In The Know – Charlotte
This Memorial Day Weekend, we race for something more. As part of #NASCARSalutes and the 600 Miles of Remembrance initiative during the Coca-Cola 600, each of our teams will honor a fallen soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Below you’ll find everything you need to know about one of the most grueling races on the NASCAR circuit.
The Details
NASCAR Cup Series Overview
● Event: Coca-Cola 600 (Round 14 of 36)
● Time/Date: 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 29
● Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/600 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 100 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Stage 3: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
The BROADCAST
SHR FAST FACTS
Kevin Harvick:
As part of #NASCARSalutes and the 600 Miles of Remembrance initiative during the Coca-Cola 600, the No. 4 Mobil 1 team is honoring Lance Corporal Phillip G. West of the United States Marines Corps. West was based out of Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California, where he served in the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. The American Canyon, California-native served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he was the first Napa County resident to die in the Iraq War, succumbing to injuries on Nov. 19, 2004 in Fallouja. West was deeply committed to his military service, often telling family and friends, “If we don’t do it, who’s going to do it?” West joined the Marine Corps delayed-entry program in August 2002 and after graduating from high school, he shipped off to boot camp in San Diego. He graduated from boot camp, then infantry school, and deployed to Iraq in June 2004. Once in Iraq, West achieved the rank of Lance Corporal.
Kevin Harvick is a two-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600. He took the trophy in 2011 and 2013. Harvick beat David Ragan by .703 of a second in 2011 and he beat Kasey Kahne by 1.490 seconds in 2013. Harvick led only two laps in 2011 and just 28 laps in 2013, but each of those tallies contained the only lap that mattered most – the last one.
Harvick has earned two poles at Charlotte. The first came in the 2016 Bank of America 500 (27.547 seconds at 196.029 mph) and the second came in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 (27.918 seconds at 193.424 mph).
This year’s Coca-Cola 600 will mark Harvick’s 40th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Charlotte. The Bakersfield, California-native has nine top-fives and 20 top-10s in a career dating back to the 2001 Coca-Cola 600, which was Harvick’s first points-paying race at Charlotte. In that 4-hour and 20-minute affair, Harvick finished second to Jeff Burton and ahead of third-place Tony Stewart, the car owner of the No. 4 Mobil 1 team at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Aric Almirola:
The Memorial Day weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.)Motor Speedway is one of the most patriotic events in sports, honoring fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. This weekend, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Smithfield Foods, and Aric Almirola will honor Pfc. Adam Lee Marion of the North Carolina Army National Guard, who was killed during an attack on his forward operating base in Baghdad, Iraq,in 2008, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The connection comes from spotter Joel Edmonds, who knew Marion at a young age and is a friend of Marion’s father.
Almirola and the Smithfield Ford team showed speed at 1.5-mile venues earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he crossed the finish line sixth, two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway, where he qualified seventh and ran inside the top-10 until a mechanical issue put him two laps down, ultimately finishing 26th, and last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth where he qualified eighth for the NASCAR All-Star race and finished 12th.
Chase Briscoe:
The No. 14 team will honor the memory of U.S. Army Sgt. Larry Robert (Bobby) Bowman, a North Carolina native, as part of NASCAR’s annual “600 Miles of Remembrance.” Sgt. Bowman, of Granite Falls, died April 13, 2007, when his vehicle struck a roadside improvised explosive device during a mission in Baghdad. He was serving his second tour in Iraq with the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group as a heavy vehicle driver delivering food, water, fuel and other mission critical supplies. He was scheduled to return home just three months later.
In four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts on the Charlotte oval, Briscoe has a best finish of sixth last May after starting second. While he’s still looking for his first win on the oval layout, he has visited Charlotte’s victory lane after scoring his first career Xfinity Series victory on the Roval in October 2018.
Cole Custer:
As part of NASCAR’s annual “600 Miles of Remembrance” during the traditional Memorial Day weekend event, the name of U.S. Army Cpl. Joshua McKay Moore will be displayed on the windshield of Custer’s No. 41 Ford Mustang. Moore was born on Nov. 30, 1986, and passed on May 30, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq. He was part of the Army’s, C Company, 1-18 infantry, 1st platoon, 2nd battalion, 1st ID, FOB Falcon. Moore was posthumously named a corporal for his efforts in the war. He and three others were killed when the Hummer they were in ran over an improvised explosive device during his second deployment to the region. He was 20 years of age. Friends, family and relatives say Moore was someone who “everyone liked and, if you were around Josh and did not know him, it wouldn’t take long for you to get to know him. He was the life of the party and someone who made everyone around him better and happier.”
In his five career NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances on the Charlotte oval, Custer has four top-10 finishes with a best of second in the May 2018 race, when he was runner-up to winner Brad Keselowski in a race that ended under caution.
OUR WEEKLY WRAPS
Check out the paint schemes we’ll be racing in as we tackle 6oo miles this weekend.
What Our Drivers are Saying:
Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What does it mean to honor and remember a military member on your No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford this Memorial Day weekend?
“There isn’t any sport that honors the military any better than NASCAR. I know a lot of sports do a lot of things for our military, but when you roll into this particular weekend with the Coke 600 and you’re a part of the celebration and remembrance for all the things that have happened with our military, to see the support that NASCAR and everybody in our garage gives the military, especially on this particular weekend, is something that gives you goosebumps.”
Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What do you think about your paint scheme for this weekend?
“Man this has to be my favorite one as far as looks go. That red, white and blue striping is just beautiful. We have run this similar scheme before, but it looks even better with the number placement. I’m glad Smithfield kept this one going for us and the fans.”
Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Teams tested the NextGen car at Charlotte during the offseason. Does it help to already have laps on the track?
“It’s definitely the one track I feel like the most people have the most laps at as far as with this car. But, every time we were testing at Charlotte, we were running different packages. I’ve never run the current package at Charlotte. This track is unique and sensitive. It does have some tire falloff. It’s really heat-sensitive, and one of the rougher racetracks we go to. But yeah, I don’t know, I don’t know what to expect for the 600.”
Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Chicken Cock Whiskey Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Do you do anything different to prepare for a race as long as the Coca-Cola 600?
“The 600 is definitely the longest race I’ve ever run. I think the biggest thing is staying hydrated and making sure you’re loose before the race and not sore. Just try and relax, especially in the first part of the race. At halfway, you just need to try and settle in and get some laps done. The thing about it is you can’t really relax too much because you have to fight for the stage points, and fight for track position as much as you can. You have to stay hydrated. I guess there’s the need for a snack in there somewhere, too, but it’s definitely the longest, most grueling race that I’ve run.”
TONY’S DOUBLE DUTY
With the Indy 500 and Coca Cola 600 this weekend, take a look back at Tony Stewart’s 2001 Double Duty performance. The boss is the only driver to complete both races on the same day.
