Photo- Getty Images

Pride is on the line this weekend as the Nationwide Series’ best look to conquer the best of the southeast, the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Everyone wants to win on their home turf and this weekend, all 40 drivers will be looking to take advantage of the home-court advantage and take the victory in the History 300. The Nationwide regulars will be looking to defend their series and not let the Cup drivers take yet another victory this season. It will be a fight to the finish for sure and the drivers will be battling for bragging-rights throughout the afternoon.

The History 300 is set to take place on Saturday, May 25, 2013 and the green-flag is expected to wave at 2:57 PM EST. 300 miles will be comprised of 200 grueling laps where every position will matter. The weather forecast for Saturday afternoon looks great with sunny conditions, a high of 76 F, and a 0% chance of rain. You can catch the race on ABC or listen to it on the radio on PRN.

Last time the Nationwide Series cars were running at Charlotte on Memorial Day Weekend, Brad Keselowski held off a late-race charge by Denny Hamlin for the victory. Keselowski has always been strong at Charlotte and that win solidified that statement. Cup regulars took the top four spots in last year’s race, but with the new talent that has entered the series this year, it will be tough for the same feat to be accomplished.

Kyle Busch continued his torrid start in the Nationwide Series at Darlington two weeks ago when he won his fifth race of the season. He is back for more this weekend and he’ll look for another victory in his chase of the owner’s championship. Michael Annett will be back behind the wheel this weekend after he had to sit out with a fractured sternum after a Daytona crash. Annett was likely going to be a championship contender this season, but after missing about three months, his shot at the title has faded away. He’ll still be going after wins though since he desperately wants to reach victory lane.

Regan Smith continues to sit atop the standings after another solid performance at Darlington and he has a decent-sized points cushion over second place Sam Hornish Jr. When the summer months hit, it’s time to get going for teams who have struggled early in the season. Drivers who desperately need to get going this weekend at Charlotte include Trevor Bayne, Nelson Piquet Jr., and Travis Pastrana. If they can’t put something together soon, they may see their championship hopes float away.

Lots of drivers have a lot on the line this weekend and they can’t afford a poor finish. Charlotte is a track where anything could happen if you put yourself in the right position. Making a strategy call late in the race to be up front could pay-off by the time the checkered flag falls. It will be a game of strategy, track-position, and luck on Saturday and the driver who can handle all of those elements the best will end up in victory lane.

Next Race- 5-Hour Energy 200 at the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware

STATS SAY CHARLOTTE THE BEST:

SECOND-PLACE ALL-STAR: Logano finished second in last weekend’s All-Star event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the best he has ever finished in the special event. Logano had the fifth-best average over the course of the first four segments and then drove from fourth to second over the final 10 laps.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Logano will celebrate his 23rd birthday this Friday, May 24th.

DOUBLE-DUTY AGAIN: Logano will be back behind the wheel of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event this weekend.

SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME: The No. 22 Ford will again transform from the regular yellow and red to a primarily yellow car highlighting the team’s Pennzoil partnership.

BUSY WEEK: As is normally the case, Logano will have a busy week heading into Charlotte. He will participate in the annual King’s Cup event Wednesday and will have several sponsor appearances throughout the week and weekend.

HOW TOUGH IS 600 MILES? “It’s pretty tough. A lot of people will ask if it’s hard to stay focused but it’s really not. If you lose focus, you will wreck. But when you get out of the car on Sunday night after 600 miles, your body can sure feel it. But we are all drivers and we prepare for this and we train for this. Dover and Bristol can be a little more physically demanding and Talladega and Daytona can be a little more mentally demanding, but overall, this is definitely one of the toughest races that we run all year long.”

DO YOU LIKE RACING AT HOME DURING THESE TWO WEEKS? “I mean we all love being able to go home and sleep in our own beds, but the weekend also brings with it a lot of appearances and requests for time and such. But you just go along with it. It’s really cool to come to the track and see the guys on the team have their wives and girlfriends with them and to see the guys at the shop who normally don’t get to come to the track come out and see everyone. That makes you want to win the race even more. Victory Lane celebrations at Charlotte are about as good as they can get.”

NASCAR AMERICAN SALUTE:

CARLISLE TO HONOR THE MARINES: Carlisle Companies Incorporated will once again be hosting a group of active duty U.S. Marines and their guests at this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS). The Carlisle logo, which is prominently displayed on the C-Post of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, will be replaced this weekend with the U.S. Marines logo to honor Marines worldwide.

TOP QUALIFIER: In his first Coca-Cola 600 behind the wheel of the Miller Lite entry, Keselowski won the Coors Light Pole Award with a lap of 28.112 seconds, or 192.089 miles per hour.

NATIONWIDE SERIES STRING ENDS: Keselowski will not compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at CMS this weekend as he shares the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney this season. This is the first NNS race at CMS that Keselowski has missed since May of 2006. He has two wins over that span at the venue.

