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Motorsport

Nick DeGroot

Winners and losers from a somber and emotional Coca-Cola 600

NASCAR Kyle Busch Chase Elliott Chase Briscoe Brexton Busch Daniel Suarez Katherine Legge Samantha Busch Ross Chastain Zane Smith

Daniel Suarez is now a Coca-Cola 600 winner, coming out of seemingly nowhere to win the 67th running of NASCAR's longest race, with rain ending the event 27 laps short of the scheduled distance.

It was a race dominated by Toyota, but won by Spire as the team is now equal with Hendrick Motorsports on race wins this year

But more than anything, it was a day overshadowed by the indescribable loss of Kyle Busch, and the strength of his grieving family, who were at the track for a heart-wrenching pre-race memorial.

But just as we did following the sudden loss of Dale, Adam, Neil, Alan, Davey, and all the rest -- we race on. So here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from the 2026 edition of the Coca-Cola 600:

WINNER -- The entire NASCAR community for coming together in the face of tragedy

Richard Childress, Samantha Busch, Brexton Busch, Lennix Busch, Nascar CEO Steve O'Donnell (Photo by: Jonathan Bachman - Getty Images)

Where to even begin with this? Over the past few days, the NASCAR world has been reeling from unimaginable loss after the death of 41-year-old Kyle Busch. But what we saw in the immediate aftermath is a testament to how NASCAR is truly one big family, and that pre-race scene ... the strength of Samantha, Brexton, and the rest of the Busch family to be standing there like they were. It was a moment that will forever be ingrained in the minds of those who saw it, both in-person and from afar. As the field got ready to go racing, there was a 'missing man' formation in honor of the 2x champion, and on Lap 8, every single fan held up eight fingers in memory of Busch. It was a beautiful tribute as we begin the healing process. And after a full night of racing, there were tears, but there was also laughter and joy as the NASCAR on Prime team interviewed the main stories of the race. It felt normal, for the first time since the terrible news was announced. And that was only made possible by the closeness of the NASCAR community and its ability to once again come together in the face of tragedy.

LOSER -- Race control and the impossible situation they faced due to volatile weather

Rain and fog at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images)

Now to focus on the race weekend itself, NASCAR Race Control was put in an unenviable position. Rain and fog plagued the O'Reilly race and ended it early, a thrice-postponed Truck race had to end early due to a time limit, and then there was the 600 itself. NASCAR had completed almost 560 of 600 miles when the skies opened and rain poured down on the speedway. Fans were already annoyed by how the lower divisions ended, and they did not want to see another premature ending. This has never happened before, by the way -- three times in a single weekend. If NASCAR stuck around to dry the track, we were looking at running the final 27 laps around 1-2am at the earliest if the weather cooperated, and so NASCAR made the call to drop the curtain on the race. The weather put them in a bad spot, and race control made some controversial decisions over the weekend, but I don't think the 600 call was one of them. Either way, it was a no-win situation.

WINNER -- Daniel Suarez takes a bow after the biggest win of his career

Last year, people were talking about Suarez as if he was on his way out the door, but he has found a renewed purpose at Spire Motorsports. He's had a solid start to the year, and even before the 600, was above all three Trackhouse cars in points -- the team that cut him loose after five years together. The two parties just didn't jell well in recent years, but Spire has been a perfect fit for the Mexican-born racer. And while he won a rain-shortened race at the 600, he did it after multiple unscheduled pit stops, and then held off a dominant fleet of Toyotas through multiple restarts while at a tire disadvantage. And now he is a winner of a NASCAR crown jewel, becoming the first driver born outside of the USA to win any of NASCAR's four crown jewel races. He jumped four positions in the standings to P10, and on top of it all, he got to honor the man who made his NASCAR career possible, taking a bow for Kyle Busch.

LOSER -- Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota for giving it away

It is shocking that JGR and Toyota failed to win Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. Near the end of Stage 3, they were running 1-2-3-4-5 and had their own private battle for the race lead. JGR drivers led a combined 170 of 373 laps -- add in Tyler Reddick, and they led 289 of 373 laps on Sunday. But instead of working together to overcome the tire-disadvantaged Suarez on back-to-back restarts, they fought among themselves before ultimately running out of time when bad weather hit. Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin were bouncing off each other's doors in the battle for second moments before the race-ending caution flew. Toyota drivers finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th, and walk away without a checkered flag, and they only themselves to blame.

WINNER -- SVG with his most complete oval showing yet

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (Photo by: Krista Jasso / Getty Images)

The Coke 600 wasn't Shane van Gisbergen's best oval finish, but it was his most complete oval race by a long shot. He earned stage points in every single stage, and even led 11 laps in the final stage of the race. Through the late-race restart chaos, he dropped to 11th in the final order, but he spent almost the entire race inside the top ten. The result bumps him up two positions in the standings, getting him off the Chase bubble. He was also the fastest of the Trackhouse drivers, even out-performing 2025 Coke 600 winner Ross Chastain before his mid-race wreck.

LOSER -- Chase hopefuls lose precious ground amid carnage

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing (Photo by: Jonathan Bachman - Getty Images)

There were some big hits in Sunday's Coke 600, and some probably hurt more than others -- and I don't just mean because of the severity of the impact. DNFs for Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece hurt them all in the battle around the Chase bubble. Chastain was the biggest loser in the points, dropping from 19th to 23rd in the standings after entering the 600 as its defending winner. Briscoe actually moved up in the stanings, but he lost over 30 points and possibly a race win after crashing out of the event, leaving him dangerously close to the bubble. Preece has fallen three spots down to 16th, and Cindric is now below the cut-line after they wrecked big as well.

WINNER -- Zane Smith puts on a show in the FRM No. 38

Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (Photo by: Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

What a night for Zane Smith and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford. He led 31 laps, which is more than 3x that of his previous record for laps led during a Cup race. He remained steady throughout the night, and scored a top ten finish, placing P10. Outside of the Penske duo, he was the next-highest Ford in the end, ten or more spots ahead of his FRM teammates.

LOSER -- Ever-consistent Chase Elliott makes a rare mistake

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports (Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images)

Elliott entered this race third in the championship standings, but leaves fifth in points after crashing out in the opening stage of the race. Elliott simply lost it at the exit of Turn 2, slamming the inside wall and ending his night. Elliott is a very consistent driver, so it was a very rare mistake and his first DNF of the entire year. He's also crashed in three of the last five Coke 600s.

BONUS WINNER/LOSER - Katherine Legge adds her name to the ‘Double’ list, but not without frustration

Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet (Photo by: Krista Jasso / Getty Images)

It was a good and bad day for the 45-year-old British racer. Legge made history as the sixth driver to start the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on the same day. She was also the first woman to do so, the first non-American, and the oldest by a decade. However, the day did not go as planned, and she only completed 585 of a possible 1,100 miles between the two races. She crashed on the 18th lap of the Indy 500, trying to avoid a spinning Ryan Hunter-Reay. At the 600, she stayed out of trouble, but a wheel disconnected after a pit stop and she lost several laps in the process. As Legge herself said, while historic, the day was a "calamity of errors" between Indy and Charlotte.