Return To Coke 600 Victory Lane Close For Roush

From 1999 to 2002, no Sprint Cup owner visited victory lane after the Coke 600 other than Jack Roush. During those four races, Roush drivers Burton, Kenseth, and Martin were strong. From 1998 to 2002 there were 25 NASCAR races at LMS, including Nationwide Series Races, Sprint Cup Races, and All Star Races; Roush drivers won 12 of those races. In comparison, Hendrick drivers won 4.

Some of that same strength was on display this past Saturday night in the All Star Race in which Carl Edwards dominated. Throughout each stage of the race, there was only one car that remained consistently up front. By the end of the race, it was Edwards’ to lose. Yes there was some competition, but nobody had the car to beat him with; he won segments 2, 3 and 4. The only other driver to win a segment was his teammate Greg Biffle.

Besides Edwards and Biffle, the other Roush drivers had strong cars as well. Matt Kenseth showed some horsepower often during the race and finished sixth, one spot behind Greg Biffle. Even the weakest team from the Roush stable had a good run. David Ragan won the Sprint Showdown, passing Brad Keselowski to get the first transfer spot into the Sprint All Star Race.

Roush’s only worry going into the 600 mile race on Sunday is that he doesn’t just need fast horses Sunday night; he needs motors that will last 600 miles. The engine setup for a 150 mile race is much different than that of a race four times as long. Although Roush has not had the blown engines that Joe Gibbs Racing has had in 2011, they haven’t been the most consistent. To give one or more of his drivers a good chance to win this week, Roush will have to balance power with endurance.

Another interesting stat is that Hendrick Motorsports has more Coke 600 wins than any other organization, including Petty Motorsports, with 9 wins. Their winners include Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Casey Mears.

Battling the Roush drivers this week will, no doubt, be Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Both showed some muscle at certain points in Saturday’s race, but struggled with ill-handling cars at times. Each of these champions have won the 600 mile race 3 times, and are known for saving their cars and being able to bring their best at the end of a long race. Look for these two to challenge early, but definitely get strong as the lights warm up at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Posted in: Carl Edwards,Darrell Waltrip,Jack Roush,Jeff Burton,Jeff Gordon,Jimmie Johnson,Nascar Blog,nascar news,Rick Hendrick