Coca-Cola 600 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
Once again stealing the thunder from what used to be the featured race on Memorial day weekend will be NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600. This weeks race will be the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 and at right about the 38th running, NASCAR took advantage of Indy Speedway’s Tony George’s greed and lapped the now fledgling Indy Racing League.
What’s even more comical about how George sunk open wheel racing was how he opened his track up to NASCAR and allowed them to race on the fabled grounds that those in the past would have never allowed such dreadful cars on the bricks. How it all ties into this weeks race at Charlotte is that Jeff Gordon won his first career race in 1994 in the Coca-Cola 600 and then followed it up a few weeks later by winning the inaugural Brickyard 400. Soon after Madison avenue and the nation were getting to know the California kid racing stock cars by way of commercials and eating cereal with his face on the box.
Nice Job Mr. George, but thank you. You have helped make NASCAR what it is today.
One of the really unique things about this specific race is the start time and the number of changes that goes on with the elements. The race starts during daylight, runs through twilight and the exciting finish happens at night. All 3 sequences put an enormous amount of pressure on the crews to be ready for adapting the cars to those changes and also deciphering what the driver is telling them through it all. Rarely will we see a driver be good in all three stages. Usually, as the track and temperature cools down, a few drivers emerge that weren’t as good early on.
So, the question is, who will be running the best once the sun falls? The best way to begin sifting through the candidates is look at how the All-Star race was run last week and also look at the 3 races run on the SMI sister tracks of Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Texas. We can also take a look at California’s race run in late February because it was run under the same 3 stages of lighting, along with Texas. I think I just named about 75 percent of the races run thus far this season, but there is relevance to each in this race.
The driver that stands out in three of the races mentioned is Matt Kenseth who looks pretty nice sitting at 15 to 1 to win this weeks race. Kenseth was dominant at California at twilight and night and also got a great performance from his crew throughout the race getting in for quick stops and doing the little adjusting needed to win and lead the most laps.
Kenseth ran mediocre in Atlanta, had a strong top 5 run in Texas, and then looked good again in last weeks All-Star race with a 2nd place finish. Kenseth was leading with two laps to go in last weeks race for over $1 million but had to lay down to Tony Stewart because of the crew’s decision to take only two tires. The strategy almost worked, but somehow that $1 million dollar decision may work to their benefit in making the right choice on race day where the points and wins count.
Kurt Busch is another driver that had an impressive 3rd place run last week mixed in with some success on the sister tracks. He’s actually been pretty good on all the tracks, so perhaps we should say he’s better equipped to win on these type of 1.5 mile high banked tracks. His most dominant run came in Atlanta where his car and team were perfect in every sense. That success in Atlanta didn’t translate over to Texas, but there are glimpses from last week that show he’s capable of winning his first career race in Charlotte, and also with the success Penske‘s engine program ran with in the fall Charlotte race last year where he ran third. That program is obviously still in tact and Busch should again expect a top 5 finish, and with odds at 12 to 1 he’s a must in any odds to win equations.
Jimmie Johnson was a hard charger with a 2nd in the last 1.5 mile race held in Texas, which is a good sign if you’re a Jimmie fan because at Vegas and Atlanta, places Johnson had always excelled at, he looked mediocre. If you’re a betting man, it may not be so good because 6 to 1 odds are hard to bet on for a driver to win. After going through a stretch of winning 5 of 6 races in Charlotte from 2003-05, Johnson’s average combined finish each year has progressively gotten worse on the track that is sponsored by his sponsor. In 2006 Jimmie finished 2nd in both races, then came 2007 with a 10th and 14th, and then last year with a 39th and 6th. Johnson should run much better for the remainder of the season, but tough to go with the chalk this week.
The driver Johnson tried to chase down in Texas was Jeff Gordon, who’s last win before Texas came at Charlotte in 2007. Gordon will be the one favorite to watch among the big 3 of Johnson, Gordon, and Kyle Busch. His team is dialed in on these tracks right now and they’ve had a taste of winning and that is usually when the rest get easier for teams running on all cylinders. At 7 to 1, he’s still a tough choice but would have to go with him over Kyle and Jimmie.
With Stewart’s win last week, he’s nearly lumped in with the big 3. He currently sits 2nd in points and has a past win in Charlotte from 2003, the one Jimmie didn’t win during his three year stretch of crushing the field. Last season we Kasey Kahne take the All-Star race and then follow it up with taking the Coca-Cola. It’s happened 6 times overall, with only Kahne, Gordon (1997) and Johnson (2005) still being active.
