# 2008 Coca-Cola 600

The 2008 Coca-Cola 600, the 49th running of the event, was a NASCAR stock car race held on May 25, 2008, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The race was the twelfth stock car race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The 400-lap race was won by Kasey Kahne of the Gillett Evernham Motorsports team, who started from the 2nd position. Greg Biffle finished second and Kyle Busch came in third.

## Background

The Coca-Cola 600 was the twelfth scheduled stock car race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, out of 36, and the 49th iteration of the event. It was held on May 25, 2008, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Lowe's Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located thirteen miles from Charlotte, North Carolina in Concord, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad-oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, the Nextel All-Star Challenge, and the Bank of America 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI). Following the 2008 Coca-Cola 600, Humpy Wheeler retired as track president.

## Entry list

| Car | Driver | Hometown | Make | Sponsor | Owner | Team |
| 00 | Michael McDowell | Phoenix, AZ | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine | Rob Kauffman | Michael Waltrip Racing |
| 01 | Regan Smith | Cato, NY | Chevrolet | DEI / Principal Financial Group | Teresa Earnhardt | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr | Mayetta, NJ | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker | Teresa Earnhardt | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | Las Vegas, NV | Dodge | Miller Lite | Walter Czarnecki | Penske Racing |
| 5 | Casey Mears | Bakersfield, CA | Chevrolet | CARQUEST / Kellogg's | Mary Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 6 | David Ragan | Unadilla, GA | Ford | AAA Insurance | Mike Dee | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 07 | Clint Bowyer | Emporia, KS | Chevrolet | Jack Daniel's / USO "Toast to the Troops" | Richard Childress | Richard Childress Racing |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Bellflower, CA | Dodge | Jim Beam | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports |
| 08 | Tony Raines | LaPorte, IN | Dodge | getFUBAR.com | John Carter | E&M Motorsports |
| 8 | Mark Martin | Batesville, AR | Chevrolet | U.S. Army "Salute the Troops" | Teresa Earnhardt | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Enumclaw, WA | Dodge | Budweiser | George Gillett Jr | Evernham Motorsports |
| 10 | Patrick Carpentier | Ville Lasalle, Quebec, Canada | Dodge | LifeLock | George Gillett Jr | Evernham Motorsports |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chesterfield, VA | Toyota | FedEx Freight | J D Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | South Bend, IN | Dodge | Alltel | Roger Penske | Penske Racing |
| 15 | Paul Menard | Eau Claire, WI | Chevrolet | Johns Manville / Menards | Teresa Earnhardt | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Vancouver, WA | Ford | DISH Network / DishDVRs | Jack Roush | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Cambridge, WI | Ford | R+L Carriers | John Henry | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Las Vegas, NV | Toyota | M&M's | Joe Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 19 | Elliott Sadler | Emporia, VA | Dodge | Best Buy / Garmin | Ray Evernham | Evernham Motorsports |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Rushville, IN | Toyota | The Home Depot | Joe Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 21 | Jon Wood | Stuart, VA | Ford | U.S. Air Force "Salute the Troops" | Glen Wood | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 22 | Dave Blaney | Hartford, OH | Toyota | Caterpillar | Bill Davis | Bill Davis Racing |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Vallejo, CA | Chevrolet | DuPont | Rick Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 26 | Jamie McMurray | Joplin, MO | Ford | IRWIN Industrial Tools | Geoff Smith | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 28 | Travis Kvapil | Janesville, WI | Ford | Lumber Liquidators | Doug Yates | Yates Racing |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Bakersfield, CA | Chevrolet | Shell / Pennzoil | Richard Childress | Richard Childress Racing |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | South Boston, VA | Chevrolet | AT&T Mobility | Richard Childress | Richard Childress Racing |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Fenton, MO | Chevrolet | Camping World / RVs.com | Richard Childress | Richard Childress Racing |
| 34 | Jeff Green | Owensboro, KY | Chevrolet | Gibson Custom Guitars | Bob Jenkins | Front Row Motorsports |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Riverside, CA | Ford | FreeCreditReport.com | Max Jones | Yates Racing |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Columbia, TN | Dodge | Wii Fit / Target | Felix Sabates | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | Peachtree City, GA | Dodge | Target | Chip Ganassi | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Bogota, Colombia | Dodge | Texaco / Havoline | Floyd Ganassi | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 43 | Bobby Labonte | Corpus Christi, TX | Dodge | Cheerios / Trix / Lucky & Friends | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises |
| 44 | David Reutimann | Zephyrhills, FL | Toyota | UPS | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Trinity, NC | Dodge | Coca-Cola celebrates 2008 Olympics | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | El Cajon, CA | Chevrolet | Lowe's | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 50 | Stanton Barrett | Bishop, CA | Chevrolet | NOS Energy Drink / SKI / SBM | Chris Lencheski | SKI Motorsports |
| 55 | Michael Waltrip | Owensboro, KY | Toyota | NAPA AUTO PARTS | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing |
| 66 | Scott Riggs | Bahama, NC | Chevrolet | Haas Automation | Joe Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 70 | Johnny Sauter | Necedah, WI | Chevrolet | Haas Automation | Margaret Haas | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 77 | Sam Hornish Jr | Defiance, OH | Dodge | Mobil 1 | Roger Penske | Penske Racing |
| 78 | Joe Nemechek | Lakeland, FL | Chevrolet | Furniture Row / DenverMattress.com | Barney Visser | Furniture Row Racing |
| 83 | Brian Vickers | Thomasville, NC | Toyota | Red Bull | Dietrich Mateschitz | Red Bull Racing Team |
| 84 | AJ Allmendinger | Los Gatos, CA | Toyota | Red Bull | Dietrich Mateschitz | Red Bull Racing Team |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Kannapolis, NC | Chevrolet | National Guard / AMP Energy | Rick Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 96 | JJ Yeley | Phoenix, AZ | Toyota | DLP HDTV | Jeffrey Moorad | Hall of Fame Racing |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Columbia, MO | Ford | Office Depot | Jack Roush | Roush Fenway Racing |

