Ryan Blaney cruises to win at Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 to break 59-race winless streak

Alex Zietlow (of The Charlotte Observer) and Lou Bezjak (of The State) are on site today to keep you up-to-date on all the action — and inaction — at Charlotte Motor Speedway Monday. See the section below for the latest news. Refresh this page as needed.

Live updates from Charlotte Motor Speedway

Stage 4

Lap 400: Ryan Blaney holds off William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. to win the 2023 Coca-Cola 600. That ends a streak of 59 points races without a win for the 12 team — one of the most consistent teams in the Cup Series. More to come soon.

Lap 374: Another caution took out a possible contender as Kyle Larson lost control of his No. 5 car and took out Ty Gibbs. Three other cars were involved in the incident. Ryan Blaney is the leader on the last scoring loop and William Byron was second.

Lap 369: The cautions keep coming at the end of the Coca-Cola 600 as Austin Cindric spins out. William Byron still out front ahead of Ryan Blaney.

Lap 362: Another caution was brought out as Ricky Stenhouse nudged AJ Allmendinger for the 15th caution (if you don’t count the competition caution). William Byron is the race leader. None of the lead lap cars came to pit road.

Lap 357: Caution brought out when Kevin Harvick’s car got loose and hit Tyler Reddick’s car. It was the 14th caution of the race. Zane Smith stayd out and is race leader. William Byron is leader off of pit road and is second followed Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 343: A loose wheel off Michael McDowell brought out the latest caution. Per NASCAR rules, two of McDowell’s crew members will be suspended because of the infraction. William Byron leads the race off of pit road again over Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick. According to FOX Sports broadcast, Byron has gained 18 spots off pit road.

Lap 330: Tyler Reddick made the save of the race and avoided disaster as it car bounced off the wall in the frontstretch.

Lap 301: William Byron had the lead following the pit stops after Stage 3. But Ryan Blaney took the lead from Byron on the following lap.

Stage 3

Lap 300: Ryan Blaney holds off Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr. to win Stage 3. It was Blaney’s first stage win of the year. Blaney has led a race-high 96 laps. Blaney took the stage lead from William Byron on Lap 282

Lap 274: The 11th caution of the race brought out when Brad Keselowski and Todd Gilliland get together. Gilliland’s car needed to be towed while Keselowski’s tire went down. It appeared Keselowski’s car got loose and got into the back of Gilliland’s.

Lap 232: That slide was this syllable personified: Woahhhhhhhh. Christopher Bell gets loose on Turn 4 and slides right in front of pit road, avoiding all walls and able to save the car without any damage. Plenty of time to get back into the race, particularly because the 20 car is one of the best in the field.

Lap 204: We’re now at eight caution flags. Kevin Harvick leads the field off pit road. But Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch will lead Stage 3; they both stayed out and didn’t pit.

Stage 2

Lap 200: All smiles for Chris Buescher, who notches the Stage 2 win. He is followed by Kevin Harvick — what a comeback for the 4 car! — Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace.

Lap 185: The seventh caution of the race comes out when Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin got together on a turn. Hamlin, the defending champion of the race, is likely done for the day. Hamlin said on his radio that Elliott should be parked, and a crew member responded with, “Yep. That’s as intentional as it gets.” Elliott also had words over the radio, saying in part that the 11 car tried to run him over twice in two laps: “Am I missing something?”

Lap 182: Ryan Blaney retakes the lead after the restart. It is the second time he has led duirng the race. Aric Almirola also tagged the wall on the restart and faded toward the back.

Lap 176: Kyle Busch brought out the seventh caution of the race when he got loose and got into Brad Keselowski on the backstretch. Busch also drove backwards before turning the car around and going to pit road. Keselowski’s car might have hit the wall after being hit by Busch.

Lap 164: Race returned to green but not for long as Jimmie Johnson spun for the second time in the race. Replay showed Johnson’s Legacy teammate Noah Gragson bumped him.. Johnson is done for the day.

Lap 160: Christopher Bell, who was running fifth, had to go to rear of the field after unapproved adjustments were made to his car during the red flag.

Lap 155: Race is under a rain delay again. Tyler Reddick is in the lead followed by Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell. Pit crews are using umbrellas on pit road. Red flag out; cars parked now. Rain getting heavier. Concord’s weather is just full of surprises this weekend!

Also during the delay, video circulated on social media of Aric Almirola shoving Bubba Wallace from a possible incident before the red flag..

Lap 154: Tyler Reddick becomes the leader after green-flag pit stops cycled through the race. This is his first lead of the race. Ryan Blaney has led 21 laps; Christopher Bell has led 48; William Byron has led 55; and Hamlin has led 20.

Lap 146: Green flag pit stops began with Denny Hamlin one of the first among leap lap cars to come down. He is now in 28th position.

Lap 117: Christopher Bell, who has been running near the front for most of the day, took the lead from William Byron. It is the third time of the day that Bell has taken the lead. Tyler Reddick is now in second.