It’s a lot to ask of Stewart and his new team to go back to back, but the best thing I have seen out of this team is being ready when it counts late in the race. This team just sits back and relaxes for the first three-quarters of the race and then in their last pit stop they always seem to make the right call that makes Stewart’s car better, as in top 3 better. It likely is just that Stewart has been able to communicate exactly what the car needs to better; whatever the case is, all facets of this team are in sync.
Sam Hornish Jr. usually doesn’t get a lot of mention here, but has earned it based on the way he has run lately, as well as being the 2006 Indy 500 winner who will miss another Indy 500 because of his dedication to NASCAR. He really has taken the stock cars seriously and has learned something each time out.
Sam Hornish Jr. won’t be the only former winner of the Indy 500 not participating in this year’s because of his desire to learn and achieve more in NASCAR. Juan Pablo Montoya dominated the field in 2000.
Other than 1997 IRL Champ Tony Stewart, who came in and ran well right away, it’s proof that most can’t just jump into a stock car and be good right away. The car, as always, has much to do with the drivers early success, but it appears in most of the cases, other than Stewart, that lack of patience and willingness to learn after having so much success in their series has slowed their progression. Please note to Danica Patrick who is currently using her possible jump to NASCAR as leverage to get her deal signed for 2010.
Coca-Cola 600 fact: Both Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Jr. hail from North Carolina and started their first career Cup races in the Coca-Cola 600.
TOP 5 Coca-Cola 600 Finish Prediction:
1) #17 Matt Kenseth (15/1)
2) #2 Kurt Busch (12/1)
3) #24 Jeff Gordon (7/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
5) #99 Carl Edwards (10/1)
Driver to win the Coca Cola 600
Jimmie Johnson +500
Kyle Busch +650
Jeff Gordon +800
Tony Stewart +900
Carl Edwards +1000
Greg Biffle +1000
Mark Martin +1100
Kurt Busch +1100
Matt Kenseth +1400
Denny Hamlin +1400
Ryan Newman +1800
Jeff Burton +2500
Kasey Kahne +2500
Dale Earnhardt Jr +2000
Brian Vickers +3000
Martin Truex Jr +3500
Kevin Harvick +3000
David Ragan +4000
Jamie McMurray +4000
Clint Bowyer +4000
Field +1500
Coca-Cola 600 PreQ
It has been quite some time since we’ve seen Jeff Burton’s name at the top of the PreQ forecast. Burton was last in victory lane in the fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway but he has run well in the 600-mile event as well. In his last for starts at Lowe’s Burton is averaging a 9th place finish with the win. He runs well on the high-banked superspeedways averaging a 13th place finish in 18 starts. He has posted eight top 10s in that span. Burton has not finished outside the top 15 since the first two races of the season and has the looks of being a contender for the championship once again this season. Jump on the bandwagon before others begin adding Burton to their lineups.
After recording his very first win as a driver/owner Tony Stewart will be the odds on favorite to win the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend. Stewart took the checkered in the non-points All-Star race passing Matt Kenseth with two laps remaining to post his first win of the season and first in the #14 Old Spice Chevrolet. Stewart has just a pair of top 10s in his last eight starts at Lowe’s but with the way the team has been performing as of late you can bet that Stewart will be a contender for the win this weekend.
Kyle Busch had a strong car during the All-Star race as well before fading towards the end of the race. He will be surely complaining about that to his team this week leading up to the 600-mile race and it should not happen again. Busch has posted three straight top 5 finishes at Lowe’s to go along with a 30th place finish in his last four. Busch, however, is one of the best high-banked superspeedway drivers in the series averaging an 8th place finish in the last 18 starts with three wins and 12 top 10s. Look for the #18 M&Ms Toyota to be running up front at the end of the day.
This has been one track in which Juan Pablo Montoya has not been able to figure out since joining the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In four career starts at Lowe’s Montoya has failed to finish in the top 25 with an average finish of 32nd place. In the last 18 high-banked superspeedways starts Montoya is averaging just a 24th place finish with one top 10 finish. We recommend avoiding Montoya for this race.
It has not been a very good season for Kevin Harvick as he sits 21st in the point standings. Harvick has just two top 10s on the season with none coming in the last seven events. In fact he has just five top 20 finishes in the first 11 races of the season. Harvick needs to turn things around quickly if he is to be a competitor in the Chase for the Championship but it is doubtful that will occur this weekend at Lowe’s. Harvick does have a pair of top 15 finishes at Lowe’s last season but is still averaging a lowly 20th place finish in the last four starts at the track and does not have a top 10 finish since the 2003 season. Stay away from the #29 Pennzoil Chevrolet.
profantasysports.com
Coca-Cola 600 Driver Rating
Cue the balloons and noisemakers. When the green flag falls late Sunday afternoon at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will contest the 50th running of one of the sport’s most notable events — the Coca-Cola 600. As NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 has embraced career-defining debuts, victories and action each year since its 1960 christening — an inimitable formula of distance and difficulty that hasn’t mellowed with the years.
