How Does NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 At Charlotte Weigh Up Against The Indy 500 & Monaco GP?

Rahul Ahluwalia | 24/05/2024
How does NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte weigh up against the Indy 500 & Monaco GP?

The biggest weekend in global motorsports is about to kick off as three premier racing series prepare to go racing this Sunday. NASCAR, the NTT IndyCar Series as well as F1 are scheduled to go live offering fans from all genres a day full of racing as motorsports’ holiest day of the year arrives.

Coinciding with Memorial Day weekend, NASCAR will be seen honoring veterans of the country with drivers representing names from the armed forces of the country on their cars during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

On the other hand, America’s premier open-wheeled racing series IndyCar kicks off what is arguably the biggest spectacle in global motorsports history with the 108th running of the Indy 500. Meanwhile, Formula One will be seen taking care of the glitz and glamor at the Monaco GP, running the historically significant race in the principality.

In terms of attendance at the track, the Indy 500 trumps both of its motorsports counterparts with close to 330,000 people in attendance last year. This year’s 108th running of the event is expected to break that record with up to 350,000 expected to attend at the vast Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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A tentative second place goes to F1’s Monaco Grand Prix, an event that has not released official attendance numbers since 2017. However, it is estimated that along with fans in the grandstands, viewers scattered in and around the several hotel balconies and yachts surrounding the track make up for an estimated figure of 200,000.

Charlotte Motor Speedway saw an attendance of close to 95,000 fans last year. This weekend’s NASCAR event at the venue has also been sold out for the year., making it one of stock car racing’s most-awaited races of the year.

Tony Stewart on the physical aspect of running the Double as Kyle Larson prepares for back-to-back IndyCar & NASCAR appearances

Former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart recently commented on how physically taxing running ‘The Double’ on Memorial Day can get for a driver who is not prepared for the same. One of the few drivers in motorsports history to have attempted the feat, Stewart has the experience of trying to run the Double on multiple occasions.

He elaborated on the same and said, “The first year it was terrible. It was a terrible experience. I had no idea what I needed to do, nutrition-wise. I’m not a workout guy. I’m not a nutrition guy. And I realized very, very quickly that day, I learned at the end of the 500, that I had a long day ahead of me still.”

It remains to be seen how Kyle Larson copes with the mental and physical demands of what is undoubtedly one of motorsports greatest crossovers to happen in a day’s time.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
Coca Cola 600 Indy 500 Monaco GP NASCAR Cup Series

About the author

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Rahul Ahluwalia

Rahul Ahluwalia is a NASCAR Content Strategist and Journalist at The SportsRush. Hailing from a Journalism and Mass Communication background, Rahul's love for automobiles transformed into his passion for all things racing. With over 1200+ articles under his belt covering a mixture of NASCAR and F1, he has realized his calling in the world of motorsports with actual first hand experience behind the wheel to back it up. He has competed in several autocross events as well as rallycross-style competitions to hone his skills behind the wheel and better understand the mindset of a racecar driver, allowing him to further improve his writing as well. He also has an editorial background with respect to racing and has eye for stories which otherwise go unnoticed. Rahul is also an avid sim racer indulging in various disciplines such as rallying and oval racing during his free time. Having begun his motorsports journey at the start of 2020, he turned his passion into his work allowing him to delve deeper into the ever evolving and world of cars and motorsports. Apart from racing, Rahul also has sound technical knowledge of the automotive industry and automobiles in general. Having grown up playing video games such as Need for Speed, Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, it is easy to see where the love for racing and machines inculcated in the first place.

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