Kevin Harvick steals another win to take checkers at the Coke 600, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the win in his sights, but his fuel tank had other ideas, Jimmie Johnson’s 48 engine blew, Chad Knaus’ mouth dropped an “F” bomb, and more.
1 28 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser / Armed Forces Chevrolet
2 8 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
3 23 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
4 26 22 Kurt Busch Shell / Pennzoil Dodge
5 2 43 A J Allmendinger U.S. Air Force Ford
6 24 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
7 25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet
8 20 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
9 7 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Armed Forces Foundation Toyota
10 4 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
11 9 21 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(i) Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
12 29 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
13 15 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
14 19 17 Matt Kenseth Jeremiah Weed Ford
15 10 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
16 3 99 Carl Edwards Scotts EZ Seed Ford
17 22 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet
18 18 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
19 1 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
20 11 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger / AARP Chevrolet
21 5 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
22 17 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
23 37 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
24 27 47 Bobby Labonte Kingsford / Bush’s Best Baked Beans Toyota
25 31 38 Travis Kvapil(i) Long John Silver’s Ford
26 14 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
27 42 36 Dave Blaney Disabled American Veterans/Golden Corral Chevrolet
28 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Summer Salute Chevrolet
29 16 27 Paul Menard Moen / Menards Chevrolet
30 39 32 Mike Bliss(i) blucigs.com Ford
31 12 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Chevrolet
32 21 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
33 30 34 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
34 13 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
35 40 09 Landon Cassill(i) Security Benefit / Thank A Teacher Today Chevrolet
36 32 95 David Starr(i) Jordan Truck Sales Ford
37 35 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
38 41 7 Robby Gordon Speed Energy / Harris Teeter / Sam’s Mart Dodge
39 33 66 Michael McDowell KEYper Systems Toyota
40 38 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet
41 36 87 Joe Nemechek(i) NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
42 34 46 J J Yeley Red Line Oil Chevrolet
43 43 60 Mike Skinner(i) Big Red Toyota
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(May 29, 2011)
CONCORD, N.C—Dale Earnhardt Jr. was within a half-mile of breaking a 104-race drought.
But Kevin Harvick came up a winner when Earnhardt’s gas tank ran dry on the final lap of a green-white-checkered-flag finish in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Harvick powered past Earnhardt off Turn 4 and took the checkered flag for his Sprint Cup Series-leading third victory of the season and his first points victory at the 1.5-mile track.
David Ragan ran second followed by Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger. Earnhardt coasted across the finish line in seventh place behind Marcos Ambrose in sixth.
The Roush Fenway cars dominated the first half of the race, with Carl Edwards leading early and Matt Kenseth the second 100 laps. All told, Kenseth had led 101 laps before coming to the pits under caution on Lap 233.
Divergent pit strategies under that yellow scrambled the field and mired Kenseth and Edwards in traffic for a restart on Lap 245. Kyle Busch cleared Marcos Ambrose for the lead moments after that restart and retained it—save for a cycle of green-flag pit stops—until Landon Cassill’s wild slide through the frontstretch grass caused the 10th caution of the race on Lap 295.
Busch led the field to a restart on Lap 302, but he chose to pit under caution on Lap 307—along with Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.—after a three-car wreck in Turn 3 off the restart lap, involving Mark Martin, David Gilliland and Ryan Newman, slowed the race for the 11th time.
Restarting deep in the field on Lap 311, Busch made little progress. Ultimately, he caused the 12th and 13th cautions of the race, first sliding through the grass in the tri-oval on Lap 318, and then spinning off Turn 2 on Lap 343.
Jeff Gordon had the lead when the field came to green on Lap 349, but Greg Biffle grabbed the top spot one lap later and stayed there until caution for Jimmie Johnson’s blown engine brought out the 14th caution on Lap 396. Biffle was forced to pit for fuel under yellow on Lap 399 and handed the lead to Kasey Kahne when he came down pit road.
Kahne ran out of fuel just after the restart, opening the door for Earnhardt. But Earnhardt didn’t have enough fuel to complete the extra two laps.
Guest Column By Cathy Elliott
More of an endurance contest than a race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) serves as a showcase for some of the team and driver attributes we forget about during shorter, beating-and-banging-style events, things like patience, fortitude and strategic thinking.
These skills are also critical to success in times of war. So it seems somehow appropriate that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ most grueling contest is run on Memorial Day weekend.
Memorial Day was first officially observed in 1868, as a day to remember those who have fallen while serving our nation. NASCAR is a sport that is unflinchingly respectful of our country; CMS traditionally stages an exciting pre-race show with a patriotic theme, and in 2009, when rain forced the race to be postponed from Sunday to Monday, NASCAR actually threw the red flag during the event in order to observe the National Moment of Silence.
We have all experienced and enjoyed a lot of NASCAR noise over the years, but that moment of silence was one of the most spectacularly moving things ever heard at a racetrack.
