The 2010 Coca-Cola 600, the 51st running of the event, was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on May 30, 2010 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina as the 13th race of the 2010 Sprint Cup season[2][4] It also was the longest race of the 2010 season, having consisted over 400 laps and 600 miles (970 km).

2010 Coca-Cola 600
Race details[1][2][3]
Race 13 of 36 in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2010 Coca-Cola 600 program cover, with artwork by Sam Bass. The painting is called "Let Freedom Race!"
The 2010 Coca-Cola 600 program cover, with artwork by Sam Bass. The painting is called "Let Freedom Race!"
Date May 30, 2010 (2010-May-30)
Official name Coca-Cola 600
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (970 km)
Weather Partly cloudy with a high around 84°; wind out of the ESE at 3 mph; 10% chance of precipitation.
Average speed 144.966 miles per hour (233.300 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Stewart Haas Racing
Time 28.793
Most laps led
Driver Kurt Busch Penske Racing
Laps 252
Winner
No. 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds
The race logo for the 2010 Coca-Cola 600.

Kurt Busch, driving the No. 2 car for Penske Racing, won the race[5] while Jamie McMurray for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (whose team won the Indianapolis 500) finished second. The race had 17 different leaders, 34 lead changes, and eight cautions.[6]

Race report

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Background

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Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the race was held.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[7] The standard track at Lowe's Motor Speedway is a four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.4 km)-long, quad-oval track. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees; both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch (opposite the front) have a five-degree banking.[8]

The Coca-Cola 600 was conceived by race car driver Curtis Turner who built the Charlotte Motor Speedway.[9] It was first held in 1960 in an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend race to compete with the open-wheel Indianapolis 500; the two races were held together on the same day starting from 1974.[10] The race is the longest in terms of distance on the NASCAR calendar and is considered by several drivers to be one of the sport's most important races alongside the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Southern 500.[11] The long distance makes it the most physically demanding event in NASCAR, and teams adapt to changing track conditions because the race occurs between late afternoon and evening.[12] It was known as the World 600 until 1984 when The Coca-Cola Company purchased the naming rights to the race and renamed it the Coca-Cola World 600 in 1985. It has been called the Coca-Cola 600 every year since 1986 except for 2002 when the name changed to Coca-Cola Racing Family 600.[13]

Practice and qualifying

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Pole Position winner Ryan Newman in 2007

Three practice sessions and qualifying were held before the Sunday evening race; one practice and qualifying on Thursday and two on Saturday.[14] In the first practice, Juan Pablo Montoya was quickest, ahead of Ryan Newman in second, Jimmie Johnson in third, Elliott Sadler in fourth, and Kasey Kahne in fifth.[15] In the second practice, Kasey Kahne was fastest while Kurt Busch, David Reutimann, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Burton followed.[16] During final practice, the quickest five were Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, and Jimmie Johnson.[17]

In qualifying, Ryan Newman won the pole position,[1] while Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne, and Jimmie Johnson completed the top-five positions. During qualifying, Brad Keselowski and David Ragan both spun, but Keselowski collided with the wall. Four drivers did not make the race; they were Reed Sorenson, Max Papis, David Stremme, and Mike Bliss.[18]

Race summary

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At 5:00 p.m. EDT, Fox started broadcasting;[19] the race would be the last they would broadcast until the 2011 Daytona 500.[4] At the start of the race, the weather was predicted to be mostly cloudy. At 5:55 p.m. EDT, pre-race ceremonies began; first, Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, delivered the invocation. Afterward, the track hosted a moment of silence. Then, the national anthem, was performed by the U.S. National Guard choir. To start engines, John Faulkenbury, President of the USO, N.C. joined by the Dickens (USMC), Foley (U.S. Army) and Barnes (U.S. Air Force) gave the command "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"[19]

At 6:20 p.m., the green flag waved as Ryan Newman led the field down to the start/finish line. On lap 3, Jimmie Johnson said that he believed there was oil on the track. Outside polesitter Kurt Busch passed Newman a short time later and pulled away from Newman with a 2.30-second advantage by lap 24. On lap 29, Busch started putting cars a lap down. Green flag pit stops began on lap 50 when Kasey Kahne made a pit stop. On lap 52, Busch gave the lead to Joey Logano when he made his pit stop. Two laps later, Busch reclaimed the lead. The first caution of the race came out on lap 61 Juan Pablo Montoya spun and hit the inside wall. Denny Hamlin stayed off pit road, while most drivers made pit stops.[19]

The race started on lap 66, with Hamlin in the lead. A lap later, Kurt Busch retook the lead from Hamlin. The second caution came out on lap 91 Marcos Ambrose collided with the wall. Most leaders would pitt under this caution. The race started on lap 95 with Jimmie Johnson in the lead. A lap later, Kurt Busch passed him for the lead, but couldn't keep it. So Johnson retook the lead and remained there until lap 130, when Kyle Busch took it. Three laps later, the race passed its 200-mile mark. On lap 144, another round of green flag pit stops began. The different leaders during pit stops were Ku. Busch and Jamie McMurray, but Ky. Busch reclaimed the lead on lap 150. The third caution came out on lap 166 when Johnson got loose, collided with the outside wall, came down the track, and shoved Hamlin in the grass. Most lead lap cars made pit stops but during the yellow-flag pit stops, Ky. Busch collided with Brad Keselowski while exiting pit road.[19]

