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NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: 2011 Coca Cola 600

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell		Carl Edwards	16	12.33
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jimmie Johnson	28	13.67
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Carl Edwards	16	13.67
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	Matt Kenseth	14	12.33
Eric McClung	KFFL	Kyle Busch	32	13.42
Eric McGuire	free agent	Carl Edwards	16	15.17
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Carl Edwards	16	11.75
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Matt Kenseth	14	14.25
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Carl Edwards	16	9.42
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Joey Logano	3	11.17
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Jimmie Johnson	28	12.58
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	28	10.58
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Carl Edwards	16	12.92
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Dale Earnhardt Jr	7	11.75
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	32	10.17
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	Kyle Busch	32	11.25
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Carl Edwards	16	9.00
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Carl Edwards	16	10.42
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Carl Edwards	16	11.25

Fantasy Racing Darkhorse Picks: 2011 Coca Cola 600

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdel		David Ragan	2	9.00
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jeff Gordon	20	11.92
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	David Ragan	2	12.92
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	David Ragan	2	13.83
Eric McClung	KFFL	David Reutimann	9	11.67
Eric McGuire	free agent	Kasey Kahne	22	11.08
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Greg Biffle	13	15.42
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	David Ragan	2	10.92
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Denny Hamlin	10	11.58
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	A J Allmendinger	5	19.83
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Mark Martin	34	18.67
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	20	11.67
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Paul Menard	29	13.25
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Denny Hamlin	10	13.83
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	22	13.08
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	David Reutimann	9	8.83
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Jeff Gordon	20	15.92
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jeff Gordon	20	19.00
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	A J Allmendinger	5	13.33

Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Charlotte - Coca Cola 600

The schedule this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway is finally back to normal–in my mind at least. There will be a practice session held on Thursday afternoon and qualifying will be held later that night. Friday will be an off-day for the drivers, but Saturday they will get two practice sessions to perfect their cars for the big race on Sunday night. The Coca Cola 600 is the longest race (in terms of mileage) for the 2011 season, and Charlotte is definitely known for producing some very exciting racing.

During The Last Points-Paying Race At Charlotte…Kyle Busch led 217 laps but it was Jamie McMurray crossing the finish line first. Busch went on to follow him, and Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Greg Biffle rounded out the top five. In last year’s spring race (the 2010 Coca Cola 600), the elder Busch brother (Kurt) led 252 laps after starting second and picked up his second–and ultimately final–win of the season. McMurray finished 2nd in that race, while Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, and David Reutimann closed out the top five. McMurray, Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, and Matt Kenseth were the only drivers to post top ten finishes in both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the two points-paying races in 2010. In last weekend’s All-Star Race, Carl Edwards won the $1 million dollar prize followed by Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, and Greg Biffle.

My Recommendation To Fantasy Racers…Now that the schedule is back to normal, I would put a lot of emphasis on average practice speeds and ten-lap averages during the final two sessions to determine your rosters. Here’s how each driver did in practice last fall at Charlotte and how they finished. Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards were both two of the fastest in average speed for the recent All-Star race, and one went on to win the race (Edwards) while Biffle finished 5th. Tony Stewart had the best ten-lap average during the All-Star practice and wound up finishing a solid 4th. Be sure to check out my practice breakdown over on www.ifantasyrace.com this week, as it will be more telling as to who has a good car than the recent ones have.

Top Fifteen Ranking Entering The Coca Cola 600:

1. Carl Edwards - Cousin Carl has been pretty much untouchable all season, and I don’t expect that to change this weekend. As you know, Edwards won the All-Star Race last weekend, and while he’s not stellar at Charlotte by any means, he does have an average finish of 11.3 in points-paying races here. He finished 3rd at Texas and won at Las Vegas, so expect Edwards to fight for the win on Sunday night, especially after not getting the finish he deserved at Dover.

2. Kyle Busch - “Rowdy” has never won at Charlotte–and that includes All-Star Races. He is, however, on a seven-race streak of top 10s in points paying races at this track, and the only reason his average career finish here is so low (15.2) is because he wasn’t very good at this track early in his Sprint Cup career. The race is 600 miles on Sunday night (and that doesn’t include practice), so Kyle better hope that the Gibbs engine problem is solved or he will severely disappoint fantasy owners on Sunday night. Busch finished 2nd to Edwards in the All-Star Race last weekend.

3. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth has four straight top 10s at Charlotte and I fully expect that streak to continue this weekend. He finished 6th in the All-Star Race (out of 21) and has a little momentum after “stealing” a win in Dover. His driver rating at Charlotte over the past two years is fourth-best in the series, so Kenseth isn’t getting good finishes here just by dumb luck. He won here in 2000 and has finished outside of the top twenty just 6 times in his 23 career starts at this track.

4. Jimmie Johnson -In the eight points-paying races at Charlotte from 2003 to 2006, “Five Time” finished in the top three in every single race. His career average finish here is right around 9th and he owns six wins at this track. You probably wonder why–with those numbers–Jimmie isn’t ranked number one this week. Well, he didn’t run well at all in the All-Star Race (11th-place finish), and while I know that that race doesn’t particularly translate to how someone will run during the actual race, it’s still the same track. There has never been a points-paying race at Charlotte–that Johnson participated in–that he didn’t lead a lap, so expect JJ to challenge for the lead at least once on Sunday night.

5. Greg Biffle - Load up on the Roush Fords this weekend! They “Big Three” in that stable all looked great in the All-Star Race, and “The Biff” ended up 4th after starting 3rd. His career average finish at Charlotte is 15.5 and he finished 4th at Texas in April. Greg has never won here, but he does have six top 10s in his 16 career starts at this track. He’s been pretty good for the entire season this year, and if you take away some of the problems they had (like the fuel issue at Vegas), could easily be in the top eight in points.

6. Kasey Kahne - Kahne is either going to challenge for a top five on Sunday night, or he’s going to finish in the 30s. I don’t particularly like Red Bull Racing at Charlotte, but his teammate has found some success in that equipment. Kahne’s average finish at Charlotte is right around 13th and he won both races here in 2006. As long as his equipment holds up and nothing crazy happens to the #4 Toyota on Sunday night, a good finish should be expected.

7. Tony Stewart - It’s almost summer, and that’s the time when “Smoke” really starts running well. He finished a respectable 4th in the All-Star Race last weekend, and Tony hasn’t posted a top ten finish in the last six points-paying races at Charlotte, I could easily see that changing this weekend. He has one win here–that came in 2003–and Stewart’s career average finish at this track is 12.2. Watch Stewart’s average speed during practice, as well as his ten-lap average. If he’s near the top in both of those, stick him on your roster.

8. Jeff Gordon - Gordon hasn’t had a top ten since Talladega, so this ranking may be a bit high. If he practices just decent or even below-average, avoid him this week. I don’t like how Gordon is running this season, and pretty much the only time I will take him is if he surprises me in practice. At Charlotte, Jeff has four top 10s in the last six races and owns a career average finish right around 15th–including five wins. In his twenty career top 10s at this track, sixteen have been top 5s, so expect a really strong run or a disappointing finish out of Gordon this weekend.

9. Denny Hamlin - Like I said before, the Gibbs stable better hope that their engines can last for the longest race of the season. Hamlin’s career average finish at Charlotte is 14.6 and he finished 4th here in the fall after ending up 18th in 2010’s Coca Cola 600. The former has been his best finish ever here (All-Star Race included), so don’t expect Hamlin to challenge for the win, but a top ten is possible. He ended up 7th in the All-Star Race last weekend out of 21.

10. Kevin Harvick - I really didn’t know how to rank Harvick this week, so this is probably going to be one of the drivers that will either go way up or way down when I make my post-qualifying predictions. He finished 11th and 8th in the two Charlotte races during the 2010 season, but that was last year when he was having a remarkable season overall. His career average finish at this track is 17.2, but you never know where “The Closer” will end up when it’s all said and done. He finished 9th in the All-Star Race out of 21.

11. Mark Martin - I’m still not liking how Martin is running this season, which is why I have him ranked 11th. He has been good here recently, with a worst finish of 17th over the past four races, but I just don’t see him doing anything spectacular on Sunday night. Martin’s average finish over the course of career at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been right around 15th, and I think he will finish between 11th and 15th on Sunday night.

