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Race: Sunday, May 26, 2013 in Concord, NC
Title Sponsor: Coca-Cola
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 6:16pm/et
NASCAR Pre-Race: Fox - 5:30pm/et
Television Race Coverage: FoxSports, 6:00pm/et
In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds
Pit Reporters: Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda
Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip
Virtual Garage: Jeff Hammond
SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 3:30 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace
Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Wednesday, May 29 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED
TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
ESPN Network Schedules
SPEED TV Schedule
TV Racer
Armed Forces Network - Search NASCAR
Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90
Times are local to the Track
Wednesday, May 22
12:00pm - 4:00pm NNS Practice
Thursday, May 23
2:00pm - 3:20pm NNS Practice
3:30pm - 5:00pm NSCS Practice
5:10pm - 6:30pm NNS Final Practice
7:10pm NSCS Qualifying
Friday, May 24
no action at CMS scheduled
Saturday, May 25
10:00am - 10:55am NSCS Practice
11:05am NNS Qualifying
1:00pm - 2:00pm NSCS Final Practice
2:15pm NNS Driver Introductions
2:45pm NNS HISTORY 300 Race
Sunday, May 26
12:30pm NSCS Garage opens
5:20pm NSCS Driver Introductions
6:00pm NSCS Coca-Cola 600 Race
NSCS = Sprint Cup Series
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Times are local to the Track
Practices:
Thursday, May 23, 3:30 - 5:00 pm/et, TV-SPEED
Saturday, May 25, 10:00 - 11:00 am/et, TV-SPEED
Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Saturday, May 25, 1:00 - 2:00pm/et, TV-SPEED
Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Thursday, May 23 at 7:10 pm/et, TV-SPEED, no re-air scheduled.
2013: $6,611,706
2012: $6,544,088
2011: $6,412,212
2010: $6,474,775
2009: $6,696,340
2008: $6,648,557
2007: $6,569,628
2006: $6,452,431
2005: $6,279,649
2004: $6,201,379
2003: $5,396,853
Track Specifications:
Superspeedway: 1.5-mile quad oval
Race Length: 400 laps, 600 miles
Banking: turns: 24 degrees; straights: 5 degrees
Straights: Frontstretch - 1952.8 feet; Backstretch - 1360 feet
Grandstand Seating: 146,000
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Pace Car Speed: 55mph
Opened: 1960
Carry-In Items
Coolers: Allowed (14"x14"x14" limit).
Glass containers: Not allowed.
Alcoholic beverages: Allowed.
Cameras/recording devices: Allowed
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: USAF Sgt. Aaron Causey
Command to start engines: Sgt. Aaron Causey, his wife Kat & USO's Alan Reyes
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (SC)
Honorary Race Director: Tennessee's Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey
Invocation: Duck Dynasty's Willie Robertson
National Anthem: HLN News Anchor Robin Meade
Military Flyover: vintage warbirds
Track Websites:
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Speedway Motorsports
Facebook - Charlotte Motor Speedway
Twitter - CLTMotorSpdwy
2013 Cabarrus County Destination Guide
May 2013: see my Charlotte Race Info page
October 2012: see my Charlotte Race Info page
In the Charlotte, NC for the races? some cool places to check out that Jayski has been to an enjoyed since moving to the Charlotte area in January 2004:
Memory Lane Museum on Hwy 150 W in Mooresville, NC,
North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame Lakeside Park, Mooresville
And a must is the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, checked it out in July 2010 and it is really cool
SOME EATs: Lancaster's Bar-B=Que is a large place with a lot of NASCAR stuff all over the walls, also I enjoyed: Jeffrey's. In Huntersville check out Mickey & Mooches for great steaks and the huge chocolate cake
TEAM SHOPS: and to check out some team shops, see my Team Address page, on that page there are a few links for Race Shop Tours [click here].
Or drive up I-85 and head to [Richard] Childress Vineyards.
in Concord, check out the racing stuff at Quaker Steak and Lube for some great wings and food
and check out the Sam Bass Gallery, right near Charlotte Motor Speedway.
(this is not an ad and not looking for suggestions, just some things to helps folks in town)
ALSO: see my Racing Charities page and Driver Appearances page for driver appearances and more thing going on in the area.
