Who will win Coca-Cola 600? Our predictions, best bets for NC’s biggest NASCAR race

This weekend marks another edition of the Coca-Cola 600 — the biggest annual race in North Carolina and the longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

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This weekend also marks the first weekend of racing since the sudden and tragic death of Kyle Busch on Thursday.

And yet, as drivers across the garage have said, the racing must go on.

“Knowing Kyle, that’s what he would want to do,” said Ross Chastain, who won the Coke 600 last season. “No question about driving down here to the track, no questions in my mind about coming in and going to work and going to race.

“It’s what we do.”

Here’s a guide to everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 Coke 600 — from broadcast information to betting odds to our predictions and more.

Fans can watch the running of the race on Amazon Prime Video at 6 p.m., and they can listen to it on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90). Television coverage begins at 5 p.m. Note that the Trucks race, which officials have been trying to get run since Friday, has now been moved to Sunday at 10 a.m. So there will be a full day of racing at the speedway, culminating in the sold-out, 67th running of the Coke 600.

Stay on the look-out for Katherine Legge, who will be attempting “The Double” — completing 1,100 miles between the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

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Other quick facts:

Here are the Top 10 driver odds to win the Coke 600, according to BetMGM as of Saturday evening: Denny Hamlin (+450), Tyler Reddick (+450), Christopher Bell (+750), Kyle Larson (+800), William Byron (+900), Carson Hocevar (+1100), Chase Elliott (+1200), Chase Briscoe (+1200), Ryan Blaney (+1300), Ty Gibbs (+1300).

Scott Fowler: Tyler Reddick. The current points leader is having a dream season, and he’s going to grab another victory and make co-owner Michael Jordan happy once again in Victory Lane. Whether the pole-sitter wins or not, I will also predict that the race winner will take one of those grand, sweeping bows that Kyle Busch was famous for at some point during his celebration. That would be a fitting tribute, and I think most of the drivers in the garage are already honed in on the idea of doing this should they win.

Alex Zietlow: Denny Hamlin. Y’all remember this race in 2022? The one where Hamlin and Kyle Busch were teammates and yet were battling each other for the lead on the final few laps after all the other cars broke down? Hamlin certainly does. It’s one of a million memories he has with Busch, his contemporary and competitor and, at times, rival. This result would be a special conclusion to an emotional weekend. And considering Hamlin’s great start to the season — he has one win and seven Top 10s through 12 races — as well as his previous success at Charlotte, I think that storybook ending will happen.

Here are some other bets you might find compelling:

Cup qualifying was washed out Saturday afternoon, and thus the starting lineup was set by the rule book.

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 6:00 AM.