NASCAR at Charlotte: Watch info, TV schedule, favorites for Coca-Cola 600

Here's everything to know about NASCAR's longest race, which is scheduled for this Sunday.

Memorial Day Weekend is filled with racing.

Dubbed “Motorsports Christmas,” Sunday starts with Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix, followed by the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon and then the Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway at night.

The Coke 600 is a crown jewel event for NASCAR – it’s the longest race of the year (600 miles) and it’s a home track for most teams, which are based around Charlotte. To build up even more hype, NASCAR champion Kyle Larson will be attempting to complete both the Indy 500 and Coke 600 – the first driver to do “the double” since Kurt Busch in 2014.

What’s in store for Sunday’s NASCAR race? Who are the favorites? What’s the schedule? Here’s everything you need to know for the Coke 600:

Coca-Cola 600 entry list for Charlotte

Forty drivers will race at Charlotte – the 34 full-timers, plus six others.

The semi-retired Jimmie Johnson, a four-time Coke 600 winner, will make his fifth start of the season for Legacy Motor Club. Then there’s Shane van Gisbergen making his Coke 600 debut for Kaulig Racing after winning his NASCAR debut at the Chicago Street Race last summer.

Elsewhere, Kaz Grala will pilot the No. 15 for Rick Ware Racing as he continues his part-time effort. The final three spots will be part-time drivers and teams – JJ Yeley for NY Racing (second start of 2024), BJ McLeod for MBM Motorsports (third start of 2024) and Ty Dillon for Team AmeriVet (formerly The Money Team Racing, co-owned by Floyd Mayweather Jr.).

Here’s the full entry list for Charlotte:

2024 Coca-Cola 600 entry list

When is the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte?

The Coca-Cola 600 is set for Sunday, May 26, at 6 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 40-car field will be split into two groups (found here), with each group practicing for 20 minutes on Saturday.

Qualifying starts immediately after practice. Each car from the two groups will make one lap in the first round, with the five fastest cars in each group advancing. In the final round, the remaining drivers each get one lap to set the top 10 starting order, with positions 11 through 40 set based on first round times.

What is the TV schedule for the Coca-Cola 600?

Saturday, May 25 (FS1 and streaming)

Sunday, May 26 (FOX and streaming)

Coca-Cola 600 past winners, race history

Blaney is the defending winner of the Coke 600, as he led 163 laps en route to victory last May. It was his first career win at the famed race and he parlayed that into a championship run later that season, becoming the sixth driver to accomplish both feats in the same year.

Even though he’s only a part-time driver and he’s struggled this season, it’s worth noting Johnson’s history at the Coke 600. He’s a four-time winner – the second-most of all time – winning three straight from 2003 to 2005 and then again in 2014.

Truex (2016, 2019) has also won the Coke 600 multiple times, while Hamlin (2022), Larson (2021), Keselowski (2020), Busch (2018) and Austin Dillon (2017) are one-time winners.

Coca-Cola 600 favorites, drivers to watch

Winning the Coke 600 just means more. Behind the Daytona 500, this event is perhaps the most prestigious on the NASCAR calendar (right there with the Brickyard 400 and Southern 500).

Surviving 600 miles isn’t as tough as it used to be with advancements in car reliability, but it’s still often an event dominated by powerhouse drivers and teams. Drivers from Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske and Richard Childress Racing have won the Coke 600 in 13 of the last 14 years.

Blaney came out of nowhere to win his first Coke 600 last year. Who could do the same in 2024? Well, keep an eye on Reddick, Logano and Buescher. Reddick leads all active drivers with an 8.4 average finish in five Charlotte starts. Logano, fresh off an All-Star win, has won Charlotte’s fall race but never the Coke 600. Then there’s Buescher, who is coming off heartbreaking defeats at Kansas (by inches) and Darlington (wrecked from the lead).

Other traditional frontrunners at Charlotte include Hamlin (12.7 average finish in 32 starts), Truex (13.7 in 32 starts), Busch (13.7 in 35 starts) and Keselowski (14.4 in 24 starts). Then there’s Larson, who could be tired from Indy but is always a contender in any race he enters.

Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.