NASCAR’s longest event, the Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) is being held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson won last year, it was his seventh in Charlotte, breaking the track record of Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip. Here are six fun facts about the track:
- The first NASCAR Spring Cup race was held there on June 19, 1960, (Joe Lee Johnson won).
- On December 8, 1961, the speedway filed bankruptcy notice. In 1967, the speedway’s mortgage was paid in full.
- In 1992, the track became the first modern superspeedway to host night racing.
- The track was repaved in 1994, and then again before the 2006 season.
- The track was originally named Charlotte Motor Speedway but changed to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999, making it the first race track in the country with a corporate sponsor. It changed back for the 2010 season.
- 45 different drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson has won the most (7) including four Coca-Cola 600 wins (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2014).
The NASCAR Spring Cup Series from Charlotte Motor Speedway will be broadcast on FOX on Sunday, May 24 beginning at 5:30pm.
