Wednesday night’s 2020 Toyota 500 showed why NASCAR has such drama, as Kyle Busch appeared to cause Chase Elliott to crash with just 20 laps to go at Darlington Raceway, opening the door for Denny Hamlin to snag the victory. Now the series shifts to Charlotte Motor Speedway as the sport attempts to catch up after the long COVID-19 hiatus by racing just four days later, on Sunday. The race involves 400 laps on a 1.5-mile track, pushing the drivers’ endurance limits as it runs 100 more miles than any of the other events on the calendar. The race also includes an additional stage, making more playoff points available. Take a look at the NASCAR Betting Odds for the drivers at the Coca-Cola 600 as well as our suggestions for your wagering cards.
2020 Coca-Cola 600 Preview – Sunday, May 24
Coca-Cola 600 Driver Odds
- Kyle Busch +400
- Kevin Harvick +450
- Martin Truex Jr +600
- Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano +800
- Chase Elliott +900
- Denny Hamlin +1100
- Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson +1600
- William Byron +2000
- Kurt Busch +2200
- Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr +2500
- Aric Almirola, Matt Kenseth +3300
- Matt DiBenedetto, Tyler Reddick +5000
- Austin Dillon +6000
- Christopher Bell, Ryan Newman +8000
- Cole Custer +10000
- Chris Buescher +12500
- John Hunter Nemechek +20000
- Ty Dillon, Ryan Preece, Bubba Wallace +25000
- Daniel Suarez +30000
- Michael McDowell +50000
- Joey Gase, Timmy Hill, Corey LaJoie, Quin Houff, Brennan Poole, J.J. Yeley, Garrett Smithley, B.J. McLeod +100000
Kevin Harvick put up a valiant effort but ended up coming in third at the Toyota 500. He has five top-ten finishes in a row, though,so he is due. He has won three times at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and has cracked the top ten 17 times in 36 career races here.
Martin Truex Jr came in sixth and tenth in the first two races after the COVID-19 shutdown, with both results coming at Darlington Raceway, so he has bounced back from a dreadful finish in Phoenix just before the hiatus. At Charlotte Motor Speedway, he has six podium finishes in his last seven starts, and he’s also the defending champion of this race.
Jimmie Johnson is a bit down the odds list, but he’s a sleeper who always has a puncher’s chance. He’s inside the playoff cut this year and came in third at the Toyota 500 on Wednesday. No driver has more wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway than Johnson, with eight wins in 35 career races, along with 22 top tens and 27 top 20s.
Clint Bowyer finished fifth in Phoenix, just before the shutdown, but he has not cracked the top 15 in either of the races since NASCAR resumed, coming in 17th and then 22nd at Darlington Raceway. Charlotte Motor Speedway is a different track, of course, and Bowyer has a win here at the 2012 Bank of America 500. But he’s still a big sleeper.
Tyler Reddick came in seventh at The Real Heroes 400 on Sunday and then 13th at the Toyota 500. He is four points out of the last playoff position, so I would expect him to charge hard at the Coca-Cola 600.
Austin Dillon came in 20th and the Toyota 500 and 11th at The Real Heroes, but he has a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 2017, he took the checkered flag at the Coca-Cola 600.
Looking for a long shot? Consider Daniel Suarez, who has not cracked the top 20 in any of his races in 2020. However, he led a lap at the Toyota 500 on Wednesday. That’s not a lot of cause for optimism, but crazy things happen when schedules get jumbled together with races every few days.
