Coca-Cola 600 is long, but has no shortage of support

Most drivers are in favor of keeping length

CONCORD, N.C. — With a furrowed brow, NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip scoffed at the notion that the Coca-Cola 600 race is too long and should be shortened by, say, maybe a hundred miles or so.

“Is that what some thirtysomething said?” the 72year-old Waltrip said.

Well, as a matter of fact ... It was 38-year-old Denny Hamlin who recently suggested NASCAR should shorten its longest race because nobody — at least not the friends that he knows — wants to sit and watch stock cars race around an oval 400 times for nearly five hours.

But Waltrip, a five-time winnerof theCoca-Cola600, said that would be a mistake.

“It’s a tough race, it’s a grueling race,” Waltrip said. “It takes a long time to run this race. But it’s iconic. It’s the only one we have. Our sport is definitely in a tailspin if we ever do away with the Coke 600, I will tell you that.”

Waltrip is getting plenty of support in the garage.

Joey Logano said he gets a little angry when people suggest the race many refer to as the crown jewel of NASCAR should be shortened, saying to him it’s a no-brainer to keep the race length.

“This is a special race, this

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is the Coca- Cola 600,” Logano said. “It has been around for a very long time. Yeah, you keep it. That is what it makes it so special, what makes it so unique. Does every other race need to be 500 miles, probably not? But certain ones, the iconic ones, need to stay.”

NASCAR has shortened some races, including at Pocono.

But to defending champion Kyle Busch, changing the 600 wouldn’t be right.

“I think it brings a different aspect to our sport — it’s longevity,” Busch said. “People will say, ‘It’s too long. It’s boring.’ Whatever. Well, you know, it’s a part of the product and history that we’ve had on Memorial Day weekend for a long time that you run the extra hundred miles.”

While Hamlin would be just as happy winning a Coca-Cola 300, others disagree.

Brad Keselowski said the race honors the tradition of the sport. The race began in 1961, growing into a Memorial Day tradition at Charlotte Motor Speedway and a celebration of those who served in the military.

“This race is a different challenge than anything else we have — and by a good bit,” Keselowski said. “I appreciate so much about this race. I appreciate that you are going to go through the daytime and be burning hot and the car is going be out of control. Then we are going to transition to nighttime and the cars are going to be just crazy fast. I think that is tremendous.”

Keselowski also said the race pushes the limits of a vehicle, specific to performance and endurance.

But critics would argue that in today’s world of improved technology cars have gotten stronger. The attrition rate in the Coca-Cola 600 is at an all-time low, erasing the antiquated idea of this being the ultimate test of man and machine. Three cars didn’t finish the race last year because of engine issues, which isn’t all that unusual for the average 500-mile race.

“I bet you we could probably go 800 maybe even1,000 miles on a race car before you’d start to see problems,” said Busch, who won his first Coca-Cola 600 in 2018. “It’s just a matter of length and attention span, I guess.”

One thing everyone can agree on — the race is a grind.

Keselowski said the biggest advice he would give young drivers is to “drink water.”

And today is expected to be no exception, with temperatures likely reaching the mid-90s in the late afternoon when a heatwave hits the Carolinas.

The 21-year-old William Byron will start on the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 today and the Charlotte kid is looking for his first win on a track where he grew up watching NASCAR’s longest race.

“I loved it as a kid,” Byron said. “I came to this race every year since 2004 or so. It was a great race.”

CONCORD, N.C. — Tyler Reddick won the Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday after taking the lead for good on a restart with 15 laps to go.

The defending Xfinity champion led 110 of 200 laps to win for the second time this season and the second time in three races. He finished more than two seconds ahead of Justin Allgaier. Jeffrey Earnhardt was third, followed by Noah Gragson and Justin Haley.

Reddick prevailed on a hot, humid day where temperatures climbed to the mid-90s and car cockpits were close to 130 degrees. Earnhardt was slumped against his car after getting out, catching his breath and trying to cool off.

Austin Dillon, the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner, took part in the Xfinity race, but exited the car during a caution with 40 laps left due to the heat.

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