Jimmie Johnson won last weekend's NASCAR All-Star Race for the second year in a row, giving him four all-star wins for his career. Add to that three points-race wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and you might think you've got the makings for a favorite at Sunday's Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600.
Yet despite his history of success at the track, Johnson has not won the 400-lap, 600-mile race since 2005, and he hasn't pulled off a sweep of the All-Star event and the points race since 2003.
Johnson will have to thread his way to the front of the pack after qualifying 12th on Thursday: Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the pole after a track-record lap of 195.624 mph. Defending winner of the race, Kasey Kahne, will start sixth.
Prerace coverage for the Coca-Cola 600 begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on Fox. The green flag is set for approximately 6:16 p.m. Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 will broadcast radio coverage of the race.