Coca-Cola 600 Betting News and Notes

Charlotte - Driver Tale of the Tape

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion)

· Six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.045, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.560, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.0, eighth-best
· 313 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.285, 10th-fastest
· 4327 Laps in the Top 15 (54.7), 12th-most
· 759 Quality Passes, ninth-most

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

· Ten top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.500, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 9.732, second-best
· Driver Rating of 106.1, second-best
· 499 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 177.151, second-fastest
· 6202 Laps in the Top 15 (78.4), second-most
· 1094 Quality Passes, second-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One win, seven top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 18.909, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.798, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.2, 11th-best
· 280 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.146, 13th-fastest
· 4552 Laps in the Top 15 (57.6), 10th-most
· 784 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One top 10
· Average finish of 13.000, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.474, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 85.3, 12th-best
· 21 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.500, fifth-fastest
· 978 Laps in the Top 15 (66.6), fourth-most
· 167 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· One win, seven top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.545, second-best
· Average Running Position of 14.126, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.8, seventh-best
· 147 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.270, 11th-fastest
· 5130 Laps in the Top 15 (64.9), sixth-most
· 961 Quality Passes, third-most

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

· Five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.762, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.920, third-best
· Driver Rating of 94.9, fifth-best
· 288 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.472, sixth-fastest
· 5547 Laps in the Top 15 (73.9), third-most
· 873 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Three wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.864, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 15.398, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.7, 10th-best
· 270 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.295, ninth-fastest
· 4975 Laps in the Top 15 (62.9), eighth-most
· 842 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Seven wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 14.909, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 8.563, series-best
· Driver Rating of 109.0, series-best
· 699 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 177.226, series-fastest
· 6718 Laps in the Top 15 (85.0), series-most
· 1102 Quality Passes, series-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Four wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.955, third-best
· Average Running Position of 13.267, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.4, third-best
· 689 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.647, third-fastest
· 4944 Laps in the Top 15 (62.5), ninth-most
· 922 Quality Passes, fifth-most

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

· Two wins, ten top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.955, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.906, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 95.5, fourth-best
· 428 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.537, fourth-fastest
· 5187 Laps in the Top 15 (65.6), fifth-most
· 939 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.538, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.069, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 87.8, ninth-best
· 169 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.402, eighth-fastest
· 2687 Laps in the Top 15 (56.7), 11th-most
· 545 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 9.571, series-best
· Average Running Position of 12.658, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.6, sixth-best
· 120 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 176.435, seventh-fastest
· 3216 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7), seventh-most
· 711 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Coca-Cola 600 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

It's a huge Memorial Day weekend for auto racing fans as three big races happen across the world. It begins early Sunday morning with the Monaco Grand Prix, followed by the Indianapolis 500 and then closes with NASCAR's longest race of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Coca-Cola 600. What a fantastic triple feature.

Normally, I'd break down the Indy 500 as the primary race featured in this spot, but hardly anyone bets it any more so why bother. Las Vegas handles don't lie and the Indy 500 has been in a massive decline the past two decades to the point where Sunday's NASCAR race will handle four times more action than the 100th running of the Indy 500. I'll still watch it and I'll even bet a few drivers to win, but my action on the NASCAR race will be 10 times more than the IndyCar race.

Last year I got lucky with Juan Pablo Montoya and I'm going to roll with him again Sunday. Team Penske has won four the five Indy races this season and Chevy has won all five. Team Penske also has 16 Indy 500 wins, easily the most by any car owner. This is the race Penske puts all their research and development into and they have the most resources and cash to give themselves an edge over everyone else, so that's good enough for me.

The reason I prefer NASCAR more is the ratings for each driver are truer. We have a lot of data to go off of, especially on 1.5-mile tracks. So the first thing we'll do is look back at what happened in the previous four races on 1.5s with an emphasis on Atlanta and Texas results because the two tracks run most similar to Charlotte. Last week's All-Star Race was also run at Charlotte, but between the randomness of the rule changes, the results don't tell the whole story. One thing we can take out of the All-Star race was that Kyle Larson was very fast and we should expect another good run Sunday.

Kyle Busch has never won at Charlotte in any Cup points race or the All-Star Race, but he's the only driver to finish in the top-five in all four races on 1.5s. He's also won the past two races on them (Texas, Kansas). Over his Cup career at Charlotte in points races he's had 10 top-fives in 24 starts. That's good stuff!

