Coca-Cola 600

Coca-Cola 600

Venue	Lowe's Motor Speedway
Corporate sponsor	Coca-Cola
First race	1959
Distance	600 miles (965.6 km)
Number of laps	400
Previous names	World 600 (1960-1984) Coca-Cola World 600 (1985) Coca-Cola Racing Family 600 (2002)

The Coca-Cola 600 (formerly the World 600), and also known as the "Coke 600" and "600" is a 600 miles (965.6 km) in length stock car race held annually at Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend. It is the longest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and, in fact, is the longest regularly-scheduled automobile race conducted on an oval track anywhere in the world.

History

The event was started as an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend event that would rival the open-wheel Indianapolis 500. It was not until 1974, however, that both races competed head-to-head on the same day^[1]. Before 1974, the two races were held on different days of the week, and on a few occasions, some drivers drove in both; this continued even after the 600 was moved to the same day, albeit to a smaller degree. In fact, the first World 600 was not held on the Memorial Day weekend; it was held on June 16 due to snowstorms that delayed the completion of Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2009 race, due to the fact that the race was postponed from its original May 24 date, was the first race to have run on Memorial Day itself.

With the installation of lights in 1992, fans complained to circuit management to have the race start later in the day because of the notorious North Carolina heat and humidity. They wanted to follow The Winston's popularity the previous week and switch the race to a nighttime finish to create cooler temperatures for spectators. The start time was moved back several times throughout the 1990s, and finally settled at 5:30 pm in 2001, to attempt to have the race finished by 10 p.m. ET, in time for local news on Fox affiliates.

With the new starting time came new challenges. Not only do race teams have to deal with the blistering Carolina heat, but the considerable temperature change at night make track conditions completely different.

The nighttime portion of the race is lit with a system that uses parabolic reflectors so that dangerous glare that would otherwise be in the drivers' eyes is minimized. The move of the race to the early evening made it possible for drivers to participate in both the 600 and the Indianapolis 500 by flying from Indianapolis to Charlotte as soon as the Indianapolis race was over. Experts disagree over whether, for health and safety reasons, anyone should be allowed to race 1100 miles in one day, but no regulation has been passed yet by any governing body to prevent it. Beginning with the 2005 races, the issue became moot as the state of Indiana finally decided to go to daylight saving time. This resulted in only about a one hour span between the end of the Indianapolis race and the start of the Charlotte race.

Until the Ferko lawsuit settlement took effect, the race was considered the third leg of the grand slam, and was once part of the Winston Million. It is considered one of the top five annual NASCAR races^[2].

See also: List of current NASCAR races
List of Coca-Cola 600 broadcasters

Past races

On Sunday, May 29, 2005, a new record for the most cautions of any NASCAR race was set at 22 cautions. In addition, there was one red flag. During that race Jimmie Johnson slid past Bobby Labonte in turn four on the final lap, claiming the checkered flag. In doing so he became the first driver to win three consecutive Coca-Cola 600 races. He would finish a distant second to Kasey Kahne the following year.

Monday, May 25, 2009, although nicknamed by many as the 24 Hours of Charlotte, saw the shortest run of the race in its history. The race was delayed from Sunday to Monday due to a rainstorm, and the following day, more rain forced the race to go only 227 laps, although it took a 6 and a half hour marathon to reach that point, due to frequent interruptions by competition cautions and three red flags, including a two hour period under the red flag which ended the race and declared David Reutimann the winner, one of few drivers who opted not to pit under the final caution. Reutimann was the second surprise first-time winner in 2009 after Brad Keselowski at Talladega.

Name changes

From 1960 to 1984 the race was known as the World 600. In 1985, the race's name was changed to the Coca-Cola World 600. In 1986 the name was shortened to the Coca-Cola 600, or Coke 600 which it was referred to at the time. The name changed again in 2002 to the Coca-Cola Racing Family 600 referring to the Coca-Cola family of drivers who are sponsored by Coca-Cola. After 2002, the name returned to the Coca-Cola 600.

First Time Winners

This race, although being the series' longest race of the year has been the site of many drivers first wins, including, future champions David Pearson (1961), Jeff Gordon (1994), Bobby Labonte (1995), Matt Kenseth (2000), and also by non champions Casey Mears (2007), and David Reutimann (2009).