CHAMPIONSHP CONCERT: On Thursday evening, following qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600, Keselowski will host a party to celebrate his 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship at The Fillmore in downtown Charlotte. Blackberry Smoke and Corey Smith will headline the event. The Fillmore is located within the N.C. Music Factory complex. Doors open at 8 pm.

LOCAL TIES: Two pit crew members on the Miller Lite Ford hail from the Charlotte area. Jackman Braxton Brannon is from Mooresville, N.C., while rear-tire carrier Jody Forston is from China Grove, N.C.

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE LONGEST RACE OF THE YEAR? “The Coca-Cola 600 is a brutal race, no doubt about it. It’s a test of both man and machine. It can wear you down physically, as well as mentally, and you need to be prepared for it. While this is true for every race, a good-handling car will make the world of difference when you have to run 600 miles. The Miller Lite Ford has had a lot of speed lately, but we haven’t done a good job of executing. We are due to have a good race and I think it will happen this weekend. I really feel that we can go win the 600.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO RACE ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND? “One of the things I’m most proud of is how much the NASCAR community honors and supports our military. Many of our fans are active or retired servicemen and servicewomen. It sometimes gets overused, but they are really the reason we are able to do this for a living. I’m especially honored to carry the patriotic theme on the Miller Lite Ford this weekend. Nothing would make me happier than to take this paint scheme to Victory Lane on Memorial Day weekend. That would be a great ‘thank you’ for the sacrifices they make for us.”

Quik Trip, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a privately held company with 650+ stores located in eleven states. The company is the dominant convenience/gasoline retailer in each market. Over the past year, Quik Trip has heavily invested in the Charlotte-Greenville area by opening 20+ stores. Joining Quik Trip is long-time Mike Wallace partner Sun Drop.

The familiar green and yellow logo will be splashed over the quarter-panel, through a partnership with Quik Trip. Sun Drop is no stranger to success with the veteran Wallace behind the wheel. The Lowell-based soft drink company has been affiliated with and supported JD Motorsports since 2009.

Wallace, running Chassis JDM 016, will take to Charlotte Motor Speedway for his 33rd start at the track that is practically in his back yard. The homecoming atmosphere combined with the Memorial Day weekend celebration make this event one of the most popular on the schedule.

Mike Wallace Quotes: “We as a team love racing at Charlotte. It is neat to have the weekend activities only an hour away from the shop. It is nice to see all the fans come out and support the entire event, which lasts over a week. Also, it is a true honor to have Quik Trip on the car. Their multiple locations and cleanliness have made them a favorite spot for my family while traveling on the road.”

Tune in for the Win: The NASCAR Nationwide Series competes at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 25th, and the series will appear on ABC for the first time this weekend. The History 300 telecast beings with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30 p.m. ET with the green flag at 3:02 p.m. MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 will also carry the action Saturday. The racing will be preceded by qualifying at 11:00 on Friday and practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Landon Cassill will again return to wheel the No. 4 Flex Seal Chevy, and will be making his first Nationwide Series start at the 1. 5-mile facility located in Concord, N.C. Cassill, who has raced at the track five times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has one top-20 finish to his credit.

After a top-25 finish at Darlington two weeks ago, the team has locked itself into the top-30, allowing a guaranteed start in the field. This benefit allows the team to work on race trim during the long practice sessions, which should pay off during the event.

The No. 4 Flex Seal team will utilize JDM Chassis 015. This car began the year as a member of the No. 01 team, and was raced at Vegas and California. Although suffering from a part failure in Las Vegas and resulting in a poor finish, the car raced competitively at Auto Club Speedway. The chassis has been refreshed for the weekend, and includes a special Red, “Brite”, and Blue scheme.

Landon Cassill Quotes: “I love racing at Charlotte. It’s a fast track, and right here in Concord is great for the teams. This weekend Flex Seal is supporting the troops and participating in the American Salute program with their Red, “Brite”, and Blue car. The car is neat, and I know Marc Browning will have it ready to race up front this weekend.

Tune in for the Win: The NASCAR Nationwide Series competes at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 25th, and the series will appear on ABC for the first time this weekend. The History 300 telecast beings with NASCAR Countdown at 2:30 p.m. ET with the green flag at 3:02 p.m. MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 will also carry the action Saturday. The racing will be preceded by qualifying at 11:00 on Friday and practices on Wednesday and Thursday

Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

Primary Chassis: RK- 821 last ran All-Star race

Backup Chassis: RK – 826 backup at Texas

Edwards at Charlotte: Edwards enters the Coca-Cola 600 second in the series points’ standings and will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway for his 17th Sprint Cup career start. In his previous starts, Edwards has five top-five and ten top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.2 and average finish is 12.0.

In the Loop: According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 16 races, Edwards has turned 118 of the track’s fastest laps, made 632 quality passes (sixth most) and has a driver rating seventh best among active drivers.

