Note: I watched the race on SMIFF TV’s YouTube Channel.
Talk about the race on my Facebook page: John Milner’s Track Talk.
After the Winston, NASCAR stayed in Charlotte for their longest race of the year: The Coca-Cola 600. The version I am watching is the original raw satellite feed, meaning you can hear the commentators when they go to commercial. I’m not sure what they’re showing when the start the show but there’s a big wreck that must have involved Geoff Bodine because he’s shown in the pits. (There’s no sound for the first five minutes so I can’t tell what’s happening.)
The broadcast of the Coca-Cola 600 is sponsored by Coors which is … interesting.
Okay, as the commentary begins, they note that the race is 236 laps into the scheduled 400, which explains why the video is less than 2 hours and the wreck we just saw.
Bill Elliott has been dominate today, we are told, and running the same car he ran in the Winston. The wreck we saw was between Geoff Bodine and Alan Kulwicki. Phil Parsons is running second and Dale Earnhardt is 50 laps (!!!) down, due to his cutting a tire on the first lap.
Parsons is looking for his best career finish and has Andy Petree as his crew chief. Davey Allison comes from sixth to second by the time they are finished their first commercial break. They also show how the wreck between Bodine and Kulwicki occurred, from Kulwicki’s in-car camera. Looks like Bodine either got loose or tapped by someone. Kulwicki tries to avoid him but got collected, hit by several people including Dave Marcis and his day was done.
As Davey Allison tries to chase down Bill Elliott, Harry Gant and Benny Parsons are having issues. Gant is in the garage and Parsons is on pit road.
After a commercial break, it turns out that Gant and Parsons aren’t the only ones having issues. Bill Elliott goes behind the wall, although he just kinda stops in the middle of everything. After 186 laps led, it appears the #9 Ford lost power.
This leaves Davey Allison and Kyle Petty battling for the lead. A rather large of debris on the track brings out a caution. Petty gets off pit road before Allison and so he will lead the field to green on the restart.
The commentators tell us that no rookie driver has ever won two races in row at the Cup level. Allison won the last race (at Talladega) and will restart third. Meanwhile, in terms of things not seen, Morgan Shepherd, who gave way to Sterling Marlin due to a burn on his leg, was set to get back in the car but it didn’t happen on this particular pit stop apparently.
The race is barely back underway when Phil Parsons, Brett Bodine and Ricky Rudd are caught up in a wreck to bring out the caution. As they go back green with approximately 100 laps to go, they’re already talking that Kyle Petty winning this race.
Brett Bodine has spun out again in the #1 car but no caution comes out. During the commercial (they’re showing the commercials now), Bobby Allison has taken his car behind the wall and into the garage. We later hear that Brett Bodine is taking his car off the track.
We see a “battle” between Neil Bonnett and Rusty Wallace but it’s not for position. Bonnett is in fifth and is a lap down. Davey Allison, who has regained the lead, Kyle Petty, Rusty Wallace and Phil Parsons are the only four cars on the lead lap.
But Allison’s time at the front is short-lived as he is starting to slow. They believe Allison may have lost a cylinder. Meanwhile, Kyle Petty takes the lead. Speaking of engine problems, Bobby Wawak’s engine has let go and that will eventually bring out the caution. The leaders head to pit road and they take a look at Allison’s engine. He gets a long pit stop and Joey Knuckles tells Mike Joy they dropped a cylinder.
Rusty Wallace gets by Kyle Petty on the restart. Apparently, Petty and Wallace had a disagreement of some sorts after the Winston. What is with Wallace and the Winston? It seems someone’s upset with him after every one of those races. If it’s not Petty in 1987, it’s Darrell Waltrip in 1989.
Richard Petty may be getting a relief driver – none other than Bobby Allison. Stay tuned. If the elder Allison does take over for the elder Petty, he won’t be on the lead lap. In fact, only two cars (Kyle Petty and Rusty Wallace) are on the lead lap. Morgan Shepherd is back in the race, Davey Allison is out, as his car’s issues got the best of them.
With 20 laps to go, it’s a two-car race…until Rusty Wallace starts to shut off and slow. However, a spinning Neil Bonnett brings out a caution. Bonnett hit the wall pretty hard after his engine blew. Everyone needed one last splash of fuel so they have come in.
On the restart, Wallace slows and it is apparent whatever gremlins have hit the car. Kyle Petty is the only car on the lead lap. You might think “Well, Kyle Petty has got this in the bag” but given how many leaders from Elliott to Allison to Wallace have had something go wrong, let’s see how it turns out.
At the end of lap 400, Kyle Petty is still in the lead as he crosses the start/finish line to win the Coca Cola 600. In a nice bit of irony, the car directly behind him is the #43 still driven by his father, Richard Petty.
johnmilner.ca 