Past winners

Year	Date	Driver	Car Make	Winner's Prize (USD)	Distance (miles)	Average Speed (mph)
World 600
1960	June 19	Joe Lee Johnson	'60 Chevrolet	$27,150	600	107.735
1961	May 28	David Pearson	'61 Pontiac	$24,280	600	111.633
1962	May 27	Nelson Stacey	'62 Ford	$25,505	600	125.552
1963	June 2	Fred Lorenzen	'63 Ford	$27,780	600	132.417
1964	May 24	Jim Paschal	'64 Plymouth	$24,785	600	125.772
1965	May 23	Fred Lorenzen	'65 Ford	$27,270	600	121.722
1966	May 22	Marvin Panch	'65 Plymouth	$26,060	600	135.042
1967	May 28	Jim Paschal	'67 Plymouth	$28,450	600	135.832
1968	May 26	Buddy Baker	'68 Dodge	$27,780	382.5	104.207
1969	May 25	LeeRoy Yarbrough	'69 Mercury	$29,325	600	134.361
1970	May 24	Donnie Allison	'69 Ford	$	600
1971	May 30	Bobby Allison	'69 Mercury	$	600
1972	May 28	Buddy Baker	'72 Dodge	$	600
1973	May 27	Buddy Baker	'73 Dodge	$	600
1974	May 26	David Pearson	'73 Mercury	$	540
1975	May 25	Richard Petty	'74 Dodge	$	600
1976	May 30	David Pearson	Mercury	$	600
1977	May 29	Richard Petty	Dodge	$	600
1978	May 28	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	$	600
1979	May 27	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	$	600
1980	May 25	Bennt Parsons	Chevrolet	$	600
1981	May 24	Bobby Allison	Buick	$	600
1982	May 30	Neil Bonnett	Ford	$	600
1983	May 29	Neil Bonnett	Chevrolet	$	600
1984	May 27	Bobby Allison	Buick	$	600
Coca-Cola World 600
1985	May 26	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	$	600
Coca-Cola 600
1986	May 25	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$	600
1987	May 24	Kyle Petty	Chevrolet	$	600
1988	May 29	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	$	600
1989	May 28	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	$	600
1990	May 27	Rusty Wallace	Pontiac	$	600
1991	May 26	Davey Allison	Ford	$	600
1992	May 24	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$	600
1993	May 30	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	$	600
1994	May 29	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	$	600
1995	May 28	Bobby Labonte	Chevrolet	$	600
1996	May 26	Dale Jarrett	Ford	$	600
1997	May 25	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	$	499.5
1998	May 24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	$	600
1999	May 30	Jeff Burton	Ford	$	600
2000	May 28	Matt Kenseth	Ford	$	600
2001	May 27	Jeff Burton	Ford	$	600
Coca-Cola Racing Family 600
2002	May 26	Mark Martin	Ford	$	600
Coca-Cola 600
2003	May 25	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	$	414
2004	May 30	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	$	600
2005	May 29	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	$	600
2006	May 28	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	$	600
2007	May 27	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	$	600
2008	May 25	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	$	600
2009	May 25	David Reutimann	Toyota	$	340.5

• 1961: The race saw numerous crashes, including a very bad hit involving Reds Kagle, who lost a leg when his Ford smashed through the guardrail in Turn Three.
• 1964: Edward Glenn Roberts died from injuries sustained in a hard crash and inferno suffered in this race.
• 1968: Race shortened to 255 laps / 382.5 miles due to rain.
• 1974: Race scheduled for 360 laps / 540 miles due to energy crisis and the event was the first year it was scheduled for the same day as the Indianapolis 500.
• 1979: The race set the track record for lead changes at 59.
• 1986: Indy 500 was rained out; races were not held against each other.
• 1992: Final time the race was scheduled at the same starting time as the Indy 500.
• 1993: Race changed to an evening/night race.
• 1997: Race shortened to 333 laps / 499.5 miles due to lateness caused by a rain delay and a 1 a.m. curfew.
• 2003: Race shortened to 276 laps / 414 miles due to rain.
• 2005: The race set the series record for most cautions at 22.
• 2009: 50th Running of the Coca-cola 600. Race postponed from Sunday to Monday and was shortened to 227 laps / 340.5 miles due to rain.

References