🏁 Coca-Cola 600 Predictions & Odds 2026: NASCAR Picks, Props, Best Bets at Charlotte

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2026 Coca-Cola 600 with heavy hearts after the loss of Kyle Busch, the winningest driver across the sport's top three divisions. Eric Estepp really hit the nail on the head with his tribute. Rest in peace, Kyle.

Let's talk about my NASCAR predictions for Charlotte, where the Coca-Cola 600 will get underway on Sunday, May 24 at 6 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime). Although it's held on a standard smooth intermediate, the sport's longest race rewards high-stamina drivers who can adapt to a changing track.

📈 NASCAR odds at Charlotte: Coca-Cola 600

Latest NASCAR odds at BetMGM as of Friday, May 22; subject to change.

💡 How to bet NASCAR at Charlotte

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a smooth, high-speed intermediate. It resembles Kansas, Las Vegas, and Texas, but events at those tracks hold less predictive value for the Coca-Cola 600 due to length (this race is 200 miles longer) and timing (this race starts in the evening and ends at night).

The track's high-end top speeds make targeting drivers in good equipment a must, but as the track moves from day to night, drivers who know what adjustments to make (and teams that make them) tend to separate from the pack. Few drivers get their first wins here, and those who do tend to be veterans.

🏆 Best bet to win at Charlotte | Coke 600

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports (No. 5)

• Kyle Larson to win: +750 via DraftKings (0.33u)
• Kyle Larson top 5: +125 via theScore Bet (0.67u)

Since 2024, when Kansas, Texas, and Las Vegas all saw a date before the Coca-Cola 600, the driver to have led the most laps at Charlotte had led at least one lap in two of three events at those tracks. The driver to win at Charlotte had scored at least one top-6 result in those events as well. Notably, the best driver across those three tracks by speed in 2025 - Kyle Larson - struggled at Charlotte.

Denny Hamlin has dominated the high-speed intermediates this year and is the clear favorite this weekend. Still, Larson survives our two filters: He led at Las Vegas and Kansas, and he finished runner-up at Kansas. With his attention no longer split between the Indianapolis 500 and this race, I anticipate some Larson dominance in Charlotte this year.

You'll find Larson at odds from +600 to +750 (11.8%) at DraftKings, where I recommend targeting him. I also like playing him for a top-5 result for +125 (44.4%) at Hard Rock Bet or theScore Bet.

🔥 More NASCAR picks & prop bets

I suspect either Hamlin or Larson will bring the dominant car to Charlotte for Sunday's race. Still, the dominant car doesn't always win, especially not in the Coca-Cola 600. In the NextGen Era, two drivers have won this race despite leading fewer than 20 laps.   

To score an upset win, though, you need to be fast enough for a late-race strategy call to matter. Here are a couple of drivers who I expect to keep themselves in the running - and possibly score an upset.

Chris Buescher, RFK Racing (No. 17)

• Chris Buescher to win: +2200 via Caesars (0.25u)
• Chris Buescher top 10: +120 via DraftKings (1.5u)

The RFK Racing Fords have brought too much speed to high-speed intermediates to ignore. Over a three-race sample, the three RFK drivers have seven top 10s! Buescher ranked third by average green-flag speed at Texas a few weeks ago and ranked top 10 in the metric in all three events with three top-10 results to show for it, too.

Buescher's odds for another top-10 range from -150 (60%) to +125 (45.5%) at DraftKings, where he is a sensible play. I also like targeting him to win outright at +2200 (4.4%).

Ryan Preece, RFK Racing (No. 60)

• Ryan Preece to win: +7000 via Caesars (0.13u)
• Ryan Preece top 10: +360 via FanDuel (0.62u)

Preece, Buescher's RFK Racing teammate, hasn't scored a top 10 on a high-speed intermediate this year. Still, he did so five times last year, and his results this year aren't bad: 11th at Kansas, 11th at Las Vegas, and 14th at Texas. We're getting too good a deal to pass up here. Add in the No. 60 team's penchant for contrarianism and possible weather in the forecast, and I like backing Preece to win, too.   

Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing (No. 3)

• Austin Dillon to win: +12500 via BetMGM (0.07u)
• Austin Dillon top 10: +600 via FanDuel (0.43u)

The Richard Childress Racing stable's struggles are well noted, but Dillon has hung around at the high-speed intermediates this year. His results aren't great - 12th at Las Vegas, 16th at Kansas, and 18th at Texas - but he has won this race before, and the concerning forecast means I want long-shot exposure should the No. 3 team make a bold call late to get out front.

💰 My NASCAR bets at Charlotte

Here are the actual NASCAR bets I'm making for the Coca-Cola 600 with the best odds from our best sports betting sites for Sunday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Total wagered: 4 units | Max profit: 20.56 units (Preece win + top 5s and top 10s)

🏆 Past NASCAR winners at Charlotte

Here is a list of every NASCAR race winner at Charlotte in the Next Gen era:

Few drivers have dominated the Coke 600 in the NextGen era, but William Byron's 2025 performance (283 laps led, 2nd-place finish) was the most impressive, even though he doesn't appear on the winner's chart. 

📺 How to watch NASCAR at Charlotte: 2026 Coca-Cola 600

• Date: Sunday, May 24
• Time: 6 p.m. ET
• Location: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Charlotte, N.C.)
• TV: Amazon Prime
• Track: 1.5-mile smooth intermediate (400 laps, 600 miles)
• Stages: Stage 1 (100 laps), Stage 2 (100 laps), Stage 3 (100 laps), final stage (100 laps)