Pulling double duty for the weekend, Ty Gibbs would start on the pole for both the races to kick off NASCAR’s longest night at Charlotte. Another double duty driver, Kyle Larson would miss the start of the Coke 600 due to a rain delay in Indy that finally got started about four hours late.
Larson and Hendrick announced the priority for the night would be the Indianapolis 500 but would make it to Charlotte as soon as the race ended. Instead, Hendrick Motorsports tapped Justin Allgaier to start the race in the No. 5 machine.
Throughout the first stage the lead would only change hands during the pit cycles and a very brief lead by Byron before Gibbs would power back to the lead on the same lap. Byron would continue to stalk the No. 54 machine, finally making his move for the lead and talking it back over on lap 72.
Caution would come out for the first time of the night when McLeod would go for a spin off turn four. Green would go back in the air with just seven laps remaining in the stage, Byron would take the lead back over with ease allowing Byron to take home the opening stage win over Gibbs, Bowman, Bell, and Truex.
Gibbs would lead the field back to green to start the second stage, but Chastain would quickly dispense with the No. 54 machine. Gibbs would continue to fall to teammate Bell who set his sights on Chastain finally taking the race lead 10 laps following the restart.
Caution would come out for the third time of the night when Blaney, the defending winner of the race, would have a tire failure on track following his pit stop. Blaney would drive back to pit road and the team would try and jack the car up and get the tire off so they could take it to the garage.
After failing to get the car back to the garage, NASCAR would throw the caution to tow the disabled No. 12 machine off pit road.
On the restart Truex would attempt to hold the lead to a fast-charging Elliott who would make his way around for the lead towing teammate Byron to the second spot. Elliott’s lead wouldn’t last long before Byron would move his No. 24 machine back to the lead just as Noah Gragson would spin going down the backstretch before slamming into the inside wall bringing out the fourth caution of the night.
Stage two would come to an end with Harrison Burton slamming into the wall on the back to bring out the fifth caution of the night. With the caution out Bell would win the second stage of the night over Byron, Wallace, Hamlin, and Keselowski.
Stage three would start with a fight between Bell and Byron for the lead before Bell would finally take the lead away after swapping it four times back and forth. Keselowski, however, would start to charge to the front first getting around Bubba Wallace then around Byron setting his sights on the lead.
Bell would try to pull away but with Keselowski in two hounding the No. 20 machine for the lead, Lajoie would loop his car in turn two to bring out the sixth caution of the night.
After finishing in 18th Larson would land at Charlotte just prior to 9:30 p.m. local time under a timely caution due to rain allowing the team to make the driver change. Just as Larson would make it to his box lightning would strike causing a red flag to be displayed with 249 laps completed.
Following an extended weather delay, NASCAR would make the decision to call the race with Christpher Bell leading the way over Keselowski, Byron, Reddick, and Hamlin rounding out the top-five finishers.
The NASCAR Cup Series now moves onto World Wide Technology Raceway next Sunday, June 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
