Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600, originally the World 600, is an annual 600-mile (970 km) NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, during Memorial Day weekend. The first race, held in 1960, was also the first one held at the new Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is the longest race on NASCAR's schedule at 600 miles (970 km).[1] It is unique for having track conditions that change throughout the race. It starts around 6:20 PM and the track is bathed in sunlight for the first third of the race. The second third happens at dusk, and the final third under the lights.

Coca-Cola 600
NASCAR Cup Series
VenueCharlotte Motor Speedway
LocationConcord, North Carolina, United States
Corporate sponsorCoca-Cola
First race1960
Distance600 mi (965.606 km)
Laps400
All 4 stages: 100 each
Previous namesWorld 600 (1960–1984)
Coca-Cola World 600 (1985)
Coca-Cola 600 (1986–2001, 2003–)
Coca-Cola Racing Family 600 (2002)
Most wins (driver)Darrell Waltrip (5)
Most wins (team)Hendrick Motorsports (11)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chevrolet (24)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Turns4

The race is run later on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 of IndyCar, with several drivers having performed Double Duty, competing in both races.

Brad Keselowski is the defending champion of the Coca-Cola 600.

Track origin

In the spring of 1959, Curtis Turner returned to Charlotte, North Carolina, after viewing Bill France Sr.'s Daytona International Speedway and had an idea of building a race track in the surrounding area. Turner thought he could borrow enough money to build a $750,000 track with 45,000 permanent seats on his property in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Afterward, he learned that a group led by Bruton Smith had a similar idea to build a track near Pineville.[2]

Smith and Turner formed an alliance to build the track, and they signed a contract with NASCAR to run a 600-mile event on Memorial Day. Once the construction crew broke ground, they found a layer of granite under the topsoil, making the construction costs raise. The area for the first turn alone used $70,000 worth of dynamite, ballooning Turner's $750,000 construction plan to nearly two million dollars. In the spring of 1960, Turner begged for a six-week postponement of the race after a snowstorm delayed the concrete pouring.[2]

With two weeks remaining until the inaugural race, the paving subcontractor threatened to quit the job due to lack of payment. To keep him there, Turner and one of his friends threatened the subcontractor with a shotgun and a revolver to ensure the track's backstretch would be completed.[2] The first event at the newly completed Charlotte Motor Speedway was held on June 19, 1960.[3]

History

The event began as an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend event to compete with the open-wheel Indianapolis 500. It was not until 1974, however, that both races competed head-to-head on the same day, due to Indianapolis' policy of not racing on Sundays prior to that.[4] Before 1974, the two races were held on different days of the week, and on a few occasions, some drivers drove in both. They continued even after the Coca-Cola 600 was moved to the same day, albeit to a lesser degree. The first World 600 was held on June 16 due to construction delays of the completion of Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2009 race, postponed by rain from its original May 24 date, was the first race to occur on Memorial Day itself.

After the installation of lights in 1992, fans asked circuit management to start the race 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 pm 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 drop at night affects track conditions.

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 do Double Duty – run the Indianapolis 500, then immediately fly from Indianapolis to Charlotte, and participate in the Coca-Cola 600. Experts disagreed over whether, for health and safety reasons, anyone should be allowed to race 1100 miles in one day, but no regulation has been set by any governing body to prevent it. From 2005 to 2010, the issue became moot when the state of Indiana finally decided to implement daylight saving time. This resulted in only an approximately one-hour interval between the end of the Indianapolis 500 and the start of the Coca-Cola 600. The Indianapolis 500 start time was moved back to noon Eastern in 2011, but only one attempt – by Kurt Busch in 2014[5] – has been made since then.

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.[6]

Beginning in 2017, NASCAR adopted the stage-racing format, dividing each of its top three division's races into three stages. Originally, the 600 was going to have stages 1 & 2 be 115 laps in length, with the third and final stage encompassing the remaining 170 laps. Just a few weeks before the race, the stage format for the race was changed with the addition of a fourth stage, and the race is divided into four uniform stages of 100 laps each. This makes it the only race on the schedule with four stages instead of three. If the weather interferes, NASCAR's rule that a race becomes official after the conclusion of the second stage still applies. It also makes the Coca-Cola 600 the highest scoring race in terms of points a driver can collect. Usually, if a driver sweeps all the stages and passes inspection they score 60 points (40 for winning, and 10 for the first two stages), but with 4 stages the maximum is 70 (which Kyle Busch accomplished in 2018).

