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Coca-Cola 600: 5 takeaways from NASCAR at Charlotte

By Brittany Frederick

May 28, 2017; Concord, NC, USA; A rainbow signals the start of track drying after the rain delay during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2017; Concord, NC, USA; A rainbow signals the start of track drying after the rain delay during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
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Austin Dillon got his first win in the Coca-Cola 600 so what did we get? Here’s what we learned from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte.

Austin Dillon earned his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win on Sunday night, technically Monday morning, in a rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600. But thunderstorms over Charlotte Motor Speedway couldn’t stop him from getting the No. 3 car back to Victory Lane in a fitting Memorial Day Weekend tribute to NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt.

Yet the weather rained on the parades of several of Austin Dillon’s competitors, and Chase Elliott even caught fire just to keep things interesting. The longest race of the Cup Series season turned out to be one of its busiest, too, and that means more for us to talk about in the aftermath.

Here’s what we learned from the Coca-Cola 600:

1) The fuel mileage race is alive and well

Motorsports fans know that it’s not always speed that wins. And on the same day that we were all reminiscing about how IndyCar star Alexander Rossi won last year’s Indy 500 on fuel strategy, we saw Austin Dillon win the Coca-Cola 600 on fuel strategy. Like Rossi, Dillon ran out of gas not long after he took the checkered flag. But who cares how far you can go after the race as long as you’ve won the race?

2)  Martin Truex Jr. can still displease the NASCAR gods

The often terrible luck of Martin Truex Jr. has been a running joke in NASCAR for awhile now, but Truex has actually been pretty good in the 2017 Cup Series season. The Coca-Cola 600, though, proved that he can still hit a metaphorical speed bump. Despite leading 233 of the 500 laps in Charlotte, Truex couldn’t capture the win and had to settle for third. At least he’s still one of only two drivers who have more than one win this year (the other is Brad Keselowski, who had an even worse day).

3) Kyle Larson had a horrible, no good, very bad weekend

If you’re Kyle Larson, you almost would have been better off staying home this weekend. Not only did the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing car have to start dead last because it couldn’t get through the technical inspection line in time to qualify, but Larson powered his way up to the Top 5 only to wind up almost exactly where he started. An accident knocked Larson out early and sent him back down to 33rd out of 40 entries. How will Larson’s first DNF of the season affect his points lead?

4) But Kyle Busch might be on his way up

Kyle Busch won last week’s NASCAR All-Star Race and came in second at the Coca-Cola 600. That makes it four Top 5 finishes for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing car in a row, as he also came in third at Talladega and fifth at Kansas. That’s a marked improvement for a guy who started his season 38th. And just in the nick of time, too, as JGR hasn’t had the dominant form it had in 2016, so it could certainly use Busch to come along and set a new standard for 2017.

5) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally caught a break

Could Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final season finally start improving? The No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports entry nabbed a 10th place finish in the Coca-Cola 600. It’s only the third time all season that Dale Jr. has been in the Top 10, and the second that actually counts (the first was in the Can-Am Duels). Hopefully, it’ll be the beginning of something, because Dale Jr. deserves to go out on a high.

Next: Austin Dillon wins Coca-Cola 600 on fuel gamble

What were your biggest takeaways from the Coca-Cola 600? Let your voice be heard in the comments and on social media.

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