It’s kind of unusual to suppose that inexperienced drivers appear to shine on this grueling five-hour marathon, nevertheless it’s occurred sufficient for it to turn into notable. At 600 miles, no different NASCAR race will get near the size of the Coca Cola 600.
Born from the minds of Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner, the 1.5-mile asphalt oval generally known as Charlotte Motor Speedway is now the heartbeat of the NASCAR group with a majority of groups and drivers dwelling inside a brief drive of the observe.
The race was initially referred to as the World 600 and ran its inaugural occasion in 1960. Its first victor was Joe Lee Johnson within the No. 89 machine. It wasn’t his first win, nevertheless it was his final, successful the race by a margin of 4 laps. However as for the occasion’s first-time winners, some turned legends whereas others have been not more than one-hit-wonders. However practically all of them needed to beat established titans of the game to get the job performed. Let’s check out the entire checklist of first-time winners and the way all of them managed to overcome NASCAR’s longest race.
1961 – David Pearson
David Pearson 1979 NASCAR
Picture by: NASCAR Media
This NASCAR Corridor of Famer would go on to win three championships and 105 races in a profession that spanned practically 30 years, however his first win got here proper at Charlotte in 1961. After beginning third, he led over half the race in a dominant exhibiting, beating the legendary Fireball Roberts by two full laps. His 105 profession victories ranks second solely to Richard Petty.
Pearson’s triumph within the second-ever operating of the race seemed to be an anomaly at first. It will be 33 years till a first-time winner gained the 600 once more, nevertheless it was identify that each single race fan now is aware of.
Jeff Gordon leads Coke 600
Picture by: ISC Archives – Getty Pictures for NASCAR
At simply 22 years previous, ‘Surprise Boy’ was piloting the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that he would later make well-known. However on the time, he was nonetheless looking for his first profession win. This race seemed to be Rusty Wallace’s to lose however with the good Ray Evernham on the field, he and Gordon proved to be a formidable duo. A name for a brief two-tire cease allowed them to leap forward of Wallace late within the operating. He led simply 16 laps nevertheless it was sufficient to say his first Cup win, defeating the 1989 Cup Sequence champion.
After all, everyone knows Gordon did not cease there. The Corridor of Fame driver went on to win 93 Cup races and sits simply behind Pearson on the all-time wins checklist. He additionally gained 4 Cup titles, eclipsing Pearson in that class.
Bobby Labonte
Picture by: Greg Gage
We definitely did not have to attend one other 33 years for the following first-time winner after Gordon’s huge win. The very subsequent yr, one other future Corridor of Fame would make their mark with a win in NASCAR’s longest race. Ken Schrader was in management, however blew an engine late within the operating.
Bobby Labonte moved into the race lead and stretched the gas to take the checkered flag. It was additionally Labonte 1-2 together with his elder brother and two-time Cup Sequence champion Terry ending second. Bobby went on to turn into the 2000 Cup Sequence champion, successful 21 races, and becoming a member of the NASCAR Corridor of Fame in 2020.
Matt Kenseth
Picture by: Autostock
The theme of first-time winners within the 600 occurring to turn into NASCAR legends continued as the game raced into the twenty first century. Matt Kenseth, operating fourth after the ultimate restart, rapidly marched ahead with the crafty one would anticipate from a veteran driver. He handed Gordon, Earnhardt, and eventually Labonte on Lap 373 of 400. He then held again Labonte as they navigated slower site visitors, successful the race by simply over half a second.
Kenseth gained 39 Cup races all through his profession and was the ultimate champion beneath the season-long factors format in 2003. He was inducted into the NASCAR Corridor of Fame simply final yr. That is proper. The primary 4 drivers to get their maiden Cup win the 600 all went on to turn into Cup champions and members of the game’s Corridor of Fame.
Victory lane: race winner Casey Mears celebrates
Picture by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.
That is the place the development began to shift a bit. Underdogs started to rise from the midfield and snatch this crown jewel victory for themselves. After a number of years of wrestle at Chip Ganassi Racing, Casey Mears, nephew of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, joined Hendrick Motorsports for the 2007 season. It was nonetheless a wrestle for Mears and the No. 25 group, however the Coke 600 offered him with a singular alternative.
With everybody operating on fumes, Mears watched as Tony Stewart pitted from the lead with simply eight laps to go. Then, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pitted from the lead as nicely, and Denny Hamlin the lap after him. With simply six laps to go, Mears inherited the highest spot. He peddled that automotive, hanging on to win the race with 9.5s benefit over J.J. Yeley. These last six laps have been the one laps he led throughout all the 400-lap occasion.
