The NASCAR Cup Series continues tonight with the 2021 Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the race, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and driver to fade predictions.
Winner: Chase Elliott- Elliott is hitting his stride this season, finishing in the top 5 in 3 of his last 4 starts and is coming off of a win last week at COTA. Elliott has been great at Charlotte in his young career, finishing in the top 5 in 4 of his last 5 starts at the track, including a win and 2 runner ups during that stretch. You gotta ride the hot hand and that’s why I’m predicting Elliott for the win tonight!
Top 10: Martin Truex Jr.- Truex has been a championship threat all season, with 3 wins and 5 top 5’s so far. Truex had been a stud at Charlotte of late, with 3 wins, 7 top 5’s, and 1,050 laps led in his last 10 starts at the track. Truex qualified in 8th for tonight’s race and I expect him to finish in the top 10 by night’s end.
Dark horse: Tyler Reddick- Reddick has been on fire of late, finishing in the top 10 in 6 of his last 8 races. Reddick has fared well at Charlotte in his brief career, finishing 8th and 14th in his 2 Cup starts and earning a 5th place finish in yesterday’s Xfinity Race. A win is unlikely, but a top 10 is certainly within reach for Reddick.
Driver to fade: Aric Almirola- Almirola has had a horrendous year, finishing outside top 20 8 times in 14 starts. Almirola has had minimal success at Charlotte, with 1 top 10 and 5 finishes outside the top 20 in 15 career starts. I expect the trend to continue and predict Almirola to finish outside the top 20 tonight.