Hot Action at 2011 COKE ZERO 400
Written by MK
Every year, at the Fourth of July weekend, the engines start to roar and the drivers prepare to race and feel the adrenaline rush at the COKE ZERO 400. This race is one of the biggest events on NASCAR schedule and one of the fastest.
Named as Firecracker 250 in 1959, the race had 100 laps and 250 miles, with the pass of the years, the race had evolved with more laps and consequently with more distance, in 1963 the laps were expanded to 160 laps and 400 miles, and the name changed to Firecracker 400. In 1985 the PepsiCo took the race sponsorship calling the race Pepsi Firecracker 400, later was just named Pepsi 400 and kept the name until 2007. The title changed again at the beginning of 2008 thanks to an agreement with Coca Cola Company. The beverage company chose their Coke Zero brand to sponsor the race to the present day.
Due to the short distance covered, because there are only 400 miles, this is one of the fastest races at the NASCAR circuits, the duration of the race is usually of 2 ½ hours and the competitors reach high speeds as 170 mph. It's definitely charged with racing action and the casual high speed crashes. Taking out the possibility of any casualty, we have to admit we love to see the cars fighting to get in the first position and the sound of the wheels screeching when they take the curves.
Many have claimed the squared flag on this race, names like Fireball Roberts, Cale Yarborough, A.J Foyt, David Pearson and Richard Petty are not unknown for the fans of this event, all of them are Masters of NASCAR, each one of these drivers has won the famous race at least twice. In the most recent years, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon have won this race like three times on their career. This year, we had the opportunity to witness experienced drivers like Clive Bowyer, Geoffrey Bodine, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick.
This time the victory over the tracks of the COKE ZERO 400 was claimed by David Ragan, who found redemption this past Saturday night. In 2007 he found himself with many obstacles to win the desired race, finishing at the fourth place for the ARCA series. On this opportunity, Roush Fenway Racing teammate and drafting partner Matt Kenseth lined up behind Ragan and kept him in front during the last eight laps, helping to win the race.
* These where the Top 10 Drivers of the 2011 COKE ZERO 400:
- (5) »David Ragan, Ford, 170.
- (16) »Matt Kenseth, Ford, 170.
- (37) »Joey Logano, Toyota, 170.
- (13) »Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 170.
- (38) »Kyle Busch, Toyota, 170.
- (4) »Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 170.
- (31) »Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 170.
- (10) »Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 170.
- (30) »Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 170.
- (9) »A J Allmendinger, Ford, 170.
It was a classic independence day weekend at the Daytona International tracks, started with a pre-race concert, a tribute to four Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, a U.S.NAVY Commander and Astronaut Dominic Antonelli as Honorary Starter, Hot girls in tight racing dress and a race full of action, adrenaline and some crashes, just as it promised to be....What else can you ask for?
