Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Coca-Cola 600

Austin Dillon Puts the No. 3 Back in Victory Lane at Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. — Austin Dillon scored his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, taking the legendary Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet back to Victory Lane.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson was leading the Coca-Cola 600 but with two laps to go, he ran out of gas, handing off the lead to Dillon. Dillon was also running on fumes with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch closing fast, but, as it turned out, he had just enough for those final two laps.

Dillon is the 10th driver to post their first Cup Series win at Charlotte joining David Pearson (5/28/1961), Buddy Baker (10/15/1967), Charlie Glotzbach (10/20/1968), Jeff Gordon ( 5/29/94), Bobby Labonte (5/28/1995), Matt Kenseth ( 5/28/2000), Jamie McMurray (10/13/2002), Casey Mears ( 5/27/2007) and David Reutimann (5/25/2009).

Dillon was ecstatic but said, “It hasn’t sunk in truthfully. I’m just so proud of all the effort that all these guys put in. I really feel like I have the best team and the best pit crew. I have no doubt in them.

“My grandfather has done everything he can to give us the best we can get. Sometimes I feel like we’re the small team out there trying to get everything we can. Tonight proved that 600-mile race when it came down to it, we had everything we needed. It just feels amazing.”

Dillon’s grandfather and team owner Richard Childress was almost as thrilled as Dillon and spoke about the emotional impact of seeing the No. 3 car claim the checkered flag in NASCAR’s premier series. Dale Earnhardt won his last race in the No. 3 on Oct. 15, 2000, at Talladega. After Earnhardt’s death in 2001, Childress decided to retire the number from Cup Series competition. It wasn’t until Dillon’s first full season in the series, in 2014, that the No. 3 was brought out of retirement.

“I’m so proud…it’s just unbelievable,” he said. “Having my grandson just made it that much more special. I know Dale is up there smiling down because he would want this win, he’d want to see it with Austin.”

“I didn’t want to put just anyone in the 3 car. I probably never would have brought it back. We kept the number with NASCAR throughout the whole time. We ended up, when the opportunity was there, to put Austin back in it. He started in the Truck Series. He won races there. He won races in the XFINITY with it. Ty has won with it.

“Today is special. Here in Charlotte, on Memorial Day, such a special day for all the people that have gave so much to this country for us all to be here tonight. To be able to enjoy what we’re doing, I’m just honored to be here.

Dillon also gave special credit for the win to his crew chief, Justin Alexander, who made the tough call not to pit when all but eight drivers (including Dillon) headed to pit road on Lap 368. This was Alexander’s first race as crew chief for the No. 3 team, replacing Richard “Slugger” Labbe, who had been with Dillon since mid-2015.

Alexander discussed his decision, saying, “We had a good car all race. We run top 10 all race. Austin did a heck of a job, the whole team did. We were right there in position on that last stop when the caution came out. We were two or three laps short. Just right in that window where you have the option to stretch it, but there’s a risk with that. You give up a little track position early on trying to stretch it on fuel.

“We got good fuel mileage all day. It really didn’t make much sense to do anything but that. He didn’t really have to back off that much. We didn’t give up that many spots on the racetrack doing it. I think we were around 10th when we started saving.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch won Stage 1 of the Coca-Cola 600 and finished in the runner-up position, followed by Martin Truex Jr. in third. Truex won Stage 2 and led a race-high 233 laps, leading the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600 for the straight year. He clearly had the dominant car but lost the race when Dillon’s fuel strategy paid off with a trip to Victory Lane.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (winner of Stage 3) rounded out the top five, giving the JGR team three drivers in the top five but still searching for their first win this season.

Race contenders Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski exited the race early after getting caught up in the first caution of the night. On Lap 20 the No. 33 car of Jeffrey Earnhardt suffered a mechanical failure which left debris and fluid on the track. Elliot, who was running fifth, slowed to avoid the fluid but was hit by Keselowski who slid into the back of Elliott’s No. 24 car.

“Somebody broke and there was just oil everywhere and I couldn’t turn,” Keselowski said of the incident.”

The 400-lap race was red-flagged during the second segment due to heavy rain and the threat of lightning which resulted in a one hour, 39 minutes and 56 seconds delay. There were nine cautions for 53 laps during the event.

