Two of NASCAR’s three national series are in action at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, with the XFINITY Series on Saturday and the annual Monster NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday. The Camping World Truck Series is off until June 2 at Dover Inetrnational Speedway. Storylines for this weekend follow… The Race: Coca-Cola 600 The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway The Date: Sunday, May 28 The Time: 6 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 5:30 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 600 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 100), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 200), Stage 3 (Ends on lap 300), Final Stage (Ends on lap 400) Busch Breaks Through At Charlotte With All-Star Win, Eyes Sweep In Coca-Cola 600 Kyle Busch finally notched his first Charlotte Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win by speeding to victory in the final stage of the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race. He’ll go for his first points-paying win at the 1.5-mile track and a sweep of the Charlotte May race weekends in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX). Seven drivers have won both the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (2008) and Kurt Busch (2010). It’s surprising Busch never won a Cup race at Charlotte until last Saturday. In his career, he boasts track records with eight NASCAR XFINITY Series wins and seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories. He’s performed well in the Queen City in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but just hadn’t won. In points-paying Cup races at Charlotte, Busch owns 10 top fives and 15 top 10s in 26 starts. The No. 18 Toyota driver ranks second in Charlotte driver rating (104.8) and average running position (9.9). Fourth Stage Implemented For Coca-Cola 600 Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will feature a fourth stage. Each stage will last 100 laps. Stage 1 will end on Lap 100, Stage 2 on Lap 200, Stage 3 on Lap 300 and Stage 4 on Lap 400. “The stage racing format is delivering more dramatic moments over an entire race, fueling tremendous racing action this season,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “With a fourth stage added to the Coca-Cola 600, the historic event will have another layer of strategy for teams, and even more excitement within the race for fans.” Speedway Motorsports, Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Marcus Smith offered similar commentary. “For 58 years, the Coca-Cola 600 has been a crown jewel on the NASCAR circuit because it presents unique challenges that don’t exist in any other race. The distance is greater. The test of endurance is greater. The challenge of adjusting to the track surface from hot to cool puts more pressure on crew chiefs and pit crews,” he said. “It’s only fitting that teams have an opportunity to be rewarded for the extra effort required to win at the 600. An additional stage win and that extra playoff point in May could be critical for playoff success in the fall.” Truex Ready To Follow Up Last Year’s Record-Setting Performance Martin Truex Jr. rewrote the record books with his dominant performance on his way to the checkered flag in last year’s Coca-Cola 600. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver’s 588 miles led in a single race were the most in NASCAR history, besting Jim Paschal’s 502.5 miles led in the 1967 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Truex’s 392 laps led were the most in Charlotte Motor Speedway history. Paschal owned the previous-high mark of 335 laps led (also in the 1967 World 600). He also recorded the 17th perfect driver rating (150.0) – and first at Charlotte – since the inception of NASCAR loop data in 2005. Truex tops the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in numerous statistical categories, including: wins (tied for first with 2), stage wins (5), playoff points (15), driver rating (110.8), laps in the top 15 (3,161, 90.3%) and laps led (536). He is second in total points (44 behind leader Kyle Larson), average running position (7.8) and fastest laps run (314). In 23 Charlotte starts, Truex has one win, three top fives, seven top 10s and a 16.2 average finish. Johnson Looks To Add To Wins Record Jimmie Johnson will attempt to extend his track record with a ninth win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver took the checkered flag in the latest points-paying race at Charlotte last October on his way to his record-tying seventh Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. Johnson has won the Coca-Cola 600 four times (2014, 2003-05). In 31 starts at the 1.5-mile track, Johnson also claims 15 top fives 19 top 10s and a 12.6 average finish. The Californian leads the series in Charlotte driver rating (110.6) and average running position (8.1). A win on Sunday would tie Johnson with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time wins list with 83 victories. Right now, Johnson sits eighth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings (152 markers behind leader Kyle Larson). He is tied with Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. for the wins lead with two. Larson Looks To Extend Points Lead Kyle Larson will look to continue to pad his lead in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He currently holds a 44-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr. Brad Keselowski (67 points behind Larson) sits third, followed