Who is next? NASCAR’s first winner of fierce coke 600

It is a bit strange to think that inexperienced drivers shine in this fierce five -hour marathon, but it is enough to become notable. At a distance of 600 miles, no other NASCAR race Coca Cola goes close to a length of 600.

Born from the brain of Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner, the 1.5-mile asphalt oval is known as Charlotte Motor Speedway, now the NASCAR community has a heartbeat with most teams and drivers living within a small drive of the track.

The race was originally called The World 600 and ran its inaugural program in 1960. Its first winning number was Joe Lee Johnson in the number 89 machine. This was not his first win, but it was his last, won the race by a margin of four laps. But for the first time of the incident, for the winners, some legends became, while others did not exceed one-right-wanders. But almost all of them had to defeat the established Titans of the game to work. Let’s take a look at the entire list of winners for the first time and how they all managed to win the longest race of NASCAR.

1961 – David Pearson

This NASCAR Hall of Famer will proceed to win three championships and 105 races, which was in about 30 years, but his first win in Charlotte in 1961 was correct. After finishing third, he led more than half the race in a major performance, defeating the famous fireball Roberts by two full intervals. His 105 career victory is in second place after Richard Peti.

Piercene’s victory in the second part of the race appeared in the first time as an discrepancy. It would be 33 years until the first time the winner won 600 again, but it was the name that every race fan now knows.

At the age of just 22, ‘Wonder Boy’ was piloting number 24 Hendric motorsports Chevrolet that he would later be famous. But at that time, he was still looking for his first career victory. The race appeared as Rusty Walece to lose, but with a luxurious Ray Endeham on the box, she and Gordon proved to be a malignant pair. A call for a small two-tier stop allowed them to jump in front of Walece in walking. He led only 16 laps, but was sufficient to claim his first cup win by defeating the 1989 Cup Series Champion.

Of course, we all know that Gordon did not stop there. The Hall of Fame driver went to win the 93 cup race and sat behind Piercene in the winning list all the time. He also won four cups of titles accepting Piercene in that category.

After Gordon’s major victory, we certainly did not have to wait for another 33 years for the winner for the next first first. The following year, another future hall of fame made its mark with NASCAR’s longest race. Ken Shreder was under control, but flew an engine late in running.

Bobby Labonte went into the race lead and increased the fuel to take a checker flag. It was also Labonte 1-2 with his elder brother and two-time cup series champion Terry. Bobby became the 2000 cup series champion, won 21 races, and joined the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.

For the first time in 600, the theme of the winners was running as NASCAR legends, as the game was running in the 21st century. Matt Cancet will expect an experienced driver to quickly move forward with clever, in fourth place after the final restart. He passed the Lebonte at Gordon, Arnhard, and finally 400’s lap 373. He then kept the Lebonte back as he navigated the slow traffic, winning the race for more than just half a second.

Kenseth won the 39 cup race throughout his career and was the last champion in 2003 under the season-long points format. He was included in the NASCAR Hall of Fame only last year. This is correct. 600 all cup champions and members of the Sports Hall of Fame became their first four drivers to win their first cups.

This is the place where the trend started shifting a bit. Undudogs started getting up from midfield and snatched the victory of this crown jewelry for himself. After a few years of struggle in Chip Ganasi racing, KC Myers, nephew of the four -time Indie 500 winner Rick Meres, joined the Hendric MotorSports for the 2007 season. It was still a conflict for the Mears and number 25 team, but Coke 600 gave him a unique opportunity.

While running on smoke with everyone, Myers saw Tony Stewart To go by lead with only eight laps. Then, Dale Arnhard Junior. As well, and Denny Hamlin After that adoption. With just six laps to go, Myers inherited the top position. He paid the car that was hanging on JJ Yelle to win the race with 9.5S benefits. Those last six laps led only laps during the entire 400-lap event.

While this was the first visit to the victory lane of Myers, unlike the previous drivers in this list, it was also his last. He started 489 cup races between 2003 and 2019, but 2007 Coke 600 was the only moment of his glory.

