The Misan Akuya Report

Trevor Bayne is a Daytona 500 Champion

2011-02-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

Blogus interruptus. Remember to sign out of blogspot next time, baby.

Trevor Bayne came to Daytona with no expectations.

He had completed a full season in the NASCAR Nationwide series with no wins and a best finish of 3rd.

He had made one cup start finishing 17th.

He timed in third on qualifying day and in the Gatorade duel on thursday got the seal of approval from Jeff Gordon who allowed Bayne to push the car Gordon had qualified second with.

Bayne was involved in a last lap wreck in the duel and it had appeared that he would have to go to a backup car.

But the Wood Brothers worked hard with Donnie Wingo to repair that car that they wanted to take to Bristol (this team only had four or five cars) so Bayne could have a great car for the 500.

Bayne started 32nd and worked his way through the pack. He worked with Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Martin Truex Jr and David Ragan.

He was ahead of all the wrecks including the lap 29 'big one" that took ou 17 cars.

He never led until six laps to go after David Ragan was black flagged by NASCAR for not holding his position on the restart.

He was was Bayne who had just turned 20 the day before in a position to win the Daytona 500.

He had Tony Stewart on his outside who was trying to win the 500 on his 13th try, Bobby Labonte behind him who was trying to win it on his 19th try, Mark Martin who was trying to win it on his 27th try, and Kurt Busch who was trying to win it on his 11th try.

Bayne got a pushed from Labonte and held off a late charge from Carl Edwards and David Gilliand to win the great American race.

He tied Jamie McMurray's record of winning in their second career cup start.

He became the first driver since Lee Petty won the first 500 to win it in his first try.

He joined Tiny Lund, Pete Hamilton, Sterling Marlin, Derrick Cope, and Michael Waltrip as drivers to score their first victory in the 500.

It was also his first victory in any of NASCAR's top three series.

For the Wood Brothers it was their first win in ten years since Elliott Sadler won the Food City 500.

For a team that missed the 500 in 2008 and hasn't won the 500 since 1976 this was huge.

This is huge for NASCAR that needed a story to keep fans interested and get new ones in. To have someone only one year older then me to win the biggest race in motorsports in simply amazing.

Whatever happens to Bayne after today doesn't matter. He has achieved greatness and it can only go up from here.

Congrats to Trevor Bayne you are a Daytona 500 champion.

Daytona 500 Pick: Tony Stewart

2011-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Tony Stewart has won 16 races at Daytona. Six nationwide races four of which are in a row, three of the July 400 classic, two IROC races here, three Budwesier shootouts, and two Gatorade duels.

But Stewart has yet to sang the big trophy. With this new style of drafting Stewart feels he has it figured out.

Stewart finished second in the Daytona 500 in 2004 getting passed by Dale Earnahdrt Jr late in the race.

Stewart finished thrid in the Daytona 500 in 2008 after getting passed for the win by Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch on the last lap.

Stewart addimtted that he played it too safe that day.

But in his 13th try Stewart is going for all the marbles. He has learned from his near wins and missed opportunites.

Expect Stewart to get hooked up with someone like Ryan Newman and make his way to the front.

He put himself in the right postion to win yesterday's race and he will today.

After 13 tries Tony Stewart will finally be a Daytona 500 Champion.

2008-06-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

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Edwards Looks To Defend Michigan Title
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Roush Fenway Racing Enjoys Michigan Success
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Kahne Riding Hot Streak Into Summer Stretch
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Ragan Nearing Chase Berth; Several Drivers In Contention
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NASCAR CAM: Kurt Busch Appears On Video Teleconference

Michigan Win In 2007 Puts Edwards Back On Fast Track

It started as a joke at the end of a breakout season.

After Carl Edwards' (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) win at Texas Motor Speedway in Nov. 2005, Edwards' motor coach driver and longtime friend Tom Giacchi, famously declared that he wouldn't shave until Edwards' next victory.

For a driver that won four races in his first full season -- and two consecutively in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup -- the wait wasn't supposed to be long.

However, a sophomore slump left Edwards without a win in 2006, and Giacchi with an ever-growing beard.

It took 15 races the following season, but Edwards finally returned to Victory Lane. The win came at Michigan International Speedway in June 2007, the same track at which Edwards finished 10th in his series debut in 2004.

While the win was nice for Giacchi, it has helped put Edwards and the No. 99 team back where they were the previous season--winning races. Edwards won two more races last season (Bristol and Dover) and has already won three through 14 races in 2008. He trails only Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) (seven) in wins in the past year.

Roush Dominates Michigan

There is nowhere that Roush Fenway Racing performs better than Michigan International Speedway. And team owner Jack Roush, who lives in nearby Livonia, Mich., wouldn't have it any other way.

"We have two-thirds of our activities and two-thirds of our people located in southeast Michigan," said Roush, referring to Roush Industries. "So we've got great support and great exposure for our employees and all the things that means moral-wise.

"We were able to win on the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor Company, I had my 200th win there with Mark Martin and on average we have won more there in all three series than we have at any other track."

Of Roush's 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins, 10 have come at Michigan. He also has three NASCAR Nationwide Series wins and three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins.

"I keep waiting for the bubble to burst," Roush said. "I go to Michigan and think we've had way more than our share of good fortune here, when do we start giving it back.

I sure hope it's not this weekend."

Kahne Hopes To Continue Momentum At Michigan

The day before the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, a frustrated Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) confessed to the media, "to me it's just (our) cars aren't where they need to be to go fast."

The next day, his car was still not where it needed to be to win the Sprint Open. Thanks to a fan vote, Kahne made the all-star race, where his fortunes changed.

Kahne won the race -- his first victory since October 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- and followed it with a Coca-Cola 600 win the next weekend.

Two weeks later, Kahne added another at Pocono Raceway.

He knows the team is building up to something big that can carry them through the season.

"Momentum is so big in this sport," Kahne said. "The excitement, the confidence and everything; you go to Gillett Evernham right now and everybody is walking around there with a smile on their face, and that's not how it was a month and a half ago. But that's probably how it was in '06. It's just good. Everybody is excited."

This weekend, the team has another chance to add back-to-back wins at a track Kahne has already conquered.

"Michigan has always been a strong track for us and we're looking forward to keeping the momentum going. Everything is clicking for this team right now, it would be great to get back-to-back wins for Gillett Evernham."

Ragan Closing In On 12th Place; Other Chase Hopefuls Hang Tight

The start to David Ragan's (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career wasn't exactly a fairy tale, but signs are starting to point to a happy ending.

Ragan was thrust into NASCAR's top series after being named as Mark Martin's replacement in the famous No. 6 Ford in late 2006. After a slow start, during which Ragan was labeled a "dart without feathers", the second-generation driver is starting to come around, displaying the talent that earned him his coveted ride.

Just over halfway towards the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Ragan has put together a solid season and sits seven points out of 12th place -- the cutoff point for Chase eligibility.

"I've been making fewer mistakes on the track," Ragan said. "We've been qualifying better and just overall have had better cars every weekend. I also have been making better decisions throughout the whole weekend when it comes down to practice, qualifying and the race. All of these things combined have definitely helped us get to where we currently are in the points."

Ragan isn't the only driver in position to make a run at a Chase berth. Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge) is 14th, 10 points behind 12th, Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Carhartt Ford) is 15th, 34 back, Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) is 16th, 56 back and Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota) used a second-place finish at Pocono to climb to 17th, 112 back.

That's not to say that others aren't still in the hunt for the Chase. Kenseth was in 24th place, 308 points out of Chase contention in 2005 at this point of the season, and roared back to make the Chase.

NASCAR CAM: Kurt Busch Video, Transcript Available On NASCARMedia.com

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) was this week's guest on the NASCAR CAM Video Teleconference. For the complete transcript and downloadable video, visit NASCARMedia.com

On the importance of winning at Michigan

"Well, it's the manufacturer's backyard and everybody gets excited to carry their nameplate to Victory Lane at Michigan. I've had the chance to do it for Dodge, and of course Roger Penske's headquarters are up there. It seems like a second home race for everybody. You've got Charlotte, of course, and then you've got Michigan, which are two very pride-filled racetracks, and any driver that goes to Victory Lane at Michigan feels that for their manufacturer, it's a proud day and a proud moment for Dodge when we get to win there."

On younger brother Kyle Busch

"He seems to be doing real well. He hasn't asked for any type of advice, and you know, the thing is that we're both racers and we both love to try to win. He's got everything going for him right now, so he's grabbing life by the horns, as you would say in Dodge Land, and he's going for it."

On his team's struggles this season

"You know, when you're 21st you want to be first, and when you're first it can be real easy to get smacked down to 21st. So you have the good times and you have the bad, and you try to even them all out. We're working real hard to get ourselves back up in this points mix and see if we can't make the Chase."

Top 35: No. 66 Chevrolet Leaps Into Locked-In Position

Scott Riggs (No. 66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet) finished 21st at Pocono, bringing his Joe Custer-owned Chevrolet to 34th in the owner standings and a secured spot in Sunday's race. The Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet had previously fallen out of the top 35 after being docked 100 points for improper wing mounting locations.

Riggs' rise came at the expense of Michael Waltrip (No. 55 NAPA Toyota), who fell out of the final locked-in position after a 37th-place finish at Pocono. Waltrip, who is also the car's owner, will be required to qualify for a position in the race at Michigan.

Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge) holds the final locked-in position for car owner Roger Penske. Hornish is guaranteed to make the race at the track Penske used to own.

Forty-six cars are expected this weekend, meaning there will be 11 cars vying for the final eight positions in the race. Two of those cars -- the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford (Bill Elliott) and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge (Terry Labonte) are driven by former champions, leaving each another opportunity to make the race if their qualifying speeds aren't quick enough.

Loop Data: Roush Teams Top Charts

Roger Penske may have once owned Michigan International Speedway, but statistically this is the track that Jack Roush built.

Three Roush Fenway Racing drivers rank in the top five in Driver Rating: Carl Edwards (first), Greg Biffle (third) and Matt Kenseth (fifth).

But one Roush Fenway driver in particular is king of the two-mile MIS oval layout: Edwards.

Edwards, who broke a 52-race winless drought with last season's Michigan win, ranks first in a number of statistical categories over the past six races.

Edwards, who has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races, leads the series in Michigan Driver Rating (112.3), Average Running Position (7.9), Average Green Flag Speed (175.550 mph), Laps in the Top 15 percentage (88.2%) and Quality Passes (329). Additionally, he's tied for third in Fastest Laps Run with 81.

Teammate Biffle, who has run strong lately this season, is a definite threat for his first victory of 2008. Biffle won back-to-back races at Michigan (the second race of 2004 and first of 2005) that began a streak of five consecutive top-10 finishes. Last season, though, Biffle struggled there, with finishes of 38th and 19th.

Still, over the last six Michigan races, Biffle has a third-best Driver Rating (105.4), a third-best Average Running Position (9.7) and the second-most Fastest Laps Run (88).

Kenseth looks as if he's shaken of any bad vibes from his early-season struggles. After finishes of 38th (Phoenix), 41st (Talladega) and 38th (Richmond), Kenseth sat 22nd in the point standings. Since then, he has enjoyed four consecutive top-10 finishes and is up to 15th in the standings, only 34 points behind 12th-place Tony Stewart.

This Sunday, he can continue his march. Kenseth has two wins there, and finished fourth the last time the series raced at Michigan. Since 2005, Kenseth has a Driver Rating of 104.1, an Average Running Position of 13.1 and has run 72.55 of the Laps in the Top 15.

Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Standings
Rookie Pts
Regan Smith 137
Sam Hornish Jr. 134
Patrick Carpentier 99
Michael McDowell 84
Dario Franchitti 80

Regan Smith (No. 01 Principal Financial Group/DEI Chevrolet) finished ahead of Sam Hornish Jr. in the Pocono 500 to regain the lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings. The two were tied heading into Pocono.

Michael McDowell (No. 00 MWR Toyota) finished 27th, the highest of the five rookies, for his second Raybestos Rookie of the Race award of the season.

Manufacturers' Standings

Kasey Kahne's Pocono win put Dodge in Victory Lane for the third time in 2008, tying Chevrolet and Ford. Toyota leads all manufacturers with five wins.

Ford hopes a trip to Michigan will end its 'winless streak'. A Ford driver has not won a race since Carl Edwards' win in Texas on April 6, but the manufacturer has won seven of the last 12 Michigan races. Dodge has won the remaining five races.

NSCS, Etc: Hornish Excited For First Father's Day At Home Track

Hornish Set For Homecoming

Sunday's LifeLock 400 will have special meaning for Sam Hornish Jr. Not only does Hornish consider Michigan International Speedway his home track, but it will also mark his first Father's Day. Hornish and wife Crystal welcomed daughter Addison Faith to the world on Feb. 4.

In addition to celebrating his own Father's Day, Hornish, from Defiance, Ohio, is excited to spend time with his own father.

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend in Michigan," Hornish said. "To spend Father's Day close to home with my family and my dad is very special to me. I remember going to Michigan International Speedway as a child with my dad and some of my fondest memories are from there."

Hornish finished 25th in the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan, his only NASCAR start at the track. He has four top fives and six top 10s in six Michigan starts in the IRL and ARCA.

Special Birthday Wishes

Mark Martin (No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet) will deliver a special birthday gift to the United States Army at Michigan this weekend. The Army will be celebrating its 233rd birthday on Saturday, June 14 and Martin and Army officials will take part in a cake-cutting ceremony prior to Sunday's race.

"The only birthday gift I have in mind is a trip to Victory Lane with the U.S. Army Chevrolet," Martin said.

Special Honor For Greg and Nicole Biffle

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford) and wife Nicole will be honored by the North Shore Animal League America for their life saving efforts on behalf of homeless animals on Wednesday. The couple run the Greg Biffle Foundation which "creates awareness and serves as advocates to improve the well-being of animals by engaging the power and passion of the motor-sports industry."

The Biffles will be recognized during the North Shore Animal League America's seventh annual Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon which honors individuals and organizations who have helped to save lives and sustain the Animal League's mission to rescue, nurture and adopt.

On The Right Track

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet) has been running at the finish in 58 consecutive races � tying his all-time record of 58 for consecutive completed races. Herman Beam completed 84 consecutive races that he competed in (1961-63) but, he did not compete in all of the races during his personal streak.

Martin Truex Jr. was the runner-up finisher in both Michigan races last year. The first came two weeks after his first career win at Dover last June. He finished third at Pocono in between the two. This year Truex finished sixth at Dover and 17th at Pocono.

Patrick Carpentier (No. 10 LifeLock Dodge) will be attempting his stock car debut at Michigan, but the former open-wheel star has plenty of experience on the two-mile track. Carpentier has six career open wheel starts at Michigan and won the final CART-sanctioned race at the track.

Up Next: Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit Infineon Raceway next weekend, the first of two road courses on the schedule.

Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Big Red Slim Pack Dodge) started 32nd in last year's race and worked his way through the field before taking the lead for the first time on Lap 104 of the 110-lap race. Montoya led the final seven laps of the race for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. It was also the first win for Dodge at the Northern California track. Jamie McMurray (No. 26 Crown Royal Ford) started on the pole.

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) leads all drivers with five wins and five poles at Infineon.

The Race: LifeLock 400
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, June 15
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2-mile oval
The Distance: 400 miles/200 laps
TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Carl Edwards
2007 Polesitter: J.J. Yeley

Series Standings
Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 2,084
2 Jeff Burton 2,063
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,939
4 Carl Edwards 1,856
5 Denny Hamlin 1,800
6 Jimmie Johnson 1,799
7 Greg Biffle 1,781
8 Jeff Gordon 1,767
9 Kasey Kahne 1,719
10 Kevin Harvick 1,690
11 Clint Bowyer 1,679
12 Tony Stewart 1,614
Pre-Race Schedule: Friday -- Practice, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:10 p.m. Saturday -- Practice, 12-12:45 and1:20-2:20 p.m

News&Notes for Kentucky

2008-06-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

Kentucky Boasts Seven Different Race, Pole Winners
Keselowski�s Win Throws Standings Battle Into Full Gear
In The Loop: Coleman Returns To Kentucky With Stout Stats

Is Kentucky In Store For Another Surprise Party?

Another first-time winner or an eighth different winner in eight races?

Either way, Saturday night�s Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway promises to bring more surprises for the usual packed house at the 1.5-mile track.

Over the last two years, this race has produced a surprise winner. Last season, Stephen Leicht held off his best friend, Brad Coleman (No. 27 Cottonelle Ford) for his first career victory.

One year earlier, David Gilliland, a relatively unknown driver running for a part-time team, shocked the racing world with a win that completely turned his life � and career � around. Gilliland now competes full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Leicht currently runs a limited schedule for Richard Childress Racing and will be the all-important substitute for double-duty driver and series standings leader Clint Bowyer (No. 2 Camping World/RVs.com Chevrolet) this weekend.

Kentucky is one of only three tracks in the NASCAR Nationwide Series that has yet to produce a multiple race and multiple pole winner. Four other tracks share Kentucky�s distinction of different winners for each race while three have yet to award a pole to a driver more than once.

Three former winners of this race � Bobby Hamilton Jr. (No. 25 Curly�s/John Morrell Ford), reigning series champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 CitiFinancial Ford) and Kyle Busch (No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota) � are entered and will attempt to break the one-winner string. Edwards is the lone former pole winner entered who also has a shot to become the first to double in that category.

Keselowski�s First Win Creates Havoc In Standings

Brad Keselowski�s (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) first career win last week at Nashville Superspeedway has not only increased the buzz around the young series-only driver, but has also thrown the standings into that same hot-topic category for the first time in three years.

Clint Bowyer continues to lead with a 166-point margin over David Reutimann (No. 99 Aaron�s Dream Machine Toyota). That difference between first and second place is the closest at this stage of the season since Reed Sorenson led Martin Truex Jr. by 51 points in 2005.

Bowyer�s lead is comfortable, but so was Kyle Busch�s on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series side prior to last weekend�s race at Pocono Raceway. He finished 43rd and coughed up a 142-point lead that now stands at 21.

Keselowski�s victory resulted in positions 2-5 being separated by only 26 points. Reutimann leads third-place Busch � who will again run all three national series races this weekend (also the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup at Michigan International Speedway) � by 22 points.

Carl Edwards is fourth, 24 points behind Reutimann, while fifth-place Keselowski lurks only two points in back of Edwards.

Keselowski is aiming for his 50th career start in the series Saturday.

Bluegrass State Goes Green

Mark Green (No. 70 Foretravel Chevrolet) returns to his old Kentucky home this weekend on an upswing.

Green, from Owensboro, Ky., moved to the Mooresville, N.C., area in 2000 but still has close ties to the Bluegrass State. "(It) will be special," said Green, who hasn't raced at the 1.5-mile oval with his Indiana-based ML Motorsports organization. "I have a lot of family and friends there, and its close for the team, too. It's always fun to show off in front of the people you grew up with.�

The veteran of 238 series starts has been a perfect fit for the part-time team that plans to compete in 21 races this season. At Talladega Superspeedway, Green drove the mother-daughter-owned car to a fifth-place finish, tying his career best set in 1997. A week later, he qualified fourth at Richmond International Raceway, his best start since 2002 and in his last outing, he finished 14th at Nashville. Green has had to qualify the No. 70 on time in each of the eight team�s races, including five at combination events where as many as 16 double-duty drivers were entered.

Clauson, A Year Later

Last year at this time, Bryan Clauson (No. 40 Fastenal Dodge) was at Kentucky Speedway, but not to race.

He was there to observe his then-Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammate David Stremme (now driving the No. 64 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) and also be greeted with a cake celebrating his 18th birthday (June 15). He would make his first series start three months later at Richmond.

A year later, Clauson is one of the top up-and-comers in the series. He finished sixth at Daytona International Speedway to start the season and following last Saturday�s race at Nashville, moved past his GCRFS teammate Dario Franchitti to claim first place in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.

RCR Makes Headway In Owner Points

It�s taken six weeks but Richard Childress Racing�s No. 2 Chevrolet has crept back into the owner standings race.

Joe Gibbs Racing�s No. 20 Toyota had a season-high 159-point lead prior to the race at Nashville, but a 31st-place finish by the JGR car coupled with a fourth-place result from the RCR entry lowered the deficit to 64 points, the closest since a 55-point spread after JGR first took the lead from RCR following Talladega.

In The Loop: Coleman Hopes To Go One Position Better This Year At Kentucky

Kentucky Speedway has earned its identity as the track that makes careers.

Can it happen again?

If it does, look for the honor to go to Brad Coleman. He almost won last season finishing second in a hotly contested late-race battle.

Coleman�s statistics that day speak for themselves. He had a Driver Rating of 124.8, an Average Running Position of 4.3, 23 Fastest Laps Run and ran all 200 Laps in the Top 15.

