CONCORD, N.C. — The Toyotas were the class of the field on Sunday night’s (May 24) Coca-Cola 600, but the Chevrolet of Daniel Suarez stole the win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Suarez got ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell by taking two tires on the final pit stop. The teammates had two opportunities to get ahead of Suarez, yet ultimately came up empty handed.
“It’s 2026, man,” Bell said. “Nothing’s gone right for us so far. I am happy that we got away with a great race, second-place finish, a lot of points. It was really good, but obviously, could have had more today.”
Toyota led 289 of the 373 completed laps in the rain-shortened race. Tyler Reddick led a race-high 119 laps, while Hamlin led 75 and Bell 44 with both winning a stage. However, it was Hamlin and Bell who were in positions to win their second career Coke 600 on the race’s final two restarts. Instead, Bell finished second and Hamlin in third.
“Yeah, obviously a great day for Toyotas in general,” Hamlin said. “We were really, really fast, and all the cars had shots to win at some point. Man, we had planned all day for the last 50 [laps], like to get our car right for the last 50. And I just felt really confident that those last few restarts, like I could really get some speed going.
“It just was a matter of like who could clear between me and the 20 [Bell], and we couldn’t clear each other. It was buying the 7 [Suarez] some extra time, and it was just enough time. Because every time he washed up the track and it’s like I’m pinned to the bottom, about to get beside the 7, the caution came out. So it was really unfortunate, but it rained, so nothing we can do about it.”
On both restarts, Bell lined up beside Suarez, but the No. 7 cleared him almost immediately both times.
“Yeah, I’m bummed that the restarts played out the way that they did,” Bell said. “I need to talk to Denny and see what his thoughts were. It just seemed like we couldn’t get going. The outside row, the 7 [Suarez] and the 5 [Kyle Larson] got going a lot better than me and Denny did.”
Bell and Hamlin did have a long conversation on pit road after the event. Also, Hamlin paused his post-race availability to call out to Reddick and discuss the final restarts with him. Reddick had been the car lined up behind the two JGR cars, and Hamlin felt the car he co-owns needed to give his line a better push in that scenario. Hamlin did return to the media to give an explanation.
“So much like superspeedway racing, your line goes as long as you got cars committed to pushing on the restart, and obviously, the 45 [Reddick] is trying to get a run,” Hamlin said. “So a little bit of laying back, and that just drags me and Christopher [Bell] back and doesn’t allow the 20 to stay next to the 7 [Suarez]. It’s just a domino effect, but he’s trying to make a move on me, right? So he’s just trying to lay back on it, but on these mile-and-a-halves, you got to have everyone committed to pushing to keep that line going.”
Hamlin was mere seconds from passing Suarez for the lead when the caution flag waved for rain again on lap 362. The race resumed for just three more green-flag laps before it was ultimately called for rain, and during that run, Hamlin and Bell raced each other aggressively, even banging doors at one point, while Suarez minded his own business out front. Still, it looked like the JGR duo was about to catch and pass the Spire Motorsports driver when the race was ultimately called.
“Yeah, I mean, me and the 20 [Bell] both knew like just whoever can clear,” Hamlin said. “The 20 was clear, but it just seemed like every time he got a run on the 7 [Suarez], the 7 was kind of running them up, trying to defend. And that allowed me then to get big runs on the 20, which conversely, I was also is bad for us and good for the 7, because then we battle each other. So, again, just one corner away.”
Bell was bummed about the missed opportunity at a victory, but he credited NASCAR for calling the race and Suarez for his drive at the end.
“I didn’t really think that we were going to lose the racetrack,” Bell said. “I think they ultimately made the right call, calling the race. Daniel [Suarez] did a great job. He did everything right to defend the position and win the race. I knew that it was going to come down to keeping him pinned on the restart, not letting him clear me for the lead, and he cleared me for the lead.”
Still, it was a much-need good day for the Oklahoma native. The runner-up result tied his best finish of the season, and it was his first top five since Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. The finish vaulted him from 11th in points up to eighth.
“Ultimately, with this new format, this means a lot more than what it would with the old format,” Bell said. “So I’m happy to get out of here with some momentum. We keep showing car potential, we keep showing how fast we are and certainly, today, we got a result that shows that.”
As for Hamlin, he gained seven points on Reddick in the regular season championship battle, but he still trails by 122 points. Despite another win that got away, the veteran driver was more salty about the jet dryers drying the track after the race was already over.
“Now, they want to dry the track,” Hamlin said. “I don’t know why they want to dry the track down. It’s just a noise nuisance.”
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020.
Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.