte Lineup
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 3 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 6 | 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 9 | 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 11 | 27 | Paul Menard |
| 12 | 24 | Chase Elliott |
| 13 | 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 14 | 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 15 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 16 | 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 17 | 13 | Casey Mears |
| 18 | 21 | Ryan Blaney |
| 19 | 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 20 | 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 21 | 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 22 | 34 | Chris Buescher |
| 23 | 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 24 | 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 25 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 26 | 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 27 | 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 29 | 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 30 | 44 | Brian Scott |
| 31 | 7 | Regan Smith |
| 32 | 95 | Michael McDowell |
| 33 | 38 | Landon Cassill |
| 34 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 35 | 23 | David Ragan |
| 36 | 98 | Cole Whitt |
| 37 | 30 | Josh Wise |
| 38 | 46 | Michael Annett |
| 39 | 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt |
| 40 | 55 | Reed Sorenson |
Drivers to Watch
Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards isn't fresh in the minds of most right now, but he's a serious threat each time out.
After back-to-back wins in Bristol, Tennessee, and Richmond, Virginia, Edwards has finished 35th, 11th and 28th before a fourth-place slot in the All-Star race.
He probably wouldn't have it any other way, either, especially because it's easy to forget one thing—he won this race last year.
Last year, Edwards only led 25 laps. But this year he's gunning for Victory Lane out of the ninth slot and can approach the race however he pleases with an automatic bid to the Chase already punched.
He's been a strong advocate for how the sport continues to evolve, too, per Fox Sports:
Edwards continues to experiment and figure out what works in the new environment. Sunday, he returns home with little to lose, and as such, he looks like a safe contender for a repeat.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Maybe the biggest surprise from qualifying in the week leading up to the spectacle in Charlotte was Earnhardt's performance.
Thanks to odd struggles, Earnhardt will go from the 25th slot Sunday, though he stressed the difference between qualifying and the race itself on Twitter:
Still, it's a rough starting slot for Earnhardt in a season in which he has yet to grab a win and has started 20th or farther back seven times, including this Sunday.
It's important that Earnhardt at least landed third in last weekend's events, breaking a string of four placements 13th or worse. And he's not a terrible thought as a contender Sunday evening because he's right—if there's a driver who knows how to survive an endurance test and make a late push, it's him.
Joey Logano
It's always a good idea to pay close attention to the guy who won on the same track a week ago.
After taking home a win in Charlotte last week, Logano has his eyes on doubling down and says the momentum gained will play a role, according to FoxSports.com's Joe Menzer:
"That definitely gives us momentum for us and our race team. Going into last weekend we came off three crashes in a row. That confidence gets killed in those moments. I think our team is a lot stronger than that, so it's nice to break through after three tough weekends and be able to break through and get that first victory of the year -- even though it was the All-Star Race and it didn't count for points.
"
It would be a huge boon for Logano to parlay the win into another, too, because he has yet to punch an automatic bid of his own this season. He's posted just four top-10 finishes, so now would be an opportune time for him to get over the proverbial hump.
Recall, too, Logano took home the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year in the second half of the season. As far as contenders go Sunday, there's plenty of evidence suggesting Logano has what it takes to get his bid.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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