The Car: The No. 99 Blue Team will roll out RK – 821 which ran last weekend at the All- Star race, where Edwards started from the pole.

Primary Sponsor Note: Fastenal returns to the track with a three-car lineup, sponsoring the No. 16, 17 and 99 Ford’s in a special patriotic paint scheme, known as the Fastenal Tribute Cars.

Edwards quotes on the Coca-Cola 600: “We have a fast race car for the Coca-Cola 600. We qualified on the pole for the All-Star event, we feel confident that our car is fast enough to perform well and fortunately we learned a lot at the All-Star race. Obviously it’s one of the biggest races of the year but also special because of the Fastenal tribute paint schemes. All three of the Roush Fenway Racing Ford’s will be painted in Fastenal colors honoring our troops. We hope we can get one of them into victory lane. Fastenal has been a huge supporter of RFR and all veterans that they employ so we’re proud to be carrying this paint scheme. I love this race. It’s a test to all of the people, the driver, crew, engineers so it’s pretty grueling.”

History:

Races: 108
Races Won from the Pole: 14
Last Race Won from the Pole: Jimmie Johnson (10/17/2009)
Race Record: Jeff Gordon 160.306 mph (10/11/1999)
Qualifying Record: Greg Biffle 193.708 mph (10/13/2012)
First Race: 06/19/1960
First Winner: Joe Lee Johnson

Driver Ratings:

Current Standings:

1. Jimmie Johnson 423
2. Carl Edwards -44
3. Matt Kenseth -59
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. -64
5. Clint Bowyer -74
6. Kasey Kahne -97
7. Brad Keselowski -97
8. Kyle Busch -98
9. Aric Almirola -106
10. Kevin Harvick -108
11. Paul Menard (WC)
12. Jeff Gordon (WC)

Active Driver Firsts:

Start
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 05/30/1999
Jimmie Johnson – 10/07/2001
David Reutimann – 10/15/2005
Elliott Sadler – 05/24/1998
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 05/29/2011
Brian Vickers – 10/11/2003
Michael Waltrip – 05/26/1985

Pole
Aric Almirola – 05/27/2012
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 05/28/2000
Jeff Gordon – 10/10/1993
Ryan Newman – 05/27/2001

Win
Jeff Gordon – 05/29/1994
Matt Kenseth – 05/28/2000
Bobby Labonte – 05/28/1995
Jamie McMurray – 10/13/2002
Casey Mears – 05/27/2007
David Reutimann – 05/25/2009

All-Time Leaders:

Races: Richard Petty – 64
Poles: David Pearson – 14
Wins: Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Jimmie Johnson – 6
Top-5s: Bobby Allison, Richard Petty – 23
Top-10s: Richard Petty – 31
Laps Completed: Ricky Rudd – 20,294
Laps Led: Bobby Allison – 2,339
DNFs: Dave Marcis – 36

Active Leaders:

Races: Bill Elliott – 62
Poles: Ryan Newman – 9
Wins: Jimmie Johnson – 6
Top-5s: Mark Martin – 18
Top-10s: Mark Martin – 24
Laps Completed: Bill Elliott – 19,539
Laps Led: Jimmie Johnson – 1,439
DNFs: Mark Martin – 15

Oldest Vs. Youngest:

Youngest Pole Winner: Jeff Gordon 10/10/1993 – 22 years, 2 months, 6 days
Oldest Pole Winner: Bobby Allison 10/11/1987 – 49 years, 10 months, 8 days

Youngest Winner: Jeff Gordon 05/29/1994 – 22 years, 9 months, 25 days
Oldest Winner: Cale Yarborough 10/06/1985 – 46 years, 6 months, 9 days

Top 5 All-Time Track Winners:

1. Bobby Allison – 6
2. Jimmie Johnson – 6
3. Darrell Waltrip – 6
4. Richard Petty – 5
5. Dale Earnhardt – 5
6. Jeff Gordon – 5

Top 5 All-Time Track Lap Leaders:

1. Bobby Allison – 2,339
2. Richard Petty – 1,702
3. David Pearson – 1,662
4. Cale Yarborough – 1,633
5. Dale Earnhardt – 1,523

Top 10 All-Time Series Pole Winners:

1. Richard Petty – 123
2. David Pearson – 113
3. Jeff Gordon – 72
4. Cale Yarborough – 69
5. Darrell Waltrip – 59
6. Bobby Allison – 58
7. Mark Martin – 56
8. Bill Elliott – 55
9. Bobby Isaac – 49
10. Ryan Newman – 49

Top 10 All-Time Series Winners:

1. Richard Petty – 200
2. David Pearson – 105
3. Jeff Gordon – 87
4. Bobby Allison – 84
5. Darrell Waltrip – 84
6. Cale Yarborough – 83
7. Dale Earnhardt – 76
8. Jimmie Johnson – 62
9. Rusty Wallace – 55
10. Lee Petty – 54

All-Star Race Recap:

Charlotte Preview: Hamlin will make his 16th-career Cup Series points race start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Hamlin finished second in both races at Charlotte in 2012, leading 13 laps last Memorial Day weekend for the runner-up result to Kasey Kahne. He started eighth and steadily moved up the running order in the 400-lap race that ran green for long stretches. In the fall Chase race at Charlotte, Hamlin qualified ninth and quickly showed the strength of the FedEx Toyota, leading 36 laps before taking the checkered flag just 0.417 seconds behind winner Clint Bowyer. Hamlin has led at least one lap in 10 of his 15 Charlotte races, and has recorded eight top-10 finishes, including the last five in a row.

