The battle of the Chase bubble:Logano in for now,Dillon just outside

After finishing sixth Sunday at Kansas,Austin Dillon feels confident that he can finish well enough at Talladega Superspeedway next weekend and advance to the Round of 8 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

“I’m just proud of my guys, we did a good job,” Dillon told NBC after the race. “The last four-tire call was really good. I really wanted a top-five there, that was our goal or a win, and just missed it by one.

“We have a shot to make it to the next round at Talladega, and that’s all you can ask for. … We’re just going to have some fun at Talladega and see if we can make it to the next round.”

But Dillon will have to worry not only about how well he finishes at Talladega, he’ll also have to worry about how Joey Logano does.

MORE: Race results

MORE: Point standings

Logano and Dillon enter the final elimination race of the Round of 12 tied, 37 points behind points leader Jimmie Johnson. Logano is scored in eighth place in the standings after Kansas, while Dillon is scored ninth. The tiebreaker is best finish in the round. Logano finished third at Kansas to hold the tiebreaker on Dillon for now.

“We did what we had to do today, went and were flawless on execution, just need to be a little faster to win,” Logano told NBC. “It was a good recovery (from last week’s wreck at Charlotte), but I wouldn’t say it’s a full recovery yet. We’re going to be needed the race pretty hard at Talladega and try to get a few more points there.”

Logano said Talladega is “not a must win, either. We’re in (a transfer spot) right now, but it’s obviously a little bit too close for comfort. We have to push harder next week.”

Entry list for Sprint Cup’s Alabama 500 at Talladega

Forty-two cars are entered into the Sprint Cup Series’ Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Two cars will not make the field.

Ryan Reed, who competes in the Xfinity Series, will attempt to make his Cup debut in the No. 99 for Roush Fenway Racing.Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive the No. 83 for BK Racing in his first attempt to start at Talladega.

While on the entry list, Josh Wise‘s team has withdrawn from the race.

Brad Keselowski won the May race at the 2.66-mile track. His Team Penske teammate Joey Logano is the defending winner of the fall race.

Keselowski is the only repeat winner (three wins) in the last 11 Talladega races.

Click here for the full entry list.

NASCAR executive hints at rule to limit Sprint Cup drivers in Xfinity,Camping World Truck Series

For fans who don’t like Sprint Cup drivers competing in Xfinity and Camping World Truck races, a NASCAR executive says “stay tuned’’ for an announcement “fairly soon’’ on the issue.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, uttered those words Monday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio when asked about limiting Cup drivers in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series.

“It certainly is on our radar,’’ O’Donnell said. “We’ve heard the fans. It’s interesting, it’s been a balance throughout the years. We’ve always had Sprint Cup drivers come into the Xfinity Series and sometimes dominate, back in the Mark Martin days.

“As the sport has evolved one of the great things is we’ve got more of a fan following in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. They like seeing those drivers come up through the ranks and it’s our job to make sure that Xfinity is where names are made. We’ve got to do on that on the racetrack.

“That is something we’re taking a really hard look at for next year, I’d say stay tuned. We’re going to look at and probably have something to announce fairly soon.’’

NASCAR prohibits any Cup driver who was in last year’s Chase from competing in this year’s season finale for the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

One possibility could be for NASCAR to extend such a ban for all future Chase races in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series.

This issue was raised after Kyle Buschwon Saturday’s Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway for his ninth victory of the season.

Since 2011, Cup regulars have won 138 of the 196 Xfinity races (70.4 percent).

Nineteen of the 30 Xfintiy races this season have been won by a driver who competes regularly in the Sprint Cup Series. While that is nearly two-thirds of the races won by a Cup regular, the total is down from recent years.

