By Keith Waltz Jeff Gordon couldn’t hold back the tears after scoring his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 29, 1994, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was a milestone moment for the sport as Gordon, a former open-wheel star making his 43rd premier series start, claimed an emotional, exhausting and exhilarating win. “This is a memory and feeling I’ll never forget. If I never win another race, I’m going to be happy with myself,” said the 22-year-old Gordon. “It was quite an accomplishment for a number of people. Ray (Evernham) has done such a wonderful job…

When drivers take the green flag for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it will be under daytime conditions at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET. When NASCAR’s longest race ends some five hours later, nighttime will have long since fallen. So what are the challenges that drivers and crew chiefs face in a marathon-style event that begins with the sun out but ends under a moonlit sky? This much is certain: The task of excelling under virtually polar opposite track conditions requires being extremely nimble of terms of driving style and car setup. “The track really changes a lot from day to…

By Jared Turner Stop Changing The All-Star Format Multiple drivers – most notably Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth – left Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway scratching their heads about a confusing set of rules that resulted in major angst among participants in the popular non-points paying event. Stewart, a three-time Sprint Cup Series champion who was the most outspoken of the bunch, went as far as to call it “the most screwed up All-Star Race ever.” At the center of the controversy was a mandatory green flag pit stop that jumbled up the running order,…