FedEx Office – Closest to Charlotte Motor Speedway: 7741 Gateway Lane NW, Ste 110, Concord, NC 28027, (704) 979-1971

Gaylord Texan Along for the Ride in Charlotte: The FedEx Office location at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, Texas is a leading store in the company’s annual President’s Club program. The store team will be recognized for excellent service and dedication to their customers with its “5518” code numbers on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

What did the FedEx team learn in the All-Star Race that can be applied to the Coca-Cola 600? “We learned quite a bit that we can use this weekend. Obviously, in a short race like the All-Star Race, you set up your car a little more aggressively knowing that track conditions won’t change much and you need to move up early. In the Coke 600, it’s such a long race and the track will change from day to night, that you really have to have some adjustability in your car. Track position was pretty important in the All-Star Race, so hopefully we can have a good starting spot and stay up front all night.”

SEEING STARS: This weekend the OneMain Financial Toyota will sport a special paint scheme to support the NASCAR Unites – An American Salute program. The No. 11 will have a special red, white and blue paint scheme with stars along the side skirt, as well as a special Nationwide Series windshield application.

SUPPORTING THE REAL HEROES: Along with the special paint scheme this weekend, the OneMain Financial team kick off “The Real Heroes” program this weekend. Throughout the summer, the No. 11 team will host military members and their families at Nationwide Series races throughout the summer. Fans will also have the opportunity to send their thanks to the troops at participating OneMain Financial branches, and through social media.

LAST TIME AROUND: In the May 2012 running of the History 300, Sadler spent most of the 200-lap event running in the top 10. Late in the race, Sadler was blocked by a competitor in his pit stall, losing 10 spots for the restart. The Emporia, Va., driver methodically worked his way back toward the front, earning a fifth-place finish.

JUST THE STATS: According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Season-to-Data statistics, Sadler ranks the following categories: third in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run category, with an average rank of 6.3; second in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run category, with an average rank of 7.0; and second in Green Flag Speed. Sadler also sits in the third spot for Quality Passes (451).

TO THE POINT: Sadler moved up two positions to third in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, 42 points behind the leader with 23 races remaining in the 2013 season.

MEET SADLER: Fans have two opportunities to meet Sadler throughout the race week around the Charlotte area. On Friday, May 23, Sadler will make an appearance at the OneMain Financial branch at 1096 Concord Pkwy in Concord, NC at 2 p.m. He will also sign autographs at the OneMain Financial booth at Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte at 3 p.m. Wristbands will be handed out at noon on Friday for the Speed Street appearance. For more information, visit www.onemainracing.com

LAST RACE: Darlington: Competing at the historic Darlington Raceway, Sadler and the No. 11 team qualified on the outside pole for the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200. Competing toward the front early in the event, Sadler fought a loose-handling car, and spun down the track by himself on lap 49. He was able to control the car so that he did not hit the wall or cause damage to the No. 11 Toyota. Sadler recovered quickly, and fought his way back up to the second position, where he would take the checkered flag.

THINK PINK: The OneMain Financial driver will sport pink Oakley driving shoes throughout the entire Nationwide Series season to show support for breast cancer awareness and honor his mom, Bell. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, and is now a survivor. This season, he will also wear special pink Oakley driving gloves. Fans will have the opportunity to bid on his race-worn shoes throughout the season, with proceeds going toward breast cancer research and education. For more information, visit www.onemainracing.com

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAYS: OneMain Financial will host Customer Appreciation Days from May 17-31, celebrating customers at branches nationwide. For more information and to find a branch near you, visit www.OneMainFinancial.com/Sadler

RACE INFO: The History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be on ABC at 2:30 p.m. E.T., on Saturday, May 25, as well as PRN and SIRIUSXM 90.

Elliott Sadler Quotes: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This OneMain Financial team has a lot of momentum coming off our second-place finish at Darlington Raceway. We have a full-day of Nationwide Series testing on Wednesday at Charlotte, so we have a few things we are going to work on for the weekend. It’s always a great way to spend Memorial Day Weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The teams and the track do such a good job of inviting military members and their families, and celebrating the troops abroad all weekend long. It’s a great weekend as an American and as a race fan to remember what our military does to keep us safe. With OneMain Financial, we are going to be celebrating the military members all summer, because those are the real heroes in our country. The ones that sacrifice their time, and their life, for our freedom.”