Last year, Cup regulars won 23 of 33 Xfinity races (69.7 percent)

In 2014, Cup regulars won 22 of 33 Xfintiy races (66.7 percent)

In 2013, Cup regulars won 28 of 33 Xfinity races (84.8 percent)

In 2012, Cup regulars won 18 of 33 Xfinity races (54.5 percent)

In 2011, Cup regulars won 28 of 34 Xfinity races (82.4 percent)

Here’s a look at the most wins by a Cup regular in the Xfinity Series since 2011

42 – Kyle Busch

22 – Brad Keselowski

19 – Joey Logano

9 – Carl Edwards

9 – Kevin Harvick

Sprint Cup points after Kansas race

Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick, who won Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, are the only drivers guaranteed to advance to the Round of 8.

Johnson remains the points leader after the second race of the Round of 12, which concludes next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Joey Logano holds the eighth and final transfer spot. He’s tied with Austin Dillonwith 3,045 points. Logano owns the tiebreaker based on a better finish than Dillon in this round. Logano placed third Sunday.

Outside the transfer spot is Dillon (by tiebreaker), Denny Hamlin (six points out),Brad Keselowski (seven back) and Chase Elliott (25 points back).

Click here for the Sprint Cup points report

Sprint Cup race results from Kansas Speedway

Kevin Harvick scored his fourth win of the season, capturing Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway to advance to the Round of 8.

Carl Edwards placed second, tying his best finish at Kansas and scoring his first top-five result since Kentucky on July 9.Joey Logano was third. He was followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.

Alex Bowman, driving in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr., placed a career-high seventh. Kasey Kahne placed 10th for his sixth top-10 in the last seven races.

Click here for Hollywood Casino 400 results

Kyle Busch wins Kansas Lottery 300, few Xfinity Chase drivers left unscathed

 Kyle Busch led 150 of 200 laps Saturday in winning the Xfinity Series’ Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway.

Busch earned his 85th Xfinity win and ninth of the year.

Busch did it in a race where only three of the eight remaining Chase drivers finished on the lead lap. Busch had been a lap down and took a wavearound after a caution came out in the middle of green-flag stops.

“There was a lot of things trying to work against us there towards the end,” Busch said. “We just persevered and made it through everything.”

Busch has won the past three Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway.

All five Chase drivers who finished off the lead lap were involved in accidents with less than 35 laps left in the race.

Busch was followed by Elliott Sadler,Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson. The third Xfinity Chase driver on the lead lap was Blake Koch (ninth).

MORE: Race results

MORE: Point standings

WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Elliott Sadler finished second, earning his 15th straight top 10 … Daniel Suarez led six laps and finished third, his seventh top five in eight races … Regan Smith finished sixth for his first top 10 in three Xfinity starts this year … Matt DiBenedetto finished 11th. In 15 Xfinity starts this season, it’s only the second race he’s finished.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Cole Custer was involved in three cautions, including a five-car wreck on Lap 165 that collected Chase drivers Darrell Wallace Jr and Justin Allgaier. Custer finished 35th, Wallace 33rd and Allgaier 14th … Brendan Gaughan was another Chase causality, spinning out of Turn 4 with 23 laps left and slid through the grass, receiving significant damage. After being cleared in the medical center, Gaughan dashed back to his car, returning to the race with less than 10 laps left and finishing 31st … Erik Jones raced up front most of the day until contact with Kyle Larson on a restart with 24 to go sent him into Ty Dillon. Jones’ Toyota began smoking from damage, and he pitted before finishing 15th, one lap down.

NOTABLE: If Team Penske’s No. 22 car does not win the Nov. 5 race at Texas Motor Speedway, it will have been a full year since the team’s last victory.

NEXT:  O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Results and stats for Xfinity Series race at Kansas

Kyle Busch once again dominated to win a Xfinity Series race, claiming victory in the Kansas Lottery 300 for his ninth win of 2016.

Busch was followed by Elliott Sadler,Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson.

Only three Xfinity Chase drivers finished on the lead lap.

The race had 10 cautions for 51 of the 200 laps.

