Ross Chastain goes from worst to 1st to win NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Ross Chastain passed William Byron with six laps left and won the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, becoming the first driver to win the event after starting at the back of the field.

William Byron won the first three stages and led 283 laps, but surrendered the lead to Chastain, who started in 40th place and led just eight laps in his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the year.

It was a huge boost to Trackhouse Racing, and a bitter disappointment for Byron, the Charlotte native who had signed a four-year contract extension Friday with Hendrick Motorsports. Byron has finished in the top three in the last three Coca-Cola 600s without winning.

Chastain said his crew stayed up all night to build him another car after a crash in practice on Saturday.

“To drive on that final run in the 600 and pass two cars that had been better than me all night, wow,” said Chastain, who celebrated by standing on his car and slamming a watermelon down on the track as has become his tradition following a victory. “Holy cow! We just won the 600.”

Chastain said the plan was the fix the original car after the wreck, but NASCAR intervened. It might have been a good thing they did.

“We thought we were going to have to fix the primary and NASCAR said, no, there is something bent (so) go build another one,” Chastain said. “That’s how we did that.”

Byron left the track disappointed over his inability to maintain the lead.

“He was catching me and I was trying to defend and I was getting a little tight,” Byron said. “He got a run on me and was able to get to the bottom of the track off of two. It’s disappointing to lead that many laps... It just sucks. We will try to keep going and put together some races like that.”

Byron became the first driver to sweep the first three stages at NASCAR's longest race, but found himself in a battle with Denny Hamlin the final 100 laps. They exchanged lead a few times before both drivers pitted with 52 laps for one final fill up on gas.

But Hamlin didn't get enough fuel in his car and would have to pit again, falling out of contention. He would finish 16th.

Chastain, running in a backup car, ran down Byron for his sixth Cup Series win and first crown jewel victory.

Pole-sitter Chase Briscoe finished third.

Kyle Larson's day ended the way it started at the Indianapolis 500 — with a wreck.

Larson arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway via helicopter more than an hour ahead of the start of the race after crashing out at the Indianapolis 500 in his failed second attempt to complete "The Double.”

In North Carolina, he started on the front row and ran out to the early lead before hitting the wall in Turn 3 on lap 38.

A few laps later his car got loose, sending him spinning across the front straightaway and bringing out the race's first caution flag. But Larson was able to regain control of his car and prevent any further damage to his No. 5 Chevrolet before heading to the pits for adjustments that forced him to the back of the field.

But Larson got caught up in a wreck involving Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe and Daniel Suarez, sending him behind the wall.

He finished 37th.

Johnson makes early exit
Jimmie Johnson's bid for a record-tying fifth Coca-Cola 600 victory ended early in the second stage when he hit the wall in Turn 4, causing severe damage to his No. 84 Toyota and knocking him out of the race. The seven-time Cup Series champion finished last in 40th place.

“I make a rookie mistake,” Johnson said, who was making his 700th career Cup Series start. “The traffic situations are different with this car and I reacted in a way I shouldn't have.”

Halftime tribute
Keeping with tradition, drivers pulled their cars down pit road to a complete stop for a moment of silence as part of the Memorial Day weekend tribute to “honor and remember” those service members who've lost their lives.