NASCAR Coke 600 start time, lineup, TV schedule
CONCORD, N.C. — It's NASCAR race day at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and we've got some essential information you need to get ready for the Coca-Cola 600.
START TIME: A U.S. Army sergeant and U.S. Navy captain will jointly give the command for drivers to fire their engines at 6:11 p.m. Eastern time tonight. After a few pace laps, drivers will take the green flag at 6:20 p.m. ET. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race itself, flip on your TV at 6:20 p.m. ET.
RACE DISTANCE: As the name would indicate, the Coca-Cola 600 is 600 miles — NASCAR's longest race. That's a whopping 400 laps around the 1.5-mile Charlotte track.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: After an invocation from Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson, HLN morning show host Robin Meade will sing the national anthem — her second NASCAR anthem in three weeks (she also sang at Talladega). Meade is helping host a pizza party for 10,000 military members and their families prior to the race.
TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: FOX will broadcast tonight's race and has a pre-race show beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will call the race on the radio.
WEATHER: Amazing. Forecasters are calling for a delightfully mild day in Charlotte, with highs in the mid-70s and race-time temperatures in the low 60s. No rain is expected.
LAST TIME: Jimmie Johnson won last week's Sprint All-Star Race for the second consecutive season and fourth overall, using a fast pit stop to take the lead from Kurt Busch prior to the final restart. And one year ago, Kasey Kahne won the Coca-Cola 600 for his first win at Hendrick Motorsports.
STARTING LINEUP: Denny Hamlin was one of eight drivers to set a track record in qualifying on Thursday, and he'll start on the front row alongside Kurt Busch.
Here's the starting lineup for tonight's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
- Denny Hamlin
- Kurt Busch
- Matt Kenseth
- Mark Martin
- Clint Bowyer
- Kasey Kahne
- Greg Biffle
- Kyle Busch
- Jamie McMurray
- Ryan Newman
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Jimmie Johnson
- Carl Edwards
- Jeff Gordon
- Kevin Harvick
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Aric Almirola
- Marcos Ambrose
- Brad Keselowski
- Casey Mears
- Paul Menard
- JJ Yeley
- Danica Patrick
- Tony Stewart
- David Gilliland
- Jeff Burton
- Travis Kvapil
- Trevor Bayne
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Joey Logano
- Michael McDowell
- Dave Blaney
- Bobby Labonte
- David Ragan
- Regan Smith
- Scott Speed
- David Reutimann
- David Stremme
- Timmy Hill
- Joe Nemechek
- Landon Cassill
- Josh Wise
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