## Qualifying

There were a total of three practice sessions prior to the race. During the first session on Thursday, May 22, 2008, David Ragan had the fastest speed at 181.622 mph. Before Saturday's first practice session, both Haas CNC Racing cars - the No. 66 of Scott Riggs and the No. 70 Johnny Sauter - were impounded by NASCAR officials and taken to the research and development center for illegal wing adjustments. As a result, they were forced to drive backup cars and start at the rear of the starting lineup. Both teams were also charged a US $100,000 fine in addition to having their crew chiefs suspended for the next six races starting at Dover and running through Daytona.
The second practice session took place on Saturday, May 24, 2008, with Greg Biffle taking the top position with a speed of 180.282 mph. Brian Vickers had the fastest practice speed at 180.735 mph during the third and final practice session on Saturday. Kyle Busch won the Coors Light Pole, currently known as the Busch Pole Award, with a speed of 185.433 mph for his second pole of 2008 and the fourth of his career. He began on P-1 with Sprint All-Star Race XXIV champion Kasey Kahne next to him filling out the front row.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 29.121 | 185.433 |
| 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | 29.142 | 185.300 |
| 3 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | 29.150 | 185.249 |
| 4 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 29.194 | 184.969 |
| 5 | 6 | David Ragan | Ford | 29.273 | 184.470 |
| 6 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Chevrolet | 29.278 | 184.439 |
| 7 | 8 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | 29.319 | 184.181 |
| 8 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | 29.331 | 184.106 |
| 9 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Dodge | 29.352 | 183.974 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 29.360 | 183.924 |
| 11 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Toyota | 29.373 | 183.842 |
| 12 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | 29.383 | 183.780 |
| 13 | 66 | Scott Riggs | Chevrolet | 29.400 | 183.673 |
| 14 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 29.409 | 183.617 |
| 15 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | 29.415 | 183.580 |
| 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 29.435 | 183.455 |
| 17 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | 29.437 | 183.443 |
| 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 29.438 | 183.436 |
| 19 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 29.439 | 183.430 |
| 20 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr | Dodge | 29.452 | 183.349 |
| 21 | 5 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | 29.464 | 183.275 |
| 22 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Dodge | 29.474 | 183.212 |
| 23 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Dodge | 29.476 | 183.200 |
| 24 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr | Chevrolet | 29.481 | 183.169 |
| 25 | 15 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 29.487 | 183.132 |
| 26 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | 29.499 | 183.057 |
| 27 | 84 | AJ Allmendinger | Toyota | 29.532 | 182.852 |
| 28 | 44 | David Reutimann | Toyota | 29.552 | 182.729 |
| 29 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | 29.558 | 182.692 |
| 30 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 29.643 | 182.168 |
| 31 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | 29.652 | 182.113 |
| 32 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 29.667 | 182.020 |
| 33 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Chevrolet | 29.673 | 181.984 |
| 34 | 10 | Patrick Carpentier | Dodge | 29.692 | 181.867 |
| 35 | 96 | JJ Yeley | Toyota | 29.715 | 181.726 |
| 36 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | 29.717 | 181.714 |
| 37 | 01 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | 29.719 | 181.702 |
| 38 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | 29.747 | 181.531 |
| 39 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | 29.755 | 181.482 |
| 40 | 00 | Michael McDowell | Toyota | 29.758 | 181.464 |
| 41 | 28 | Travis Kvapil | Ford | 29.974 | 180.156 |
| 42 | 42 | Juan Montoya | Dodge | 30.080 | 179.521 |
| 43 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | 29.761 | 181.446 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||
| 44 | 34 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | 29.774 | 181.366 |
| 45 | 50 | Stanton Barrett | Chevrolet | 29.982 | 180.108 |
| 46 | 21 | Jon Wood | Ford | 29.991 | 180.054 |
| 47 | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 30.061 | 179.635 |
| 48 | 08 | Tony Raines | Dodge | 30.739 | 175.673 |
Failed to Qualify: Jeff Green (No. 34), Stanton Barrett (No. 50), Jon Wood (No. 21), Joe Nemechek (No. 78) and Tony Raines (No. 08).

