Coca Cola 600: 10 Bold Predictions for the Sprint Cup Race at Charlotte
It's that time of year again—time for the longest race of the season.
But with the race being held in NASCAR's "hometown," fans and drivers won't have to travel far to watch all of the excitement of the Coca Cola 600. And with the race comes some bold and probably untrue and off-the-wall predictions with some serious and more likely ones mixed in.
While you may not agree with the predictions, we can all agree that this test of endurance will be some interesting entertainment on Sunday night.
No. 1: Ryan Newman Grabs the Pole
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Newman has had the pole at this track eight times since 2002.
He doesn't have any poles this season, but eight times in 15 qualifying runs (qualifying was rained out in October, 2008) shows that he knows how to get it done at CMS.
No. 2: All Hendrick Cars Will Finish in the Top 12
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I'm not bold enough to say who will finish where, but the HMS drivers (all of which are in the top 14 in points) will have a good showing at CMS, pulling off a top-12 team effort.
No. 3: There Will Be at Least 13 Cautions
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Cautions do not equal wrecks in this case.
There will be at least 13 cautions of all kinds on Sunday night, including those pesky debris cautions with no visible debris.
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No. 4: There Will Be No Pit-Road Penalties
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This is probably one of those bold predictions that is a bit off the wall.
Everyone's favorite driver has been hit by pit-road penalties at some point, and I predict that this will be the weekend where no one has to suffer the disappointment of watching their driver fall way back after being caught for something or other.
No. 5: Harvick Starts His Revenge on Kyle Busch
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Yes, they are both still on probation, but sometimes revenge has a way of being an accident.
Maybe a little tap in the corner or rubbing that goes bad, but even if they are being watched by NASCAR like a hawk, Harvick will find a way to remind Busch of what is coming in upcoming races.
No. 6: Montoya and Newman Are Back in the Headlines
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Montoya and Newman were expected to start the fireworks a few weeks ago, but Harvick and Busch took the limelight off of them.
There is no doubt they remember what happened at Darlington, and there may be a little extra aggressive rubbing and bumping between the two that catches the press' eye.
No. 7: Joey Logano Tops the Gibbs Cars in the Placings
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Logano is coming into his own this season with some nice top-20 runs.
He may still be a little peeved about missing the All-Star race last weekend, and that should light his fire to get his car into the top 10. He has something to prove, and being the top placing JGR car would start him on that path.
No. 8: Kasey Kahne Convinces All Drivers They Need Knee Surgery
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With Denny Hamlin having an extremely successful season last year after knee surgery and Kahne looking like he'll do the same this year, all the drivers are convinced they need to find a reason to have the surgery done.
A top-three finish will be in Kahne's future on Sunday.
No. 9: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Pulls off a Top-10
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Stenhouse Jr. is coming off a great weekend with a win at Iowa in last week's Nationwide race.
This season has been full of surprises thus far with David Ragan winning a few weeks ago, Trevor Bayne winning the Dayton 500, etc., and Stenhouse Jr. continues the surprises with a top-10 finish in the Cup race Sunday night.
No. 10: Carl Edwards Completes the Double
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Edwards not only wins the All-Star race but he also wins the Coca Cola 600.
But he does change one thing: He doesn't wreck his car in the infield while celebrating after the race.
This adds even more fuel to the fire that he may be the one to dethrone Jimmie Johnson this year.
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