“I think it's more of a mental thing that our minds are programmed for 500 miles,” said three-time Coca-Cola 600 champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), “and when you hear halfway and you look up at the scoreboard and you realize you've gone 300 and you've got 300 to go, it's kind of a mental thing that you have to focus on.” Joe Lee Johnson won the first Coca-Cola 600 on June 19, 1960, also the first race at the then-new 1.5-mile track outside Charlotte, N.C. Intended as a new Memorial Day tradition, that first Coca-Cola 600 had to wait a few weeks as construction crews completed their work.
But since then, tradition has held firm. A quick statistical synopsis: Beginning with Joe Lee Johnson, 14 drivers have won one Coca-Cola 600. Thirteen drivers have won multiple Coca-Cola 600s, led by three-time series champion Darrell Waltrip’s five victories. Six drivers have won three Coca-Cola 600s: David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) and Jimmie Johnson. Six other drivers have won two Coca-Cola 600s: Fred Lorenzen, Jim Paschal, Richard Petty, Neil Bonnett, Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet) and Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge). Reigning and three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win three consecutive Coca-Cola 600s. He did it from 2003-05. “I do like the 600-mile race from a history standpoint,” he said. “And I also like the challenge, to work on the car all night long. Start in the day, go to the night, the longer race, all the aspects that come with it ."
profantasysports.com
Driver Highlights - Lowe's
VegasInsider.com
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last eight races at LMS. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
# Two top fives, five top 10s
# Average finish of 18.3
# Average Running Position of 16.5, seventh-best
# Driver Rating of 90.3, sixth-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.647 mph, third-fastest
# 1,824 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), fifth-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
# Three wins, eight top fives, 15 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.4
# Average Running Position of 13.8, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 91.8, fifth-best
# 1,865 Laps in the Top 15 (63.4%), fourth-most
# 313 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota)
# Three top fives, four top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 21.4
# Average Running Position of 12.2, third-best
# Driver Rating of 100.4, second-best
# 183 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# 495 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 176.233 mph, second-fastest
# 2,210 Laps in the Top 15 (75.1%), third-most
# 400 Quality Passes, second-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Drink/National Guard Chevrolet)
# Five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 17.3
# Average Running Position of 17.7, 12th-best
# Driver Rating of 88.6, eighth-best
# 111 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
# 508 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.566 mph, fifth-fastest
# 1,597 Laps in the Top 15 (54.3%), seventh-most
# 272 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
# Three top fives, six top 10s
# Average finish of 10.8
# Average Running Position of 16.8, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 89.0, seventh-best
# 61 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
# Series-high 604 Green Flag Passes
# 1,518 Laps in the Top 15 (51.6%), 10th-most
# 271 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
# Five wins, 15 top fives, 18 top 10s; seven poles
# Average finish of 16.1
# Driver Rating of 85.9, 10th-best
# 122 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.464 mph, eighth-fastest
# 1,416 Laps in the Top 15 (48.1%), 12th-most
# 234 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet)
# Five wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 8.9
# Series-best Average Running Position of 7.2
# Series-best Driver Rating of 117.1
# Series-high 279 Fastest Laps Run
# 540 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 176.608 mph
# Series-high 2,640 Laps in the Top 15 (89.8%)
# Series-high 425 Quality Passes
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
# Three wins, four top fives, five top 10s
# Average finish of 12.9
# Average Running Position of 12.9, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 97.6, third-best
# 238 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# 591 Green Flag Passes, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.041 mph, 12th-fastest
# 1,763 Laps in the Top 15 (59.9%), sixth-most
# 329 Quality Passes, third-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
# Four wins, 17 top fives, 22 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 15.9
# Average Running Position of 11.9, second-best
# Driver Rating of 92.1, fourth-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.539 mph, sixth-fastest
# 2,255 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7%), second-most
# 308 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet)
# One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s
# Average finish of 13.1
# Average Running Position of 17.0, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 84.0, 11th-best
# 135 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# 476 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 175.573 mph, fourth-fastest
# 1,531 Laps in the Top 15 (52.1%), eighth-most
Coca-Cola 600 HOT! Sheet
After all the hoopla of the All Star festivities, we get back to “real” racing this weekend with the longest race of the season. At the top of our sheet heading in to it is Ryan Newman. Over the course of the last three points events, he has once again regained his nickname of “the rocket”. As our chart shows, he has the best average finish of any driver in that span (3.67). He has also led at least ten laps in all three. After a near miss in the All Star race, he should be a good option for all owners.
