2 favorites to start in rear of Coca-Cola 600 field
CONCORD, N.C. — Coca-Cola 600 favorites Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher will start the race in the rear of the field after having issues Saturday.
NASCAR found Reddick’s team made unapproved adjustments to the underwing before pre-race inspection. As a result, Reddick had to qualify on scuff tires and will have to serve a pass-through penalty after dropping to the rear of the field and completing the first lap Sunday. He also lost his car chief and pit selection.
Reddick showed speed in practice Saturday. He ended the session second-fastest overall with a hot lap of 29.981 seconds. He also made the final round of qualifying with the fastest lap of anyone in Group A.
Chris Buescher ended practice seventh-fastest with a best time of 30.172 seconds. Buescher was also third-fastest on the 10-lap average, averaging 177.369 MPH, compared to Kyle Larson who did it best averaging 177.415 MPH.
As Buescher neared the end of practice, he blew a left-rear tire in turn one. That sent his No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang into the outside wall, severely damaging his car.
Buescher didn’t turn a qualifying lap and will start at the rear of the field Sunday. It is unclear if he will go to a backup car.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com