As the NASCAR Cup Series enters Week 15, drivers head to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the grueling Coca-Cola 600. Denny Hamlin leads the field in experience with a 12.4 average finish over 33 starts, while Tyler Reddick has impressed in his seven Cup appearances. Joey Logano, sporting a 13.1 average at Charlotte, recently gave a crash course on the race’s unique challenges during a media briefing.
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Pressed about why the race remains a test of both man and machine, Logano explained that it’s not just the length of the race but the evolving demands of the track that amplify the challenge.
“The track itself has become more difficult, which makes it even more physical for the driver and also the car,” he said. Logano painted a vivid picture of a race filled with jarring impacts, loosened components, and relentless attrition. “There are a lot of pit stops — lots of them.”
He went on to stress the mental fortitude required to withstand the marathon, explaining how there are so many opportunities to make mistakes throughout the event, so it’s about keeping one’s head in the game and grinding it out to the end.
In his view, today’s thin margins in car performance and speed make recovering from setbacks an uphill battle. The drivers can get knocked down, and others have time to get back up and fight their way through. That’s tough to do at most races these days.
Yet Logano remained confident that Charlotte offers chances to rebound and press forward. “There are opportunities to pass, opportunities to recover,” he said. “When you have a track that is this challenging, where cars are running the very, very top at the wall, the bumps create a lot of opportunities for people to have these big moments and get loose or spin out, wreck,” Logano added.
That wealth of experience and insight could be invaluable for relative newcomers like Riley Herbst and Shane van Gisbergen, who have competed at Charlotte but have yet to test themselves against the Cup Series heavyweights in the Coca-Cola 600.
Logano’s opinion on the drivers who win the Coca-Cola 600 race
With one Coca-Cola 600 win under his belt in his 17-year Cup career [back in 2015], Joey Logano remarked that winning any Cup race in today’s competitive climate is no small feat. The sheer talent across the field makes every race a challenge. In this generation, he noted, a driver who racks up five wins in a season is having a banner year. More often than not, there’s more at stake to lose than to gain, which is why drivers generally don’t dwell on where their wins come from.
Nonetheless, Logano acknowledged that the Coca-Cola 600 carries extra weight. Its prestige and historical significance make it one of NASCAR’s top three crown jewels, a win that’s truly special. And Logano wants to be the one hoisting that trophy.
“We’ve been close before, but haven’t quite gotten the old Coca-Cola fridge that they hand out to the winners,” the No. 22 Team Penske driver said. “I get a picture sent to me before every race here because as a Coca-Cola driver, they send me a picture of it, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know. I got it. I want to go get it. I understand. Message delivered.’”
With a win at Texas Motor Speedway already securing his playoff berth, Logano currently sits ninth in the standings. Having finished 14th in last year’s Coca-Cola 600, it will be intriguing to watch how he fares this time around.