It took a little while for the wheels to really get going, but the highly anticipated rookie season for Joey Logano has started to finally show some promise. He is way back in 30th in the standings, but that doesn’t reflect what he’s been able to do in the last month or so. At Talladega he posted his first top 10. He had a decent run at Richmond and then another top 10 at Darlington. He should have gained enough experience on this track last weekend to produce a fine showing this Sunday night.
The man who first made Logano a noted name, Mark Martin, is near the top of the list this week. He has vaulted into the 11th position in the standings. Had it not been for the carnage at Talladega that sent him home last, he’d be a lot higher. Included in his current run are six top 10s in the last seven races. There have been two trips to victory lane for the #5 team and he is taking a lot of momentum into this weekend. Back-to-back victories are not out of the question. Get him if you can.
At the very bottom of the chart this week is a name that may surprise some, Clint Bowyer. He has had an awful run of five straight events in which he finished on the lead lap only once, and that only produced an 18th place finish (Richmond). The #33 team has an average finish of 28th place over that span which has plummeted them to just outside the top 12 (13th). In his three 600s, his best finish is 19th. We’d advise that you lay off of him for a while.
The defending champion of this event also finds himself near the bottom of our chart this week. Kasey Kahne has really struggled in his attempt to be the anchor of the new RPM group. As you can see below, he has an average finish of 23rd place in the last six races. It’s even worse in the last three races as he hasn’t even finished on the lead lap. Even when things seemed to be going well when he led 45 laps at Darlington, contact with another car sent him limping back to 23rd at the finish. He’s won two of the last three 600s, so we can’t say sit him. But he gets our “buyer beware” label this week.
profantasysports.com
Newman rockets to pole at Lowe's
Concord, NC (Sports Network) - Ryan Newman gave Stewart-Haas Racing its first pole position after winning Thursday's qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Newman turned in a lap around the 1.5-mile oval at 188.475 m.p.h. in his No.39 Chevrolet. "The Rocketman" recorded his first pole since April 2008 at Phoenix and the 44th of his Sprint Cup Series career.
"It was a good lap," Newman said. "(Crew chief) Tony Gibson did a great job with the car. We started (practice) in race trim and then put it in qualifying trim and made it better. We're really looking forward to the rest of the weekend. It's nice after doing this to have a day off."
Newman moved ahead of Jeff Gordon for second most poles at Lowe's with eight. David Pearson hold the pole record here with 14.
Kyle Busch, who won the top starting position for last year's 600-mile race, grabbed the outside pole at 188.258 m.p.h.
"I didn't want to screw up the lap getting down into (turns) three and four," Busch said. "We couldn't get turned all the way down to the bottom to get to the white line. I shorted the corner a little bit and messed it up."
Gordon qualified third. The current points leader underwent a facet block procedure on his back earlier this week in hopes of alleviating pain that has gotten progressively worse.
"My back feels great," Gordon said. "Charlotte is just not a place that puts a lot of load on my back."
Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five.
Kasey Kahne, the defending race champion, Mike Bliss, Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya and Bill Elliott were sixth through 10th, respectively.
Newman's team owner, Tony Stewart, winner of last Saturday's all-star race at Lowe's, qualified 28th, one spot behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart is currently 29 points behind Gordon.
J.J. Yeley, Mike Garvey, Todd Bodine and David Starr failed to qualify. Yeley took over driving duties of the No.41 Toyota last week after NASCAR suspended driver/owner Jeremy Mayfield for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy.
Final practice for the Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for Saturday at 2:45 p.m. (et), and the race is slated for Sunday around 5:45 p.m.
Driver Handicaps: Charlotte
Racingone.com
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Lowe's Motor Speedway for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 400-lap event.
Who's HOT at Lowe's
• Defending race winner Kasey Kahne has a 1.5 average finish in the two starts with the COT.
• Jimmie Johnson has captured five wins and 11 top 10s.
• Carl Edwards has the second-best finishing average at 10.8.
• 2008 Fall winner Jeff Burton has finished in the top 10 in his last three starts.
• Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 17 top fives.
• Jeff Gordon has five wins and is coming off three consecutive top 10s.
• Kyle Busch has finished in the top five in his last three starts.