The best value of the bunch might be Dale Earnhardt Jr., who also surprisingly has never won a points race at Charlotte (32 starts). The reason Junior should be looked at seriously at 15-to-1 odds is because of runner-ups at Atlanta and Texas this year. He's also starving for a win this season.

Jimmie Johnson leads active drivers with seven wins, the last coming in 2014. He's been outstanding on these type of tracks with the new low downforce package winning at Atlanta, finishing third at Las Vegas while leading the most laps (76) and fourth at Texas. He also won at Fontana's 2-mile layout where the set-up requirements are similar.

Joey Logano has a series leading 9.5 average finish in 14 starts and won for the first time at Charlotte last fall. He also won the All-Star race last week, but they won't be any goofy lineup inversions this time around. Still, he's shown over time he likes this track and his crew is a good candidate to make the winning changes needed over the final 100 laps.

What's so unique about this race is that it starts in the day, runs through dusk and then closes out at night. That's three different climates and temperatures where the car has to be continually adjusted on the fly. All the practices will be run in the day with qualifying run on Thursday night, so you're going to get a feel in any of those sessions that will be applicable to race conditions. Of course, fast is fast -- always, but it's still something to consider and not go all-in with the practice times like a normal race when finalizing wagering options.

As for the Formula-1 race at Monaco, a place Montoya also won when he drove in the series, we have to starts with Nico Rosberg who won the first four races and then also look at 18-year-old Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago. Lewis Hamilton, winner of the 2008 Monaco GP, has yet to win this season and it's a good spot and price just because of teammate Rosberg dominating. Let's go with Hamilton to get his first win.

Indy 500 Top-5 Finish Prediction

1) #2 Juan Pablo Montoya (6/1)
2) #3 Helio CastroNeves (6/1)
3) #12 Will Power (8/1)
4) #22 Simon Pagenaud (8/1)
5) #98 Alexander Rossi (100/1)

Coca-Cola 600 Top-5 Finish Prediction

1) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
4) #20 Matt Kenseth (8/1)
5) #22 Joey Logano (8/1)

NASCAR betting odds for drivers to win the Coca-Cola 600
By Greg Engle
Examiner.com

It’s back to points racing this week. After NASACR’s shortest race, the All-Star event we are heading back to the same track for NASCAR’s longest event, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The extra 100 miles can take a toll on cars, teams and drivers. It’s a marathon event, a Memorial Day tradition and caps off a day of great racing around the world from Monaco, to Indy.

The same drivers seen near the front at every 1.5 mile track should be in play this Sunday. However, being in NASCAR’s backyard there is usually a bit more incentive to shine. Here are our favorites for Sunday’s thirteenth race of the year for your betting or fantasy racing leagues. Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2015 races (21 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Driver Rating is a number based on a formula developed by NASCAR which combines "loop data" elements such as average running position, average speed under green, number of fastest laps, and other stats. There is a maximum of 150 points that a driver can earn for each race. The odds are current as of Wednesday morning.

Jimmie Johnson (6-1) is the man to beat this week, again. He’s the favorite and for good reason. He has the most wins among active drivers here, the highest driver rating in the field, 109.0, and won this race two years ago. He crashed early in last year’s race and will have the extra motivation of wanting redemption. If he can keep it together Sunday, Johnson will be the one to beat.

Kyle Busch (6-1) has never won a Sprint Cup points race at Charlotte, one of only two tracks he has yet to accomplish that feat, Pocono being the other. While he has never won here, he does have the second highest driver rating, 106.1, and just a few weeks ago won at Kansas for his first Sprint Cup victory at that track. Kyle should be a strong contender to mark Charlotte off his list Sunday.

Matt Kenseth (8-1) has two Charlotte wins to his name. He’s been strong all season long and looked that way in the All-Star race. Kenseth has the fourth highest driver rating in the field, 95.5, led 26 laps in route to a fourth place finish in this race last year, and could add a third Charlotte win to his resume Sunday.

Kevin Harvick (6-1) has three wins at Charlotte. He’s been strong at times on the 1.5 mile tracks and can be hot and cold here. He won the fall Charlotte race in 2014, but was 9th in this race last year. His driver rating of 87.7 is 10th among the field. If Harvick is hot Sunday, he could be a contender.

Brad Keselowski (10-1) is somewhat of a sleeper. He won the fall race here in 2013, his only Charlotte victory to date, and was seventh in this race last year. He has the ninth highest driver rating 87.8, but has looked strong most of the season and was second Saturday night in the All-Star race.