Stock car racing simultaneously honored not only one of its own greatest heroes, but one of America’s great heroes as well, when Bud Moore was inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23. The legendary team owner, with 63 wins and two championships to his credit, stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in 1944 in service to his country, earning five Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars over the course of his military career.
As he accepted his HOF accolades early in the week leading up to Memorial Day, Moore took time to remember a campaign of a much different sort.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted here in the Hall of Fame. I’m going to say it’s one of the biggest honors I’ve ever had. As far as my racing career, I had a lot of big honors,” he said. “One big honor I had with myself was getting back from World War II. The good Lord looked after me while I was over there. That was a very, very big honor.”
There is a demographic of folks born during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, referred to as “Generation Me,” purportedly subscribing to the theory that individual needs should always take top priority. That is certainly a less than patriotic view of things, but fortunately, it isn’t all-pervasive. There are still plenty of people out there who believe that patriotism means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.
This is particularly evident in NASCAR. While most drivers have foundations that donate money to worthy endeavors all over the world, they remain aware of what’s happening right here at home and are willing to roll up their sleeves to offer help where it is needed.
Bobby Labonte, for example, will be on site at a North Carolina Food Lion grocery store on Wednesday, June 1, to help collect donations for those affected by tornadoes in the Tarheel State back in April. Joplin, Mo. native Jamie McMurray has extended his support for victims of the recent tornadoes in that part of the country and is expected to visit his hometown in the next few weeks.
A special Armed Forces Foundation paint scheme was designed for David Reutimann’s Coca-Cola 600 car, which he hopes will bring more public awareness to the organization. They do a lot of great things for the soldiers that have been wounded or served and are serving. They continue to help out with all kinds of things, whether it’s helping furnish homes or sometimes they build new homes for soldiers that have fallen on hard times. It seems like the Armed Forces Foundation is always there to lift them up,” he says.
Just as NASCAR supports America and its armed forces, our military in turn supports NASCAR. The National Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force are among past and present racing sponsors.
Ryan Newman currently drives the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet. “The Coca-Cola 600 always carries more meaning for … our race team,” he says. “Though it’s a big weekend for motorsports, we must remember that it is also Memorial Day weekend, which is a time to pause and pay tribute to all the men and women of the military, past, present and future. Their bravery and strength as fighters for freedom have allowed us to do what we love to do.”
President John F. Kennedy once said, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.” All professional sports have their selling points, but when it comes to a love of country and a willingness to actively demonstrate that commitment, no one does it better than NASCAR.
One of my favorite parts of a race occurs before the first lap is run. Prior to each event, the teams line up on pit road. Before they go flying around the track, a pre-race prayer for their safety, and for the safety of the nation, wings its way toward Heaven. A full color guard raises our nation’s banner – the American flag – to the sky.
Then, with their hands over their hearts, and their families standing at their sides, the drivers and their teams join the crowd in singing America’s national anthem.
Before a single green, white or checkered flag waves, NASCAR always takes time to honor the red, white and blue.
The opinions expressed in this articles are solely those of the author and not this website.
Racing For Recovery: McMurray To Drive Convoy of Hope Joplin Car in Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race in Charlotte
Springfield, MO—May 26, 2011—During Sunday’s race, the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet will be dedicated to bringing awareness to on-going relief efforts for the tornado-stricken families of Joplin, Missouri. The Convoy of Hope’s logo will appear on the car driven by Sprint Cup driver Jamie McMurray. McMurray, whose hometown is Joplin, will be competing for a win in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Memorial Day weekend.
Springfield, Missouri, hometown of Bass Pro Shops founder, Johnny Morris, and headquarters for Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Marine is just 70 miles from Joplin.
“We just wanted to do all we could to help,” said Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. “We have seen first-hand what a great job Convoy of Hope is doing in Joplin and we want to encourage more people to help.”
McMurray, along with The Morris Family and the Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Marine extended family, is working in conjunction with Convoy of Hope to help bring assistance to those families whose lives were deeply affected by the EF-5 tornado that tore through Joplin Sunday, May 22nd.
“My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to everyone who has been affected by this disaster in my hometown of Joplin,” said McMurray. “I am thrilled that we have been able to come together and partner with Convoy of Hope and Bass Pro Shops this weekend. Hopefully we can raise some awareness for a great organization that has been on the ground since the first minute to offer assistance in the community. I hope that all NASCAR fans that are able to offer support will consider a donation to Convoy of Hope.”
Convoy of Hope responded immediately to the crisis and is on site in Joplin offering aid and supplies to those impacted.
“Convoy of Hope is very excited about the partnership with Jamie McMurray and Bass Pro Shops. With the history of Jamie’s heritage in Joplin and Bass Pro Shops commitment to community, Convoy of Hope is able to bring together three entities, that combined, can help provide a large quantity of food and supplies to those in need,” said Jeff Nene, Senior Director of Public Relations for Convoy of Hope.
Those wishing to make a contribution to the Joplin Tornado Relief efforts can make a secure online contribution at www.convoyofhope.org or text the word CONVOY to 50555. A $10 donation will be added to your cell phone bill. (Standard text and data rates apply.)
