Friday, May 23, 2008
By CHARLES KRALL
The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s takes a real toll on man and machine.
It’s the longest race of the Sprint Cup season. It starts in bright sunshine and finishes in the dark of night. And it’s at one of the most temperamental tracks on the schedule.
And it’s hell on cars.
True, there will be 43 drivers in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. But the real toll will be on the machines, not the men.
Teams have learned to build cars that can last 500 miles with remarkable dependability. But those extra 100 miles still manage to put many cars behind the wall and leave many crew chiefs wanting a do-over.
That’s why the test session that was added for Lowe’s earlier this month plus all the practice sessions leading up to last week’s Sprint All-Star Challenge and this week’s race have proved so valuable.
“We definitely learned a lot over the past few days at Charlotte,” said Roy McCauley, crew chief for Penske Racing driver Ryan Newman. “The test was a good opportunity to evaluate race setups on the tire we are running. The test gave the drivers more time to get comfortable with running the COT car, and it gave us crew chiefs more time to work on the racecars. So it was a welcome test, and I think it might make the racing more competitive this weekend.
“The all-star weekend was another help to us. We were able to learn about tire wear and learn which tire pressures were best for us. I think that any crew chief will tell you that [last] weekend gave them more notes and more ideas on what might be important during the 600.”
For the drivers, the mind-set approaching the 600 is no different than any other race: In order to finish first, first you must finish. Some, such as three-time winner Jimmie Johnson, have found a way to use the extra miles to their advantage.
“I don’t really treat it much different than any long race,” Johnson said. “I’ve had some bad luck at the start of some of those events; thankfully it’s been a 600-mile race. I passed Bobby Labonte coming to the checkered one time [2005]. If it was a 500-mile race that would have never happened because we had some difficulties.
“The long races really suit the 48 team. I think the challenges from day to night help us. We usually do a good job staying on top of that. I think that our team is well prepared — I’m well prepared physically — and that all shows up in a 600-mile event, too. It’s really one of our strongest races on the calendar, year in and year out.”
The extra 100 miles is the downfall of many teams. Those who survive mechanically often fail strategically as pit strategy and fuel mileage often helps determine who scores a solid finish.
That’s what happened last year when Casey Mears used fuel mileage to rack up his first Cup win. Kyle Petty, the 1987 winner of the 600, did the same to finish third for his first top five since 1997.