If not Coleman, Marcos Ambrose (No. 59 Kingsford Ford) may be the guy.

Ambrose finished just outside the top 10 (11th) last year, his first trip to the track. His stats, though, were some of the best with a Driver Rating of 103.6, an Average Running Position of 7.3 and all 200 Laps in the Top 15.

Also watch for a strong performance from Steve Wallace (No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet), who also is looking for his first series win. Unlike Coleman and Ambrose, Wallace has run two races at Kentucky � with finishes of 11th and 22nd, respectively.

His stats there are solid with a Driver Rating of 94.4, an Average Running Position of 8.8, 73 Green Flag Passes and 86.5% of the Laps in the Top 15.

Who can end the reign of the �newbies?� Clint Bowyer will certainly give it a go � and could very well succeed.

In Bowyer�s two races since 2005, he has a Driver Rating of 108.8, an Average Running Position of 9.4, 20 Fastest Laps Run and has run 87.8% of the Laps in the Top 15.

Bowyer also has momentum on his side. He is coming off a Nashville race in which he scored a Driver Rating of 129.4, second only to race winner Brad Keselowski.

For the record, Keselowski has yet to compete in a series race at Kentucky, but finished 18th and 30th there in 2005 and 2006 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His Driver Rating over those two races was 64.6.

Keselowski Gets The Honors As In-Race Reporter At Kentucky

ESPN2s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with a live telecast from Kentucky Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.

Marty Reid is the lead announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree. Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Fresh from his breakthrough win last week in Nashville, Brad Keselowski joins ESPN�s coverage team as In-Race Reporter. He will talk to Wallace on the races pace laps and during caution periods.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

ESPN2 also airs coverage of final practice for the event Friday at 7 p.m., and qualifying Saturday at 5 p.m.

Additionally, ESPN has announced that two NASCAR Nationwide Series races originally scheduled to air on ESPN2 have been moved to ESPN.

The July 26 race at O�Reilly Raceway Park and the August 22 event at Bristol Motor Speedway will now be broadcast on ESPN.

The Director�s Take: Series-Only Teams Look For Third Straight Win

Joe Balash, the NASCAR Nationwide Series director, isn�t just a nuts and bolts guy. He understands where stats have a place in his garage. �Is this the weekend that another full time series driver completes a �Kentucky trifecta� with another first win?,� he asked.

�With as many full time series regulars posting some of their best finishes in recent weeks, the race at Kentucky is shaping up to be one of the best of the season,� he said.

�A very tight points battle will force the crew chiefs to double- and triple-check their notes for this 1-5 mile track.

�Every week, series-only regulars are battling for every point they can get and this is another opportunity for them to distance themselves from some of the double-duty drivers.

�We talk about development as one of the key elements of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and at this point in the season, it shows how strong that development is with the number of drivers who have scored points and are in the running for the top 10 positions.�

Kentucky Speedway

Most Wins: Seven drivers with one win
Most Poles: Seven drivers with one pole
Quick Fact: Brad Coleman won his first ARCA race at Kentucky in 2006 with current crew chief Shawn Parker in that same position.

NNS Etc.

In addition to Stephen Leicht for Clint Bowyer, other substitute drivers this weekend at Kentucky are scheduled to be: Jeremy Clements for Kyle Busch; Jason Hedlesky for Carl Edwards (Hedlesky normally serves as Edwards� spotter); Chad Blount for Jason Leffler (Leffler seeks his second consecutive start in the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet); Auggie Vidovich for David Ragan (No. 6 Discount Tire Ford) and Josh Wise for David Reutimann. Wise will handle Friday�s first practice and Reutimann is expected for final practice and qualifying. Wise will then move to the No. 22 Supercuts Dodge for the race.

Standings leader Clint Bowyer looks to collect his 125th career NASCAR Nationwide Series start Saturday. In his first 124 starts, Bowyer has accumulated six wins, six poles, 47 top fives and 77 top 10s.

Landon Cassill (No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet), will make his first series start at Kentucky but has experience there having tested for Hendrick Motorsports� R&D team in 2007-08. He has added experience with Owensboro�s own David Green, the 1994 series champion, who will spot for Cassill. Cassill, 18, registered his first career top 10 finish at Nashville. He�ll pull his own version of double duty Sunday at a dirt race in his home state of Iowa.

Nationwide Insurance hosts another of its �Driving While Distracted� programs Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Meijer store on Houston Road in in Florence, Ky.

Brad Keselowski and Eric McClure (No. 24 Hefty Brands Chevrolet) will speak to the community on the dangers of driving while distracted.

The race is a �home� event for Nationwide; its headquarters is located in Columbus, Ohio.

Raybestos Rookie Of The Year

Rank Driver Points
1 Bryan Clauson 101
2 Dario Franchitti 100
3 Cale Gale 63
4 Landon Cassill 60
5 Chase Miller 53
6 Brian Keselowski 48
7 Patrick Carpentier 31

Results following the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Bill France Performance Cup

With its win at Nashville last weekend, Chevrolet completed a season sweep at the track and also did what no manufacturer had been able to do in the pervious eight races � defeat Toyota.

Chevrolet (four wins) and Ford (three wins and defending race winner) are the only two manufacturers to post victories at Kentucky. Dodge had two cars among the top 10 finishers last year; Toyota�s best finish was 14th.

Up Next: Camping World RV Rental 250 at The Milwaukee Mile

The NASCAR Nationwide Series moves on to West Allis, Wis., for the Camping World RV Rental 250 at The Milwaukee Mile on June 21.

Aric Almirola won last year after starting the race, but teammate Denny Hamlin took over on Lap 58 and actually crossed the finish line.

Almirola also won his second consecutive pole there last year.

For more information, contact:
Tracey Judd, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 947-6733 or tjudd@nascar.com

Fast Facts

The Race: Meijer 300 presented by Oreo
The Place: Kentucky Speedway
The Date: Saturday, June 14
The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 300 miles / 200 laps
Track Size: 1.5-mile oval
TV: ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET
2007 Winner: Stephen Leicht
2007 Pole: Regan Smith

2008 Standings

1 Clint Bowyer 2,198
2 David Reutimann 2,032
3 Kyle Busch 2,010
4 Carl Edwards 2,008
5 Brad Keselowski 2,006
6 Mike Bliss 1,899
7 David Ragan 1,895
8 David Stremme 1,789
9 Mike Wallace 1,779
10 Jason Leffler 1,719

Schedule (Times local�ET)
Friday�Practice 5-6:15 p.m.;
Final Practice 6:45-8 p.m.
Saturday�Qualifying, 5:10 p.m.

Statistical Advance: Analyzing The LifeLock 400 At Michigan International Speedway

2008-06-10T08:07:00.001-07:00

It’s no secret Carl Edwards loves running the 1.5- and 2-mile tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Here’s why:

• Of his 10 career NASCAR Sprint Cup wins, seven have come at tracks measuring 1.5 or 2 miles (the other three came at Bristol, Dover and Pocono).
• Edwards has three wins this season, all at 1.5 or 2-mile tracks.
• Edwards has scored a Driver Rating over 100.0 in eight races this season. Four of those were at 1.5- or 2-mile tracks (the only 1.5-mile track this season that Edwards has not scored at least a 100.0 Driver Rating was Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He had an 86.1.)
• His top three Driver Ratings came at tracks of that length (139.8 at Texas; 135.4 at Auto Club Speedway; 134.5 at Atlanta).

Now, the series heads to another 2-mile track, Michigan International Speedway, which clearly is good news for Edwards.

He is excellent there. In the past six races, Edwards has four top fives and five top 10s, including a win in last season’s spring race.

Edwards has also notched a Driver Rating of at least 100.0 in five of the last six Michigan races. His lowest rating over that span was 98.5 after a 22nd-place finish in August 2006. His race was still a strong one that day – he had an Average Running Position of 9.4 and 16 Fastest Laps Run.

Also, last season, Michigan was a slump buster for Edwards. He ended a 52-race winless drought with his victory there last season.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Michigan International Speedway

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

1

Kyle Busch

6

0

0

0

2

1

20.7

88.1

2

Jeff Burton

28

2

0

4

8

1

16.0

72.0

3

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

17

2

0

2

5

2

17.2

98.3

4

Carl Edwards

7

0

1

4

6

0

7.3

112.3

5

Denny Hamlin

4

0

0

1

2

0

10.0

97.1

6

Jimmie Johnson

12

0

0

2

5

1

14.8

104.7

7

Greg Biffle

10

0

2

4

6

0

13.4

105.4

8

Jeff Gordon

30

5

2

15

20

3

10.5

97.0

9

Kasey Kahne

8

1

1

4

4

0

15.3

81.5

10

Kevin Harvick

14

0

0

2

5

1

16.0

75.9

11

Clint Bowyer

4

0

0

0

0

1

26.3

73.0

12

Tony Stewart

18

0

1

8

12

3

12.9

95.7

Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Michigan International Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at Michigan. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Two wins, four top five, six top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Average Running Position of 9.7, third-best
• Driver Rating of 105.4, third-best
• 88 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 424 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.329 mph, third-fastest
• 908 (80.2%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 279 Quality Passes, third-most

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Two wins, six top fives
• Average finish of 18.9
• Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 106.8, second-best
• Series-high 93 Fastest Laps Run
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.275 mph, fourth-fastest
• 876 (77.4%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 244 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, five top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 17.2
• Average Running Position of 11.7, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 98.3, sixth-best
• 56 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
• 421 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• 792 (70.0%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
• 281 Quality Passes, second-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.9
• Series-best Driver Rating of 112.3
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-best
• Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 175.550 mph
• Series-high 998 (88.2%) Laps in the Top 15
• Series-high 329 Quality Passes

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 10.5
• Average Running Position of 11.3, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.0, eighth-best
• 60 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 811 (71.6%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
• 216 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 10.0
• Average Running Position of 11.3
• Driver Rating of 97.1, seventh-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, seventh-best
• 74.3% (544 total) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-best
• 184 Quality Passes (average of 46.0 per race), fourth-best average

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Average Running Position of 8.8, second-best
• Driver Rating of 104.7, fourth-best
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, tied for third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.349 mph, second-fastest
• 932 (82.3%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 254 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.7
• Average Running Position of 13.1, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 104.1, fifth-best
• 48 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.272 mph, fifth-fastest
• 821 (72.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Average Running Position of 14.9, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 95.7, ninth-best
• 43 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 174.926 mph, eighth-fastest
• 793 (70.1%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
• 226 Quality Passes, sixth-most

At Michigan International Speedway:

History
• Groundbreaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.
• The track has had 77 NASCAR Sprint Cup races. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969.
• The first race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600. The track was re-measured to 2.04-miles for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 – with the race distance being 402 miles. All other races have been scheduled for 400 miles.

Notebook
• Donnie Allison won the first pole at Michigan.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan was won by Cale Yarborough.
• There have been 38 different pole winners; 18 drivers have more than one.
• 29 different drivers have won races, led by David Pearson (nine); 17 drivers have more than one victory there.
• The race winner has started from the pole 15 times, the most productive starting position.
• 61 of 77 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 44 from the first four spots. However, five of the past seven race winners started outside the top 10.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 28th by Tony Stewart in 2000.
• The Wood Brothers have won 11 races – more than any other organization. Their last victory was in 1991 with Dale Jarrett as the driver.
• There have been five different Coors Light Pole winners and five different race winners in the past five races.
• Carl Edwards has finished on the lead lap in all seven of his Michigan races.

NASCAR in the State of Michigan
• There have been 82 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Michigan:
• 94 NASCAR drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as Michigan.
• There have been seven race winners from Michigan in NASCAR three national series:

Driver

NSCS

NNS

NCTS

Paul Goldsmith

9

0

0

Johnny Benson

1

3

9

Tim Fedewa

0

4

0

Butch Miller

0

2

1

Jack Sprague

0

1

28

Tracy Leslie

0

1

0

Bob Keselowski

0

0

1

Michigan International Speedway Data

Race #: 15 of 36 (6-15-08)
Track Size: 2 miles
• Race Length: 400 miles
• Banking/Corners: 18 degrees
• Banking/Frontstretch: 12 degrees
• Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Driver Rating at Michigan
Carl Edwards 112.3
Kurt Busch 106.8
Greg Biffle 105.4
Jimmie Johnson 104.7
Matt Kenseth 104.1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 98.3
Denny Hamlin 97.1
Jeff Gordon 97.0
Tony Stewart 95.7
Martin Truex Jr. 93.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Michigan.

Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: J.J. Yeley (187.505 mph, 38.399 seconds)
2007 race winner: Carl Edwards, 148.072 mph, 6-17-07)
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman (194.232 mph, 37.069 seconds, (6-18-05)
Track race record: Dale Jarrett (173.997 mph, 6-13-99)

Estimated Pit Window: Every 40-44 laps, based on fuel mileage.

News & Notes Truck series Michegan

2008-06-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Benson Looks For Homecoming To Continue Standings Rebound
Hornaday’s Texas Victory Shakes Up Points Yet Again
Michigan Competitors Made Impact On Series From Race No. 1

Grand Rapids, Mich., native Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) rides a wave of momentum following his third-place finish in Friday’s Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The past five races have produced a steady climb up the point chart from ninth to third.

Saturday’s Cool City Customs 200 may be the spark that carries the 44-year-old Benson to the No. 1 position in the standings.

Benson got his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2006. He finished ninth last year — his third top-10 performance in four visits to the two-mile superspeedway.

“We are slowly moving up in the points and hopefully that will continue this weekend,” said Benson. “We started the season out strong and then got into a string of bad luck, but it looks like this Tundra is back on track now."

Benson started the season with a pair of third-place finishes but slowly has been digging out of the hole created by a 30th in Atlanta and a 25th at Martinsville.

Historically speaking, Benson should be a solid favorite this week. Michigan has a pair of repeat winners. And, Benson is the only driver to get his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck win at MIS.

"I love going home to race at Michigan. It's always fun to race in front of my family and friends,” he said. “Plus, MIS is just a great track to run on anyway."

Michigan By The Numbers:
1 — Number of races won from the pole (2007)
3 — Roush Fenway Racing’s track-best win total
6 — Most top-10 finishes, by Dennis Setzer
13 — Most leaders (2005)
18 — Most lead changes (2004)
30 — Most finishers on the lead lap (2006)
154.004 — Fastest series race (July 26, 2003)

Hornaday Wins In Texas; Point Lead Changes Fourth Straight Time

Have a good race, the elevator goes up.

Have a bad one and it’s definitely a trip to the bargain basement.

And so it goes with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2008.

Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) won Friday’s Sam’s Town 400 in his 11th try and finally checked off Texas Motor Speedway from his “to-do” list.

Hornaday now has won on all but one of the schedule’s 1.5-mile speedways and can finish the job in September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was an express ride down for Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel Ford), who found the Lone Star state anything but hospitable.

Crawford, the point leader going in, fell all the way to sixth following a finish of 21st.

The race marked the fourth consecutive time the point lead has changed.

Kevin Harvick Inc., Ballew Motorsports Top Owners’ Points

With more than a third of the season complete, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owners’ championship standings continue to shift.

A week ago, Tom Mitchell’s No. 14 team held the top spot. Mitchell’s time in front, like that of his driver Rick Crawford, was short-lived.

Kevin Harvick Inc. and Billy Ballew Motorsports bypassed both Mitchell and the No. 88 ThorSport Racing team to rank one-two entering week 10 of the 2008 season.

Their lead, however, hardly is comfortable.

DeLana Harvick, with Hornaday in the seat, is 34 points ahead of Ballew’s multiple driver effort spearheaded by Busch, with Rhonda Thorson’s Menards Chevrolet, driven by Matt Crafton, 45 out.

Just 71 points separate KHI and Mitchell, who slipped all the way to seventh after Crawford’s potential top-five performance was doomed by an accident caused by a cut tire.

KHI (first and sixth) and Bill Davis Racing (fourth and eighth) are the only teams boasting two trucks in the current top 10.

Michigan Had Immediate Impact on Craftsman Trucks

It didn’t take long for drivers from the state of Michigan to make an impact on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — even though Michigan International Speedway didn’t become part of the schedule until 1999.

Two competitors — Butch Miller (No. 0 ASI Limited Chevrolet) and Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) — were in the field for the Feb. 5, 1995 series debut at Phoenix International Raceway.

Sprague finished sixth in an unsponsored Chevrolet with Miller’s Jim Herrick-owned Ford seventh.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Later in the year, Miller edged Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) at Colorado National Speedway. His only series victory — confirmed by rerunning CBS’ videotape — remains closest in series history at .001 seconds.

“My first question,” said Miller, a partner in SS Green Light Racing, “was, ‘did I win?’”

Sprague, meanwhile, caught the eye of Rick Hendrick, who put him in a Budweiser-backed Chevrolet after the driver’s original owner folded his operation.

Sprague, of course, has gone on to win three championships and 28 races. He returns to his home track this week fifth in points.

“It would mean so much for me to win at Michigan International Speedway,” said Sprague. “I think it would bring things full circle; winning here locally when I first started and now being able to win at one of the highest levels of NASCAR competition would be pretty cool.”

Etc. And Quotable

* Case Of Déjà Vu — Sort Of … Texas fans got what they came for as Kyle Busch (No. 51 Miccosukee/NOS Toyota) charged from the rear to challenge Hornaday in Texas Motor Speedway’s fifth consecutive green-white-checker finish. It reversed March’s order in Atlanta where Busch prevailed over Hornaday in a similar shoot-out. “We finished second for Billy Ballew and that’s what matters most,” said Busch before jetting back to Pocono Raceway.
* First-Time Winner Hex Continues … Scott Speed (No. 22 Red Bull Toyota) became the third first-time winner to finish outside the top 10 in his next start. Speed, who flew from Pocono with Busch, was involved in a pair of accidents and finished 26th. Lowe’s winner Crafton was 12th at Mansfield while Mansfield victor Donny Lia (No. 71 NationRide.com/Zurich Chevrolet) ranked 17th at Dover.
* Texas And The Long And Short Of It … It took Ted Musgrave (No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota) 14 attempts to finally get a win at Texas Motor Speedway — most by any driver at a series track. Hornaday’s 11 starts ranks No. 3 behind Musgrave and Sprague, who picked up a victory at Martinsville Speedway in his 13th attempt. Yet, drivers Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota), Kenny Irwin Jr. and Clint Bowyer won at TMS in their first appearances. So it goes.
* No Defense This Week … Defending winner Travis Kvapil, who also won in 2004, won’t be in the field at Michigan. Bobby East will drive the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford following an eighth-place finish in Texas. Previous winners Benson, Brendan Gaughan (No. 10 International MAXXFORCE Diesel Ford) and Dennis Setzer (No. 18 Dodge) will compete.

Marks Breaks Pole Drought

Justin Marks (No. 9 Construct Corps Toyota) won the Keystone Light Pole at Texas Motor Speedway with a fast lap of 176.951 mph to become the first Raybestos candidate to grab the No. 1 spot since Erik Darnell (No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) at Nashville in 2006.

Marks wound up 14th in the Sam’s Town 400 to rank second to Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford) after nine rounds of competition.

Marc Mitchell (No. 15 Hyprene Ergon Inc. Toyota) led all rookies in Texas with a 12th-place effort, the best of his short NASCAR Craftsman Truck career. He is scheduled to parachute with the U.S. Army “Golden Knight” team on Tuesday.

Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertsons Chevrolet) was 13th — his best performance since taking ninth in the season opener in Daytona Beach.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings after nine races of the 2008 season:

1. Colin Braun 92
2. Justin Marks 81
3. Donny Lia 80
4. Brian Scott 71
5. Andy Lally 62
6. Marc Mitchell 53
7. Scott Speed 42
8. Phillip McGilton 38

Up Next:

The series returns to another track that’s been on the schedule each year since 1995 — The Milwaukee Mile. There have been 13 races and two multiple winners.

Ted Musgrave won in 2001 and 2004. Johnny Benson goes for three wins in a row on Friday, June 20. Eight previous winners are expected to compete.

In The Loop:

Could one race relegate Rick Crawford to “afterthought” status?

Crawford, the points leader going into last Friday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, suffered a 21st-place finish at Texas and dropped like a stone in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.

Now, Crawford’s mired in sixth, 71 points behind leader Ron Hornaday Jr.

But all is not lost.

Crawford’s strong at Michigan. He’s finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races – all sixth-place finishes – and overall has five top-10 finishes in eight career races at the two-mile track.

Over those last three top-10 finishes, Crawford has an average Driver Rating of 99.2, an Average Running Position of 10.4, nine Fastest Laps Run, 158 Green Flag Passes, and had a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 80.8 percent.

Also watch for hometown favorite Johnny Benson. Benson finds his name near the top of a number of statistical categories.