2012 May Race Winner: #5-Kasey Kahne, 155.687mph, started 7th
2012 October Race Winner: #15-Clint Bowyer, 154.935mph, started 4th
Track Race Record 500 miles: Jeff Gordon, Oct 1999, 160.306mph
Track Race Record 600 miles: Kasey Kahne, May 2012, 155.687mph
Slowest Race Record: Junior Johnson, 107.752mph, 1960
Worst Starting Spot to Win: Jimmie Johnson, May 2003, started 37th
Oldest Winner: Cale Yarborough, 46 years, 6 months, 9 days, 10/6/1985
Youngest Winner: Jeff Gordon, 22 years, 9 months, 25 days, 5/29/1994
2012 May Pole Sitter: #43-Aric Almirola, 192.940mph, finished 16th
2012 October Pole Sitter: #16-Greg Biffle, 193.708mph, finished 4th
Track Qualifying Record: Greg Biffle, Oct 2012, 193.708mph
Coke 600 Qualifying Record: #12-Ryan Newman, May 2005, 192.988mph
Youngest Pole Winner: Jeff Gordon, 22 years, 2 months, 6 days, 10/10/1993
Oldest Pole Winner: Bobby Allison, 49 years, 10 months, 8 days, 10/11/1987
Back to Back winners of the Coca-Cola 600:
Jimmie Johnson (3 in a row), 2003-2005
Jeff Gordon, 1997-1998
Dale Earnhardt, 1992-1993
Darrell Waltrip, 1988-1989
Neil Bonnett, 1982-1983
Darrell Waltrip, 1978-1979
Buddy Baker, 1972-1973
Winners of the Coca-Cola 600 and All-Star Race in same season:
1985-Darrell Waltrip
1991-Davey Allison
1993-Dale Earnhardt
1997-Jeff Gordon
2003-Jimmie Johnson
2008-Kasey Kahne
2010-Kurt Busch
Winners of the Coca-Cola 600, All-Star Race and Fall Race in same season:
no driver
Drivers who led at 500-mile mark, and won the Coca-Cola 600:
1996-Dale Jarrett
2004-Jimmie Johnson
2008-Kasey Kahne
2010-Kurt Busch
2012-Kasey Kahne
Most laps led in 600-mile race win at Charlotte (modern era)
" Jimmie Johnson, 2004 -- 334
" Richard Petty, 1977 -- 311
" Rusty Wallace, 1990 -- 306
" Davey Allison, 1991 -- 263
" Kurt Busch, 2010 -- 252
Top 12 Driver Rating at Charlotte:
#48-Jimmie Johnson........................ 111.7
#18-Kyle Busch............................... 107.7
#5-Kasey Kahne.............................. 98.0
#20-Matt Kenseth.............................. 94.4
#16-Greg Biffle.................................. 94.1
#11-Denny Hamlin............................. 92.1
#99-Carl Edwards.............................. 89.0
#22-Joey Logano.............................. 88.4
#55-Mark Martin................................. 88.2
#24-Jeff Gordon................................ 87.3
#43-Aric Almirola............................... 84.8
#14-Tony Stewart............................... 83.4
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (16 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Formula combining the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.(NASCAR)
Charlotte Motor Speedway Facts and Notes Friday:
· 45 different drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, led by Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and Jimmie Johnson with six wins each.
· Nine drivers have posted consecutive wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including three consecutive by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four straight by Jimmie Johnson (both in 2004 and 2005).
· A season sweep at Charlotte has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.
· Seven times from seven different drivers has the winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race gone on to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (2008) and Kurt Busch (2010).
· Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Charlotte in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 17: Jimmie Johnson (six), Jeff Gordon (five), Darrell Waltrip (two), Ken Schrader (one), Terry Labonte (one), Casey Mears (one) and Kasey Kahne (one).
· Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Charlotte; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford with 28.
· 14 of the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Charlotte Motor Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jamie McMurray won in his first appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon won in his second appearance at CMS.
· Terry Labonte competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway 36 times before winning in the fall of 1996; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners.
· Among the 16 active NSCS Charlotte winners Bobby Labonte (36), Kevin Harvick (20), Kurt Busch (19), Mark Martin (15), Clint Bowyer (13), Ken Schrader (10) and Jeff Burton (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win.
· Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte without visiting Victory Lane at 33; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 26.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte was the May 29, 2005 race won by Jimmie Johnson over Bobby Labonte with an MOV of 0.027 second.
· There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but only once for the Coca-Cola 600 (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2005 (334/336), fall of 2007 (334/337) and the 2011 Coca-Cola 600 (400/402).
