‘It means a little more than the rest’: Coca-Cola 600 weekend begins

Austin Dillon started his Friday with a fresh cut — and he got a fresh reminder.

A fellow barber shop customer asked about local events happening. The customer said he was looking for something to do in the Charlotte area over Memorial Day weekend with his daughter.

Dillon’s barber interjected.

On top of being the longest race of the NASCAR Cup Series season, the annual Coca-Cola 600 brings tanks, helicopters, flyovers and military branches to the local race track. Plus the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 will be playing on the big screens on Sunday morning — leading into the race that takes place in most NASCAR teams’ backyard.

“There’s nothing more patriotic in America than Coke 600 weekend,” Dillon, the 2017 winner who is set to run in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race in addition to the main event, said Friday at Charlotte. “It means a little more than the rest. All (wins) mean a lot — they take you to the playoffs — but this one is home. We want to win at home.

“If our (Professional Bull Riding) team’s playing, we want to win our home games. This is a home match, and we want to win this.”

Charlotte’s oval is many drivers’ favorite track now

There are four races at Charlotte this weekend, and all that on-track action impacts the surface.

It’s a rougher race track — easily becoming worn out — and drivers don’t expect the oval to run smoothly on Sunday. The slicker surface makes it more fun for competitors, and preparation grows more important with an event of this length.

Hydration earlier in the week is essential — especially for drivers pulling double duty with the Xfinity Series race Saturday who are driving 900 miles over two days — and Charlotte is a great race track for top drivers to put it all together.

“(The Coca-Cola 600) was one of those races, as a kid, you dreamed about just racing in,” Chase Briscoe, an Indiana native who grew up roughly 90 miles south of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said before he attempts Saturday-Sunday doubleheader at Charlotte. “The oval itself has kind of turned into a lot of our favorite race track. Being able to run here this spring is fun — the road course is fun, too — but the oval definitely has a little more just characteristics to it.

“It’s one that we’re all excited for, because as a driver, this place is one of those tracks where you feel like you actually can make a difference.”

‘One of the ones I’ve kicked myself over’

Dillon’s Coke 600 victory eight years ago required a perfectly-timed restart to beat Jimmie Johnson.

While the driver of the famous No. 3 Richard Childress Racing car remembers being told to save fuel, he knew he had to go for it. Dillon kept pace with the seven-time Cup Series champion before blowing past his hero in Turn Two.

Dillon nearly won this race twice.

The 2022 running of the Coke 600 saw Dillon wreck from Turn Four during the late stages of the race won by Denny Hamlin. Dillon felt confident he’d made a strong restart through the first two turns, before breaking loose — and it’s eaten him ever since.

“I was very close to being a two-time champion in this race,” said Dillon, who boasts top-10 finishes in three of this season’s 12 races. “That’s one of the ones I’ve kicked myself over; When you think about races over time, that one’s the one. If I would have given up a car length and wrapped Turn Four, I would have had four tires to make it work through (Turns) One and Two for one more lap.

“Hopefully get that opportunity again and we capitalize on it. The momentum from this whole year, I I feel good about coming here and think we can have a good weekend.”

Concord native wins on the big stage

Austin Green is now a winner at his home track.

The 24-year-old Concord native captured his first career victory Friday evening, holding off the pack late in the ARCA Menards Series race at Charlotte.

Green, the son of 1994 Busch Series champion David Green, soaked in the moment. He cut his teeth competing in the track’s Summer Shootout events and spent years dreaming about racing on the big oval.

“It’s everything,” Green said. “Running the summer shootout way back when, watching the big guys on the big track, and hopefully one day being able to race it. First time on the big oval, everyone wants to race at home and have success and win. I don’t think it’s really set in yet.”

Results from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race at Charlotte

Cup Series prospect Corey Heim dominated the Truck Series race Friday night.

Results from the ARCA Menards Series race at Charlotte

Coca-Cola 600 weekend at Charlotte

The Xfinity Series race is set to start at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, preceded by Cup Series cars hitting the track at 2:40 p.m. to qualify for the Coke 600. Smash Mouth and Tim Dugger take the BetMGM Speed Street stage at night.

The Coke 600 is set for 6 p.m. Sunday, and Old Dominion has the pre-race infield concert.

This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 6:28 PM with the headline "‘It means a little more than the rest’: Coca-Cola 600 weekend begins."

Shane Connuck

The Charlotte Observer

Shane Connuck is a former journalist for The Charlotte Observer