HARRISBURG, N.C. — Despite being the longest and most grueling event on the NASCAR schedule, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway has a history of producing first-time Cup Series winners.
Seven drivers, three of whom have been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, scored their first Cup Series victory in the crown jewel event.
Here’s how they did it.
David Pearson: In a stunning upset, 26-year-old David Pearson led the final 129 laps and crossed the finish line in a shower of sparks as the driver from Spartanburg, S.C., scored his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 1961 Coca-Cola 600.
Pearson nearly saw the win slip away when a tire blew on his No. 3 Pontiac during the final moments of the 600-mile grind.
The crash-filled race was slowed by seven caution flags for 57 laps and Pearson’s margin of victory was more than two laps over Fireball Roberts.
Pearson added Coca-Cola 600 victories in 1974 and ’76.
Jeff Gordon: A bold, calculated call by crew chief Ray Evernham to change only two right-side tires on their final pit stop propelled 22-year-old Jeff Gordon to his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600.
Driving Rick Hendrick’s No. 24 Chevrolet, Gordon started from the pole but led only a handful of laps before taking command of the race when Ricky Rudd pitted on lap 392 of 400.
Rusty Wallace was the class of the field, leading 187 laps, but Gordon’s much quicker pit stop was the key to victory.
Gordon also notched Coca-Cola 600 triumphs in 1997 and ’98.
Bobby Labonte: The Labonte family certainly had reason to celebrate following the 1995 Coca-Cola 600 as Bobby Labonte recorded his first NASCAR Cup Series victory with older brother Terry chasing him across the finish line.
In his first season behind the wheel of the No. 18 Chevrolet fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing, Bobby Labonte assumed command of the race on lap 358 of 400 when Ken Schrader, who had led 169 laps, blew an engine.
Once in command, Labonte never looked back, beating his brother to the checkered flag by 6.28 seconds.
Matt Kenseth: A graduate of the tough Wisconsin short tracks, Matt Kenseth became the first NASCAR Cup Series rookie to win the Coca-Cola 600 when he topped the 2000 edition of the crown jewel event.
Driving Jack Roush’s No. 17 Ford, Kenseth ran a mostly conservative race, apparently saving his equipment for a late-race charge. Following the final round of pit stops, he took the lead from Bobby Labonte on lap 375 and was never seriously challenged.
“Man, I can’t believe how good that race car was,” Kenseth said. “(Crew chief) Robbie (Reiser) and the guys did a great job.”
Casey Mears: Executing a fuel-mileage gamble orchestrated by crew chief Darian Grubb, Casey Mears stretched his final tank of gas to the absolute limit as the native of Bakersfield, Calif., claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 2007 Coca-Cola 600.
Driving the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Mears inherited the lead on lap 395 when Denny Hamlin was the last of the contenders to make a green flag pit stop for a splash of gas.
Mears slowed his pace during the closing laps but still beat J.J. Yeley to the checkered flag by more than nine seconds.
David Reutimann: David Reutimann, a second-generation racer, scored the biggest victory of his career when he won the rain-plagued 2009 Coca-Cola 600.
Postponed until Monday afternoon due to rain, the milestone 50th running of the 600 continued to battle weather issues through the first 300 miles.
Reutimann, driving the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, inherited the lead when his team opted not to pit during a caution period for rain on lap 221. The red flag was waved six laps later when the moisture increased.
NASCAR officials eventually threw in the towel, and Reutimann earned the victory without leading a green flag lap.
Austin Dillon: In a race that extended into Monday morning, Austin Dillon stretched his fuel mileage just enough to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600.
Dillon saved enough fuel to go the distance and score the first win for Richard Childress Racing’s iconic No. 3 Chevrolet since Dale Earnhardt won in October 2000.
The strategic move — championed by new crew chief Justin Alexander — put the fourth-year driver in position to win when Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas on lap 399. Dillon was the only driver in the top five not to pit over the final 60 laps.
Will this elite fraternity gain an eighth member on Sunday evening, May 29? After celebrating three new winners — Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Ross Chastain — in the first six races of the Next Gen era, it’s a strong possibility.
These are our picks for Memorial Day weekend: Coca-Cola 600, Tyler Reddick; Indianapolis 500, Josef Newgarden; Monaco Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz Jr.; and Little 500, Kody Swanson.