Race Report - Coca-Cola 600
#49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge
Coca-Cola 600, May 29, 2005
1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
RESULTS:
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet
3. Carl Edwards, Ford
4. Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge
5. Ryan Newman, Dodge
9. Ken Schrader, Dodge
FULL RUNDOWN: http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/12/data/results_unofficial.html
NASCAR’s longest event turned into a night to remember at Charlotte, as the Coca-Cola 600 had a little bit of every thing. On a picture perfect North Carolina day, the field of 43 took the green flag just after 5:20 PM Eastern, but didn’t reach the checkers until after 10:30 PM.
A Nextel Cup Series record 22 cautions slowed the 400 lap event, and the cautions ranged from solo spins and multi-car pileups, to teammates wrecking one another, to the actual track coming apart and being the cause of several cautions. The track sealer, which is used to fill in cracks in the pavement around the speedway, started coming up in chunks, one which came up and went through the front left fender of Jeff Gordon’s machine. Many drivers pointed fingers at the track’s newly grinded, or as they dub “levigated,” surface as the cause for much of the wrecks.
Cautions weren’t the only story, as the race had 37 lead changes among 21 drivers, however, none more exciting than the final change. The Coca-Cola 600 historically sees one or two drivers dominate and leading over half the event, such as the case last season when Jimmie Johnson led 500 of the 600 miles. Not the case this season. The 22nd and final caution of the evening was brought out when the leader, Joe Nemechek spun by himself going through turn three with only nine laps remaining.
This set up a five-lap shootout to the finish. Bobby Labonte took the green flag on the restart but three laps later as the white flag flew, Johnson had closed to his rear bumper. Johnson went high through the final turn and he and Labonte returned to the stripe door-to-door, with Johnson having executed the pass to take the checkered flag by .027 seconds. The victory marked the third straight year that Johnson has won the Coca-Cola 600. Labonte finished a disappointed second place followed by Carl Edwards, Jeremy Mayfield, and pole-sitter Ryan Newman.
What better way to celebrate your 50th birthday than scoring a top-10 finish in the Coca-Cola 600? None; according to Ken Schrader, who did just that Sunday night. The pilot of the #49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge started 21st on Sunday evening, and never looked back. The one and only long green flag run, where the field cycled through green flag pit stops, Schrader was one of the fastest cars on the track. Therefore avoiding getting lapped by leader Brian Vickers and actually making up ground in the process. After that, it was all about avoiding the wrecks.
Schrader ran in the top 20 all evening and the David Hyder-led Schwan’s crew tweaked the car all night. With all of the cautions and subsequent restarts, the usual priority of having a car that is good on long runs became unimportant, and setting it up for short runs was a must. Hyder did just that, and by the end of the evening Schrader was running his best lap times of the race. Schrader barely missed two large multi-car wrecks late in the race to set up one final run towards the front. With 34 laps remaining Schrader restarted 24th after an extended pit stop to repair some minor cosmetic damage. Schrader charged to the front and into the top-10 where he finished ninth; the team’s second top ten in the past four races.
“I'd say finishing ninth at Charlotte is a pretty good way to spend your 50th birthday,” Schrader smiled. “After the first yellow we were 22nd on the lead lap and there were only 24 cars on the lead lap. So, I was definitely not liking that free pass thing tonight. It was killing us. It seemed like a long race tonight, but then you get halfway and say you've only got a Busch race left (300 miles), so it wasn't so bad. Hats off to this team, Hyder and the guys did a great job on this car. We can wait to get to Dover and do it again.”
The Coca-Cola 600 aired live on FOX and was broadcast live on PRN Radio.
The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series will next head to the one-mile Dover International Raceway for Sunday’s MBNA America 400.
www.schwansracing.com www.bam49racing.com www.schraderracing.com
