Although Jimmie Johnson has steadily moved up the Sprint Cup point standings in recent weeks, there is no clear-cut favorite for this weekend's 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That's because no one has dominated this race the past six years. In fact, Kurt Busch is the only driver in the previous two seasons with back-to-back top-10 finishes at Charlotte. Busch posted a win in 2010 and fourth last season. Kasey Kahne and Johnson can possibly take exception to those numbers, as Kahne has two wins (2006, 08) and a seventh in that span, while Johnson won this race three consecutive seasons (2003-05) and was second in 2006. His stats recently at Charlotte are dismal at best, placing 39th, 13th, 37th and 28th the past four years. Johnson is coming off two consecutive wins (Darlington and all-star event). Fuel strategy determined the outcome of last year's Coca-Cola 600, as Dale Earnhardt Jr ran out gas and Kevin Harvick didn't heading to the finish line. Earnhardt Jr led the way on the final lap and saw the checkered flag in hand, but his hopes of ending his lengthy winless drought in the Sprint Cup Series came up short when his fuel ran out on the last turn. That allowed Harvick to drive past him and steal the win, in a race that took 4 hours and 33 minutes to complete. Earnhardt Jr has 18 career Sprint Cup win but has not driven to victory lane since June 2008 at Michigan (140 races ago). In 11 starts this season, Earnhardt Jr has eight top-10's finishes, including two second-place runs. He won 40-lap Sprint Showdown (preliminary event to the all-star race). Kurt Busch followed up his all-star race victory in 2010 by winning the Coca- Cola 600 -- NASCAR's longest race of the season. He led 252 of 400 laps but had to outrun a hard-charging Jamie McMurray in the final laps for the win. McMurray held the lead late in the race, but a crash involving Marcos Ambrose with 24 laps remaining set up the last round of pit stops during the caution. Busch exited the pits first, followed by Matt Kenseth and McMurray, while Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and pole sitter Ryan Newman remained on the track and took the top-three positions. When the race resumed with 19 laps to go, Busch quickly passed Newman, Martin and then Gordon to take the lead for good. Busch won for the 22nd time in his Sprint Cup career, as he edged out McMurray by 0.737 of a second. David Reutimann was in the right place at the right time, as he won the 2009 running of the Coca-Cola 600. After rain slowed the scheduled 600-mile event for the third time on lap 221, Reutimann and crew chief Rodney Childers gambled, as Reutimann remained on the track and inherited the lead, while the leaders came onto pit road. NASCAR halted the race on lap 227. Track officials attempted to dry the track, but persistent rain forced NASCAR to call the race, two hours after the red flag was displayed. It was the shortest 600 in the event's history. Reutimann, who led the final five laps, scored his first Sprint Cup Series victory in his 75th start. His previous career-best finish in the series was fourth, which came earlier that year at Las Vegas. In 2008, Kasey Kahne joined the impressive list of multiple champions of this race, as he won his eighth career Sprint Cup title. Kahne, who titled here in 2006, led six times throughout the race, including the final three laps to defeat Greg Biffle by a whopping 10.203 seconds. Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon are just some of the multiple winners of this race. Pole sitter Kyle Busch finished third, while Dale Earnhardt Jr led for a race-high 76 laps and placed fifth. Kahne's victory total now stands at 12. Casey Mears led only six laps in 2007, but it was the final half dozen, as he recorded his first Sprint Cup title. Mears started 16th on the grid, but it wasn't until lap 395 that he took control and cruised to a 9.561 seconds win over J.J. Yeley. Kurt Busch was the dominant driver of the race, leading 107 laps, but he faded to 32nd after an accident. Pole sitter Ryan Newman led the first 10 laps, but failed to finish due to engine problems, placing 39th. The first 600-mile race at Charlotte, the World 600, was held in 1960. It was billed as the "world's longest and most grueling late model stock car race." Not much has changed in the last 52 years. It's still the longest race on the circuit and certainly one of the toughest. This race has been traditionally held on Memorial Day weekend. After two lackluster finishes, Kasey Kahne dominated this race in 2006, as he posted a 2.114 seconds win over Jimmie Johnson. Kahne, who doubled later in the year at this track, led for a race-high 158 laps on seven different occasions for his fourth career Sprint Cup title. Pole sitter Scott Riggs finished 13th after leading for 90 laps. Carl Edwards took the lead on lap 360, but Kahne reclaimed the advantage on the 371st lap and finished out the race, as Edwards placed third. To win this event, is a true test of man and machine; to win two-in-a-row is a special accomplishment. The first driver to turn the trick was Buddy Baker. He won back-to-back 600s in 1972 and '73. Baker drove Dodges to both wins, wheeling a Petty Engineering Dodge in '72 and a Harry Hyde-prepared Dodge in '73. Darrell Waltrip next scored repeat wins in '78 and '79 while driving Chevrolets for the DiGard team. Popular Neil Bonnett won the 1982 Coca-Cola 600 in a Wood Brothers Ford and came back in a RahMoc Chevrolet to win in '83. Waltrip was a repeat winner for a second time in '88 and '89 but he was then driving Rick Hendrick-owned Chevrolets. Chevrolets accounted for the next two repeats with Richard Childress' driver Dale Earnhardt winning in 1992 and '93 and Jeff Gordon winning in '97 and '98 for Hendrick. Richard Petty holds the track record with 64 starts at Charlotte. Of course, three-in-a-row is a remarkable feat. History was made in 2005 when Jimmie Johnson became the first driver to win three consecutive Coca-Cola 600s. Johnson, who edged Bobby Labonte by less than a second for the title, overtook Labonte on the final lap for his 17th career Sprint Cup win. Johnson, with one win this season, now has 56 career titles. In his career at this track, Johnson has six wins with 14 top-10 finishes. Johnson's average finish at CMS is 11.8 with 10 top-five's. Johnson was the last pole sitter to capture this race (2004) and the last pole sitter to win at CMS (2009). Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started. Jeff Gordon has raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway on 38 occasions, posting eight poles, five wins, 16 top-fives and a whopping 20 top-10 finishes. His average finish pales in comparison to Johnson at 15.9. On Sunday, Johnson will try to become the first driver to win the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600 twice in his career. Only seven drivers have ever captured the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same season. Darrell Waltrip accomplished the feat in 1985, followed by Davey Allison (1991), Earnhardt Jr (1993), Gordon (1997), Johnson (2003), Kahne (2008) and Busch (2010). Charlotte has hosted 106 Sprint Cup Series races, two per year since the track opened in 1960. There have been 13 back-to-back victories at Charlotte, including three in a row by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964-fall 1965). A sweep has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007. Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish with sing the National Anthem, while actress Brooklyn Decker is the honorary race director. The next Sprint Cup Series race is the June 3 FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway. Matt Kenseth is the defending race winner.