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Lowe's Motor Speedway
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Coca-Cola
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1960
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600 miles (966 km)
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400
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/TV/1985" class="copylinks">1985 )
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The (formerly '''World 600''') is a six hundred mile (966 km)
Stock Car race held annually at
Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly ''Charlotte Motor Speedway'') in
Charlotte, North Carolina on
Memorial Day weekend. It is the longest
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race and in fact is the longest regularly-scheduled motor race conducted over an oval circuit anywhere in the world.
The event was begun as an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend event that would rival the open-wheel
Indianapolis 500 in fan interest and it has succeeded to a large degree, gaining larger TV ratings than the Indianapolis race since 2002, although that did not happen in 2005. It was not until 1974, however, that both races competed head-to-head on the same day. Prior to 1974, the two races were held on different days of the week, and on a few occasions, some drivers drove in both.
Since installation of lights in 1992, fans complained to circuit management because of the notorious North Carolina heat and humidity, and the forced early (12 noon, sometimes 12:35 p.m.) starts to beat sunset, they wanted to follow The Winston's popularity the previous week and switch the race to a nighttime finish in order to create cooler temperatures for spectators, in order that they not bask in sometimes dangerous heat. The start time was moved to 4 p.m. in 1993, and moved to 4:30 p.m. in 1994, and by 1997, the start time had been moved to 6 p.m.. However, with the NASCAR television contract in 2001, the race start was moved back to 5:30 p.m. in order to have the race finish by 10 p.m. ET, to allow the race to precede local news on Fox affiliates.
The nighttime portion of the race lit with a system that uses parabolic reflectors so that dangerous glare that would otherwise be in the drivers' eyes is minimized. The move of the race to the early evening made it possible for drivers to participate in both events by flying from Indianapolis to Charlotte as soon as the Indianapolis race was over. Experts disagree over whether, for health and safety reasons, anyone should be allowed to race 1100 miles in one day, but no regulation has been passed yet by any governing body to prevent it. Beginning with the 2005 races, the issue may be moot anyway as the start time for Indianapolis 500 was moved back one hour to in an effort to gain higher TV ratings. This resulted in only about a one hour span between the end of the Indianapolis race and the start of the Charlotte race.
''See also:''
List Of Current NASCAR Races
On Sunday, May 29, 2005, a new record for the most cautions of any
NASCAR race was set at 22 cautions. In addition, there was one red flag. During that race Jimmie Johnson slid past
Bobby Labonte on the final turn. He became the first driver ever to win 3 races in a row on this event.
