It's easy to get pumped up for the Daytona 500. It's the annual rite of spring for NASCAR fans, the beginning of yet another promising season of excitement.

It's also easy to get pumped up for the Brickyard 400. Although it's one of the newest races on the Winston Cup schedule, having made its debut only in 1994, it's quickly and arguably become the second-most popular (sorry, Talladega fans) race on the yearly slate.

But for some, the most anticipated race of the year might be this Sunday afternoon's marquee event, the annual running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Sure, it may not have the buildup and pageantry that Daytona and Indianapolis have, but the 600 has its own mystique that sets it apart from every other race on the 36-race Winston Cup schedule.

First and foremost is the obvious -- it's the longest, most physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting race of the season. 600 miles long, 400 laps around the 1½-mile, high-speed LMS racing surface. The 600 is kind of similar to the Baja 1000, the most grueling race known to man, only in a kind of fast-forward setting. While it takes close to a day or more to cover Baja's arduous circuit, Cup drivers can finish the 600 in about four hours -- which often seems like 40 hours when a driver finally crosses the finish line.

Two years ago, Tony Stewart pulled off the rare "double" -- running the Indianapolis 500 in the morning and early afternoon, and then coming back to race at Charlotte in the late afternoon and into the evening. When Stewart wearily climbed out of his Pontiac at the end of the 600, he literally collapsed from exhaustion. He had to be force-fed oxygen and eventually had to have an IV inserted into his arm just to get his soaked, saturated and fatigued body reenergized and to get the air and blood coursing back normally through his veins.

I have to admit that picture of Stewart laying on the ground just outside his car, a nearly-collapsed man on the verge of unconsciousness from the fatigue of the day, scared me then and still scares me now. Granted, if he hadn't run the Indy 500 earlier that day, and then hopped an airplane to transport him to Charlotte, Stewart probably wouldn't have been as wiped out as he ultimately was.

But then again, running the 600 arguably contributed the most toward Stewart's fatigue.

Sunday will mark the 44th renewal of the 600. It also marks the return to the regular season for Winston Cup drivers after a week off and then last Saturday's running of The Winston all-star event. Now it's back to business, serious business at that. For it's at the 600 that the eventual Winston Cup champ will likely begin his push toward taking the crown.

Yes, we're only 11 races into the season. Yes, there are 25 races remaining. So might the eventual champ really begin his route to the title at Charlotte? Of course.

Consider: Sunday's race isn't only the most grueling race of the season, it is also the kick-off to the most grueling part of the Cup schedule, beginning a stretch that includes 25 weekends of racing over the next 26 weeks, with only one break the week before the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 5. That's it until the end of the season. It's also during that time period that the eventual champ will emerge, much like Stewart did en route to his first Winston Cup title last season.

	Mark Martin won the Coca Cola 600 last year.

That's why teams and drivers put such significance on doing well in the 600. Some need a kick-start to salvage and overcome what has been a fair to poor first third of the season. Others need a more of a slight nudge to correct any wiggles or bobbles they may have had in recent weeks.

And then there's the guys up near the front -- the Kenseths, Earnhardts, Johnsons, Gordons and Buschs -- who need the next 20 weeks to refine and narrow the focus of their championship chase.

But it won't be easy, that's for sure. Just ask Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, who is fresh off winning a cool million last Saturday at The Winston, also at Lowe's Motor Speedway. As easy as Johnson made that win look, the 600 is a whole other animal to deal with.

"Lowe's Motor Speedway is probably the single most difficult track that we have to work at as far as a crew chief and team aspect," said Knaus. "The car handles so different from daytime to nighttime, it's just tremendous. The car will continually change as the sun sets and as the humidity goes up or down. It's a very difficult race. But the neat thing about it is that by being 600 miles in 400 laps, you make a lot of pit stops. You stop every 60 or so laps. You come in. You can make adjustments.

"You tend to build a lot of adjustments into the car so as nightfall comes, you can either free the car up or tighten the car up -- depending on how much your car is doing. Typically, it'll tighten up and maybe you'll pull some spring rubbers out or take a little wedge out or things like that. So, yeah, it's difficult. But hopefully we're up to the task."

And then there are guys like Ryan Newman. He won The Winston last season en route to winning Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors. This year, however, has been a whole other story for the South Bend, Ind., native. He's struggled since Daytona and finds himself in a very unfamiliar 27th place. He's dropped 19 spots in the standings in the last four races, all of which he's finished no better than in 38th place. If anyone needs a huge boost in the 600, it's Newman and the No. 12 Dodge.

"Ryan isn't letting himself get down about the way things have been lately," said crew chief Matt Borland. "We're going forward, looking for ways to improve our program. We're not giving up. Right now, we need a solid run in the 600 and that will build some momentum for the rest of the season."

The 600 is also the venue where we've seen some incredible racing over the years. Most recently, there have been some great races and great memories over the last decade at the 600. There's 1993, when Rusty Wallace was on his way to victory until Dale Earnhardt smashed him out of the way and motored across the finish line as the winner seconds later, casting that trademark Earnhardt smirk when he took the checkered flag out of Wallace's hands.

And then there was 1997. Wallace again was set to win, but a late pit stop under caution and difference in strategy allowed Jeff Gordon to sneak by and take the win.

And lets not forget last year's 600, one of the most emotional and touching finishes one can ever recall. Not only did Mark Martin win his first race in over two years, the first words out of his mouth were "Where's Janet?" Martin was seeking Janet Hogan, a typical NASCAR fan who had just won $1 million in the Winston No Bull fan contest thanks to Martin's performance. Not only did Martin win for himself and his team, he was so excited for the fan he drove for that thoughts of her were the first thing on his mind when he climbed out of the No. 6 Ford.

It's hard to recall a classier ending to a race or a classier showing by a racer than what Martin did last year. It may be hard for any driver ever to top that showing.

So excuse me if I can't wait for Sunday to come. It's a rare Coca-Cola 600 that doesn't result in an exciting finish or some outstanding side-by-side racing on the race track. To me, it's a May version of the Daytona 500, only a bit longer. And while Sunday is first and foremost a day to honor those brave fighting men and women who gave their lives to defend our freedom over the years, the 600 has also come to mean a true memorial day for NASCAR fans, as well.

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Motorsportwriter@yahoo.com.