NASCAR: LIVE Lap By Lap Coverage Of The Coca Cola 600

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight Beyond The Flag will be providing LIVE lap by lap coverage of the Coca Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Simply refresh this page to get more updates once the race gets underway. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below as well!

There are several storylines heading into the start of the race tonight, here is a quick look at just a few of them.

• Kurt Busch will look to complete the “double” after finishing 6th in the Indy 500. Busch arrived to the track around 5:00 PM. It appears that he missed the drivers meeting which means that he will have to start in the rear of the field.
• Jeff Gordon is going to race tonight despite back spasms that have plagued him all weekend. Regan Smith is on standby just in case.
• Jimmie Johnson has the pole for the race and is looking to win his first race of 2014. Other notable drivers still looking for their first wins include Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth.
• Danica Patrick will start 4th tonight. This is her best qualifying effort at a non-restrictor plate track. It will be interesting to see if she can contend for the win or have her first-ever top-five Sprint Cup Series finish.
• Jamie McMurray will be looking to complete the Charlotte Sweep after having won the Sprint All-Star Race last weekend.

Be sure to follow our lap by lap updates below beginning at 6:00 PM ET.

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Pre-Race – The Coca Cola 600 always has one of the better pre-race festivities. The command to start engines is coming!

Drivers start your engines!!

GREEN FLAG – Jimmie Johnson leads the field to the green flag for the start of the Coca Cola 600!

Lap 2 – Keselowski and Johnson fight for the lead, Patrick is in third.

Lap 5 – Patrick moves to 2nd and Kahne to 3rd.

Lap 8 – Keselowski falls outside of the top-five. Gordon is up to 24th.

Lap 12 – Running Order: 48, 10, 15, 5 and 2.

Lap 13 – Kurt Busch is running 33rd after starting 42nd.

Lap 22 – Running Order: 48, 15, 10, 5 and 4.

Lap 27 – Jeff Gordon is running 16th and Kurt Busch is running 30th.

Lap 32 – Running Order: 48, 15, 4, 10, 2, 88, 5, 20, 22 and 11.

Lap 34 – There are currently 34 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 38 – Danica Patrick has fallen outside of the top-five.

Lap 42 – Green Flag pit stops will be coming shortly.

Lap 46 – Green Flag stops have begun!!

Lap 47 – Kasey Kahne was blocked from getting into his pit stall by the No. 83 and as a result he had to go back around the track.

Lap 50 – Keselowski led a lap prior to making his pit stop as green flag stops cycle through. Ambrose’s team lost a tire during their stop and will serve a pass-through penalty.

Lap 52 – Jeff Gordon’s back is feeling okay, he is up to 12th. Kurt Busch is in 26th and is the last car on the lead lap.

Lap 55 – Running Order: 48, 4, 15, 20, 88, 2, 55, 22, 10 and 11.

Lap 63 – Danica Patrick falls to 10th as Jeff Gordon takes away the 9th spot.

Lap 65 – Jimmie Johnson has led all but three laps. Johnson continues to lead but Harvick is slowly closing the gap.

Lap 69 – Ryan Newman is the biggest gainer thus far and Kasey Kahne is the biggest faller but they are both a lap down at the moment.

Lap 73 – Only 20 cars on the lead lap, Austin Dillon is in 20th place and Kyle Busch is the first car that is one lap down.

Lap 77 – Harvick takes the lead after using Austin Dillon as a pic to get around Johnson. Patrick has fallen to 14th.

Lap 80 – Dale Jr. makes a “Superman” type move as he shoots around the outside to take the 4th spot away from Kenseth.

Lap 87 – Running Order: 4, 48, 15, 88 and 20.

Lap 90 – Only 13 cars on the lead lap. Aric Almirola is the last car on the lead lap and Danica Patrick is the first car that is one lap down.

Lap 95 – Green Flag pit stops are underway.

Lap 97 – No issues for Kasey Kahne on pit road this time.