 
Race winner Kurt Busch (pictured in 2015)

On the restart, Kurt Bush led them to the green flag. Afterwards, he led until lap 213, when the fourth caution came out for debris. The restart happened on lap 217, with Clint Bowyer the new leader. One lap later, Kurt Busch reclaimed the lead. Kurt Busch led until green flag pit stops which began on lap 264. On lap 267, David Reutimann passed Kurt Busch for the lead. Two laps later, Reutimann made a pit stop, giving the lead to Matt Kenseth. On lap 272, the fifth caution came out. The cause of the caution was that Jimmie Johnson got loose, spun around, collided with the outside wall, then he went down the track and hit the inside wall; his car sustained heavy damage. On lap 277, Matt Kenseth brought the field to the restart. One lap later, Kurt Busch, from a fast start, passed Kenseth.[19]

Kurt Busch led the race until lap 299 when Jamie McMurray passed him. One lap later, Robby Gordon collided with the wall, and brought out a caution. During pit stops, Brad Keselowski stayed out to lead a lap, then he gave the lead to Kurt Busch when he made a pit stop. Two laps after the 306 restart, the seventh caution came out because Greg Biffle collided with the wall. On lap 313, Kurt Busch brought the field for the restart. After chasing down Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray finally reclaimed the lead. On lap 350, green flag pit stops began; one lap later Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch made pit stops, giving the lead back to David Reutimann. On lap 353, Reutimann made a pit stop and gave the lead to Tony Stewart, then he made a pit stop to give the lead to David Ragan and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr. stayed out until lap 366, when he made a pit stop. Jamie McMurray was the leader afterwards. On lap 376, the eighth caution came out because Marcos Ambrose lost control and collided with the wall. During pit stops, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin stayed out, to start first and second on the restart on lap 381. One lap later, Kurt Busch surged by the field to become the leader. Kurt Busch remained the leader to win his second race in the 2010 season.[19]

Results

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Race results

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Race results
Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 2 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 400 195
2 27 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 400 175
3 9 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 170
4 11 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 160
5 6 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 400 160
6 15 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 155
7 10 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 151
8 33 98 Paul Menard Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 142
9 1 39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 400 143
10 16 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 139
11 23 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 130
12 4 9 Kasey Kahne Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 127
13 8 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 129
14 18 43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 121
15 26 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 400 123
16 31 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 115
17 14 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 400 112
18 7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 114
19 32 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 400 106
20 37 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 400 108
21 39 19 Elliott Sadler Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 100
22 24 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 102
23 3 56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 400 99
24 36 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 96
25 12 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 399 88
26 28 37 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 398 90
27 25 21 Bill Elliott Wood Brothers Racing Ford 397 82
28 41 38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 397 79
29 13 83 Casey Mears Team Red Bull Toyota 396 76
30 21 82 Scott Speed Team Red Bull Toyota 395 73
31 38 71 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 395 70
32 40 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 394 67
33 36 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 394 64
34 43 46 J. J. Yeley Whitney Motorsports Dodge 393 61
35 42 34 Kevin Conway Front Row Mototsports Ford 393 58
36 34 47 Marcos Ambrose JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 375 55
37 5 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 364 57
38 20 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 306 49
39 19 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 46 46
40 29 64 Todd Bodine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Toyota 41 43
41 22 36 Johnny Sauter Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 37 40
42 30 55 Michael McDowell Prism Motorsports Toyota 34 37
43 17 66 Dave Blaney Prism Motorsports Toyota 25 34
Source:[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Newman Wins 9th Pole". The Charlotte Observer.com. Mike Cranston. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b "Race Preview". News Observer.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Kurt Busch Sweeps Charlotte in May". Sports Illustrated. cnn.com. 30 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  4. ^ a b "2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule Times". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Kurt Busch wins Coca-Cola 600". The Washington Post. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Race Details". Fox Sports.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  7. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  8. ^ Bonkowski, Jerry. "Here's all you need to know about the Coca-Cola 600 and the Charlotte Motor Speedway". NBC Sports. NBC. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  9. ^ Aumann, Mark (May 24, 2012). "Turner's dream brings creation of Charlotte track". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  10. ^ Hart, Jay (May 23, 2009). "Story lines: Lowe's". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  11. ^ NASCAR Wire Service (May 22, 2014). "NASCAR: Coca-Cola 600 has a history with major appeal". Cecil Whig. Adams Publishing Group. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  12. ^ "Patience, endurance keys for 600". Walker County Messenger. Vol. 116, no. 42. May 27, 2005. p. 11. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  13. ^ "Coca-Cola 600". TicketsMate. Excite. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  14. ^ "Pre-race Schedule". Charlotte Motor Speedway.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  15. ^ "Results for First Practice". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  16. ^ "Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Final Practice Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  18. ^ "Race Lineup". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  19. ^ a b c d e f "Race Summary". NASCAR.com. 30 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  20. ^ "Race Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
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