12. Clint Bowyer - Bowyer finished 2nd at Texas in April and has two top 10s in his past three starts at Charlotte. His best finish here came in 2007 when he finished 2nd and Clint finished 2nd in the All-Star Race last weekend after starting 2nd. A finish between 12th and 15th is likely for Clint this weekend, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he cracked the top ten. He has six top 10s in the last seven races of the year, so he definitely has momentum on his side.

13. Joey Logano - Statistically, this is Logano’s best track, but I don’t think that he will finish as good as his career average finish (6.9). He has three top 10s in his four career starts at Charlotte with a worst finish of 13th, which came last year in the Coca Cola 600. With the way his season has been going, I probably won’t pick him this week, but you can’t go against Joey’s history at this track. He finished 5th in the Showdown last weekend.

14. Jamie McMurray - Jamie Mac’s season has to turn around eventually..right? He finished 2nd and 1st in the two Charlotte races last season, and while I don’t think that he will repeat anywhere near that on Sunday night, this is his third-best track on the circuit (with an average finish of 15th) and a top fifteen is definitely possible. Be sure to watch the #1 Chevy in practice. McMurray finished 17th in the All-Star Race out of 21.

15. David Reutimann - Statistically, this is Reutty’s best track, so he should definitely be in the back of your mind all week. He won 2009’s Coca Cola 600 (although it was rain-shortened) and hasn’t finished worse than 15th since then, including 5th and 9th-place efforts last season. He finished 3rd in the All-Star Race out of 21.

Underdogs Entering The Coca Cola 600:

Regan Smith - Statistically, Charlotte is Smith’s second-best track, and he hasn’t been too terrible for being a C-list driver in Yahoo! He finished 13th here last fall after a 19th-place effort in last year’s Coca Cola 600, and in Regan’s four career starts here, his worst finish has been 23rd.

Marcos Ambrose - Ambrose usually races very well in the Showdown races, but that success doesn’t translate to actual points-paying races. He finished 4th at Las Vegas and 6th at Texas, though, so make sure you watch the #9 Ford in practice.

David Ragan - I really like how Ragan is racing this season and his car looked great when he won the Showdown last weekend. The #6 Ford wound up 8th in the All-Star Race, ahead of Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, and Jimmie Johnson. In the last six points-paying races at this track, David has three top 10s and he finished 7th at Texas in April.

Brian Vickers - Vickers has two finishes of 5th at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he’s pretty inconsistent–and Red Bull Racing is as well. He has three top tens in the last four races, and if he has a good car on Sunday night, Brian could make that four of five.

Those To Avoid Entering The Coca Cola 600:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Junior just isn’t very good at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He looked average in both the Showdown and the All-Star Race, and Little E hasn’t posted a top ten in a points-paying race here since early 2008. Over the past two years, drivers such as Casey Mears, Scott Speed, and Robby Gordon have better average finishes than Earnhardt at this track. Robby Gordon! Pass on the 88 this weekend. He finished 14th out of 21 in the All-Star Race.

Jeff Burton - In the last four points-paying races at Charlotte, Jeff Burton has posted three finishes in the 20s. Those finishes aren’t going to win you any fantasy championships, so stay away from him this week. I would say a mid-teens finish for Burton this week would be the best that he could do.

Kurt Busch - I understand that Kurt Busch was very solid here last spring, but it seems like week in and week out lately the “double deuce” isn’t running up to potential. He’s either really good here or really bad, but and the only way I would recommend him this week would be if he qualified up front and looked great in practice. Kurt finished 13th out of 21 in the All-Star Race.

Brad Keselowski - BK has had a couple of good races recently at Darlington and Dover, but I’m going to wait a while until I really believe that the chemistry between him and crew chief Paul Wolfe will translate to a bunch of success in the Sprint Cup Series. Keselowski finished 20th and 27th at the two Charlotte races in 2010. He finished 18th out of 21 in the All-Star Race.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: Coca Cola 600 from Charlotte

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	Denny Hamlin	18	10.23
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jimmie Johnson	37	10.69
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Jimmie Johnson	37	14.15
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Jimmie Johnson	37	14.23
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Kurt Busch	1	16.00
Eric McGuire	free agent	Jimmie Johnson	37	14.23
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Kyle Busch	3	8.08
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	18	14.38
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Jimmie Johnson	37	16.46
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	37	16.92
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Kurt Busch	1	11.46
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	37	18.77
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jimmie Johnson	37	15.69
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kyle Busch	3	13.00
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	3	10.23
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	3	10.46
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	Jimmie Johnson	37	15.46
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kyle Busch	3	11.46
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Kurt Busch	1	14.38

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Expert Darkhorse Picks: Coca Cola 600

The On Pit Row fantasy racing experts opinions of the best Sprint Cup driver currently outside the top 12 in Sprint Cup Series points, for this weekends race.

