MAIN Sports Race Car Driving NASCAR 2012 Coca Cola 600

For millions of NASCAR fans, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indy 500 mark the official beginning of summer.

This year, the action kicks off on Sunday, May 27, 2012 airing on FOX Sports at 6PM ET for the 52nd running of the Coca Cola 600.

Covering a total of 600 miles, the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and the longest car race over an oval circuit anywhere in the world. Held each year on the last weekend in May at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, it has gained a growing TV viewership year after year.

It has even begun to rival even the wild popularity of the Indy 500, held on the same day. In fact, there is presently only a one-hour span between the end of the Indy 500 and the start of the Coca Cola 600, making the entire day a boon for avid race fans as well as for advertisers!

Legendary drivers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip lead the list of historic winners, but Jimmie Johnson is coming up fast with three straight straight Coca-Cola 600 wins in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

2011 Coca Cola 600 recap

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was closing in on his first win in nearly three years when his No. 88 Chevrolet ran out of gas! Superstar Jimmie Johnson was also forced to drop out due to engine failure with only four laps to go, which left Kevin Harvick as the surprise winner in a night filled with dramatic twists in fate and fortune.

Elsewhere on the Web, check out more information, news & updates along with pictures & driver profiles, plus related history and trivia behind the wheel at the Coca Cola 600 ....

More about the Coca Cola 600 around the Web:

Charlotte Motor Speedway - The official venue with the latest news, driver profiles, pictures, gallery, complete schedule, track map, online shop and ticket information.

NASCAR.com - As race night draws near, check out Coca Cola 600 central including extensive info on the cars & drivers with related videos, audio clips, news & updates.

Coca Cola 600 - History, trivia and a list of past winners dating back to 1960, and related photos, from Wikipedia.

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also see -> Indy 500 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Jeff Gordon

Jimmy Johnson | Danica Patrick | Tony Stewart