|| *Comments on the 2008 Coca Cola 600:* View the most recent comment <#38> | Post a comment <#post> 1. DaleJrFan16 posted: 05.26.2008 - 8:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ugh, I'm sick of waiting, I'll end it there. Probably was going to be the worst Coke 600 until things got exciting at halfway. But I can say, that finish kicked ass :P Yay Kahne! 2. Anonymous posted: 05.26.2008 - 9:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So is the car still considered horrible and unable to pass. I don't know about the rest of you but that was a ton better than last year's race. In other words I believe the driver's inability to pass wasn't because of the car but because of the track (but has built in a groove now and should provide good racing for the future). Good run for Reutimann (10th), Bobby Labonte (11th, and ran up front there towards the end a lil bit), and Sam Hornish 13th. 3. Clayton posted: 05.26.2008 - 9:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Compared to the all-star race, this race was excellent. We had a LONG Green Flag run for about 250 laps to start the race and then 10 cautions the last 150 laps. David Reutimann's highest career finish for him in his UPS Toyota and Sam Hornish Jr, had his best run of his career as well. Really thought Brian Vickers was going to win this race, but his right rear tire fell off, and he ended up in the wall. 4. Mr. Big posted: 05.26.2008 - 10:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Missed this race because I went to the Indy 500, but still listened to all of it on radio. What was up with Vickers, Junior, and Stewart all screwing up while in the lead? Kudos to Junior for coming all the way back up to 4th from that. I was certain Stewart had this race, but good job by Kasey to win. David Reutimann in 10th was a pleasant surprise, as well as Labonte in 11th and Ragan in 12th. Ragan has just been great so far this year and I hope he ends up winning a race and getting in the Chase. 5. WallaceFan posted: 05.26.2008 - 10:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I actually thought the race was pretty exciting. Vickers was dominating before his left rear wheel fell off, causing him to spin and slam the wall. Dale Earnhardt Jr was leading when he blew a tire and hit the wall and then Yeley ran into the back of him. His car was destroyed but he still finished 5th. Tony Stewart was leading with 3 laps to go when he blew a tire as well. Carl Edwards was running 2nd on the last lap when he ran out of gas. Overall a very exciting race. Great job to Kasey Kahne. Also great runs for Sadler, Reutimann, Labonte, and Ragan. 6. Mr. Big posted: 05.26.2008 - 10:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) What I meant was WTF was up with Junior, Stewart, and Vickers all blowing tires while in the lead? 7. Baker posted: 05.26.2008 - 10:47 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) No one in racing has worse luck than Tony Stewart, nope wait Joe Gibbs and then Tony Stewart. 8. Anonymous posted: 05.26.2008 - 10:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr has much worse luck than Tony. Since Richmond 2006 when he last won, he should have had 5 or 6 wins since then, but something always happens when he is in contention that makes him lose. 9. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.26.2008 - 12:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is a discussion point I have been thinking about: Is it possible that Alan Gustafson (sp?) is not a very good crew chief?? For the last 3 years with Kyle Busch we have been hearing that Alan is an elite Sprint Cup crew chief because of the way Kyle ran up front all the time in the #5 car. But they won only 4 races in 3 years. In just 12 races this year, Kyle has won 3 times already with the #18 team that has been totally out to lunch since 2004, clearly out performing his teammates. So is it possible that it was mostly Kyle, and that Alan was sandbagging (not intentionally) him?? Now look, I know that with Casey Mears you aren't going to win a lot, he just isn't a very good stock car driver. But he had some decent runs last year, and this year has been totally out to lunch. 29th at the end of a 600 mile race with major attrition when you had no mechanical or crash damage issues of your own? 4 laps down? I want to hear your take. 10. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.26.2008 - 12:13 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) BTW great call (again) by Kenny Francis on taking 2 tires on the second to last stop. That was the difference. Tony tried to go 100 laps on one set of tires, and that is what cost him the race. Great job by Evernham of keeping Kasey and Kenny together even through the rough times of 2007, and not panicking and "making a change in direction". Is it even necessary to point out the irony that Tony Stewart totally slammed GoodYear for hard tires earlier in the year, and now he lost a race cause the tires gave out. If they had the Atlanta tire, he would have won. Be careful what you wish for. 11. Anonymous posted: 05.26.2008 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another great effort by Casey Mears. 