What Did The All Star Race Tell Us About The 600?

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

Historically speaking, winning the All Star Race doesn’t translate into an automatic win in the Coca-Cola 600. Kasey Kahne won both in 2008 and Jimmie Johnson won both in 2003. Johnson won 3 straight 600 races but won the All Star Race only once in that period. And Johnson won the 2012 and 2013 All Star Races but finished 11th and 22nd in the following 600 races.

The 600 can be as much of a fuel mileage race as any other and can have unexpected winners. Look at Casey Mears’ 2007 win and Reutimann’s 2009 win as prime examples.

But fast cars are fast cars and being in position to win is what it is all about. Kasey Kahne had a fast car in the All Star Race and was done in by a swipe against the wall. Harvick was living up to his nom de guerre as The Closer this year, reeling in McMurray in the closing laps of the All Star Race.

The last 3 winners of the 600 have been none other than Kahne (2012) and Harvick (2011 & 2013), so both of these guys know how to get around the track. In addition, Kahne has wins at the 2006 and 2008 Coca-Cola 600. And if Harvick has his way, he will want 4 fresh tires whenever possible.

Carl Edwards also had a fast car but as so often has happened this year, Edwards faded at the end of the race after having the lead. Anything is possible, but Roush’s dominant years of 1999-2002 at this track seem like a distant memory. While Edwards might be a good play on your fantasy team, I would not look for him as a winner in the 600. Right now, I would look to Hendrick, Gibbs and Stewart-Haas as teams that have the best chance at winning.

Joey Logano with Penske is a good dark horse pick for the race. He had a pretty fast car in the All Star Race but was taken out during Kyle Busch’s idiotic wreck. Keselowksi had a fast car as well, but Keselowski seems to be short of patience this year. I am not sure he can stay out of trouble for 600 miles. Same goes for Kyle Busch.

And if you want a real dark horse, look no further than Casey Mears. Mears has a new power plant this year and that could pay bonuses in a race like this. If fuel mileage comes into play again, it would not shock me to see him up front at the end vying for a win.

At the end of the day, all eyes will be on Kurt Busch. Parker Kligerman will be getting the car ready for KuBu as he goes for The Double – running the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Should KuBu be delayed for any reason, Kligerman will get behind the wheel to start the race in his stead. Busch qualified 12th for the 500, but crashed his car in practice and is shaking down a new car for the race. Like most fans, I am hoping Kurt can run both races. I am very interested to see how he handles the stress of the long day and if he can not only finish both races, but keep from throwing his team under the bus at the first opportunity.

It will be a long day of racing folks, enjoy it!

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