As NASCAR strives for parity, why the Coca-Cola 600 remains its ultimate test

CONCORD, N.C. — Ryan Blaney vividly remembers hitting the halfway mark of his first Coca-Cola 600 — and wondering how he’d ever finish.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Blaney recalled with a laugh, thinking back to what he told his spotter during the 2015 running of NASCAR’s longest race. “I’ve got nothing in the tank. I’m done.”

Nearly a decade later, Blaney has figured it out. His triumph in the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 wasn’t just a crown jewel for his career — it locked him into the playoffs and launched a run at his first Cup Series championship, continuing Team Penske’s dominance at the sport’s highest level.

Now, two years later in a season defined by parity, can a driver still ride momentum off one marquee win?

Through 12 points-paying races in 2025, victories have been spread across the garage. Only three drivers have more than one. The difference between winning or finishing 15th often comes down to pit road execution, late-race restarts and avoiding small mistakes.

That’s what makes Sunday night’s marathon at Charlotte so compelling. In a year where momentum is scarce, NASCAR’s 600-mile test provides a chance to put some distance between the good and the great.

“Physically, getting yourself ready for it is big — and the mental side is just as big, if not bigger,” Blaney said. “Even if you’re not where you want to be early, you have a long night to try and work on it. Just not letting the first 300 miles or so worry you, as you know you’ve got a lot of race left.”

Not many winners, and 600 miles makes it tougher

Denny Hamlin has won twice this year. But he’s still behind six other drivers in the standings.

Wrecks and DNFs have played a major role. Hamlin has two DNFs despite five top-five finishes. Blaney, too, has five top-fives — but boasts four DNFs, tied for second-worst in the Cup Series. Even Christopher Bell hasn’t finished two races this year.

The win list is short. Kyle Larson and Bell lead the field with three wins each. Hamlin has two. William Byron, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and Josh Berry have one win apiece and a ticket to the playoffs, all chasing spots in the Championship 4 at Phoenix, which shifts to Homestead-Miami in 2026.

“It’s very hard — even if you have the best car — to finish off a win,” Hamlin said. “That’s why the best car only wins about 30 percent of the time, because of all the variables that happen. But it just seems like the (Coca-Cola) 600 always brings out the best in the drivers, teams, and that’s why it’s usually pretty chalky when it comes to who’s gonna win.”

Perfection is required

The margins are razor-thin and expectations are higher.

With the Next Gen car, tenths of a second separate the front row from the back. Execution is essential at every level, including pit stops, restarts, fuel strategy and tire management.

“Right now is probably one of the most difficult times for a race car driver to execute a win,” Ryan Preece said. “It takes fast pit stops. It takes putting together a bunch of restarts where they’re chaos, and I feel like a driver needs to execute perfection more than ever. You can’t speed on pit road. You can’t make mistakes, because when you do, people complain about bad air, this and that.”

Ahead of the most recent Cup Series race on an intermediate 1.5-mile track, just 0.6 seconds separated the lap times of the pole-sitter from the 30th-place qualifier.

That kind of parity adds pressure on drivers from the first lap of qualifying to the final lap of the race.

“You work as hard as you can with yourself and your training to be able to withstand the elements for the race,” Kyle Busch said. “It’s a longer race, so you have more time from the sunlight to the nighttime, and typically you don’t really worry about how your car is until you get to the night — because that’s when the money is paid.”

Execution is everything, whether it’s a short track or fast intermediate. The field is tight and drivers can’t afford to slide tires and lose time on pit road — and the 600-mile format magnifies those challenges for every team.

“Starting in day, finishing in evening, track transitions, lots of cautions, extra stage, extra restarts,” Michael McDowell said. “I think it’s that whole package. Gotta have great execution on pit road, and have a fast car all night long and make all the right decisions. It’s getting harder every year, and I feel like this is one of those crown jewels where if you win it, you sort of put together all of it.”

Bell wants redemption

Last year’s winner didn’t get the finish he wanted.

Rain shortened the 2024 race, and Bell feels like he has unfinished business. Charlotte has been a strong track for him in the Next Gen car, and it’s not about only winning one Coke 600, anyway.

Winning the race Sunday at Charlotte will take endurance, execution and elite speed.

“I hate that it got rain-shortened last year,” Bell said. “It’s known for the 600 miles, and I want to win the 600-mile event. Charlotte’s been a great track for me the last couple of years. It’s an honor to be able to compete in that race, the way the whole weekend is celebrated there at Charlotte Motor Speedway is special. They do such a good job of making sure it feels like a big event, because it is.

“Hopefully I win a couple more races in my career, and it just adds to the Coca-Cola 600 legacy.”