Coca-Cola 600 goes the extra mile -- or 100

"It's going to be a long, long night," Jeff Gordon said of today's Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "It's going to be tough, it always is."

When the race debuted 48 years ago with the opening of Lowe's (then called Charlotte Motor Speedway), the extra 100 miles were added to help it stand apart from the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend.

The extra mileage demands added endurance and patience for the drivers. They also have to contend with a drop in temperatures that affects the cars' handling on the 1.5-mile oval, because the race starts in the late afternoon and ends under the lights.

"We run 500 miles and your body gets used to it and you think you wouldn't notice another 100 miles added, but mentally you do," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., Gordon's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports.

"Physically it's not a problem, but mentally your brain is just worked after it's over," Earnhardt said.

To further complicate matters, this is the first year that NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow is being used in the 400-lap race, and many teams are still trying to figure out how best to set up the COT for such a long race.

"The car definitely is a challenge, and it's making it tougher on all the drivers and all the teams," said Gordon, a three-time 600 winner.

Race strategy revolves around pacing and patience, several drivers said.

"You don't necessarily rush, but you don't want to go a lap down," said pole-sitter Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing. "This is a long race where you can probably get your lap back, but with the way these cars are, we're not sure that we'll see many yellow flags."

Reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who also has won the 600 three times for Hendrick, said "you've got to be smart and take care of your stuff all night long, and then race at the end for the win."

He also said, "it's really amazing how fast it goes by when you're inside the car. For whatever reason, the laps click off and the time goes by and before you know it, you're in the closing laps."

Perhaps, but 600 miles "is a marathon of a race," said Carl Edwards who, like Busch, is a three-time winner this season.

That prompted one reporter to ask Edwards, who drives the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, whether he ever gets bored in the car.