## Race recap

The 2008 Coca-Cola 600 began with a scheduled green flag at 5:45 p.m. EST. The race award was set at approximately $6,648,557. The Car of Tomorrow had a successful race following its initial introduction at the 2007 Food City 500, and a record number of green flag passes was set with the average green flag run lasting 29.2 laps. Kyle Busch led for the first 33 laps and lost his lead to Brian Vickers until a cut tire sent Vickers into the turn 4 wall while leading the field by an entire backstretch. Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Busch then traded the lead amongst themselves several times after Vickers fell out of contention. Kurt Busch held the longest lead of the race from laps 67 to 119 which totaled to 53 laps led in one consecutive run. Dale Earnhardt Jr. maintained the most laps led throughout at 76 laps. There was a total of 39 lead changes during the race with 16 different drivers leading a lap. Johnson, who was leading late in the race, fell out of the race after experiencing engine failure that caused him to finish 39th. Robby Gordon and Patrick Carpentier also had engine trouble, and Paul Menard was eliminated from the running due to his car overheating. Approximately 12.5% of the race was run under caution, including five turning related accidents and three cautions citing debris.
After pit stops cycled through with 10 laps to go, Tony Stewart led the 2nd place car of Kasey Kahne by a large margin. Stewart cut a tire while leading with 2 laps to go, putting the victory in the lap of Kahne. With his eighth career win, Kahne completed the Charlotte sweep by following up his 2008 Sprint All-Star Race win with a win in the 600. Kahne's margin of victory was 10.203 seconds. This was his first win in 2008—ending his 52 race winless drought. Greg Biffle finished 2nd, Busch finished 3rd, while Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the Top 5. The total race time was 4:25:09.
Live television coverage of the 2008 Coca-Cola 600 began at 6:30 p.m. EDT in the United States on Fox. Radio coverage was handled by Sirius Satellite Radio and the Speedway Motorsports, Inc.-owned Performance Racing Network on terrestrial radio stations.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Sponsor | Make | Team | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Budweiser | Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | 400 | 66 | running | 190 |
| 2 | 4 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Dish Network | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 400 | 2 | running | 175 |
| 3 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M's | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 400 | 61 | running | 170 |
| 4 | 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | 400 | 0 | running | 160 |
| 5 | 6 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | National Guard, AMP Energy | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | 400 | 76 | running | 165 |
| 6 | 14 | 31 | Jeff Burton | AT&T Mobility | Chevy | Richard Childress Racing | 400 | 1 | running | 155 |
| 7 | 12 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | R&L Carriers | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 400 | 1 | running | 151 |
| 8 | 9 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Best Buy | Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | 400 | 3 | running | 147 |
| 9 | 30 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Office Depot | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 400 | 0 | running | 138 |
| 10 | 28 | 44 | David Reutimann | UPS | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | 400 | 0 | running | 134 |
| 11 | 23 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Cheerios, Trix, Lucky & Friends | Dodge | Petty Enterprises | 400 | 0 | running | 130 |
| 12 | 5 | 6 | David Ragan | AAA Insurance | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 400 | 2 | running | 132 |
| 13 | 20 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Mobil 1 | Dodge | Penske Racing | 400 | 0 | running | 124 |
| 14 | 19 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Shell, Pennzoil | Chevy | Richard Childress Racing | 400 | 0 | running | 121 |
| 15 | 7 | 8 | Mark Martin | U.S. Army | Chevy | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 400 | 0 | running | 118 |
| 16 | 8 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Miller Lite | Dodge | Penske Racing | 400 | 64 | running | 120 |
| 17 | 11 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Caterpillar | Toyota | Bill Davis Racing | 400 | 2 | running | 117 |
| 18 | 31 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Home Depot | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 399 | 23 | running | 114 |
| 19 | 37 | 01 | Regan Smith | Principal Financial Group, DEI | Chevy | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 399 | 0 | running | 106 |
