2026 Coca-Cola 600 odds, picks: NASCAR projected leaderboard from proven model

The NASCAR Cup Series resumes to points races with a heavy heart following the death of Kyle Busch on Thursday. The 2026 Coca-Cola 600 will be held as planned on Sunday. The green flag drops at 6 p.m. ET from Charlotte Motor Speedway as NASCAR reaches its second Crown Jewel of the season. Entering 2026 NASCAR at Charlotte, Tyler Reddick is atop the standings, Denny Hamlin won the All-Star Race, and Ross Chastain prevailed at last year's Coca-Cola 600.

Hamlin is the +500 favorite in the 2026 Coca-Cola 600 odds, with Kyle Larson priced at +650. Reddick (+700) follows, with Christopher Bell (+900) and William Byron (+900) rounding out the top five. NASCAR Charlotte 2026 bets could also consider Katherine Legge (+50000) who will attempt "The Double" by also racing in the Indy 500.

Before making any 2026 Coca-Cola 600 picks or NASCAR predictions, you need to see what auto racing insider Mike McClure has to say.

McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every lap of NASCAR action, taking factors such as matchups and statistical trends into account. 

All told, the model has nailed a whopping 29 winners since 2021 and hit 11 winners in 2025! Anyone who followed its lead on those NASCAR picks could have seen HUGE returns.

For NASCAR at Charlotte, the model is fading Denny Hamlin (+500), saying he barely cracks the top 5 despite being the favorite. Another surprise: Alex Bowman (+3000) is projected to make a strong run towards the title. Bowman has top 12 finishes in four of his last five Coca-Cola 600 races and also has three NASCAR Charlotte stage victories to his name.

The model has also identified another longshot of over +3000 who makes a run for the top of the leaderboard.

So who wins the 2026 Coca-Cola 600, and which longshots should you back. Visit SportsLine now to see the picks and best bets from a NASCAR model that nailed 11 winners last year, and find out.