Martin Truex Jr. started the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the pole position and never looked back. The #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker-sponsored Toyota Camry led a Coca-Cola 600 record 392 of the 400 laps turned and set a track speed record of 170.118 miles per hour. In fact, Martin Truex Jr. spent 588 miles of the 600 mile race out front, which is the most miles led in any NASCAR race ever. The new addition to the Joe Gibbs Racing juggernaut scored a perfect driver rating of 150.0 and boosted himself to seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings.
“I had confidence,” Martin Truex Jr. added. “I had faith. I had confidence in my team. I’ve got a lot of great people behind me. Sherry Pollex, (Truex’s girlfriend and an ovarian cancer survivor), she gives me a lot of inspiration. We just keep on fighting. We never give up. We never quit. We always keep digging, and I’m proud of my guys for sticking by me. They all did a great job tonight. There are so many fans that have supported us the last few years with so many heartbreaks. I really appreciate that. I really had fun tonight.”
Jimmie Johnson finished in an impressive third place. The #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet was, quite possibly,the second fastest car on the track for the event. The Hendrick Motorsports All-Star was the only other car to lead more than two laps (5), and at times gave Martin Truex Jr. a little competition. Johnson was impressed with the power of the victors hot-rod.
“I kind of felt like he was playing with us,” Johnson said. “He was so fast. I would flatfoot turns one and two, and have a nose on him, and he would drive right back by me into Turn three. It was so fast. It was very impressive. I’m happy for Martin. That team and those guys worked awfully hard to get where they’re at.”
Kevin Harvick raced his way to another top five performance finishing in second. The Sprint Cup Series point standings leader had a speedy car that he kept at the top quarter of the field for the races entirety. The #4 Freaky Fast Jimmy John’s Chevrolet didn’t lead a lap throughout the race but has recorded one victory, six top 5’s and 10 top 10’s in 2016.
Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr.’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, crossed the finish line in the fourth position. The #11 FedEx Toyota Camry was also fast for duration of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte motor speedway but was no match for the race winner. Hamlin now sits 11th in the point standings and has got to be the fastest B driver for fantasy players going into Pocono this Sunday.
Brad Keselowski and his #2 Miller Lite Ford fusion rounded out the top five in fifth. The Penske owned racing machine finds itself sixth in the point standings. Teammate Joey Logano drove his #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford to a ninth place finish. Logano managed to lead one lap in the contest to help boost his points and once again the two Penske owned cars graced the top ten.
Rookie phenom Chase Elliott refuses to submit to the talented and experienced NASCAR Sprint Cup veterans. The car formerly driven by Jeff Gordon battled its way to an eighth place ending and impressed the racing enthusiasts yet again. Elliott and his #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet now sit an amazing eighth in the Sprint Cup Point standings and is on the brink of recording his first Sprint Cup Series victory.
The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway took three hours and 44 minutes to complete and the 1.5 mile oval’s field averaged 160.655 miles per hour. There were only four cautions for a total of 19 circuits and the margin of victory was 2.572 seconds. Martin Truex Jr. won the Coors Light Pole Position Award and the American Ethanol Green Flag Re-Start Award. Hendrick Engines (#48) took home the Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race honors and Kevin Harvick claimed the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race Trophy.
Final Results for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Kevin Harvick
- Jimmie Johnson
- Denny Hamlin
- Brad Keselowski
- Kurt Busch
- Matt Kenseth
- Chase Elliott
- Joey Logano
- Ryan Newman
- Greg Biffle
- Austin Dillon
- Kyle Larson
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- AJ Allmendinger
- Paul Menard
- Carl Edwards
- Jamie McMurray
- Ryan Blaney
- Danica Patrick
- Kasey Kahne
- Clint Bowyer
- Tony Stewart
- Trevor Bayne
- Aric Almirola
- Landon Cassill
- Regan Smith
- Brian Scott
- Casey Mears
- David Ragan
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Kyle Busch
- Michael McDowell
- Cole Whitt
- Michael Annett
- Chris Buescher
- Josh Wise
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- Reed Sorenson
