As we celebrate and remember the fallen on this Memorial Day Weekend, NASCAR returns to its roots as the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Its Coca-Cola 600 time for NASCAR’s best, and that means the sports longest and sometimes hottest race of the season. Kyle Larson will look to carry some momentum from his All-Star victory last weekend as he looks for his first points victory of 2019. The excitement from that event could carry into the thrilling 600-mile crown jewel event in Charlotte. Will we see another dominating race winner, or will the victor only lead the closing laps, all we know for sure is that it will be a grueling 600 miles. Kyle Busch is the defending champion of this race and will definitely be a favorite on Sunday night. Let’s dive into the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Free Racing Picks for this Sunday.
Here are five drivers to back in Charlotte
Kyle Busch +325
Have you caught on to the common theme of every race on the NASCAR schedule yet, if no then this is not being repetitive, but yes once again the odds end favorite for the Coke 600 is Kyle Busch. You might be shocked as he doesn’t have that much success at the Cup Level at the track with only one victory at the track, but it was in last season’s Coca-Cola 600 where he led 377 of the 400 laps. Along with 12 top-five finishes at Charlotte. Now I could go on and on about Busch’s statistics but, he is a favorite no matter where the NASCAR is each week. Kyle starts third on Sunday and that could be huge as in five of the last nine races at Charlotte the winner started in the top three.
Kevin Harvick +450
Harvick has three career victories at Charlotte, but none since 2014, but in six of the last 11 races at the track Kevin has finished in the top three. Two of his three Charlotte wins were in this very race. Including a wild finish in 2011 event when he passed Dale Earnhardt Jr coming off of turn four as Earnhardt ran out of fuel on the final lap. Kevin rolls off fifth on Sunday and will look to avenge his 40th place finish in last seasons Coca-Cola 600. His three runner-up finishes in the 600 don’t hurt either. He continues to search for that elusive first victory of 2019, but he has been close, and after leading 33 of the 88 laps in the All-Star he has shown he can be strong with this rules package.
Martin Truex Jr +600
Martin Truex Jr has been very strong at the mile and a half tracks in his career, but maybe none better than at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His six top-five finishes in the last seven races at Charlotte back that up. That also includes five top-three finishes and two wins at the track. Truex dominated in his 2016 Coca-Cola 600 victory where he led 392 of the 400 laps. His two wins in the last four races on the season should give him some confidence heading into the 600-mile race on Sunday night. He nabbed a 10th place finish in the All-Star race, failing to lead any laps, but he is still a driver to watch on Sunday.
Joey Logano +800
Ford has struggled at Charlotte Motor Speedway with only one win in the last nine races at Charlotte. That one win came in 2015 when Joey Logano captured the checkered flag in October of that season. Team Penske will be looking for their second coke 600 victory as Kurt Busch claimed the only Penske win in the Coke 600 back in 2010. Logano could be the one to return them there, but Logano hasn’t posted a top 10 at Charlotte in his last four starts. His best finish in that span was 21st in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600. Logano rolls off 7th on Sunday, and he will still be a driver to watch.
Alex Bowman +3000
The real longshot possibility for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is the 88 of Alex Bowman. Bowman only has six career starts at Charlotte, but a top 10 in last season Coke 600, showed he can survive the grueling 600 miles. Add in his Xfinity Series victory at the track in 2017 and he is definitely a good longshot to back. Add in his three-straight runner-up finishes and Bowman has been performing at a high level. Bowman won the fan-vote in last weekends NASCAR All-Star race and posted a top 10 in his first All-Star start. He is closing in on his first cup series victory, maybe it will be in the sports longest race, on Sunday Night. Bowman will start 13th, maybe that will be his lucky number.
