SM Staff

In the NASCAR season’s longest race of the year, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 53rd running of the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In a sport that’s constantly changing, one thing’s starting to remain the same. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is dominating the Nationwide Series.

The weather was perfect, if not hot, and the pre-race show was amazing. No one does the patriotic opening act like Charlotte Motor Speedway, so why was the attendance so bad?

During the Fox Sports broadcast of the Coca Cola 600 we frequently heard the term "the Kahne train." It was very appropriate because we all watched driver Kasey Kahne unload approximately four months of NASCAR frustration at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kahne blew the doors off of his competitors Sunday night to score his fourth win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 53rd Annual Coca-Cola 600. This win is extra special for Kahne because it is his first win as a driver for Hendrick Motorsports, and his first win of the season.

Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne picked up his first win with Hendrick Motorsports by winning his 3rd Coca-Cola 600 in his 300th career start becoming only the second driver to do so.

With every lap and every race Kyle Busch runs at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, it becomes one of his better racetracks. Good news if Busch plans to contend for the championship since Charlotte is not only in the Chase but several other mile-and-a-half tracks are as well.

Edwards and his No. 99 Fastenal team had to use that time to battle back from an early pit road miscue. In what could have been one hot, long and frustrating night, Edwards and company stayed calm, cool and collected to come back and finish ninth.

Aric Almirola started the weekend off good by getting his first career Sprint Cup Series pole award and to make things even sweeter for RPM, Marcos Ambrose started second.