It's more important to be better late in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 (on FOX at 5 p.m. ET) than it is to try to be good throughout the race. Typically cars that are very good when the race starts will fade because they haven't adjusted or planned for the track conditions.
During the Coca-Cola 600 two years ago, I was in and around Tony Stewart's pit area most of the night. On one run, they would be loose, and they would adjust. On another run, they would be tight. They went back and forth for 600 miles, but they finished a solid sixth. Stewart went on to win the championship, and when I interviewed him about his season, he said his Coca-Cola 600 performance wasn't spectacular, but it was the type of night where teams can win a championship.
Even the best drivers and the best teams, like Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing, chase that track all night. It's a challenge for them to get the car right. The track is so sensitive, and it changes several times over the course of 600 miles. By the same token, if you are having trouble and can have a solid finish, it's a job well done and a night where the teams feel very satisfied.
Who to watch
Kevin Harvick: I picked Harvick to be a factor in the all-star challenge, and I think he could be a factor based on momentum.
Bobby Labonte: I think Labonte's team has improved every week, and they've done it quietly. The 18 team is really gaining some steam while other teams are still trying to figure out what they need to do.
Mark Martin: Roush Racing has always run well at Charlotte. Jeff Burton has a win there. Matt Kenseth had his first Cup win there. Having said that, I think Martin could be a factor at a track where he claimed his last Cup win. The 6 team has had a very solid season so I wouldn't overlook Martin.
Jeff Gordon: Although he didn't have a great night at Richmond, Gordon was still a factor in the race. He's another guy who got his first Cup win at Charlotte 10 years ago. He likes that race track, and he qualifies and runs well there. Plus Hendrick Motorsports is maybe 2 1/2 miles from the speedway. I wouldn't say they have a home-track advantage, but it's a big deal for Hendrick Motorsports to run well in Charlotte.
Jimmie Johnson: Johnson's team obviously has a handle on this year's new tire and knows how to win at Lowe's, sweeping both races there last May.
Elliott Sadler: For a dark horse, I'll give Sadler a nod. He won at Texas, a similar race track. With the new Ford engine package, he has a lot of confidence, and he's really matured as a driver.
What to watch
Drove all night: I've asked teams about running an extra 100 miles, and they say there isn't anything extra that they can do for the 600. Teams will limit the miles they'll put on their engines in practice, but as far as preparing the car, I don't think you'll find anybody who says, "Here's what we're going to do to counteract that extra 100 miles." I think teams are throwing everything they can at the cars already.
Who's hot; who's not?: It's supposed to be hot in Charlotte all weekend. The drivers who are physically ready through conditioning will have an advantage. We talk about cars, horsepower and drag, but I also think the driver who is physically up on the wheel, as people in racing like to say, is the guy who is going to have an advantage.
Tire-d story: After 11 races, teams are still trying to decide their strategy with this new tire. It was a gutsy call by crew chief Matt Borland and Ryan Newman to stay out for as long as they did during the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Newman showed how good he is. But strategy that may have worked last year hasn't worked this year. At Richmond, Dick Berggren pointed out that Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't pit when everybody else did. Fresh tires didn't make a big difference late in the race. I think that's going to be another interesting part of the equation this week. What do you do later in the race? Last week on Trackside on SPEED Channel, Rusty Wallace said the conventional wisdom continues to be four tires, but I don't think every team will agree.
Pit perspectives
You can't avoid the distractions that come with racing at home, but everyone will tell you how great it is to sleep in their own beds. The other element that gets overlooked is the 600 has been considered a crown-jewel event. You'll hear drivers and teams say, "Hey, we put the same amount of effort into every race." But the truth of the matter is this is a very important race. Not only is it a crown-jewel event, it's also 600 miles. You have the distractions of being at home, and there's a lot of attention from the corporate side. A lot of the sponsors will entertain clients. You'll have chief executives in town. There's just a lot going on. When you add all of that into the mix, it does make for a very tough and long two weeks. But, in the end, the Nextel All-Star Challenge is for the fans while the 600 is more of a racer's event so there's even more pressure. All of those elements contribute to the difficulty factor of this race.
Finish line
As I walk around the garage and observe how teams are reacting, the points race to make the Chase for the Championship is becoming more tangible. The guys who need to be inside that top 10 realize that they cannot make more mistakes. They don't have any mulligans left as Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds like to say. As a broadcast team, we are certainly paying more attention to the points than we ever have at this point in the season.
5 p.m. ET: COCA-COLA 600 on FOX
http://www.foxsports.com/content/view?contentId=2437518
During the Coca-Cola 600 two years ago, I was in and around Tony Stewart's pit area most of the night. On one run, they would be loose, and they would adjust. On another run, they would be tight. They went back and forth for 600 miles, but they finished a solid sixth. Stewart went on to win the championship, and when I interviewed him about his season, he said his Coca-Cola 600 performance wasn't spectacular, but it was the type of night where teams can win a championship.
Even the best drivers and the best teams, like Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing, chase that track all night. It's a challenge for them to get the car right. The track is so sensitive, and it changes several times over the course of 600 miles. By the same token, if you are having trouble and can have a solid finish, it's a job well done and a night where the teams feel very satisfied.
Who to watch
Kevin Harvick: I picked Harvick to be a factor in the all-star challenge, and I think he could be a factor based on momentum.
Bobby Labonte: I think Labonte's team has improved every week, and they've done it quietly. The 18 team is really gaining some steam while other teams are still trying to figure out what they need to do.
Mark Martin: Roush Racing has always run well at Charlotte. Jeff Burton has a win there. Matt Kenseth had his first Cup win there. Having said that, I think Martin could be a factor at a track where he claimed his last Cup win. The 6 team has had a very solid season so I wouldn't overlook Martin.
Jeff Gordon: Although he didn't have a great night at Richmond, Gordon was still a factor in the race. He's another guy who got his first Cup win at Charlotte 10 years ago. He likes that race track, and he qualifies and runs well there. Plus Hendrick Motorsports is maybe 2 1/2 miles from the speedway. I wouldn't say they have a home-track advantage, but it's a big deal for Hendrick Motorsports to run well in Charlotte.
Jimmie Johnson: Johnson's team obviously has a handle on this year's new tire and knows how to win at Lowe's, sweeping both races there last May.
Elliott Sadler: For a dark horse, I'll give Sadler a nod. He won at Texas, a similar race track. With the new Ford engine package, he has a lot of confidence, and he's really matured as a driver.
What to watch
Drove all night: I've asked teams about running an extra 100 miles, and they say there isn't anything extra that they can do for the 600. Teams will limit the miles they'll put on their engines in practice, but as far as preparing the car, I don't think you'll find anybody who says, "Here's what we're going to do to counteract that extra 100 miles." I think teams are throwing everything they can at the cars already.
Who's hot; who's not?: It's supposed to be hot in Charlotte all weekend. The drivers who are physically ready through conditioning will have an advantage. We talk about cars, horsepower and drag, but I also think the driver who is physically up on the wheel, as people in racing like to say, is the guy who is going to have an advantage.
Tire-d story: After 11 races, teams are still trying to decide their strategy with this new tire. It was a gutsy call by crew chief Matt Borland and Ryan Newman to stay out for as long as they did during the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Newman showed how good he is. But strategy that may have worked last year hasn't worked this year. At Richmond, Dick Berggren pointed out that Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't pit when everybody else did. Fresh tires didn't make a big difference late in the race. I think that's going to be another interesting part of the equation this week. What do you do later in the race? Last week on Trackside on SPEED Channel, Rusty Wallace said the conventional wisdom continues to be four tires, but I don't think every team will agree.
Pit perspectives
You can't avoid the distractions that come with racing at home, but everyone will tell you how great it is to sleep in their own beds. The other element that gets overlooked is the 600 has been considered a crown-jewel event. You'll hear drivers and teams say, "Hey, we put the same amount of effort into every race." But the truth of the matter is this is a very important race. Not only is it a crown-jewel event, it's also 600 miles. You have the distractions of being at home, and there's a lot of attention from the corporate side. A lot of the sponsors will entertain clients. You'll have chief executives in town. There's just a lot going on. When you add all of that into the mix, it does make for a very tough and long two weeks. But, in the end, the Nextel All-Star Challenge is for the fans while the 600 is more of a racer's event so there's even more pressure. All of those elements contribute to the difficulty factor of this race.
Finish line
As I walk around the garage and observe how teams are reacting, the points race to make the Chase for the Championship is becoming more tangible. The guys who need to be inside that top 10 realize that they cannot make more mistakes. They don't have any mulligans left as Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds like to say. As a broadcast team, we are certainly paying more attention to the points than we ever have at this point in the season.
5 p.m. ET: COCA-COLA 600 on FOX
http://www.foxsports.com/content/view?contentId=2437518
