Oct 7, 2008 - 1:33 PM
0 shoutsOctober 10, 2008 Lowe's Motor Speedway Concord, North Carolina Race 31 of 35 on the Nationwide Series circuit
Laps: 200 Track length: 1 1/2 mile Race length: 300 miles
TV: ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
Qualifying record: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 187.735 mph (October, 2005) Race record: Mark Martin, Ford, 155.996 mph (May, 1996)
DRIVERS TO WATCH ----------------
Clint Bowyer Team: Richard Childress Racing Car: No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 2008 Earnings: $898,495
Remains the series leader though he has just one victory this season - when he gambled and stayed out during a rain delay to win at Bristol; followed with second at Nashville and third at Texas; is 196 points ahead of Carl Edwards after finishing second at Kansas; through first 29 races has 11 top fives and 24 top 10s; started the year with a 25th at Daytona, then rebounded with a ninth at California; ran a full Busch series slate in 2005 and 2006, finishing second and third, respectively, in the final standings; finished 12th overall last year after running just 22 races, winning at Phoenix and Richmond; ran eighth here the past two seasons.
Carl Edwards Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 60 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $1,002,200
Followed up win at Richmond by running fifth at Dover and fourth at Kansas; remains second in the standings and trails Clint Bowyer by 196 points; had a disappointing 37th-place finish at Bristol - his worst showing of the year excluding Darlington, where a wreck left him in 43rd; defending series champion has four wins this year; won for the second time this season at Gateway, then followed up with an 11th at O'Reilly; also won at Milwaukee, then followed up with a fifth at New Hampshire and 11th at Daytona; ran second at Dover; was fourth at Atlanta after being wrecked by Mark Martin at Las Vegas, winding up 14th; opened defense of his series title with a 10th at Daytona and fifth at California; clinched last season's title at Texas, three races before the end of the season; was the runner-up to Kevin Harvick two seasons ago; despite late struggles still had a series-best 21 top-10 finishes and 15 top fives last season; led in the series standings for 33 consecutive weeks prior to Daytona this year; in 35 starts last season had four wins, trailing only Harvick, who had six; posted a 33rd-place finish here last year.
Brad Keselowski Team: JR Motorsports Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 2008 Earnings: $1,030,800
Second-year driver sits third in the standings, 268 points behind Clint Bowyer after running sixth at Kansas; had moved up to second in the standings after winning at Bristol, but followed that effort with his worst performance of the year - placing 33rd in Fontana; followed up his first series win at Nashville by running fourth at Kentucky and eighth at Milwaukee; through first 30 races has 17 top 10s and 10 top fives; finished third at Lowe's and posted consecutive fourth-place finishes at Bristol and the first Nashville race; has only five finishes of 20th or worse this season; finished 25th in points last season and third in Rookie of the Year standings; joined Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports team in July last season; finished 11th here last season.
Joey Logano Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $511,482
Finished ninth at Kansas after a 14th at Dover; young phenom had his car fail post-race inspection at Michigan when a magnet was found underneath the gas pedal in order to influence dyno test; finished 17th at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve; won his first race and second pole at Kentucky in his third series start; captured the pole at Nashville in just his second series start; was tapped by Greg Biffle early in that race and wound up a disappointing 31st; finished sixth at Dover in his highly anticipated debut in one of NASCAR's top series a week after turning 18; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch East Series championship as a rookie; signed a development deal with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005; was dubbed the "Real Deal" by Mark Martin when he was 15; is Tony Stewart's Sprint Cup replacement in the No. 20 Toyota next season.
David Ragan Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 6 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $739,315
Sits fifth in the standings after third-place finish at Kansas; prior to that had failed to finish higher than ninth in 10 consecutive races; is running both series this year; ran 25th at Bristol; through first 28 races has five top fives and 17 top 10s; ran ninth at Daytona and 12th at California to start the season, then posted a 10th at Las Vegas, ran 16th at Atlanta and was eighth at Bristol; was eighth at Texas and fifth at Phoenix; had an impressive rookie season, finishing fifth overall and winning the Raybestos Rookie of the Year by 27 points over Marcos Ambrose; scored four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 2007, but also had eight finishes of 30th or worse; finished sixth as a rookie here last year.
David Reutimann Team: Michael Waltrip Racing Car: No. 99 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $758,025
Has pulled "double-duty" in 2008 after finishing second to Carl Edwards in the standings last season; remains sixth in the standings after running 16th at Kansas and 17th at Dover; had back-to-back eighth-place finishes at Bristol and Fontana; is winless this year with 13 top 10 finishes and seven top fives; ran 15th at Michigan; placed 26th at O'Reilly after finishing 13th at Kentucky; started season with a 14th at Daytona and ran fourth at California; ran 25th at Las Vegas, 10th at Atlanta and third in the Sharpie Mini 300; last year had better finishes than Edwards in 10 of the last 15 races and scored the most points in the series after the midseason point; earned his first series win at the second Atlanta race; finished with five top-fives and 12 top 10s; finished 12th in this race last year.
2007 Top 10 ----------- 1. Jeff Burton (29), Chevrolet 2. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Chevrolet 4. Aric Almirola (18), Chevrolet 5. Denny Hamlin (20), Chevrolet 6. David Ragan (6), Ford 7. Robby Gordon (55), Chevrolet 8. Clint Bowyer (2), Chevrolet 9. Kelly Bires (47), Ford 10. Kevin Harvick (33), Chevrolet
Past Champions -------------- 2007 Jeff Burton 2006 Dave Blaney 2005 Ryan Newman 2004 Mike Bliss 2003 Greg Biffle 2002 Jeff Burton 2001 Greg Biffle 2000 Matt Kenseth 1999 Michael Waltrip 1998 Mike McLaughlin 1997 Jimmy Spencer 1996 Mark Martin 1995 Mark Martin 1994 Terry Labonte 1993 Mark Martin 1992 Jeff Gordon 1991 Harry Gant 1990 Sterling Marlin 1989 Rick Moroso 1988 Rick Moroso 1987 Harry Gant 1986 Dale Earnhardt 1985 Terry Labonte 1984 Darrell Waltrip 1983 Sam Ard 1982 Darrell Waltrip
