Oct 7, 2008 - 1:30 PM
2 shoutsOctober 11, 2008 Lowe's Motor Speedway Concord, North Carolina
Race 31 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit (5th of 10 in "Chase for the Championship")
TV: ABC, 7 p.m. EDT
Laps: 334 Track length: 1 1/2 miles Race length: 500 miles
Qualifying record: Elliott Sadler, Ford, 193.216 mph, 2005 Race record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 160.306 mph, 1999
DRIVERS TO WATCH ----------------
Greg Biffle Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 16 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $4,260,014 Chase Points: 5,641 (3rd)
Snapped 33-race winless skid by winning at New Hampshire to start the Chase, then won again at Dover; winning streak ended with a third at Kansas then was wrecked by teammate Carl Edwards at Talladega and finished 24th; remains third in the standings, 77 points behind Jimmie Johnson; through first 30 starts has 11 top fives and 14 top 10s; claimed two poles this season at Darlington and Dover; also has a pair of DNFs on the year, at Darlington and the second Daytona race; has been in the top-12 in the standings since the season-opening Daytona 500, where he finished 10th; finished second in the 2005 series standings, earning six victories; he is the only driver to win Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series titles; did not qualify for the Chase last season and wound up 14th in the standings; finished 27th in this race last season.
Clint Bowyer Team: Richard Childress Racing 2008 Earnings: $3,776,245 Chase Points: 5,566 (5th)
Finished 12th at Richmond to lock up final Chase berth, then ran 12th at New Hampshire, eighth at Dover and 12th at Kansas; sits fifth in the standings after running fifth at Talladega; pulled off a shocking victory in the Chase opener last season from the pole last year en route to finishing a surprising third in the standings on the strength of five top-10 finishes over the Chase; has one win on the year, coming at the first Richmond race in May; in 30 starts this season has five top fives and 13 top 10s; has not earned a pole, but also has no DNFs on the year; is running double duty this season and currently tops the Nationwide Series standings by almost 200 points; finished second to Jeff Gordon here last season.
Jeff Burton Team: Richard Childress Racing Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $4,615,783 Chase Points: 5,619 (4th)
Opened the Chase by running fourth at New Hampshire, ninth at Dover, seventh at Kansas and fourth at Talladega; one of the circuit's most consistent drivers struggled entering the Chase; ran in the top 15 through the first 17 races, but had an average finish of 20th over last nine starts before the Chase - including just two top 10s which came at the Brickyard and Richmond; won first Bristol race for lone victory of the season; has no poles this season and a pair of DNFs; finished eighth in last season's standings, one year after placing seventh; finished in the top 10 in half of the races last season, including nine top fives; lone win of the 2007 season came in April at Texas; finished the season strong with five top 10s over the final six races; best overall finish was third in the 2000 standings; ran fourth in this race last season.
Kyle Busch Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $5,907,270 Chase Points: 5,387 (11th)
Championship hopes all but vanished after more engine troubles at Kansas relegated him to a 28th-place finish; blew an engine at Dover and finished 43rd to fall to last place in the Chase; began the Chase with a broken sway bar at New Hampshire that dropped him to a 34th-place finish; first season at Joe Gibbs Racing has seen him win eight races and post 15 top fives and 17 top 10s; had held on to the top spot for 17 consecutive weeks; win at Watkins Glen gave him a sweep of the road courses following victory at Sonoma in June; prior to win at the Glen had "slumped" with a 15th at the Brickyard and 36th at Pocono; also ran dead last at the first Pocono race; has wins at Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington, Dover and the second Daytona race; runner-up finish at Richmond was marred by a late-race incident with Dale Earnhardt Jr.; had the dominant car and led the most laps at the Daytona 500; is building off a solid run at Hendrick Motorsports in his move to JGR and Toyota; finished fifth in the final 2007 standings after qualifying for the Chase for the second consecutive season; ran third in this race last season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $4,024,195 Chase Points: 5,469 (10th)
The circuit's most popular driver started the Chase by running fifth at New Hampshire; fell to 24th at Dover and 13th at Kansas; was collected in the big one at Talladega and wound up 28th; has been more consistent than spectacular with nine top fives and 14 top 10s, posting just a single DNF and claiming one pole; snapped a 76-race winless stretch by winning first Michigan race on fumes; in 11 remaining races before the Chase had an average finish of 16 and just two top 10s; was involved in a late-race incident with Kyle Busch at Richmond while racing for the win and wound up 15th; was the top finishing Hendrick car at the Daytona 500 with a ninth-place showing; made the move from his father's Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he won 17 Cup events, to Hendrick Motorsports; got off to a good start with his new team by winning the Bud Shootout; suffered through a tough final season at DEI, finishing 16th in the standings; had 12 top 10s last season, but also posted 11 finishes of 25th or worse; finished 19th in this race last season.
