Charlotte Motor Speedway – Motorsports Tribune

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

Kyle Busch has reason to be optimistic about Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Busch has shown consistent strength on 1.5-mile intermediate speedways this year, and that’s a source of confidence entering NASCAR’s Memorial Day weekend marathon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch won the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 from the pole, and he’ll try for a repeat performance in the 63rd running of the event on Sunday evening (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Though Busch claimed his only victory of the season in the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the strength of his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team has manifested itself on the 1.5-mile tracks.

He finished fourth at Las Vegas after leading 49 laps and third at Kansas Speedway in the most recent NASCAR Cup Series points event. In the NASCAR All-Star Race last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch started from the pole and led the first 47 laps before being eliminated in a freak accident.

“The mile-and-a-half stuff has kind of been our bread and butter a little bit this year, I guess you’d say,” said Busch, whose Toyota is sporting a special red, white and blue M&Ms paint scheme this week. “You know, at (two-mile) California we were OK (14th). 

“I thought we were quick, but we got behind early, but then Vegas and Kansas were really good. We were fast there. So being another mile-and-a-half here, hopefully that bodes well.”

Martin Truex Jr., Busch’s teammate at JGR, is seeking his fourth win at Charlotte. His first was the stuff of legends. In the 2016 Coca-Cola 600, Truex led 392 of 400 laps before taking the checkered flag. 

But Truex is winless so far this season, with two top-five results in 13 races.

JGR’s Denny Hamlin has a different agenda. A victory on Sunday would complete the trifecta of NASCAR’s Crown Jewel races—the Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500 and Daytona 500. 

Kevin Harvick is the only active driver who has…