Thanks to a win in 2006 and a ninth-place finish last season, Benson earned an average Michigan Driver Rating of 93.2, an Average Running Position of 11.8, 10 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 70.5 percent.

And, as usual, Kyle Busch should be a factor. Busch, again pulling triple duty, finished second in both of his trips to Michigan (2005 and 2007).

He has a Driver Rating of 119.5, an Average Running Position of 6.0 and 22 Fastest Laps Run – all of which are best among those competing in this weekend’s race.

This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through nine races of the 25-race season)

Points leader – Ron Hornaday Jr. (1,302)
Driver Rating – Kyle Busch (121.3)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (414)
Victories – Kyle Busch, Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Keystone Light Poles – Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes – Ron Hornaday Jr. with three
Top-10 finishes – Mike Skinner with seven
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (9)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with nine

Director’s Take: Wayne’s Words

“No one is going to mistake Brooklyn, Mich., for Daytona Beach, Fla. – after all, they’re about 900 miles apart – but in 2004, when we had a record 18 lead changes, a couple of crew chiefs came over after the race and said they looked up and could have sworn there must have been palm trees growing in the infield.

“Michigan International Speedway is Daytona North as far as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is concerned. It’s fast, wide and offers great drafting opportunities, just like the speedway in Florida.

“The 18-degree banking allows drivers to try different lines and not just hug the bottom groove. A fast exit from Turn 2 launches a truck down a more than 2,000-foot backstretch where the slingshot definitely comes into the picture.

“We’ve frequently seen three and even four-wide packs come out of Turn 4. The start-finish line camera is a definite must to be sure the right leader is called at the stripe.

“A rookie driver never has won at Michigan but the track is wide enough to give the first-time drivers the opportunity to get up to speed. A small mistake isn’t as critical here as it might be someplace else.” — Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director.

Michigan Rewind: Gaughan Sets Record

Brendan Gaughan was red-hot in 2003, winning six times including the Cool City Customs 200 at a record average speed of 154.004 mph.

The battle that day was between Gaughan and veteran Robert Pressley, who’d won the race the previous year.

“I was on the high side; he was on the bottom,” said Gaughan. “The tough thing was to know if you were clear or unclear.

“I said I’d follow him and not block him into the wall. We charged our way through the field.”

After a final, green flag stop, Gaughan emerged with a 12-second lead and ultimately the victory.

Gaughan is winless in 85 starts and hopes this is the week it ends.

“We’ll get back to Victory Lane and we’ll cherish it all the more having gone through a lot of bad spots,” he said.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings following Race 8 of 25:

Chevrolet 63
Toyota 59
Ford 42
Dodge 34

This Week’s Milestones:

Three drivers reach series career milestones this week in Michigan:
Todd Bodine — 100th start
David Starr — 200th start
Terry Cook — 275th start

FAST FACTS

The Race: Cool City Customs 200
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: June 14, 2008
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 200 miles / 100 laps
TV: SPEED, 2:30 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 2-mile speedway
2007 Winner: Travis Kvapil
2007 Pole: Travis Kvapil
2008 Standings:
Rk Driver Points
1 R. Hornaday Jr. 1,302
2 M. Crafton 1,257
3 J. Benson 1,247
4 T. Bodine 1,237
5 J. Sprague 1,231
6 R. Crawford 1,231
7 M. Skinner 1,202
8 C. McCumbee 1,176
9 T. Cook 1,164
10 D. Starr 1,145

Schedule: Friday: Practice, 10:15–11:25 a.m. and 1:30-3 p.m.; Saturday: Qualifying, 10:35 a.m.

Top 12 and beyond

2008-06-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 along with other notable drivers, going into the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 15 (Note: Drivers listed below who are outside the top 12 are chosen based on past performances at the upcoming track and/or those within striking distance of the top 12).

1– Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.4
2008 Rundown
• Four wins, nine top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.9
• Led 10 races for 786 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.7
• Finished 13th in August’s Michigan race
• Led three of six races for 40 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high Average Running Position of 10.2

2 – Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.4
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 7.7
• Led seven races for 62 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Four top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 16.0
• Finished 14th in August
• Led seven of 28 races for 74 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 716 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

3– Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.8
2008 Rundown
• Six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.2
• Led 10 races for 527 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 17.2
• Finished 12th in August
• Led 10 of 17 races for 110 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 331 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

4 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.6
2008 Rundown
• Three wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.6
• Led six races for 372 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Finished seventh in August
• Led four of seven races for 137 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 468 Fastest Laps Run

5 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.3
2008 Rundown
• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Led eight races for 663 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 10.0
• Finished fifth in August
• Led one of four races for one lap
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 725 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)

6 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.1
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led 10 races for 508 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Finished third in August
• Led six of 12 races for 154 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Average Running Position of 11.2, fourth-most

7 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.7
2008 Rundown
• Five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.2
• Led seven races for 282 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Finished 19th in August
• Led seven of 10 races for 190 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 249 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

8 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.3
2008 Rundown
• Six top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led eight races for 211 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 10.5
• Finished 27th in August
• Led 21 of 30 races for 899 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 175 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most

9 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.7
2008 Rundown
• Two wins, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 17.1
• Led six races for 71 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives; one pole
• Average finish of 15.3
• Finished 31st in August
• Led three of eight races for 40 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 177 Fastest Laps Run, seventh -most

10 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.4
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 15.2
• Led three races for 34 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 16.0
• Finished 15th in August
• Led two of 14 races for 88 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 10th-fastest Green Flag Speed

11 – Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 80.7
2008 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 16.2
• Led four races for 150 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Average finish of 26.3
• Finished 17th in August
• Led one of four races for six laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 144 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

12 – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.1
2008 Rundown
• Four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 18.0
• Led six races for 387 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Finished 10th in August
• Led five of 18 races for 167 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 3,297 Laps in the Top 15 (70.7%), eighth-most

15 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.5
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 18.5
• Led eight races for 150 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.7
• Finished fourth in August
• Led seven of 17 races for 181 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 137 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

21 – Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 73.8
2008 Rundown
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.9
• Led three races for 74 laps
Michigan International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, six top fives
• Average finish of 18.9
• Won last August’s Michigan race
• Led 10 of 14 races for 290 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 1,165 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

Chase Contenders
The Top 12 … And Beyond Following Race 14 of 36

Weeks Rank Season
In Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Top 12 Week Rating
1. Kyle Busch 2,084 4 14 1 108.4
2. Jeff Burton 2,063 1 14 2 94.4
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,939 0 13 3 104.8
4. Carl Edwards 1,856 3 10 4 104.6
5. Denny Hamlin 1,800 1 9 9 97.3
6. Jimmie Johnson 1,799 1 10 7 98.1
7. Greg Biffle 1,781 2 14 5 94.7
8. Jeff Gordon 1,767 2 5 6 94.3
9. Kasey Kahne 1,719 1 12 12 87.7
10. Kevin Harvick 1,690 0 13 10 84.4
11. Clint Bowyer 1,679 0 10 8 80.7
12. Tony Stewart 1,614 0 14 11 91.1

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. David Ragan 1,607
14. Ryan Newman 1,604
15. Matt Kenseth 1,580
16. Martin Truex Jr. 1,558
17. Brian Vickers 1,502
18. Travis Kvapil 1,464
19. Bobby Labonte 1,455
20. J.P. Montoya 1,439
21. Kurt Busch 1,437
22. Jamie McMurray 1,368
23. David Gilliland 1,361
24. Mark Martin 1,349
25. David Reutimann 1,289
26. Casey Mears 1,278
27. Paul Menard 1,252
28. Elliott Sadler 1,222
29. Dave Blaney 1,150
30. Robby Gordon 1,141
31. Regan Smith 1,120
32. Reed Sorenson 1,118
33. Scott Riggs 1,086
34. Sam Hornish Jr. 1,076
35. Michael Waltrip 1,064
36. J.J. Yeley 842
37. Joe Nemechek 680
38. Patrick Carpentier 667
39. Michael McDowell 644
40. Jeremy Mayfield 578
41. Kyle Petty 540
42. Dario Franchitti 523
43. AJ Allmendinger 493
44 Bill Elliott 484
45. Mike Skinner 423
46. Dale Jarrett 367
47. Ken Schrader 298
48. Aric Almirola 243
49. Sterling Marlin 228
50. John Andretti 149
51. David Stremme 84
52. Terry Labonte 73
53. Jon Wood 55
54. Tony Raines 43
55. Jason Leffler 43
56. Kenny Wallace 34
57. Johnny Sauter 24

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season.

STORYLINES: Michigan/Kentucky Week

2008-06-09T12:45:00.001-07:00

NASCAR's three national series will have their races divided between two tracks this weekend. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will visit Michigan International Speedway; the NASCAR Nationwide Series goes to Kentucky Speedway.

And for the second consecutive week, Kyle Busch plans on running in all three events. At least the travel logistics won't be quite as challenging as this past weekend when the three series were divided between Pocono, Pa., Nashville, Tenn. and Fort Worth, Texas.

Busch is coming off a somewhat disappointing weekend. He may have raced a trifecta, but certainly didn't win one.

His runner-up finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race was followed by a 20th-place effort in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event and a last-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono. He started at the rear of the field at Pocono after crashing his primary car during a practice session, necessitating the switch to a back-up car.

On the upside, he continues to lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.

In addition to Busch's travelogue, here are some other potential storylines for this weekend, starting with a rundown of "in the garage" competitors with local/regional ties to Michigan and Kentucky.

In The Garage – And From The Area: The Local Angles

Michigan natives in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
• Kevin Hamlin (Kalamazoo) – No. 83 crew chief
• Jeff Meendering (Grand Rapids) – No. 43 crew chief
• David Elenz (Gaylord) – No. 77 engineer
• Greg Ives (Bark River) – No. 48 engineer
• Bill Byrne (Marne) – No. 20 tire specialist
• Brian Larson (Escanaba) – No. 20 catch can man
• Eric Bilyeu (Waterford) – No. 42 tire carrier
• Andrew Turner (Coloma) – No. 84 jack man
• Jake Brzozowki (Sterling Heights) – No. 83 rear tire carrier
• Jonathan Billy (Detroit) – No. 10 rear tire changer
• Steve Poniatowski (Clarkson) – No. 96 front tire changer
• Brian Wilson (Detroit) – No. 2 engineer

Michigan Natives in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series:
• Gary Cogswell (Eaton Rapids) – No. 20 crew chief
• Rick Golombeski (Eaton Rapids) – No. 07 mechanic
• Jon Cohen (East Lansing) – No. 28 gas man
• Andrew Emrick (Riga) – No. 5 rear tire carrier
• Jon Bernal (Holland) – No. 6 rear tire carrier
• Chad Raniey (Linden) – No. 5 rear tire changer

Kentucky Natives in the NASCAR Nationwide Series:
• Rob Tracy (Frankfort) – No. 32 mechanic
• Patrick McGarey (Prestonberg) – No. 32 transport driver
• David Colognesi (Owensboro) – No. 27 front tire carrier
• Buddy Jarvis (Central City) – No. 27 rear tire carrier
• David Green (Owensboro) – No. 5 spotter
• Bryan Horseman (Louisville) – No. 27 pit support

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

The Other Busch Brother: Kurt Looking For Rebound

Kurt Busch is a former (2004) NASCAR Sprint Cup champion but comes into Michigan mired in 21st, in series points. His struggles this season contrast sharply with the 2008 success of his younger brother Kyle, who leads the series standings.
Michigan looks like a place where the elder Busch might recapture his form, especially coming off an encouraging eighth-place run at Pocono. Busch has two MIS victories, including last August's event
There's also an intangible to consider, when assessing the chances of Busch or his Penske Racing South teammates at MIS. Read on.

Penske Connection Always To Be Considered At Michigan

There is no more appropriate track for Penske Racing to win at, than Michigan International Speedway. After all, team owner Roger Penske used to be the track's owner.

In recent years, the "Penske Connection" has surfaced. Kurt Busch won last August at MIS; Ryan Newman won in 2003 and '04. Now-retired Rusty Wallace won three times in Penske cars. The total of six victories is fourth all-time for owners at MIS (tied with Robert Yates)

Roush Rules at Michigan

Roush Fenway Racing drivers have won six times this decade at Michigan, in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. Overall, owner Jack Roush has 10 wins at MIS, second-all-time, behind only the legendary Wood Brothers.

Roush Fenway's Carl Edwards is the defending champion in Sunday's event.

Chase Contention: Point Battles Throughout the Top 15

This past Sunday's race at Pocono made things pretty interesting, so say the least.

First, the battle for the overall point lead tightened up. Point leader Kyle Busch finished last at Pocono, and saw his lead over second-place Jeff Burton cut from 142 points to only 21 points.

Then, there's the battle for the coveted 12th-place spot in the series standings, a fight that's become a three-driver battle royal.

Tony Stewart (12th), David Ragan (13th) and Ryan Newman (14th) are all within 10 points of each other. Two-time series champion Stewart dropped a position after a 35th place finish at Pocono – and suddenly seems in danger of missing the Chase.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Close Competition Personified

Brad Keselowski's win at Nashville was the first of his career in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and made him the second series regular (joining Scott Wimmer) to win this season.

The point battle is tighter than ever. Second through fourth – David Reutimann through Keselowski – are separated by only 24 points.

Kentucky Has Reputation For Surprises

Kentucky is becoming known as a track where names are made. Two years ago David Gilliland launched his national series career with an improbable victory. Last year, Stephen Leicht won his first career race in the series, holding off another young up-and-coming driver, Brad Coleman. The track has never had a repeat winner or repeat pole winner so another new name could come to the forefront.

Green Helps New Team Grow

Veteran Mark Green, a native of Owensboro, Ky., is known for using his expertise to assist in driver and organization growth. From spotting to practicing and qualifying as he did last year at Memphis for race winner David Reutimann – who credited Green for the win – to working with his current team, ML Motorsports in its planning for full-time status, Green is an integral piece of the puzzle.

ML Motorsports is based in Warsaw, Ind., and owned by the mother-daughter tandem of Mary Louis Miller and Stephany Mullen. Green has registered the team's best results of its three-year series history. He was fifth at Talladega – tying his career-best finish set in 1997; he started fourth at Richmond – his best start since 2002 – and logged a top-15 finish last week at Nashville. He's had to qualify on time in each of his seven races this year and will have to do the same in six of the next seven events that the team will enter.

Up-And-Comers Showing Their Mettle

Ten drivers age 24 and under are entered at Kentucky and nearly all have registered career-bests this season. Brad Keselowski captured his first win. Kelly Bires, 23, posted his first top five while Cale Gale, also 23, landed his first top 10. Chase Miller, 21, running a limited schedule, was eighth at Darlington. Steve Wallace, 21, had consecutive top fives at Richmond and Darlington. Joey Logano, 18, won his first pole last week and has a top-10 finish in his first two races. Landon Cassill, 18, had his first top 10 last week. Bryan Clauson, 18 (who turns 19 on Sunday) was sixth at Daytona. James Buescher, 18, was 15th in his first career start at Phoenix. Only Brad Coleman, 20, has yet to better any of his career numbers yet this year but he does have one top-10 finish along with four top-10 starting positions; Coleman's career-best finish came last year where he was second.

Series-Only Regulars Have History of Stand-Alone Success

Despite the experience of numerous double-duty drivers, series-only regulars often make the most of their opportunities during stand-alone season.

At Nashville, Joey Logano won his first pole in only his second race while Brad Keselowski won his first career race. Last year at Kentucky, Regan Smith (pole) and Stephen Leicht (race) turned the trick while at the final stand-alone of 2007 at Memphis, Marcos Ambrose captured his first series pole and David Reutimann won the first race of his series career. In 2006, it was Aric Almirola (pole) and Paul Menard (race) at Milwaukee and in 2005 Reed Sorenson won his first race and first pole at the spring Nashville event.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

Classic Battle For Championship Ongoing

The 2008 season could be the series' most competitive ever. The championship lead has changed four times in the most recent four races. The past three races have seen three different leaders. Ron Hornaday Jr. moved from third to first with his win last week at Texas. Previous leader Rick Crawford dropped from first to sixth.

Michigan Native Benson Is Back Home – And Back In Contention

Johnny Benson scored his first series victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2006. He's quietly moved into title contention – from ninth to third – in the past five races. This week's Cool City Customs 200 might be the key to the Grand Rapids native's rise to No. 1.

Another Michigan Native, Sprague, Chasing Fourth Series Title

Jack Sprague also is a solid championship contender as the new member of Kevin Harvick Inc.'s two-champion team. Sprague, from Spring Lake, stands fifth after his fourth-place finish in Texas and only 71 points behind teammate Ron Hornaday Jr. who leads the points battle. Sprague finished 10th in his past two Michigan starts. Having finished second to Hornaday in Kansas and to first time winner Scott Speed at Dover, he's hungry to put his team in Victory Lane for the first time in 2008.

Former Champions At The Front

As the season's longest stretch of races on consecutive weeks rolls on (this is number five of seven), veterans appear to be taking charge. Four former series champions, led by Hornaday, are among the top seven in current point standings. History says the Michigan winner will be a veteran. The track has yet to produce a rookie winner.

Race Recap: Kahne Wins Pocono 500

2008-06-08T19:04:00.001-07:00

Polesitter Kasey Kahne recovered from missing lug nuts that dropped him to the back of the field -- and weathered myriad strategic ploys from his rivals -- to win Sunday's Pocono 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway.

The victory was Kahne's second of the season and the ninth of his career in 158 starts, but it wasn't as easy as Kahne's 3.702-second margin of victory over Brian Vickers might suggest.

After a restart on Lap 182 of the 200-lap event, Kahne passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Lap 183 and Vickers on Lap 185 to take the lead for the final time.

Denny Hamlin ran third, followed by Earnhardt and Jeff Burton, who trimmed the series points lead of 43rd-place finisher Kyle Busch to 21 points. Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin completed the top 10.

Kahne is riding a wave of momentum that dates to the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. After Kahne failed to qualify for the event, fans voted him in. Kahne made the most of the opportunity and won the race. Eight days later he won his first points race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600.

"The fans gave (momentum) to us in the all-star race when they gave us that boost," Kahne said. "It's done a tremendous amount for our confidence in the last month."

It gave Kahne and his No. 9 Dodge crew enough presence of mind to recover from a snafu in the pits on Lap 58. Crew chief Kenny Francis changed his call from a four-tire to a two-tire pit stop under caution, but the front tire changer didn’t pick up on the change and removed three lug nuts from the left front before Kahne left the pits.

Kahne had to pit again a lap later to replace the lug nuts and fell to 38th in the running order for a restart on Lap 64. With the race's dominant car and excellent subsequent performance in the pits, Kahne worked his way back to sixth by the halfway point. On Lap 116, he passed teammate Elliott Sadler for third.

With both Earnhardt and Vickers on fuel-mileage strategies, Francis kept Kahne on a normal cycle of pit stops and let the strength of the No. 9 car make the difference.

Because of the fuel-mileage ploy, Vickers' tires were 10 laps older than Kahne's at the finish, and Vickers thought that was the critical issue.

"I'm so proud of our guys," said Vickers, who gave Red Bull Racing its best finish in the Cup series. "We needed tires. He (Kahne) had a lot newer tires, and that’s all we needed. We had a great car."

Hamlin, who won both Pocono races from the pole in 2006, had a run on Vickers soon after the final restart but couldn’t make the pass.

"I got to the 83 (Vickers), but as soon as we got there, he moved down into our line, and we couldn't make any headway," Hamlin said.

Brad Kelslowki wins the Federated autoparts 200 his first NASCAR Nationwide win

2008-06-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

After narrowly missing victories on multiple occasions this season, Brad Keselowski claimed his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win on Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway, taking the lead from points leader Clint Bowyer with five laps remaining in the Federated Auto Parts 300.

Keselowski led early in the event, staying on track on Lap 79 when then-leader Joey Logano led other lead-lap cars down pit road. That set the stage for the evening, putting Keselowski on a different pit strategy than most of the leaders. With his counterparts opting to make their final stop of the night with 77 laps remaining, Keselowski, under the guidance of crew chief Tony Eury Sr., made his final stop of the night 41 laps from the finish.

It initially appeared that David Reutimann would run away with the race (though he was pushing it on fuel mileage), but a caution flag fell with just 10 laps remaining after Brad Teague spun off of Turn 2. That bunched the field back up behind Reutimann for a restart on Lap 217 of 225.

On that restart, Reutimann was ambushed by Bowyer and Kyle Busch. Bowyer took the lead after contact with Reutimann but only temporarily, as Keselowski dropped his No. 88 Chevrolet to the inside of Bowyer's No. 2, taking the position.

"That's what we needed to catch back up to the 99 (Reutimann)," Keselowski said. "For some reason, David didn't go. I got behind him, took the air off of him and the next thing I knew I got by David and next was taking on Clint," Keselowski said.