Before the race, the American national anthem was preceded by the playing of "Amazing Grace" by the Charlotte Fire Department Pipe Band and "Taps".

Name changes

From 1960 to 1984 the race was known as the World 600. In 1985, the race's name was changed to 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. In 2003, the name returned to the Coca-Cola 600.[7]

Individual race details

  • 1960: In the inaugural World 600 in 1960, Don O'Dell's Pontiac smashed the driver's door of Lenny Page's Chevy. Lenny Page was lucky to even survive the impact due to the mediocre safety systems of the time and was near death afterward, but reporter Chris Economaki rushed to the scene and applied CPR until safety crews arrived. He was later credited with saving Lenny's life.
  • 1961: The race saw numerous crashes, including a very bad collision involving Reds Kagle, who lost a leg when his Ford smashed through the guardrail in Turn Three.
  • 1964: Fireball Roberts suffered a hard crash in this race, resulting in an inferno. Roberts was severely burned and would die of complications on July 2 of that year.
  • 1974: The race was shortened to 540 miles because of the nation's short-lived fuel crisis, which was won by David Pearson over Richard Petty. The lead changed 37 times between Pearson, Petty, Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, and Donnie Allison, the most lead changes in the event's history to that point.
  • 1976: Bruton Smith resumed full control of the speedway with the resignation of former track president Richard Howard. In a move to boost promotion of the race, Janet Guthrie was entered in a car wrenched by Ralph Moody. Pearson edged Petty again after a cut tire dropped Yarborough off the lead lap.
  • 1977: Two racing legends win races on the same day. Richard Petty wins his second World 600, while A. J. Foyt was winning his fourth at Indy.
  • 1978: Darrell Waltrip won the first of his record five 600s in 1978 in a race-long six-car shootout; on the final lap Benny Parsons and David Pearson crashed. The lead changed 43 times, the most competitive 600 to that point of its history.
  • 1979: The race saw the most lead changes (54) in the race's history. Darrell Waltrip took the win over Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
  • 1980: The race lasted seven hours due to 14 caution flags and two lengthy red flags for rain. Multiple tire failures helped lead to an epidemic of wrecks; at Lap 275 Dale Earnhardt blew a tire and his spin caught up Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, and David Pearson. Waltrip had the lead but in the final 20 laps was challenged by Benny Parsons; the two battled with the lead changing some seven times before Parsons edged Waltrip by a car length.
  • 1982: Neil Bonnett won his first World 600 driving the famous No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.
  • 1983: Neil Bonnett won his second World 600 driving for the No. 75 Rahmoc-Hodgdon Chevrolet.
  • 1985: Considerable pre-race hype surrounded the race as Bill Elliott entered with a chance to win a million-dollar cash bonus for a "small slam" of the sport's four majors. Elliott won the pole position and led 81 laps, but faded to 18th at the finish. Darrell Waltrip took the victory, a key victory en route to the championship. Waltrip (who won the inaugural All-Star race a day earlier) nearly missed the race after a car/engine swap controversy with NASCAR Director of Competition Dick Beatty.[8] Elliott went on to win the Winston Million later in the season at Darlington but never won the 600 in his career.
  • 1988: In the middle of a tire war between the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Hoosier Racing Tire (now part of Continental AG), multiple tire failures marred the previous week's All-Star race, all involving Goodyear. Goodyear withdrew the tires originally designated for the 600 and substituted a harder compound. Only Dave Marcis stayed with the harder Goodyear tires for the 600. But during the 600, Hoosier tire failures were rampant. Darrell Waltrip survived and edged Rusty Wallace for the win, becoming the first four-time winner of the race.
