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NASCAR at Charlotte 2021: Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream and Drivers
May 29, 2021
The NASCAR Cup Series' longest race of the season takes place in its traditional spot on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
The Coca-Cola 600 has been won by some of the most prestigious drivers in the sport, and recently it has been dominated by Joe Gibbs Racing.
Joe Gibbs Racing has won three of the last six May races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. One of its drivers, Martin Truex Jr., won in 2016 before he joined Gibbs.
Truex and the other 39 drivers in the field will determine their starting positions through a qualifying session on Saturday morning.
That marks the second week in a row the NASCAR Cup Series race will have its starting grid determined by a weekend session.
In previous weeks, the grid was made up by a pre-determined formula that took into account points and recent results.
Coca-Cola 600 Info
Date: Sunday, May 30
Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: FoxSports.com or Fox Sports app
Odds
Kyle Larson (+500; bet $100 to win $500)
Chase Elliott (+600)
Martin Truex Jr. (+600)
Kyle Busch (+650)
Denny Hamlin (+900)
Kevin Harvick (+1100)
Brad Keselowski (+1200)
Joey Logano (+1200)
Ryan Blaney (+1400)
Alex Bowman (+1400)
William Byron (+1400)
Preview
Even though the Gibbs cars have had recent success at Charlotte, it is the Hendrick Motorsports drivers on top of the odds chart.
Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are the two favorites on top of the grid entering Sunday. Elliott won the rain-shortened race at the Circuit of the Americas last Sunday.
Hendrick has two straight victories, with the other coming from Alex Bowman at Dover International Speedway. All four Hendrick cars placed in the top four in that event.
If the team extends its dominance into Charlotte, it can pick up its first Coca-Cola 600 victory since Jimmie Johnson in 2014.
Elliott has the most-recent win on the circuit at Charlotte, but that occurred on the road course in October.
Elliott was second to Brad Keselowski last May. Bowman led 164 laps in that event, but he finished in 19th.
Keselowski comes into the 400-lap race with speculation building about his seat for the 2022 season. The No. 2 car driver is being rumored with a move away from Penske Racing to Roush Fenway Racing, per Motorsport.com's Jim Utter.
The reigning Coca-Cola 600 champion did not add much to the speculation when asked about it in the Charlotte garage, per NASCAR.com's Chase Wilhelm.
"I can't talk about that, but I appreciate you asking," Keselowski said. "When I can, I'll tell you."
When he won last May, Keselowski led just 21 laps and started in ninth position. Because of the length of the race, starting position is not as important as it is at other tracks.
As the sun sets, the track conditions will change, and the crews must make adjustments and adapt their pit strategies to deal with the changing conditions on the track.
For example, four of the top 10 drivers last May started 15th or worse, with Ryan Blaney's third-place finish from 26th the best of the lot.
Saturday's qualifying session will be more of a turn back to a normal race weekend than a tone-setter for Sunday. There has not been a qualifying session or race on an oval since the Daytona 500.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from NASCAR.com.
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