Truex leads the points standings followed by Kyle Larson (-5), Brad Keselowski (-82), Kevin Harvick (-103) and Kyle Busch (-102). Check the link below for the complete driver standings.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

Driver Standings

Coca-Cola 600 Race Results:

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coca-Cola-600-Results-C1712_UNOFFRES.pdf” title=”Coca Cola 600 Results C1712_UNOFFRES”]

May 29, 2017
Kevin Harvick Wins First Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Pole

CONCORD, N.C. — Kevin Harvick scored the fastest lap time in Round 3 of qualifying in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford at Charlotte Motor Speedway Thursday with a speed of 193.424 mph, winning his first pole for the Coca-Cola 600.

It’s his third Coors Light Pole this season and the 20th of his career. Harvick also has two previous victories in the event in 2011 and 2013 and is one of three active Cup Series drivers who have multiple Coca-Cola 600 wins (Jimmie Johnson has three, Kasey Kahne has four).

Harvick credited his team with giving him the car to beat, saying, “The cars in qualifying were a lot looser than they were in practice and just based on past experience here it was a handful through one and two. I just about lost it the first run, but the car was so good in three and four I didn’t want to over-adjust on it and make it too tight down there because you get tighter as the lap runs, so the guys did a good job of making adjustments, but not making it so tight that I couldn’t carry the throttle like I needed to in three and four. So they just did a great job on our Mobil 1 Ford.”

Kyle Busch, winner of last week’s All-Star race, will join him on the front row, posting the second-fastest lap at 192.513 mph in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. If he can capture the checkered flag this Sunday, he would become the eighth driver who has won the All-Star race and followed it up with a win the following week in the Coca-Cola 600.

Chase Elliott will start third in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after a qualifying lap of 192.260, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth in fourth (192.130). Erik Jones rounds out the top five in his Furniture Row Racing Toyota (191.782).

Kyle Larson, the series points leader, and Corey LaJoie missed the first round of qualifying when they were unable to pass inspection before the round ended. Larson will start 39th in his Chip Ganassi Chevrolet and LaJoie will start 40th in his No. 83 Toyota.

Larson, while disappointed, isn’t overly concerned.

“It happened to us at Texas and we rebounded from that and finished second,” he said. “I’m not too worried about it. I know the teams are frustrated with the tech process. I know nothing about how it all works. I don’t really have much to say about it other than I know my crew chief hates it.”

The Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. on FOX.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

Coca-Cola 600 Starting Lineup:

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coca-Cola-600-Starting-Lineup-C1712_STARTROW.pdf” title=”Coca Cola 600 Starting Lineup C1712_STARTROW”]

May 25, 2017
Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 – Did You Know?

CONCORD, N.C. — This Sunday the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series celebrates the Memorial Day weekend with the 58th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday evening, on the FOX network. The XFINITY Series will be on track Saturday for the Hisense 4K TV 300 on FS1.

The inaugural Coca-Cola 600, originally named the World 600, was held in 1960 and won by Joe Lee Johnson, the 1959 NASCAR Convertible Series champion. It was his second victory and the final win of his Cup career. But did you know he was the first of 32 different drivers to capture what has become one of NASCAR’s most sought-after trophies?

While some drivers would be content with one victory, Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with four Coca-Cola 600 wins in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2014. His teammate, Kasey Kahne, isn’t far behind with three. Other three-time winners include David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. But did you know that Darrell Waltrip has the most all-time victories with five, in 1978, 1979, 1985, 1988 and 1989?

Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is the defending race and pole winner. But did you know that last year he dominated the Coca-Cola 600, leading 392 of 400 laps? It was the most laps led in any race in the history of NASCAR. Truex enters the event with the 11th-best driver rating (84.5) at Charlotte with one win, three top fives, seven top 10s and one pole.

However, besting Johnson may be his biggest obstacle. He finished third in the All-Star race and has the best overall driver rating (110.6) at Charlotte. But did you know that in addition to his four Coca-Cola 600 wins, he has four Bank of America 500 trophies, along with 15 top fives, 19 top 10s and four poles?

Kyle Bush (104.8) has the second best driver rating with 10 top fives, 15 top 10s and two poles. He also has the advantage of winning last week’s All-Star race. Seven times, seven different drivers, have gone on to win the Coca-Cola 600 the following weekend after winning the All-Star race.

Denny Hamlin (95.6), Matt Kenseth (95.2, two Charlotte wins) and Kasey Kahne (95.1, four Charlotte wins) round out the top five in driver ratings at the 1.5-mile track.

Kahne discussed what it takes to win NASCAR’s longest race, saying, “The 600 is a difficult race. So many things happen and change during a four or five-hour race depending on cautions. It’s tough mentally and physically. It gets really hot in the car and with each pit stop, you need to be able to get better. Being able to keep your momentum up is really one of the keys to the race.”

As the drivers compete on the track, they will also honor those who have served our country by displaying a fallen military service member’s name on each windshield in the 40-car field. This will be the third consecutive year of NASCAR’s ”600 Miles of Remembrance.”

Some of the names chosen have special significance to the teams.

Truex’s car will display the name of 2nd Lt. John C. Yates, a Marine who served three tours of duty during the Vietnam War. He was killed in action while attempting to save the life of a fellow comrade on Oct. 17, 1968, in the Vietnam province of Quang Tri. He was 26 at the time of his death.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my cousin for his love of God, family, country and the Marine Corps,” said Woody Boyd, chief operating officer (COO) at Furniture Row. “His commitment and ultimate sacrifice inspired me to become a Marine six years later.”

The Memorial Day tributes will be an integral part of the weekend. Several drivers, including Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Reed will have patriotic paint schemes, Goodyear tires will once again have a special sidewall design with “Support Our Troops” messaging and the XFINITY cars will display red, white and blue windshield decals.

The Coca-Cola 600 broadcast begins Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. on FOX. In the meantime, please view the gallery below for a look at the service members who are being honored.

600 Miles of Remembrance

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

May 24, 2017
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 Weekend

CONCORD, N.C. — This Sunday NASCAR celebrates Memorial Day with the 58th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday evening, on the FOX network. The XFINITY Series will be on track Saturday for the Hisense 4K TV 300 on FS1.

Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is the defending Coca-Cola 600 race and pole winner. Kyle Busch, winner of last week’s All-Star race, heads to Charlotte with the second-best driver rating with 10 top fives, 15 top 10s and two poles. Jimmie Johnson has the most impressive stats entering the race with four Coca-Cola 600 wins plus four victories in the Bank of America 500. His driver rating of 110.6 is the series best, evidenced by his 15 tops fives, 19 top 10s and four poles.

There are 41 drivers entered for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600. Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

Thursday, May 25:

On Track:

2-3:25 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
4-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
6-6:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
7:15 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)

1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
12:45 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
1:15 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers: Christopher Bell and Matt Tifft
1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Combine
3:30 p.m.: Ben Kennedy
3:45 p.m.: Kyle Busch
4 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

SATURDAY, MAY 27:

On Track:
9-9:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
10:05 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – FS1

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
3:30 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

SUNDAY, MAY 28:

On Track:
6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) – FOX

Press Conference: (Watch live)
10:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.)

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

Hisense 4K TV 300 Entry List

Coca-Cola 600 Entry List:

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coca-Cola-600-Entry-List-C1712_PREENTNUM.pdf” title=”Coca Cola 600 Entry List C1712_PREENTNUM”]

May 24, 2017
Truex and Furniture Row Racing Deserving of Coca-Cola 600 Win

Few drivers have had as bad a run with luck as Martin Truex Jr. He’s had absolutely dismal seasons, like in 2014 when he first took over the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing entry (one top-five, five top-10s, one lap led all season long and a 24th-place points finish). He’s had good rides just collapse on him, like his No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing ride following the 2013 season. He’s come extremely close to winning after dominating a race, like at Kansas a few weeks ago where he started on the pole and led 172 of 267 laps only to have a pit stop penalty end his run prematurely.

So to come to Charlotte, win the pole for the Coca-Cola 600, then set a race record by leading 392 of 400 on the way to victory, there’s no doubt that Truex and the No. 78 crew truly deserved a visit to Victory Lane, especially after all that they’ve gone through. To do it in such a fashion, leading roughly 98 percent of a race (588 of 600 miles, a NASCAR record), is even more fitting considering how close that No. 78 has been to winning in 2016 and how strong that team has been this year. It was a perfect way to end the perfect weekend, and hopefully, it’s a sign of more victories this year for Truex.