· Six active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have posted their first career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (5/29/94), Bobby Labonte (5/28/95), Matt Kenseth (5/28/00), Jamie McMurray (10/13/02), Casey Mears (5/27/07) and David Reutimann (5/25/09).(NASCAR)(5-24-2013)
Charlotte Motor Speedway Facts and Notes Thursday:
· Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Charlotte in 1960 with a speed of 133.904 mph.
· 41 drivers have Coors Light poles at Charlotte, led by David Pearson with 14. Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in poles, with nine, followed by Jeff Gordon with eight.
· 12 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Charlotte. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Charlotte with 11; from the fall of 1973 through 1978.
· Jeff Gordon won five straight poles for the spring races at Charlotte between 1994 and 1998.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte twice; the fall race of 2002 and the fall race of 2008.
· 14 of the 108 (12.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from the Coors Light pole; the two most recent were Jimmie Johnson in 2004 and 2009.
· The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (17) than any other starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
· 31 of the 108 (28.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from the front row: 14 from the pole and 17 from second-place.
· 83 of the 108 (76.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Eight of the 108 (7.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte with a 6.917.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Charlotte was 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600 of 2003.
· Four active drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (10/10/93), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/28/00), Ryan Newman (5/27/01) and Aric Almirola (5/27/12). Almirola's pole last season was the first time since May 22, 1966 that the No. 43 car had won the Coors Light pole at CMS.(NASCAR)(5-23-2013)
Charlotte Motor Speedway Facts and Notes Wednesday:
· Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with nine. Bobby Labonte leads all active drivers in second-place finishes at Charlotte with six; followed by Matt Kenseth with three.
· NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for the series' most top-five finishes at Charlotte with 23. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 18, followed by Jeff Gordon with 16.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 31. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 24.
· Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 10.125.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,439 laps led in 23 starts. 826 of Johnson's 1,439 laps led at CMS were in the Coca-Cola 600; the most of any active NSCS driver.
· Five of the 108 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 won by David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing. Four of the five races shortened were the 600-mile events (1968, 1997, 2003 and 2009).
· Seven NASCAR Sprint Cup active drivers have made their first career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Michael Waltrip (5/26/85), Elliott Sadler (5/24/98), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/30/99), Jimmie Johnson (10/7/01), Brian Vickers (10/11/03), David Reutimann (10/15/05) and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5/29/11).(NASCAR)(5-22-2013)
Charlotte Motor Speedway Facts and Notes Tuesday:
· Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959.
· The track's first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960 won by Joe Lee Johnson.
· The track was repaved midseason in 1994.
· The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.
· The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.
· There have been 108 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960. In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
· 517 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 364 in more than one.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Charlotte with 64. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 57 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 56.(NASCAR)(5-21-2013)
For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Charlotte Motor Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page
Kevin Harvick wins the Coca Cola 600: #29-Kevin Harvick won the Coca Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway for his 2nd win of 2013, 2nd Coca Cola 600 and 21st career win.
#5-Kahne finished 2nd followed by #78-Busch, #11-Hamlin, #22-Logano, #39-Newman, #14-Stewart, #15-Bowyer, #56-Truex Jr. and #9-Ambrose.
Points leader #48-Johnson wrecked late in the race and finished 22nd, down 5 laps.
On lap 126, a cable for Fox's overhead camera broke and fell on to the track, #18-Busch, who was 3rd at the time, caught the cable and it tore up the right front fender. The red flag was issued and cars were parked on pit road while crews cleaning up the cable. #9-Ambrose also had brake line tore off from the rope/cable and stuck in the grill and some damage to the roof. Busch got a phone/camera and took pictures of the damage as the crew was not allowed on pit road to look at the car. Once the cable/rope was removed, the cars took a lap and were brought to pit road for 15 minutes. Each team was allowed to check their cars for any damage the cable/rope may have caused. The team for #18-Busch, replaced a lot of the right fender. #55-Martin ran over the cable/rope and had some front splitter damage, then the rope went over the #9 Ford and wrapped aropund the left rear wheel area and broke a brake line. #42-Montoya had some slight damage and the team made repairs. #11-Hamlin had some damage to a roof flap. The red flag lasted 26 minutes.
FOX later reported that CMS announced that ten fans in the stands were injured by the cable and seven were treated and released, three were taken to the local hospital for observation.
#18-Busch led 65 laps and was a strong contender until he lost an engine on lap 257 and finished 38th.
On lap 326 #43-Almirola and #55-Martin made contact, sending the #55 and #43 into the frontstretch wall, collecting #24-Gordon, #47-Labonte, #13-Mears & #17-Stenhouse Jr., the red flag came out to clean up the track.