Carl Edwards Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $6,452,400 Chase Points: 5,646 (2nd)
Dropped from the top spot in the Chase after running second at Kansas; opened the Chase with thirds at New Hampshire and Dover; caused the big one at Talladega and finished 29th; has 14 top fives and 22 top 10s; finished second to Jimmie Johnson at the Brickyard and has five runner-ups this season; was also second to Kyle Busch at Darlington, Dover and the second Daytona race; was docked 100 points and fell from the top spot in the standings after being penalized after his win at Las Vegas; victory at Texas was his 10th career Cup win; had the dominant car again at Atlanta, but blew an engine and finished 42nd; ran 19th in the Daytona 500; qualified for the Chase last year and won at Dover after placing 12th at New Hampshire, but failed post-race inspection and was docked 25 points; penalty dropped him from third to sixth in the standings and he never recovered as he eventually wound up ninth; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship and is in contention to win the title again this year; ran fifth here last year.
Jeff Gordon Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $4,822,399 Chase Points: 5,486 (8th)
Opened Chase by running 14th at New Hampshire and seventh at Dover; followed up with a fourth at Kansas and 38th at Talladega; has yet to win this season but has 10 top-fives and 14 top 10s; has five DNFs this season after posting just one last year; rebounded to finish fifth at Atlanta after being involved in a scary late-race crash at Las Vegas where he finished 35th; bounced back with a third at California after opening 2008 season with a disappointing 39th in the Daytona 500; only a dominant finish by teammate Jimmie Johnson kept him from capturing a fifth championship last season; finished with 10 top-10 finishes in the final 11 races - the other finish in that span was an 11th at Dover; totaled a remarkable 30 top-10 finishes and 21 top fives in 36 races last year; had six checkered flags last season and 81 career, just two shy of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place all-time; won this race last year.
Denny Hamlin Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 11 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $4,660,093 Chase Points: 5,383 (12th)
Spent a night in the hospital after hard crash at Talladega which relegated him to a 39th-place finish; started the Chase by running ninth at Loudon, 38th at Dover and 11th at Kansas; won once this season at Martinsville in March; through 30 starts has nine top fives and 15 top 10s along with one pole at the first Richmond race; has only three DNFs on the year; has been in the top-12 in the standings since win at Martinsville; struggled to a 12th-place finish in the Chase last season with only three top-10s; in 2006 became the first - and thus far - only rookie to make the Chase, going on to finish third in the standings; posted seven top-10s in the 10 races that make up the Chase; ran 20th in this race last season.
Kevin Harvick Team: Richard Childress Racing Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $4,604,513 Chase Points: 5,547 (6th)
Had finished in the top-10 in nine straight races until running 20th at Talladega; started the Chase by finishing 10th at New Hampshire, sixth at Dover and sixth at Kansas; posted six top fives and 15 top 10s this season; has no poles and no DNFs on the year; entered the top-12 in the standings after Pocono in the beginning of August; last year finished 10th in the Chase with four top-10 finishes; in 2006 finished fourth in the Chase with six top-10 finishes including wins at New Hampshire and Phoenix; took an early lead in the 2006 Chase after winning at New Hampshire from the pole, but a 32nd-place finish at Dover knocked him out of the top spot; ran 33rd in this race last year.
Jimmie Johnson Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $6,168,245 Chase Points: 5,718 (1st)
Two-time reigning series champion barely missed out on third straight win after being passed by Greg Biffle in the closing laps at New Hampshire, settling for second; followed with fifth at Dover and a win at Kansas to take over first place in the Chase; played it safe at Talladega and finished ninth to increase lead to 72 points; entered the Chase with momentum after winning the past two races at California and Richmond; also has wins at Phoenix and the Brickyard; in 30 starts has 12 top fives and 22 top 10s to go along with four poles and just a single DNF; battled teammate Jeff Gordon for the top spot in the Chase early last season, then took off - winning four straight races over the second half of the Chase; in 2006 he came back from ninth early in the Chase to win the championship with six top 10s which included a win at Martinsville and four second-place finishes; finished fifth in the 2005 standings and second in 2004, eight points behind Kurt Busch; ran 14th here last October.