by Chase Elliott (-114) and Larson’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jamie McMurray (-121). Larson has built his lead on the strength of one win, five top fives, seven top 10s and a series-leading 6.9 average finish. He has four runner-ups this season, including a string of three straight the second through fourth races. In seven career starts at Charlotte, Larson owns one top-five finish and two top-10 showings. His career-best finish at the 1.5-mile track was a fifth-place showing in last year’s fall race. Blaney Gets Another Crack At An Intermediate Track Ryan Blaney gets another chance to wheel his No. 21 Ford to victory at a 1.5-mile track in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 23-year-old Wood Brothers Racing driver has performed well in his last two races at 1.5-mile tracks. He finished fourth at Kansas after winning Stage 2 and leading 83 laps. At Texas, he led a race-high 148 laps and won the contest’s first two stages. Blaney is 11th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 184 markers behind Kyle Larson. He has three playoff points via his three stage wins. NASCAR Joins IndyCar in Support of John Andretti NASCAR will join IndyCar in honoring former driver John Andretti this weekend, with its race cars carrying a decal emblazoned with the hashtag #checkit4andretti. In 1994, Andretti was the first driver to run the Indianapolis 500-Coca-Cola 600 double. Earlier this year, Andretti announced that he is battling stage four colon cancer. Andretti won two races during a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career that spanned 393 starts. His victories came at two of NASCAR most iconic tracks, Daytona International Speedway (July of 1997) and Martinsville Speedway (April of 1999). Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc. NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola: Honoring and Remembering the U.S. Armed Forces – During the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR will have its “600 Miles of Remembrance.” The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars will feature the names of fallen servicemen and women on windshield headers for the third consecutive year. This Memorial Day weekend, NASCAR also will host over 5,000 active military members as NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola program kicks off its traditional summer industry-wide effort to honor and host members of the military over six race weekends. Channing Tatum To Serve As Coca-Cola 600 Grand Marshal – Actor Channing Tatum will serve as the grand marshal for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming movie “Logan Lucky,” out Aug. 18, Tatum plays the lead character attempting to execute an elaborate robbery during the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway Next Race: Hisense 4K TV 300 The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway The Date: Saturday, May 27 The Time: 1 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200) NASCAR XFINITY Series Returns To Action At Charlotte After a few weeks off, the NASCAR XFINITY Series returns to action at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Hisense 4K TV 300 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this Saturday, May 27. Charlotte Motor Speedway has been hosting NASCAR XFINITY Series events since 1982, and this weekend’s race will the 71st series event at CMS. Joe Nemechek and Kenny Wallace lead the series in starts at Charlotte with 35 each. Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers with 27 starts. Charlotte has anointed 45 different NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light pole winners in the 70 series events held at 1.5-mile speedway. Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth lead the series in Coors Light poles at CMS with four each. A total of 33 different series drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, led by Kyle Busch with eight victories – 2004 summer, 2005 summer, 2008 sweep, 2009 fall, 2010 summer, 2013 sweep. Six drivers have won consecutive series races at CMS, led by Rob Moroso (1988 Fall, 1989 sweep) and Mark Martin (1995 Fall, 1996 sweep) with three consecutive wins each. The most recent driver to accomplish the consecutive win feat was Austin Dillon with his 2015 season sweep. Dillon currently leads the series among active drivers in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 3.125. JR Motorsport’s Keeps Hold On The Standings Top Spots JR Motorsport’s drivers hold the top three positions in in the driver standings heading into Charlotte this weekend – veteran Elliott Sadler is the series leader, followed by Justin Allgaier (-29) in second and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate William Byron (-49) in third. Currently the JRM drivers are 17-points ahead of their nearest competitor – Roush Fenway Racing’s Darrell Wallace Jr. in fourth. This is the first season in series history an organization has held the top three spots in the driver standings. Series standings leader Elliott Sadler, in nine starts this season, has posted four top fives and a series leading eight top 10s. Plus, his average finish is an 8.0. Sadler will be one to watch this weekend, as he has made 20 series starts at Charlotte posting one pole, five top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 16.2; including a runner-up finish at CMS last fall. Sadler’s teammate, and closest competition at the moment, Justin Allgaier, has posted one win (Phoenix), three top fives, five