NASCAR
NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600: Qualifying, Pole Position, Lineup At Charlotte Motor Speedway
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He ed the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on Get to know Jeff Hawkins better
Published10 hours ago on May 24, 2025
On the eve of NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson making his second attempt at “The Double,” Chase Briscoe stole part of his spotlight by earning the pole position for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Briscoe turned a hot qualifying lap of 182.852 mph Saturday, edging Larson by 0.020 seconds.
Larson is slated to start on the outside of the front row after competing in the afternoon’s Indianapolis 500. Last year, rain spoiled the 2021 Cup champion’s bid to become the fifth pilot to accomplish the 1,100-mile feat.
In his first season since taking over for the retired Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota, Briscoe earned his second pole of the season Saturday, fourth of his career.
After mishandling the machine along Turns 3-4, rookie Connor Zilisch will start P33 in his oval debut at the 1.5-mile track.
At the Indy 500 Speedway today 🚗
— TheRealJims (@therealjims.bsky.social) 2025-05-24T17:57:04.248Z
Cup Regular William Bryon Claims Xfinity Series Win
A Charlotte, North Carolina native, William Byron felt a bit sentimental stealing a piece of Larson’s media blitz this weekend.
A Hendrick Motorsports teammate who signed a four-year contract extension this week, rallied to earn the Xfinity Series’ BetMGM 300 title at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday.
As a youth, he regularly attended NASCAR events at the Concord, North Carolina-based facility.
“It means more,” Byron said, as reported by NASCAR.com.
Byron, who qualified P3 for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, outdueled Justin Allgaier in overtime, overtaking the reigning circuit titleholder along Turn 4.
Byron, who overcame a Stage 2 penalty, escaped the Jeb Burton-Brennan Poole OT collision to secure the win.
“Man, it feels awesome to win at my home track,” Byron said.
King of the Queen City!@WilliamByron wins at @CLTMotorSpdwy. pic.twitter.com/4VAQPSvnfY
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) May 24, 2025
Starting Lineup for Coca-Cola 600
Here is a look at the lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Starting Position, Driver, Car No.
- 1, Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
- 2, Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 3, William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
- 4, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
- 5, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 6, John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
- 7, Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
- 8, Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
- 9, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 10, Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
- 11, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
- 12, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
- 13, Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 14, Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
- 15, Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
- 16, Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
- 17, Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Toyota
- 18, Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
- 19, Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
- 20, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
- 21, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
- 22, Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
- 23, Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
- 24, Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 25, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet
- 26, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
- 27, Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
- 28, Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
- 29, Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
- 30, Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
- 31, Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
- 32, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
- 33, Connor Zilisch, No. 87 Chevrolet
- 34, Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
- 35, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
- 36, Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford
- 37, Derek Kraus, No. 44 Chevrolet
- 38, Josh Belicki, No. 66 Ford
- 39, Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
- 40, Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
Trouble strikes in practice for @RossChastain! pic.twitter.com/4EDJnAAYjN
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 24, 2025
