News, notes and photos courtesy of NASCAR

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Coca-Cola 600

The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, May 27

The Time: 6 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 5:30 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 600 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 100),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 200), Stage 3 (Ends on Lap 300), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

It Only Takes One (Lap)

Austin Dillon picked up his first career win in the Coca-Cola 600 last year, leading only two laps. Among them, the most important one: the last lap.

Austin Dillon – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

Since then he collected his second career win in this year’s season-opening Daytona 500. This time he led the race only when most necessary – the final lap – giving him three laps led in the two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races he’s won. Both races are absolutely stars of the NASCAR schedule and Dillon has firmly established himself a star as well.

Since Daytona in February, Dillon has led only four more laps – giving him five out front for the 2018 season. He has one more top-10 – a 10th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway – through the opening 12 races and arrives at his hometown track ranked 17th in the standings. 

The 28-year old North Carolina native is as optimistic as you would expect a defending race winner to be for Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), however.

“I’m really pumped about the 600,’’ Dillon said. “It’s a long race for us and obviously coming back being the defending winner hopefully we can do it this year again. If fuel mileage is the way we do it, we will do it that way again, it doesn’t matter, if we can get back to Victory Lane again this year it would be great.

“But, I’ve always felt comfortable here at Charlotte in any series I’ve ran. I felt like I have been pretty solid here in Xfinity and Trucks. Yeah, I’m pumped for the 600. Anytime I come to this track my confidence is high and I feel good about it,” said Dillon.

Martin Truex Jr. – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

Always A Contender At Charlotte

Reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. has good reason to feel confident racing in Charlotte this week. He has two wins in the last four races at the track, including one of the most dominant performances in NASCAR history in leading 392 of the 400 laps (and 588 of 600 miles) to hoist his first Coca-Cola 600 trophy in 2016.

Truex led a race best 233 laps in last year’s 600 only to finish third, but he answered with a convincing victory five months later during the Playoffs – one of four Playoff wins he would earn on the way to his first Monster Energy Series championship in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota.

Truex has five top-five finishes – including two wins – in the last six races at Charlotte. His average speed (160.655 mph) in winning the 2016 Coca-Cola 600 is an all-time record at the track.

Kevin Harvick – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

Collecting Milestones

Kevin Harvick is attempting to win his third straight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 – which would match his three-race winning streak set earlier this year at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

And the 2018 season’s winningest driver has some other milestones within reach this week as well.

Harvick is a mere 89 laps away from becoming the 15th driver all-time to lead 12,000 or more laps in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Should he reach the mark Sunday night he would be among rare company to have led that many career laps. Seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson (18,663 laps) and 2015 champ Kyle Busch (14,878 laps) are the only other active drivers to have led at least 12,000 laps. Richard Petty holds the all-time record of 51,695 laps.

Here’s a look at the drivers with the most laps led:

Additionally, Harvick – who won the Monster Energy All-Star Race last Saturday night in Charlotte – is aiming to become only the sixth different driver to win the All-Star race and championship in the same year. Jimmie Johnson is the most recent driver to do so – claiming both trophies in 2006 and 2013. Only seven times has a driver won both the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same season. Kurt Busch was the last to do so in 2010.

Kyle Busch – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

The Elusive Victory Lane

Kyle Busch still leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship standings despite Kevin Harvick’s amazing roll of wins. And although Busch is historically quite good at Charlotte, it is the ONLY track on the Cup schedule where the 2015 champion has never won a points-paying race.

Busch’s driving rating of 104.9 is second only to the track’s all-time winningest driver Jimmie Johnson. In fact, Busch is second to the eight-time Charlotte winner in most of the vital loop data statistical categories (covering races from 2005-present) from average running position (8.019 vs. 10.069) to laps led (1,094 vs. 993) to percentage of time running in the top-15 (87.0 vs 77.5).

The driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota was runner-up in the Coca-Cola 600 last year and has been second there three times in his career. He has four third-place finishes. His 16 top-10 efforts in 28 starts is second only to Johnson and Matt Kenseth’s 20 top-10s among active drivers.

Daniel Suarez – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

Making His Mark

Daniel Suarez’ impressive runner-up finish to Kevin Harvick in Saturday night’s Monster Energy All-Star race was reflective of the second-year Cup driver’s work of late. He has raced to three top-10 finishes in the last four races. He tied his career best Monster Energy effort of third-place at Dover two weeks ago.

And the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway proved to be one of his better tracks during his 2017 rookie season. He was 11th in his first 600-miler in the spring and sixth in the fall 500-mile race there. His runner-up finish to Harvick in the All-Star Race non-points event last weekend at Charlotte was visibly encouraging for the 26-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

“Definitely a lot of confidence,’’ Suarez said with a smile. “The team has been doing a hell of a job in the last month and a half, two months, being competitive, racing up front.  It’s been a lot of fun obviously racing in the top five, top 10 more often.

“I feel like we are on the right track, we are in the right line obviously to keep moving forward. But we have to keep working to try to get a little bit better. I feel like we are good, but we are not great yet. Hopefully we can get there soon.”

Jimmie Johnson – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

King Of The Queen City

Jimmie Johnson is still looking for his first win this season, but the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion must feel optimistic arriving at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he has earned eight wins (four in the Coca-Cola 600) and five pole positions (three in the Coca-Cola 600) and boasts the best driving rating of any of his competitors this weekend (109.8).

He leads in all six of the primary statistical categories from average running position (8.019) to laps led (1,094) since 2005. Two of his wins here from the pole position (2004, 2014) have come in the Coca-Cola 600. He also won the fall race from the pole in 2009.

“The All-Star Race was fun, but this weekend is a different package, so that race didn’t do much to help us prepare for this weekend,’’ said Johnson, whose Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet finished sixth last Saturday night.

“The 600 is a long race, it’s a test of endurance and patience, and you have to accommodate for track conditions changing from the day to the night.”

Jamie McMurray – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

First Time’s The Charm

For whatever reason, the 1.5-mile Charlotte track has been prone to new winners. Ten times a driver has scored his first win at Charlotte – seven times in the Coca-Cola 600.

NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Jeff Gordon (1994) certainly headlines that list that also includes Hall of Famer David Pearson (1961), 2000 Cup champ Bobby Labonte (1995), 2003 champion Matt Kenseth (2000), Casey Mears (2007), David Reutimann (2009) and Austin Dillon (2017).

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jamie McMurray got his first career Monster Energy Series win at the track in only his second race – filling in for the injured Sterling Marlin in the 2002 fall race at Charlotte. Buddy Baker (1967) and Charlie Glotzbach (1968) also tallied their first Cup win in the fall Charlotte race.

Kasey Kahne – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars carry the names of fallen service personnel as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance during NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2018.

Kahne Can

Charlotte Motor Speedway has been an important place in Kasey Kahne’s career. The Leavine Family Racing driver has won four times here – the most of any Cup track for him. He swept the 2006 season races.

In the last 15 years, only eight-time winner Jimmie Johnson has celebrated in Charlotte victory lane more than Kahne. Three times Kahne has won the Memorial Day 600-miler (2006, 2008, 2012). Since 2011, Kahne has eight top-10s including his 2012 win and runner-up finishes in both 2013 Charlotte races.

Kahne is looking for his first top-10 since moving to the Leavine No. 95 Chevrolet team this season.