  • 1989: Darrell Waltrip becomes the only driver to win the event for a record 5th time (1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989). After also winning the season-opening Daytona 500, Waltrip now had won two of the sport's four majors, setting himself up for the million-dollar bonus for a small slam at Darlington. He would not be successful. (Waltrip had not won the final major, Darlington, and never took the checkered flag to win the Southern 500; his final career win, at that race in 1992, took place when he took the lead during pit stops on Lap 293 and the race was suspended by a red flag after 298 laps for rain, after which it was never completed.)
  • 1992: The race saw a controversial finish. Dale Earnhardt emerged from late green-flag pit stops with the lead after trailing by some three seconds entering the pits; there were complaints from several teams, notably Morgan-McClure Motorsports whose driver Ernie Irvan finished second, that Earnhardt had broken NASCAR's mandated pit road speed limit. This race, the last Coca-Cola 600 to be run entirely in daylight, marked the only victory for Earnhardt in 1992.
  • 1993: Earnhardt was plagued by controversy again by first getting busted for speeding on pit road, then has penalized a lap for aggressive driving after spinning out the lapped car of Greg Sacks. On a pit stop, he was penalized for not having all 5 lug nuts tightened, when in fact all 5 were tight. NASCAR threw the caution after the debacle, but Earnhardt made up the two laps he was down to take the lead late in the race on his way to his third Coca-Cola 600 win. This was also the first Coca-Cola 600 to start late in the day and end under the lights, which has been done since.
  • 1994: Second-year driver Jeff Gordon won the first race of his career. His team gambled on the final pit stop, taking on only two tires, giving him a better track position.
  • 1995: The race was a dramatic affair as the lead changed 32 times, the most since 1988, and the battle for the lead became a spirited multi-lap affair between Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, and Sterling Marlin. Labonte punted Earnhardt out of the lead late in the race and sweated out late green-flag stops for fuel to take the win, his first in Winston Cup.
  • 2000: Talk this year was of Dale Earnhardt Jr. trying to be the first rookie to win the race, winning the pole and dominating all of the phases of the race. However, Matt Kenseth became the first rookie to win the race after holding off Bobby Labonte over the final laps. It was Kenseth's first career win.
  • 2001: While Jeff Burton won the race, Tony Stewart stunned the racing world by successfully pulling off the full distances of the Memorial Day Double.
  • 2005: During this race, a new record for the most cautions of any NASCAR Cup Series race was set at 22 cautions. In addition, there was a red flag late in the race because of debris. On the last lap, Jimmie Johnson slid past Bobby Labonte in turn four, claiming the checkered flag by inches. In doing so he became the first driver to win three consecutive Coca-Cola 600s. He would finish a distant second to Kasey Kahne the following year.
  • 2007: In one of NASCAR's biggest upsets, Casey Mears won. Tony Stewart led with ten laps remaining, hoping to win his first Coca-Cola 600, but had to pit for fuel with 8 laps left, giving the lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr. until he ran out of fuel. Denny Hamlin led with seven laps remaining until he also ran out of fuel. Mears, driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 25, took the lead for six laps remaining to win, running out of fuel just after crossing the finish line. The entire podium consisted of J. J. Yeley (2nd) and Kyle Petty (third). It was the final podium result for all three drivers. Reed Sorenson (4th) and Brian Vickers (5th) completed the top five.
