Kurt Busch joined Denny Hamlin on the front row heading into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The two were looking to unseat reigning Coca-Cola 600 winner Kyle Larson as he winner of the longest race of the NASCAR season.
Unfortunately, the two joined Ryan Blaney and others in being involved in a huge crash on lap 182 Sunday evening. Others involved included Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton and Noah Gragson en route to a red flag at Charlotte.
What an absolute mess we have on our hands here. NASCAR opted to remain under caution as Ross Chastain took the lead.
It was just a few minutes earlier that Chase Elliott saw his evening come to a premature end in a separate incident. This came with Elliott standing at the third spot.
As for those who were involved in this huge crash, Denny Hamlin met the minimum to return. Ryan Blaney was ruled out for the remainder of the race. He joins Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski in being done.
Less than half way through the 2022 Coca-Cola 600, and the race has been defined by crashes and cautions.
Now, some of those predicted to compete for the checkered flag are done for the night. That’s not what fans in North Carolina wanted to see.