COCA-COLA 600
Longest race a test of stamina
CONCORD, N. C.—Leave it to Tony Stewart, NASCAR’s resident comedian, to put the sport’s longest race, to-day’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, in perspective.
“I would love to have a Burger King drive-thru about halfway, just to grab a snack,” said Stewart, who last week won NASCAR’s shortest race, the 150- mile Sprint All-Star Race. “Maybe have eight or 10 extra caution laps to eat your dinner and go on, but I don’t know that we’ll get that.”
They won’t.
But what they will get is an endurance test that began in 1960, when Joe Lee Johnson won NASCAR’s first 600- mile race in 5 hours, 34 minutes, 6 seconds. Kasey Kahne won last year’s 600 in 4 hours, 25 minutes, 9 seconds.
There are 13 500-mile races on the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule, so what’s an extra 100 miles?
“To be honest, I don’t feel the difference in length,” Denny Hamlin said. “You are so focused, and especially at a place like Lowe’s where you are running high speeds and the laps go by quickly, you don’t sense it. The only time it hits me during this race is when we reach the halfway point and it seems like we’ve already run a lot of laps.”
Kurt Busch, who has never finished better than 11th in the 600, disagrees. And, perhaps, the extra miles are reflected in his recent finishes: 16th last year, 32nd in 2007, 39th in 2006 and 43rd in 2005.
“It definitely separates the men from the boys, that’s for sure,” Busch said. “The extra laps we run there on Sunday put tremendous importance on your stamina and upper-body strength.
“If you ask me, the 600 is shaping up to be a Mark Martin-type race. He’s in superb shape, and if that No. 5 team can put a decent car under him, watch out. He’s already won twice in the Hendrick car this season. He can really wheel a car around Charlotte, anyhow. If you throw the endurance factor into the equation, he might just be the man to beat there on Sunday.”
Martin won the 600 in 2002 and has six other top-five finishes in the race. In 48 Cup races at Lowe’s, Martin has three wins and 22 top 10s. He also won the season’s last points race, two weeks ago at Darlington.
“Mark’s physical condition is definitely going to help him on Sunday,” said Alan Gustafson, his crew chief. “This race is grueling. A normal race can take a lot out of a driver, but add another 100 miles onto it and it gets even more intense.” FIVE TO WATCH
Tony Stewart, No. 14: Stewart has yet to win a points race in 2009, but he has five top fives in the past six races—and he won the Sprint All-Star Race last Saturday. Stewart gets his engines and chassis from Hendrick Motorsports, and Hendrick cars have been dominant of late.
Kyle Busch, No. 18: Busch is the only driver on this list whose car is not powered by a Hendrick engine. But no matter. He’s always a threat, and he won the pole last year. He has finished in the top five in his past three races at Lowe’s.
Jeff Gordon, No. 24: Gordon, the points leader, looked strong in the all-star race. He has five wins at Lowe’s, including three in the 600. In his past three races at Lowe’s, Gordon has an eighth, a fourth and a win (in the fall race).
Ryan Newman, No. 39: Newman’s record at Lowe’s, at least his finishes, is underwhelming. But the way he has been running lately, he should finish better than his 28.5 average finish in his past six races at Lowe’s. His best finish in that stretch is 21st, twice last year. Newman, who had two top fives all of last season, has finished in the top five in the past three races.
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48: Johnson drives the Lowe’s Chevrolet and has made it a point to stand out at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He led 50 laps in the all-star race and looked every bit as strong. He has won the 600 three times and has five wins over all in 15 starts at Lowe’s.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments