Here’s what’s happening in NASCAR with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the rearview and the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (Sun., 7 p.m. ET, Prime Video) up next.
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1. How will Kyle Larson respond after ‘Double’ doldrums?
For the second year in a row, the fizzle of motorsports icon Kyle Larson’s Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 attempt fell flat by Sunday night. Will it impact his season-long Cup Series endeavors?
With a second straight deflating attempt at the famed Memorial Day Weekend “Double” in the books, a large focus of the fallout has been on whether or not Kyle Larson should attempt the grueling feat again in the future.
But what about his day job?
For the better part of the past month, Larson has been jetting back and forth (and beyond, when dirt duty calls) from the Carolinas to Indiana in prep for another shot at racing immortality. While weather was a major factor in his struggles last year — it held him out of the 600 entirely — the 2021 Cup Series champion wrecked out of each race this past Sunday and, well, it‘s just gotta be hard to swallow that amount of disappointment after that much sheer effort and planning.
The beauty of NASCAR, though, is that until November, there‘s always another race on the horizon. But how much will this past weekend weigh on him, and for how long?
For starters, there are the tangible effects.
Larson entered the Coca-Cola 600 as the regular season points leader, holding a 35-point advantage over Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. However, after his 37th-place finish and Byron‘s legendary 65-point day, that lead was completely erased. He now trails Byron by 29 points heading into Sunday at Nashville. The DNF at Charlotte not only cost him points but also momentum, as he was expected to contend for the win after starting second and leading early. There was plenty of wind in his sails entering the weekend, but he may now need to break out the oars and start rowing.
MORE: Larson laments ‘Double‘ trouble after turbulent Charlotte, Indy efforts
The bigger concern? The mental and physical toll incurred from an exhausting and unfruitful past few weeks. Larson‘s month of May was certainly a learning experience, and one he doesn‘t regret, but that experience came with a cost. Miles are miles, and nobody has more of them on the odometer lately — both on track and in the air — than the California native. At a time when many of us are counting down days to summer vacations, he‘s looking ahead to a pair of races in the coming weeks that will see him toe the Canadian border and then cross the Mexican one the following week.
I‘m ready for a nap just thinking about his schedule.
But there‘s a reason he‘s the one driving the race cars here — he‘s simply built for this.
Larson remains one of the most talented and resilient drivers in NASCAR and racing circles at large. Despite the rough weekend, he remains in a strong position for the playoffs, should still battle his teammate for the Regular Season Championship and has consistently demonstrated the ability to bounce back from adversity in past seasons. Considering Nashville is his best track in terms of average finish, the rebound, to be honest, likely comes as soon as Sunday.
The setback is significant but not season-ending in any way, shape or form. In fact, remember this moment.
It might be the one that sparked his second championship run.
2. Are fresh midseason contenders emerging to shake things up?
The past few races have seen a handful of atypical names mixing it up with the weekly contenders. Are any of them about to flip the playoff picture on its head?
By nature of its heavy attrition, the Coca-Cola 600 has a history of spitting out top 10s that resemble those we‘re used to seeing at the end of a superspeedway race.
(Hello, 2007 Coke 600.)
Though we saw some heavyweights battling it out for the win in the closing moments of this past Sunday‘s marathon crown jewel, there were a handful of notable names that also enjoyed strong nights, some of whom seem to be trending up in general.
For much of the spring, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture seemed to be solidifying around the usual suspects: Byron, Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, etc. But look at that running order from Sunday — Chase Briscoe, A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson … all in the top 10, and all drivers who, if they can keep this momentum, have the potential to upend the playoff field in the coming weeks.
Briscoe‘s third-place run was the kind of performance Joe Gibbs Racing envisioned when they signed him, and it‘s his second top-five finish in the past two points races. His season to this point had been solid but unspectacular, with flashes of speed but little to show for it, and Charlotte changed that narrative.
JGR‘s intermediate program has been especially sharp this year. If Briscoe is able to convert that speed into a win, it would not only lock him into the playoffs but also signal that he‘s ready to contend down the summer stretch and make a deep playoff run.
With Allmendinger landing fourth — and honestly being a factor the whole race — it was a reminder of his veteran savvy and talent. While No. 16 is best known for his road-course prowess, he and Kaulig Racing have steadily improved on ovals this year. That said, the next month brings Sonoma and the Chicago Street Race, two spots where Allmendinger is a legitimate threat, if not among the favorites, to win. Carrying this momentum through Nashville and Michigan could be tantamount to him shaking up the playoff grid on those specialty tracks. A win at either would almost certainly knock a current playoff favorite out of contention.
And it keeps going.
Keselowski‘s top five was huge for his playoff hopes, and the preseason expectation of him making the postseason could be back on the table. McDowell‘s seventh-place run wasn‘t luck; Spire Motorsports is improving, as evidenced by his Las Vegas pole position and fight for victory late at Texas. Preece and Gragson, in ninth and 10th, are dark horses, but might also be the most realistic path to the playoffs for their respective organizations. Both need everything to go right, but neither would be as shocking as Harrison Burton‘s playoff appearance just a season ago.
Stenhouse, Jones, and SVG also warrant a tip of the cap, all cracking the top 15 and all still having feasible chances to make the cut after (or at!) Daytona. Stenhouse is always a drafting-track threat, and there are two of those left — but he‘s also currently in position to advance. Jones is well overdue for a breakout, and SVG has obviously proven himself capable of beating all these guys when the opportunity strikes, too.
With Nashville and a diverse summer ahead, the playoff race is wide open; certainly more so than it was even a month ago.
And the song and dance continues Sunday in Music City.
3. Jimmie Johnson on Kyle Larson’s ‘Double’ attempts: ‘I hope that he sticks with it’
NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson comments on Kyle Larson’s second attempt at the Memorial Day Weekend ‘Double’ and supports his fellow Cup Series champion’s future bids at racing the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.
4. Nighttime is the right time for these drivers
With William Byron nearly winning a fifth Next Gen night race at Charlotte and with another on deck this weekend, here are the drivers who have excelled under the lights in this era of race car. (Credit: Racing Insights)
| Driver | Wins |
|---|---|
| William Byron | 4 |
| Denny Hamlin | 3 |
| Chris Buescher | 2 |
| Christopher Bell | 2 |
| Kyle Larson | 2 |
| Ross Chastain | 2 |
| Austin Dillon | 1 |
| Chase Briscoe | 1 |
| Chase Elliott | 1 |
| Erik Jones | 1 |
| Harrison Burton | 1 |
| Kyle Busch | 1 |
| Ryan Blaney | 1 |
5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage
Paint Scheme Preview: 2025 Nashville Superspeedway weekend
Straight Talk: Chastain on Hamlin: ‘We‘re in a good place … we‘re not friends‘
Hauler Talk: Delaying start of Coca-Cola 600 was considered for Larson
@nascarcasm: Fake texts to Coca-Cola 600 winner Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain relishes epic Coca-Cola 600 celebration: ‘I hit it all‘
Fueling mishap derails Denny Hamlin‘s Coca-Cola 600 pursuit
NASCAR Insights: Gragson, No. 4 team deliver all-around performance at Charlotte
William Byron settles for ‘frustrating‘ runner-up after dominant Coca-Cola 600
Superb competition at Charlotte makes case for championship race
NASCAR‘s Sawyer on adding horsepower in Cup Series: ‘It‘s on the table‘
Three Up, Three Down: Drivers in focus leaving Charlotte
Power Rankings: Back on top, will Charlotte sting propel Byron at Nashville?