Click here for full race results

Tony Stewart says his presence in owner meetings feels ‘like an episode of Sesame Street’

FORT WORTH, Texas – The end of Tony Stewart‘s Sprint Cup racing career is less than six weeks away, but the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing has already gotten a taste of what the life of a full-time owner will be like.

‘The fun thing is I’ve been to a couple of the owners meetings and it’s pretty cool to sit in the room with Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi, Richard Childress and Joe Gibbs and those guys,” Stewart said Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway.

But the three-time Sprint Cup champion said his attendance made the meetings with giants of the auto racing industry feel “like an episode of ‘Sesame Street.'”

“There’s one thing in the room that doesn’t belong and it’s not like the others and they point at me,” said Stewart, who was holding his annual “Smoke Show” Fantasy Camp benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities.

But even though he’s been co-owner of SHR since 2009, Stewart still doesn’t feel like an owner.

“I won’t say I’m a part of that group yet because I still feel like I’m just a driver right now,” said Stewart, who leaves his NASCAR driver’s seat behind on Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “To be able to work with those guys on behalf of the sport I think is going to be a lot of fun.”

At some point in the next six weeks will be Stewart’s final Sprint Cup Drivers Council meeting. Stewart is one of nine drivers on the council that was founded last year. With him on it are Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, defending series champion Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick,Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano.

“The thing that I’m most excited about with the drivers council is I feel like it’s a good group of guys in there right now,” Stewart said. “I feel like their mindset and their ability to work together for the reason and the right causes and goals.”

Stewart’s presence on the council has had an impact this season. NASCAR’s year-long odyssey regarding lug nuts began with Stewart’s rant about the issue in April.

In January he criticized NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France for not have a presence in the meetings. France then attended an April meeting in Talladega, an act appreciated by the drivers.

He’s also been an encouraging voice for young drivers like Larson, who admitted that at first he didn’t feel deserving of a spot on the council.

“If you don’t say anything, why are you on this?’’ Stewart told Larson. “You have an opinion, speak up.’’

Stewart has opinions. On everything. But he recently said he’s ready to no longer be the voice of the garage.

Is there any opinion “Smoke” has kept to himself, waiting to drop on the drivers council right before he puts both feet into his role as an owner?

“I’m going to save that for when I get out of the car at Homestead I think,” Stewart joked at TMS. “The hard part is I wish we could tell you guys all the stuff that’s discussed in it but it’s not the right thing to do.”

Stewart is “proud” of what the council has accomplished in it first two years and is a little surprised at how unselfish its members have been.

“It would be really easy in our sport to be selfish and try to work on things that you think are going to benefit you,” Stewart said. “But the driver council does a really good job of not doing that. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised about that, but I guess to a certain degree a little bit I was surprised that everybody really cared more about the sport than they were about what their individual organizations were working on.”

NASCAR MEETS HOLLYWOOD IN UPCOMING 'LOGAN LUCKY' FILM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Better slow down on the highway -- Kyle Busch has traded his fire suit for a state trooper's uniform.

(Disclaimer: It's not permanent.)

Busch is one of the drivers who will make cameo appearances in the upcoming filmLogan Lucky, a heist movie set at a NASCAR track. Under the watch of multi-time Academy Award winning-director Steven Soderbergh, the film features a star-studded cast including Daniel Craig, Channing Tatum, two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, Seth MacFarlane and Riley Keough. Academy and Emmy Award winner Mark Johnson -- who also produced "Rain Man," "Breaking Bad," and "The Notebook," among others -- will serve as one of the film's executive producers.

The production team was on the ground during a rainy Bank of America 500weekend shooting for the film. The crew also shot during Coca-Cola 600 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, as well as at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"It’s a movie that's designed to be a lot of fun," Johnson said Sunday at Charlotte, prior to a day of shooting at the track. "It's designed to be very, very commercial, where I joke we're not out to win Oscars -- we're out to win the Bank of America award ... (Viewers) should laugh and they should have fun with the intricacies of the robbery itself.