  • 2009: Although nicknamed the 24 Hours of Charlotte, it was 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 end at only 227 laps, although it took a six 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 put under the final caution. Reutimann was the second surprise first-time winner in 2009 after Brad Keselowski's win at Talladega the month before.
  • 2011: The 2011 running, at 603 miles, was the longest distance in NASCAR history at the time.[9] Dale Earnhardt Jr., trying to break a long winless drought, ran out of gas coming off of turn 4, and Kevin Harvick scored his third win of 2011.
  • 2013: The 2013 running was red-flagged 126 laps in, when a cable that supported a Skycam used by Fox Sports over the front stretch of the race track, snapped and fell onto the racing surface. Several spectators were injured as a result of the failure, and several race cars were damaged.[10] The race restarted but was red-flagged again on lap 325 for a large wreck entering turn one. Kevin Harvick won the race for the second time when he took two tires on the final caution and passed Kasey Kahne, who did not pit.
  • 2014: Jimmie Johnson won his fourth Coca-Cola 600, and first since 2005. During the race, the world's biggest photo was captured. The 348-gigapixel image captured during the race is 70,000 times bigger than a standard self-portrait and allows each and every one of the more than 100,000 fans in the stands who attended the event to zoom in on the 360-degree image and find themselves.[11]
  • 2015: Carl Edwards won his first Coca-Cola 600 and first while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.[12]
  • 2016: Martin Truex Jr. started on the pole and led an event record 392 of 400 laps and a series record 588 of 600 miles en route to his first win at the Coca-Cola 600. Additionally, the race was the fastest-ran Coca-Cola 600 in history at an average speed of 160.655, clocking in at 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 5 seconds.
  • 2017: First race to run in four stages rather than three. Austin Dillon, running on fumes, held off Kyle Busch to score his first career Cup win. The race also marked the return of the #3 to victory lane for the first time since Dale Earnhardt scored his final career victory at Talladega in 2000. Just before halfway, a rainstorm happened to delay the race for an hour and 30 mins. With the delay, the race finished at 12:30 am EDT on Memorial Day Monday. Danica Patrick leads 7 laps becoming the first woman to lead the Coca-Cola 600.
  • 2018: Kyle Busch dominated the race by winning sweeping all the stages, and leading 377 of the 400 laps to score his first career win at Charlotte, making him the first driver to win a race at every racetrack in the Cup Series that he has competed at, and every track that is on the current schedule.
  • 2019: 21-year-old William Byron was the youngest driver ever to take pole position for the Coca-Cola 600.[13] With 16 caution flags and an elapsed time of 4 hours and 50 minutes, this running of the race became the longest since 2005.
  • 2020: With the coronavirus outbreak affecting all sports across America, NASCAR continued after a two-month absence, but it also prohibited fans in the stands. Chase Elliott looked like he was going to win the event until his teammate William Byron spun bringing out the caution with just two laps to go. Elliott decided to pit with others while Brad Keselowski stayed out inheriting the lead for a green-white-checkered finish. Elliott charged from 11th to 3rd with Keselowski giving Roger Penske his second 600 win over Jimmie Johnson on a day in which the Indianapolis 500 was postponed due to the pandemic. In post-race tech, Johnson's car violated rear-end alignments disqualifying him from 2nd to dead last (40th) and lifting Elliott to second. Rain delayed the event by an hour and forty minutes just 50 laps in, with the checkered-flag waving at just past midnight on Memorial Day. The race ending in overtime broke the record for the longest NASCAR race run set in 2011. Keselowski crossed the start/finish line after completing 405 laps/607.5 miles, breaking the 2011 record of 402 laps/603 miles.

First-time winners

The Coca-Cola 600 has been the site of many drivers' first wins, including David Reutimann, Casey Mears, and future champions David Pearson (1961), Jeff Gordon (1994), Bobby Labonte (1995), and Matt Kenseth (2000). The most recent driver to have the 600 as his first win was Austin Dillon, who won in 2017.

Past winners

Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Report
Laps Miles (km)
1960 June 19* 89 Joe Lee Johnson Paul McDuffie Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 5:34:06 107.735 Report
1961 May 28 3 David Pearson John Masoni Pontiac 400 600 (965.606) 5:22:29 111.633 Report
1962 May 27 29 Nelson Stacy Holman-Moody Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:46:44 125.552 Report
1963 June 2* 28 Fred Lorenzen Holman-Moody Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:31:52 132.417 Report
1964 May 24 41 Jim Paschal Petty Enterprises Plymouth 400 600 (965.606) 4:46:14 125.772 Report
1965 May 23 28 Fred Lorenzen Holman-Moody Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:55:38 121.722 Report
1966 May 22 42 Marvin Panch Petty Enterprises Plymouth 400 600 (965.606) 4:26:35 135.042 Report
1967 May 28 14 Jim Paschal Frieden Enterprises Plymouth 400 600 (965.606) 4:25:02 135.832 Report
1968 May 26 3 Buddy Baker Ray Fox Dodge 255* 382.5 (615.574) 3:04:14 104.207 Report
1969 May 25 98 LeeRoy Yarbrough Junior Johnson & Associates Mercury 400 600 (965.606) 4:27:56 134.361 Report
1970 May 24 27 Donnie Allison Banjo Matthews Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:37:36 129.68 Report
1971 May 30 12 Bobby Allison Holman-Moody Mercury 400 600 (965.606) 4:16:20 140.422 Report
1972 May 28 11 Buddy Baker Petty Enterprises Dodge 400 600 (965.606) 4:13:04 142.255 Report
1973 May 27 71 Buddy Baker Nord Krauskopf Dodge 400 600 (965.606) 4:26:53 134.89 Report
1974 May 26 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 360* 540 (869.045) 3:58:21 135.72 Report
1975 May 25 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 400 600 (965.606) 4:07:42 145.327 Report
1976 May 30 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 400 600 (965.606) 4:22:06 137.352 Report
1977 May 29 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 400 600 (965.606) 4:21:29 137.676 Report
1978 May 28 88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:20:12 138.355 Report
1979 May 27 88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:23:24 136.674 Report
1980 May 25 27 Benny Parsons M. C. Anderson Racing Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 5:01:51 119.265 Report
1981 May 24 28 Bobby Allison Ranier-Lundy Buick 400 600 (965.606) 4:38:22 129.326 Report
1982 May 30 21 Neil Bonnett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:36:48 130.058 Report
1983 May 29 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:15:51 140.707 Report
1984 May 27 22 Bobby Allison DiGard Motorsports Buick 400 600 (965.606) 4:38:34 129.233 Report
1985 May 26 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:13:52 141.807 Report
1986 May 25 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:16:24 140.406 Report
1987 May 24 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:33:48 131.483 Report
1988 May 29 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:49:15 124.46 Report
1989 May 28 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:09:52 144.077 Report
1990 May 27 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 400 600 (965.606) 4:21:32 137.65 Report
1991 May 26 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:19:05 138.951 Report
1992 May 24 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:30:43 132.98 Report
1993 May 30 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:07:25 145.504 Report
1994 May 29 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:18:10 139.445 Report
1995 May 28 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 3:56:55 151.952 Report
1996 May 26 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:03:56 147.581 Report
1997 May 25–26* 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 333* 499.5 (803.867) 3:39:10 136.745 Report
1998 May 24 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:23:53 136.424 Report
1999 May 30 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 3:57:50 151.367 Report
2000 May 28 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:12:23 142.64 Report
2001 May 27 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:20:40 138.107 Report
2002 May 26 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 400 600 (965.606) 4:21:23 137.729 Report
2003 May 25 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 276* 414 (666.268) 3:16:50 126.198 Report
2004 May 30 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:12:10 142.763 Report
2005 May 29 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 5:13:52 114.698 Report
2006 May 28 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 400 600 (965.606) 4:39:25 128.84 Report
2007 May 27 25 Casey Mears Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:36:27 130.222 Report
2008 May 25 9 Kasey Kahne Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge 400 600 (965.606) 4:25:09 135.772 Report
2009 May 25* 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 227* 340.5 (547.981) 2:48:59 120.899 Report
2010 May 30 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 400 600 (965.606) 4:08:20 144.966 Report
2011 May 29 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 402* 603 (970.434) 4:33:14 132.414 Report
2012 May 27 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 3:51:14 155.687 Report
2013 May 26 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:35:49 130.521 Report
2014 May 25 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:07:27 145.484 Report
2015 May 24 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 600 (965.606) 4:03:34 147.803 Report
2016 May 29 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 400 600 (965.606) 3:44:05 160.655 Report
2017 May 28–29* 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 600 (965.606) 4:19:22 138.8 Report
2018 May 27 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 600 (965.606) 4:23:22 136.692 Report
2019 May 26 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 600 (965.606) 4:50:09 124.074 Report
2020 May 24–25* 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 405* 607.5 (977.467) 4:29:55 135.024 Report
2021 May 30 Report

Notes

*1960: The race was moved by three weeks because of construction delays.
*1963 and 2009: The race was moved from Sunday to Monday because of rain.
*1968, 2003, and 2009: The race was shortened due to rain.
*1974: The race was shortened due to the 1973-74 energy crisis.
*1997: The race was shortened due to a rain delay and a 1 a.m. noise ordinance. Finished at 12:57 AM on Monday.
*2011 and 2020: The race was lengthened due to a NASCAR overtime finish.
*2017: The race was broken up into four stages, as part of the new changes to race formats. Started on Sunday but finished at 12:30 AM on Monday due to a rain delay.
*1997, 2009, 2017, and 2020: The race was either run or finished on Memorial Day.

