Remembering the wildest Coke 600 in NASCAR history

On the subject of iconic NASCAR races, the 2005 working of NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 is up there as one of many wilded and most weird. It was Might twenty ninth, 2005, just a few hours after Dan Wheldon had gained his first Indianapolis 500 earlier within the day.

43 drivers took half in NASCAR’s longest race and thru 5+ hours of chaos, it got here all the way down to an growing old champion trying to find one final second of glory and a brand new famous person on the cusp of greatness.

The race kicked off within the daylight with Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon main the sector to the inexperienced flag. Seven laps have been run earlier than the warning flew and the protection autos have been deployed in what can be a really busy evening for them. Martin Truex Jr. rubbed the wall and whereas it was nothing main, it was the start of essentially the most caution-filled race in NASCAR historical past.

The primary 100 laps have been pretty subdued and nothing peculiar occurred. However as Kyle Busch defended the lead in opposition to then-teammate Gordon, a multi-car pileup ensued on the backstretch. No huge names collected, however the free cross did go to 2000 NASCAR Cup Sequence champion Bobby Labonte, who had began again in thirty fourth. And you are going to need to keep in mind that identify for later. 

Chaos reigns

Issues started to unravel from that time onward. The race may hardly go 20 laps with out an incident. Ten cautions flew between lap 115 and 240. Maybe essentially the most notable incident occurred on the 247th lap, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and then-teammate Michael Waltrip have been battling for place. A misjudged crossover transfer by Earnhardt despatched Waltrip spinning wildly down the frontstretch, destroying each automobiles within the course of. Former Cup champions Matt Kenseth and Terry Labonte additionally obtained swept up within the mess and had their nights ended prematurely. Terry’s brother Bobby was capable of weave via the chaos and simply barely keep away from the out-of-control race automobiles. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet

Photograph by: George Tiedemann by way of Getty Pictures

When the race returned to inexperienced flag situations, the carnage started to subside (for the second) and everybody lastly obtained the possibility to take a breath after 375 miles of virtually continuous destruction. The cautions continued to trickle in, however they have been for minor issues corresponding to a chunk of particles or oil on the observe. However when Kasey Kahne blew a proper entrance tire and threw particles all around the observe, NASCAR was compelled to show the yellow as soon as extra. How was this yellow extra important than the others? Properly, it occurred in the midst of inexperienced flag pit stops and similar to that, the working order was turned the other way up.

The race-altering yellow

All 4 Hendrick automobiles have been trapped deep within the working order, as have been many different high contenders. One driver was instructed to pit by his crew chief seconds earlier than the warning was displayed, however that driver referred to as an audible and determined to attend after seeing Kahne limping round on the apron. That driver can be veteran Bobby Labonte, who now ran second to Carl Edwards. With the principles as they have been again then, automobiles that stayed out to get a lap again weren’t waved across the tempo automotive. As an alternative, they restarted simply forward of the leaders on the tail-end of the lead lap, placing Edwards and Labonte in the midst of the sector — and the attention of the storm.

On lap 364, Joe Nemehcek fought his approach via the visitors and took over the race lead. With the drivers drained and the race working extremely late, tempers started to flare. Beneath warning, Edwards and Dale Jarrett obtained right into a shoving match with their automobiles over some earlier contact.

One other huge pileup occurred with simply twenty laps remaining. Seven automobiles in complete obtained injury together with notables corresponding to Gordon, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, and Mark Martin. Jimmie Johnson was fortunate to be immediately in entrance of the accident as few behind it made it via. That wreck formally broke the outdated NASCAR document for cautions in a single Cup race, and so they weren’t even achieved tearing up gear but.

Brian Vickers, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet injury

Photograph by: Getty Pictures

As for Johnson, he had been quietly avoiding drama all through the race. He entered the occasion as the favourite, and never simply because the observe was referred to as Lowe’s Motor Speedway on the time, which was additionally his major sponsor. Johnson was the defending winner of the Coke 600 and swept each races at Charlotte the earlier yr. He was now one of many few drivers left standing within the closing laps.

And this race wasn’t achieved stunning us simply but. Because the laps ticked all the way down to below ten laps remaining, race chief Nemechek misplaced management and backed it into the wall attributable to a tire failure. His mangled No. 01 machine slid down the observe and immediately into the trail of Johnson. The No. 48 one way or the other made it via the blinding smoke, inches away from what would have been a horrible affect. 

Joe Nemechek crashes from the lead

Photograph by: Getty Pictures

The lead was put into the arms of none aside from Bobby Labonte. That weekend was bizarre for him, even earlier than the inexperienced flag flew. His vibrant inexperienced Interstate Batteries automotive was changed with FedEx colours for this race as a result of his teammate Jason Leffler, who had initially carried the scheme, didn’t qualify for the occasion. The corporate then made an uncommon cope with Gibbs to be positioned on the No. 18 automotive. Labonte was additionally dealing with a winless streak that dated again to the tip of the 2003 season and he was desperate to return to Victory Lane.

Labonte fights to the bitter finish

The race was red-flagged with 9 laps to go and the commentators determined to talk with Labonte, however as they shortly discovered, he wasn’t within the temper for chatting.

“You bought me Bobby?” … “Yeah.” … “Do you assume you may maintain him off?”… “I am gonna strive.” … “How good is your automotive? Nearly as good as it has been all evening I suppose?” … “Yeah.”

He was so centered on the mission forward of him, understanding he had the inferior automotive. However he was not about to bow down within the face of such odds. That weekend was additionally the tenth anniversary of Labonte’s first win on the Cup degree, which got here at this similar race in 1995. He knew that behind him, he had a hungry rookie in Edwards and Johnson’s Hendrick-powered No. 48. Johnson additionally had barely more energizing tires than these forward of him.

The race resumed with simply six laps left. Johnson shortly moved ahead, taking second with 4 laps and 6 miles left to run Labonte down. Properly, he was on him in a single lap. 

Labonte fought with all the things he had, however he additionally had a fame as one of many cleanest drivers within the discipline. He wasn’t about to get bodily on this tense battle for the win. Johnson despatched it to the within of Labonte in Flip 1 on the ultimate lap, however he obtained too tight and needed to elevate. It seemed as if the battle was over, however Johnson was not completed but. He despatched it deep into the ultimate set of corners on the skin, sparks flying out from below his No. 48 Chevrolet. He clawed ahead, pulling alongside Labonte out of Flip 4 because the stands erupted with digicam flashes.

On the line, simply 0.027s separated them within the closest end in your entire 65-year historical past of the Coke 600. Johnson loved the candy style of Victory Lane champagne that evening, whereas Labonte endured the bitter agony of defeat, kicking the facet of his automotive in disgust. It was not the celebration he had hoped for to commemorate his first NASCAR Cup win from ten years prior. And as destiny would have it, Labonte raced on for an additional decade, and by no means gained once more.

The forty sixth working of the Coca Cola 600 was a riveting, however weird occasion that lasted 5 hours and 13 minutes. It featured a document variety of cautions at 22, which has but to be beat. 21 of the 43 drivers that began the race led at one level and the motive force who led essentially the most laps [Vickers] by no means even made it to the end. And when the smoke cleared, solely 36 inches stood between the primary and second place automobiles. It signified the clashing of two eras with Labonte, one of many final stars of the Winston Cup period dropping to the person who would flip the newly launched NASCAR playoffs into his private playground.

And whereas there have been loads of bizarre and wild Coke 600s, nothing compares to what went on this Sunday night in 2005.

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