“I can’t believe we led that much,” said Truex. “I was just out there running and the laps were clicking off, and it’s like, dang, halfway already. Usually, in this race you get halfway, and they’re like, it’s halfway, and you’re like, oh, my goodness, like seriously, that’s it? We’ve been in here forever. The race just — I guess because we were leading and there wasn’t a lot of caution laps and went green for so long, it went by quicker than normal, and the next thing I know there was 100 laps to go, and I was like, holy crap, there’s only 100 laps to go. The next thing I knew there was only 50. The race went by really quick, and I guess that’s because we were leading and things were going well.”

So where does this leave that team? Obviously, they’re Chase bound come September, and to get a lock on a Chase spot so soon must come as a relief for that team. Not that they wouldn’t have qualified for it any other way; the No. 78 team has been consistently fast this season and wouldn’t have had any trouble making the Chase on consistence alone. Rather, they can breathe easier now and race accordingly for more wins.

On that note, with Cole Pearn sitting on top of the pit box it won’t be difficult for Truex to go after more wins. Since taking the Crew Chief spot in 2015, Pearn has been exactly what Truex needed to gain his confidence and his competitive edge back behind the wheel. In 49 races, Truex and Pearn have brought home two wins, 10 top-fives, and 28 top-10s. If he hasn’t been at the front, he’s normally been near the front week after week.

This team is championship caliber. They were in the Final Four last year at Homestead, finishing fourth in the final points. Now that they’re aligned with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, they’re looking to redeem themselves in the title hunt and possibly clinch that Sprint Cup championship. Winning the Coca-Cola 600 after coming so close so many times this season was the first shot fired by Truex and his team. It’s safe to expect more from them before the year is up.

May 30, 2016
Truex Puts on Clinic in NASCAR’s Longest Race

CONCORD, N.C. — Domination was the name of Martin Truex Jr.’s game tonight as he concluded the “greatest day in racing” 2016 with a victory in the Queen City.

The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota led a race-high of 392 of the 400 laps on his way to winning the 57th annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Truex was overcome with emotion following the victory.

“It feels awesome,” he said. “Coca-Cola 600, man, this is one everybody wants to win. I feel like we had this thing won last year when we gave it up and just, I don’t know. There are so many emotions, I had to unplug my radio and just ride around and think for a few minutes because I didn’t even know what I was going to say or what I was going to do. Just we’ve been through a lot as a group. I’ve been through a lot personally. I’ve been through a lot with Sherry (Pollex, girlfriend) and just it’s fun to have her here and have her celebrate and it’s just – happy for my guys, happy for Barney (Visser, team owner), Toyota, everybody that helps us do this.

“I mean, I’ve got the best team in the world and we’ve got these Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas flying, man. It’s just fun to drive them and I honestly thought we could have been better tonight and just kept digging and just kept making small adjustments and working on it and I don’t know, man. Here we are, so I was – it was 50 to go and then it was 40 to go and then 30 to go and I just kept praying for no cautions and driving away.”

“Yeah, I mean it’s amazing,” said Sherry Pollex, Truex’s business partner and girlfriend. “I keep telling him that he had to lose all those races and that God was building his character to win a big one and this was huge for us and our hometown and our family and for Johnny (Morris, Bass Pro Shops) and Barney and we’ve been through so much. This is just the icing on the cake. It’s awesome. It’s so cool.”

It’s his fourth career win, first of the season, first at Charlotte and the first time in his career where he’s gone back to back seasons with a least one win. His lap led total is a new record for most laps led in a single race at Charlotte. He also recorded a perfect driver rating of 150.0, which hasn’t been achieved since Kevin Harvick at Phoenix in March 2015.

“Happy” Harvick finished second in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

“Yeah, we struggled tonight,” Harvick said. “Our Jimmy John’s Chevrolet was not very good in the first; I would say 450 miles of this particular race. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and everybody on our team did a great job to do whatever they did with the air pressure and just told me it was a really big adjustment. The last couple of runs I got tight. The one run when we had the first air pressure adjustment we were really good. The last two runs I was a little bit tighter once I got up behind those guys, right behind them, I just couldn’t go anywhere. Just really proud of the effort to turn the car around. We had a 10th-place car and they turned it into a car capable of racing for the win. That is pretty awesome.”

