The Coke 600 is tonight. 600 miles of racing. And as we discovered on Friday, this is the same distance as the drive from the Staten Island Chuck E. Cheese to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the Coke 600 is held. Milestones along the way:
Lap 0 (Green Flag): Chuck E. Cheese; Staten Island, NY
Hope they used the bathroom before they left, am I right!!
Lap 5 (7.5 miles): Outerbridge; Staten Island, NY/Perth Amboy, NJ
Hope they’ve got their E-ZPass, am I right!!
Lap 9 (13.5 miles): New Jersey Turnpike; Edison, NJ
Now it gets real.
Lap 40 (60 miles): Applebee’s; Westampton, NJ
Off to their left, Ricky Bobby will see the shining lights which never fail to remind him of home.
Lap 71 (106.5 miles): Delaware Memorial Bridge; Pennsville Township, NJ/New Castle, DE
Into Delaware they go!
Lap 82 (123 miles): Maryland State Line; Newark, DE/Elkton, MD
Out of Delaware they go!
Lap 118 (177 miles): Baltimore Harbor Tunnel; Baltimore, MD
Shortly into Stage 2, the drivers will pass under the waters of the Patapsco River. They won’t be able to see Fort McHenry to their right, where the bombs once burst in air, but I bet one or two know it’s there. Shortly afterwards, they’ll take exit 4 to get on Maryland 295, the Baltimore Washington Parkway.
Lap 124 (186 miles): Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport; Baltimore, MD
Dang. That’s a long name. Didn’t realize Baltimore let its airport get stolen by D.C., either. Tough look. Hope they made Washington pay them for the naming rights. Speaking of which: How long until sponsored airports? How much could we lower taxes by changing Chicago’s Midway Airport’s name to Guaranteed Rate?
Lap 141 (211.5 miles): Beaverdam Creek; Capitol Heights, MD
Immediately before passing into Washington, D.C., the drivers will cross Beaverdam Creek, a tiny tributary of the Anacostia River. They’ll be up on a bridge and probably won’t notice.
Lap 143 (214.5 miles): Anacostia Park Roller Skating Pavilion; Washington, DC
It doesn’t look like the drivers will have much of a view of Washington on their way through, going down the southeast part, across the river from RFK and the Navy Yard. But they might be able to see this outdoor covered roller skating rink.
Lap 148 (222 miles): MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino; Oxon Hill, MD
On their way out of D.C., drivers will briefly pass back through Maryland, where they’ll have to resist the urge to exit and play the slots. (Or ride the Ferris wheel a little ways down the shore!)
Lap 149 (223.5 miles): Jones Point Lighthouse; Alexandria, VA
On the Virginia side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, drivers will skirt this tiny discontinued lighthouse. Into the South they go.
Lap 217 (325.5 miles): Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond, VA
Big win for VCU: This hypothetical parallel Coke 600 doesn’t go anywhere near the University of Richmond!
Lap 239 (358.5 miles): Virginia Motorsports Park; Petersburg, VA
Now comfortably into the second half of the race, drivers may notice signs for a taste of their own world, this drag strip just north of Dinwiddie County. One problem with this section of the race: In my experience, going 82 mph on I-85 in Dinwiddie County is enough to earn oneself a reckless driving charge. It’s easy to get it wiped, but it’s a hassle and it costs a few hundred dollars. So if drivers are slowing down during Stage 3, that’s why. Might be best to run the whole stage under caution, honestly. Virginia hates freedom that much.
Lap 277 (415.5 miles): North Carolina State Line; Bracey, VA/Warrenton, NC
Onto the home stretch. Stage 4 will take place entirely within the state of North Carolina.
Lap 310 (465 miles): Falls Lake; Durham, NC
The northwest corner of this reservoir on the Neuse River marks the entrance into the Research Triangle. This is the closest the Coke 600 gets to Raleigh, so no Canes traffic (also, the Canes have been eliminated; I knew this; why did I forget this). Maybe some Raising Cane’s traffic, though! Just kidding. The only Cane’s in the Raleigh–Durham area is in Chapel Hill. It will not affect the outcome of this race.
Lap 352 (528 miles): Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park; Greensboro, NC
Unfortunately, the drive from the Staten Island Chuck E. Cheese to Charlotte Motor Speedway does not touch Celebration Station. Thankfully, a waterpark isn’t a bad consolation prize.
Lap 363 (544.5 miles): Cook Out; Thomasville, NC
When you pass the Cook Out in Thomasville, the checkered flag is near.
Lap 392 (588 miles): Lowe’s; Kannapolis, NC
You see that blue sign off to the right? Eight laps to go, friends.
Lap 398 (597 miles): Exit 49; Concord, NC
Finally off the interstate. White flag’s about to wave.
Lap 400 (600 miles): Charlotte Motor Speedway; Concord, NC
The finish line.