2009 – David Rutiman

2009 Coke was suffering from 600 bad weather and was already postponed on Monday. One day is running late with the weather, still threatening, the rain returns to the lap of 222 of 400. Then in the lap of 222 out of 400. David Rutimain did not expect a winning 14th position to win. However, teams were closing at fuel requirement, so most area decided to pit during caution. But Rutimain did not. Before the rain intensified, he led five laps behind the pace car and forced NASCAR to make the incident red.

And it never resumed, causing us both the driver and the team win. Michael Waltrip Racing had never won the race before. It was a Dalit story for ages, and Rutiman’s career had one of two cups winning. He went to Chiragoland Speedway to win his second and final race next year – no rain.

Richard Children’s grandson, Dillon, was the first driver to pilot the number 3 car in the cup series since Dell Arnhard was passed in 2001. And like the race of a decade ago, where the mars won, 2017 Coke 600 became an intensive fuel-melge race. Martin Truex JuniorThe phenomenon was absolutely dominated, but he did not have enough fuel to make it to the end.

Many drivers tried and failed to spread it. Jimmy Johnson Was a pioneer with just two laps to go, but he exited Turn 2 at a distance of about 2.25 miles in a 600 mile race.

Dillon was now under control, but he had no place to breathe as Truex and both Kyle Busch They were locked in fasting. Even if he had enough fuel, there was still a real opportunity that he could reach him anyway, but he did not reach there on time. Busch crossed the line of only eight tenth of the number 3 car, which took Austin Dillon after leading the last two laps to win his first career. If it was a 601 mile race, the result would have been very different.

Dillon is the only driver in this list who is still competing at the cup level. He went to win the 2018 Detona 500, collected another crown jewel. The Texas Motor Speedway in 2022, the summer Detona Race in 2023, and also in Richmond in 2024 win in a highly controversial victory. In doing so, he is actually the most successful driver in this list that actually for the title of a cup series (or even close to).

Who is next?

Since Dillon’s victory in 2017, Coke is not the first winner in 600. In fact, the trend is back to more experienced drivers. After Dillon, almost every coke 600 Victor is now a NASCAR Cup series champion, with exceptions to Denny Hamlin and Christopher bellAnd both are contenders of the championship continuously.

Recent results tell us that another experienced will take the checker flag at the end of this week, but I believe that we are the reasons for one and the first time the winner. But if this happens, then who can it be?

Perhaps Ti gibesWhich is yet to win despite some very impressive performance. 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion is starting its 100th career in the NASCAR Cup series later this week, running at number 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He has placed high in 600 as sixth and certainly led to a cup level with 563 laps due to the Jeet Lane trip, but his recent struggles have confused many. Gibs has tools and is a proven champion in the lower divisions, so what is missing?

Another potential candidate is Ryan PrisWhich runs the number 60 RFK racing Ford Mustang. In a late deal coming together in the 2024 season, Pras has so far affected everyone, brushing the shoulders with a checker flag on more than one occasions. He is also an intensely powered man who only wants to succeed, as you will see with him in this recent motorsport.com interview.

then there is Carson HoswarA natural talent that has a habit of punching above his weight, and discovered troubles on the way. Hosavor is the most driver among those who have never won the Cup Race (17th), and he came very close to Atlanta earlier this year. Spire Motorsport is running stronger than ever in 2025, in which the Hosavor is already recording a pole position and a runner-up finish. Number 77 is already a ‘informal’ win this year, which has been capturing the checker flag in an open race in North Wilcaseboro in the last weekend.

Of course, they are not the only ones that break on Sunday. There are 13 differentials in the 40-car entry list for this year’s Coke 600 who have never won a cup race. It includes the top trio, but like the name too Noah Gragson, Zen Smith, Todgleland, Relay harbestEven in his cup oval debut, Rising Star Connor Zilisk – and what a story will be. This may seem highly impossible, but many names have now been immortalized in this list.