"I feel like I paid some dues," he added after hoisting his first NASCAR Nationwide Series trophy, which came in the form of a Gibson Guitar.

"To catch that break like I did with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and this Navy Chevrolet, it vindicates it. I've got a team that just keeps getting better every week, and I keep getting better every week. I felt like this was just a matter of time."

As Keselowski drove towards the checkered flag, things got dicey behind him. Reutimann continued to get pushed around, as he dropped back to third as David Stremme slid into the second position.

Bowyer also had contact with Stremme, dropping him to fourth at the finish.

David Ragan closed out the top five finishers.

Reutimann, Bowyer, Ragan, Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Jason Leffler all flew to Nashville to compete in Saturday's race after taking part in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. Busch finished the second leg of his historic attempt at a “triple,” competing in his second national series race in as many days. Pocono represents the third and final segment.

Polesitter Logano led 64 laps in what marked his second series event. The early favorite to win, the 18-year-old was the victim of a four-wide race through Turn 4 on Lap 89. His No. 20 Toyota got clipped by Greg Biffle's Ford, sending him sideways into Busch's machine before shooting up track and into the outside wall. He ended the event 31st.

Race Recap: Ron Hornaday Jr. Beats Texas Jinx, Wins Sam's Town 400

2008-06-06T23:01:00.001-07:00

Texas (June 6, 2008) -- Ron Hornaday Jr. made one of his trademark masterful restarts on a green-white-checkered flag restart and kept Kyle Busch in his mirrors for the final two laps to win the Sam's Town 400 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Busch started at the back of the 35-truck field after missing Thursday's qualifying and practice sessions. He flew to Fort Worth after qualifying Friday for the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.

For the next-to-last restart on Lap 157, Busch was fourth, the highest he'd been to that point in the race. He darted to the inside to pass Jack Sprague's Chevrolet in Turn 1 and went past Johnny Benson's Toyota on the backstretch to move up to second.

Hornaday had a comfortable lead over Busch, but an accident involving Scott Speed and Marc Mitchell sent the race, scheduled for 167 laps on the 1.5-mile track, into overtime.

"I wanted to win this race so bad and Kyle got up there," Hornaday said.

On the final restart, Hornaday's Chevrolet hugged the inside, as the driver of the No. 33 put his left-front wheel next to the grass exiting Turn 4, to take away the move Busch had used to overtake Sprague.

"I think maybe he (Busch) spun the tires," Hornaday said. "We were having some problems in Turn 2 and we got the truck up on the high side to get through there."

Busch's Toyota closed up on Hornaday's bumper on the backstretch, but never was able to get alongside.

Hornaday won by .283 seconds, about two truck lengths.

“I drove my heart out,” Hornaday said. “I wanted to win this race bad. I won Texas, woo-hoo! But it was a team victory.”

It was Hornaday's first win at Texas in 11 starts, his second of the season and the 35th of his CTS career. Hornaday moved into the points lead by 45 over Matt Crafton, who finished seventh.

Hornaday led 140 of 172 laps, including the last 57.

Busch climbed into the top 10 in 70 laps, but needed another 50 to get into the top five.

"The truck was terrible at the beginning," Busch said. "It was absolute junk. We had about an 11th place truck at the start and got it to about an eighth-place truck."

J.R. Norris practiced and qualified Busch's Toyota.

"J.R. and the guys did what they could do, but nobody drives like I do," Busch said. "It's hard to find a guy to set it up how I like it. We finished second for (owner) Billy Ballew. That's what matters most."

Benson finished third, followed by Sprague and Todd Bodine. Hornaday reclaimed the points lead by 45 over Matt Crafton, who finished seventh

This weekend's picks!

2008-06-06T08:30:00.001-07:00

Here we go!!!! For the Truck race winner will be Chad Mcumbee for the first time in his career. In the Nationwide series Brad Kelslowki will be the winner for the first time in his career. And in the cup series the winner for the 18th time in his career will be DALE EARNHARDT JR!

‘In The Loop’ At Pocono Raceway

2008-06-05T11:52:00.001-07:00

Frequent Flyer: Busch Attempts Unprecedented Triple Duty

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 4, 2008) – Kyle Busch looks to make NASCAR history this weekend.

Busch, the points leader in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will attempt a NASCAR first – racing in three national series, at three different tracks, in the same weekend.

His busy itinerary will take him to Texas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, Nashville Superspeedway for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and Pocono Raceway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event.

The next question – can he be the first to sweep all three races in the same weekend?

If Busch did win all three, he’d be the first to do so – period. It’s never been done at the same track on a companion weekend, let alone three different tracks.

The driver to come the closest – Kyle Busch, himself. Last season, during the November Phoenix weekend, Busch won both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race and the NASCAR Nationwide race, and finished eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

There’s certainly a chance. Across the three series, Busch has run 33 races. He has been in first place at some point in the race during 28 of them (though he’s led a lap in 26 of them)

Busch ranks in the top 10 in all key statistical categories in each series:

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 7.8 (1st)
Driver Rating 115.2 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 351 (2nd)
Laps in the Top 15% 81.9% (1st)
Quality Passes 632 (5th)

NASCAR Nationwide Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 10.9 (4th)
Driver Rating 110.9 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 398 (1st)
Laps in the Top 15% 68.4% (7th)
Quality Passes 349 (T 6th)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Category Stat (Rank)
Avg. Running Pos. 6.8 (1st)
Driver Rating 124.9 (1st)
Fastest Laps Run 213 (1st)
Laps in the Top 15% 85.2% (1st)
Quality Passes 172 (6th)

Across the three series, Busch has a Driver Rating of 117.0. Combining the second-place ratings for each series – which belong to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer and Ron Hornaday Jr. – the Driver Rating would be 107.2, almost 10 points lower than Busch alone.

One problem, Busch has not enjoyed the best of success at the tracks he’ll race this weekend – he does not have a series win at any of them. Below are his race logs at each track since 2005:

Busch at Pocono in the NSCS (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
6/05 4 13.6 3 59.7% 96.8
7/05 39 18 0 57.6% 71.5
6/06 22 12.3 3 83.0% 85.8
7/06 12 22.8 1 34.0% 83.6
6/07 8 6.8 1 96.2% 106.8
8/07 12 21.4 8 20.0% 77.2
Total 16.2 15.8 16 55.2% 87.0
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15%: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating

Busch at Nashville in the NNS (2006-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
4/06 30 13.6 2 64% 80.1
6/06 31 29.5 1 0.4% 53.2
3/08 16 6.3 68 73.3% 128.6
Total 25.7 16.5 71 45.9% 87.3

Busch at Texas in the NCTS (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
11/05 3 3.2 13 98.6% 122.6
11/06 2 6.5 5 99.3% 113
11/07 29 16.5 18 46.3% 108.7
Total 11.3 8.7 36 81.3% 114.8

Loop Data Defined: NASCAR statistics generated from electronic scoring loops embedded around each track hosting races in NASCAR’s three national series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Notes - Pocono

2008-06-04T12:20:00.001-07:00

Momentum Means All: Expect Gordon In The Mix At Pocono

While the first four months of the 2007 and 2008 season may be known The Tale Of Two Starts for Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), Sunday’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway could find the four-time series champion in the same place — Victory Lane.

A year ago, Gordon arrived at Pocono having led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for nine consecutive weeks. He departed with his fourth victory of 2007, still firmly out front.

This year has been anything except a continuation.

Gordon began 2008 with a 39th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and has yet to win, clawing through the standings toward Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility (the top 12 in series points).

But recent performances may portend big things.

Gordon has jumped from 14th to sixth in the last four weeks. He returns to Pocono as the defending race champion and with momentum after last week’s fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway.

Gordon has four wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 30 career starts at Pocono. He also ranks third in NASCAR Loop Data’s pre-race Driver Rating for Pocono (97.5) behind Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) at 133.1 and Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) at 103.2.

Historic Triple: Kyle Busch Ready For Three Races, Three Tracks

Three tracks. Three states. Three national series.

In three days. With three different teams.

That’s Kyle Busch’s (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) assignment as he prepares to compete in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide event at Nashville Superspeedway and Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono Raceway.

Assuming no travel or weather gremlins, Busch will become the first driver to compete in all three NASCAR national series on the same weekend at different tracks.

And that’s after participating in Wednesday’s fourth annual Old Spice Prelude to the Dream at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway — a Victory Junction Gang Camp fundraiser hosted by track owner and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart.

And a Thursday sponsor appearance.

At Nashville, Busch will drive the No. 32 Toyota for Braun Racing. At Texas, he’ll drive the No. 51 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports. Due to travel, he’ll participate in only one qualifying session, Friday at Pocono. Tennessee native Willie Allen will sub for him at Nashville and J.R. Norris will step in at Texas, both taking Busch’s seat during qualifying and practices for those series’ events.

In The Loop: Hamlin The One To Catch At Pocono

Denny Hamlin loves Pocono Raceway.

Right off the bat, he had the track figured out – not an easy accomplishment, considering Pocono’s degree of difficulty and the unique layout.

In Hamlin’s rookie year of 2006, he won the pole and the race in each of his visits to the 2.5-mile track. In his second race there, he scored a near-perfect Driver Rating of 149.0 (a perfect rating is 150.0).

In his four races, Hamlin holds series-highs in a number of statistical categories: Driver Rating (133.1), Average Running Position (4.6) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (93.9%). He also ranks second in Fastest Laps Run with 172.

But lately, if it hasn’t been Hamlin at Pocono, it’s been Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge).

Busch has two wins and two second-place finishes over his last five Pocono races. In both his wins, Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.

In his previous six Pocono races, Busch has notched a Driver Rating of 116.6 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 7.4 (second), a series-high 207 Fastest Laps Run and has spent 82.9% of the Laps in the Top 15.

Also watch for Tony Stewart’s luck to change.

His chances of victory were destroyed early at Dover, but Pocono has treated him kinder in recent years. Over the past six races there, Stewart has a Driver Rating of 103.2 (third-best), an Average Running Position of 10.5 (fourth), 36 Fastest Laps Run (tied for sixth), a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 79.2% (fourth) and a series-high 266 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green).

One wild card this weekend is also a driver who is aiming to get back into the top 12.

Ryan Newman (No. 12 Kodak Dodge), currently in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, could charge into the top 12 with a win at Pocono – a feat that’s not out of the question.

Since 2005 at Pocono, Newman has a Driver Rating of 101.9 (fourth) and an Average Running Position of 8.6 (third).

Chasing The Chase: Kahne Clings to 12th, Surging Ragan and Kenseth Not Far Behind

A strenuous summer schedule stands between NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and the Sept. 6 cut-off event for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility, but it’s never too early to tally points.

Three drivers in particular cling to momentum as the series heads for Sunday’s Pocono 500, the season’s 14th event (the cut-off race at Richmond International Raceway is the 26th).

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) currently is 12th, in the final Chase-eligible spot. He leads 13th-place David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford) by only eight points.

Former series champion Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) remains 16th for a second consecutive week, but trails 15th-place Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) by only 12 points, as opposed to 27 last week.

Kenseth has climbed from 22nd to 16th in three weeks, helped by three consecutive top-10 finishes (the latest, a fourth, last Sunday at Dover). Attempting to rebound from a difficult start, he’s one of only two drivers to compete in every Chase since the format’s 2004 inception.

He trails the 12th-place Kahne by 95 points.

Ragan, a second-year driver, broke into the top 12 for the first time three weeks ago, following the season’s 11th event, at Darlington Raceway. He’s fallen back a spot since, but remains on Kahne’s trail. Kahne, who spent the season’s first eight weeks in the top 12 before falling out during the month of May, re-entered the top 12 after his May 25 victory in the Coca-Cola 600.

Carl Edwards The Guest On This Week’s NASCAR Teleconference

On The Line: Carl Edwards, fielded media questions during Tuesday’s weekly session:

On Racing At Eldora Speedway: “Last year I don't think anybody expected Kyle Busch to run as well as he did. And I think a lot of people were nervous that Jeff (Gordon) wasn't going to run that well. But then those two guys ended up being the guys that I had to beat to win the thing.”

On Last Week’s Pocono Test: “I went into that Pocono test with a pretty open mind. I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't think this new car would run that well through all the different types of corners. I just thought it would be a lot tougher to drive than it was.

“So I was pleased with how well the car ran. The one thing that I didn't expect and that I think everyone is going to work with all day at the racetrack will be in the last corner, they paved a big strip around that corner. Everybody was trying running on the new pavement, which was way up high, versus the low line where generally we run.”

On Kyle Busch’s Historic “Triple”: “It is just fun. To show up at a race track and jump out of a jet and fly in a helicopter and then jump in a screaming-fast race car, that's every racer's dream to have a reason to go do all that stuff. It is really neat. It is just a really fun time.

"Logistically it is tougher. But physically it is not any tougher than running a regular weekend. It is mostly just added fun.”

For the complete transcript, visit www.nascarmedia.com.

The Top 35: Waltrip Holds On To 35th; The No. 22 Continues Its Climb

For the second consecutive week, the No. 55 NAPA Toyota owned and driven by Michael Waltrip is 35th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings.

Each week, the top 35 teams are guaranteed starting spots, with those outside the top 35 required to qualify on time

This week, the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge owned by Roger Penske and driven by Sam Hornish Jr., made the biggest jump forward — from 36th to 33rd thanks to an 18th-place finish at Dover.

At the other end of the spectrum, another Michael Waltrip Racing car, the No. 00 Waltrip Racing Toyota owned by Rob Kauffman and driven by Michael McDowell, dropped three spots to 34th in the owner standings thanks to McDowell’s 30th-place finish at Dover.

In 36th is the No. 66 State Water Heaters Chevrolet owned by Joe Custer and driven by Scott Riggs. It dropped two spots, and out of top-35 eligibility, after Sunday’s 39th-place finish. Earlier last week, the No. 66 and its sister team, the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet, were penalized 150 owner points each for inspection infractions two weeks ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. That penalty dropped the No. 66 from 24th to 34th prior to last Sunday at Dover.

Meanwhile, the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota owned by Bill Davis and driven by Dave Blaney continues its top-35 success story.

Five points events and six weeks ago, the No. 22 was 39th in the owner standings following the season’s ninth race, at Talladega Superspeedway.

But Blaney’s second top-10 finish in three weeks (he was ninth last Sunday at Dover) helped him gain three more spots in the owner standings. The No. 22 now is 30th heading to Pocono — a gain of nine spots over the past month and a half.

Pennsylvania Natives In The Garage

Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chiefs lead a sizeable group of team members who will return to their home state this weekend.

They are: Pat Tryson, who hails from Malvern and oversees the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, Greg Erwin, who hails from Hatboro and oversees the No. 16 3M Ford and Bob Osborne, who hails from Chester and oversees the No. 99 AFLAC Ford.

Other Pennsylvanians include:

Darin Nestlerode (Jersey Shore) – No. 31 car chief; Billy Curwood (Shickshinny) – No. 42 engineer; Travis Geisler (Pittsburgh) – No. 12 engineer and Dave Littau (Pottsville) – No. 2 front-tire carrier.

Several teams boast multiple Pennsylvania natives, including the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet with engine tuner Danny Emerick (Byrn Mawr) and tire specialist Sean Kerlin (Marysville).

The No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge has three, with engine tuner Stephen Ritchie (Jonestown), tire specialist Toby Mellott (Needmore) and front-tire changer Terry Spaulding (Troy).

The No. 88 Natonal Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet has four — No. 88 transporter driver Dave Radney (Canton), spotter T.J. Majors (Wampum) and gas man Chris Fasulka (Wilkes-Barre) and front-tire carrier Matt Myers (Ford City).

The No. 41 Target Dodge has two — pit-crew coach Lance Munksgard (Warre) and tire specialist Mike Motil (Hazelton).

The No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota also has two — spotter Tom Mayerchek (Sharon) and scorer Gina Mayerchek (Sharon).

Other Pennsylvania natives: Jason Seitzinger (Shartlesville) – No. 24 shock specialist; Jim Bender (Duryea) – No. 9 tire specialist; Mike Harrold (York) – No. 10 tire specialist; Steve Brown (Honesdale) – No. 29 tire specialist; Kevin Hebert (New Holland) – No. 77 rear-tire changer; Troy Welty (Manchester) – No. 07 windshield/driver support; Brad Little (New Kensington) – No. 99 driver support; Josh Kirk (Chambersburg) – No. 5 mechanic/rear-tire changer and Scott Crowell (Towanda) – No. 20 second gas man.

Up Next: The LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway

Next on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the LifeLock 400 on Sunday, June 15 at Michigan International Speedway. It’s the 15th of 36 races on the 2008 schedule.

Carl Edwards won last June at Michigan, snapping what was then a 52-race winless streak.

J.J. Yeley (No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota) is the defending pole winner.

Three-time series champion David Pearson leads all drivers with nine victories and 10 poles at Michigan. Two-time series champion Bill Elliott (No. 21 U.S. Air Force Ford) leads all active drivers with seven wins and six poles there.

The Race: Pocono 500
The Place: Pocono Raceway
The Date: Sunday, June 8
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2.5-mile triangle
The Distance: 500 miles/200 laps
TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2007 Polesitter: Ryan Newman
2008 Points
Rk Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 2,050
2 Jeff Burton 1,908
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,779
4 Carl Edwards 1,713
5 Greg Biffle 1,658
6 Jeff Gordon 1,646
7 Jimmie Johnson 1,644
8 Clint Bowyer 1,633
9 Denny Hamlin 1,630
10 Kevin Harvick 1,566
11 Tony Stewart 1,551
12 Kasey Kahne 1,524
Pre-Race Schedule: Friday—Practice, noon-1:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:40 p.m.; Saturday — Practice, 10-10:45 a.m., Final Practice, 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Track Contact: Bob Pleban, (570) 646-2300; bpleban@poconoraceway.com

Nashvillie news & notes

2008-06-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Nashville’s Second Race Signals Start Of Stand-Alone Season
Three Different Races, Tracks On Tap For Busch This Weekend
In The Loop: Can Wimmer Pull A Nashville Sweep?

Stand-Alone Season Brings “Regular” Opportunities

June not only signals the start of summer but also the beginning of “stand-alone” season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

There are a total of nine races on the 2008 schedule that do not include companion events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Three of those have taken place, but six of the next nine races will be of the stand-alone variety.

The second race of the year at Nashville Superspeedway marks the traditional launch of stand-alone events and opportunity for series-only regulars since most double-duty drivers will stick to their NASCAR Sprint Cup schedules.

Scott Wimmer (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet) took full advantage of those chances in March when he won Nashville’s spring event, breaking the three-race winning streak reigning series champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 World Financial Group Ford) had at the track.

So did Steve Wallace (No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet), who is the defending pole winner of this race.

A series-only regular has won at Nashville in nine of the previous 14 races at the track. Former winners in this week’s field, in addition to Wimmer and Edwards, include 2002 series champion Greg Biffle (No. 16 CitiFinancial Ford—inaugural race in 2001); Jason Leffler (No. 32 Great Clips Toyota—2004); and standings leader Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet—2005).

The wins for Biffle, Bowyer and Leffler were the first of their series career.

Busch Looks To Make NASCAR National Series History

No driver has ever attempted to compete in three different races at three different tracks on the same race weekend in NASCAR national series history.

Enter Kyle Busch (No. 32 Dollar General Stores Toyota), who will attempt to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night, at Nashville on Saturday night and at Pocono Raceway in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition on Sunday afternoon.

Busch, who is tied with Tony Stewart for the NASCAR Nationwide Series lead with four wins and is second in the standings, will attempt the triple after a fourth event, Stewart’s “Old Spice Prelude to the Dream” charity race Wednesday at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Willie Allen, who drives for fellow Nashville native Bobby Hamilton Jr.’s (No. 25 Smithfield Foods Ford) Sadler-Hamilton Racing team, will serve as the substitute driver for Busch at Nashville.

Busch leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and has a series-best four wins. He will run for Billy Ballew Motorsports at Texas; he also leads that series in victories (two).

Logano Eyes Atwood’s Record

Despite a sixth-place finish at Dover International Speedway in his series debut, 18-year-old Joey Logano (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) was disappointed he didn’t win. That’s just fine with Casey Atwood.

Atwood holds the record as the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days. Logano turned 18 on May 24.

After Atwood won at The Milwaukee Mile in 1999, he went on to win a second race that year. His success prompted a move to NASCAR Sprint Cup where he competed for two full seasons.

Now 27, Atwood is a valuable asset as a practice/qualifying driver for double-duty teams, and he will serve in that capacity this weekend at his home track; the Nashville native will substitute for Greg Biffle.

