NASCAR Coca-Cola 600: 2012 Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Schedule And More

It's NASCAR race night at Charlotte Motor Speedway and we've got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about tonight's race for you below.

What time does the race start tonight? After a day of buildup and after 500 miles at the Indy 500 is over, the Coca-Cola 600 drivers will fire their engines at 6:10 p.m. Eastern at the request of actress/model Brooklyn Decker. Following a few pace laps, former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory will wave the green flag at 6:19 p.m. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the start of the race, turn on your TV at 6:19 p.m.

Race name/distance: The Coca-Cola 600 – once called the World 600 – is the longest race of the NASCAR season. It consists of a whopping 400 laps around the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway, which adds up to a marathon 600 miles.

TV and radio: Tonight's race can be seen on FOX. This is FOX's second-to-last race of the season (Dover ends its portion of the schedule next week) before NASCAR switches to TNT for six races. Unfortunately, there is no live streaming of the race – but you can listen on the Performance Racing Network's web site (just click the red link). You can also check PRN's site for a list of affiliate stations in your area.

Invocation/national anthem: This might spark some controversy because he has plenty of detractors, but FOX's Darrell Waltrip will be giving the invocation before the Coke 600. After the prayer, singer Darius Rucker will perform the national anthem.

Tickets: The Coke 600 is not a sellout, so if you want to make a last-minute trip to the track, you should be able to find face-value tickets.

Weather: The unofficial NASCAR weatherman, Brian Neudorff, predicts a warm evening for Charlotte fans and believes rain is likely to stay away.

Last time: Kevin Harvick passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final turn of the last lap when the latter driver ran out of fuel to win the 2011 Coke 600. Then, in last October's Chase race at the track, Matt Kenseth won ahead of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. More recently, Jimmie Johnson won last week's NASCAR All-Star Race and said he has an even better car for tonight's event.

Starting lineup for tonight's Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

1. Aric Almirola
2. Marcos Ambrose
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Greg Biffle
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Mark Martin
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Paul Menard
10. Regan Smith
11. AJ Allmendinger
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
13. Trevor Bayne
14. Kevin Harvick
15. Martin Truex Jr.
16. Ryan Newman
17. Kyle Busch
18. Landon Cassill
19. Joey Logano
20. Matt Kenseth
21. Tony Stewart
22. Jeff Burton
23. Jeff Gordon
24. Brad Keselowski
25. Casey Mears
26. Bobby Labonte
27. Cole Whitt
28. Carl Edwards
29. Juan Pablo Montoya
30. David Ragan
31. Jamie McMurray
32. Michael McDowell
33. Josh Wise
34. Stephen Leicht
35. David Stremme
36. Dave Blaney
37. Travis Kvapil
38. Scott Speed
39. David Gilliland
40. Danica Patrick
41. TJ Bell
42. Kurt Busch
43. Joe Nemechek