Whereas it was Mears’ first journey to Victory Lane, in contrast to the earlier drivers on this checklist, it was additionally his final. He began 489 Cup races between 2003 and 2019, however that 2007 Coke 600 was his solely second of glory.
2009 – David Reutimann
Victory lane: David Reutimann celebrates
Picture by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.
The 2009 Coke 600 was suffering from dangerous climate and was already postponed to Monday. Working a day late with climate nonetheless threatening, the rain returned on Lap 222 of 400. then on lap 222 of 400. David Reutimann was operating 14th on the time of the yellow with no hope of victory. Nonetheless, groups have been closing in on needing gas, so most the sector determined to pit in the course of the warning. However Reutimann didn’t. He led 5 laps behind the tempo automotive earlier than the rain intensified and compelled NASCAR to purple flag the occasion.
And it by no means resumed, giving us an upset win by each driver and group, as Michael Waltrip Racing had by no means gained a race earlier than both. It was an underdog story for the ages, and one in all two Cup wins in Reutimann’s profession. He went on to win his second and last race the next yr at Chicagoland Speedway — no rain wanted.
Race winner Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: NASCAR Media
The grandson of Richard Childress, Dillon was the primary driver to pilot the No. 3 automotive within the Cup Sequence for the reason that passing of Dale Earnhardt in 2001. And just like the race from a decade earlier the place Mears gained, the 2017 Coke 600 turned an intense fuel-mileage race. Martin Truex Jr. had completely dominated the occasion, however he didn’t have sufficient gas to make it to the tip.
A number of drivers tried and didn’t stretch it. Jimmie Johnson was main with simply two laps to go, however he ran out exiting Flip 2 with about 2.25 miles left within the 600-mile race.
Dillon was now in management, however he had no room to breathe as each Truex and Kyle Busch have been closing in quick. Even when he had sufficient gas, there was nonetheless an actual probability they could attain him anyway, however they didn’t get there in time. Busch crossed the road simply eight tenths again of the No. 3 automotive, which carried Austin Dillon to his first profession win after main solely the ultimate two laps. Had that been a 601 mile race, the consequence would have seemed very completely different.
Dillon is the one driver on this checklist who remains to be competing on the Cup stage. He went on to win the 2018 Daytona 500, accumulating one other crown jewel. He additionally has victories at Texas Motor Speedway in 2022, the summer season Daytona race in 2023, and a extremely controversial victory at Richmond in 2024. In doing so, he’s really essentially the most profitable driver on this checklist who hasn’t really gained (and even come shut) to a Cup Sequence title.
Who’s subsequent?
Since Dillon’s win in 2017, there have been no first-time winners within the Coke 600. The truth is, the development has shifted again in the direction of the extra skilled drivers. Practically each Coke 600 victor after Dillon is now a NASCAR Cup Sequence champion, excluding Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, and each are constant championship contenders.
Latest outcomes inform us that one other veteran will probably take the checkered flag this weekend, however I imagine we’re due for one more first-time winner. But when that occurs, who may it’s?
Maybe Ty Gibbs, who has but to win regardless of some very spectacular performances. The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Sequence champion is making his a centesimal profession begin within the NASCAR Cup Sequence this weekend, driving the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He has positioned as excessive as sixth within the 600 and is definitely due for a visit to Victory Lane with 563 laps led on the Cup stage, however his latest struggles have confused many. Gibbs has the tools and is a confirmed champion in decrease divisions, so what’s lacking?
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Picture by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Pictures
One other potential candidate is Ryan Preece, who drives the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang. In a deal that got here collectively late within the 2024 season, Preece has impressed everybody to date, brushing shoulders with the checkered flag on multiple event. He is additionally an intensely pushed one that solely desires to succeed, as you will see on this latest Motorsport.com interview with him.
Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Picture by: James Gilbert / Getty Pictures
Then there’s Carson Hocevar, a pure expertise who has knack for punching above his weight, and discovering hassle alongside the way in which. Hocevar is the best driver in factors proper amongst those that have by no means gained a Cup race (seventeenth), and he got here extraordinarily shut at Atlanta earlier this yr. Spire Motorsport is operating stronger than ever in 2025 with Hocevar already recording a pole place and a runner-up end this yr. The No. 77 already has an ‘unofficial’ win this yr, capturing the checkered flag within the Open race at North Wilkesboro simply final weekend.
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Pictures
After all, they are not the one ones who break by on Sunday. The 40-car entry checklist for this yr’s Coke 600 options 13 differentdrivers who’ve by no means gained a Cup race. This contains the trio above, but in addition names like Noah Gragson, Zane Smith, Todd Gilliland, Riley Herbst, even rising star Connor Zilisch in his Cup oval debut — and what a narrative that might be. It could appear extremely unbelievable, however so did a number of of the names now immortalized on this checklist.
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