Others: Joey Logano (10-1) is Keselowski’s teammate and the winner of this year’s All-Star Race. He also won the fall race, the last time the series visited here. He has the sixth highest driver rating, 93.6, and with his performance Saturday could shine again Sunday. Martin Truex Jr. (8-1) is a long shot but he has come close to winning and led the most laps in this race last year. He has an unimpressive driver rating of 81.1, outside the top 10, but Truex has looked good at times and it would not be a surprise if he were able to seal the deal Sunday.

NASCAR at Charlotte Betting Odds, Driver Preview
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

The 13th race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season takes us to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the schedule. This will be the fifth race run on a 1.5-mile track, but the big difference from the other four is the changing conditions of the track where the race starts in daylight, goes to dusk and closes out in the cooler night air for the final laps.

The 13th race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season takes us to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the schedule. This will be the fifth race run on a 1.5-mile track, but the big difference from the other four is the changing conditions of the track where the race starts in daylight, goes to dusk and closes out in the cooler night air for the final laps.

“Having a car balance that you can adjust because so much changes from the day when it’s hot and sunny, and then you get into the night when it cools down a little bit without any sun on the track," said three-time Coca-Cola 600 winner Kasey Kahne. "The track changes for grip. So if you can tighten your car up at the right times and do it the right way to where you don’t lose the attitude that you are looking for throughout the race, that’s key."

All the practice sessions this week on Thursday and Saturday will be run in the daylight, which makes being ideally set-up for the final 100 laps at night harder to prepare for, but they also have all the data from last weeks All-Star race run under Charlotte lights to utilize.

“Last weekend’s All-Star event was in essence a ‘test’ for this weekend," said crew chief Chad Knaus, who has set-up four winning Coca-Cola 600 cars for Jimmie Johnson. "We learned some important things about tire fall off even though we didn’t get a ton of practice. The 600-miler is a tough, tough race and it takes a lot of patience and some endurance on everyone’s part to be there at the end.”

Johnson comes in as one of three 6-to-1 co-favorites to win on the basis of his series leading seven wins at Charlotte.

Here's a look at all the odds posted at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook with a brief look how each driver has fared over the years at Charlotte.

Kevin HARVICK 6/1 - Three-time winner, including 2011 and 2013. On the 1.5-mile tracks most similar to Charlotte, he led a race-high 131 laps at Atlanta and finished sixth and finished 10th at Texas. He'll be using the same chassis he used last week in the All-star race that led 21 laps in the first segment.

Jimmie JOHNSON 6/1 - Seven-time winner, including taking five of six races from 2003-05. He's the only driver to win four straight on the track that has hosted two races a season since 1960. He's also led a series-best 1,735 laps over his career. Beyond all his past history, the top reason to back him this week is doing well on tracks where the new low downforce package is a big deal; he won at Atlanta and Fontana, was third at Las Vegas and fourth at Texas.

Kyle BUSCH 6/1 - Just two tracks, Charlotte and Pocono, have avoided a Busch victory burnout in the Cup series. He's also never won the non-points All-Star race at Charlotte, so that's three chances a year for the past 12 years that he's gone winless. However, he's been close several times. He's got 10 top-five finishes in 24 starts and has led 907 laps. His best stat supporting his first Charlotte win Sunday is that he's the only driver to finish in the top-five in all four 1.5-mile tracks this season, including winning the last two at Texas and Kansas. His Kansas win on May 7 was the first of his career there.

Matt KENSETH 8/1 - He won his first Cup race in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 and also won the fall race there in 2011. This will be his 34th start at Charlotte, which is tied with Tony Stewart for the most among active drivers.

Carl EDWARDS 8/1 - He won this race last season, his first at Charlotte. In 22 starts, he has seven top-fives and has led 137 laps. His best finish on a 1.5 this season was fifth at Atlanta.

Martin TRUEX JR 8/1 - Makes his 22nd Charlotte start and had his only career top-fives there last season. The main reason he can win this week is leading the most laps in the past two 1.5s: 141 laps led at Texas and 172 at Kansas.

Joey LOGANO 10/1 - He won at Charlotte for the first time last fall and won last week's All-Star race. He'd be the eighth driver to win the All-Star race and Coca-Cola 600 on back-to-back weekends. His 9.5 average finish in 14 starts is tops among active drivers.