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Brad Keselowski	20	17.15
James Jones	On Pit Row	Ryan Newman	9	10.31
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	Casey Mears	29	21.23
Dennis Mickelson	RaceTalkRadio.com	Martin Truex Jr	23	12.31
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Tony Stewart	15	12.08
Jerry Lagger Eric McGuire	One and Done Game Winner Free agent	Joey Logano Juan Pablo Montoya	13 38	13.23 13.54
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	12	11.85
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Ryan Newman	9	8.62
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Kasey Kahne	12	11.08
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	A J Allmendinger	14	10.85
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	David Reutimann	5	11.92
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Tony Stewart	15	12.23
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Clint Bowyer	7	17.92
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	12	20.15
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Joey Logano	13	11.54
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Tony Stewart	15	13.69
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	David Reutimann	5	20.31
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Kasey Kahne	12	10.38

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Coca Cola 600 from Charlotte

Two races have already been held on 1.5-mile cookie-cutter tracks with 24 degrees of corner banking, similar to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The results from Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway should play an important role to making fantasy selections. The wear on each of these tracks will cause the speeds to vary, but the skills and setup required to succeed are similar.

Top 10 Drivers thus far on 1.5 mi x 24° tracks

	ATL	TX	AVG
Kurt Busch	1	4	2.5
Kasey Kahne	4	5	4.5
Jimmie Johnson	12	2	7
Kevin Harvick	9	7	8
Greg Biffle	8	10	9
A.J. Allmendinger	6	13	9.5
Denny Hamlin	21	1	11
Matt Kenseth	2	20	11
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	15	8	11.5

Chasing the pole at Charlotte

1. Jimmie Johnson… Started fifth in last year’s spring race at Charlotte, won the pole in the fall
2. Ryan Newman… Won the pole in last year’s spring race at Charlotte, started sixth in the fall.
3. Kasey Kahne… Started sixth and third last year at Charlotte. Started fourth at Atlanta, fifth at Texas.

Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings.

• Y! A/B/C - The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
• Value play - Sneaky plays at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternatives in allocation formats.

