CHARLOTTE 1
Friday, May 23 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, May 24 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 4:30 p.m. ET (CW)
Sunday, May 25 — NASCAR Cup Series, 6 p.m. ET (PRIME VIDEO)
Ford teams in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series will be in action as part of the traditional Memorial Day Weekend of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is the headliner, an event that has seen Ford drivers Brad Keselowski (2020) and Ryan Blaney (2023) go to Victory Lane in recent years.
BLANEY ON TOP FIVE RUN
Even though Ford’s Ryan Blaney is still searching for his first win of 2025, he has consistently been one of the fastest drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series this season. He heads into this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 not only looking for his second career win in the marquee event, but to continue a streak that has seen him post back-to-back third-place finishes at Texas and Kansas. In addition, he’s been fifth or better in four of the last five events.
MULTIPLE FORD 600 WINNERS
Only two drivers have won the Coca-Cola 600 more than once with Ford, but two current drivers have an opportunity to add their name to that list. NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen was the first driver to win multiple 600 events, doing it in 1963 and 1965 while Jeff Burton joined him after victories in 1999 and 2001. Ryan Blaney (2023) and Brad Keselowski (2020) are the two eligible drivers who can join them on Sunday.
RYAN BLANEY: WHAT TESTS YOU MORE, THE MENTAL OR PHYSICAL SIDE? “The mental side, I think. Yeah, it’s physical. It’s hot. It’s a long race, but you just get comfortable in there and you train for that stuff. Physically, 600 miles is not much tougher than 500. Once you get to that 400 mark you’re kind of like, ‘This is what it is. There’s only a little bit to go.’ Mentally, it’s just that when you get the halfway call at lap 200 and you’ve been running for two and a half hours already you’re like, ‘Oh, man. You better lock in here because the job is only half finished.’ I think mentally it’s super tough to stay in it, but the best guys are able to do it.”
JOSH BERRY: WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES THE COCA-COLA 600 SUCH A COMPETITIVE RACE? “It’s the longest race in our sport and that opens up a lot of opportunities for comers and goers. You obviously have to have a good balance to start the race, but then it cools off and you’ve got to stay up with the track. It’s just a grind. For us, I’m really excited to get there with the speed we’ve had on the intermediates. I finished 10th there last year. Obviously, I would have liked to run the full 600 miles to get the full experience, but I think it’s a fun one. It’s a crown jewel. The prerace is a lot of fun and really special. We’re excited to get there.”
RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS GOOD FOR BLANEY
Ryan Blaney needed an extra day, but he took full advantage in winning the Coca-Cola 600 in 2023. Blaney took the checkered flag first in an event that was delayed due to rain and snapped a 59-race winless streak in the process. He led a race-high 163 laps, including the final 26 after passing WIlliam Byron on lap 375, and scored top-five points in all four stages. Overall, Ford had a strong race as five drivers combined to lead 201-of-400 laps.
KESELOWSKI ADDS ANOTHER JEWEL
Brad Keselowski became the first Ford driver since Mark Martin in 2002 to win the Coca-Cola 600 when he held off Jimmie Johnson in an overtime finish to take the checkered flag in 2020. The race went five laps past the advertised distance and ended with Keselowski adding another crown jewel victory with Ford to go with his wins in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis (2018) and Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (2018).
MAJOR HAUL FOR JARRETT
Dale Jarrett won his share of major races during a sterling career in the NASCAR Cup Series, but no season may have been better than his first year driving at Robert Yates Racing in 1996. After winning the season-opening Daytona 500, his second of three triumphs in that event, Jarrett came to Charlotte in search of winning the Coca-Cola 600 for the first time. Jarrett, who qualified 15th, wasn’t much of a factor when the race started, but when the sun went down his No. 88 Quality Care Service/Ford Credit Ford Thunderbird came to life. He took the lead for the first time on lap 175 and went on to lead 199 of the final 226 laps for RYR to win going away. Jarrett eventually went on to win the Brickyard 400 a couple of months later to give him three of the sport’s biggest victories in one season.
MAYER KING OF THE CHARLOTTE ROAD
Ford’s Sam Mayer has seven career NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and two of those have come on the Charlotte Roval, including last fall when he passed Parker Kligerman in overtime and advanced into the Round of 8. He’ll be looking for his first oval victory on the 1.5-mile track with the Haas Factory Team, along with trying to move up in the standings. Mayer, who is third overall, is coming off a fifth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway and has been third or better in the standings for nine straight events.
SMITH BACK IN VICTORY LANE
Chandler Smith recorded his second win of the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season last weekend after taking the lead on the final lap at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The victory snapped a three-race stretch that had seen Smith finish outside the top 10 and moved him within 47 points of the overall lead. The Front Row Motorsports driver has made two career series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing sixth and eighth in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
FIRST CHARLOTTE TRUCK SERIES WIN
Ben Rhodes provided Ford with its first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2023 when he passed Carson Hocevar and led the final 25 laps. For Rhodes, it marked the only win during his championship-winning season and seventh of his career. The race was a three-way battle between Rhodes, Hocevar and Corey Heim, who combined to lead all but five of the 134 circuits.
FORD’S COCA-COLA 600 WINNERS
1962 – Nelson Stacy
1963 – Fred Lorenzen
1965 – Fred Lorenzeon
1970 – Donnie Allison
1982 – Neil Bonnett
1987 – Kyle Petty
1991 – Davey Allison
1996 – Dale Jarrett
1999 – Jeff Burton
2000 – Matt Kenseth
2001 – Jeff Burton
2002 – Mark Martin
2020 – Brad Keselowski
2023 – Ryan Blaney
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS
AT CHARLOTTE OVAL
1992 – Jeff Gordon (Sweep)
1993 – Mark Martin (2)
1995 – Chad Little (1) and Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Mark Martin (Sweep)
1998 – Mark Martin (1)
1999 – Mark Martin (1)
2000 – Jeff Burton (1)
2001 – Jeff Green (1) and Greg Biffle (2)
2003 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2006 – Carl Edwards (1)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)
2018 – Brad Keselowski
FORD NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE OVAL
2023 – Ben Rhodes
The Ford Mustang, celebrating its 61st anniversary in 2025, is the world’s best selling sports car. It is also one of the planet’s most popular race cars. With Mustang-based race cars competing in international sports car competition (GT3 and GT4), NASCAR, NHRA, Formula Drift, in Australian Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 17 Mustang race cars are scheduled to race across all disciplines. Learn more at FordPerformance.com.