This weekend will be Annett’s 140th career NNS start and his eighth start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His best start and finish at the mile-and-a-half oval came last year, starting 13th and earning a 10th-place finish, for his first top-10 at the track.

EFS returns to the No. 43 Ford as a primary partner for the second season in a row. The company provides an easy way for customers in the transportation industry to make payments on-the-go and served as the primary partner for the fall race at Kansas Speedway last season.

Fans will have several chances to meet Annett this week. He will participate in RPM’s Fan Appreciation Day on Thursday, May 23rd and will sign autographs from 11 a.m. to Noon ET with teammates Aric Almirola and Marcos Ambrose along with NASCAR Hall-of-Famers Richard Petty and Dale Inman. Wristbands for the autograph session will be available beginning at 8 a.m. ET the day of the event. Annett will also sign autographs on Friday, May 24th in Uptown Charlotte at the Creative Loafing Area of Speed Street from 1-3 p.m. ET.

Comments from the No. 43 EFS Ford Mustang driver Michael Annett: “Obviously, I can’t wait to get back into the No. 43. It has been a long three months, and I am more than ready to jump back in the car. The accident at Daytona was disappointing for our team, but I’m very grateful for the amount of support I had from the team, NASCAR, family, friends and fans and not to mention the outstanding medical team that helped me through all of this. While it was really hard to be on the sidelines, I realize that it was even more important to heal properly.

“It’s pretty cool to have EFS on the car for my first race back. They were on the car last year, and it’s great to have them back again. Their continued support means a lot to our team. Hopefully, we can have a strong run for them this weekend.

“It’s always fun to race at Charlotte. Since it’s a ‘home’ race for most of the teams, it’s cool to see so many family and friends get to experience what we do every weekend. It’s a fast mile-and-a-half track and we typically run well at the bigger tracks, so hopefully we can get a decent run my first time back in the car.”

Comments from Crew Chief Philippe Lopez on Charlotte: “The entire team is really excited to have Michael back in the car. We had such high hopes for a good season, since the end of 2012 was so good for us. We were disappointed after Daytona, but Reed (Sorenson) came in and did a good job and kept the team going. Now that we have Michael back, we can get back to work on fine tuning this program and building it around him.

“The schedule has worked out really well for us with the additional testing time added on Wednesday. In the beginning, we’ll give him a little bit of time just to knock the rust off since he hasn’t been in the car for three months. After that, it’s back to business. In the last three months, we’ve been working on a lot of different set-ups and different things for the cars, so this test session is welcomed. It will give us some low pressure hours and give Michael a chance to get back into the groove of things.

“Charlotte is Charlotte. You have to be careful about how you practice and what you call ‘good’ and what you call ‘bad.’ The main question is, ‘At what time during the day do you race?,’ and that is what your focal point is. This track changes by the hour, all day long, and obviously the guys with a lot of experience and good notes can keep up with that. You’ve got to know that your car is going to behave a certain way at 12 o’clock and it won’t behave like that at four o’clock. You have to keep that in mind while you’re testing/practicing, and when it comes to the race, you have to put it all together.”

Chassis History: Lopez and the No. 43 crew will bring chassis number 729. It is the same chassis the team took to Auto Club Speedway earlier in the year, where Reed Sorenson qualified the car 19th and finished 17th.

History:

Races: 62
Races Won from the Pole: 8
Last Race Won from the Pole: Matt Kenseth (10/07/2000)
Race Record: Mark Martin 155.799 mph (05/25/1996)
Qualifying Record: Jimmie Johnson 187.735 mph (10/14/2005)
First Race: 05/29/1982
First Winner: Harry Gant

Driver Ratings:

Current Standings:

1. Regan Smith 342
2. Sam Hornish, Jr. -28
3. Elliott Sadler -42
4. Justin Allgaier -43
5. Brian Vickers -49
6. Austin Dillon -52
7. Parker Kligerman -55
8. Brian Scott -58
9. Alex Bowman -84
10. Kyle Larson -94

Active Driver Firsts:

Start
Justin Allgaier – 10/10/2008
Kyle Busch – 05/24/2003
Joey Coulter – 05/26/2012
Matt Kenseth – 05/25/1996

Pole
Dave Blaney – 10/03/1998
Ron Hornaday, Jr. – 05/25/2002

Win
Dave Blaney – 10/13/2006
Mike Bliss – 10/15/2004

All-Time Leaders:

Races: Kenny Wallace – 34
Poles: Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth – 4
Wins: Kyle Busch, Mark Martin – 6
Top-5s: Kyle Busch – 14
Top-10s: Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch – 16
Laps Completed: Kenny Wallace – 6,093
Laps Led: Mark Martin – 1,257
DNFs: Morgan Shepherd – 24

Active Leaders:

