What does it take to win NASCAR’s longest race? Drivers share their Coca-Cola 600 advice

Jamie Little has been covering NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 race for FOX Sports since 2015, but this is the first year the pit reporter will wear a face mask with an American flag printed on it while on-air.

“I actually went to an alterations lady and asked her to make (the mask) for me,” Little said. “Obviously I have a lot of pride and it’s an important, special weekend, and I think there’s nothing better than stars and stripes.”

Like Little, 40 drivers will place their hands over their hearts and masks over their faces before hitting the track for their seventh official race of the Cup Series season on Memorial Day weekend. Despite uncertainty last month over whether the race would run in its traditional slot due to the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR is primed to put on the annual race honoring military members and their families as scheduled at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Sunday at 6 p.m. The race will run without fans in attendance.

“We are the home of NASCAR,” North Carolina governor Roy Cooper said in April. “And I’m so grateful for this amazing sport that is in our state, that not only provides people with entertainment, but also is an amazing economic engine for our state.”

While the new COVID-19 protocols have altered event access for fans, the 600-mile race will also be a change for drivers since most are coming off just two official races last week at Darlington Raceway following the sport’s two-month postponement due to the pandemic (some Cup drivers were also entered in an Xfinity race last week). As the longest race of the season, it’ll be a test of endurance, but it’s one drivers said they are excited for now more than ever.

“I know for us in the sport and drivers especially, it’s a big one,” said No. 19 driver Martin Truex Jr., who won last year’s Coke 600. “And it’s one we all want to win and just feel like it means a lot to all of us.”

“The schedule that we’ve been on so far, having two months off and getting back into racing is something that’s been different from what we’ve really ever had before.” Truex Jr. continued. “I don’t know if 600 miles is going to feel the same as it normally does because of that.”

Drivers have said that physical fitness and hydration is key to their preparation plans. On Saturday, there was a 50 percent chance of rain and a projected high of 86 degrees near the Concord-based track, according to the National Weather Service. That high heat and humidity has typically been a factor on the 1.5-mile asphalt track.

“Usually when that heat comes out, you can really find guys that probably aren’t in the best of shape struggling at the end of the race and you can gain a couple more positions because of that,” No. 3 driver Austin Dillon said. “So trying to take advantage of everything you can out on the track.”

Dillon said he won the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 off a fuel mile play that his team implemented at the start of the race and was able to ride through to Victory Lane.

“There’s different strategies you can pull,” Dillon said. “You can take two tires. You can run long on fuel. Many different opportunities in this race.”

“I think that’s why you see some first time winners happen from this race,” Dillon continued. “I’d love to go do it again and give ourselves that chance to go back into the playoffs.”

While Dillon and Truex Jr. will be seeking a repeat on Sunday, two-time 2020 race winners Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano are looking for a first-time win in the crown jewel event.

“It’s the highest priority race for me to win for my personal accomplishments,” Hamlin said. “It’s the next biggest race to the Daytona 500, in my opinion, so it’s one that we’ve geared up for, prepared for, and we don’t know what’s going to happen without practice.”

Hamlin said the race will be one of how well teams can prepare from the get-go and that he liked his Toyota’s chances.

No. 24 driver and Charlotte native William Byron also provided insight into how the track runs. He said that as the race progresses, the asphalt can get slick with rubber sticking to it, making it more difficult to pass. That’s why cars typically run three and four wide.

“It’s a constant battle with that stuff on the racetrack of trying to figure out what your car needs to do and how to set up passes because a lot of guys can maintain lap time up there,” Byron said. “So it makes it twice as hard to complete the pass. You can run side-by-side pretty easily.”

Byron described the race as a “constant evolution throughout 600 miles.”

Regardless of whether new fans tune in to all 600 of those miles, Little said it’s still a race worth watching.

“It is the Coke 600,” Little said. “It is at home. There’s a lot on the line these guys want to win that race to show their stamina, the stamina of the car and that everything can hold up.”

“It’s a really big deal for the manufacturers, for drivers, for teams, for everyone,” Little continued.

Even for those unfamiliar with NASCAR, there is another reason to tune into racing while the world is lacking most of its live sports. During commercial breaks, fans are guaranteed to be reminded of ‘uncertain times,’ but when racing returns to the screen, so will some consistency.

“I just feel proud of the company I work for,” Little said of her FOX Sports broadcast crew. “That they were able to put something on the air like they have, and do it with such ease, and (proud of) NASCAR for being the first to be bold and go for it and do it the right way to show that we can do this.”

“I think it brings hope to people watching that we will get back to normalcy.”

Coca-Cola 600

Coca-Cola 600 entry list

The starting order will be set after qualifying at 2 p.m.

This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "What does it take to win NASCAR’s longest race? Drivers share their Coca-Cola 600 advice."

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription