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The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race – in fact, it is the longest regularly-scheduled oval track auto race to be held anywhere in the world. Also known as the Coke 600, or simply the 600, the race is 600 miles in length and held annually at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina during Memorial Day weekend.

Previously known as the World 600, the event began as an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend race rivaling the open-wheel Indianapolis 500. It was not until 1974, however, that both races took place head-to-head on the same day and, coincidentally, the 2009 race was the first race to have run on Memorial Day itself, due to the fact that rain postponed the race from its originally scheduled date of May 24.

With the installation of lights in 1992, fans pleaded with track management to have the race start later in the day, in the hopes of avoiding North Carolina's notorious heat and humidity. In order to create cooler race times for the spectators, the start time was moved back several times throughout the 1990s, finally settling in at 5:30 pm in 2001 in an attempt have the race finished by 10 p.m. ET, in time for local news on FOX's broadcast affiliates.

With the new Coca-Cola start time came new challenges; not only do the race teams have to deal with the blistering Carolina heat, but now, with the considerable temperature change at night, track conditions became completely different altogether. The nighttime portion of the Coca-Cola 600 is lit with a system which utilizes parabolic reflectors to minimize, if not completely eliminate, the dangerous glare that would otherwise be in the drivers' eyes.