Races: Kenny Wallace – 34
Poles: Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth – 4
Wins: Kyle Busch, Mark Martin – 6
Top-5s: Kyle Busch – 14
Top-10s: Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch – 16
Laps Completed: Kenny Wallace – 6,093
Laps Led: Mark Martin – 1,257
DNFs: Morgan Shepherd – 24

Oldest Vs. Youngest:

Youngest Pole Winner: Jeff Gordon 05/23/1992 – 20 years, 9 months, 19 days
Oldest Pole Winner: Harry Gant 10/08/1988 – 48 years, 8 months, 28 days

Youngest Winner: Kyle Busch 05/29/2004 – 19 years, 0 months, 27 days
Oldest Winner: Harry Gant 10/05/1991 – 51 years, 9 months, 25 days

Top 5 All-Time Track Winners:

1. Kyle Busch – 6
2. Mark Martin – 6
3. Harry Gant – 4
4. Matt Kenseth – 3
5. Dale Earnhardt – 3
6. Jeff Burton – 3
7. Rob Moroso – 3

Top 10 All-Time Series Pole Winners:

1. Mark Martin – 30
2. Kyle Busch – 29
3. Tommy Ellis – 28
4. Carl Edwards – 27
5. Kevin Harvick – 24
6. Sam Ard – 23
7. Jeff Green – 23
8. David Green – 22
9. Joey Logano – 22
10. Tommy Houston – 18
11. Joe Nemechek – 18

Top 10 All-Time Series Winners:

1. Kyle Busch – 56
2. Mark Martin – 49
3. Kevin Harvick – 39
4. Carl Edwards – 38
5. Jack Ingram – 31
6. Jeff Burton – 27
7. Matt Kenseth – 26
8. Tommy Houston – 24
9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 23
10. Sam Ard – 22
11. Tommy Ellis – 22

Ragan and his No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford will both be tested in their return to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Sunday night for NASCAR’s longest race. The long-running Coke 600, held in NASCAR’s hometown of Charlotte, helps mark the Memorial Day weekend every year.

Ragan has celebrated some solid results at the 1.5-mile oval in his Cup career, including one top-five and three top-10 finishes. Sunday night’s race will be his 13th career start at Charlotte.

Comments from Dockside Logistics team driver David Ragan heading to Charlotte: “Half-way into the Coca-Cola 600, you’re 300 miles in. And in a typical race you don’t have much longer to go. In fact, that’s about the standard distance of a Nationwide race. But in the 600, they tell you you’re just half-way and you’ve got to do 300 miles all over again. So, it is a long night.

“I’ve had some really good racecars there where the night flies by. But I’ve also gotten wrecked early on and just rode around for points the rest of the day, and that can be a long night. The Coca-Cola 600 always has a huge crowd. It’s an important race – our longest race of the year. So it’s good for the guys who build our cars and our engines to finish the race and take the checkered flag. That’s cool for everyone to get through that and experience that sense of accomplishment.

“The length of the race is a test for both man and machine. It’s been around this sport for a long time, obviously. The Daytona 500, the Brickyard, and even Darlington and Martinsville, are known for being the longest running races around, but this one has some history, too. Charlotte is the center of our sport, besides Daytona, and is home for a lot of the NASCAR teams, the companies and organizations that make this NASCAR world go around. It’s important and there are a lot of people here watching. Memorial Day weekend is an important weekend for all Americans, so it’s a fun weekend to run well.”

Wise is a triathlete, with both Half Iron Man and Full Iron Man competitions on his schedule this year. He says his physical conditioning has him ready to run the extra mileage in Sunday night’s Cup race. He’s preparing mentally with racing simulators, video and a little help from his teammates.

Wise has just one Cup start at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and seven Nationwide Series starts.

Comments from MDS Transport team driver Josh Wise heading to Charlotte: “The Coke 600 is obviously going to be a long night. I’ve never run it, so 600 miles is going to be a long race, particularly for me since it’s my first time. Mentally, it’s a long time to focus. Luckily, I’ve put a lot into my conditioning over the winter and leading up to this point in the season, so I shouldn’t experience any physical fatigue in the car. But it’s definitely a learning process as far as how much focus you have to put in and how to run such a long race strategically.

“A lot of these races, I’m still a rookie really. So I go into them with an open mind and I try to prepare as well as I can with simulator racing on iRacing, watching videos, talking to my teammates, looking at last year’s scouting reports, understanding race histories and things like that. And I’ll take that same approach into the 600 and know that it’s going to be 100 miles longer than what I’m used to.”

The driver of the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford says adjustability is the key to making it through Sunday night’s 600-mile event at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway – being ready to adapt the car to the changing conditions over the course of the night. Gilliland also points to the importance of not losing focus and making mistakes during the extra 100 miles of the marathon race.

Gilliland has 13 career starts at the 1.5-mile oval. His best finish came last fall when he finished 23rd at the October Sprint Cup event.

