NASCAR Fan Guide: How to survive the Coca-Cola 600

Sunday is the longest race on the NASCAR schedule. Find out how you can survive 400 laps and 600 miles under the hot May sun!

Howdy, NASCAR fans! This week is the sport’s longest race and the longest day in racing! This year, I’ll personally be attending my sixth Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, so in this article, I’ll give you my quick tips to surviving the season’s longest event! Get strapped in because we’ll have to survive 400 laps and 600 miles together!

1. Stay hydrated

Running 600 miles doesn’t happen quickly. The Coca-Cola 600 has covered an average of four hours in the previous five years. In addition to a long race, the southern May weather doesn’t help. With temperatures slated to be in the upper 70s throughout the night, water and shade will be much-needed.

Personally, I pack roughly 10 to 15 waters for the annual event, which leaves me calm, cool and collected by the end of the night. On a side note, other drinks like beer, Gatorade and soda make you thirsty. Save some cash and stick to water if you can stand it!

2. Enjoy other races

Sunday is the longest day in racing. With the Monaco Grand Prix kicking things off in the morning, get your racing fix from sun-up to sun-down. After Monaco wraps up, the greatest race in the world, the Indy 500, goes green just after lunch time.

Pass the time by checking out some of most prestigious races of the year before the 600-miler goes green Sunday evening. Pro tip, if you get to the track early enough, Charlotte Motor Speedway usually televises the Indy 500 on their big screen on the backstretch.

3. Sunblock

I’ve already mentioned how hot it’s going to be Sunday, so don’t be the cool guy who looks like Larry the Lobster by the night’s end. Even if you’re a ‘suns out, guns out’ kind of guy, make sure you put on some SPF at some point during the day. With an average race time of over four hours, expect to be outside from anywhere between five and seven hours on race day.

4. Show your patriotism

I’m not here to get political or to tell you how to spend your Memorial Day weekend, but if you’re passionate about the ole red, white and blue, this is your weekend! Aside from racing, one of the biggest attractions to Coca-Cola 600 weekend is the celebration of our brave men and women. Wear your colors proudly, thank a veteran and have a great time at the race.

5. The small things

This final point is chock full of small tips I have used throughout my experiences attending the Coca-Cola 600. For one, bring snacks or buy in bulk when it comes to food. Don’t judge me too poorly, but my old trick used to be to buy multiple burgers from a McDonald’s and carry them into the track. I had plenty of food and didn’t have to pay big speedway prices.