There were 24 lead changes among 12 drivers and 11 cautions for 61 yellow flag laps and three red flags (camera cable & a big wreck).
The average speed was 130.521mph. NASCAR no longer announces the track attendance.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Charlotte Race Results page (pdf) and check out the Charlotte Penalty Report (pdf).(5-26-2013)
Race Fast Facts - Charlotte:
#29-Kevin Harvick won the 54th Annual COCA-COLA 600, his 21st victory in 442 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2013.
This is his second victory and eighth top-10 finish in 25 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#5-Kasey Kahne (second) posted his 11th top-10 finish in 19 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his sixth top-10 finish in 2013.
#78-Kurt Busch (third) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 26 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (14th) was the highest finishing rookie.
#48-Jimmie Johnson leads the point standings by 32 points over #99-Carl Edwards.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(5-26-2013)
2013 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Charlotte, race 12 of 36]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 445
2) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 413, -32
3) #20-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 394, -51
4) #15-Clint Bowyer, 385, -60
5) #5-Kasey Kahne [1 win], 370, -83
6) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 364, -81
7) #29-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 362, -83
8) #27-Paul Menard, 347, -98
9) #56-Martin Truex Jr., 336, -109
10) #2-Brad Keselowski, 335, -110
Wild Cards [11 & 12]
11) #18-Kyle Busch [2 wins], 332, -113
12) #43-Aric Almirola, 328, -117
2012 Chase drivers out of top 12
#16-Greg Biffle, 13th
#24-Jeff Gordon, 15th
#14-Tony Stewart, 20th
#11-Denny Hamlin, 24th [missed 4 races with injury]
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf) and
the owner points standings on the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).
Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Charlotte: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #43-Almirola, 33rd
Caution 2: #39-Newman, 6th
Caution 3: #10-Patrick, 29th
Caution 4: #42-Montoya, 18th
Caution 5: #42-Montoya(2), 18th
Caution 6: #48-Johnson, 22nd
Caution 7: #9-Ambrose, 10th
Caution 8: #14-Stewart, 7th
Caution 9: #31-Burton, 12th
Caution 10: #17-Stenhouse Jr., 14th
Caution 11: #27-Menard, 13th
(5-26-2013)
Race Coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, 2013.
Television (TV): FOX at 6:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 5:30 pm/et; green flag approx 6:16pm/et
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
SPEED, Wednesday, May 29 at 12:00pm/et
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #11-Hamlin chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #78-Busch took pit stall 15, the next pitstall with an opening in front of it.
#20-Kenseth, who starts 3rd took the 22nd pit stall, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #18-Busch, who starts 8th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-25-2013)
Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's: (wiil be added as available)
Official Race Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Penalty Resport
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 2 Speeds
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Practice 1 Speeds
Qualifying Order
Entry List
NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.
Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.
See Jayski's - 2013 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup and practice speeds as well as link to race track and race information page for each race
Happy Hour practice for the Coca Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 60 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#5-Kahne 188.594
#78-Busch 188.219
#11-Hamlin 188.055
#20-Kenseth 188.003
#16-Biffle 187.891
slowest: #32-Hill 180.874 & #35-Wise 182.611
no speed listed: #36-Yeley, #87-Nemechek, #98-McDowell.
#21-Bayne lost an engine, the team will put in a new one. #31-Burton had a leaking oil cooler, but didn't have to change the engine.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10-lap averages on the Charlotte Happy Hour Speeds page (pdf).(5-25-2013)
Saturday 1st practice for the Coca Cola 600 Sprint CUp Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 55 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#5-Kahne 191.591
#78-Busch 191.435
#18-Busch 190.981
#88-Earnhardt Jr. 190.954
#48-Johnson 190.355
slowest: #35-Wise 182.846 & #87-Nemechek 183.755
notes: #10-Patrick's engine was leaking oil, the team decided to change the motor.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10-lap averages on the Charlotte Practice 2 Speeds page (pdf).(5-25-2013)
Hamlin wins Charlotte pole: #11-Denny Hamlin won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway with new track record speed of 195.624mph for his 2nd pole of 2013 and 14th of his career. #78-Busch is on the outside pole, followed by #20-Kenseth, #55-Martin, #15-Bowyer, #5-Kahne, #16-Biffle, #18-Busch, #1-McMurray and #39-Newman. The first nine drivers all were faster then the old track record, set in Oct 2012 by Greg Biffle (193.709). Missing the race was: #19-Bliss [was 40th fastest and 44th in owners points].