Keep an Eye on at Lowe's
• Tony Stewart is coming off his first win with Stewart-Haas in the All-Star race.
• Kurt Busch is driving the same car the won at Atlanta.
• Ryan Newman is coming off three consecutive top fives on the season.
• Greg Biffle has a 4.5 average finish with the COT at Lowe's.
• Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards have average finishes of 10.0 or better on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.
• Matt Kenseth, who had a good run in last weekend's All-Star race, has one win and six top 10s in the Coca-Cola 600.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 76 laps and finished fifth in this event last year.
Track Performers
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with a 3.0 average finish on the 1.5-mile tracks in 2009. Gordon won in the series' third trip to a 1.5-mile track this season after taking the checkered flag at Texas Motor Speedway. Jeff Burton, who won the 2008 fall race at Lowe's Motor Speedway is second with an average of 8.7. Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards are the other drivers that have posted an average finish of 10.0 or better. Kurt Busch, who has an average finish of 10.7, has led the most laps (236) after dominating the Atlanta race en route to a victory. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle are the only other driver that has led more than 100 laps. Based off 1.5-mile tracks: Las Vegas, Atlanta (1.54-mile) and Texas.
Qualifying Tidbits
Forty-one of the 100 races at Lowe's Motor Speedway have been won from a starting position in the top three, with 13 winners coming from the pole. Jimmie Johnson was the last winner at Lowe's Motor Speedway from the pole in the 2004 Coca-Cola 600. He's also the driver to have won from the furthest back of any driver, when he won the 2003 600-mile race from the 37th-starting position. Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon lead all active drivers with seven poles each at LMS. Gordon won five straight Coca-Cola 600 poles from 1994-1998. David Pearson leads all drivers with 14 poles. Only thirty-seven drivers have won poles at LMS. Kyle Busch won the pole for last year's Coca-Cola 600. Past Pole Winners | Starting Positions of Charlotte Winners
RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kurt Busch
Pete Pistone: Tony Stewart
Rachael West: Jeff Burton
Kym Opalenik: Mark Martin
Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings
1. Jeff Gordon: Gordon scored his fifth win at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the 2007 fall race. The win moved him into a tie with his teammate Jimmie Johnson for most wins among active drivers. Gordon's first three victories all came in the 600 in the 90s. Prior to the fall race in 2007, Gordon recorded five consecutive DNFs at LMS. He finished fifth and eighth, respectively, last year to give him an overall average finish of 16.1 in 32 starts.
2. Tony Stewart: Stewart's last two of 11 top 10s at Lowe's Motor Speedway came in 2007 when he finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Last year in this event, Stewart appeared to be on his way to his first win in the Coca-Cola 600 until a tire went down two laps from the finish. Five of his top 10s have come in the Coca-Cola 600. Stewart's May track time in 2006 at LMS in the 600, All-Star race and Nationwide Series race were abbreviated to 114 laps, after he suffered crashes. He recorded his worst finish at the track, in 42nd, in the Cup race after running only 32 laps. Stewart has led 595 laps at LMS, including 149 of them en route to his 2003 victory in the fall event. This weekend, Stewart will race the same car (chassis No. 493) that Johnny Sauter posted an average finish of 31.3 with in three starts in 2008.
3. Kurt Busch: Busch is coming off his first top-10 finish in six starts at Lowe's Motor Speedway with Penske Racing. His third-place finish was his third top 10 in 17 starts. Busch's best finish at LMS was second in the 2005 fall race, in one of his 11 track starts with Roush Racing. This weekend, Busch will be back in the same car (chassis No. 594) that won at Atlanta.
4. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has finished in the top 10, with five wins, in 12 of the 15 races he's competed in at Lowe's Motor Speedway. His 2003 Coca-Cola 600 win, one of three 600 wins, came from the furthest starting position in 37th. His finishing average of 8.9 took a hit last year in this event when he finished 39th for the second time at LMS. Johnson, who has led 1,236 laps over the last 14 consecutive races at LMS, will race the same chassis (No. 504) that won three races with from the pole in 2008: Indianapolis, California and Kansas. He finished ninth in it at California in February.
5. Denny Hamlin: This weekend, Hamlin will make his eighth Sprint Cup start at Lowe's Motor Speedway. His best finish in the Coca-Cola 600 is a pair of ninth-place finishes in 2006 and 2007. The track has provided mixed results for the No. 11 team, with Hamlin posting three top 10s to balance out four finishes of 16th or lower. His best finish, of eighth, came in the 2005 fall race, which was his first Cup start at the track.
