Is The Coca-Cola 600 Still A Crown Jewel?

Do you still consider the Coca-Cola 600 a crown jewel event?

Anthony Damcott: Absolutely. The Coca-Cola 600 is on par with the Southern 500 and the Daytona 500 in several ways, including tradition, age and uniqueness. It should always be considered a crown jewel as long as it stays as NASCAR’s longest race, as well as the Memorial Day Sunday race, two things that really make the race special.

Luken Glover: Yes. I realize the race doesn’t carry the same test of equipment that we used to see, nor has the action for the lead been plentiful in past years. But it is still a race of attrition, grit and machinery. With the degradation of the tires on the Next Gen car and kinks in parts such as the engine, toe link and lug nut, I expect the race to make the equipment last to be much more on display than in past years. It won’t be like it was in the 20th century, but it will be more of a test than what we’ve been used to. Then you have to factor in hydration. Drivers spend more time than usual getting fluids and staying hydrated for this race because of its length. Add on to the fact that the 600 has been a cornerstone in NASCAR honoring our military for Memorial Day, and this race still carries more weight than most.

Mike Neff: Absolutely! There are four crown jewel events. Indianapolis Motor Speedway snuck in there as a fifth and replaced the Southern 500 for a short period when it went on hiatus, but Indy doesn’t get that status anymore as long as NASCAR is on the road course. Therefore, your jewels are the Daytona 500, World (Coca-Cola) 600, Bristol Motor Speedway night race and Southern 500.

Who is one driver you’d like to see do the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double in the future?

Josh Roller: The obvious choices are Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, so I’m going in a different direction and saying I’d like to see Ty Gibbs run the Memorial Day double one day. He’s immensely talented and needs a few years to mature as a racing driver, but he’ll make a…