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Coca-Cola 600 Preview
Posted: Tuesday May 25, 1999 07:18 PM
Date: May 30, 1999 Site: Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina Race: No. 13 of 34 on Winston Cup circuit TV: TBS, 6:05 p.m. EDT Laps: 400 laps Track length: 1.5 miles Race length: 600 miles Banking: 24 degrees Qualifying record: Ward Burton, 185.759 mph, 1994 Race record: Bobby Labonte, 151.952 mph, 1995
DRIVERS TO WATCHJeff Burton -- Was first in the Winston Cup standings for six races, but slipped to second place 63 points behind Dale Jarrett. Is one of five drivers eligible for the Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus if he wins the race. Brother Ward, Jeff Gordon, Mike Skinner and Bobby Labonte are the Others. Has seven top fives including a victory and two runners-up. Ward Burton -- Eligible for the Winston No Bull 5 million bonus. Has six top 10s including a runner-up finish to brother Jeff in the Las Vegas 400. Has 1,339 points, good for eighth place in the standings. Dale Earnhardt -- Made his Winston Cup debut in this race on May 25, 1975. Has won this race three times since, taking back-to-back wins in 1992 and 1993. Is second only to Darrell Waltrip with five overall victories in Charlotte. One of three drivers to win The Winston -- NASCAR's all-star race -- and the Coca-Cola 600 on successive weekends (1993). Has one win this year and is currently ninth in the standings. Has 72 career victories. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Just like his legendary dad, will attempt to make his Winston Cup debut at this track provided he makes the 43-car field. Was the 1998 Busch Grand National champion and will run in five Winston Cup races this year before joining the circuit full time in the year 2000. Is winless on the BGN circuit after 13 races, but sits second in the standings. Jeff Gordon -- Two-time defending champion of the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race in NASCAR. Won both times from the pole, and captured his first career victory in the 1994 race here. Gordon, Earnhardt and Bobby Allison are the only drivers to win this race after also winning The Winston in the previous week. Leads the series with three wins and three poles, but has also posted four results of 30th or worse. Is fifth in the points leaders; has 45 wins in 200 career starts. Dale Jarrett -- Captured the Pontiac 400 at Richmond for his 19th career victory after 366 starts. Moved into first place in the standings with 1,669 points, 63 more than Jeff Burton. Won this race in 1966 and placed fifth last season. Has two other wins at Charlotte, now Lowe's Motor Speedway. Very consistent with top-10 finishes in 10 of the 11 official races this year. Bobby Labonte -- Has posted 10 top-10 qualifying efforts including the pole at The Winston last week and has finished in the top five in seven races. Winless after 12 races but has led at least one lap in 10 races. Third in the standings with 1,560 points; was third in the Coca-Cola 600 last season and sixth the year before. Owns a victory in the Coca-Cola 600 in 1995. Terry Labonte -- Winner of The Winston last weekend, 11 years after his first all-star event success. Earned $207,500. One points victory this year was at the PrimeStar 500 at home track in Texas, his only top-five finish of the year. Dipped to 10th in the standings. Has one victory at Charlotte in the fall of 1996. His second-place finish to brother Bobby in 1995 was the first one-two brother finish in the Winston Cup series since Bobby and Donnie Allison in the 1970s. Mark Martin -- Lone victory this year came at the Dura Lube 400 in North Carolina which was the 30th of his career. Has seven top fives, but has been fluctuating between 3rd and 5th in the standings. Is currently fourth with 1,514 points. Was fourth in this race last spring and won the UAW-GM Quality 500 last October. Tony Stewart -- After running from the 24th spot in the IRL Indianapolis 500 early Sunday, will fly here to attempt and compete in both races. Finished second in The Winston after starting last following qualification in The Winston Open 50-lap shootout. Was the highest finishing rookie for the 10th time in 11 races. Leads Elliott Sadler 151-117 in Rookie of the Year standings. Has three top fives. Rusty Wallace -- A two-time winner in Charlotte, including this race in 1990. Was the last Pontiac driver to win at the track. Somewhat inconsistent after 12 races, with three top fives including one win. Was second to Jeff Gordon in 1998. Stands sixth in the points leaders. Darrell Waltrip -- Has the most career victories in Charlotte with six, the last coming when he won his second consecutive Coca-Cola 600 in 1989. Has 29 top-10 and 19 top-five finishes here and is one of only three drivers to earn over $1 million here (Earnhardt and Elliott). 1998 Top-10 Finishers
1. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet Past Champions
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 136.42 mph ** Race changed from 400 miles to 600 miles
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