6. Jeff Burton: Burton has raced in nine events at Lowe's Motor Speedway with Richard Childress Racing. His best finish with the team came last fall when he went to Victory Lane. The win was his fifth finish of sixth or better with RCR. Burton also led more than 12 laps in one race at Lowe's for the first time since 2002 after leading 58 laps en route to his third win at the track. The majority of Burton's 30 starts at LMS came with Roush Racing - the team he scored his two Coca-Cola 600 wins with in 1999 and 2001. In the 600s Burton won, he led a combined 323 laps. This weekend, Burton will pilot the same car (chassis No. 271) that has posted an average finish of 9.7 in combined starts at Las Vegas, Atlanta and Darlington this season.
7. Kyle Busch: Busch was able to lower his finishing average at Lowe's Motor Speedway from 29.1 to 21.4 with three consecutive finishes of fourth or better. In 10 starts at the 1.5-mile track, Busch has four top 10s and has led 146 laps. This weekend, Busch will pilot chassis No. 236 when he makes his third track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. This is the same car that finished 18th at Texas after early race pit miscues and contact with the car of John Andretti.
8. Ryan Newman: In the 2007 fall race, Newman won his seventh pole, and second consecutive, at Lowe's Motor Speedway for his 12th top-five start in 15 races. His qualifying success hasn't translated as well to the race finishes. Newman has three top-five and five top-10 finishes at LMS and five DNFs. Newman's best finish, of second, came in the fall event in 2003 and he has led a total of 254 laps over 10 races. After finishing 21st in both races last season, Newman will look to turn things around when he makes his first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing.
9. Greg Biffle: Biffle has made 12 starts at Lowe's Motor Speedway and is coming off his best finish there after coming home second in last year's Coca-Cola 600. The finish was his second top five to go along with a third-place run in the fall race in 2005. This weekend, Biffle will be racing the same car (chassis No. RK-634) that finished fourth at Auto Club Speedway in February.
10. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has captured eight top-10 finishes at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including his first Sprint Cup win in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600. His victory total also includes a win in the All-Star race and two wins in the Nationwide Series. Kenseth has led in 14 Cup Series races at the speedway for 253 laps and has suffered four DNFs, most recently in last year's fall race.
11. Mark Martin: Martin has won four times at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but only once in the Coca-Cola 600. In 2002, Martin started 25th and led 44 laps en route to Victory Lane. That win also was his most recent at the 1.5-mile track. His 17 top fives leads all drivers at the track. This weekend, Martin will drive chassis No. 523 in the Coca-Cola 600. This is the same car that finished sixth at Texas.
12. Carl Edwards: Edwards has the second-best average finish (10.8) among all drivers at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He has made eight Cup starts, finishing third in his first two Coca-Cola 600 starts. Last year, Edwards finished ninth in this event for his sixth top 10. This weekend, Edwards will race chassis No. RK-636 in the Coca-Cola 600. This car last raced at Auto Club Speedway where it finished seventh.
13. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer will be making his seventh career Sprint Cup start at Lowe's Motor Speedway this weekend. In the 2007 fall race, he snapped a streak of finishing 19th or worse when he led 79 laps en route to a runner-up finish (only top 10). His finishing average fell to 18.3 last May after he finished 25th in the Coca-Cola 600. This weekend, Bowyer will pilot the same car (chassis No. 265) that finished sixth at Atlanta.
14. Juan Pablo Montoya: Lowe's Motor Speedway is Montoya's worst on the Sprint Cup schedule based on his 32.2 average finish. His best finish came in the 2008 Coca-Cola 600 in 30th. This weekend, Montoya will pilot the same car (chassis No. 904) that finished 27th at Atlanta.
15. David Reutimann: Reutimann's best finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway came in this event last season in 10th. This weekend, Reutimann will make his fifth start at LMS driving chassis No. 624. This is the same car that finished 14th and 11th, respectively, at California and Texas.
16. Kasey Kahne: After winning the All-Star race and Coca-Cola 600 last May, Kahne came up one position short to sweep all three Sprint Cup races at Lowe's Motor Speedway in one season. Kahne has scored three career victories at LMS, also winning the 2006 Coca-Cola 600 and 2006 Bank of America 500. The 1.5-mile Charlotte facility is the only track on the circuit in which Kahne has recorded multiple wins.
17. Brian Vickers: Since joining Team Red Bull, Vickers has had two strong performances in the Coca-Cola 600. In the 2007 600, Vickers led 76 laps en route to a fifth-place finish. Last year in this event, the No. 83 lost a left-rear wheel while dominating the early stages of the race. Vickers' only other top 10 in 10 starts came with Hendrick Motorsports in the 2006 fall race, when he finished 10th.