Comments from Long John Silver’s team driver David Gilliland about heading to Charlotte: “It’s a long race. You get about 400 miles into it and you start to think, ‘Man, it’s got to be getting close to the end.’ It’s a long race and definitely a very challenging race as well. The track changes a lot over 600 miles, so it can be challenging to build adjustability into your car throughout the race, and staying focused and not making a mistake for that extra 100 miles longer than we usually run. It’s a lot of hours to try to get everything perfect, but that’s what we do.

“It’s a great race. I love Charlotte Motor Speedway. It’s one of my favorite racetracks. And, of course, it’s another ‘home game’ for us, which makes everybody happy because we get to be home for two weeks. It’s a holiday weekend, people have Monday off, so it’s really a fun party atmosphere at the track for all the fans. And they do a great job of filling the stands in Charlotte. People tend to come from all over because they can see so many other things while they’re here, like visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame, check out the race shops. It’s always a fun weekend, so I’m really looking forward to that race.”

Richard Childress Racing at Charlotte:

RCR in the NSCS: In 2,306 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 102 wins, 42 pole awards, 438 top-five finishes and 919 top-10 finishes with an average starting position of 17.9 and an average finishing position of 15.8. RCR has earned 14 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90,’91, ’93 and ’94, five NASCAR Nationwide Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.

RCR All-Star Rewind: Last weekend, Harvick finished 11th in the Sprint All-Star Race while Burton and Paul Menard competed in the Sprint Showdown, finishing third and fourth, respectively.

The Collective RCR: Throughout the season’s first 11 races, RCR’s Sprint Cup Series entries have earned one win with Harvick at Richmond International Raceway (April), notched three top-five and nine top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Austin Dillon, Harvick and Menard. RCR’s three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers are 10th (Harvick), 11th (Menard) and 20th (Burton) in the driver championship point standings.

Catch the Action: FOX’s live coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 begins Sunday, May 26 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Paul Menard No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet SS Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Serta/Menards Chevrolet: Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 418 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS raced at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season.

Charlotte by the Numbers: Menard has 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His best start of fifth and best finish of eighth both came in 2010. The Wisconsin native has completed 4,044 of 4,246 laps attempted (95.5 percent) at the 1.5-mile track. 

Fast Fact: Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is the only 600-mile race on the Sprint Cup Series schedule. Starting in daylight and lasting into the late evening hours, this grueling race is truly a test of man and machine.

Race Rewind: In last year’s 600-mile race Menard started the No. 27 Chevrolet from the ninth position and fought a tight-handling race car thought the event, ultimately finishing 15th.

Menard’s Thoughts on the Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway: “The Coca-Cola 600 has a lot of prestige associated with it. It’s one of those races like the Brickyard or the Daytona 500 that everyone would like to win. It’s the only 600-mile race on the schedule, which makes it really unique. Once the engines fire though, you kind of lose track of how long you are in the car. It goes by pretty quick and I don’t really notice the extra 100 miles. We’ll have a long night ahead of us and we’ll need to make sure we keep up with the adjustments on the Serta/Menards Chevrolet as the track conditions change throughout the evening.”

Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet SS at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 425 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Coca-Cola 600. This Chevrolet is new to the No. 29 team lineup and will make its first competitive laps this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

CLT Stats: This Sunday’s race marks Harvick’s 24th points-paying Sprint Cup Series start at the Concord, N.C.-based facility. In addition to his 2011 Coca-Cola 600 victory, the California native has collected two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, completed 97.3 percent of the laps contested and led six laps.

Here’s to the Heroes: The No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet will don a special patriotic paint scheme for Sunday’s 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway to reflect the special “Red, White and Blue Summer” packaging featured on the iconic Budweiser bottles and cans this summer. The packaging represents a special initiative in which the brand will contribute a portion of all sales from May 5 – July 4 to help raise as much as $1.5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation*, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for families of U.S. military personnel killed or disabled while serving their country. Since 2010, Budweiser has raised more than $5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation and provided more than 1,000 educational scholarships to the families of soldiers killed or disabled in service. (*Donation of 2 cents per case of Budweiser sold, May 5, 2013 to July 4, 2013, with a maximum donation of $1.5 million.)

Teeing Off for a Cause: On Wednesday, Harvick will tee off in the fourth annual John Paul Linville Memorial Golf Tournament Presented by BB&T Wealth, an event that honors wife DeLana’s father who lost his battle with cancer in 2005. Funds raised at the tournament will benefit the Kevin Harvick Foundation which is dedicated to the support of programs that positively enrich the lives of children throughout the United States by supporting programs such as the Kevin Harvick Athletic Scholarship, Kevin’s Krew, children in foster care and P.O.W.E.R. of Play.

Double Duty: In addition to driving the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS in Sunday night’s race, Harvick will pilot the No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday, May 25. This race is scheduled to air live on ABC at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, along with the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Race Rewind: Harvick and RCR’s No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor team collected an eighth-place finish in the 2012 Coca-Cola 600 under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway, after starting 14th and battling handling issues for the majority of the event.