Brad KESELOWSKI 10/1 - He won the 2013 fall race and finished in the top-10 of both races last season. His Las Vegas win is a good indicator of doing well Sunday, as is his runner-up in last week's All-Star race.

Denny HAMLIN 12/1 - He's got an All-Star win at Charlotte, but none in points-paying races. However, he's finished 10th or better in 10 of his last 11 starts there, including runner-up in both 2012 races.

Kurt BUSCH 12/1 - 2010 Coca-Cola 600 winner, one week after winning the All-Star race. He'll be using a chassis this week that was scheduled to start at Fontana but wrecked during practice forcing him to a back-up. Sunday will be its first official laps turned in a race

Dale EARNHARDT JR 15/1 - It's crazy to think that he's never won at Charlotte in 32 starts. He grew up near the track and still lives there. It's home. His legendary father made his Cup debut there in 1975 in a spot start thanks to generosity from then-track president Humpy Wheeler and then later won five times. This should be one of his most cherished tracks, but no wins in points races (won 2000 All-Star race) make it tough for him to rank it up there with Talladega and Daytona.

However, if we look at the two tracks most similar to Charlotte, there's good reason to believe he might be in store for his first win there and first of the season. He was second at Atlanta and and Texas and got stronger as the race went on. With an extra 100 miles for this race, he could turn out to be the beneficiary. At 15-to-1, he offers the best value on the board.

Chase ELLIOTT 18/1 - He's been 12th or better in his last six starts, including four top-fives. Nine drivers have won their first career race at Charlotte, including Jeff Gordon winning the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 driving the No. 24. He's going to win soon and 18-to-1 odds aren't going to be seen on him much more as he appears to be delving into elite driver status.

Kasey KAHNE 25/1 - After a sluggish start to 2016, he's finished fourth in two of the past four races. Charlotte has always been his kind of track with four wins in 24 starts, especially the longer May race he won three times. He's led 1,106 laps which is second only to Johnson among active drivers.

Kyle LARSON 25/1 - A 21.4 average finish in five starts with a best of sixth in 2014. He's definitely someone to consider at longer odds to upset the favorites just because of his dazzling performances in the All-Star race where was competing for the win.

Austin DILLON 40/1 - Another driver who grew up around the track with a racing family and he's been steady in all four starts of his Cup career finishing, 16th or better with a best of seventh last fall. He won both Xfinity Series races last season.

Jamie McMURRAY 80/1 - He's a two-time winner, including his first career win in 2002 as a substitute for Sterling Marlin. In 27 starts he has a 16.5 average finish with seven top-fives.

Ryan NEWMAN 80/1 - Only Earnhardt Jr. has started more Charlotte races without a win than Newman among active drivers. He's averaged an 18th-place finish over 30 starts.

Ryan BLANEY 100/1 - Finished 42nd in his Cup debut on the track, but came back with a 14th in the fall. His fifth-place at Kansas three weeks is a good indicator that he can run well this week.

Tony STEWART 100/1 - In 33 starts, his only win came in the fall of 2003.

Greg BIFFLE 100/1 - A 16.9 average finish in 26 starts. Runner-up in this race last year, his best run of season. Looked extremely fast while winning a segment last week during the Sprint Showdown.

Ricky STENHOUSE JR 100/1 - In eight starts he's averaged a 21.6 finish with a best of 13th (twice).

Paul MENARD 200/1 - A 23.1 average finish in 18 career starts with a best of eighth (twice).

Trevor BAYNE 200/1 - Won a segment last week in the Sprint Showdown and has a 23.1 average finish in seven starts.

Aric ALMIROLA 300/1 - An 18th-place average finish over eight starts with a career-best 10th last fall.

AJ ALLMENDINGER 500/1 - In 16 starts his best finishes came in 2011 when he finished fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 and seventh in the fall.

Clint BOWYER 500/1 - 2012 winner, but no top-fives since then.

Danica PATRICK 500/1 - She had her best career Charlotte run last fall with 19th; 26.4 average finish in seven starts.

Casey MEARS 500/1 - In the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, he won the only race of his career in what has to be the most improbable cast of top-five finishers that had J.J. Yeley second, Kyle Petty third, Reed Sorenson fourth and Brian Vickers fifth.

Chris BUESCHER 1000/1 - Makes his Charlotte Cup debut. He's averaged a 29.4 finish in 12 starts this season.

FIELD 500/1 - The 2007 Coca-Cola 600 results show that anything can happen with some strange late pit sequences, but the field didn't win that race either. This is a terrible wager and money would be better spent on more grill goodies for the family BBQ or taking a shot with Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Chase Elliott to win.