12. Baker posted: 05.26.2008 - 1:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony was wishing for Firestone or Hoosier to take over Cup duties, not for Goodyear to improve their tire by a hair. They examined the tire and there was no significant wear on the tire at all. They ran something over that caused a slow leak leading to the blow out, so please stop with the nonsense. 13. RacEfan posted: 05.26.2008 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch blew a tire after leading nearly 70 laps too, that's four drivers with cars capable of winning with problems. 14. Anonymous posted: 05.26.2008 - 6:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Gustafson is an average crew chief who looked good because of KB, and looks bad now that he's saddled with the pitiful Casey Mears. 15. WallaceFan posted: 05.27.2008 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not quite sure why everyone is all over Casey Mears. With Ganassi he was always a top 20 driver, and I still would put him in the top 20-25. Not everyone is a superstar. Its tough enough to have to adjust to a new team, BUT then this year he has ANOTHER new team. And then you teamates are Gordon,JR,and JJ? THAT IS PRESSURE! Give Casey a break. When his career is over, i'm sure he will have maybe 5-10 wins...a few top 10 finishes in points...he just needs to get settled into a solid ride. Although he may have a new one next year again...i hope not. Good Luck to Casey. 16. WallaceFan posted: 05.27.2008 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Former Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon had a brief conversation after the Coca-Cola 600 after Busch was apparently upset with how hard Gordon was racing him. Busch refused to answer a question about it in his postrace news conference, saying the conversation would remain quiet. But Gordon, who finished one position behind Joe Gibbs Racing's Busch in fourth, didn't. "He's got an issue because he gave me the finger, and you know what?" Gordon said. "That's not necessary for a guy he just didn't like racing him the way I did." 17. Cfobes posted: 05.27.2008 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Poor Brian Vickers. He has too much talent for the equipment he is in. 18. TOMMY #1 GORDON FAN posted: 05.27.2008 - 11:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah that Kyle Busch can be a real ass sometimes. He thinks he's so great. His equipment is great, Kyle is just a good driver but won't ever be a Jeff Gordon or a Dale Earnhardt. He needs to show respect for other drivers on the racetrack. Anyway the race was much better than the All-Star Race.it was a pleasent surprise to see Gordon finish 4th. He had about a 15th place car. Congrats to Kasey Kahne. Go Jeff Gordon at Dover! 19. 22Fan posted: 05.28.2008 - 11:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) WallaceFan, I think some fans feel like Casey is only getting opportunities because his last name is Mears, despite being a medicore talent. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he never won another race. 20. Anonymous posted: 05.28.2008 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I sat between turn 1 and 2 all 4:25:09 of the race, and it was very good all around, great battles all over the track here are notable happenings, .Jeff Gordon's 239th Top 5 .David Reutimann's 1st Top 10 .Kasey Kahne's 3rd Charlotte win in the last 5 races .Dale Jr's 81st Top 5 .Jimmie Johnson's 9th career Blown Engine(the first in 3 years) .Kyle Busch's 4th straight podium .Kasey Kahne and Richard petty have all 4 Dodge victory's in the 600 since 1975 .Kasey Kahne along with Darrell Waltrip,Davey Allison,Dale Earnhardt,Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson wins both the All-star race and 600. 21. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.29.2008 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Yeah, I'm not sold on Mears either. I think his opportunities come more from being photogenic and media friendly than his last name. Sponsors love that. I personally don't think he has it. He might sneak out another fluke win before he is done, but that will be it. That 5 car has become a back marker, with the same team Kyle Busch was competitive with week in and week out. That was the point of my discussion question. 22. GibbsInc. posted: 05.30.2008 - 4:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hehehehe. Casey Mears is a never was, sorry to say. Rick Hendrick made a big mistake hiring him. Casey is going to be struggling all season long. He's a pretty mediocre driver, even before he was put into the #5. Jeez, what was Rick thinking? 23. 