Last Lap: The long and the short of it

In each of the past three years, my wife has anxiously anticipated The Winston, an action-packed adrenaline rush that's here and gone before you know it. That's the whole point: here and gone.

From driver introductions to hat dance, it's two hours. Max. It's instant and constant intensity, like a tall espresso injection. Guys are racing for the opportunity to keep racing. Nodding off isn't an option. Try and your buddy will smack you across the head.

	Marty Smith

Time is of the essence.

The Coca-Cola 600 is the polar opposite. My wife hates this race, though it does give her more than ample time to catch up on backlogged issues of People. It's five hours, minimum. Tired? Go ahead and take a nap. Your buddy will join you.

You've got nothing but time.

Makes you wonder if 600 miles is too many. Even though the Coca-Cola 600 is a Memorial Day tradition, is a 600-mile race too long to hold your interest?

2and38fan: I think the concept of racing in the daytime and then at night is a great one. However, I think a 600-mile endurance race can fall into the boring zone quite quickly, especially at Charlotte. If you are going to have a marathon race, make it at a track that is truly a challenge, such as Bristol or Richmond or even Martinsville.

EMAIL Email Marty Smith

The challenge for us fans is whether or not we can stay awake for four hours watching a race on a mile and a half snore-zone such as Charlotte or Chicago or another cookie-cutter track.

I think the concept is good and the Coca Cola 600 has so much history that NASCAR may not get rid of it..oh wait, let me back up since they are considering moving the Southern 500 to another weekend...I forgot who we were dealing with.

Yes, I like the concept of an endurance race and the starting in the daytime and ending at night; but you have to make it exciting so we won't fall asleep. I think making it a track that breeds excitement will lessen the chances of us snoring away.

Talk about endurance -- 600 miles at Bristol or Martinsville is 1,200 laps, and would take 12 hours to complete. I understand what Rusty Sadler is getting at, though. Oftentimes, mile-and-a-half tracks are conducive to strung out fields where the best racing on the track is leaders vs. lapped cars.

Being a few laps down in a race that's an extra hundred miles long is pure torture for a racer.

	Credit: Autostock

Jrfreak83: The Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR's ultimate test of both driver and equipment. I think shortening it would kill the history and tradition of it. Lengthening it would be asking far too much of the drivers, pit crews, engine builders/tuners and crew chiefs, as well as some fans who are hard-pressed to attend a race that's already four-plus hours long.

I think I can speak for a vast majority of fans when I say that we feel the 600 is one of the best races of the season, because it tests every facet of a team: the driver's skill as well as patience, the crew chief's ability to call for proper adjustments to the car as the track changes during the transition from day to night, the pit crew's ability to be consistent under almost any circumstance, and good communication between all team members.

It strikes a perfect balance between being too short, which leaves us wanting more, and being too long, which puts some of us to sleep. In short, keep the 600 as it is. We want 600 miles of good racing, not a carbon-copy.

Jevon Kearse makes a great point -- the 600 truly tests a team's mettle. The motor shop must provide the team with a stout yet reliable powerplant, one forced to withstand three practices, qualifying and 600 miles of racing. These days, that's one of the finest lines in NASCAR.

The boys in the shop must build a car with vast adjustability and the crew must properly execute those adjustments throughout the race -- from day-to-night, hot-to-cold. The driver must maintain sharp focus for 600 miles and the crew is forced to produce two extra flawless pit stops.

This is the most mentally taxing event on the circuit for competitors.

kdaqua24: 600 miles is too long to watch unless it goes perfectly -- no rain, bad wrecks. So maybe shorter would be better especially for a spring/early summer race. I've watched or attended all the Cup races for the past five years and races stopped for rain are disappointing for fans as well as drivers & teams. 500 miles seems to be L-O-N-G enough!

I'll buy that.

WideTrack01: No way!! The CC 600 is an endurance race, for the drivers, crew, and equipment. It makes for great TV, as me and my friends have a party for this race the past five years. I remember in 2000 the race got rain-delayed and went until late into the night, what's the big difference this time around?? It's bad enough the Daytona 500 barely passed halfway, now the other elite race (besides the Brickyard) is cut short.

Nice job, Helton for "looking out for the fans" as you put it...Yeah, I'm sure they'd mind since they have Monday off and pay these exorbitant prices to wait until later to finish the race. Anyways, keep the 600 the way it is.

And since they're always talking about taking the Winston out of the Charlotte, how about instead the day race at Charlotte?? I think that's about as boring a race as there is. Keep the Winston and the Coke 600 there.

Hey Skinner, toss me a cold one and listen up.

Here's my take on this weekend's rainout, once and for all: I honestly believe the precipitation the Charlotte area received over the past week was to blame for the quick decision to end the event. It rained so much that the parking fields on the Lowe's Motor Speedway grounds were essentially reduced to mud bogs.

Hence, NASCAR and LMS officials were concerned that, come another downpour, fans would not be able to depart the premises safely.

I could be wrong, but judging by the traffic hell we were all forced to endure getting in there Sunday, I think the powers that be took preventative measures to assure a safe departure. It was a great decision, too.

boozekat: No! its something to watch thats enjoyable. instead of garbage like 60 minutes!

Hey Carlos, toss me another. Up next, Andy Rooney...

	Credit: Autostock

Mar2: The 600 is not too long of a race. This is a time-honored tradition. I think NASCAR needs to leave it alone. This is one of the few races that is exciting because the air temp as well as the track temp change through the race and because of the length of it.

I enjoy watching the race because it adds another level of excitment to the already exciting race. NASCAR needs to remember what they were doing to bring the fans to the races in the first place.

By changing all of the stuff that they are talking about they might increase the number in that area, but they will lose more in other areas. If they keep moving and changing formats, it will no longer be in the states that started it all.

Yoter brings up a sensitive issue, and judging by reader feedback one that seems to pick up steam daily. Many fans are beginning to feel alienated by NASCAR's forward growth.

Taking the Southern 500 date away from Darlington seems almost sacrilegious. But fear not, Yoter. There are no plans to change the format or location of the Coca-Cola 600.

20sezmmmcoke: Not in the least. I think the 600-mile format is good due to the fact that everyone (drivers, teams and fans alike) only have to/get to see it once a year.

The Coca-Cola 600 is in effect the all-star event for NASCAR, regardless of the status the Winston enjoys.

Everybody's watching the 600, and I would like to see the TV ratings to compare the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, the Winston and the 600...I'm willing to bet the 600 handles its own among the four and probably does better than The Winston.

It's Memorial Day weekend, everyone is looking for something to do around a cookout atmosphere (unlike in February for Daytona) and has racing already on the brain, largely thanks to the Indy earlier in the day (But face it more people are going to watch the 600 because more people in the U.S. care about Nascar than the IRL) and the Winston's odd format, lack of points importance and the fact that it's on an atypical race day, all of these factors put the 600 at the top of the heap in my opinion.

Now, that said, drink Coke, it's yummy and Tony Stewart says so, even when he's not talking about anything remotely concerning soft drinks. Hmmmm wonder why Tony's struggling this year?

Umm. What?

Speaking of Coke, it's time for me to slide off here and get one. I'm dozing off just thinking about 600 miles of competition.

Marty Smith is NASCAR.com's Senior Writer. Last Lap appears every Tuesday, and Marty's regular column appears each Thursday.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.