Strong Credentials For Substitute Drivers

Along with 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Willie Allen and Casey Atwood, other substitute drivers this weekend include:

Stephen Leicht for Clint Bowyer. Leicht won his first career series race last year at Kentucky and finished seventh in the final standings.
Jason Hedelsky for Carl Edwards. Hedelsky normally serves as Edwards’ spotter.
Josh Wise for David Reutimann (No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota). Wise is a developmental driver for Michael Waltrip Racing and has three series starts for Fitz Motorsports, two this year.
Auggie Vidovich for David Ragan (No. 6 Discount Tire Ford). Vidovich ran in 21 series races in 2006; his second series start came in this race where he started 15th.
Chad Blount for Jason Leffler. Leffler will attempt to qualify at Pocono; his last NASCAR Sprint Cup race was in 2005 at Indianapolis.
Series-Only Regulars Standing Tall

Last month, the first since August 2007, half of the top 10 was made up of series-only regulars.

Brad Keselowski (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) leads the group in fifth place. Mike Bliss is sixth while Jason Leffler, Mike Wallace (No. 7 GEICO Toyota) and David Stremme (No. 64 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) are eighth through 10th, respectively. Leffler and Wallace were among those ranked in 2007 as well.

In The Loop: Wimmer Aims For Music City Sweep

Scott Wimmer took advantage of the last Nashville stand-alone, becoming the first NASCAR Nationwide Series-only regular to win this season.

In that race, Wimmer notched a Driver Rating of 129.2, an Average Running Position of 4.5, 45 Fastest Laps Run and spent all but five of his Laps in the Top 15.

He could very well pull the Nashville sweep – his stats there are among the best in the series.

Over his last three Nashville races, Wimmer has an average Driver Rating of 122.2, an Average Running Position of 4.5, 117 Fastest Laps Run and has run 99.3% of the Laps in the Top 15. All those statistics rank in the top five in the series.

Of course, any time NASCAR races at a concrete track, Carl Edwards’ name has to be mentioned. He won three straight at Nashville – the second race in 2006 and a sweep in 2007 – and has earned some of the series’ top stats.

In his six career races at Nashville, Edwards has an average finish of 2.5, an average Driver Rating of 123.3, an Average Running Position of 5.1, a series-high 214 Fastest Laps Run and has a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 96.0.

Standings leader Clint Bowyer is also stout at Nashville. He won there in 2005 and has finished second in each of the last four Nashville races. Over his last six races there, Bowyer owns series-highs in Driver Rating (130.4), Average Running Position (3.6) and Laps in the Top 15 (1,308/96.9%). He also ranks third in Fastest Laps Run with 181.

Triple threat Kyle Busch also will be the talk of the weekend, although his Nashville results haven’t been outstanding. He’s cracked the top 10 only once in five starts and in his last three appearances there, Busch has a Driver Rating of 87.3.

Bliss To Handle In-Race Reporting Duties At Nashville Superspeedway

ESPN2’s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with a live telecast from Nashville beginning Saturday at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast is presented by Craftsman. The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

ESPN2 also airs live coverage of practice for the event Friday at 6 p.m. as well as qualifying Saturday at 3 p.m.

NASCAR Nationwide Series-only regular Mike Bliss (No. 1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet) joins ESPN’s coverage team as In-Race Reporter. He will talk to Wallace on the race’s pace laps as well as during caution periods.

Bliss is one of five series-only regulars ranked in the top 10 in the standings.

The Director’s Take: Second Time Around At Nashville

“This is our second trip to Nashville this year in a short time span,” said Joe Balash, NASCAR Nationwide Series director. “The teams should have great notes from the first race in March.

“That race almost acted like a test session and should allow teams to start with better setups. The crew chiefs will have a lot more to work with to fine-tune the cars for the event.”

“It’s also the second week in a row we’re racing on a concrete surface and drivers should have a good feel for the track.

“We’re also at the true start of the stand-alone season with Nashville, Kentucky and Milwaukee in succession.

“Summer is go-time. It’s a chance for regulars to gain some spots on double duty drivers.

“It’s much more difficult for a double-duty driver to participate, especially if there’s anything that affects the timing of the event due to the weather at this time of year—similar to what happened to Carl Edwards at this race three years ago. Rain forced us to move from Saturday to Sunday; Carl missed the race and ultimately lost a shot at the championship.”

Nashville Superspeedway

Most Wins: Carl Edwards (3)
Most Poles: Martin Truex Jr. (2)
Quick Fact: A rookie driver has won 3 races at Nashville, all in the summer event.

NNS Etc.

Jason Keller’s No. 11 America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet will have a new look heading into Nashville this weekend. Another Jason, award-winning country music artist Jason Aldean and his new album “Relentless,” will be displayed on the hood of the No. 11 entry for Saturday night’s race.

Aldean first hit the country music charts with his hit single ‘Hicktown’ in 2006. Since then, every single he has released has gone top-10 on the radio airplay charts. The Academy of Country Music recognized Aldean that same year when he was awarded the Top New Male Artist award. His self-titled debut album is certified platinum (1 million in sales) and “Relentless” is already certified gold heading toward platinum status.

Series veteran Mark Green (No. 70 Foretravel Chevrolet) is driving a part-time schedule for ML Motorsports this season. He hasn’t been on track since registering an organization-best fifth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway last April (his second career top-five finish and first since 1997) and another team-best, fourth-place qualifying effort at Richmond International Raceway last month.

But Green and the lone mother/daughter-owned team in NASCAR national series competition will run more like a full-time schedule over the next eight weeks, entering seven races over that span starting at Nashville.

Green, with 237 series starts, will have to qualify on time for those seven races. Next week, the Owensboro, Ky., native will race in his home state and in August, he will attempt to put the No. 70 in the field at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

The team headed by Mary Louise Miller and her daughter Stephany Mullen are based in Warsaw, Ind.
Raybestos Rookie Of The Year

Rank Driver Points
1 Dario Franchitti 100
2 Bryan Clauson 92
3 Cale Gale 55
4 Brian Keselowski 47
5 Landon Cassill 47
6 Chase Miller 43
7 Patrick Carpentier 31

Results following the Heluva Good! 200 at Dover International Speedway.

Bill France Performance Cup

Although Toyota won on concrete for the first time in its series history last week at Dover, Chevrolet and Ford may have the last word Saturday night at Nashville.

Scott Wimmer and Chevrolet won two months ago at Nashville, breaking the three-race winning streak of Carl Edwards and Ford at the track. Edwards was second at Dover.

Four Toyotas were in the top 10 at Dover, however, setting up a battle in the Music City.

Up Next: Meijer 300 presented by Oreo at Kentucky Speedway

Kentucky Speedway, the track that has become known as a star-builder, is up next for the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Over the last two years, a series-only driver has won the Meijer 300 presented by Oreo. Last year it was Stephen Leicht while David Gilliland’s career was launched following his storybook win in 2006.

The track has yet to produce a repeat winner, polesitter or winning car owner in seven series races there.

For more information, contact:
Tracey Judd, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 947-6733 or tjudd@nascar.com.

Fast Facts

The Race: Federated Auto Parts 300 presented by Dollar General

The Place: Nashville Superspeedway

The Date: Saturday, June 7

The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

The Distance: 300 miles / 225 laps

Track Size: 1.33-mile concrete

TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET

2007 Winner: Carl Edwards

2007 Pole: Steve Wallace

2008 Standings

1 Clint Bowyer 2,020
2 Kyle Busch 1,097
3 Carl Edwards 1,884
4 David Reutimann 1,862
5 Brad Keselowski 1,816
6 Mike Bliss 1,772
7 Dasvid Ragan 1,740
8 Jason Leffler 1,634
9 Mike Wallace 1,624
10 David Stremme 1,619

Schedule (Times local–CT)

Friday–Practice 5-6:15 p.m.;
Final Practice 6:45-8 p.m.
Saturday–Qualifying 2:35 p.m.

Storylines: Pocono/Nashville/Texas Week

2008-06-03T13:00:00.001-07:00

One weekend, three races, at three separate race tracks.

And one driver – running in all three events.

That would be Kyle Busch.

Busch, who leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, will run that series' events at Pocono Raceway, the Pocono 500 on Sunday afternoon.

In addition:

Busch also plans on being at Texas Motor Speedway for Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the Sam's Town 400. Then, on Saturday night, he'll be in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Nashville Superspeedway for the Federated Auto Parts 300 presented by Dollar General.

This is unprecedented to say the least. No driver has ever attempted to run in all three NASCAR national series on one weekend at three different tracks.

Due to the intense travel challenges, Busch will take part in only one qualifying session this weekend – at Pocono, in the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

At Nashville, Busch will be in the No. 32 Toyota for Braun Racing. Tennessee native Will Allen will sub for Busch during practice and qualifying.

At Texas, Busch will be in the No. 51 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports, but qualifying and practice in the truck will be handled by J.R. Norris.

Kyle Busch – undoubtedly a significant storyline this weekend. Following are some others;

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Pocono: A 2.5-Mile Unlike Any Other
Pocono Raceway's relatively flat 2.5-file layout has some distinct similarities to Indianapolis – same distance, the absence of significant banking – but for the most part, the triangular-shaped layout is its own peculiar animal.

Some consider it almost akin to a road-course event, due to the three – yes, that's right: three only -- distinct turns. Those turns are complemented by a 3,740-foot front straight, one of the longest straights in NASCAR.

Jeff Gordon: Defending Race Champion, Chase Contender
Jeff Gordon was winless and outside the top 12 earlier this season, part of an overall “slump” by Hendrick Motorsports. Well, slumps are relative, as Gordon is proving. He's still winless, but a string of consistent finishes has him up to sixth in the point standings.

The 2008 season has been a lesson in patience for Gordon. He started off the year in 39th-place after a DNF in the Daytona 500.

Gordon is also the defending race champion this weekend.

Chase Contention: Kahne Has Critical 12th Spot, For Now
A 31st-place almost knocked Kasey Kahne out of the top 12 – almost. He's barely hanging on, with David Ragan glued to his back bumper. Ragan, suffering no sophomore slump in his second season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is only eight points behind Kahne. Ragan, improving each week, finished 26th and 33rd last season at Pocono.

Driver Rating: Busch Brothers on a Roll
Kyle Busch comes into this weekend's Pocono 500 on a nearly unheard of tear. With his dominating win at Dover, Busch now has four consecutive races with a Driver Rating of 120.0 or higher – a streak that has occurred only two other times since Loop Data's inception in 2005. The first was in 2006 by two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (five straight from Oct. 14 until Nov. 12), the second was last season by four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (five straight from April 1 until May 6).

Older brother Kurt also has a Driver Rating superlative, this one Pocono-specific. Busch has earned two perfect Driver Ratings of 150.0 at Pocono Raceway. His first was in July of 2005, when he led 131 of the 203 laps en route to a dominating win. His second came in the series' last trip to Pocono, last July. In that race, Busch led 175 laps and racked up 99 Fastest Laps Run to capture his first win of the season.

Several Homecomings for NASCAR Garage
A number of team members will return to their home state this weekend – be it Pennsylvania, Tennessee or Texas. Below are a number them:

NSCS Pennsylvania Natives
Darin Nestlerode (Jersey Shore) – No. 31 car chief
Pat Tryson (Malvern) – No.2 crew chief
Greg Erwin (Hatboro) – No. 16 crew chief
Billy Curwood (Shickshinny) – No. 42 engineer
Travis Geisler (Pittsburgh) – No. 12 engineer
Danny Emerick (Byrn Mawr) – No. 48 engine tuner
Stephen Ritchie (Jonestown) – No. 19 engine tuner
Josh Kirk (Chambersburg) – No. 5 mechanic/rear-tire changer
Lance Munksgard (Warre) – No. 41 pit crew coach
Jason Seitzinger (Shartlesville) – No. 24 shock specialist
Mike Motil (Hazelton) – No. 41 tire specialist
Jim Bender (Duryea) – No. 9 tire specialist
Sean Kerlin (Marysville) – No. 48 tire specialist
Mike Harrold (York) – No. 10 tire specialist
Steve Brown (Honesdale) – No. 29 tire specialist
Toby Mellott (Needmore) – No. 19 tire specialist
Dave Radney (Canton) – No. 88 transporter driver
Dave Littau (Pottsville) – No. 2 front-tire carrier
Terry Spaulding (Troy) – No. 19 front-tire changer
Chris Fasulka (Wilkes-Barre) – No. 88 gas man
Matt Myers (Ford City) – No. 88 front-tire carrier
Kevin Hebert (New Holland) – No. 77 rear-tire changer
Troy Welty (Manchester) – No. 07 windshield/driver support
Tom Mayerchek (Sharon) – No. 22 spotter
Gina Mayerchek (Sharon) – No. 22 scorer
T.J. Majors (Wampum) – No. 88 spotter
Brad Little (New Kensington) – No. 99 driver support
Scott Crowell (Towanda) – No. 20 second gas man

NNS Tennessee Natives
Marty Oody (Loudon) – No. 5 front-tire changer
Tim Whelan (Nashville) – No. 5 gas man
Brett Jones (Lebanon) – No. 27 gas man
John Reese (Mt. Juliet) – No. 27 jack man
Butch Waugh (Murfreesboro) – No. 27 rear-tire carrier
Danny Rankin (Chattanooga) – No. 2 rear-tire changer

NCTS Texas Natives
Ryan Lawler (Colleyville) – No. 07 driver
Colin Braun (Ovalo) – No. 6 driver
David Starr (Houston) – No. 11 driver
Jacob Brownlee (Austin) – No. 13 crew member and fifth-generation Texan
Tom Mitchell (Ozona) – No. 14 team owner

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Stand-Alone Season Begins
The June race at Nashville Superspeedway signals the start of NASCAR Nationwide Series stand-alone season. With no NASCAR Sprint Cup Series companion event on the schedule, the races provide series regulars a time to shine – and they've taken advantage of that chance in the past. Scott Wimmer won the first race at Nashville last March breaking “Concrete” Carl Edwards' three-race winning streak there; a series-only regular has won the last two races at Kentucky Speedway and a series-only regular has won at The Milwaukee Mile over the last five years (Aric Almirola was credited with the win there last year as he started the race teammate Denny Hamlin won).

Logano Hoopla Familiar To Atwood
Nashville native Casey Atwood can identify with the hype surrounding 18-year-old phenom Joey Logano, who finished sixth in his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut last week at Dover. Atwood was 18 years, 10 months and 9 days old when he became the youngest driver to win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Milwaukee in 1999. He won again that season and after another full year in the Nationwide Series spent two years in NASCAR Sprint Cup before his national series career hit hard times. Now 27, Atwood has been a valuable asset to double-duty teams as a practice/qualifying driver, a position he will hold for 2002 Nationwide Series champion Greg Biffle this weekend.

A May To Remember
The past month was definitely one to remember in series competition. Joe Gibbs Racing won three of May's four races while its drivers were victorious in all four events; Kyle Busch won for Braun Racing at Charlotte. Before Busch's win, JGR totaled six victories in succession, a series record.

Series-only regulars made a statement by having five drivers solidly ranked in the top 10 in the standings the entire month, a first since August, 2007. Classic racing was on display at Charlotte where Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin started a rivalry and teammates Kyle Busch and Jason Leffler created a stir at Dover. And Joey Logano made his long-anticipated debut a successful one.

Double-Duty Substitutes
Other than Casey Atwood for Greg Biffle, the other substitute drivers scheduled to handle practice and probable qualifying runs for double-duty drivers also competing at Pocono this weekend are:
Willie Allen for Kyle Busch (Allen, a Tennessee native and driver for Sadler-Hamilton Racing, a team co-owned by Bobby Hamilton Jr., was the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year last season); Stephen Leicht for standings leader Clint Bowyer; Jason Hedelsky for Carl Edwards (Hedelsky normally serves as Edwards' spotter in the Nationwide Series); Josh Wise for David Reutimann and Auggie Vidovich for David Ragan.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

Watershed Season – Part 1: Competitive Balance
Scott Speed won this past weekend at Dover, becoming the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' third consecutive first-time winner. There never have been four consecutive first-time winners in the series. It could happen this week. Two prime candidates are Chad McCumbee, who was second to Matt Crafton at Lowe's Motor Speedway and rookie Colin Braun, who was third at Kansas Speedway.

Watershed Season – Part 2: Youth Movement
Clearly, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is undergoing a youth movement of sorts.

The average age of this year's seven winners: 28.1 years.

In 2007, it was 40.6 years.

Top 12

2008-06-03T03:56:00.001-07:00

Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 along with other notable drivers, going into the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway on June 8 (Note: Drivers listed below who are outside the top 12 are chosen based on past performances at the upcoming track and/or those within striking distance of the top 12).

1– Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 115.2
2008 Rundown
• Four wins, nine top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 7.4
• Led 10 races for 786 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 16.2
• Finished 12th in August’s Pocono race
• Led one of six races for two laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high Average Running Position of 7.8

2 – Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.4
2008 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 7.9
• Led seven races for 62 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Six top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.8
• Finished 11th in August
• Led 14 of 28 races for 103 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 656 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most

3– Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.0
2008 Rundown
• Five top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 11.8
• Led 10 races for 527 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Four top fives, five top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 17.3
• Finished second in August
• Led five of 16 races for 97 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 330 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

4 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.9
2008 Rundown
• Three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 11.8
• Led five races for 370 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• One win, two top fives
• Average finish of 17.3
• Finished 21st in August
• Led three of six races for 51 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 461 Fastest Laps Run

5 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.0
2008 Rundown
• Five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.2
• Led six races for 278 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 19.2
• Finished 23rd in August
• Led three of 10 races for 53 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 243 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

6 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.5
2008 Rundown
• Six top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.7
• Led eight races for 211 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Four wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 10.2
• Finished fourth in August
• Led 20 of 30 races for 871 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 175 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

7 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.5
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 15.2
• Led nine races for 449 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Two wins, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.7
• Finished fifth in August
• Led four of 12 races for 275 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 233 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

8 – Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.7
2008 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• Led four races for 150 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.0
• Finished eighth in August
• Led two of four races for nine laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 144 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

9 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.5
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 15.2
• Led seven races for 646 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Two wins, three top fives, four top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 2.8
• Finished third in August
• Led three of four races for 283 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 671 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

10 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.7
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 15.4
• Led three races for 34 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• One top five, four top 10s
• Average finish of 16.4 in 14 races
• Finished 17th in August
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Eighth-fastest Green Flag Speed

11 – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.7
2008 Rundown
• Four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 16.7
• Led five races for 373 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• One win, five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 12.4
• Finished sixth in August
• Led eight of 18 races for 101 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 3,144 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4%), eighth-most

12 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.3
2008 Rundown
• One win, six top 10s
• Average finish of 17.1
• Led six races for 71 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 19.8
• Finished 27th in August
• Led two of eight races for five laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 574 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), eighth-most

15 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.9
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 19.4
• Led seven races for 148 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Three top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Finished 14th in August
• Led seven of 16 races for 27 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 137 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

21 – Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 72.2
2008 Rundown
• One top five
• Average finish of 21.8
• Led three races for 74 laps
Pocono Raceway Outlook:
• Two wins, seven top fives
• Average finish of 14.6
• Won last August’s Pocono race, scoring a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0
• Led seven of 14 races for 347 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 1,075 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most

Chase Contenders
The Top 12 … And Beyond Following Race 13 of 36

Weeks Rank Season
In Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Top 12 Week Rating
1. Kyle Busch 2,050 4 13 1 115.2
2. Jeff Burton 1,908 1 13 2 94.4
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,779 0 12 3 105.0
4. Carl Edwards 1,713 3 9 6 103.9
5. Greg Biffle 1,658 0 13 11 95.0
6. Jeff Gordon 1,646 0 4 10 95.5
7. Jimmie Johnson 1,644 1 9 9 96.5
8. Clint Bowyer 1,633 1 9 5 83.7
9. Denny Hamlin 1,630 1 7 4 95.5
10. Kevin Harvick 1,566 0 8 7 85.7
11. Tony Stewart 1,551 0 13 8 90.7
12. Kasey Kahne 1,524 1 11 12 83.3
___________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. David Ragan 1,516
14. Ryan Newman 1,495
15. Martin Truex Jr. 1,441
16. Matt Kenseth 1,429
17. J.P. Montoya 1,390
18. Travis Kvapil 1,370
19. Brian Vickers 1,327
20. Bobby Labonte 1,325
21. Kurt Busch 1,295
22. Jamie McMurray 1,265
23. David Gilliland 1,246
24. Mark Martin 1,215
25. Casey Mears 1,193
26. David Reutimann 1,183
27. Paul Menard 1,164
28. Elliott Sadler 1,156
29. Robby Gordon 1,086
30. Reed Sorenson 1,054
31. Dave Blaney 1,048
32. Regan Smith 1,041
33. Sam Hornish Jr. 1,039
34. Michael Waltrip 1,012
35. Scott Riggs 981
36. J.J. Yeley 842
37. Joe Nemechek 604
38. Patrick Carpentier 600
39. Jeremy Mayfield 578
40. Michael McDowell 562
41. Kyle Petty 540
42. Dario Franchitti 483
43. Mike Skinner 423
44 Bill Elliott 414
45. Dale Jarrett 367
46. AJ Allmendinger 366
47. Ken Schrader 298
48. Aric Almirola 243
49. Sterling Marlin 228
50. John Andretti 149
51. David Stremme 84
52. Jon Wood 55
53. Tony Raines 43
54. Kenny Wallace 34
55. Johnny Sauter 24

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series News And Notes – Texas

2008-06-02T16:57:00.001-07:00

For the third week in a row, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series celebrates another first time winner.

