Coca-Cola 600 Practice Report: Hocevar Leads the Field
Charlotte Motor Speedway – Carson Hocevar set the pace in Saturday’s practice session for the Coca-Cola 600, clocking a lap of 29.926 seconds at an average speed of 180.445 mph. Ty Gibbs followed closely in second at 180.366 mph, while AJ Allmendinger secured third with a speed of 179.312 mph.
Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five, recording speeds of 178.938 mph and 178.896 mph, respectively. Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Michael McDowell completed the top ten, with speeds ranging from 178.861 mph to 178.282 mph.
Chastain experienced a setback, crashing in Turns 3 and 4 due to a blown left rear tire after having been fastest in multiple lap averages prior to the incident. "No,” Chastain responded when asked if he had been given a warning. “Down the backstretch, all the air came out all at once…it was too late in the straightaway,” he added.
Notably, Kyle Larson finished 21st in practice, while defending Coca-Cola 600 champion Christopher Bell was 26th. Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano placed 27th and 29th, respectively, with rookie Connor Zilisch in 35th for his first Cup Series start on an oval.
Kyle Busch did not participate due to a power steering issue reported immediately after leaving pit road, preventing him from joining his competitors on track.
A total of 40 teams are entered for the Coca-Cola 600, setting the stage for an intense race day.
