DRIVERS TO WATCH

THE FAVORITES Kevin Harvick:

As the kids these days say: duh. Harvick has been undoubtedly NASCAR’s best driver this season, winning five of the season’s first 12 races. Oh yeah, plus he won the All-Star race at Charlotte last week. And as if you still needed more convincing why Harvick is the favorite of all the favorites, factor in he’s won three times at Charlotte in his career and finished outside the top 10 just once in his past 10 races here.

Martin Truex Jr.:

Truex hasn’t had nearly the dominant season this year he did in 2017, but he’s still one of NASCAR’s best drivers and one of the safest bets to do well at Charlotte. He won at CMS in the playoffs in the fall, and he also won the 2016 CocaCola 600, so his recent track record is one of the best among active drivers. He crashed out of the All-Star race through no fault of his own, and a second career 600 win would go a long ways towards helping him mount another playoff run.

DARK HORSES Denny Hamlin:

Hamlin and the next name on this list might not be the first people you think of when you hear “dark horse,” but at Charlotte, they certainly fit the bill. Hamlin, for all his success at NASCAR’s top level, has never won at Charlotte. Hamlin is seventh in the Cup Series points standings and has a handful of top 5’s, but his first 600 victory would help push him into this season’s upper echelon of drivers. Another note: Hamlin started on the pole at CMS in the fall but only finished fourth.

Austin Dillon:

Is this a bit obligatory? Perhaps. But as the reigning Coca-Cola 600 winner, it would be remiss not to include Dillon. His Daytona 500 victory this year was more impressive than simply outlasting the field (which he did with his gas mileage to win the 600), but the rest of his season has been anything but good. Dillon’s team just doesn’t have the equipment needed to thrive right now, and that doesn’t figure to change this weekend at Charlotte.