Raybestos Rookie Scott Speed, in only his sixth start in the series, held off Kevin Harvick, Inc.’s Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) and Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) to bring his No. 22 Red Bull Toyota to Victory Lane in the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover International Speedway.

Speed follows Donny Lia (No. 71 NationRide.com/Zurich Chevrolet) and Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) to victories in consecutive races.

That matched the series first-time winner record set in 1995 and duplicated in 1998.

The win also was the first for the No. 22 team and crew chief Doug Wolcott. The team had competed in 106 races with a number of different drivers including Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve and Bill Lester.

“To be honest with you, whether we win or not, it doesn’t affect my confidence,” said Speed, who collected his third top-10 finish of the season. “I don’t let results control how I feel about myself; I’ve said it a thousand times.

“Today we had a good strategy and we had an awesome truck. We got everything we could out of it.”

Said Wolcott, “So far every race we’ve had with Scott, he’s done a fabulous job. It (was) pretty cool to watch it unfold today.”

Kyle Busch Looks Ahead To Multi-State Triple-Header

Kyle Busch has a busy weekend ahead of him. The driver who is finding success in all three of NASCAR’s national series will try to do something this weekend that has never been attempted before: compete in all three national series at three different tracks in as many states.

Busch will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 Billy Ballew Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Toyota in the Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night. Saturday, he’ll race the No. 32 Toyota for Braun Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Nashville Superspeedway for the Federated Auto Parts 300 presented by Dollar General. By Sunday morning he’ll arrive back at Pocono Raceway in time to hop into his No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Pocono 500 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“The full emphasis will be set by my Sprint Cup schedule; I am going to make every practice and qualifying in Pocono,” said Busch, a winner earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway in California and Atlanta Motor Speedway. “I’m going to miss qualifying and practice in the truck and in the Nationwide car, but I will be there to race it.

“It’s just about racing it and trying to keep ourselves up in the points and keep Billy Ballew up in the owners’ standings. A lot of it has to do with the fans: They like to see it and they want to go see a driver trying to race in as many races as they can and to see somebody be as crazy as I am most of the time.”

Ballew development driver J.R. Norris will practice and qualify Busch’s truck.

“I’m a little nervous because I haven’t been in a truck all year,” said Norris, who finished 20th at TMS last November. “I wish I could race the truck myself but if Kyle was to win, I know that I played a part in that and that is a good feeling.

“Maybe if this goes well I can get another chance to drive or race for this team or who knows? Maybe for someone else.”

Etc. & Quotable

Close Battle … After eight races of the 25-race schedule, the championship points battle is a close one. A 105-point spread separates drivers one through 10.

For the second time in 280 series starts, Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) sits atop the standings. Crawford’s only previous lead was in 2003 after he won the season opener at Daytona.

But his advantage is precarious, to say the least. Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) is 20 points behind in second. In fact, a slim 68 points cover positions one and eight.

Crafton, who made his first trip to Victory Lane at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, is already after win No. 2. Since his win, the driver has finished 12th at Mansfield and fifth at Dover.

By The Numbers … It’s been a good a year so far for the younger drivers of the series. The average age of the first seven race winners: 28.1. The average was 40.6 for 2007.

Texas Proud … Two Texas natives are looking forward to racing this weekend in their home state: Series veteran David Starr (No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota), from Houston, has seven top-fives and 9 top-10s.

Colin Braun (No. 6 Conway Freight Ford) is also headed home. The young rookie is not only ready to race at home, but would like to make it three rookie winners in a row.

“Obviously, being from Texas I’m really excited about racing there. I’ve never run there before, but we’ve had good runs at all the other mile-and-a-half tracks this season,” said Braun.

“We got a third-place finish at Kansas, so I expect to run well. I know the truck we’re taking has a lot of great history so I’d like to add my name to the list of drivers who’ve won in that truck,” he added.

“We’ve had three first-time winners in the truck series the last three races, including two rookies, so I’m hoping to make it four-in-a row in my home state.”

His crew chief, Mike Beam, thinks the young Texan will have a good weekend. “I’m sure Colin will have a good run at Texas,” he said.

Beam is confident in the truck Braun will race at TMS too. “We’re taking one of our favorite trucks which has always run well for us. Travis (Kvapil) won at Michigan, Nashville and Vegas with this truck last year, and Mark (Martin) won races with it in 2006,” said Beam.

“We haven’t run it yet this year, but we just took it to the wind tunnel last week and were pleased with the numbers. It would be great for Colin to get his first win in his home state.”

New Face To Share Ride … Bill Davis Racing announced at Dover that Michael Arnett will share the driving duties of the No. 22 Toyota with Scott Speed for the remainder of the 2008 season. Annett, who is part of BDR’s driver developmental program, will make his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at The Milwaukee Mile.

“I am thrilled at this opportunity,” the 22-year-old Iowa native said. “The guys at Bill Davis Racing are the best, and I can’t wait to test my skills against NASCAR’s elite drivers.”

The driver has found success in the ARCA RE/MAX Series where in nine career starts he has two wins, five top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes in addition to one pole.

Annett will practice and qualify Speed’s truck at Texas. Speed, competing in Pocono’s ARCA RE/MAX event, will fly in on Busch’s airplane late Friday afternoon.

All Tied Up … Drivers Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) and Brendan Gaughan (No. 10 International MAXX FORCE Diesel Ford) are heading this week to a track they know all too well.

Both drivers are tied with the most wins at Texas with four.
In Texas, Germain Is Tops

No team has done better at Texas Motor Speedway than Germain Racing, which counts five victories at the 1.5-mile track.

Todd Bodine is the defending winner of the Sam’s Town 400 — the 2006 champion’s fourth victory at the track.

Thanks to a wild finish in last November’s Silverado 350, Ted Musgrave (No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Truck Toyota) snagged win No. 5 for the team.

“Texas is a little bit special but you’re never dominant in this sport. You have to be good to be lucky – to create your own luck,” said Mike Hillman Sr., Germain’s general manager. “Our mile-and-a-half program has always been real strong and our superspeedway program is good. I look forward to getting back to Texas and hopefully getting another cowboy hat.”

Rookies Bring Home Back-to-Back Victories

For the second week in a row, a Rookie of the Year candidate finds his way to Victory Lane.

Scott Speed’s win follows fellow rookie Donny Lia’s (No. 71 TRG Chevrolet) at Mansfield.

While Lia and Scott have wins to their credit, Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford) is the highest-ranking rookie in championship points.

Braun is 14th, followed by Justin Marks (No. 9 Crocs Toyota) in 17th, and TRG Motorsports teammates Lia (20th) and Andy Lally (No. 7 TRG Chevrolet) (21st).

Braun leads the Rookie of the Year points competition but the others keep it close. Lia and Marks are tied at 72, while Lally holds only a one point lead over Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertson’s Chevrolet).

After eight races of the 2008 season:

1. Colin Braun 85
2. Donny Lia 72
3. Justin Marks 72
4. Andy Lally 62
5. Brian Scott 61
6. Marc Mitchell 42
7. Phillip McGilton 38
8. Scott Speed 37

Up Next

The series will head north to Michigan International Speedway for the Cool City Customs 200 on June 14.

Travis Kvapil was 2007’s winner and the first to win from the pole position in the eight visits the series has made to the track.

In The Loop: Skinner Leads

If anything can jump-start Mike Skinner’s season, it is a race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Skinner is phenomenal there – except for one glaring problem. He has yet to win at the 1.5-mile venue.

Other than that, he’s incredible. Skinner has led a lap in all eight of his Texas races, and finished in the top-four in each of the last six trips to Texas. His statistics there are tremendous.

He owns series-highs in Driver Rating (134.2), Average Running Position (2.7), Fastest Laps Run (166) and Laps in the Top 15 (98.3 percent). This Friday night’s race seems like a perfect opportunity for Skinner to get his first win at Texas – and of 2008 (last year at this juncture, Skinner had three victories).

As usual, Kyle Busch will attract much attention this weekend. Busch will attempt to run three races in three days at three different tracks. The first will be Texas.

Busch has raced at Texas three times in his career, but this will be the first at the spring standalone event. He has solid stats at Texas, finishing third in 2005 and second in 2006.

Over the last three races at Texas, Busch has a Driver Rating of 114.8, an Average Running Position of 8.7 and 36 Fastest Laps Run.

Also watch for a strong performance from Jack Sprague. Sprague, coming off a second-place finish at Dover, has two wins at Texas. Over the last three seasons Sprague has a Driver Rating of 94.8 and an Average Running Position of 11.9. Sprague is attempting to end a 32-race winless streak – his last win came at Daytona in 2006.

This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through eight races of the 25-race season)

Points leader – Rick Crawford (1131)
Driver Rating – Kyle Busch (124.9)
Laps led – Kyle Busch (304)
Victories – Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles – Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes – Two drivers with four
Top-10 finishes – Mike Skinner (6)
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (8)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with eight

Bow Ties Lead, But Points Close

Toyota and Chevrolet are neck and neck as the series heads into the Lone Star State. Toyota was the last to visit Victory Lane with Ted Musgrave this past November but Chevrolet holds the most wins by a manufacturer at TMS with seven.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings
following Race 8 of 25:

Chevrolet 54
Toyota 53
Ford 38
Dodge 31

Director’s Take: Wayne’s Words

“The fans in Texas really like their pickup trucks. And so does Texas Motor Speedway, which will be running its 21st NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race this week. That’s the most races at any track, two a year since 1999, so it shows how attached the Lone Star State has become to the series.

“Of course, the racing itself is awesome. There may be some long, green flag runs early but something always seems to shake up the race at the end. We’ve had a couple of wild, green-white-checker finishes there including last November, when Chad McCumbee and Jack Sprague got together and handed the win to Ted Musgrave.

“Ted had been racing there since 2001 and saw the wins slip through his fingers so many times, so I guess the track owed him one.

“At the beginning, Texas was kind of a one-groove track. No longer. There are multiple grooves, giving drivers and crew chiefs plenty of ways to make their trucks go fast. Some drivers like the bottom. But Brendan Gaughan sure made the high groove work when he won four straight races back in 2002-03.

“This will be the first time at Texas for the new engine package. We think it’s been a big success so far – especially when it comes to saving teams money. Scott Speed, our latest first-time winner, used a two-race engine to win last week in Dover.”
Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director

FAST FACTS

The Race: Sam’s Town 400
The Place: Texas Motor Speedway
The Date: June 6, 2008
The Time: 9 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 250.5 miles / 167 laps
TV: SPEED, 8:30 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 1.5-mile paved oval
2007 Winner: Todd Bodine
2007 Pole: Todd Bodine
2008 Standings:
Rk Driver Points
1 R. Crawford 1131
2 Matt Crafton 1111
3 R. Hornaday Jr. 1107
4 T. Bodine 1107
5 J. Benson 1077
6 J. Sprague 1066
7 M. Skinner 1064
8 D. Starr 1063
9 T. Cook 1049
10 C. McCumbee 1026

Schedule: Thursday—Practice, 11:00 am-12:15 pm; Final practice, 12:45 pm-2:00 pm; Qualifying, 6:00 pm

Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Pocono 500 At Pocono Raceway

2008-06-02T16:56:00.001-07:00

Kyle Busch of 2008 is the Jeff Gordon of 2007, at least in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Their numbers are very similar:

Wins: After 13 races last season, Gordon won three races. Busch has won four this year.

Points Lead: Last season, Gordon was 152 points ahead of second-place Jimmie Johnson after 13 races. Right now, Kurt Busch is 142 points ahead of second-place Jeff Burton.

Driver Rating: Last season at this point, Gordon had a Driver Rating of 111.4, including five consecutive races with ratings of at least 120.0. Currently, Busch has a Driver Rating of 115.2, with four straight, single race Driver Ratings of 120.0.

Now, he hopes to mimic another Gordon 2007 accolade: Pocono 500 champion.

He’ll have to exceed his past performances at Pocono to do so. While Busch is not bad at Pocono, his finishes pale in comparison to his current success: one top five, two top 10s and a 16.2 average finish in six starts.

A win would give him 11 victories across NASCAR’s three national series – which would put him three behind the all-time record held by Kevin Harvick.

Harvick won 14 NASCAR national series races in 2006 – five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and nine in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (Harvick did not attempt a start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2006).

Of course, Busch could cut the deficit to a single win – he is attempting to run all three national series races this weekend.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Pocono Raceway

Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating

1
Kyle Busch
6
0
0
1
2
1
16.7
87.0

2
Jeff Burton
28
0
0
6
13
4
16.8
90.5

3
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
16
1
0
4
5
1
17.3
75.9

4
Carl Edwards
6
0
1
2
2
0
17.3
86.7

5
Greg Biffle
10
0
0
1
2
1
19.2
77.8

6
Jeff Gordon
30
2
4
15
21
4
10.2
97.5

7
Jimmie Johnson
12
1
2
4
7
0
10.7
93.8

8
Clint Bowyer
4
0
0
0
2
0
20.0
72.2

9
Denny Hamlin
4
2
2
3
4
0
2.8
133.1

10
Kevin Harvick
14
0
0
1
4
2
16.4
95.5

11
Tony Stewart
18
1
1
5
13
2
12.4
103.2

12
Kasey Kahne
8
1
0
1
2
0
19.8
74.2

Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Pocono Raceway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at Pocono. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Two wins, seven top fives
• Average finish of 14.6
• Average Running Position of 7.5, second-best
• Driver Rating of 116.6, second-best
• Series-high 207 Fastest Laps Run
• Average Green Flag Speed of 159.711 mph, second-fastest
• 920 (82.9%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 190 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Four wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 10.2
• Average Running Position of 11.1, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.5, fifth-best
• 422 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
• 796 (71.7%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
• 225 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Two wins, three top fives, four top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 2.8
• Series-best Average Running Position of 4.6
• Series-best Driver Rating of 133.1
• 172 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 160.242
• Series-best 93.9% (663 total) Laps in the Top 15
• 138 Quality Passes (average of 34.5 per race), ninth-best average

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• One top five, four top 10s
• Average finish of 16.4
• Average Running Position of 12.0, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 95.5, seventh-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 159.030 mph, ninth-most
• 829 (74.7%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
• 239 Quality Passes, third-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two wins, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.7
• Average Running Position of 12.5, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 93.8, ninth-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 159.305 mph, fourth-fastest
• 788 (71.0%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
• 204 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Mark Martin (No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• 19 top fives, 29 top 10s
• 10.7 average finish
• Average Running Position of 11.9, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 95.2, eighth-best
• 28 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 159.155, eighth-fastest
• 831 (74.9%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 193 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Ryan Newman (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• One win, five top fives, six top 10s
• 13.6 average finish
• Average Running Position of 8.6, third-best
• Driver Rating of 101.9, fourth-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 159.226, sixth-fastest
• Series-high 931 (83.9%) Laps in the Top 15
• 249 Quality Passes, second-most

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• One win, five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 12.4
• Average Running Position of 10.5, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 103.2, third-best
• 36 Fastest Laps Run, tied for sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 159.357, third-fastest
• 879 (79.2%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• Series-high 266 Quality Passes

Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
• Three top fives
• 14.4 average finish
• Average Running Position of 11.8, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.0, sixth-best
• 66 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• 810 (73.0%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most

At Pocono Raceway:
History
• Opened in 1968 as a .75-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile oval in 1971.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in 1974.
• There was one race from 1974 through 1981, and two a year since then.

Notebook
• There have been 60 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway since the first race there in 1974.
• Buddy Baker won the first pole at Pocono.
• There have been 35 different pole winners at Pocono. Only 13 drivers have more than one Pole there.
• There have been 21 pole winners in the last 25 races. Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon (two each) are the only repeat pole winners there since 1995. Qualifying was canceled once.
• The pole has been swept just three times: Bill Elliott (1985), Ken Schrader (1993), Denny Hamlin (2006).
• Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono.
• 27 different drivers have won races at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott with five victories. Eighteen drivers have won more than once there.
• There have been 12 different race winners in the 15 races since Bobby Labonte swept in 1999. Jimmie Johnson swept 2004 and Denny Hamlin 2006, while Kurt Busch won the July race in 2005 and 2007.
• There have been six season sweeps at Pocono, including two of the past four seasons.
• Bobby Allison and Tim Richmond each won three consecutive races at Pocono.
• 43 of 60 Pocono races have been won from a top-10 start; 12 by the pole winner.
• The June 2005 race was won by Carl Edwards from the 29th starting position, the deepest in the field a race winner has started.
• Rick Hendrick leads all other car owners with 11 Pocono victories.
• There have been eight car owner season sweeps, including three of the past four seasons (two of the car owner sweeps were with different drivers).
• Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers and J.J. Yeley are the active drivers that have finished on the lead lap in all of their races.
• Denny Hamlin won his first two appearances at Pocono Raceway, claiming both victories from the pole. Hamlin finished sixth and third in his second two races for an average finish of 2.8 in four races – the all-time best of any driver at the Pennsylvania track. He also led 283 of the 706 laps raced in the four races (40 percent).

NASCAR in Pennsylvania
• There have been 95 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Pennsylvania.
• 134 NASCAR drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as Pennsylvania.
• Three drivers from Pennsylvania have won a race in NASCAR’s three national series:
Driver NSCS NNS NCTS
Mark Donohue 1 0 0
Dick Linder 3 0 0
Jimmy Spencer 2 12 1

Pocono Raceway Data
Race #: 14 of 36 (6-8-08)
Track Size: 2.5 mile (200 laps/500miles)
• Banking/Turn 1: 14 degrees
• Banking/Turn 2:: 8 degrees
• Banking/Turn 3: 6 degrees
• Frontstretch: 3,740 feet
• Backstretch: 3,055 feet
• Shortstretch: 1,780

Driver Rating at Pocono
Denny Hamlin 133.1
Kurt Busch 116.6
Tony Stewart 103.2
Ryan Newman 101.9
Jeff Gordon 97.5
Brian Vickers 97.0
Kevin Harvick 95.5
Mark Martin 95.2
Jimmie Johnson 93.8
Martin Truex Jr. 91.2
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Pocono.

Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: Ryan Newman (170.062 mph, 52.922 seconds)
2007 race winner: Jeff Gordon, 136.887 mph, 6-10-07)
Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (172.533 mph, 52.164 secs., 6-11-04)
Track race record: Rusty Wallace (144.892 mph, 7-21-96)

Estimated Pit Window: Every 28-30 laps, based on fuel mileage.

Race Recap: Kyle Busch Wins the Best Buy 400 Benefitting Student Clubs For Autism Speaks

2008-06-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

Same song, different verse.

Points leader Kyle Busch made mincemeat of the competition and Sunday’s Best Buy 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway.

In a race that stayed green for the final 153 laps, Busch gained a total of five seconds over runner-up Carl Edwards on his final two pit stops, built a lead that topped eight seconds and cruised in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a 4.225-second win, his fourth of the season and the eighth of his career.

Polesitter Greg Biffle ran third, followed by Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr., as only six cars finished on the lead lap.

Busch grabbed the lead from Edwards during a cycle of green-flag pit stops that ended on Lap 237. NASCAR called a caution on Lap 243 for debris in Turn 2 -- under which the leaders remained on the track -- and after a restart on Lap 248, Edwards dogged Busch until both drivers brought their cars to the pits under green on Lap 319.

Busch gained almost three seconds on pit road and pulled away steadily for the next 60 laps before backing off in the closing circuits.

“We didn’t have the car to beat today,” said Busch, who expanded his lead in the championship standings over eighth-place finisher Jeff Burton to 142 points. “Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle did. But our guys on pit road (were) phenomenal -- got us out front -- and that’s what won the race for us. The guys that pitted this thing on pit road definitely won the race for us.”

Edwards acknowledged he was slow getting off pit road on his final stop, but he gained two positions to fourth in the standings with the second-place finish.

“It’s not what we came here for, but the car was good today,” Edwards said. “I wish we could have put on a better show for the fans. I wish we could have had a caution there at the end -- but Kyle deserved it.

Biffle led 164 laps to Busch’s 158, but he developed an ignition problem on Lap 169 and surrendered the lead to Edwards before switching to his second battery. Biffle ran the rest of the race without the use of air conditioning or brake fans in his car.

