CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Motor Speedway will host a tripleheader of NASCAR racing over Memorial Day weekend, featuring the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 25, the BetMGM 300 on Saturday, May 24, and the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 23. The 1.5-mile asphalt oval will see the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series compete, drawing thousands of fans to America’s Home for Racing. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, alongside military representatives, will serve as grand marshals for the 66th Coca-Cola 600, highlighting the event’s patriotic tribute.
The Coca-Cola 600, starting at 6 p.m. ET, covers 600 miles over 400 laps, with stages ending at laps 100, 200, 300, and 400. Broadcast on Amazon Prime and PRN, the race offers a $13,651,450 purse. The BetMGM 300, an Xfinity Series event, begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, spanning 300 miles across 200 laps, with stages at laps 45, 90, and 200. It airs on CW and PRN, with a $1,651,939 purse. The Truck Series’ North Carolina Education Lottery 200 kicks off Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET, covering 201 miles over 134 laps, with stages at laps 30, 60, and 134. FS1 and NRN will broadcast the $782,900-purse race.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, headlines the weekend with his second attempt at “The Double,” racing the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, dubbed “The Hendrick 1100.” Larson, who won the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 from the pole, leads the 2025 Cup Series with three wins, eight top-five finishes, nine top-10 finishes, and 817 laps led through 12 races. His Hendrick Motorsports team dominates, leading 1,387 laps and securing five poles this season. Larson’s 221 laps led at Kansas set a Next Gen era record for 1.5-mile tracks.
The Coca-Cola 600, the 127th Cup Series race at Charlotte since 1960, has seen eight different winners in the last eight years. The pole winner took victory in two of the last three races, and the driver leading the most laps won five of the last seven. Hendrick Motorsports has won the first stage in each of the last five Coca-Cola 600s. Notable milestones include Jimmie Johnson’s 700th Cup start, Daniel Suarez’s 300th, Ryan Preece’s 200th, and Ty Gibbs’ 100th. Ryan Blaney ended a 59-race winless streak here in 2023.
In the Xfinity Series, the BetMGM 300 marks the 80th race at Charlotte, with 12 different winners in the last 12 events. Justin Allgaier, with eight top-five finishes in 2025, and Austin Dillon are the only past Charlotte winners in the field. The race, the halfway point of the regular season, features William Byron and Chase Briscoe in the field, alongside rookie Connor Zilisch, who returns after a back injury. Chevrolet has dominated, leading 1,761 of 2,243 laps this season.
The Truck Series’ North Carolina Education Lottery 200, the 23rd at Charlotte, sees Corey Heim as a favorite, having won four of the last eight 1.5-mile track races. Kyle Busch, with eight Charlotte Truck wins, remains a contender. Tyler Ankrum leads with seven top-five finishes in 2025, while Heim has led in all 10 races. The race, the fifth of five 1.5-mile track events this season, follows two overtime finishes in the last three races.
Charlotte Motor Speedway, built in 1959 by O. Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner, has evolved into a premier motorsports complex. Innovations include a 1992 lighting system for night racing, a 16,000-square-foot HDTV, and the 2018 ROVAL road course. The speedway hosts fan events like the Speedway Children’s Charities Gala on May 21, honoring Richard Petty, and Mission 600, pairing drivers with military units. Fan days at JR Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, and RFK Racing offer autograph sessions and shop tours.
The weekend’s schedule includes practice and qualifying sessions, with Truck Series events on Friday, Xfinity and Cup Series sessions on Saturday, and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday. The ARCA General Tire 150 airs Friday at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. With four last-lap passes and 287 lead-lap finishers in 2025, the season promises intense competition at Charlotte.