Lap 100 – Kevin Harvick has a five second lead on Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 105 – Running Order: 4, 48, 15, 88, 20, 2, 24,55, 22 and 78.

Lap 107 – CAUTION – debris on the track!

Lap 108 – The field hits pit road and Jamie McMurray is the lucky dog. Let’s see who takes the wave around here.

Lap 108 – 4, 48 and 15 off of pit road first!

Lap 113 – RESTART – 4, 48, 15, 20, 88, 24, 55, 2, 78 and 22.

Lap 119 – Kyle Busch is the first car one lap down and he is racing through the field with his new tires, trying to get his lap back the hard way!

Lap 122 – Harvick leads Johnson by 1.332 seconds.

Lap 130 – The lights are coming on at the track, still over 45 mins away from sunset though. Harvicks lead is under one second.

Lap 135 – Things are pretty calm on the track. 4, 48, 15, 24 and 88.

Lap 142 – There are 18 cars on the lead lap, Kurt Busch is in 18th. Danica Patrick is the first car that is one lap down.

Lap 147 – Cars that took the wave-around now have to pit, those stops have begun.

Lap 149 – CAUTION – debris on the track!

Lap 150 – Race off of pit road goes 4, 48, 15, 88 and 24.

Lap 151 – Johnson to the lead and Gordon shuffled into the middle of the track.

Lap 157 – Harvick is chasing down Johnson for the lead!

Lap 160 – Concern over a hole that is in the grille of the No. 20 machine.

Lap 163 – CAUTION – Gilliland into the wall hard after he blows a tire getting into the corner. Big break for all of the cars that are one lap down.

Lap 165 – Pit Road is open and it looks like some drivers will roll the dice and only take two tires.

Lap 165 – Brad Keselowski does not pit and will inherit the lead if he truly does stay out. It looks like rookie Kyle Larson will be taking the wave-around as opposed to be the first car that is one lap down.

Lap 167 – RESTART – Keselowski leads after not pitting.

Lap 173 – Running Order: 2, 15, 4, 48, 55, 24, 20, 88, 99 and 1.

Lap 177 – Kyle Busch is racing like a madman but he isn’t passing ANY lead lap cars. He is three seconds behind the next lead lap car.

Lap 185 – 2, 4, 48, 24 and 55.

Lap 189 – Bowyer has a vibration and pits but only changes two tires, Bowyer still have the vibration.

Lap 192 – Harvick goes back to the lead as Bowyer heads back to pit road. This will cost Bowyer a good finish most likely. Keselowski will have to pit in about 10 laps.

HALFWAY Point – 4, 48, 2, 88, 24

Lap 206 – Brad Keselowski has to pit, he knows has to hope that there isn’t a caution anytime too soon.

Lap 214 – Green Flag stops are underway and if it cycles through Keselowski should go back to the lead. No. 42 has a tire down but he makes it to pit road.

Lap 218 – 4, 48, 2, 24 and 88 after pit stops. Patrick’s No. 10 car is down a cylinder.

Lap 223 – CAUTION – Debris on the track, Kurt Busch is the free pass.

Lap 224 – A whole bunch of different strategy on this stop.  Running Order: 88, 55, 1, 14, 2, 4, 78, 48, 43 and 24. Bowyer gets a lap back and it appears that Hamlin will be the first car one lap down.

Lap 228 – Stewart and Vickers hold the majority of the field up on the restart. 88 leads

Lap 233 – Running Order: 88, 1, 55, 20, 4 and 48.

Lap 235 – CAUTION – Ambrose, Wise, Patrick, Cassill and Scott all involved when Ambrose spun in turn four.

Lap 236 – Pit road is open and many drivers decide to pit.

Lap 237 – Running Order under caution: 1, 20, 4, 48, 78, 18, 22, 88, 2 and 24.

Lap 239 – If McMurray or any other first-time winner of 2014 wins tonight they will be the 10th different winner of the season.