"It's a robbery that couldn't really take place, but (it can) in our world, and it's very important to us that the world of NASCAR be real."

What's more real than casting an actual NASCAR driver in a racing film? In addition to Busch, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski,Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson will all be popping into the film for brief roles.

"We wanted to make sure that NASCAR was treated in a positive light, was the big, world-class, glossy event that it is," said Zane Stoddard, NASCAR Vice President of Entertainment, Marking and Content Development. "The thing that we worked closely with Mark and the production on was getting drivers into driver cameo roles. We thought that would fun for the fans, sort of Easter eggs throughout the film with these drivers in these roles for our fans.

"But it's also a bit of a wink and a nod that we’re on the inside of the fun of this film. So, we think the fans are going to love these roles that these guys are in."

Part of Stoddard's role in the production process was to help marry the worlds of NASCAR and Hollywood, a process that he says has been seamless on both ends.

"The general audience wouldn't have too much trouble buying into the authenticity of this," Stoddard said. "For us, the most important sort of a litmus for us is that it passes the smell test with the core fan because they know the sport so much better. These guys -- we haven't had to push at all in terms of getting them to want to be as authentic as possible. They are the best in the business and so it’s been a collaboration on making sure everything is right.

"… It’s amazing the detail that exists in our sport just on the race car, not even taking into consideration the tracks or the teams and everything that happens in our universe. These guys have been meticulous about all of that."

That starts with shooting at the track and getting into the garage. For Johnson, authenticity came from that hands-on research, where he spent about a week and a half simply observing NASCAR’s version of Hollywood Blvd.

"I produced two baseball movies, The Natural and The Rookie and those taught me a lot about baseball and you have to do the research and understand the world and NASCAR was not a world I understood," Johnson said. "I was fascinated by it, but I really didn't know how it worked.

"Look at this big all-access pass," he said with a smile, gesturing to his hot pass. "I can go into the garage and watch how people work and I ask stupid questions about cars and it's great because I will have spent a concentrated amount of time learning about NASCAR."

He echoed Stoddard's sentiment about this movie working for the core fan.

"We would be very upset if this movie doesn’t work for the NASCAR fan," Johnson said. "So we want to make sure the NASCAR fan, no matter who he or she is, that they see the movie and say 'They got it right.'"

But just who is the typical NASCAR fan? Not whom you would think, Johnson says.

"It's interesting -- any preconceptions I had about who the NASCAR fans were, were all wrong," Johnson said. "They come from all walks; surprising number of women. Quick revelation."

"Logan Lucky" will debut in theaters October 2017.

Chase Bubble Watch: Analyzing the playoff picture ahead of Kansas

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Updated Chase Grid

SHOP: Chase gear

A bright, sunny day at Charlotte turned cloudy in a hurry for Chase contenders Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, who both experienced major issues within seconds of each other in the Bank of America 500.

Harvick lost power on Lap 154 of a scheduled 334 in his No. 4 Chevrolet, and Logano smacked the wall in Turn 2 of the 1.5-mile track, doing extensive damage to his No. 22 Ford. Both headed behind the wall for repairs that put them multiple laps down, and Harvick never returned to the race.
The good news for Harvick and Logano is other Chase contenders also experienced major problems. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon were involved in a wreck that brought out a red flag with 74 laps to go and fell behind in the Chase standings. Then, while running in second place with 25 laps to go, Denny Hamlin experienced engine failure that knocked him out of the race and firmly into eighth place and on the Chase bubble.
Charlotte wasn't cloudy for everyone, though. Let's see what the Chase race looks like heading to Kansas.
Who's hot: There were questions leading up to Charlotte about whether the No. 48 team of Jimmie Johnson had what it took to make another title run, and at least for one week the answer was a resounding, "Yes!" Johnson led a race-high 155 laps to capture his 78th victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and he advanced to the Round of 8 for the first time since the Chase format changed in 2014. ...
Matt Kenseth beat Johnson by one second in a late pit stop, but he couldn't hold the lead on the restart. Still, a second-place finish sets up well for Kansas, where Kenseth has the second-best driver rating behind Johnson and has two wins.

