The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was at Charlotte Motor Speedway Memorial Day weekend. Ahead of the weekend, the weather report called for rain and rain it did.
5/27/2023: The day of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race-
The Xfinity Series race was postponed due to inclement weather and rescheduled
to Monday 5/29/2023…. Time would tell if the Coca-Cola 600 scheduled for the
next day would be run as scheduled
5/28/2023: The day of the Coca-Cola 600:
The
General Admission parking lot started to fill up around 10 am with racing fans
setting up tents and coolers getting ready to enjoy the day’s festivities.
The Circle K area was where the pre-race started. There were
“Spin and Win” games, contests to enter, and giveaways. Weather permitting, there would be appearances
and question and answer segments with drivers throughout the afternoon leading
up to the race as well as a pre-race concert from the Doobie Brothers.
5/29/2023: Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted both
the Xfinity Series race and the Coca-Cola 600…The Xfinity Series race started at
11 AM. This race was paused at lap 48 of
200 due to the rain, and did resume at the conclusion of the Coca-Cola 600.
Track crews did a great job of drying the track in time for
the 3pm running of the Coca-Cola 600… The Memorial Day holiday was observed by
a moment of silence as well as a member of the armed forces playing “Taps”… The call to
the drivers to start their engines was given.
The 4 stages of the Coca-Cola 600 were exciting to witness. Here are some observations from the afternoon
into evening that was:
*Jimmie Johnson in the # 84 car tapped the wall in Stage 1
and would turn into Pit Row to have adjustments made to his car throughout the
race.
*It was interesting to watch the crowd reactions. There were fans who held up the car number of
their favorite driver…The spectators would stand up as the pace car went into
Pit Row to signal the race restart/Green Flag
*Around Lap 185 of Stage 2, Denny Hamlin (#11) had a run-in
with Chase Elliott(# 9). Denny’s car was
hit and started spinning out before settling on the grass near the start/finish
line. The driver was tended to and the track
crew towed the #11 car back into the pit area.
This collision would conclude the race days for both Hamlin and Elliott
and result in Elliott receiving a 1 race suspension.
*The action in the race really picked up during the last 30
laps of Stage 3. The racers were able to get distance on the track and create
momentum to carry them into the 4th and final stage of the race.
*The Final Stage took place under the Charlotte Motor
Speedway lights as the race ran into the night…Racers would experience quite
the stage as they drove amid caution/yellow flags that came in amid the last 30
or so laps of the race.
*When the checkered flag was waved, the winner of the race was
Ryan Blaney (# 12). The victory at the Coca-Cola 600 snapped the winless streak
for Blaney. In the post-race interview,
Blaney expressed his gratitude to the crowd in the Charlotte Motor Speedway stands.
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While the observations did come from my own notes, I want to
thank the sources I used for race information this blog:
For Driver Information: https://www.nascar.com/drivers/nascar-cup-series/