“The engine started missing, but we changed batteries, and it came back on line,” said Biffle, who vaulted six positions to fifth in the Cup standings. “We were just a little too tight all day. That’s really what the problem was.”

The monster that inhabits the Monster Mile woke up early Sunday. Seventeen laps into the race, contact in Turn 2 between David Gilliland and Elliott Sadler triggered an 11-car wreck that ruined the afternoon for Chase contenders Dale Earnhardt Jr. (35th), Clint Bowyer (36th), Kevin Harvick (38th), Tony Stewart (41st) and Denny Hamlin (43rd).

Earnhardt, who held third in the points standings (now 271 behind Busch), was the only one of those five drivers who didn’t lose at least three positions in the standings, though none of the drivers dropped out of the top 12.

Notes: Roush Fenway Racing put three cars in the top five -- Edwards, Biffle and Kenseth -- for the first time since July 2006 at New Hampshire. ... Sam Hornish Jr. drove his No. 77 Dodge back into the top 35 in owner points with an 18th-place finish. The No. 66 Haas CNC Chevrolet, driven by Scott Riggs, suffered a 150-point penalty on Tuesday for a rear wing mount infraction May 24 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and fell to 36th in owner points.

Hamlin Pulls Away For Nationwide Win At Dover

2008-05-31T19:45:00.001-07:00

Denny Hamlin extended the domination of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Saturday with a convincing 1.154-second victory over Carl Edwards in the Heluva Good! 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway.

The race, which started three hours late because of rain, wasn't the only victory for Hamlin, who won for the second time this season and the seventh time in his career.

Hamlin also won $200 in side bets with Kyle Busch and Michael Waltrip when teammate Joey Logano, 18, finished sixth in his series debut. Hamlin had bet Logano would finish in the top seven, but for a while, the wagers were in jeopardy.

Hamlin's win marked the eighth straight time and 10th time in 14 Nationwide events this year that a full-time Sprint Cup driver for Joe Gibbs Racing has won a Nationwide race.

David Stremme gained track position with a two-tire pit stop on Lap 155 and held off a determined charge from fourth-place finisher David Reutimann. Greg Biffle passed Logano in the closing laps to run fifth, followed by Logano, Brad Keselowski, Mike Wallace, series points leader Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne.

"It was fairly uneventful," Hamlin said. "We just bided our time at various times during the race and pulled away at the end. If you can get out there in clean air, your car can really take off. We definitely improved on our car, and I think our car was the strongest it had been all day at the end.

Edwards had nothing for the race winner over the final 28-lap green-flag run.

"It was all right," Edwards said of the result. "Second's no fun. It's not what we come here for. But my hat's off to Denny. He did a great job. I just wish I could have got up to him."

Stremme was pleased with his car's performance, but needed to find a way to get to the front -- hence, the pit strategy on his final stop.

"We took two tires at the end, and we felt that was a good choice," said Stremme, whose previous best finish at Dover was 16th. "Our car was strong all day. We just couldn't get track position."

Logano was forced to showcase his talent early in the race, after contact with Kahne's Dodge on pit road during the race's first caution necessitated a return trip to the pits. Logano restarted 28th on Lap 26, but by the time caution flew for the second time on Lap 46, he had gained 11 positions.

Under the subsequent 52-lap green-flag run, Logano worked his way up to eighth and gradually improved his position during the remainder of the race, until Biffle passed him in the closing laps.

"We were a sixth-place car and finished sixth," Logano said. "Overall it was a good day. I was hoping for that top five, but I screwed up in the pits and put myself in a position that I didn't need to. We'll see what happens next."

Busch led 68 laps, but a series of mishaps dropped him back in the field and ultimately knocked him out of the race. Busch entered the pits as the leader on Lap 105, but contact between his No. 32 Toyota and Keselowski's No. 88 Chevrolet brought both cars back to pit road under the third caution of the race.

Busch worked his way back to eighth, where he was running on Lap 169, when Braun Racing teammate Jason Leffler lost control of his No. 38 Toyota and knocked Busch into the Turn 2 wall. Busch, who finished 28th, held on to second place in the series standings but fell to 121 points behind Bowyer.

Speed is surprise Truck Series winner at Dover

2008-05-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Making the most of his sixth start in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series -- and capitalizing on transmission troubles that temporarily sidelined Kyle Busch's dominant Toyota -- former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed ran away from the field after a late restart to win the AAA Insurance 200 on Friday at Dover International Speedway.

Speed, whose previous best finish was eighth at Kansas Speedway, is the third straight first-time winner in the series, following Matt Crafton (Lowe's Motor Speedway) and Donny Lia (Mansfield, Ohio) to victory lane.

Jack Sprague held off Chevrolet teammate Ron Hornaday for second position, as Sprague crossed the finish line 3.379 seconds behind Speed. Travis Kvapil finished fourth and Crafton fifth. David Starr, Mike Skinner, Colin Braun, Rick Crawford and Johnny Benson completed the top 10.

"Today we had a good strategy and an awesome truck, and we got everything we could out of it," Speed said of his No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota. "The learning curve I've had has been amazing. Every time I go out on the track, I feel I come away with a lot of knowledge.

"I'm just having an awesome time trying to learn this sport."

With a two-tire stop on Lap 133, Speed improved his track position dramatically, restarting third behind Todd Bodine and Shane Sieg on Lap 136. After picking off Sieg, Speed passed Bodine for the lead on Lap 150 and opened a lead of more than 3.5 seconds over Hornaday (who gained three positions to second).

Speed's lead disappeared, however, when Bodine's No. 30 Toyota blew a right front tire and slapped the Turn 3 wall on Lap 170.

But Speed said his truck was quicker on two tires, and after taking the green flag for a restart on Lap 179, he stretched his advantage to nearly four seconds over Sprague before backing off on the final circuit.

"It was time to get a little aggressive," Speed said of the restart.

Busch led the first 96 laps of the race, until heavy smoke from his No. 51 Toyota forced him to the garage. Busch lost 19 laps as his crew changed a transmission, a turn of events that opened a window of opportunity for the truck series regulars. He finished 17 laps down in 27th place after making up two laps during the remainder of competition.

But veterans Hornaday and Sprague had nothing for the series rookie at the end of the race.

Sprague thought he had a chance to win, but the performance of his No. 2 Chevy fell off after the restart with 22 laps to go.

"I could barely outrun (Hornaday) with a sour motor," Sprague said. "After the green (on Lap 179), I got tight again. Dammit! I want to win."

Hornaday also felt he could catch Speed until his engine lost power late in the race.

"I don't know if we broke a header, but we lost a little bit of power," Hornaday said. "I had to pull down and let Jack go."

A flashy dresser and a bit of an eccentric (he just had the tips of his toenails painted blue), Speed found a quick way to gain acceptance among the series veterans.

"He's a winner in the Craftsman Truck Series now, so he'll fit right in," Hornaday said.

One victory, however, won't be enough to satisfy Speed, who was informed in victory lane that there has never been a repeat winner in the truck series at Dover.

"I haven't been back," Speed said.

Note: Crawford took over the series points lead, with Crafton 20 points down in second.

Picks for Dover

2008-05-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Here we go here are my picks for Dover! For the Truck Series teh winner will be Ron Hornday. For the Nationwide series the winner will be Brad Keslsolowki. And finnially the Winner of the Cup race will be Jamie Mcmurray who starts 5th

‘In The Loop’ At Dover International Speedway

2008-05-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Perfect Timing: Dover The Spot For A Kenseth Rebound

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 28, 2008) – In 2006, Matt Kenseth sat comfortably in second place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings after 12 races. Last season, he was third at this juncture.

But this season, the 2003 series champion is 16th, and in danger of missing the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time in his career (only Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson have made each of the four Chases). Currently, Kenseth is 190 points outside the Chase cut-off of 12th place.

The statistics show his race-by-race Driver Ratings have taken a huge dip, which is telling because the Driver Rating encompasses a number of key statistics like finish, laps led, fastest laps run and average running position.

Below are Kenseth’s Driver Ratings through 12 races over in 2006, 2007 and 2008:

2006
Track DR
Daytona 87.9
Auto Club 123.0
Las Vegas 135.8
Atlanta 99.7
Bristol 130.2
Martinsville 88.3
Texas 104.5
Phoenix 107.4
Talladega 102.4
Richmond 79.4
Darlington 119.1
Lowe's 100.5
Average 106.5

2007
Track DR
Daytona 93.5
Auto Club 141.5
Las Vegas 83.7
Atlanta 112.3
Bristol 87.3
Martinsville 72.5
Texas 114.1
Phoenix 107.9
Talladega 74.6
Richmond 80.8
Darlington 94.7
Lowe's 120.2
Average 98.6

2008
Track DR
Daytona 81.8
Auto Club 105.3
Las Vegas 117.5
Atlanta 85
Bristol 94.5
Martinsville 53.9
Texas 114.7
Phoenix 34.8
Talladega 47.5
Richmond 47.8
Darlington 89.7
Lowe's 91.3
Average 80.3

Not only has Kenseth’s average Driver Rating dropped by more than 18 points from last season to this one, but his single race ratings have also dropped. He has had three Driver Ratings over 100 points this season, compared to eight in 2006 and five in 2007 over the same 12-race span.

But all is not lost for Kenseth. This Sunday, he’ll have a chance to improve his performance at one of his best tracks. In his six previous Dover races, Kenseth has scored a Driver Rating below 100 just once. Below is his race-by-race log at Dover (all driver race logs can be seen at NASCARMedia.com):

Kenseth at Dover (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
6/05 7 9.0 18 90.3% 100.1
9/05 35 14.3 11 68.6% 84.6
6/06 1 4.2 45 99.8% 132.5
9/06 10 3.2 55 98.0% 132.1
6/07 5 7.9 0 99.0% 101.7
9/07 35 4.7 93 90.8% 120.5
Average 15.5 7.2 222 91.0% 111.9
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15%: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating

Over the last six races, Kenseth has finished inside the top 10 four times. The two races he didn’t: the fall of 2005 when an accident ended his day after 367 laps; and last fall’s race when engine failure ended his race after 374 laps. He led a race-high 192 laps that day.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Loop Data Defined: NASCAR statistics generated from electronic scoring loops embedded around each track hosting races in NASCAR’s three national series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Best Buy 400 Benefiting Students Clubs For Autism Speaks At Dover International Speedway

2008-05-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

Two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will attempt to change their fortunes this weekend.

One hopes for a change in Dover International Speedway success. The other’s just looking for any kind of success in 2008.

Kasey Kahne, coming off a NASCAR All-Star Race win, a Coca-Cola 600 victory and a return trip to the top 12, has struggled at Dover in his eight-race career there.

Kahne has only one top-10 finish at The Monster Mile, and four visits to Dover have resulted in finishes of worse than 30th. In all, Kahne has five DNFs there.

Momentum is on his side, though, as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Fan Vote win sparked renewed optimism in the No. 9 camp. They also may have statistics on their side. Over the last nine races at Dover, there have been nine different winners. Kahne hopes to make it 10 of 10.

Then there’s Matt Kenseth, who desperately needs a return to his old form. Kenseth, one of two drivers to make all four Chases for NASCAR Sprint Cup, currently sits in 16th place – 190 points outside the top 12.

At this point last season, Kenseth already had a win and was in third place in the series standings.

But Dover has been kind to Kenseth. He won there in 2006, and has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four Dover races.

Since 2005 – a span which includes four top 10s – Kenseth has a Driver Rating of 111.9 and an Average Running Position of 7.2. He also leads the series in Fastest Laps Run with 222.

2-2-2-2

ANALYZING THE BEST BUY 400 BENEFITING STUDENTS CLUBS FOR AUTISM SPEAKS

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at Dover International Speedway

Driver Races Poles Wins Top Fives Top 10s DNFs Average Finish Driver Rating
1 Kyle Busch 6 0 0 4 4 1 11.8 101.5
2 Jeff Burton 28 0 1 6 11 5 16.9 90.6
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 16 0 1 4 7 1 15.8 86.7
4 Denny Hamlin 4 0 0 1 2 0 15.5 86.2
5 Clint Bowyer 4 0 0 0 2 0 11.3 93.6
6 Carl Edwards 7 0 1 3 4 0 9.1 98.9
7 Kevin Harvick 14 0 0 2 5 1 17.9 78.3
8 Tony Stewart 18 0 2 9 12 2 10.6 67.7
9 Jimmie Johnson 12 1 3 4 7 2 11.9 101.5
10 Jeff Gordon 30 3 4 13 18 5 12.3 84.9
11 Greg Biffle 11 0 1 3 6 1 12.9 113.7
12 Kasey Kahne 8 0 0 0 1 5 25.3 73.2

Selected Driver Highlights

Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Dover International Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last five races at New Hampshire. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

One win, three top fives, six top 10s
Average finish of 12.9
Series-best Average Running Position of 7.0
Series-best Driver Rating of 113.7
190 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 142.061, second-fastest
Series-high 2,251 (93.6%) Laps in the Top 15
180 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the Top 15 while under green), second-most

3-3-3-3

ANALYZING THE BEST BUY 400 BENEFITING STUDENTS CLUBS FOR AUTISM SPEAKS

Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet)

Two top 10s
Average finish of 11.3
Average Running Position of 10.7, sixth-best
Driver Rating of 93.6, 10th-best
1,265 (79.1%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-best percentage
119 Quality Passes (average of 29.8 per race), third-best percentage

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)

Four top fives
Average finish of 11.8
Average Running Position of 13.6, 10th-best
Driver Rating of 101.5, fifth-best
104 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
243 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 141.925, third-fastest
1,659 (69.0%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
137 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

Two top fives, four top 10s
20.7 average finish
Average Running Position of 9.6, fifth-best
Driver Rating of 98.6, ninth-best
94 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 141.743 mph, seventh-most
1,925 (80.1%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
146 Quality Passes, third-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)

One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
Average finish of 15.8
Average Running Position of 11.6, eighth-best
Driver Rating of 98.9, eighth-best
158 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
226 Green Flag Passes, tied for 10th-most
144 Quality Passes, fourth-most

4-4-4-4

ANALYZING THE BEST BUY 400 BENEFITING STUDENTS CLUBS FOR AUTISM SPEAKS

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

Three wins, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 11.9
Average Running Position of 13.0, ninth-best
Driver Rating of 101.5, fourth-best
168 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
262 Green Flag Passes, third-most
1,651 (68.7%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)

One win, five top fives, 10 top 10s
15.3 average finish
Average Running Position of 7.2, second-best
Driver Rating of 111.9, second-best
Series-high 222 Fastest Laps Run
Fastest Green Flag Speed of 142.122
2,188 (91.0%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
Series-high 186 Quality Passes

Mark Martin (No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet)

Four wins, 20 top fives, 27 top 10s
12.7 average finish
Average Running Position of 8.4, fourth-best
Driver Rating of 104.4, third-best
174 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 141.907, fourth-fastest
2,062 (85.8%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
140 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)

One win, two top 10s
10.5 average finish
Average Running Position of 11.0, seventh-best
Driver Rating of 100.2, seventh-best
129 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
1,186 (74.1%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-best percentage
113 Quality Passes (average of 28.3 per race), fourth-best average
5-5-5-5

ANALYZING THE BEST BUY 400 BENEFITING STUDENTS CLUBS FOR AUTISM SPEAKS

At Dover International Speedway:

History

The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on July 5, 1969.
The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.
The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover was May 15, 1982.
The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.
The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.
The first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race was held in September 2000.

Notebook

There have been 76 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the track opened in 1969.
There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There has been two-a-year since 1971.
There have been 32 different pole winners at Dover led by David Pearson (six).
David Pearson won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole at Dover in July 1969.
Mark Martin and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers, each with four poles at Dover.
31 different drivers have posted victories at Dover led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, each with seven.
Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover.
Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin lead all active drivers, each with four victories at Dover.
Hendrick Motorsports has won 10 races at Dover, more than any other organization.
44 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position while only 17 races, including the past four, have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
The furthest back in the field that a Dover race winner started was 37th,by Kyle Petty in 1995.
Ryan Newman won at Dover in June 2003 – the first victory for Dodge there since 1975. Newman repeated as the race winner in the fall race, the first time Dodge posted consecutive victories at Dover. Newman then won again in the fall of 2004, giving Dodge three of their five Dover victories in the four-race span.

NASCAR in Delaware

There have been 76 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Delaware – all at Dover International Speedway.
Eight NASCAR drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as Delaware – none have posted victories.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News & Notes

2008-05-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Kahne Riding Wave Of Momentum To Dover
Kyle Busch Widens Points Lead
The Monster Mile — A True Endurance Test
NASCAR Sprint Cup Teams Testing At Pocono
Kahne Carries Momentum Into Dover Race Weekend

Momentum is one of those intangibles that plays a pivotal role in the ebb and flow of sports. One stellar performance or one set of circumstances can suddenly turn the tide in favor of the athlete and his outlook on the rest of the season. If any driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is carrying momentum into this weekend’s race at Dover International Speedway, it’s Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge.

Fresh off back-to-back wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway — first the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 17, when he was voted into the competition by the fans, and then the Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday evening — Kahne and his race team have suddenly reasserted themselves as a force to reckon with. Now 12th in the point standings, could it be that this team has returned to the form that saw Kahne win a series-high six races in 2006? Only time will tell, but performances from the past two weekends appear to have provided this team with a wave of momentum.

“You know, it really feels good to win on this weekend,” Kahne said last Sunday, after claiming his eighth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, and his first points win since October, 2006. “Confidence is huge. I feel like I gave better input this week … I’ve stepped up and given Kenny (Francis) more to work with as a crew chief and I’ve given our engineers more to work with. And, I wasn’t doing that at the start of the year. I think that’s a big part of the confidence, and it shows on the racetrack.”

Kyle Busch Still Points Leader; Battle Tightens Between 9-12

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Combos Toyota) continues to be on top of the leader board in the championship point standings and has even widened his lead over second place Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet). Busch had a 79-point lead over Burton last week and after his third-place showing at the Coca-Cola 600, has increased that lead to 94 points. The top five in the standings remain unchanged from a week ago, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet), Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) and Clint Bowyer (No. 07 DirecTV Chevrolet) holding down spots 3-4-5. Busch has the season’s top Driver Rating (113.1), followed by Earnhardt Jr. (110.2) and Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford, 102.0). Busch and Edwards are tied with a series-best three victories apiece on the season the season. Busch, Burton, Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) and Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) have been in the top 12 for all 12 weeks of the season.

Only 39 points separate positions 9-12. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) is ninth this week, seven points ahead of Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), 10 points ahead of Biffle and 39 points ahead of Kahne.

David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Ford) was 12th last week and has dropped to 13th in the standings, 56 points behind Kahne. Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford), who has made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup all four years, heads into this week’s action at Dover ranked 16th in the standings, 190 points out of 12th.

Matt Kenseth Looks To Dover Magic For Resurgence

The forgotten man in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season is a past champion and a member of every Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since its inception in 2004. That impressive streak may end, unless Matt Kenseth’s season dramatically turns around.

Kenseth, currently 190 points behind 12th-place Kasey Kahne, can start a resurgent march back into the top 12 with a strong finish at Dover — a track at which he has had past success. Kenseth, the 2003 series champion and one of two drivers to make all four Chases (Jimmie Johnson is the other), has a win (spring, 2006) and five top-five finishes at The Monster Mile. Over the past three years (six races), Kenseth owns some of the top statistics in the series. He has a Driver Rating of 111.9 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 7.2 (second), a series-high 222 Fastest Laps Run and has run 91% of the Laps in the Top 15 (second). In each of those stats where Kenseth ranks second, Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle ranks first.

Biffle, coming off a second-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600, is attempting to maintain his top 12 standing position after finishing outside the Chase cutoff each of the past two seasons. Another strong finish at Dover should help him do just that. He won here in the spring of 2005 and has finished inside the top 10 in five of the last six Dover races. Over that span, Biffle owns series-high stats in Driver Rating (113.7), Average Running Position (7.0) and Laps in the Top 15 (93.6%). Additionally, he ranks second in Fastest Laps Run with 190.

Also watch for a strong run from Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge), who sits 85 points out of 12th place. The reigning Daytona 500 champion swept Dover in 2003 and added another win there in the fall of 2004. Newman hasn’t seen that type of success since, but did score a runner-up finish in last year’s spring race.

Over the past six races, Newman has a Driver Rating of 101.0 (sixth), an Average Running Position of 8.1 (third) and has run 85.2% of the Laps in the Top 15.

“Monster Mile” Poses Another Endurance Test For Drivers

Dover’s high-banked one-mile concrete racing surface that has been likened to 400 laps of racing in a concrete cereal bowl has earned it the moniker of “The Monster Mile.” This Sunday’s race is considered to be one of the most challenging on the series circuit and fresh off the heels of last week’s 600-miler at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, poses yet another endurance test for the 43 drivers and their race teams.

