NASCAR insider picks Hendrick Motorsports star as favorite to win 2025 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season heads to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 13th race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600. Ahead of the event, NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass gave his prediction, picking the winner, top-five finishers, and a long-shot winner for the 2025 Coca-Cola 600.

Pockrass picked Hendrick Motorsports’ star Kyle Larson to reach the victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25. Larson has a good record at the 1.5-mile Charlotte, as he has recorded four wins, six top fives, and 12 top 10 finishes to his name in 22 races. The #5 Chevrolet driver will start from the second position in the 40-driver field on Sunday.

Rounding out Pockrass’ top five predictions are the defending winner of the event, Christopher Bell; Austin Cindric; Alex Bowman; and Chase Briscoe. He also chose Ty Gibbs as a long-shot prospect. Gibbs will start from the seventh position.

Pockrass wrote on X:

“My Cup pick for the Coke 600: Kyle Larson ... top-5: Larson Bell Cindric Bowman Briscoe ... longshot: Gibbs ET 5-Prime-Prerace 6:27-Prime-Cup race, stages 100-100-100-100, 13 sets tires, fuel 62-70 laps.”

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

My Cup pick for the Coke 600: Kyle Larson ... top-5: Larson Bell Cindric Bowman Briscoe ... longshot: Gibbs

ET

5-Prime-Prerace

6:27-Prime-Cup race, stages 100-100-100-100, 13 sets tires, fuel 62-70 laps

Kyle Larson has scored three wins, eight top-five finishes, and nine top-10 finishes in 12 races so far in the 2025 season and will look to clinch his fourth win of the season. He has an average finish of 9.8 in 12 races and is currently leading the Cup Series points table. Larson is also attempting double duty on Sunday, racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

Meanwhile, Pockrass’ picks, Bell and Cindric, are the top favorites to win the Coca-Cola 600 in the odds table. NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson is the most successful active driver with four Coca-Cola 600 wins.

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Kevin Harvick picks William Byron to win the 2025 NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

The 2014 Cup Series champion-turned-commentator, Kevin Harvick, picked Larson’s teammate William Byron as a favorite to win his second race of the season at the 1.5-mile-long Charlotte track.

On the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, when his co-host Kaitlyn Vincie asked him to give his prediction for this weekend’s Charlotte spring race, Harvick picked Byron and said [43:30]:

“600 miles. That’s a long ways but a long time. I’m going to go with William Byron.”

Catch NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams in action at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Fans can witness the 600-mile Cup Series race on Prime Video.