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Earnhardt Jr. has posted nine top 10s at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including a fifth-place run in his first track start with Hendrick Motorsports last May. His third-place finish in the 2004 fall race was his career best at the track. In the 2000 May race, Dale Jr. won his first career Cup pole and became the first rookie to win the All-Star race the prior weekend. On Sunday, Junior will pilot the same car (chassis No. 488) that raced in the All-Star race.
19. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex Jr's best finish, and only top 10, in seven career starts at Lowe's Motor Speedway came in the 2005 Coca-Cola 600. The seventh-place finish came in his first career start at LMS after leading four laps.
20. Marcos Ambrose: This weekend, Ambrose will be making his first start at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Sprint Cup Series. Ambrose does have five combined starts in the Nationwide and Truck Series at LMS. His best finish came in the Nationwide Series in 14th.
Coca Cola 600 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard
Ryan Newman celebrated the 44th pole of his career with a $41,600 check as the fastest lap-burner at happy hour for the Coca Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race, set to smoke the tires at Lowe's Motor Speedway Sunday at 5 p.m.
Newman, driving on a Hendrick Motorsports chassis for frosh NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing proved he can drive around the speedway for one lap faster than anyone else -- but only by just that much. Kyle Busch will start from the outside while team HMS will take the second row with Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin third and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson, three-time Coca Cola 600 winner, will start his quest for a sixth win at LMS from the No. 5 hole.
Who will win the Coca Cola 600?
Two weeks ago my pick Greg Biffle was in fine shape with 100 laps to go (don't laugh). Biffle had extended his lead to about two seconds. However, an awful pit on the 277th lap doomed the No. 16 car. Biffle came into the pits first but came out of pit row in ninth (okay, laugh). From there it just got worse as Biffle and Carl Edwards made contact on Lap 284 that sent Edwards crashing into the wall while Biffle never recovered. Biffle finished the race in eighth place (making that two consecutive years that Biffle has had poor finishes) and Mark Martin won his second race of the season and his first at LMS since 1993.
Speaking of the "Old Man," Martin has shown why HMS gave him a slot and a shot this year after parting ways with Casey Mears. Not only is Martin 11th in the Sprint Cup standings but he has notched six Top-10 finishes in his last seven races and won three poles this year! Talk about consistency. The way he is racing it won't be a surprise to see Martin in the Top 10 again this week. Can anyone say "Dale Junior who?"
Kyle Busch is ranked seventh in the Sprint Cup standings and motors into LMS as one of the few NASCAR drivers to record a Top-5 finish his last three races at Lowe's. In fact, he is only one of four current drivers to hold more than two back-to-back Top-10 finishes at the speedway. Consider that Busch can race LMS across the series; on the Nationwide circuit Busch has recorded two wins at LMS and finished second at LMS last.
In last weekend's All-Star event at LMS Brother Kyle tried squeezing between Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle and ended up causing the three to wreck in the last 10-lap segment of the race (which was won eventually by Tony Stewart).
This Sunday is much different, however, as it counts. And say what you will but Kyle is always there when it counts. Starting from the front row Busch will have the benefit of clean air and 600 miles to think about the sacrifice that all the veterans have made for this country and how lucky he is to be able to eat M&Ms, drive stock cars at butt-clenching speeds, and win a lot of races in the best country in the world.
Pick! Kyle Busch, No. 18, (5/1)
2009 Coca Cola 600- Lucky Dog Long Odds Special
Last week was All-Star Weekend and all you need to know is that Tony Stewart won a million bucks by winning the race. Actually, that isn't all you need to know. More importantly, All-Star Weekend was held at Lowe's and that gave teams a chance to practice on the same track that they'd be running on this week. While many teams spent a lot of time gathering data and adjusting to the track it was Smoke that seemed to intuitively grasp what the track was giving. Certainly Stewart had run a good race -- if you forgive the maddening 10-lap segments when Kenseth gave up the bottom to Stewart. Kenseth raced well and could have won, but he made a costly error by going high and allowing Stewart to pass him on the last lap. This was the first, albeit non-official victory, for Stewart-Haas Racing. I wouldn't be too surprised to see Stewart, who has climbed up from eighth to second place on the Sprint Cup leader board, win one that counts this week.
