Remembering the wildest Coke 600 in NASCAR historical past

In terms of iconic NASCAR races, the 2005 operating of NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 is up there as one of many wilded and most weird. It was Might twenty ninth, 2005, just a few hours after Dan Wheldon had received his first Indianapolis 500 earlier within the day.

43 drivers took half in NASCAR’s longest race and thru 5+ hours of chaos, it got here right down to an growing old champion looking for one final second of glory and a brand new celebrity on the cusp of greatness.

The race kicked off within the daylight with Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon main the sphere to the inexperienced flag. Seven laps have been run earlier than the warning flew and the protection autos have been deployed in what could be a really busy night time for them. Martin Truex Jr. rubbed the wall and whereas it was nothing main, it was the start of essentially the most caution-filled race in NASCAR historical past.

The primary 100 laps have been pretty subdued and nothing peculiar occurred. However as Kyle Busch defended the lead towards then-teammate Gordon, a multi-car pileup ensued on the backstretch. No huge names collected, however the free cross did go to 2000 NASCAR Cup Sequence champion Bobby Labonte, who had began again in thirty fourth. And you are going to need to keep in mind that identify for later. 

Chaos reigns

Issues started to unravel from that time onward. The race might hardly go 20 laps with out an incident. Ten cautions flew between lap 115 and 240. Maybe essentially the most notable incident occurred on the 247th lap, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and then-teammate Michael Waltrip have been battling for place. A misjudged crossover transfer by Earnhardt despatched Waltrip spinning wildly down the frontstretch, destroying each vehicles within the course of. Former Cup champions Matt Kenseth and Terry Labonte additionally bought swept up within the mess and had their nights ended prematurely. Terry’s brother Bobby was in a position to weave via the chaos and simply barely keep away from the out-of-control race vehicles. 

When the race returned to inexperienced flag situations, the carnage started to subside (for the second) and everybody lastly bought the prospect to take a breath after 375 miles of virtually continuous destruction. The cautions continued to trickle in, however they have been for minor issues corresponding to a bit of particles or oil on the observe. However when Kasey Kahne blew a proper entrance tire and threw particles all around the observe, NASCAR was pressured to show the yellow as soon as extra. How was this yellow extra vital than the others? Properly, it occurred in the midst of inexperienced flag pit stops and similar to that, the operating order was turned the other way up.

The race-altering yellow

All 4 Hendrick vehicles have been trapped deep within the operating order, as have been many different prime contenders. One driver was informed to pit by his crew chief seconds earlier than the warning was displayed, however that driver referred to as an audible and determined to attend after seeing Kahne limping round on the apron. That driver could be veteran Bobby Labonte, who now ran second to Carl Edwards. With the principles as they have been again then, vehicles that stayed out to get a lap again weren’t waved across the tempo automotive. As a substitute, they restarted simply forward of the leaders on the tail-end of the lead lap, placing Edwards and Labonte in the midst of the sphere — and the attention of the storm.

On lap 364, Joe Nemehcek fought his approach via the visitors and took over the race lead. With the drivers drained and the race operating extremely late, tempers started to flare. Below warning, Edwards and Dale Jarrett bought right into a shoving match with their vehicles over some earlier contact.

One other large pileup passed off with simply twenty laps remaining. Seven vehicles in complete obtained harm together with notables corresponding to Gordon, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, and Mark Martin. Jimmie Johnson was fortunate to be instantly in entrance of the accident as few behind it made it via. That wreck formally broke the previous NASCAR file for cautions in a single Cup race, and so they weren’t even accomplished tearing up gear but.

Brian Vickers, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet harm

Picture by: Getty Pictures

As for Johnson, he had been quietly avoiding drama all through the race. He entered the occasion as the favourite, and never simply because the observe was referred to as Lowe’s Motor Speedway on the time, which was additionally his main sponsor. Johnson was the defending winner of the Coke 600 and swept each races at Charlotte the earlier 12 months. He was now one of many few drivers left standing within the closing laps.

And this race wasn’t accomplished shocking us simply but. Because the laps ticked right down to below ten laps remaining, race chief Nemechek misplaced management and backed it into the wall as a consequence of a tire failure. His mangled No. 01 machine slid down the observe and instantly into the trail of Johnson. The No. 48 by some means made it via the blinding smoke, inches away from what would have been a horrible impression. 

Joe Nemechek crashes from the lead

Picture by: Getty Pictures

The lead was put into the palms of none aside from Bobby Labonte. That weekend was bizarre for him, even earlier than the inexperienced flag flew. His vibrant inexperienced Interstate Batteries automotive was changed with FedEx colours for this race as a result of his teammate Jason Leffler, who had initially carried the scheme, did not qualify for the occasion. The corporate then made an uncommon cope with Gibbs to be positioned on the No. 18 automotive. Labonte was additionally going through a winless streak that dated again to the tip of the 2003 season and he was desperate to return to Victory Lane.

Labonte fights to the bitter finish

The race was red-flagged with 9 laps to go and the commentators determined to talk with Labonte, however as they shortly discovered, he wasn’t within the temper for chatting.

“You bought me Bobby?” … “Yeah.” … “Do you assume you’ll be able to maintain him off?”… “I am gonna attempt.” … “How good is your automotive? Pretty much as good as it has been all night time I assume?” … “Yeah.”

He was so centered on the mission forward of him, figuring out he had the inferior automotive. However he was not about to bow down within the face of such odds. That weekend was additionally the tenth anniversary of Labonte’s first win on the Cup stage, which got here at this identical race in 1995. He knew that behind him, he had a hungry rookie in Edwards and Johnson’s Hendrick-powered No. 48. Johnson additionally had barely more energizing tires than these forward of him.

The race resumed with simply six laps left. Johnson shortly moved ahead, taking second with 4 laps and 6 miles left to run Labonte down. Properly, he was on him in a single lap. 

Labonte fought with every part he had, however he additionally had a repute as one of many cleanest drivers within the subject. He wasn’t about to get bodily on this tense battle for the win. Johnson despatched it to the within of Labonte in Flip 1 on the ultimate lap, however he bought too tight and needed to carry. It regarded as if the battle was over, however Johnson was not completed but. He despatched it deep into the ultimate set of corners on the skin, sparks flying out from below his No. 48 Chevrolet. He clawed ahead, pulling alongside Labonte out of Flip 4 because the stands erupted with digicam flashes.

On the line, simply 0.027s separated them within the closest end in all the 65-year historical past of the Coke 600. Johnson loved the candy style of Victory Lane champagne that night time, whereas Labonte endured the bitter agony of defeat, kicking the facet of his automotive in disgust. It was not the celebration he had hoped for to commemorate his first NASCAR Cup win from ten years prior. And as destiny would have it, Labonte raced on for an additional decade, and by no means received once more.

The forty sixth operating of the Coca Cola 600 was a riveting, however weird occasion that lasted 5 hours and 13 minutes. It featured a file variety of cautions at 22, which has but to be beat. 21 of the 43 drivers that began the race led at one level and the driving force who led essentially the most laps [Vickers] by no means even made it to the end. And when the smoke cleared, solely 36 inches stood between the primary and second place vehicles. It signified the clashing of two eras with Labonte, one of many final stars of the Winston Cup period dropping to the person who would flip the newly launched NASCAR playoffs into his private playground.

And whereas there have been loads of bizarre and wild Coke 600s, nothing compares to what went on this Sunday night in 2005.