The Coca-Cola 600 is a special race annually, because it falls on Memorial Day weekend. Share your thoughts about the event and the many ways it honors America’s Armed Forces. “To be able to have so many service men and women at the race track for our race this weekend and be able to see them, and shake their hands and tell them thank you is something that I think all the fans and drivers – and our sport in general – do a very good job of showing our appreciation. To have the race on Memorial Day weekend is just an added bonus, but to honor our troops is what it’s all about.”

Share your thoughts on running the Coca-Cola 600. “Man, the Coca-Cola 600 is a long race. For drivers, our bodies have adapted to running 400 or 500-mile events. This event is unique not only because we have to mentally prepare ourselves for that extra 100 miles, but the team also has to set the car up to go from day to night. It’s a challenging race and a lot can change or happen. We were fortunate to win this race in 2011 and it came down to the last lap and fuel mileage, so you just never know how things are going to play out.”

What is the key to being physically and mentally prepared for such a long, competitive race? “The biggest thing is just hydration. Obviously you’re mentally trained to run 400 or 500 miles, so that last 100 miles is different than what your body and mind is used to. You definitely have to prepare yourself a little bit different to get through those last 100 miles.”

How much does Charlotte Motor Speedway change from start to finish during the Coca-Cola 600? “Charlotte (Motor Speedway) is definitely a track that changes more than most. For some reason it seems like sun changes that track drastically, so when the sun starts going down the race track starts to take a turn in a different direction. You have to be prepared, and try to set your car up in advance for those changing conditions.”

Jeff Burton No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet SS Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Weekend’s Cheerios Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 372 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Career Charlotte Stats: The 2013 Coca-Cola 600 marks Burton’s 39th start at the 1.5-mile facility and his 667th-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Burton notched his last Sprint Cup Series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2008. Throughout the years, he has amassed three wins, eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes at the track, leading 435 laps.

No Stranger to Victory Lane: Burton has made six previous visits to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane across Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series competition. He owns two Coca-Cola 600 race trophies from wins in 1999 and 2001, the 2008 Charlotte 500 race trophy, hardware from three Nationwide Series victories (2000, 2002 and 2007) and one Nationwide Series pole award (2001).

Black and Yellow: The iconic General Mills brand Cheerios returns as the primary sponsor on Burton’s No. 31 Chevrolet SS. America’s No.1 cereal franchise will bring its fan-favorite yellow and black paint scheme to these additional races in 2013: Dover International Speedway (June 2), Michigan International Speedway (August 18) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (September 22). General Mills has roots as a NASCAR sponsor for more than 15 years and began its partnership with RCR in 2008 with the Cheerios brand as the primary sponsor of the No. 33 Sprint Cup Series team. The program moved to the No. 31 team as a co-primary sponsor for the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season.

Race Rewind: Burton and the No. 31 Wheaties Chevrolet team finished 19th after a tire issue late in the race forced them to make an unscheduled green-flag pit stop in the 2012 running of the Coca-Cola 600.

Talk about your mindset at Charlotte Motor Speedway with track changes from day to night in the Coca-Cola 600: “Track position is so important in a long race like the Coca-Cola 600. If you don’t push your car, you won’t realize what it can and can’t do. You just can’t ride around, and you must put your car in position to learn from it and know what you have as the intensity picks up at the end of the race. You have to run hard every lap if you want to accomplish your goals. The temperature change definitely affects the track more here and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway than anywhere else for some reason.”

That’s why Valvoline NextGen is teaming up with NASCAR driver and X-Games superstar Travis Pastrana to launch the all new NextGen Stunt Amplifier.

Together Pastrana and Valvoline NextGen will recycle a crazy YouTube stunt and add a new exciting twist to it. What twist will that be? Well that’s where fans come into play.

Fans will be allow to visit and vote on a collection of homemade stunt videos selected by Pastrana on the Valvoline YouTube page. After watching the videos, you can vote on what should be adjusted to the stunt, be it adding a jump, adding another person, or increasing the height of the stunt as just some of the suggestions that can be made.

“The NextGen Stunt Amplifier is all about recycling a good stunt to make it even better than before,” said Pastrana. “That’s always been one of my mantras. Throughout my career, I’ve always pushed myself to make tweaks, revisions and improvements to my game in order to complete that perfect trick or race,” he continued.

On top of that, fans can communicate with the Roush Fenway Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series driver through Valvoline NextGen’s Facebook page, where they can enter for a chance to win autographed prizes.

This furthers Valvoline NextGen’s determination to show everyone that recycling can be cool. Valvoline NextGen utilities technology that mixes 50% recycled oil to create an oil that is produced with 90% less energy and produces 31% less greenhouse gas emissions. It does all that an still does not compromise any of Valvoline high oil standards, so you don’t have to fear about putting it in your car.

Check out the videos and vote often to see what stunt will be chosen to be amplified!