Is NASCAR crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 cancelled? Latest updates from Charlotte Motor Speedway

The 600-mile dash on the Memorial Day Weekend has been canceled after heavy downpours made the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway unfit for racing. After 249 laps of adrenaline-packed run, the Coca-Cola 600 was put on hold, with at least 90 minutes required for the track to dry after the rain stops. However, the track drying process could have taken up to 1 AM ET for the race to resume, following which the officials canceled the race, with 151 laps remaining.

The highly-coveted Coca-Cola 600 marked the 127th Cup Series race hosted by the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Memorial Weekend has been notorious for having unfavorable weather conditions, putting a big question mark on the timely completion of the highest points-paying race of the season.

Heavy winds, topping up to 60 mph speed, combined with heavy downpours are making every corner of the track unfeasible for racing. Per Bob Pockrass' rain update, the track would take a minimum of 90 minutes for the oval to dry out completely or become fit for the remaining race.

Accordingly, if NASCAR could have stretched the timings till 2 AM, it might have had a shot at completing the race. However, that was not the case as officials stated the reason for calling off the highly-coveted run: "Due to inclement weather, high humidity and the likelihood of resuming action after 1 a.m. ET with the track-drying process.”

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell led the pack with 151 laps of domination before the race came to a halt. 2023 defending champion Ryan Blaney succumbed to an issue with his front-right compound and subsequently suffered an early exit from the run on Lap 143.

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson slammed into the outside wall on Lap 171 while maneuvering through Turn 2 and suffered a setback during the race's second stage. As the race stood canceled for more than two hours, the then frontrunner, JGR driver Christopher Bell was declared the winner.

Christopher Bell seals the deal as Kyle Larson's resurgence from his Double Duty jeopardy didn't benefit the latter

Larson kicked off his Indy 500 run from fifth place and came home with a P18 finish. However, heavy downpours at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway delayed the start and the 200-lap dash was green-flagged at 3.45 PM CT. Hence, Larson's hopes for a doubleheader were going down the drain.

Nonetheless, Kyle Larson flew back to Charlotte, touched down on the helipad, and rushed toward the garage to gear up for the Coca-Cola 600. Rain delay at Charlotte Motor Speedway paused the race and paved the way for the Hendrick Motorsports driver to mark his presence at the Coca-Cola 600.

However, Larson's pursuit to complete the 1100-mile run remains unfulfilled as the race got canceled with Christopher Bell sealing his second Cup Series win this season.

"Man it feels so good. To win or lose, to just have a great race to go off of. A race that we led laps, we were able to pass cars. We lost the lead at times, we were able to drive back to the lead," Bell said after emerging victorious.

By etching the Stage 1 win and the race win, Christopher Bell has raked in 40 points. Currently, he has two wins, three top-5s, and six top-10s to his name.