1. Jimmie Johnson… Six-time winner (10/99, ‘05 sweep, ‘04 sweep, 5/03) at Charlotte. Average finish of 8.6 in 17 career starts at Charlotte, had led at least six laps in 16 straight. Y!-A1
2. Jeff Gordon… Five-time winner (10/07, 10/99, 5/98, 5/97, 5/94) at Charlotte. Average finish of 6.2 over the last five races at Charlotte, 183 laps led. Y!-A2
3. Kurt Busch… Won at Atlanta, fourth at Texas. Y!-A3
4. Kyle Busch… Has finished eighth or better in six of the last seven races at Charlotte. Y!-A4
5. Denny Hamlin… Average running position of 15th or better in six of the last eight races at Charlotte. ATL 21st, TX 1st.
6. Kevin Harvick… Finished ninth at Atlanta, seventh at Texas. Y!-B1
7. Matt Kenseth… Won 5/00 race at Charlotte, finished 10th and second last year. Y!-B2
8. Kasey Kahne… Three-time winner (5/08, ‘06 sweep) at Charlotte. Average finish of 5.8 since ‘06. ATL 4th, TX 5th. Y!-B3
9. Greg Biffle… Finished 20th and 16th last year at Charlotte, second and seventh in 2008. ATL eighth, TX 10th.
10. David Reutimann… Won 5/09 race at Charlotte, finished 15th in the fall. Y!-B4
11. Jeff Burton… Three-time winner (10/08, 5/01, 5/99) at Charlotte. Five Top 10 finishes in the last 10 races at Charlotte. Y!-B5
12. Ryan Newman… Finished second and 11th last year at Charlotte. ATL 17th, TX 11th. Y!-B6
13. Mark Martin… Four-time winner (5/02, 10/98, 10/95, 10/92) at Charlotte. Finished 17th in both races last year at Charlotte. Average running position of 15th or better in 10 straight.
14. Tony Stewart… Won 10/03 race at Charlotte. Average finish of 12.4 in the last seven races at Charlotte.
15. Carl Edwards… Has finished ninth and fourth in the last two spring races at Charlotte, 33rd and 39th in the fall.
16. Juan Pablo Montoya… Finished a career-best eighth in last year’s spring race at Charlotte, only Top 20 finish in six career starts.
17. Clint Bowyer… Average finish of 19.0 in eight career starts at Charlotte. Y!-B7
18. Joey Logano… Finished ninth and fifth last year at Charlotte. Y!-B8
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Average running position of 37th in both races last year at Charlotte. ATL 15th, TX 8th
20. AJ Allmendinger… Strong value play. Only one Top 15 finish in six career starts at Charlotte. ATL 6th, TX 13th. Y!-C1
21. Martin Truex Jr…. Average running position of 18th or better in six straight races at Charlotte.
22. Brad Keselowski… Started eighth, finished 12th in last year’s fall race at Charlotte.
23. Jamie McMurray… Won 10/02 race at Charlotte. Only two Top 10 finishes at Charlotte since ‘06. Average finish of 17.6 in 15 career starts.
24. Scott Speed… Finished 10th at Atlanta, 16th at Texas. Y!-C2
25. Marcos Ambrose… Average finish of 24.0 last at Charlotte. ATL 11th, TX 17th.
26. Sam Hornish Jr…. Has finished 13th and 16th in the last two spring races at Charlotte. Average finish of 22.8 in four career starts. Y!-C3
27. Paul Menard… Average finish of 26.5 in six career starts at Charlotte. Y!-C4
28. Bill Elliott… Long shot value play. Finished 15th, 29th last year at Charlotte. ATL 16th, TX 25th
29. Regan Smith… Average finish of 21.0 in ‘08 at Charlotte, no starts last year. ATL 14th, TX 21st
30. David Stremme… Average finish of 21.3 in seven career starts at Charlotte.
31. David Ragan… Average finish of 22.0 last year at Charlotte.
32. Bobby Labonte… Two-time winner at Charlotte. Finished 22nd at Atlanta, 23rd at Texas.
33. Casey Mears… Won 5/07 race at Charlotte, only one Top 10 since.
34. Elliott Sadler… Average finish of 25.6 in 23 career starts at Charlotte.
35. David Gilliland… Average finish of 26.0 last year at Charlotte.
36. Travis Kvapil… Finished 30th at Atlanta, 24th at Texas.
37. Kevin Conway… Finished 31st at Atlanta, 27th at Texas.
38. Robby Gordon… Average finish of 27.9 in 19 career starts at Charlotte.
39. Max Papis… Finished 34th at Atlanta, 22nd at Texas.
40. Tommy Baldwin Racing TBA entry (Johnny Sauter?)… Possible start and park.
41. J.J. Yeley… Likely start and park.
42. Reed Sorenson… Likely start and park.
43. Mike Bliss… Likely start and park.
44. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park.
45. Michael McDowell… Likely start and park.
46. Dave Blaney… Likely start and park.
47. Todd Bodine… Likely start and park.

From Dancing with the Stars to Dancing with the Cars

 

Gold-Medal Gymnast and “Dancing with the Stars” Champion Joins Festivities to Celebrate Historic 50^th Running of NASCAR^®’s Longest Race

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 21, 2009 – As a world champion gymnast, celebrity dancer and honor roll student, Shawn Johnson is used to living life in the fast lane, but things will get much faster this weekend when she is introduced to the world of NASCAR^â. 

Johnson has been named an Honorary Race Official for one of NASCAR^®’s crown jewels, the Coca-Cola 600.  Johnson will be on hand to help celebrate the historic 50^th running of NASCAR’s longest race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 24
(5:00 p.m. EST on FOX).