Lap 239 – Patrick is complaining about getting run into but she was down a cylinder, it’s not like she was going to finish well anyways.

Lap 241 – Restart! McMurray is the leader and is the first of seven cars that did not pit.

Lap 246 – McMurray and Kenseth just ran their fastest laps of the night.

Lap 249 – Running Order: 1, 4, 20, 48 and 78.

Lap 254 – Logano, Gordon, Edwards and Earnhardt Jr are all within a second of each other for 6th position.

Lap 260 – Kurt Busch is off of the pace and down multiple cylinders.

Lap 265 – Harvick is in on pit road, McMurray should be coming soon.

Lap 270 – Running Order: 1, 20, 48, 24, 78, 88, 22, 99, 55 and 18.

Lap 272 – Jamie McMurray pits and the rest of the field is due to pit in about 10 laps or so. Matt Kenseth is the new leader.

Lap 273 – CAUTION – Kurt Busch lost his engine.

Lap 275 – Busch will not complete the 1100 miles today and the caution really hurts Jamie McMurray and his attempt at the sweep.

Lap 282 – Restart!

Lap 285 – Gordon falls from 3rd to 5th on the restart. Johnson and Kenseth are running up front.

Lap 286 – CAUTION – Danica Patrick loses her engine.

Lap 286 – All of the cars that are one lap down should take the wave-around here and get back onto the lead lap. Only a few laps were run before that caution came out. This could be new life fro drivers like Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin.

Lap 290 – Keselowski, Almirola, Harvick, Stewart and McMurray pit. 110 laps to go!

Lap 294 – Green Flag and Kenseth to the lead!

Lap 300 – Running Order: 20, 48, 22, 2 and 78.

Lap 305 – Gordon/Busch and EarnhardtJr./McMurray are the best battles on the track right now.

Lap 310 – Earnahrdt Jr. has fallen out of the top-10 and he hits pit road. Looks like Earnhardt might have blown up. Hamlin is also on pit road.

Lap 318 – Running Order: 48, 20, 2, 22 and 78.

Lap 330 – Unless something changes in the last 70 laps, this looks like a two horse race right now between the 20 and 48. Pit stops are beginning.

Lap 335 – Keselowski leads and is trying to stretch his fuel.

Lap 337 – The 2, 43, 99 and 27 have yet to pit.

Lap 343 – Keselowski is really stretching it out as he just hits pit road now.

Lap 349 – Running Order: 48, 20, 24, 4 and 55.

Lap 351 – Keselowski and Edwards and playing the fuel game. Keselowski is three laps short on fuel right now. 49 laps to go!

Lap 355 – Jeff Gordon was over eight seconds behind Johnson, he is now less than five seconds back in third.

Lap 358 – Keselowski hits pit road to fix a loose wheel.

Lap 361 – Keselowski is upset on the radio and feels that they have given the race away because of the loose wheel.

Lap 365 – Running Order: 48, 20, 24, 4 and 55. Pit stops should be coming soon.

Lap 367 – Gordon and Harvick have both taken almost five seconds off of Johnson’s lead but both drivers are running into a lot of traffic in the 3rd and 4th position. Kenseth is one second out of the lead.

Lap 375 – Kenseth and Johnson pit.

Lap 377 – Edwards might have the fuel but he will certainly not have the tires.

Lap 379 – CAUTION – Alex Bowman into the wall and the fuel game is over!

Lap 380 – Jeff Gordon will go to the lead under caution with 20 laps to go. Gordon is on two tires but Kenseth and Johnson behind him are on four. There will be about 18 laps to go when this thing gets back underway.

Lap 384 – Kenseth to the lead over Gordon!

Lap 390 – Johnson is coming for Kenseth!

Lap 395 – Unless there is a caution this is going to be Johnson’s race!

Lap 396 – Gordon has fallen back to 7th and Harvick has caught the No. 20 machine.

Lap 400 – Johnson Wins!