The green flag will drop on NASCAR’s longest race at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday night, marking the start of the 66th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event has become a Memorial Day tradition on the Cup circuit, and its prestige has risen to rival that of the Indianapolis 500. (More on that in a moment.) It’s one of the crown jewels of the NASCAR season.
With a field of 40 drivers and changing weather and track conditions—the race begins in sunlight and ends in darkness under the lights—the Coke 600 is a test unlike any other event on the schedule, both grueling and glorious.
