The longest race in the NASCAR Cup Series — the Coca-Cola 600 — is set for Sunday evening, mere hours after the checkered flag waves in the Indianapolis 500.
It's not unusual to see Kyle Larson as the center of attention when it comes to NASCAR betting, and this Memorial Day weekend is certainly no exception as he was set to be the first Cup Series regular in a decade to compete in both the Indy 500 and the Coke 600. However, Mother Nature had other ideas, pushing the Indy 500 later in the day and potentially forcing him to pick one over the other — and he'd land on the Indy 500 if it came to that.
Will Larson be on our tickets this weekend? Don't miss our free betting picks for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.
Odds to win 2024 Coca-Cola 600
| Driver |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +500 | OTB* |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +650 | +600 |
| William Byron | +700 | +700 |
| Ty Gibbs | +750 | +800 |
| Denny Hamlin | +750 | +500 |
| Chase Elliott | +850 | +1,000 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1,000 | +700 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1,200 | +750 |
| Kyle Busch | +1,300 | +1,200 |
| Christopher Bell | +1,300 | +1,200 |
| Chris Buescher | +1,500 | +1,800 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1,800 | +1,500 |
| Joey Logano | +2,200 | +3,000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2,500 | +2,200 |
| Alex Bowman | +2,500 | +2,800 |
| Bubba Wallace | +3,500 | +3,500 |
| Noah Gragson | +5,500 | +6,500 |
| Daniel Suarez | +8,000 | +6,000 |
Odds as of 5-26-2024.
*Kyle Larson said he will choose Indy 500 if weather prevents him from driving both races.
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Coca-Cola 600 field
Up to 39 cars will compete in NASCAR’s longest night of racing, which gets underway at 6 p.m. Sunday on FOX. All the usual suspects are on the entry list plus Shane van Gisbergen, who makes his 1.5-mile track debut in the Cup Series while driving the No. 16 for Kaulig Racing.
Kyle Larson was in a familiar spot as the consensus favorite, but history is against him this week as he competes in the Indy 500 odds. No driver that's tried to complete the "double" has won any of the races he's vied in. And with weather delaying the start of the Indy 500, he likely won't even race the Coca-Cola 600.
Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick are the logical alternatives if you're trying to beat the favorite this Sunday. They're part of a stack of 14 cars priced at +1,800 or below at DraftKings, with Bubba Wallace (+2,800), Alex Bowman (+3,000), and Noah Gragson (+5,000) next. It's a sizable gap back to the rest of the field.
Coca-Cola 600 expert picks and predictions
Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, 5-21-2024.
Coca-Cola 600 pre-qualifying favorites
Kyle Larson (+450)
He dominated the 2021 race and has four Top-10 finishes in his last six Charlotte oval starts. Larson has also won two races on 1.5-mile tracks this season (Las Vegas, Kansas).
Denny Hamlin (+600)
Hamlin has 18 Top-10 finishes in his last 22 Charlotte oval starts, which is dating back to the 2010 season. He was runner-up in the 500-mile race in 2020, seventh in 2021, and won in 2022. His last eight '600 finishes have been: eighth, fourth, fifth, third, 29th, seventh, first, and 35th, respectively.
Tyler Reddick (+800)
He had four Top-10 finishes in five Charlotte oval starts, including his last two being sixth and fifth, respectively. On 1.5-mile tracks this season, he’s finished second (Las Vegas), fourth (Texas) and 20th (Kansas).
Coca-Cola 600 sleepers
William Byron (+1,000)
The hometown kid is due. Byron has three career Charlotte poles, including last year, but hasn’t won the “600” yet. He was close last year with a runner-up finish after leading 91 laps. He finished fourth in 2021. Bryon finished 10th in Vegas and third this season at Texas.
Kyle Busch (+1,800)
Busch finished ninth at Texas, eighth in Kansas, and has 11 Top-10 finishes in his last 13 Charlotte oval starts, including his last eight being first, third, third, fourth, 29th, third, second, and sixth, respectively.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+20,000)
Last year’s Daytona 500 winner knows how to win big events. Stenhouse also has four Top-7 finishes in his last six Charlotte oval starts including a pair of seventh place finishes in the last two Coca-Cola 600s.
Coca-Cola 600 fades
Martin Truex Jr. (+1,100)
He's a tough read this weekend. At one time, Charlotte was a playground for Truex. He had eight Top-6 finishes in a nine-race span which included two wins, a runner-up and a pair of third place finishes. He led 1,050 laps in that time frame. Since? Zero laps led with finishes of ninth, 29th, 12th and third, respectively. He has one Top-5 finish on 1.5-mile tracks this season too.
Christopher Bell (+1,200)
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has finished 21st, 24th, fifth and 24th, respectively, in his last four Charlotte oval starts. On 1.5-mile tracks this season, Bell has finished 33rd, 17th and sixth.
Ross Chastain (+1,600)
Looked good in the 2022 race in leading 153 laps. However, he was only 15th in the end, which is his best career Charlotte oval finish. Chastain finished 22nd last year.
Joey Logano (+1,800)
Just one Top-5 finish in his last 11 Charlotte oval starts including being 21st, 22nd, second, 13th, 17th, 20th and 21st in his last seven Coke 600 tries. Logano finished ninth, 11th, and 34th on 1.5-mile tracks this season.
Coca-Cola 600 prop pick
Chase Elliott Top-3 finish
Elliott (+1,100 outright) is missing a major win. He has finished 12th, first, and third, respectively, on 1.5-mile tracks this season. His last two “600” finishes are 33rd and 34th. But he led 86 laps in 2022 and six a year ago after being caught up in a crash in each. Previously, he finished fourth, second, first and second, respectively, on the oval.
Because of this, I like a Top-3 play instead of outright win.
Pick: Elliott Top-3 finish (+300 at DraftKings)
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Popular motor sports futures odds
Charlotte Motor Speedway track analysis
Nothing has changed here since the last time out that witnessed the most lead changes (31) the last two years since 2014 and also the most cautions (18 in 2022 and 16 last year) since 2005. By comparison, there were only four cautions in 2021 and eight, and seven, respectively, in the pair of races in 2020.
That was a byproduct of this Next Gen and how much it improved the racing on this track. I expect similar results this time around again with Las Vegas, Texas, and Kansas races delivering immediate results.
Coca-Cola 600 trends
- Seven of the last 10 race winners on the oval have won from eighth or worse.
- The eventual winner score third-stage points in all seven years of the stage era (10th, first, first, seventh, first, 10th, third).
- Hendrick Motorsports is 3-for-3 on 1.5-mile tracks this season.
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Previous Coca-Cola 600 winners
No driver has won back-to-back Coca-Cola 600s since Jimmie Johnson three-peated in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In fact, only Martin Truex Jr. has more than one Coke 600 score across the last eight years.
| Year | Winner |
| 2023 | Ryan Blaney |
| 2022 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2021 | Kyle Larson |
| 2020 | Brad Keselowski |
| 2019 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2018 | Kyle Busch |
| 2017 | Austin Dillon |
| 2016 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2015 | Carl Edwards |
| 2014 | Jimmie Johnson |
How to make Coca-Cola 600 picks
NASCAR betting is a nuanced process that can take any number of factors into account, and spans several different types of bets. Fortunately, our How to Bet NASCAR guide walks you through the basics, including how to read odds, different markets that are available, and what to consider when making your bets.