The 17-year-old Johnson won four medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, then came home and won America’s heart as the youngest-ever winner of the popular ABC television show “Dancing with the Stars.” As an Honorary Race Official for the Coca-Cola 600, Johnson will take part in a number of activities, including interacting with fans, attending the driver’s meeting and greeting all of the drivers during pre-race introductions.

During weekend events, Johnson will get a true NASCAR^® experience when she climbs into an actual race car for a 160 mph ride-along with fan favorite and Coca-Cola Racing Family member Kyle Petty. She’ll also tour the garage at Lowe’s Motor Speedway where she’ll try her hand at typical pit crew jobs such as jacking a car, working an air wrench and changing tires.

Johnson has been featured on Olympic-themed packaging as one of the Coca-Cola “Six-Pack” of Olympic Athletes. She also serves as a Coca-Cola “Ambassador of Active Living” to help encourage and inspire people to lead active, balanced lives.

The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest continuous race sponsorship in NASCAR^â. Coca-Cola is the Official Sparkling Beverage of NASCAR^â and has been involved with stock car racing for more than 40 years. A signature part of Coca-Cola’s innovative NASCAR^â program is the Coca-Cola Racing Family – a group of top drivers that includes Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Petty, David Ragan, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip, Aric Almirola and Joey Logano.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, POWERADE, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our Web site at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Coca Cola 600 at Lowes Motorspeedway

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	13	7.9
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Tony Stewart	19	8.9
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Tony Stewart	19	10.2
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Mark Martin	17	10.4
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jimmie Johnson	13	11.4
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Jeff Gordon	14	11.5
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Jeff Gordon	14	11.5
Eric Brewer		Jimmie Johnson	13	11.8
Gerrit Ritt	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	13	12.3
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	19	13.6
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Ryan Newman	2	13.7
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jimmie Johnson	13	14.4
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Brian Vickers	5	16.8
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Jeff Burton	25	17.5
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jeff Gordon	14	17.8
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Tony Stewart	19	19.2
Eric McClung	KFFL Fantasy NASCAR Blog	Mark Martin	17	19.6

The Chase Returns Home to Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Lowe’s Motor Speedway was the first of NASCAR’s venues to sell naming rights and change its name from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The one and half mile long quad-oval track seats 167,000 people, with room for 50,000 more race fans in the infield.  Completed in 1959, it was the first speedway to host nighttime superspeedway racing beginning in 1992, and to offer year-round residences with 52 condominiums available over turn one.  Owned by Speedway Motorsports; which has its corporate headquarters on the same property, the speedway is considered to be the home track for the far majority of NASCAR teams who are based within fifty  miles.

Along with the main oval, the speedway also has a 2.25 mile road course in the infield, a 0 .6 mile kart track in the infield, a quarter-mile oval using part of the front stretch and pit road, and an 0.2 mile oval outside turn three. Also, across the street from the speedway, is a 0.4 mile dirt track that opened in May 2000.

Amazingly most of the records held at Lowe’s are held by many of the past heros of the sport.  Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip shore the lead with six wins each.  Allison also shares the most top fives with Richard Petty; while The King also has the most top tens, with thirty-one and most starts with sixty-four.  Allison has led the most laps, while David Pearson holds the record for most poles with fourteen.

In 2005, the surface of the circuit had started to wear from its last paving in mid-1994, resulting in the track’s treatment in a diamond-grinding process to smooth out bumps. This process of levigation, caused major tire problems during both Sprint Cup Series events with a record 22 cautions at the Coca-Cola 600. It was the first Sprint Cup Series race to go more than five hours in 25 years. Speed increases, as a result of the levigation caused the tire problems that resulted in the speedway being repaved in 2006.

In the past seventeen races dating back through 2000, Jimmy Johnson is the biggest winner among Chase drivers with five.  The only other multiple winner over that time period is non-chaser, Kasey Kahne.  The remaining wins have been spread among nine different drivers including Chase participants Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth,  Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart.

This could be the race where non-chase drivers have the best chance at a win.  Kasey Kahne especially has proven he can win on the prototype for the cookie cutter tracks.  Kahne proved his mettle as recently as the All-Star event this year.  Once again though Jimmy Johnson would be the best bet of the Chase contenders to bring home a win.

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

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