After taking a break for the All-Star event the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will return to the track for a points race on May 24 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.Mark Martin picked up the win in the circuit's last points race, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 9. Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart finished behind Martin in that race, while Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon were fourth and fifth.
Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the Top 10 in the Southern 500. Denny Hamlin was 13th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 27th, and Kyle Busch had to settle for a 34th-place result.
Gordon heads into the Coca-Cola 600 with a 29-point lead on Stewart in the driver standings. Kurt Busch is 55 points back of Gordon in third place, ahead of Johnson and Hamlin.
Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Biffle, and Kenseth make up the rest of the standings' current Top 10. Martin's win at Darlington boosted him four spots to 11th in the points race, and Carl Edwards sits just above the Chase cutoff in 12th position.
Burton won the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's last October, while Kasey Kahne is the defending champion in the Coca-Cola 600. Kahne also picked up a pair of Lowe's wins in 2006, while Gordon and Casey Mears won on the track in 2007.
Johnson won five Lowe's events from 2003-2005, including a sweep of the races in both 2004 and 2005. Gordon has a total of four Cup wins at the track in his career, and Martin grabbed a trophy at Lowe's in both 1998 and 2002.
After competing in the Coca-Cola 600 the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will move on to Dover International Speedway for the Autism Speaks 400 on May 31. June events will then take place at Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma, and Loudon.