Charlotte Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin takes a look at some notes and statistics for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Who's HOT at Charlotte

• Kevin Harvick has finished in the top 10 in the last six races, including two wins - one coming in this event in 2011 (with RCR).
• Carl Edwards, the defending race winner, has finished in the top 10 in the last five races.
• Brad Keselowski has posted an 8.6 average finish in his last five starts, including a win in 2013 the fall race. He also has one win at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Martin Truex Jr. is the only driver that finished in the top five in both races last season. He also leads all drivers in laps led at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Jimmie Johnson has scored seven wins, but has only led two laps in his last three starts. He also has one win at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Matt Kenseth has finished in the top five in three of the last five races, including the last two Coca-Cola 600s.
• Joey Logano, winner of last year's fall race, leads all drivers with a 9.6 average finish (14 starts).
• Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in 13 of the last 17 races. He is also a two-time winner at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 races.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Charlotte

• Kurt Busch is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last six races this season. He also has finished in the top 10 in all races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6.8.), Austin Dillon (10.2) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (12.8.) each rank in the top 10 in average finish among all drivers that have raced in all four events at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Chase Elliott has posted three top 10s at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Ryan Blaney and Kasey Kahne (four-time Charlotte winner) each have two top 10s at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Ryan Newman has finished seventh or better in the last three Charlotte races, including a sixth-place run in this event last season.
• Jamie McMurray is a two-time winner at Charlotte and his teammate Kyle Larson, who battled for the win in the last points-paying race at Dover, led laps in both the Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Martin Truex Jr.
Pete Pistone: Joey Logano
Robbie Mays: Kevin Harvick
John Singler: Kevin Harvick

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Last Five Races at Charlotte

Kevin Harvick is a three-time Charlotte winner with two of them coming in the Coca-Cola 600 (2011 and 2013). He's finished in the top 10 in his four Charlotte starts with Stewart-Haas Racing, including a win on the 2014 fall race. This season, Harvick has yet to post a win at a 1.5-mile track, but does have four top 10s and a 6.2 average finish. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No 995) that he led 21 laps with in the Sprint All-Star race before a mechanical issue relegated him to an 11th-place finish.

Carl Edwards has finished in the top 10 in his last five Charlotte starts, including a win in this event last season in his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. This season, Edwards has posted two top 10s at 1.5-mile tracks and led 124 laps at Texas Motor Speedway last month.

Brad Keselowski had finished in the top 10 in four of his last five starts at Charlotte, including a win in the 2013 fall race. This season, Keselowski has posted three top 10s in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks, including a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Joey Logano is coming off his first Charlotte win, leading 227 laps last fall. His last top 10 in the Coca-Cola 600 came in 2013, in fifth. This season, Logano has posted two top-three finishes in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks. He led 74 laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he finished second.

Kyle Busch remains winless at Charlotte but has finished on the top 10 in 14 of his last 19 starts. This season, Busch leads all drivers in wins (2) and average finish (2.2) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Ryan Newman has posted a 10.8 average finish in his four Charlotte starts with Richard Childress Racing. Newman, who finished sixth last year in the Coca-Cola 600, is coming off his first top 10 (seventh - Kansas) in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. This weekend, Newman will debut a new car (chassis No. 550) at Charlotte.

Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in his last three Charlotte starts. He led 53 laps in this event last season and finished eighth. This weekend, Hamlin will be looking to score his first top 10 at a 1.5-mile track in 2016.

Jamie McMurray has posted an 11.6 average finish in his last five Charlotte starts, which includes two top fives in 2015. This weekend, McMurray will be looking to score his first top 10 at a 1.5-mile track in 2016. He did participate in the Goodyear Tire test in March.

Austin Dillon is coming off his first top 10 in four Charlotte starts, finishing seventh last fall. Dillon, who participated in the Goodyear Tire test in March, has finished sixth or better in two of his last three starts at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Dillon will drive the same car (chassis No. 548) that his teammate Paul Menard finished 22nd with at Richmond International Raceway in April.

Martin Truex Jr. has finished in the top five in his last two starts at Charlotte. He led 131 laps in this event last season en route to a fifth-place finish. This season, Truex leads all drivers with 347 laps led at 1.5-mile tracks and has finished in the top 10 in two of the four races. Truex did participate in the Goodyear Tire test in March.