22Fan posted: 05.30.2008 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mears is wasting a good ride that someone more deserving would probably succeed in. With all the short track drivers around the country hoping for a break, it's sad to watch Casey do so little with so much. Also, anyone notice how poorly JJ Yeley is running this year compared to Raines last year? Yeley coudln't do jack in the #18, so it's no wonder he's failing with HOF Racing. 24. Clayton posted: 06.03.2008 - 11:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) About Mears, lets give him time! He is statisically a slow starter, granted never this slow. But I think Rick Hendrick owes it to Mears for switching cars like he did and Mears didn't say a thing about it! I'm not a HUGE Alan Guffaston fan, and I think Mears would be better with Darian Grubb again. J.J. Yeley has always stunk up the place. I laughed when Gibbs threw him in the car for no particular reason and canned Bobby Labonte after 1 tough year where nothing went Bobby's way. David Ragan, I think has the potenital to be a real star in this sport. He is looking better and better every week and is showing everyone he is for real. I think he'll get a win this year! 25. Josh 31 posted: 06.21.2008 - 7:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great finish! One of the best races of this year. Kudos to the 44 UPS car with its 10th place run. 26. 18fan posted: 01.26.2010 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gustafson looks great again with Mark. I believe it was all Mears, which is why he's driving for a brand new team with no sponsor that's only committed to the first five races, and might give up if not in the top 35(which is a stupid rule). 27. RaceFanX posted: 07.28.2010 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kasey Kahne's winning Dodge from this race later was later sold to the Keslowski family's racing team. They used it with Mike Wallace at the wheel to attempt to qualify for the 2010 Daytona 500 although a 24th-place finish in their Gatorade Qualifier ended their hopes. 28. Daniel posted: 05.22.2012 - 11:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #34 Jeff Green Out using fastest 43: #42 Juan Pablo Montoya 29. CBASS posted: 01.27.2013 - 7:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #41 Target/ Polaroid #40 Wii Fit/ Target #19 Best Buy/ Garmin #43 Lucky Charms/ Trix/ Cheerios #45 Coca-Cola Classic #8 U.S. Army/ Salute The Toops #33 Camping World RV Sales #96 DLP HDTV/ H.H. Gregg #16 Dish Network DVR #31 AT&T #01 Dale Earnhardt Inc./ Principal #34 Gibson Guitars http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0815&page=4 30. Maverick11 posted: 03.26.2016 - 1:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone know why Riggs and Sauter got -71 and -92 points, respectively? 31. Braindead Zombie posted: 03.26.2016 - 1:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Both Haas cars got 100 point penalties for this race for illegal parts. 32. Braindead Zombie posted: 03.26.2016 - 1:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Scratch that, it was actually 150 point penalties. 33. Tide1732 posted: 08.08.2016 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Last race of Sterling Marlin with the #40, and possibly also in Ganassi. 34. Jimmie4life posted: 03.21.2020 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kasey Kahne got the fan vote to get into the all star and won it... and 8 days later, he'd win the coke 600. So far,only Kurt Busch has done the All Star and 600 sweep since Kahne did it. Kurt accomplished his feat in 2010. 35. Rich posted: 08.10.2020 - 12:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Dr. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Krista Voda were the pit road reporters. And in the Hollywood hotel were Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond. 36. TeamDCRfan posted: 12.18.2020 - 7:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Something I noticed with Schrader that doesn't seem to occur very often. He started 33rd and finished 33rd while driving car 33. 37. Mile501 posted: 12.18.2020 - 10:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #36 - Your comment inspired me to do some research in that area. Thanks to some free time and CTRL+F, it didn't take nearly as long as I expected. I discovered that a matching starting position, finishing position, and car number has happened either 56 or 62 times in Cup Series history (depending on how you view car numbers beginning with "0"), or a little less than once per year on average. I posted a blog with the complete list: https://www.racing-reference.info/showblog?id=3719 38. Mannoroth posted: 12.22.2020 - 12:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Damn, Tony Stewart had some incredible bad luck for winning major races and in the end, he didn't win a single Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500. Only a couple of Brickyard 400s. Carl Edwards was the man to beat at fuel mileage in 2008 (he won 3 races out of 5 fuel mileage finishes), but even him can run out of fuel and it happened in this race. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: