2008 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway

2008 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway:

The 2008 Coca-Cola 600 is one of the biggest races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup calendar. This 600 mile marathon starts in the daylight and ends under the lights. Last year Casey Mears scored the first win of his Sprint Cup career. Will the 2008 edition of the race see another first-time winner as Humpy Wheeler presides over his final Coca-Cola 600?

Tickets:

Speedway ticket office (800) 455-FANS or (704) 455-3200

Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)

The Track:

Lowes Motor Speedway is a mile and a half tri-oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns. The track is fast and even though there is a preferred groove there is still enough room for a faster car to get by.

Lowes Motor Speedway is the home track for NASCAR. The majority of the teams are based within 30 miles of the speedway and everybody brings their best stuff to Lowes because everybody wants the bragging rights of winning their home race.

Race Distance:

400 Laps = 600 Miles

The Big Picture:

There were no points on the line during last week's All-Star Race.

Two weeks ago in Darlington point leader Kyle Busch picked up the win and added to his lead over Jeff Burton who finished tenth.

At the other end of the top twelve both Jeff Gordon and David Ragan raced their way into a Chase qualifying spot. Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne fell to 13th and 14th in the standings.

The top twelve are now:

1. Kyle Busch
2. Jeff Burton -79
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -134
4. Denny Hamlin -190
5. Clint Bowyer -200
6. Jimmie Johnson -248
7. Carl Edwards -290
8. Tony Stewart -293
9. Kevin Harvick -294
10. Jeff Gordon -364
11. Greg Biffle -382
12. David Ragan -424

Storylines:

2008 Coca-Cola 600 is famous for its over the top pre-race shows. This week H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, the man responsible for Lowes Motor Speedway's extravagant promotions, announced that he is retiring after this, his 32nd Coca-Cola 600.

Humpy joined Lowes Motor Speedway in 1975 and was named president in 1980. He was, as Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith says "... one of the greatest promoters in racing history."

Media Coverage:

TV: FOX Sunday, May 25th, 5:00PM Eastern.

Radio: PRN and SIRIUS Satellite

Actual Race: 5:30PM Eastern

Recent Events:

2007 Winner: Casey Mears

2007 Polesitter: Ryan Newman

Last Year:

The 2007 Coca-Cola 600 started with a big mess and finished with strategy taking center stage. The first 100 miles were marred by two multi-car accidents that damaged nearly half of the field.

The final 100 laps were all about fuel mileage as a number of fast cars had to drop off for gas in the final ten laps. Casey Mears gambled and scored the first win of his career.

Predictions:

Kasey Kahne swept both races at Lowes Motor Speedway in 2006. He showed a little bit of that magic last week when he picked up the million dollar All-Star win. Kasey Kahne knows how to win in Charlotte and he makes a great pick for this weekend's Coca-Cola 600.

Given his incredible stats it seems strange not to be picking Jimmie Johnson at Lowes Motor Speedway. However, last weekend we saw four different drivers dominate during the All-Star race. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle were the other three (besides Kahne).

I'm going with Carl Edwards this weekend for my backup.