World 600

Lore & Background

The event began as an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend event to compete with the open-wheel Indianapolis 500. It was not until 1974, however, that both races competed head-to-head on the same day, due to Indianapolis' policy of not racing on Sundays prior to that. The first World 600 was held on June 16, 1960, due to construction delays of the completion of Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2009 race, postponed by rain from its original May 24 date, was the first race to occur on Memorial Day itself.

After the installation of lights in 1992, the start time was moved back several times throughout the 1990s and finally settled at 5:30 pm in 2001. Since 2011, the race has started at 6 pm. The race is unique for having track conditions that change throughout the race due to the day-to-night transition. The nighttime portion is lit with a system using parabolic reflectors to minimize glare.

The race is divided into four uniform stages of 100 laps each, making it the only race on the schedule with four stages. As part of the race's annual tribute to the United States military, 'Amazing Grace' and 'Taps' are played prior to the National Anthem, and after the second stage, all drivers shut off their engines for a moment of silence.

Reader's Guide

The race is run later on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 of the IndyCar Series, with multiple drivers having performed or attempted Double Duty, competing in both races. No driver has ever won both races, either on the same day or across their career. The NASCAR event is held on the last weekend of May. The race occurs last on the same Sunday after Formula One's Canadian Grand Prix (formerly the Monaco Grand Prix) and the IndyCar Series' Indianapolis 500. Daniel Suárez is the defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600.

Did You Know?

• The race was originally named the World 600 from 1960 to 1984.
• In 1961, David Pearson won his first Grand National race after losing almost all of a multi-lap lead when a tire popped coming to the white flag.
• Fireball Roberts suffered a hard crash in the 1964 race, resulting in an inferno; he died of complications on July 2 of that year.
• The 1974 race was shortened to 540 miles due to the fuel crisis and had 37 lead changes, the most in the event's history to that point.
• Richard Petty collected his first victory at the World 600 in 1975, lapping the field; Dale Earnhardt made his Cup Series debut in that race.