Jimmie Johnson led five laps on his way to rounding out the podium in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“It’s nice when you have a car like that,” Johnson said. “I’m so proud of the effort we put in tonight. This is the best car I’ve had in Charlotte for a long time. It just shows you how good that No. 78 was and the No. 4 got a little bit better than us at the end. I thought we had a chance at them a few times, a couple of times on the long run we would get close. A couple times on the restarts we would get close, but all-in-all a very strong performance for this Lowe’s Chevrolet. Very proud of the team work and the support that we have from all the employees at Lowe’s. Just came up a little short today.”

Denny Hamlin finished fourth in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“It was a battle, but we kept good track position all day – had one bad restart where I lost some spots, but other than that fourth is about par for us today,” Hamlin said. “The pit crew did an amazing job all day keeping us up front and our car was pretty good at the end. That’s about what we had, nothing else.”

Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

“On the long green flag runs it seemed like we would be able to move up a little bit,” Keselowski said. “On short runs we would fall back, but we definitely didn’t have anything for those guys. The 78 and the 4 were just really fast and Martin Truex deserves this finish. He had a good run.

“It’s a long 600 miles and to come home fifth is decent,” Keselowski added about his night. “It’s not what we want, but we needed a little bit more to be able to run with those guys.”

Kurt Busch finished sixth in his No. 41 SHR Chevrolet. Matt Kenseth finished seventh in his No. 20 JGR Toyota. Chase Elliott overcame an early speeding penalty to finish eighth in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Joey Logano led one lap and overcame his crew jumping over the wall too soon to finish ninth in his No. 22 Penske Ford.

“We got a pit road penalty,” Logano said. “You’re trying to make pit stops so fast and you’re gonna push everything to the edge. I guess we jumped off the wall a little bit too soon. I haven’t seen it, but unfortunately, that kind of made us make a green flag pit stop, which is really hard to overcome. Overall, we were able to get our lap back by racing up there, which was kind of cool. We didn’t have to take a lucky dog or any of that. We actually raced back to the lead lap, but we lost the balance a little bit on the last run and I couldn’t make much time once we got going.”

Ryan Newman rounded out the top-10 in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

The race lasted three hours, 44 minutes and five seconds at an average speed of 160.655 mph. There were nine lead changes among four different drivers and four cautions for 19 laps.

Harvick leaves Charlotte remaining the points leader.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/C1613_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

May 29, 2016
Truex fastest in final practice

CONCORD, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. topped the chart in final Sprint Cup Series practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.972 and a speed of 186.387 mph. Kurt Busch was second in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.074 and a speed of 185.733 mph. Jimmie Johnson was third in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 29.126 and a speed of 185.401 mph. Joey Logano was fourth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 29.172 and a speed of 185.109mph. Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford with a time of 29.199 and a speed of 184.938 mph.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was sixth in his No. 17 RFR Ford. Casey Mears was seventh in his No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet. Matt Kenseth was eighth in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Paul Menard was ninth in his No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10 in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.

Truex posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 182.923 mph. Johnson was second at an average speed of 182.713 mph.

All that remains is tomorrow evening’s Coca-Cola 600 at 6:00 on FOX.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/C1613_PRACFINAL.pdf”]

May 28, 2016
NASCAR Continues Tradition of Honoring United States Armed Forces at Charlotte Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. — For many, Memorial Day weekend is a holiday spent with family and friends, highlighted by cookouts, trips to the beach and lighthearted fun. But for those who have lost loved ones in the service of our country, it is both a time of somber reflection and a celebration of their lives.

NASCAR has an established tradition of honoring these fallen ones in the days leading up to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and this year is no exception.

For the second straight year, the “600 Miles of Remembrance” will pay tribute to those who died defending the United States. The driver’s names that normally appear on the windshield of each race car will be replaced with the names of fallen soldiers. Many of these names were chosen by the teams because of a special connection and each has a unique story. Some of the drivers took a moment to speak about the soldiers represented on their cars.