Who's not: Harvick has one win apiece at Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, with his most recent win at those tracks coming in the fall of 2013 at Kansas. Since 2014 (when the new Chase format took over), Harvick has three top-10 finishes in five races at Talladega and three second-place finishes in five races at Kansas. It's not a stretch to say Harvick could win during the next two weeks. ...
Logano, meanwhile, has two career wins at Kansas and one at Talladega, and he won at both tracks last year during the Chase. He hasn't shown quite the speed he had last year, but like Harvick, Logano has a legitimate chance at getting a desperation win. ...
Those who don't have such Sprint Cup experience are Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon, who were involved in a wreck that brought out the red flag with 74 laps to go. Elliott led 103 laps at Charlotte, and Dillon was in second place after gambling on two tires on a late pit stop, so the wreck was a big jolt to their chances at Charlotte and in the Chase.
 
Four in, four out: Here's a look at the Chase bubble, with four drivers being eliminated after the third race of this round, Oct. 23 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Chase Bubble Watch

Standing	Driver	Point Differential from Cutoff
5.	Kurt Busch	+24
6.	Carl Edwards	+20
7.	Martin Truex Jr.	+19
8.	Denny Hamlin	+3
------------	CUT-OFF LINE	------------
9.	Austin Dillon	-3
10.	Chase Elliott	-3
11.	Joey Logano	-6
12.	Kevin Harvick	-8

Up next: Hollywood Casino 400, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:15 p.m. ET, Kansas Speedway (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Who it favors
Most wins: Jimmie Johnson, 3 (20 races); Matt Kenseth, 2 (21 races); Joey Logano, 2 (14 races).
Best driver rating: Jimmie Johnson, 110.4 (20 races); Matt Kenseth, 107.4 (21 races); Kevin Harvick, 103.4 (21 races).
Best average finish: Chase Elliott, 9.0 (1 race); Jimmie Johnson 9.2 (20 races); Carl Edwards, 10.6 (19 races).

Who it hurts
Worst percentage of top 10s: Kyle Busch, 29.4 percent (5 in 17 races); Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., 31.3 percent (5 in 16 races).
Worst driver rating: Austin Dillon, 71.0 (6 races); Chase Elliott, 79.3 (1 race); Kyle Busch, 83.8 (17 races).
Worst average finish: Austin Dillon, 20.3 (6 races); Kyle Busch, 19.2 (17 races); Joey Logano, 18.7 (14 races).

Sprint Cup Chase grid: Harvick, Logano headline bottom fou

Sunday was not a good day to be a driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup after five of the 12 remaining finished 30th or worse at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon are tied at three points behind Denny Hamlin in eighth, the cutoff spot for the third round. Following them are Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick.
But it was business as usual for Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte, who won his track record eight race. He advances to the third round for the first time since the elimination format was introduced.
Immediately behind Johnson is Matt Kenseth (+31) and Kyle Busch (+27).
Click here to see the full Sprint Cup Chase Grid.

JOHNSON WINS AT CHARLOTTE, LOCKS IN ROUND OF 8 SPOT

Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The victory locks in Johnson's spot in the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Johnson had to overcome the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Matt Kenseth on a late restart to take the lead back for good on Lap 317.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 155 laps en route to his eighth victory at the 1.5-mile track and his 78th victory in the sport's top series. Since the Chase moved to an elimination format in 2014, Johnson had never advanced out of the Round of 12.

Kenseth finished second, while Kasey Kahne finished third. Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five. Of the top five, only Johnson and Kenseth are in the Chase.

Several Chase contenders had issues on this day. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota) came to pit road in the top three for his final stop under caution on Lap 311, but his car stalled leaving pit road. That trouble led him to finish 13th.

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) was running in second and had led 52 laps before his engine expired on Lap 307. Hamlin finished in 30th.