Matt Kenseth Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $4,687,768 Chase Points: 5,473 (9th)
Does not have a win this season but finished fifth at Kansas after a second at Dover to move up to ninth in the standings; was collected in the big one at Talladega and finished 26th; started the Chase by running 40th at New Hampshire; has eight top fives and 16 top 10s with no poles and no DNFs on the year; last season had a late-Chase surge with a win at the season-ending race at Homestead, following a third at Phoenix and second at Texas; finished fourth in the final standings; won the series championship in 2003 despite capturing only one checkered flag, prompting NASCAR to change to its current Chase format; is running this season without long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop the box by Chip Bolin; ran 34th in this race last year.
Tony Stewart Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $5,482,641 Chase Points: 5,515 (7th)
Snapped a 42-race winless streak by winning at Talladega after running 40th at Kansas; has 10 top fives and 15 top 10s, along with no poles and three DNFs on the year; finished fifth at Chicago in first race since announcing he will leave JGR at the end of the season to drive for his own Stewart-Haas Racing team next season; finished second to teammate Kyle Busch at Atlanta, but was vocal about the poor Goodyear tire quality; suffered a hard crash at Las Vegas, injured his ankle and finished last; had another disappointment in the Daytona 500, finishing third despite having the lead with one lap to go; also clashed with his team after finishing second to Jimmie Johnson at Richmond; finished sixth in the Chase last season, one year after not qualifying; won the 2005 championship for his second career title; finished seventh in this race last year.
2007 Top 10 ----------- 1. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet 2. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet 3. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet 4. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet 5. Carl Edwards (99), Ford 6. Dave Blaney (22), Toyota 7. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet 8. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge 9. David Stremme (40), Dodge 10. Michael Waltrip (55), Toyota
Past Champions -------------- 2007 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 125.868 mph 2006 Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 132.142 mph 2005 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 120.334 mph 2004 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 130.214 mph 2003 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 142.871 mph 2002 Jamie McMurray, Dodge, 141.481 mph 2001 Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 139.006 mph 2000 Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 133.630 mph 1999 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 160.306 mph 1998 Mark Martin, Ford, 123.188 mph 1997 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 144.323 mph 1996 Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 143.143 mph 1995 Mark Martin, Ford, 145.358 mph 1994 Dale Jarrett, Chevrolet, 145.922 mph 1993 Ernie Irvan, Ford, 154.537 mph 1992 Mark Martin, Ford, 153.537 mph 1991 Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 138.984 mph 1990 Davey Allison, Ford, 137.428 mph 1989 Ken Schrader, Chevrolet, 149.863 mph 1988 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 130.677 mph 1987 Bill Elliott, Ford, 128.443 mph 1986 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 132.403 mph 1985 Cale Yarborough, Ford, 136.761 1984 Bill Elliott, Ford, 146.861 mph 1983 Richard Petty, Pontiac, 139.998 mph 1982 Harry Gant, Buick, 137.208 mph 1981 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 117.483 mph 1980 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 135.243 mph 1979 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 134.266 mph 1978 Bobby Allison, Ford, 141.826 mph 1977 Benny Parsons, Chevrolet, 142.780 mph 1976 Donnie Allison, Chevrolet, 141.226 mph 1975 Richard Petty, Dodge, 132.209 mph 1974 David Pearson, 73 Mercury, 119.912 mph 1973 Cale Yarborough, 73 Chevrolet, 145.240 mph 1972 Bobby Allison, 71 Chevrolet, 133.234 mph 1971 Bobby Allison, 69 Mercury, 126.140 mph 1970 LeeRoy Yarborough, 69 Mercury, 123.426 mph 1969 Donnie Allison, 69 Ford, 131.271 mph 1968 Charlie Glotzbach, 68 Dodge, 135.324 mph 1967 Buddy Baker, 67 Dodge, 130.317 mph 1966 *LeeRoy Yarborough, 66 Dodge, 130.743 mph 1965 Fred Lorenzen, 65 Ford, 119.118 mph 1964 Fred Lorenzen, 64 Ford, 134.559 mph 1963 Junior Johnson, 63 Chevrolet, 132.105 mph 1962 Junior Johnson, 62 Pontiac, 132.085 mph 1961 Joe Weatherly, 61 Pontiac, 119.800 mph 1960 Speedy Thompson, 60 Ford, 112.760 mph
* Race changed from 400 to 500 miles
From the Bleachers
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Lap 60/334, Leader: J. Johnson
mark
TOUGH break for carl. how does the car just stop working?
Oct 11 8:40 PM -
