NASCAR at Charlotte 2019 Results: Martin Truex Jr. Wins Coca-Cola 600
May 27, 2019
Martin Truex Jr. won his third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in five tries as he took down the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
Truex, who won the Toyota Owners 400 and Gander RV 400 in the past six weeks, led for 116 laps and took down Stage 3.
Joey Logano will hold on to first place in the season-long Monster Energy NASCAR Cup standings after finishing second in Charlotte. He managed a top-two finish despite never finishing top six in the first three stages or leading a lap at any point.
Kyle Busch led for the second-most laps (79) and took third. Brad Keselowski, who won the first and second stages, finished 19th.
Here's a look at the top-10 finishers as well as highlights and reaction:
1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Joey Logano
3. Kyle Busch
4. Chase Elliott
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
6. Chris Buescher
7. Alex Bowman
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. William Byron
10. Kevin Harvick
Highlights and Reaction
Truex was the center of attention for much of the race, none more notably than when he made a four-wide pass within the final five laps to take first.
Brandon Marks of the Charlotte Observer described the action:
"When a caution came out with 10 laps left, that set up a five-lap dash to the finish and an insane restart. David Ragan opted not to pit, instead setting up a situation where Truex and challenger Joey Logano had to battle to get by one another. Truex made a risky pass going four-wide, and Logano hit him in the rear bumper, shaking the No. 19 loose.
"But Truex, somehow, hung on. He steadied himself. Stabilized what had been anything but a stable race. And from there, Truex only had to drive away for his second 600 victory."
Truex had an eventful night. He made contact with Bayley Currey, ending the latter driver's night early:
Currey's team didn't seem pleased, per comments that RACER writer Kelly Crandall relayed:
Truex also wasn't happy with Chase Elliott earlier in the race:
He ended up winning his second Coke 600, though, despite some earlier pessimism. He was ninth after Stage 1 and 12th following Stage 2.
Logano didn't fare well in the beginning but saved his best for last en route to a second-place finish. He credited his pit crew for a job well done.
As for Keselowski, his night ended in disappointment with 10 laps remaining.
He still impressed with some nice moves to take some leads, however, including a nifty pass on Alex Bowman to win Stage 2.
Despite the 19th-place mark, his night was better than those of Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson and Clint Bowyer, however, as those three crashed near the end. No injuries were reported.
The race held a special significance, as NASCAR paid a midrace tribute to servicewomen and men with a moment of silence during Memorial Day weekend.
NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 400 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. FS1 will televise the race.