50 Years of the Coca-Cola 600

50 Years of “Firsts”: Coca-Cola 600 History Overflows With Highlights
Sunday will be the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 500, one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ true “majors.”

It is NASCAR’s longest race – and one of the most historically significant, having been the scene of a number of “firsts” in the form of NASCAR Sprint Cup debuts, or a driver’s first win in the series.

Some highlights:

Series debuts – Dale Earnhardt in 1975; Janet Guthrie in 1976; Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1999; Michael Waltrip in 1985; Elliott Sadler in 1998.

First Series Victories – David Pearson in 1961; Jeff Gordon in 1994; Bobby Labonte in 1995; Matt Kenseth in 2000; Casey Mears in 2007.