top 10s and an average finish of 12.3 this season. Plus, he leads the series in laps led (266 laps, 15.6%). Charlotte is one of Allgaier’s better tracks, as he has made 13 starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, posting three top fives and eight top 10s. His average finish at CMS is just outside the top 10 (11.769). Sunoco rookie William Byron is currently third in the series driver standings through the first nine races of the season after posting two top fives and five top 10s. His average finish is 13.8 in 2017. Byron will be making his series track debut this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but don’t be misled by his lack of statistics at the track. The 19-year-old, Byron, has finished in the top-10 in two of the first three series races on 1.5-mile speedways this season – finishing seventh at both Atlanta and Texas. Christopher Bell To Make Series Debut For Joe Gibbs Racing One of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ rising stars, Christopher Bell, will be making his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 18 Toyota Camry with crew chief Eric Phillips. Joe Gibbs Racing has won two of the first three 1.5-mile speedways (Kyle Busch at Atlanta and Erik Jones at Texas) in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Bell’s teammate this weekend, Denny Hamlin, the defending winner of this event, will be in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. Hamlin has made 11 series starts at Charlotte, posting one win (2016), six top fives and an average finish of 12.5. GMS Racing Expands To Second Car For Driver Ben Kennedy GMS Racing joined the NASCAR XFINITY Series full-time at the beginning of the season, fielding the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet Camaro for driver Spencer Gallagher. This weekend the team is expanding to a second vehicle, the No. 96 GMS Racing Chevrolet Camaro, for driver Ben Kennedy, grandson of Bill France Jr. Kennedy signed a 12-race deal with GMS this season and his debut with the team is this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kennedy has also signed a nine-race deal with Richard Childress Racing this season and made his first start for the team at Talladega a few weeks back finishing in the top-five. This will be Kennedy’s series track debut this weekend at Charlotte, but he does have some experience competing at the 1.5-mile speedway. Kennedy has made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Charlotte, posting one top-10 finish. Darrell Wallace Jr.’s Wave Of Momentum Might Pick Up At CMS Darrell Wallace Jr. has been on a mission in 2017. Following the season-opener at Daytona, he was 27th in points, but over the last eight races has moved up 23 spots in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings to fourth, just 17 markers back from third-place William Byron. Now with the standings lead in his sights, Wallace eyes Charlotte Motor Speedway as a great place to keep his early-season momentum going. With the second-most NASCAR XFINITY Series top-10 finishes (six) through the first nine races of the season, Roush Fenway Racing’s Darrell Wallace Jr. has posted an average finish of 12.8. His six top 10s this season were all sixth-place finishes; five of which he posted consecutively – including the first three 1.5-mile speedways of the season. Wallace’s ascension in the points has all the signs of continuing when the series gets to Charlotte as he has made four starts at CMS, posting one top five, two top 10s and an average finish of 15.0. NASCAR XFINITY Series, Etc. Monster Sized Names On The Entry List – This Saturday in the Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 1 p.m. ET), you can expect to see six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers competing for the win – Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin. Brad Keselowski (three), Austin Dillon (two) and Denny Hamlin (one) are all former NXS Charlotte winners. Stat Nugget About 2017 Season – Record Average Margin of Victory Per Race – The 2017 season (nine races) currently holds the series record for the closest MOV per race through the first nine races at 0.411 – the previous record was 0.569 in 2011 and 1998. Eight of the first nine races of the season have finished with an MOV under a second. Three of the last five series races at Charlotte have ended with a MOV of less than a second. Electronic scoring was introduced to the NXS in 1996. XFINITY Series Milestones – Austin Dillon will attempt to make his 125th NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at Charlotte. Dillon will become the 103rd driver to make 125 starts or more in the series. … Ty Dillon will attempt to post his 75th NASCAR XFINITY Series top-10 finish this weekend at Charlotte. Dillon will become the 49th driver in series history to post 75 top 10s or more. XFINITY Series in North Carolina – The NASCAR XFINITY Series has held 189 races among seven different tracks in the state of North Carolina – Charlotte Motor Speedway (70 races), Rockingham Speedway (42), Hickory Speedway (42), Orange County Speedway (27), North Wilkesboro Speedway (four), Caraway Speedway (three) and Asheville Speedway (one). Next Race: Bar Harbor 200 presented by Sea Watch International The Place: Dover International Speedway The Date: Friday, June 2 The Time: 5:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 5 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 200 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200) source – NASCAR communications