Matt Kenseth has posted a 14.3 average finish in six Charlotte starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. He's finished in the top five in three of those races, including the last two Coca-Cola 600s. Kenseth is coming off his first top 10 of the year at a 1.5-mile track, finishing fourth at Kansas Speedway.

Kurt Busch has finished in the top 10 in his last two Charlotte starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch, who won this event in 2010 with Team Penske, has finished in the top 10 in all four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Greg Biffle scored his only top 10 (second) in the last six Charlotte races last year in this event on fuel mileage. Biffle's 13th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway is his best in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Kasey Kahne is a three-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 with his last coming in 2012. His last of 13 top 10s in 24 starts came in the 2014 fall race, in 10th. This season, Kahne has posted two top 10s in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks and has yet to lead a lap.

Aric Almirola is coming off his first top 10 (10th) in eight Charlotte starts. Almirola's 15th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway is his best in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s only top 10s with Hendrick Motorsports at Charlotte have come in the Coca-Cola 600. His last of four top 10s with HMS came in this event last year, in third. Earnhardt's 15th-place finish at Kansas Speedway snapped a streak of three consecutive top 10s at 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Chase Elliott finished 18th in his only Charlotte start last year in this event. This season, Elliott has finished in the top 10 in three of the four races at 1.5-mile tracks.

AJ Allmendinger has yet to finish in the top 10 in four Charlotte starts with JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger is coming off his first top 10 this season in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks, finishing eighth at Kansas Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson scored his last of seven Charlotte wins in this event in 2014. This season, Johnson has posted one win and an average finish of 6.2 in the four races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Tony Stewart's last of 13 top 10s at Charlotte came in this event in 2013. Stewart finished 12th in his only start at a 1.5-mile track this season earlier this month at Kansas Speedway.

Drivers to Watch - Charlotte
By Sportsbook.ag

Joey Logano will be looking to build off of last week’s All-Star Race victory with another good performance at the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday.

Logano had not won an event all year until breaking through last weekend.

Now the Sprint Cup Series finds itself at this 600-mile race in North Carolina. Hendrick Motorsports has dominated this race in the past, winning here 11 times.

Chevrolet has been the manufacturer that has had the most success in Concord, as 23 winners on this track have used the car.

Two guys that will be looking forward to this race the most are Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne.

Johnson has won this event four times and one more win would give him a tie with Darrell Waltrip for most victories ever at the Coca-Cola 600. Kahne, meanwhile, has won this race three times and will certainly be looking to tie himself up with Johnson on Sunday.

With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at who might be winning this thing.

Drivers to Watch

Jimmie Johnson (6/1) - Jimmie Johnson has had a fantastic season, winning two races and finishing in the top-five on five different occasions. He has, however, struggled recently and has now finished outside the top-15 in three straight races. Johnson may be a bit off, but he does have as good of a chance as any to win on Sunday. He has been dominant at this race in his career, winning it four times at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Johnson also happened to have had the fastest practice round of any driver on Thursday. He’s going to be confident coming into this one and is a great pick to put a few units on at 6/1.

Joey Logano (10/1) - Joey Logano had a rough start to the season, but he is one of the best drivers in the world and should be coming into this race with a ton of momentum on Sunday. Logano won the All-Star Race a week ago and it was his first victory of the season against Sprint Cup competition. That race was on the same track these drivers will be racing on Sunday, so Logano should be feeling comfortable in this one as well. He’s a good value at 10/1 in this race and is worth putting a few units on this weekend.

Kasey Kahne (30/1) - Kasey Kahne has not won a race since 2014, but he has a very good chance to do so on Sunday. He’s receiving some absurd odds at 30/1, but he has won this race three times in his career. He also did so pretty recently, as he won this thing in 2012. Kahne also happens to be building some momentum coming into this race. He finished fourth at Dover two weeks ago and then got a week off as the other Sprint Cup drivers competed in the All-Star Race last weekend. Kahne is a great value and is worth a unit or two on Sunday.

Austin Dillon (40/1) - Austin Dillon most recently raced at Dover two weeks ago and had a rough outing, finishing in just 33rd at the event. He has, however, had a very good season thus far and will be looking to win his first Sprint Cup Series race of his career on Sunday. Dillon is going to break through at some point this season, as he has drastically improved over the years. He already has three top-five finishes on the season and six top-10 finishes as well. He’s worth a unit or half-unit at 40/1, as he is too good of a driver to not win for yet another year.