Polesitter Kevin Harvick had an electrical issue with his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet just shy of the midway point of the 334-lap event that brought his day to an early end. Harvick had spent much of his run in the top five before trouble hit; he finished 38th.

Joey Logano also had problems, smacking the wall twice due to tires going down over the course of runs. He went to the garage before returning 77 laps down and ultimately finishing in 36th. Last year, Logano swept all three races in the Round of 12.

A big wreck on a Lap 258 restart involving Austin Dillon's No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Chase Elliott's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and several others shook up the running order late and brought out a red flag. Both Dillon and Elliott were in the top five at the time and Elliott had led 103 laps on the day. The RCR driver finished 32nd, while Elliott finished 33rd.

The driver that started second, Alex Bowman, (who was filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet) was involved in a Lap 61 wreck with Casey Mears that saw the Hendrick Motorsports machine suffer major damage to the right side and call it a day early with a 39th-place finish.

Sunday's race was initially scheduled for Saturday night but rain and remnants of Hurricane Matthew led to the race being moved to Sunday as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race, which was postponed from Friday night to Sunday.

The Round of 12 will continue next Sunday at Kansas Speedway with the Hollywood Casino 400 (Oct. 16, 2:15 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

This story will be updated.

Defending Charlotte winner Joey Logano slams the wall after blowing a tire (video)

Joey Logano won’t make it two consecutive wins in the October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Logano took his No. 22 Ford to the garage on Lap 156 after hitting the wall for the second time in the Bank of America 500.

The defending race winner initially encountered trouble when he blew a left-front tire entering Turn 1 on Lap 118, slamming the outside wall. The accident came during a round of green-flag pit stops, but before Logano had pitted.

The No. 22 team from Team Penske fixed the right-side damage under caution, and Logano restarted 20th, the last car on the lead lap. The second accident occurred on Lap 157 when the right-front tire blew.

“I don’t know; tires are popping,” Logano said. “We’re not the only car that had the issue, but we’re the ones that hit the wall when it happened, so that’s not the best place to have them go down. We had a fast car. Our car was capable of winning the race. We drove up from 10th and were up to third and running down the leaders, so I felt really good about what we had. I don’t know. Things happen. It’s part of racing, I guess.”

Tonight’s Sprint Cup race at Charlotte: Start time, weather, TV/radio info

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tonight’s race has been postponed. The Sprint Cup race will move to noon ET Sunday on NBC. The prerace show will begin at 11 a.m. ET.
The Xfinity race, previously rescheduled for Sunday morning will not be held 45 minutes after the Sprint Cup race. The Xfinity race will be shown on NBCSN.
The round of 12 begins with tonight’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on NBC. All 12 drivers have had their points reset to 3000 for this three-race round.
Here’s all the important info for today’s race.
(All times are Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given Bank of America’s special guests, the USO of North Carolina at 6:52 p.m. The green flag is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 334 laps (50 miles) around the 1.5-mile track.
PRERACE SCHEDULE: The Cup garage opens at 11 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting is at 4:45 p.m. Driver introductions are at 6:15 p.m.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Danielle Peck will perform the National Anthem at 6:46 p.m., followed by a flyover by a C-130 from the 14th Airlift Wing in Charlotte, North Carolina.
TV/RADIO: NBC will broadcast the race. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. on NBCSN with NASCAR America. Countdown to Green airs at 6 p.m. on NBCSN. Race coverage on NBC begins at 7 p.m. Performance Racing Network’s radio broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. and also can be heard at goprn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have PRN’s broadcast.
FORECAST: The wunderground.com site predicts a temperature of 69 degrees at race time with a 17 percent chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Martin Truex Jr. led 392 of 400 laps to win the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Kevin Harvick placed second. Jimmie Johnson was third. In this race a year ago, Joey Logano won. Harvick was second and Truex third. 
STARTING LINEUP: Click here to see the starting lineup for Charlotte: