Charlotte Motor Speedway, in a special event on Monday, revealed a colorful, patriotic logo for the 60th running of the Coca-Cola 600 and hosted Team Penske's NASCAR drivers and teams in a thrilling pit crew competition on the speedway's pit road.
Joey Logano - the defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion - joined fellow Penske drivers Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric in helping usher in Charlotte's historic 60th season before the quartet joined Wood Brothers Racing driver Paul Menard in attempting to determine the fastest pit crew in Roger Penske's stable. Blaney's No. 12 crew took the top prize and received Shell gift cards for winning the competition.
Prior to the pit crew event, speedway officials discussed the significance of the 60th running of the Coca-Cola 600 - and the race's new logo, which features five stars for the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, a pair of wings to resemble fighter jets and the same shade of blue as longtime Coca-Cola partner USO.
"Sixty years is a long time and it's all a real testament to my dad, Bruton Smith, who came up with this crazy idea of a 600-mile race," said Marcus Smith, the president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. "Today, it's NASCAR's longest race and the biggest challenge for a driver, a team and a car. Those are part of the components that help make the Coca-Cola 600 one of the crown jewels of NASCAR, and to have Coca-Cola as a partner for 35 years and counting - the longest entitlement sponsorship of its kind in sports - it's a really special thing."
Click here to see the full press release from Charlotte Motor Speedway.