Pick! Tony Stewart, (12/1)
2009 Coca Cola 600 - Odds for Top 3 Finish
Five-time LMS winner Johnson was leading last year's Coca Cola 600 for 35 laps and then his engine blew with 50 laps to go, giving him a 39th place finish. Last October Johnson finished a respectable sixth en route to his third consecutive Sprint Cup Championship title. No driver or team was more dominant at LMS between 2003 and 2006 than Johnson when he won four consecutive races at his sponsor's home track. This includes wins at the Coca Cola 600 in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Despite Johnson's successes (He has eight Top-5 finishes and 12 Top-10s in 15 starts) at LMS crew chief Chad Knaus and his pit crew seemed to have a hard time at the All-Star event. Although once you understood their strategy the endless pits seemed to make sense. Rather than gunning for the win, a result you would expect from the dominant HMS team at Lowe's, team No. 48 was trying to extract as much data as possible for this Sunday's race. Johnson ended up finishing the All-Star race 13 out of 21 drivers but something tells me Knaus and crew got the intelligence they were looking for and if Johnson doesn't win the race chances are very good he'll put the No. 48 SS Impala, decorated with the 12,548 names of Lowe's employees who are veterans or reservists, in the top 3.
Pick! Jimmie Johnson, No. 48, (6/5)
Docsports.com
Coca-Cola 600 PostQ
Kyle Busch moves into the top spot on our PostQ forecast for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Busch has posted three consecutive top 5 finishes at the track but it has been a very odd season for the youngster. He has three wins on the year but only one other top 15 finish to go along with four finishes outside the top 20. He definitely has the ability to win at Lowe’s leading a large portion of the All-Star race last weekend. He is also one of the most consistent high-banked superspeedway drivers averaging an 8th place finish in the last 18 starts. Look for Busch to be at the top of his game this weekend.
Sitting just behind Busch on the PostQ forecast is the ageless wonder in Mark Martin. Martin recorded his second win of the season at Darlington and has six top 10s in the last seven races. He has not been that spectacular at Lowe’s but did post a top 10 finish in the fall race last season. Martin has been solid behind the wheel of the #5 CarQuest Chevrolet. The savvy veteran will more than likely find a way to be near the front of the field at the end of the day. Grab him while he is on a roll.
Jeff Burton took a big hit from the PreQ to the PostQ as he fell from the No. 1 spot on the PreQ to the 14th position on the PostQ. He has not looked very good at all qualifying at the tail end of the field in the 40th position and was one spot lower on our Speed chart. The rain that wiped out the final practice session did not help matters either as Burton was among the slowest cars on the track before the rains came. Burton will probably still manage a top 20 finish but it is doubtful he will be as strong as we originally thought.
profantasysports.com
NASCAR race at Charlotte postponed because of rain
May 24, 2009
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -NASCAR's longest race of the season spilled into a second day Sunday night when the Coca-Cola 600 was postponed by rain for the first time in 50 years.
Light rain had delayed the scheduled 6:03 p.m. start at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but the track appeared dry and NASCAR called the cars out to pit road moments before a heavy shower soaked the surface again. The heavy rain lasted less than 15 minutes, but a persistent drizzle made it impossible to dry the track.
The race will run on Monday at noon. It's the first time it will be held on Memorial Day.
We have a ton of family members and friends in town this weekend, and of course the big plan was for us all to be here tonight and playing around by the lake tomorrow,'' said Kurt Busch, who will start 17th.
You just gotta feel for the fans, though. I'm sure a lot of them were counting on tomorrow for a travel day. The weather has put a kink in a lot of plans.''
The only other time the Coca-Cola 600 was postponed was the 1960 inaugural race, when it was pushed from its Memorial Day weekend date to June 19 because three consecutive March snowstorms slowed construction on the speedway.
The weather has been good to NASCAR since the season-opening Daytona 500 was shortened 48 laps because of rain. Since then, every Sprint Cup Series event has been rain-free.
The Truck Series had two postponements this season - at Martinsville and Kansas, where the races were held on days other than their scheduled start.
Elton Sawyer, competition director for Red Bull Racing, said the holdover isn't a huge financial burden to race teams because the majority are based in the area and don't have lodging costs. But teams will have to adjust to different track conditions: Sunday night's race begins in daylight and ends in the dark, but Monday's event will now be run during the hottest part of the day.
Obviously we'll be dealing with the heat, so you won't have as much grip,'' Sawyer said. ``The characteristics of the handling is definitely going to be different. It's the same for everybody, but it will be different.''
Defending race winner Kasey Kahne said it will take teams time to adjust.
I think it changes the way all of the drivers think,'' Kahne said. ``Switching from a night race to a day race will be the biggest challenge. We all set our cars up for a night race, so it will definitely be a different Coke 600 than we've seen in the past.''