Multiple winners (drivers)

# wins Driver Years won
5 Darrell Waltrip 1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989
4 Jimmie Johnson 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014
3 Buddy Baker 1968, 1972, 1973
David Pearson 1961, 1974, 1976
Bobby Allison 1971, 1981, 1984
Dale Earnhardt 1986, 1992, 1993
Jeff Gordon 1994, 1997, 1998
Kasey Kahne 2006, 2008, 2012
2 Fred Lorenzen 1963, 1965
Jim Paschal 1964, 1967
Richard Petty 1975, 1977
Neil Bonnett 1982, 1983
Jeff Burton 1999, 2001
Kevin Harvick 2011, 2013
Martin Truex Jr. 2016, 2019

Multiple winners (teams)

# wins Team Years won
11 Hendrick Motorsports 1988, 1989, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2003–2005, 2007, 2012, 2014
6 Richard Childress Racing 1986, 1992, 1993, 2011, 2013, 2017
5 Petty Enterprises 1964, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1977
4 Holman-Moody 1962, 1963, 1965, 1971
Wood Brothers Racing 1974, 1976, 1982, 1987
Roush Racing 1999–2002
Joe Gibbs Racing 1995, 2015, 2018, 2019
3 DiGard Motorsports 1978, 1979, 1984
2 Junior Johnson & Associates 1969, 1985
Robert Yates Racing 1991, 1996
Gillett Evernham Motorsports 2006, 2008
Team Penske 2010, 2020

Manufacturer wins

# wins Manufacturer Years won
24 Chevrolet 1960, 1978–1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992–1995, 1997, 1998, 2003–2005, 2007, 2011–2014, 2017
13 Ford 1962, 1963, 1965, 1970, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, 1999–2002, 2020
8 Dodge 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 2006, 2008, 2010
5 Toyota 2009, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
4 Mercury 1969, 1971, 1974, 1976
3 Plymouth 1964, 1966, 1967
2 Buick 1981, 1984
Pontiac 1961, 1990

World 600 qualifier

Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race distance Race time Average speed
(mph)
Report
Laps Miles (km)
1961 May 21 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Plymouth 67 100.5 (161.739) 0:45:09 133.554 Report
8 Joe Weatherly Bud Moore Engineering Pontiac 67 100.5 (161.739) 0:52:18 115.591 Report
1963 June 1 30 Bunkie Blackburn Fred Clark Chevrolet 20 30 (48.28) 0:17:30 102.857 Report

Alsco Uniforms 500

Due to schedule changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted an additional 500-kilometer race called the Alsco Uniforms 500 on the Wednesday following the Coca-Cola 600.[14] It was run as a replacement for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway after the track announced that NASCAR had canceled its events at the road course due to the pandemic.

Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Report
Laps Miles (km)
2020 May 28* 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 208 312 (502.008) 2:29:23 125.315 Report

*2020: The race was moved from Wednesday to Thursday because of rain.

See also

References

  1. #EnduranceWeek starts now. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2016 via YouTube.
  2. Aumann, Mark (May 24, 2012). "Turner's dream brings creation of Charlotte track". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  3. "1960 World 600". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  4. Hart, Jay (May 23, 2009). "Story lines: Lowe's". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  5. Gluck, Jeff (March 4, 2014). "Kurt Busch to attempt Indianapolis 500, Coke 600 'double'". USA Today. McLean, VA. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  6. NASCAR's Best Races Archived January 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Coca-Cola 600". TicketsMate. Excite. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  8. Jeff Hammond. "Darrell Waltrip's sweep in the 1985 Winston All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 despite controversy in Charlotte built a NASCAR champion". FOX Sports. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  9. "Kevin Harvick Wins Coke Cola 600 – Longest NASCAR Race Ever – Crazy Finish". Racing News Digest. Racing News Digest. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  10. "TV cable falls, delays Coca-Cola 600". NASCAR.com. May 26, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  11. "2014 Coca-Cola 600 Fancam". 2014 Coca-Cola 600 Fancam. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  12. Carl Edwards gets his first win of season at Coca-Cola 600 www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2015/05/24/carl-edwards-wins-coca-cola-600-charlotte-motor-speedway/27898349
  13. Marks, Brendan (May 23, 2019). "Charlotte native William Byron becomes youngest pole winner for Coca-Cola 600". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  14. "NASCAR goes green in May with seven races in 11 days". ESPN. Associated Press. April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
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Next race:
Toyota/Save Mart 350
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