Lap 106: We’re green again! Some notes: All three Legacy Motor Club cars are now behind the wall. Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson and Noah Gragson all went to the garage during the stage break. Michael McDowell started Stage 2 in first after not pitting at the caution. William Byron quickly retakes the lead. Legacy Motor Club said that Gragson and Jones hit debris on the track and ripped both radiators at the same time.

An update from the garage for the 84 team:

Stage 1

Lap 100: William Byron takes the Stage 1 win. But he had to hold off Ryan Blaney and a lightning fast Christopher Bell to do it. Catch the exciting finish to that first stage end below. Everyone earning stage points (in order): Byron, Bell, Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Lap 80: We’re green once more!

Lap 74: A single-car spin on Turn 2! Jimmie Johnson! Caution is now out. The seven-time champion started last and climbed all the way to the low-20s before he found himself turned around riding the wall. The 84 car doesn’t seem to have a ton of damage, but he’s now a lap down. The field subsequently files down pit road. The Top 10 after the pit stop: William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Erik Jones, Ross Chastain, AJ Allmendinger.

Lap 42: Green green green! A reminder, if you haven’t yet discerned: This one is long. This is the only Cup race that has four stages — 100 laps per stage. The race length is good news for Jimmie Johnson, who started last but is now the second-to-last car on the lead lap (in 33rd). Johnson, who is making his third Cup start in 2023, has won at Charlotte Motor Speedway eight times.

Lap 35: Competition caution. Get ready to see the entire field file down pit road. The Top 10 running right now: Christopher Bell (who passed Denny Hamlin for the lead in just Lap 32); Ryan Blaney; Hamlin; Martin Truex Jr.; William Byron; Brad Keselowski; Kyle Busch; Tyler Reddick; Kyle Larson; Chris Buescher. The biggest winner is Ryan Blaney, who rose from eighth to second. The biggest loser thus far is all of Stewart-Haas Racing. Most prominent among them: Kevin Harvick started second and in just 35 laps fell to 30th.

Lap 13: No practice. No qualifying. Overcast skies and relatively cool temperatures mean that this racetrack won’t change that much throughout the race. Plus we’re racing on a Monday? This is a unique Coca-Cola 600 race weekend indeed. Thirteen laps in, pole sitter William Byron had to surrender the lead to Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch following closely behind those two. The guys who have risen up the field faster than anyone else? Ryan Blaney, who started eighth and is now running fourth, and Tyler Reddick, who started 15th and is running eighth.

Green flag! 3:24 p.m.: At long last... let’s gooooooooo racin’!

3:11 p.m.: No real update beyond the skies is clear, and it looks like we’re ready to go racing! Some final administrative announcements: Command is at 3:12 p.m.; green flag is at 3:23 p.m. Rain ceased about an hour and a half ago — but the Air Titans put in work, and the track is dry. Another note: We finally get a chance to see the paint schemes on pit lane. The one that will probably be a favorite for the casual racing fan? Tyler Reddick’s Carolina blue Jumpman logo.

2:07 p.m.: The sun has finally peaked out from the clouds. Local forecasts and weather look a lot clearer closer to the 3 p.m. start of the Coca-Cola 600. Worth noting, too, that NASCAR will introduce the drivers from their cars as opposed to doing the typical, ceremonial introductions with a built-out stage on the frontstretch.

1:26 p.m.: Wait ... why is the Cup race slated to run before its Xfinity Series undercard has finished up? Two letters might help explain why: T-V. FOX was supposed to show the 64th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday evening, but that was washed out by weather. Then FOX found a broadcast window on Monday at 3 p.m., and getting the Cup race done in that window is the network’s top priority. A reminder: The average run time for the Coca-Cola 600 is approximately 4.5 hours. Another long day is ahead of us!

Here’s an insightful look at the forecast from WCNC meteorologist Brad Panovich:

Another look from FOX reporter Bob Pockrass:

1:11 p.m.: The Alsco Uniforms 300 Xfinity Series has been postponed again and will be finished after the completion of the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR announced. Tonight’s completion of the Xfinity Series race will be broadcast on FS2, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Coca-Cola 600 remains scheduled for 3 p.m. start and carried on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Sound familiar? It should. The Xfinity race was postponed after rain washed out all on-track on Saturday.

1:08 p.m.: The Alsco Uniforms 300 Xfinity Series race is in a rain delay. The race started under misty skies and was delayed once before resuming. After the delay, Ty Gibbs was able to win the first stage. That’s when the rain came back. Better weather is supposed to come in the afternoon, but it is unclear when the Xfinity race will resume — and if the Coca-Cola 600 will start at its scheduled 3 p.m. time.

How to watch NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600

• Race: Coca-Cola 600

• Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway

• Date: Monday, May 29

• Time: 3 p.m. ET

• Purse: $9,421,275

• TV: FOX

• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Distance: 600 miles (400 laps)

• Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 100), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 200), Stage 3 (Ends on Lap 300), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)

Starting lineup for 2023 Coca-Cola 600