NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Charlotte

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May 29, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; Pace car peals off for the start during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Challengers On Restarts

As we covered already, Martin Truex Jr. led all but eight laps of the Coca-Cola 600, losing the lead only during his trips to pit road.

Restarts were some of the strongest parts of his race as he was able to zoom ahead of every car that got by of him–and there was only one that was able to do that all night long: The No. 48.

Jimmie Johnson had an incredibly strong car at Charlotte and he made the right moves on two different restarts, giving him the lead for a matter of seconds. Even if he was able to get a nose out in front, he never could completely clear Truex, which usually resulted in a huge boost of momentum for the No. 78 car coming out of Turn 4.

Wow. What a battle! Get to @FOXTV for the final 50 laps at @CLTMotorSpdwy.#NASCAR #CocaCola600 https://t.co/N9ZnfHysR3
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 30, 2016

Harvick and Logano both had chances against Truex but Johnson was the only car that gave him any kind of trouble on restarts…and even he was never able to steal a lap.

Truex was ahead of the pack by at least a second for the majority of the night, but he never would’ve gotten it done without a few incredible restarts. The speed in his No. 78 Toyota proved to be key against the two Chevy challengers of Johnson and Harvick.

Next: A Dominant Manufacturer

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