2016 Coca Cola 600 Race Predictions
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Betting Preview
Sunday May 29th, 6:18PM (EST) at Charlotte Motor Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
One of the grandest afternoons in racing will take place today starting with the Indianapolis 500 and then followed in primetime by the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Today’s Coca Cola 600 marks one of the most prestigious races on the schedule and is following on the heels of a great All-Star Race that took place last Saturday that was highlighted by a duel between Joey Logano and Kyle Larson in the closing laps. With anticipation building for this afternoon’s event, we expect more exciting racing in the twilight hours of the evening as 40 drivers seek one of the most prominent trophies in motorsports. Take a look as we provide our 2016 Coca Cola 600 race predictions!
There are many important factors that go into winning a 600 mile race. You have to take care of your equipment, drivers have to withstand the extra miles both physically and mentally, and most importantly crew chiefs have to stay on top of changes going on with the race track. However, tonight’s race may have an added element to make things even tougher by the way of Mother Nature. Unfortunately, rain is expected to surround the race track all evening many showers will be hit and miss around the Concord area. Therefore, crews and drivers are going to have to be aware of the surrounding weather conditions to ensure they are putting their drivers in the best position if rain threatens to shorten the race. It was not that long ago that David Reutimann won a rain shortened Coca Cola 600 and the potential for another rain shorted event could be present tonight.
From an expectations standpoint, it is really hard to narrow down who will be the best car at the end of 600 miles. There are so many changes on pit lane and within the race track that will happen between the green flag and checkered. However, we do know a few of the drivers that really have an impressive ride going into tonight’s event that elevates their chances at scoring the win. Martin Truex Jr and Jimmie Johnson appear to have the top two cars entering tonight’s race. Truex put the #78 car on the pole and posted the best 10 lap average in both of Saturday’s practices. Everyone is familiar with how strong the #78 team has performed in recent weeks but they have not been able to secure a win. Truex and team should have another golden opportunity to get the job done tonight in one of the biggest races of the season.
Jimmie Johnson was right there with the #78 with the 2nd best 10 lap average in both practices and we know how dangerous the #48 team is at Charlotte. Johnson is a 7 time winner at Charlotte including 4 Coca Cola 600 wins. If you consider the fact that Johnson started the season by dominating the 1.5 mile tracks, then it should raise some concern for the competition to see him at the top of the speed charts going into this evening’s event. Another important thing to consider is that no other team stays on top of changes like Chad Knaus and the #48 crew. Therefore if Johnson starts strong that only means they will likely get better as the night progresses.
Of course there are several other drivers that could come into play before tonight’s checkered flag waves. Kyle Larson has been extremely impressive in recent weeks with near wins at Dover and in last week’s All-Star Race. Larson has not been very impressive thus far throughout the weekend but nobody expects him to stay in the back of the field long. My only personal question for Larson is can he keep it together for a full 600 miles? His prior performance in the 600 is not very impressive. Guys like Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, and Kevin Harvick have to be considered. Harvick was one of the best cars early in the All-Star Race last week and more importantly he has won 2 of the last 5 Coca Cola 600s. Both Logano and Edwards have a lot of momentum on their side. Edwards has been hot thus far in 2016 and Logano is coming off a win in the All-Star Race last week at Charlotte. Additionally, both drivers have the best two average finishing positions at Charlotte over all other drivers. Expect both Edwards and Logano to be a factor by the end of the night.
A few other guys that I want to mention that have chances to run well include Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and even Greg Biffle. I think Biffle could be a H2H sleeper as he has really looked good all week in terms of speed. Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr could be potential long shots for the victory. The rookie Elliott is on an amazing streak that includes top 5 finishes in 4 of the last 6 races. I cannot remember a time a rookie has run so strong against such great competition and honestly I think he is built for a race like the 600. Elliott is one of those drivers that just get better as the race progresses which is why he comes into the picture so many times late in the race. His driving style and knack for coming on strong at the end of races could be great for a chance to score his first win in the Coca Cola 600. How great would it be to see Chase drive the #24 to victory lane at the same place where his predecessor Jeff Gordon scored his first victory?
Dale Earnhardt Jr had troubles in practice as the #88 was seen up in smoke. However, the troubles were identified as a power steering issue which has been fixed. What many people may not have realized is that the #88 team really gained on their race speed as was among the top cars in race trim by the end of final practice. Earnhardt had a pretty poor qualifying effort and will start in 25th place back around Matt Kenseth and Kyle Larson. However, I expect all 3 of those drivers to move to the front and I like Earnhardt’s chances to be at the front once the dust settles similar to the way he was at last week’s All-Star Race.
2016 Coca Cola 600 Race Predictions
Kyle Busch +1000 (1.25 units): Texas night winner, looking for 1st Charlotte win, JGR cars look strong again
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1800 (1 unit): runner-up finishes at Atlanta and Texas, gained a lot over the course of Saturday’s practices, starting 25th
Chase Elliott +3500 (1 unit): top 5 finishes in 4 of last 6 races, I like his driving style in a race of this nature, starting 12th
Greg Biffle +5000 (.5 unit): value plays, Roush-Fenway cars are running well, finished runner-up in this race last year, value play
Two Team Parlay
Jimmie Johnson +750 wins Coca Cola 600
Chase Elliott +120 over Kyle Larson
Risking 1 unit to win: +1770
Martin Truex Jr +450 wins Coca Cola 600
Greg Biffle -160 over Paul Menard
Risking 1.5 units to win: +1190
H2H Matchups
Ryan Newman -115 over Jamie McMurray (3 units)
Denny Hamlin -110 over Brad Keselowksi (2 units)
Dale Earnhardt Jr +135 over Kurt Busch (2 units)
Kasey Kahne +105 over Austin Dillon (1 units)
Carl Edwards +210 over Carl Edwards (1 unit)