Ryan Blaney emphasized the importance of the military, saying, “Military does so much for our sport. They’re the reason we can race and be in NASCAR, and that it’s even possible. We have a huge military program at the race tracks each weekend and this just adds to that. We make the 600 really special which is great. It’s so cool that we can have them on our windshield and honor them the best we can that way. I am honored to have Cherone L. Gunn and to represent him. We will have two of his family members there, so hopefully we can show them a memorable time, and show them some of our world. He’s from Norfolk Virginia, which is close to where the Wood Brothers shop is in Stuart. It’s really neat what NASCAR does allowing us to honor the fallen soldiers.”

Austin Dillon said that these soldiers are his heroes. He selected the name to be displayed on his car by reaching “out to some of the guys in the NAVY and some of my friends in the SEALS. I asked them if there was anyone they’d like me to represent in Charlotte, and they all came up with a name and that was Mark Carter, “The Badger”. It’s very special to be carrying on someone’s legacy. Especially someone that gave their name for our freedom and to allow us to be Americans that fight out there on Sunday for a race. It’s very special to me, I even went out with my guys and we did a workout after Mark Carter which was really special to do. It was special to do a workout that was named after him. It was one of the toughest workouts I’ve ever done. So hopefully I can be as tough as him on Sunday. My heroes are soldiers and those guys fighting for our freedom.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s car will feature someone who was a childhood friend of JackRoush.

“Charlotte always does a great job with remembering the veterans and military that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Stenhouse said. “I think our sponsor Fastenal does a great job with it as well and is something that’s very important to them, too. Whether it be hiring the heroes or remembering the ones that gave everything. For us, that week, we’re going to have Jim Woolard on our car, which was one of Jack’s childhood friends growing up. He grew up two doors down from Jack. He died in Vietnam in the Army when he was only 20-years-old. It’ll be a special weekend for us, especially with Jack being our owner. He will want to watch that car run really well. We are going to give it everything we got. It’s very humbling watching the reenactments on pit road before the races. I think that’s one of the special moments everyone comes to see at the Coca-Cola 600.”

US Army 82nd Airborne Prepares for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Photo Credit: Noel Lanier

For David Ragan, it’s also a way to honor family members that have served.

“Memorial Day is an important day for our entire nation, but certainly for our industry. The Coca-Cola 600 has a lot of history and heritage in our sport. Memorial Day is an important day in our country to honor all of our soldiers that lost their lives fighting for our country. I have had a couple of grandfathers and uncles that served in our nation’s military, so it’s a certainly an important day in my family as well to pay tribute for those that served. One of my favorite memories about Memorial Day Weekend is all of the soldiers and pre-race festivities at Charlotte Motor Speedway over the years. It’s always been a lot of fun.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is proud of NASCAR’s continued commitment to the military and said, “NASCAR has always had a close relationship with the military of our country, and honors a family weekly who has lost someone. We always have service men and women out to the track as guests. That’s always been an important addition to the weekend. I like that we ramp it up for this particular weekend. It’ll be great to meet Lance Corporal Aaron Reed’s family and the other members of his squad. That’ll be an experience that I probably won’t forget – it will be pretty weighted. I’m looking forward to it.”

The “600 Miles of Remembrance” is only a small part of planned activities that will span the entire weekend of events to show support for the military as part of a program called, NASCAR: An American Salute.

You can see a gallery of all the fallen soldiers that will appear on the Sprint Cup Series cars during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 by visiting www.NASCAR.com/salute.

May 27, 2016
Larson’s Progress Won’t Be Enough for Charlotte Victory

In the last couple of weeks, Kyle Larson has been showing some much-needed results. He finished second in a spirited battle with Matt Kenseth at Dover, then followed it up with an aggressive win in the Sprint Showdown, the last-chance qualifier for the Sprint All-Star event at Charlotte. Then in the All-Star, he fought hard with eventual winner Joey Logano before slapping the wall and finishing off the pace.

Still, he showed he can be aggressive when necessary and is capable of winning races, which is much needed considering the 2014 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year has yet to clinch a Sprint Cup victory. But despite his recent hot streak (if it may be called such), a win in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway may be easier said than done.

