Some races just matter more than others. These races are bucket list races–your Daytona 500s, Southern 500s, and Brickyard 400s. These are the races that every driver wants to win. The Coca-Cola 600 is one of those crown jewel races. Think about it: the greatest of the greats have won this race, from Petty to Earnhardt to Gordon to Harvick to Johnson and many others. The Coca-Cola 600 isn’t just another race. It’s a marathon. 600 miles, 400 laps around the historic Charlotte Motor Speedway. When a driver wins it, they cement their legacy.
But there’s a flipside to that. There are drivers who’ve never been fortunate enough to win this storied race. Hall of Fame drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart are among some of the greats to never win this prestigious event. Some have come close, like Junior in 2011. It was agonizing watching him run out of gas as he exited turn 4. So, for this piece, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the active drivers who’ve never won this race. Some of these drivers still have time to grab that brass ring while the clock is ticking of others. Here are 5 drivers who have yet to win the Coca-Cola 600.
No doubt, the Coca-Cola 600 is one of those races that is on NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott’s, bucket list. Despite Elliott not showing race-winning speed this year, there was a hint of optimism among his fan base this weekend as Elliott won a little over a year ago at the very similar Texas Motor Speedway. But, in the end, Elliott just didn’t display the same sort of speed that his teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson (at least early on) had. He was good, don’t get me wrong, but just good enough to run in the top 10 and, in the end, the bottom half of the top 5. He ended the race in 6th.
Chase Elliott has been close to winning the Coca-Cola 600 on two different occasions. Most notably, he finished runner-up in 2020. That was a very bizarre year for NASCAR as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country. He finished 2nd in the 2020 running of the event to Brad Keselowski. Ironically, due to schedule changes, later in the week another race was run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. In that race, Elliott was on. He dominated the event on his way to victory lane. If he could have only performed like that days before, he’d have a Coca-Cola 600 ring. He’s still got time in his career to get it done, so don’t come after me Elliott Nation. He also finished runner-up in the event in 2021 to teammate and eventual champion, Kyle Larson.
It was heartbreak last night for Willy B. as his quest to win NASCAR’s longest race went up in smoke in the closing laps. For the first two-thirds of last night’s Coca-Cola 600, Byron was unmatched. He had lights-out the fastest car. However, once the sun was completely down and we were in the final stage, he started to face some stark competition. First, there was Denny Hamlin. It looked as though the driver of the 11 car was the only one who could hang with the 24 and, once Byron beat Hamlin off pit road during the final green flag pit stop, it looked like Byron’s race to lose.
The overlooked story in the closing laps of the race was how Ross Chastain was able to stay out two laps longer than Byron and, by trade, have two lap fresher tires. This allowed for Chastain to run Byron down and force him into making a mistake. Ultimately, William Byron lost the 2025 Coca-Cola 600, having to settle for a 2nd-place finish. He led a race-high 283 of the 400 laps. Byron’s still young so he has time to get the job done. But it’s heartbreaking coming that close for it all to fall apart in the last 2 laps.
A somewhat surprising entry on this list is Joey Logano. But the Coca-Cola 600 has always eluded him for whatever reason. The three-time Cup Champ (as controversial as at least one of those title wins were) has won some high-profile races in his career. He currently holds the record as the youngest Cup winner in series history at 19 years old. He won the Daytona 500 in 2015 and the All-Star race on two occasions (2016 and 2024). Yet, the stars have never aligned for him on Memorial Day Weekend.
Logano, having just turned 35 years old, he still has some time to get the job done. However, the 22 Penske team has been slower in recent years, leaving many to wonder if Logano is just running out of gas. Is he on borrowed time? Or what kind of changes need to be made? Following the Penske Indy debacle this weekend, changes may be on the horizon for this legendary team. That could very well affect Logano’s performance going forward. His best finish in the storied race is 2nd, which he achieved in 2019.
A. J. Allmendinger impressed last night. He was fast nearly the whole race, running his number 16 Kaulig car solidly in the top 10 for much of the event. In the end, he was able to muscle his way to finish 4th. Not bad at all, considering that Kaulig is often considered a “B team” in the Chevy camp. This 4th-place finish beats his previous best Coke 600 finish of 5th, which he achieved with Richard Petty Motorsports all the way back in 2011.
Statistically, Allmendinger hasn’t been all that great at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s oval configuration, aside from a few standout performances here and there, like last night. And, with his future unknown, it’s hard to say whether or not Allmendinger will ever win this crown jewel event. If a caution had come out in the closing laps, could he have gotten there? Maybe, maybe not. But a feather that he can put into his hat is that he is very good on the Rova configuration, having won there back in 2023. So, while he may never wear the Coke 600 Championship Ring, he can still say that he won a race at NASCAR’s home track. At least that’s something.
It has been a relatively quiet 2025 for 23XI driver, Tyler Reddick. The team as a whole (save for how Bubba Wallace fired off this season) just hasn’t shown the same kind of speed as in years past. That said, last night as the laps were winding down, Tyler Reddick found something in his number 45 Monster Energy Toyota. In the last 40 laps of the race, he was racing hard with his owner Denny Hamlin as the two battled William Byron for the race lead. However, Reddick was better on the short run as the longer they went, the more his car fell off and the handling went away.
Like Byron and Elliott, Reddick still has many years of racing ahead of him and has a great shot to win this race someday. Statistically, Reddick has been strong in the Coke 600 in years past. Prior to last night, his worst finish in the race was 9th in 2021. The last two years, he finished 5th and 4th, respectively. He was on his way to do the same last night when he lost it in front of the leaders late in the going. In the end, Reddick was credited with a 26th-place finish. That by no means reflects how strong he was late in the going of this race. Maybe he’ll be able to put all the pieces together someday and get the job done once and for all.
That does it for our list, Daily Downforce readers. What did you think of this list? Were you surprised by any of the names? Let us know what you think! And be sure to stay tuned in here all week long for more awesome racing content.
