The annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway takes place on Sunday, May 29, as NASCAR drivers honor fallen military members. This race will provide another opportunity to win, but will any drivers join Jeff Gordon and Austin Dillon on the list of those whose first career win was the Crown Jewel race?
There are multiple drivers that reached Victory Lane for the first time in the Coca-Cola 600. This list includes David Pearson (1961), Gordon (1994), Bobby Labonte (1995), Matt Kenseth (2000), Casey Mears (2007), David Reutimann (2009), and Dillon (2017). They celebrated in Victory Lane for the first time while securing one of the coveted Crown Jewel races.
As @JeffGordonWeb began his rise to stardom, Dale Earnhardt nicknamed him “Wonder Boy.”
Nearly 25 years after scoring his first win in the #CocaCola600, Jeff Gordon’s legacy of success is further cemented with his induction into the @NASCARHall!
Every driver on this list, with the exception of Mears and Reutimann, went on to win multiple other races in their careers. Gordon, Labonte, and Kenseth also secured Cup Series championships. Dillon followed up his Coca-Cola 600 win by capturing the Daytona 500 the following season.
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Dillon’s First Career Win Featured a Long Delay
GettyThe No. 3 team celebrates Austin Dillon’s Coca-Cola 600 win.
The driver of the No. 3 headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, 2017, for the Coca-Cola 600. He was in the midst of his fourth full-time year, and he only had a career-best finish of third in the 2016 Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 2017 Coca-Cola 600 was anything but a normal race. It started with an early caution due to Jeffrey Earnhardt‘s entry experiencing a major mechanical issue. Debris flew out from under the No. 33, caused damage to Chase Elliott’s No. 24, started a fire, and led to fluid collecting on the track. Brad Keselowski was unable to stop, and he slammed into the rear of Elliott’s stock car and ended both of their days.
On this day in 2017, Austin Dillon won the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte!
The 600 Miles of Remembrance also came to a halt midway through Stage 2 due to lightning in the area. A rainstorm then extended the delay. The race remained under red-flag conditions for one hour and 39 minutes before the drivers were able to head back out under the lights.
A gamble played the biggest role in Dillon taking the No. 3 back to Victory Lane for the first time since 2000. He stayed out on the track on Lap 368 while the dominant cars — the No. 18 of Kyle Busch and the No. 78 of Martin Truex Jr. — headed down pit road. Dillon then hung with Jimmie Johnson until the seven-time champion ran out of fuel.
The driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet had saved enough fuel that he was able to take the lead with three laps remaining. He held on for the remaining laps and crossed the start-finish line first to claim his first career Cup Series win.
Which Drivers Have the Best Opportunity?
GettyTyler Reddick will pursue his first career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
There are multiple drivers competing in the NASCAR Cup Series that have yet to secure their first career Cup Series win. Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Harrison Burton, Tyler Reddick, Josh Bilicki, and Cody Ware are some of the examples.
Of this group, Reddick and Suarez will enter the weekend with the best opportunity to join Gordon and the other list of first-time winners. They both have showcased consistent speed throughout the season while driving for Richard Childress Racing and Trackhouse Racing, respectively.
Reddick, who has a second-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2022, has only made three starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has posted top-10 finishes in two of these races with a career-best eighth-place finish in the 2020 Coca-Cola 600.
Suarez, who has two top-fives in 2022, has seven starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway with one top-10 finish to his name. His career-best performance is a sixth-place run in the 2017 Bank of America 500 while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
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Which Driver Will Join Jeff Gordon & Austin Dillon on This Unique List?