That’s not for lack of ability, obviously. Larson is set to become a racing legend. He’s as good of a driver as they come and possesses a ton of talent behind the wheel. But for every good stretch he’s had in the past season, almost immediately he’s met with some misfortune or midpack run. For example, at this time a year ago, Larson followed a 25th-place run at Charlotte with a third-place run at Dover and an eighth-place run at Pocono. Immediately after, he had five straight dismal runs with a best finish of 15, including three-straight finishes below 30th.

This year, meanwhile, prior to his second-place run at Dover he had a stout run of seventh in February’s Daytona 500 and a third-place at Martinsville. Two top-fives and three top-10s in a season that has seen more finishes below 30th than anything. So in regards to the possibility of a win in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, it may be a possibility, but to call it a probability is a stretch in logic.

Not that some of his failures are his fault. He’s been caught up in crashes, he’s had parts fail, and unfortunately, he has Chad Johnston on top of the pit box this year (which counts for some of his poor runs). But if Dover was a sign of things to come, if he wins at Charlotte it will be a victory truly earned. Either way, Larson’s overdue for a win.

May 27, 2016
Edwards: ‘I’m so excited about the things that are coming at Kentucky and Michigan’

CONCORD, N.C. — Asked about his thoughts on the changes to the aero package being tested in the coming weeks, Carl Edwards said he’s “excited about the things that are coming at Kentucky and Michigan.”

Speaking in the media center during his weekly media availability, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota gave some thoughts on the direction toward lower downforce and the quality of the racing this season.

“It’s all right there, the proof is there, all year we’ve had awesome racing and we have close finishes,” Edwards said in response to being asked about how excited he is about the changes to the aero package. “I mean, yeah things didn’t go exactly as planned at the All-Star event, but that was a new format and a lot of unforeseen things happened, but the racing on the track was good and it’s been good all year. I already sent Steve O’Donnell (NASCAR executive vice-president and chief racing development officer) a thank you text. I’m so excited about the things that are coming at Kentucky and Michigan. NASCAR is doing that it takes, the teams are doing what it takes to go out and figure out how to make this the best racing it can be. This is going to be a blast. These cars, I’m telling you, when you drive them sideways at 200 mph and you’re closing on people and you’re able to pressure them and race like that, that’s as good as it gets. I’m very excited about Michigan and Kentucky, it’s like Christmas for me.”

During last week’s All-Star Race, NASCAR tested smaller changes to the aero package such as welding the truck arm mounts, which had been in place since Kansas, reducing the number of brake fans the cars can use and not allowing teams to skew the rear-end of the car. The end result was racing that fans, drivers and media said was “excellent.”

After the race, Senior Vice-President of Competition Scott Miller said that the truck arm welding and brake fan reduction will remain in place for the remainder of the season, but that the rear-end skew rule won’t be implemented for the rest of the season.

Friday, NASCAR announced that further reductions to downforce will be tested in the upcoming FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway and the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. The changes include a reduction of the spoiler from 3.5 to 2.5 inches, a two-inch reduction in the size of the splitter and resizing the deck fin.

When asked how surprised at how far NASCAR has come in a short span of time in regards to the changes in downforce, he said he’s “really happy with the way things are going, but I think its NASCAR’s job to run this sport the best that they can and they’ve done a really good job over the last 50 or 60 years. They’ve made this into what it is so a healthy dose of skepticism when a bunch of drivers come and tell you what they want probably serves them well. Right now, literally, I can go to anyone at NASCAR – Mike Helton or Brian (France) or Steve O’Donnell whether it’s through the council, I can go talk to them and there’s a lot of communication back and forth. It doesn’t mean we don’t get just as many penalties or black flags or whatever, the competition is still the competition, but it’s pretty neat right now that everyone wants to make the racing the absolute best it can be and people are listening. That’s all you can hope for.”

He was also asked if there were any negatives to the package.

“There are absolutely no negatives,” Edwards said. “This sport, to me, and I can speak as a fan – until I got that call from Jack Roush, this was just something I dreamed of doing and watched on television and the things that I grew up watching drivers do with these race cars. Like that picture with cars sideways and hanging it out, stock car racing, NASCAR racing is built on that. I can’t applaud NASCAR enough for going that direction. I don’t see any negatives. I think we’re just going to have better and better racing.”

May 27, 2016