The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be a major motorsports highlight, during this Memorial Day weekend, when they present the 50th anniversary of the Coca Cola 600 at the Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Arguably one of the longest races in organized racing, Sunday’s race is a true test of a driver’s physical ability and the ultimate test of an engine’s endurance.
Another major factor lies with the decisions that will be made by the crew chiefs. The Coca Cola 600 begins under the warmth of the sun and concludes in the glow of the track’s lighting system. That means the crew chiefs will have to race the track, during the changing environmental conditions, by making the correct changes during pit stops so their drivers will have the set ups they will need to race the competition during the final stage of the 600.
THE 600 BREAK DOWN
The Coca Cola 600 is 400 laps around the Lowes Motor Speedway’s 1.5 mile quad oval.
When the green flag falls on the 43 starters Sunday Ryan Newman will lead the field to the line. Newman, in his #39 U.S. Army/Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet, won the Coors Light Pole after running a qualifying lap of 188.475 MPH. It’s Newman’s first pole in 2009, the first ever pole for the newly formed Stewart Haas Racing and the 44th pole award in Newman’s career.
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But the track qualifying record remains with Elliot Sadler who ran a lap of 193.216 MPH, in a Yates Racing Ford, back in October of 2005.
The race had 47 entries vying for the 43 starting berths. Drivers who did not qualify on speed were J J Yeley, Mike Garvey, Todd Bodine and David Starr.
The defending race winner is Kasey Kahne driver of the Budweiser Dodge.
The Lowes Motor Speedway has a history of multiple winners. NASCAR legends Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison are tied at the top of the speedway’s all time winners list with six trips to victory lane each.
Right behind them, representing the modern day era, are Hendrick Motorsports team mates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson with five wins each.
Johnson has the distinction of winning the Coca Cola three consecutive times in 2003 to 2005.
THE TRACK
The Lowes Motor Speedway, originally named the Charlotte Motor Speedway, opened in 1960 and quickly began playing a major historical role in the history of a still young NASCAR.
The 1.5 mile quad oval has 24 degrees of banking in its four turns.
That turn three banking could make getting onto pit road could make things interesting for the drivers. The pit road speed is 45 MPH.
The speedway presently has grandstand seating for 171,000 fans.
The speedway is very capable of becoming a sense of frustration for the drivers. The most caution laps during a Lowes Motor Speedway event was 113 set back in October of 1980.
The speedway can also turn the other way and present the drivers with the challenge of 400 straight green flag laps.
The Fall race in October of 1961 actually went caution free.
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