| 20 | 27 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull | Toyota | Red Bull Racing Team | 399 | 0 | running | 103 |
| 21 | 38 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Alltel | Dodge | Penske Racing | 399 | 1 | running | 105 |
| 22 | 17 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Target | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | 399 | 0 | running | 97 |
| 23 | 15 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Irwin Industrial Tools | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 399 | 0 | running | 94 |
| 24 | 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Freight | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 399 | 1 | running | 96 |
| 25 | 39 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Jack Daniel's, Toast to the Troops | Chevy | Richard Childress Racing | 398 | 0 | running | 88 |
| 26 | 41 | 28 | Travis Kvapil | Lumber Liquidators | Ford | Yates Racing | 398 | 0 | running | 85 |
| 27 | 29 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | NAPA Auto Parts | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | 397 | 0 | running | 82 |
| 28 | 13 | 66 | Scott Riggs | Haas Automation | Chevy | Stewart-Haas Racing | 397 | 0 | running | -71 |
| 29 | 21 | 5 | Casey Mears | CARQUEST Auto Parts, Kellogg's | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | 396 | 1 | running | 81 |
| 30 | 42 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Texaco, Havoline | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | 396 | 0 | running | 73 |
| 31 | 26 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Wii Fit | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | 396 | 0 | running | 70 |
| 32 | 40 | 00 | Michael McDowell | Aaron's Dream Machine | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | 395 | 0 | running | 67 |
| 33 | 33 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Camping World | Chevy | Richard Childress Racing | 395 | 0 | running | 64 |
| 34 | 24 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats | Chevy | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 395 | 0 | running | 61 |
| 35 | 43 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas Automation | Chevy | Stewart-Haas Racing | 395 | 0 | running | -92 |
| 36 | 36 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Coca-Cola | Dodge | Petty Enterprises | 389 | 0 | running | 55 |
| 37 | 34 | 10 | Patrick Carpentier | LifeLock | Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | 363 | 0 | engine | 52 |
| 38 | 35 | 96 | J.J. Yeley | DLP HDTV | Toyota | Hall of Fame Racing | 353 | 0 | running | 49 |
| 39 | 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | 351 | 35 | engine | 51 |
| 40 | 32 | 38 | David Gilliland | FreeCreditReport.com | Ford | Yates Racing | 343 | 0 | running | 43 |
| 41 | 25 | 15 | Paul Menard | Menards, Johns Manville | Chevy | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 244 | 0 | overheating | 40 |
| 42 | 3 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull | Toyota | Red Bull Racing Team | 184 | 61 | crash | 42 |
| 43 | 22 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Jim Beam | Dodge | Robby Gordon Motorsports | 181 | 0 | engine | 34 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||||||||
| 44 | | 34 | Jeff Green | Gibson Custom Guitars | Chevrolet | Front Row Motorsports | | | | |
| 45 | | 50 | Stanton Barrett | NOS Energy Drink / SKI / SBM | Chevrolet | SKI Motorsports | | | | |
| 46 | | 21 | Jon Wood | U.S. Air Force "Salute the Troops" | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing | | | | |
| 47 | | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Furniture Row / DenverMattress.com | Chevrolet | Furniture Row Racing | | | | |
| 48 | | 08 | Tony Raines | getFUBAR.com | Dodge | E&M Motorsports | | | | |

## Post-race standings

| Rank | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 1860 |
| 2 | Jeff Burton | 1766 (-94) |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 1721 (-139) |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 1596 (-264) |
| 5 | Clint Bowyer | 1578 (-282) |
| 6 | Carl Edwards | 1538 (-322) |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | 1517 (-343) |
| 8 | Tony Stewart | 1511 (-349) |
| 9 | Jimmie Johnson | 1493 (-367) |
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | 1486 (-374) |
| 11 | Greg Biffle | 1483 (-377) |
| 12 | Kasey Kahne | 1454 (-406) |
| 13 | David Ragan | 1398 (-462) |
| 14 | Ryan Newman | 1369 (-491) |
| 15 | Martin Truex Jr. | 1291 (-569) |
| 16 | Matt Kenseth | 1264 (-596) |
| 17 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1263 (-597) |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | 1258 (-602) |
| 19 | Travis Kvapil | 1240 (-620) |
| 20 | Brian Vickers | 1203 (-657) |