NASCAR Community Honors Kyle Busch’s Legacy as Charlotte Opens for the Coca-Cola 600

Three days after the death of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, Charlotte Motor Speedway opened its doors for the Coca-Cola 600 with a community in mourning. Busch, 41, died Thursday following a rapid deterioration from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Drivers, crews, and rival teams placed a black No. 8 memorial decal on their cars ahead of Sunday’s race. Charlotte’s scoring pylon went dark save for one illuminated marker — Busch’s No. 8 at the top, in the position he most often occupied. The 2015 and 2019 Cup champion recorded 234 wins across NASCAR’s three national series, more than any other driver in history.

Sources: NASCAR.com

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Richard Childress Racing Retires No. 8, Will Hold It for Kyle Busch’s Son Brexton

Richard Childress Racing announced Friday it will no longer run the No. 8 in Cup Series competition following the death of Kyle Busch. Austin Hill took over in the renumbered No. 33 Chevrolet for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, with Hill wearing a Kyle Busch t-shirt under his firesuit during the practice session. RCR said it is reserving the No. 8 designation for Busch’s 11-year-old son, Brexton, when he is ready to compete at the Cup level. Busch drove the No. 8 for RCR after departing Joe Gibbs Racing ahead of the 2023 season. He had 63 Cup wins, ranking ninth all-time.

Sources: Motorsport.com, NASCAR.com

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Tyler Reddick Earns Coca-Cola 600 Pole as Rain Washes Out Charlotte Qualifying

Persistent rain cancelled Cup Series qualifying Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway, placing points leader Tyler Reddick on the pole by NASCAR’s qualifying metric for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The metric is weighted 70 percent on the previous race finish by car owner and 30 percent on current owner points. Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota will lead the field to the green flag at 6 p.m. ET, flanked by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs on the front row. Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell, and Chase Briscoe complete the top five. Reddick leads the standings by 129 points over second-place Denny Hamlin.

Sources: NASCAR.com, Racer.com

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Katherine Legge to Become First Woman to Attempt the IndyCar-NASCAR Double on Memorial Day

Katherine Legge, 45, will make history Sunday as the first woman to attempt the iconic “Double” — racing the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, covering more than 1,100 miles. Legge runs the No. 11 for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing at Indianapolis before transitioning to Live Fast Motorsports’ No. 78 Chevrolet at Charlotte. Five drivers attempted the feat before her: John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Larson. No driver has won both on the same day. Tony Stewart remains the only driver to complete every lap of both events, in 2001, finishing sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte.

Sources: NASCAR.com

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Stenhouse Jr. Sets Charlotte Practice Pace; Rookie Heim Brushes Wall in Cup Debut

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. topped the lone Coca-Cola 600 practice session Saturday with a speed of 185.764 mph, with Carson Hocevar second at 185.089 mph and Michael McDowell third at 184.931 mph. The session was also notable for Corey Heim, who made his Cup Series debut in the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota as part of his 12-race development schedule with the team. Heim, the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, scraped the outside retaining wall in Turn 1 near the end of the session but made it back to the pits without significant damage. He starts 39th by the qualifying metric for Sunday’s race.

Sources: Motorsport.com

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Rain Forces NASCAR Truck Series Race to Sunday, Adding to Charlotte’s Disrupted Weekend

Wet weather wreaked havoc on the full Charlotte Motor Speedway race weekend, forcing the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ North Carolina Education Lottery 200 to be postponed twice before being rescheduled to 10 a.m. Sunday — ahead of the Coca-Cola 600. Originally set for Friday night, the Truck race was pushed to Saturday before rain made the track unusable again. All three NASCAR national series were forced to set their starting lineups using the qualifying metric rather than on-track times. A 70 percent chance of rain remains for Sunday evening, raising the prospect of a Memorial Day postponement for the Cup race itself.

Sources: Jayski.com, NASCAR.com

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Coca-Cola 600 Race Day: Tribute, History, and Weather Threats Shape NASCAR’s Longest Night

Sunday’s 67th Coca-Cola 600 carries more weight than usual. Defending race winner Ross Chastain — who passed William Byron with five laps remaining to win in 2025 — enters 19th in points and needs a strong result to push back into the Chase picture. Points leader Tyler Reddick starts from the pole in a Toyota program that has dominated 2026, with the manufacturer holding a narrow seven-point lead over Chevrolet. A 70 percent chance of rain Sunday evening means NASCAR has Memorial Day Monday as a potential backup date. The race streams exclusively on Prime Video at 6 p.m. ET, with Charlotte sold out for the fifth straight year.

Sources: NASCAR.com, Jayski.com

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