Coca-Cola 600
Who Will Win?
Burton
Jeff Burton: I'm tired of picking the same guys every week. I think Jimmie Johnson is going to be awfully tough at Charlotte. Why wouldn't he be? He wins there all the time. But considering this is a 600-miler, I feel if anyone can pull into victory lane that is not a Hendrick or Gibbs car, it's going to be a Richard Childress car. And I think Jeff Burton has been running well enough this year that he's banging on the door, and maybe this is the one. – Wally Dallenbach
Kyle Busch A marathon, 600-mile race doesn't necessarily set up well for a driver known for lacking patience, but Kyle Busch is a different driver this season. Not only has he shown more patience, on the track anyway, but he was the only real threat to Jimmie Johnson before Johnson got caught speeding in the All-Star race. – Jay Hart
Jimmie Johnson Of course. The track formerly known as Lowe's is one of Johnson's playgrounds, and he's absolutely dominant here. Picking Johnson is like picking for the sky to be blue, but sometimes, you go with the road most traveled. – Jay Busbee
Three things to watch for, by Wally Dallenbach
Dallenbach
1. Who will stay ahead of the track? One thing about this race, the track will change. The thing you have to watch for is how good the teams are adjusting and which ones are staying ahead of how the track changes. You'll always see a driver who has a good car that all of the sudden he completely loses the handle. That has to do with the crew chief not being able to stay on top of or ahead of the changes on the track. So keeping up with the changes is very important in this race.
2: How will Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch race each other? They've had their issues, and certainly I don't think the hatchet is buried. I just feel the way Kyle is if Denny gives him any excuse to run into each other, you'll see it. Because it's such a long race, they'll give each other room early, but you may see them get aggressive at the end.
3: What will Kurt Busch do? That team was completely out to lunch early in the race, but they adjusted their way into victory lane. That's what you're going to have to do to win this race. I'll be watching Kurt Busch to see if they can do it again.
Top storyline
Harvick
• How long before we get bored? Normally I'd focus on the action on the track, but if the All-Star race is any indication, the Coca-Cola 600 is going to be like watching a really, really, really, really long fuse burn. That part will be boring, but when it finally gets to the end – BOOM! But will the payoff be worth the wait? – Jay Hart
• How will Kevin Harvick run? It's not so much a raceday story, but this team has been up and down as far as getting contracts done, not getting contracts done, not knowing what's going on. If that team is going to rise to the top, it needs to do it now. I know they're leading the points, but they need to start winning some races and really start showing they're a contender because I know they have a couple of really big sponsors watching them. Harvick has re-signed his contract; now he needs to show potential sponsors that he's a legit contender. – Wally Dallenbach
• To be the man, you gotta beat the man. Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are racing as well as they ever have in their careers. If there's a time to beat Johnson straight-up, with everyone at full strength, now's that time. If either the 18 or the 11 can go toe-to-toe (or tire-to-tire) with Johnson on one of his best tracks and win, that suddenly makes the rest of the season that much more interesting. – Jay Busbee
From The Source
Tony Stewart on racing both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600: "There are so many things that have changed since I ran Indy cars so many years ago, I'm not sure I would be up to speed and be able to get competitive enough, quickly enough. I have all the confidence in the world the cars I would drive would be competitive. But to really do it and do it right, and to feel like you have a legitimate shot to win the Indy 500, you would have to start at the beginning of the year with the team you're going to race with during the month of May. I don’t know that it would happen, for me."