See the starting lineup, qualifying results, pole progression, qualifying order on the Charlotte Lineup / Qualifying Page.(5-23-2013)
Qualifying Fast Facts - Charlotte:
#11-Denny Hamlin won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 54th Annual COCA-COLA 600 with a lap of 27.604 seconds, 195.624 mph.
This is his 14th pole in 267 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and seventh top-10 start in 2013.
This is his first pole in 16 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#78-Kurt Busch (second) posted his fourth top-10 start of 2013 and his sixth in 26 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#20-Matt Kenseth (third) posted his 10th top-10 start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his eighth in 12 races this season.
#10-Danica Patrick (24th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-23-2013)
Coverage of Qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 7:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 7:00pm/et
Radio: PRN, 7:00pm/et
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: none
Qualifying Order for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is posted. 44 cars/drivers are listed.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #2-Keselowski.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #15-Bowyer.
Fastest in Thursday practice, #78-Busch, is scheduled to qualify 33rd.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice.
See the full qualifying order on the Charlotte Qualifying Page.(5-23-2013)
Thursday practice for the Coca Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and any notes:
#78-Busch 190.846
#18-Busch 190.469
#48-Johnson 189.660
#5-Kahne 189.660
#43-Almirola 189.454
slowest: #35-Wise 181.232 & #83-Reutimann 182.766
See fastest speeds, laps run on the Charlotte Practice 1 Speeds page (pdf).(5-23-2013)
Entry List for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is posted, 44 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including: #19-Bliss, #21-Bayne, #95-Speed & #51-Smith. #19-Bliss would had to get in by speed and be in the top 36 in speed as the team is too far down the owners points list to use a provisional.
If qualifying would be canceled, #21-Bayne would miss the race.
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Charlotte Entry List
For the 2013 qualifying rules and format, see my Qualifying Rules page
How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
2013 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Darlington, race 11 of 36]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 423
2) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 379, -43
3) #20-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 364, -59
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 359, -64
5) #15-Clint Bowyer, 349, -74
6) #5-Kasey Kahne [1 win], 326, -97
7) #2-Brad Keselowski, 326, -97
8) #18-Kyle Busch [2 wins], 325, -98
9) #43-Aric Almirola, 317, -106
10) #29-Kevin Harvick [1 win], 315, -108
11) #27-Paul Menard, 315, -108
12) #24-Jeff Gordon, 311, -112
2012 Chase drivers out of top 12
#16-Greg Biffle, 13th
#56-Martin Truex Jr., 14th
#14-Tony Stewart, 21st
#11-Denny Hamlin, 27th [missed 4 races with injury]
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf) and the owner points standings on the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).
Charlotte Observer
Kannapolis Independent Tribune
Mooresville Tribune
Race City USA [Mooresville]
Asheville Citizen-Times
Blue Ridge Now - Times News
Fayetteville Observer
Go Lake Norman
Greensville Daily Reflector
Greensboro News and Record
High Point Enterprise
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Chassis selections for this weeks race: see the list of many teams [that report or post them] and what chassis were selected by the team to run in the Coca Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the Charlotte Race Info page - Chassis selection area.
#1-Jamie McMurray: chassis not reported on race preview.Tire: Goodyear "Support Our Troops" Speedway Radials:
Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,325, Right-side -- 1,425;
Nationwide: Left-side -- 675, Right-side -- 675
Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 13 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 3 sets for Wednesday test day and 6 sets for Thursday practice/qualifying/race
Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.5 in. (2,223 mm); Right-side -- 88.4 in. (2,246 mm)
Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 55 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 54 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi
Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same Goodyear tire codes at Charlotte this week . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that teams in both of these series ran at Charlotte last season, and that Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck teams ran last week . . . this left-side tire code (D-4428) was run by these teams at Charlotte beginning in 2011 . . . this right-side tire code (D-4552) was also run by Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams at Darlington earlier this month . . . normally, Goodyear's tires for Cup and Nationwide teams are branded "Goodyear Eagle," though throughout both of Charlotte's race weeks, all tires will be decaled with "Support Our Troops" as part of the Goodyear Gives Back program . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Charlotte . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
Vegas Insider
Race and Champisonship odds
Charlotte Preview by Micah Roberts
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
Bovada Sportsbook:
Odds to win the 2013 Sprint Cup Championship
Race Odds
(this is not to promote gambling but to offer readers odds and ideas on what the 'experts' think about the upcoming race and the Sprint Cup series season)