Dover is celebrating its 40th anniversary season in 2008. Earlier this month, plans for Phase II of the track’s “Monster Makeover” Capital Improvement project were unveiled, including the dedication ceremony for the new 46-foot Monster Monument at Victory Plaza. Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was on hand for the festivities.

“It’s an amazing monument and it really symbolizes what this track is all about to the drivers and the fans,” said Gordon, who has won four times at Dover. “The Monster Mile brings out the monster in all of us. It’s a grueling, fast race track that is very, very tough.

Bobby Allison, a seven-time Dover winner, will be the first driver honored with a marquee plaque on the Monster Monument in a special ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 31 at Victory Plaza.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Teams Testing At Pocono Raceway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams are testing at Pocono Raceway Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The two-day session, NASCAR’s sixth sanctioned test of 2008, should allow the teams the opportunity to gather more crucial data on NASCAR’s new car. The Pocono 500 on June 8 marks the new car’s debut at that track. And, with its distinct 2.5-mile, triangular layout, information gleaned at Pocono should also aid prep work for July’s event at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Pocono, with its unique three corner configuration, should provide the teams with a lot of new information as it relates to the new car,” said NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby. “It’s yet another opportunity for the teams to work on their set-ups, collect new data and make some gains in improving performance. And, there are some small features of Pocono that teams can transform to getting ready for running at the Brickyard later this summer.”

Tuesday’s session begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. Wednesday’s session runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., with a noon-1 p.m. lunch break. Wednesday’s national teleconference features Greg Biffle and defending race champion Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet). Audio and transcripts from the teleconference will be available at NASCAR’s media-only web site—www.nascarmedia.com.

Dover Region Features Variety Of NSCS Race Team Members

The region surrounding Dover International Speedway features a wide variety of key race team members in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Ty Norris, Vice President and General Manager of Michael Waltrip Racing, is a native of Smyrna, Del.

Roy McCauley, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, hails from nearby Davidsonville, Md. Rick Viers, crew chief of the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota, is from Darlington, Md.

Bill and Cindy Lewis (Kinkwood and Secretary, Md.) drive the No. 2 transporter for Kurt Busch’s Miller Lite Dodge. Kevin White (Pittsville, Md.) is a mechanic on the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge team that just won last week’s Coca-Cola 600.

Two members of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota are from the Dover region, including John Fuller (Fallston, Md.), who works as the catch can man, and Chris Meyers (Olney, Md.), who works as a mechanic. Daniel Blizzard (Mt. Airy, Md.) is the front-tire changer for the No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton.

Martin Truex Jr., is the lone NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver from the Dover region. Truex grew up in Mayetta, N.J., which is located approximately 2 1/2 hours from The Monster Mile. Truex earned his first and so far only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Dover a year ago.

Kahne’s Victory Marks Dodge’s Second Win Of Season

Kasey Kahne’s dramatic victory at last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 was his first points win of the season and the second time on the year and first time since the Daytona 500 that a Dodge car visited Victory Lane

Dodge’s triumph at Lowe’s now means that all four manufacturers have multiple victories this season.

Toyota maintains its lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship race, outpointing Chevrolet 73-71. Ford is a close third with 67 points, while Dodge closed the gap a bit and is fourth with 53 points.

Toyota leads the way with four wins on the year. Kyle Busch tops the charts with three victories, while Denny Hamlin has one. Chevrolet’s three wins are spread among three drivers — Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer — with one win apiece. Ford’s three victories have all come from Carl Edwards.

Dodge’s two wins have certainly been significant — as Ryan Newman won the season-opening Daytona 500 — and Kahne captured the series’ longest race — a 600-miler.

It’s all a reflection of this year ’s mix of winners and close competition.

Chevrolet drivers have won 28 times at Dover, including last June’s victory by Martin Truex Jr. Ford drivers have visited Victory Lane 23 times at The Monster Mile. Dodge has captured five wins there, including three victories by Newman.

NASCAR’s 60th Anniversary: Dover Has Its Share Of “Monster” Memories

This season marks NASCAR’s 60th anniversary and in Dover’s 76-race history, many “Monster” memories have been made.

Three active champions look back at Dover and remember their first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Bobby Labonte (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge), the 2000 series champion, finished 34th at Dover in his first start in 1991. Matt Kenseth, the 2003 champion, started only one race in 1998 — at Dover. The result was a foreshadow of an incredibly consistent future. Kenseth, starting 16th in the No. 94 Ford, finished sixth that day. Finally, Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge), the 2004 champion, finished 18th at Dover in his first career race in 2000. He then drove the No. 97 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing.

But it just might be the list of winners that paints the perfect Dover picture. From the very first race in 1969 through the two races in 1980, every Dover race winner is a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers List. The list of Dover winners since then isn’t too shabby either. Since 1980, 27 of the Dover race winners have won a list includes such legendary names like Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip. But also current stars like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. And, it includes young stars like Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. who have won NASCAR Nationwide Series titles.

Who will add their name to the list of legendary Dover winners? Well, if the trend continues, it could be a new name. Truex earned his first career victory last year at Dover and there have been nine different winners in the last nine races at Dover.

The Top 35: The No. 22 And No. 55 Toyotas Trade Spots

The No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota, driven by Dave Blaney and owned by Bill Davis and the No. 55 NAPA Toyota, driven and owned by Michael Waltrip, exchanged positions this past week in the battle to stay in the top 35 in owners points. The No. 22 Toyota, 35th a week ago, inched up two spots to 33rd, thanks to its 17th- place finish at the Coca-Cola 600. Following its 27th place showing at Lowe’s, the No. 55 Toyota dropped two positions and is now 35th, the cutoff spot entering this week’s race at Dover.

Each week, the top 35 teams are guaranteed starting spots, with those outside the top 35 required to qualify on time

The No. 00 Waltrip Racing Toyota, driven by Michael McDowell and owned by Rob Kauffman, finished 32nd at Lowe’s, and fell from 30th to 32nd. The No. 44 UPS Toyota, driven by David Reutimann and owned by Michael Waltrip, inched up a spot from 30th to 29th after posting a solid 10th-place finish at Lowe’s.

Competition has really heated up between spots 30 and 36 in this week’s owners’ points standings. Only 50 points separate 30th place (No. 7 Jim Beam Dodge driven and owned by Robby Gordon) and 36th place (the No. 77 Penske Truck Rental Dodge driven by Sam Hornish Jr. and owned by Roger Penske).

One Final Look

Autism Awareness: This Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Dover is far from your ordinary race. The “Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks” benefits a worthy cause in raising autism awareness. Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Best Buy Dodge), fresh off of a solid 8th-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600, will sport an Autism Speaks themed car this weekend.

Triple Header: Kyle Busch, who has already posted nine victories across the three national series this season, will pull triple duty this weekend at Dover. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader will compete in all three of the national series events — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Busch has three wins at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series level, four NASCAR Nationwide Series wins, and two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories on the season.

NASCAR Foundation Track Walk: Fans will have the opportunity to participate in the NASCAR Foundation Walk on Saturday, May 31 at Dover. Several NASCAR drivers and personalities will be involved with this charitable event and proceeds will benefit participating driver charities and the Autism Society of Delaware. Fans can sign up for the walk at the track near the entrance to the FanZone on race weekend.

This And That: Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco Havoline Dodge) will be competing in his 50th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this Sunday at Dover … Montoya’s teammate, Dario Franchitti (No. 40 Wii Fit Dodge) is entered in this week’s race at Dover. Franchitti has been sidelined the past four weekends while recovering from a fractured ankle he suffered during the NASCAR Nationwide race April 26 at Talladega Superspeedway. The No. 40 Dodge is currently 38th in owners’ points and must qualify on time at Dover.

Up Next: The Pocono 500 At Pocono Raceway

Next on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the Pocono 500, Sunday, June 8 at Pocono Raceway. Teams are hopeful that the two-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test at the 2.5-mile triangular layout will pay dividends for this event.

Jeff Gordon is the defending race champion, while Ryan Newman was last year’s pole winner. Gordon is a four-time winner at Pocono, most among active drivers.

Rick Hendrick claims the most victories (11) among team owners, while Roger Penske is second with eight.

The Pocono 500 marks the first of five races on the schedule that will be televised by TNT. Broadcast time is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. (ET), with the start of the race set for 2 p.m.

The Race: Best Buy 400 Benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, June 1
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 1-mile oval
The Distance: 400 miles/400 laps
TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
2007 Polesitter: Ryan Newman
2008 Points
Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 1,860
2 Jeff Burton 1,766
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,721
4 Denny Hamlin 1,596
5 Clint Bowyer 1,578
6 Carl Edwards 1,538
7 Kevin Harvick 1,517
8 Tony Stewart 1,511
9 Jimmie Johnson 1,493
10 Jeff Gordon 1,486
11 Greg Biffle 1,483
12 Kasey Kahne 1,454
Pre-Race Schedule: Friday—Practice, 11:30 a.m.—1 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:10 p.m. Saturday—12-12:45 p.m.; Final Practice, 1:20 p.m.-2:20 p.m.
Track Contact: Gary Camp (gcamp@dovermotorsports.com), 302-883-6560

NASCAR Nationwide Series News And Notes - Dover

2008-05-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Finally! Joey Logano To Make Long-Anticipated Series Debut
• Can Dover Slow 2004 Series Rookie Of The Year Kyle Busch?
• In The Loop: Edwards May Have ‘Concrete’ Evidence For Win
• Young Keselowski Believes In Old-School Racing

Logano: “Been Waiting My Whole Life To Get To The Nationwide Series”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 27, 2008) – Not too long ago, Joey Logano (No. 20 GameStop Toyota) may have feared monsters under his bed.

Now, the tables may be turned as the track known as “The Monster Mile” has the 18-year-old feeling wary.

Logano, a native of Middletown, Conn., turned 18 last Saturday thereby making him eligible to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and is set for one of the most anticipated debuts in NASCAR national series history.

The 2007 NASCAR Camping World Series East champion — a title he officially clinched at Dover International Speedway last fall — hopes to follow in the footsteps of a fellow Northeasterner who also made his series debut at the track.

Martin Truex Jr. started his first series race at Dover in 2001 and three years later the native of Mayetta, N.J., won the first of consecutive series titles.

Logano began racing quarter-midgets at age seven before moving to Bandolero and Legends cars. In 2005, he posted his first USAR win at Mansfield Motorsports Park in his second career start breaking the previous record of youngest winner held by 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Brian Vickers.

After besting the GM Racing Development Driver Evaluation program in 2005, he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and truly began his ascent last year.

He defeated two–time series champion Kevin Harvick (No. 33 RoadLoans.com Chevrolet) at Iowa Speedway before going on to win the NASCAR Camping World Series East crown and rookie of the year honors — the first driver ever to win both. And to cap the season, he won the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale, Calif.

Kyle Busch A Double-Championship Contender

Although he has yet to announce that he would drive a full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Kyle Busch (No. 32 Dollar General Toyota) is quickly becoming a favorite to make NASCAR national series history by becoming the first driver to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles in the same year.

Busch leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and is second to Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet) by 67 points in the NASCAR Nationwide Series rankings heading to Dover.

He won his fourth race of the season last week in Charlotte, tying Tony Stewart for the series lead.

Busch has wins in three different cars for two different owners in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, plus three wins in NASCAR Sprint Cup for Joe Gibbs Racing and two in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew Motorsports.

Busch was runner-up in the 2004 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. He earned Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors with five wins and five poles and was the first rookie in series history to lead the standings.

“Old School” Keselowski Enjoys Career-Best Finish, Ranking

Last Saturday night in Charlotte, Brad Keselowski (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) finished third, just ahead of his JR Motorsports team owner and two-time series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth). It marked the best finish of Keselowski’s career.

A self-proclaimed “old-school” racer at the ripe age of 24, he coupled his result with a late-race tête-à-tête with Denny Hamlin (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Driven Hot Rod Oil Toyota) reminiscent of battles between former series foes such as two-time series champion Randy LaJoie and Buckshot Jones.

His finish pushed him two places to fifth in the standings, making him the highest-ranked series-only regular — also a career best.

Keselowski has competed in two series races at Dover, both last year. In this event, he finished 24th and out of the running due to an accident while competing for his former team.

He was driving for Earnhardt in the fall race last year and posted a seventh-place result.

The four other series-only regulars in the top 10:

7. Mike Bliss (No. 1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet) dropped two spots after a 15th-place finish last Saturday, his worst finish in seven races. Bliss had been in fifth for three consecutive weeks.

He was ninth at this race last year. He has two top fives and four top 10s in six starts at Dover.

8. Jason Leffler (No. 38 Great Clips Toyota) has nine series starts at Dover with three top-five and four top-10 finishes. He was 11th in this race last year.

9. Mike Wallace (No. 7 GEICO Chevrolet) is looking to use his experience of 20 series starts, one win, four top-five, and seven top-10 finishes to get his team back on track after consecutive finishes of 23rd or worse over the last two races.

10. David Stremme (No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) is 10th in points with two top-five and seven top-10 finishes this season.

He hasn’t raced in a NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Dover since 2005 when he finished 33rd in this event and 19th in the fall race, his best finish at “The Monster Mile” in series competition.

In The Loop: Surprisingly Quiet Edwards Could Make Noise At Dover

Maybe now someone else can get a crack at Victory Lane in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Because if the statistics stay true to form, Kyle Busch won’t add to a win list that is already four races long this season.

Busch, who did not run in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Dover in 2007, does have some success there. He notched two consecutive top-10 finishes in 2006. But he also knows failures, as his 36th- and 37th-place finishes in 2005 would prove.

Over those two up and down years, Busch notched a Driver Rating of 85.8, an Average Running Position of 16.8 and ran only 60.3% of the Laps in the top 15.

But if not Busch, who? A couple of the “usual suspects” top many of the statistical categories. One of those has been oddly quiet this season.

Defending series champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 Save-A-Lot Ford) sits in third place and has zero wins this season — compared to first-place standings and two wins at this point last season.

The “slump” may come to an end at Dover, a concrete track Edwards loves. He won there last spring and added a sixth-place finish in the fall race. In his six-race Dover career, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 114.0, an Average Running Position of 6.1, a series-high 129 Fastest Laps Run and has run a series-best 95.1% of the laps in the top 15.

Also figure on series points leader Clint Bowyer to run up front. Bowyer did not run at Dover in the series last season, but won there in 2006 and has finished in the top five in his last three Dover races. In his four starts at Dover, Bowyer has a Driver Rating of 110.9, an Average Running Position of 7.9, 80 Fastest Laps Run and has run 80.9% of the laps among the top 15.

2002 Series Champion Biffle To Serve As In-Race Reporter At Dover

ESPN2’s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with its live telecast at Dover Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

The telecast at the track known as “The Monster Mile” is presented by DAP.

The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree.

Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Former NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Greg Biffle (No. 16 CotoFinancial Ford) joins ESPN’s coverage team as the In-Race Reporter.

Biffle, the only driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide Series (2002) title and a championship in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2000), will communicate with Wallace on the race’s pace laps as well as during caution periods.

The Director’s Take: Monster Mile’s “Bullring” Style Awaits Series Drivers

“We’re back to racing on concrete,” said Joe Balash, NASCAR Nationwide Series director of this week’s race at Dover.

“This track is smaller and has more banking than the concrete track at Nashville where we’ll be next week,” he said. “It’s a very fast track that races like a short track. Even though it’s a mile in length, it races like a bullring.

“Track position is always extremely important here which means there’s more emphasis on qualifying and getting a good starting position.”

He also noted that the first career series start for a certain driver will also have the attention of the garage at “The Monster Mile.”

“I’m sure the teams will be curious to see what Joey Logano has to offer in his first race in our series,” Balash said.

Dover International Speedway
Most Wins: Todd Bodine, 3
Most Poles: Harry Gant, 5
Quick Fact: Only three of 48 races have been won from the pole at Dover.

NNS Etc.

In its second season of NASCAR Nationwide Series competition, Toyota is on pace to break the series record of most wins in a single season by a manufacturer.

In 1999, Chevrolet set the record with 24 wins. After the first 13 races that season, Chevy had posted eight wins. This year, Toyota has nine wins after the first 13 events.

Over the past two years, Chevrolet has come close to breaking its own record, posting 22 wins each season.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series now runs a 36-race schedule while in 1999 the series ran 32 events.

Scott Wimmer (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet) claimed his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at Dover in September 2002 in his 63rd career start.

He went on to win three of the final seven races that season at Memphis Motorsports Park, Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

His current crew chief, Pat Smith, also registered his first series win at Dover. Wimmer’s teammate, Jeff Burton, was behind the wheel of the No. 29 Chevrolet for that victory in June 2006.

Dario Franchitti (No. 40 Fastenal Dodge) is back on the entry list this week.
If ready to compete, it would mark his first race since breaking his left ankle last month at Talladega following an accident involving Larry Gunselman (No. 49 Jay Robinson Racing Dodge).
Franchitti leads the Raybestos Rookie standings over Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammate Bryan Clauson.
Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Standings

Rank Driver Points
1. Dario Franchitti 89
2. Bryan Clauson 83
3. Cale Gale 55
4. Brian Keselowski 47
5. Chase Miller 43
6. Landon Cassill 37
7. Patrick Carpentier 31

Results following the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Bill France Performance Cup Standings

Toyota 95
Chevrolet 82
Ford 63
Dodge 46

Toyota won its seventh consecutive race last Saturday and continued to build its lead in the Bill France Performance Cup standings.

History may be on the side of second-place Chevrolet, though, as it has the most series wins at Dover with 26 and seven of the last 10.

Third-place Ford and driver Carl Edwards won this race last year; Edwards won all four series races on concrete tracks in 2007.

Up Next: Federated Auto Parts 300 At Nashville Superspeedway

Defending series champion Carl Edwards had won the previous three races at Nashville Superspeedway before Scott Wimmer broke that streak there this past March.

All four of Edwards’ wins in 2007 came on concrete racetracks.

Steve Wallace (No. 64 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) is the defending pole winner of this event. He also had his best finish of the 2007 season (12th) at this race.

FAST FACTS

The Race: Heluva Good! 200
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 31
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Distance: 200 miles / 200 laps
Track Size: 1-mile concrete
TV: ESPN2, 2:30 p.m. ET
2007 Winner: Carl Edwards
2007 Pole: Denny Hamlin
2008 Standings
1 Clint Bowyer 1,890
2 Kyle Busch 1,823
3 Carl Edwards 1,714
4 David Reutimann 1,702
5 Brad Keselowski 1,670
6 David Ragan 1,664
7 Mike Bliss 1,663
8 Jason Leffler 1,552
9 Mike Wallace 1,482
10 David Stremme 1,454
Schedule: Friday–Practice 9-10 a.m.; Final Practice 1:15-3 p.m. Saturday–Qualifying, 10:35 a.m.
Track Contact: Gary Camp, Office Tel: (302) 883-6560, gcamp@dovermotorsports.com

Storylines: Dover Tripleheader Week

2008-05-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware – aka "The Monster Mile" – hosts a NASCAR national series tripleheader this weekend, with these events:
• On Friday, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the AAA Insurance 200
• On Saturday, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the Heluva Good! 200.
• On Sunday, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks

A list of storylines for this jam-packed weekend follows.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Kyle Busch-Jeff Gordon: A Rivalry Brews
After 600 grueling miles Sunday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the hottest driver in NASCAR had an "exchange" of words with the most-accomplished driver in NASCAR.

Thus, a good-old fashioned rivalry apparently brews between series point leader Kyle Busch and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, who were Hendrick Motorsports teammates last season before Busch left for Joe Gibbs Racing.

The point of contention this past week was the result of intense, close racing between the two. That sort of competition will continue this weekend at the challenging Dover oval.

Said Gordon: "I guess he doesn't like people to race him.

Busch, meanwhile, declined to discuss the matter.

Kahne Capitalizes, Connects – And Is A Contender Again
Kasey Kahne rode two weeks of good luck and great performances to consecutive victories the last two weeks at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

First he qualified for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race by winning the wild-card berth awarded via the annual fan vote. He capitalized on that by winning the All-Star event.

Sunday, when leader Tony Stewart suffered a flat tire late in the Coca Coca-Cola 600, Kahne was in position to capitalize again, and did just that.

Suddenly, a driver who was struggling with a 52-race winless streak is up to 12th in the series standings, clearly a contender again, as he was two seasons ago when he won a series-high six events and finished eighth in the final standings.

A Monster Indeed: Dover Concrete Is Hard On Drivers
Things get no easier for drivers this week, after last week's Coca-Cola 600. The season's longest race is followed by what many consider one of the toughest – 400 laps at the one-mile concrete Dover oval – a track at times likened to a "big Bristol."

Truex Back at "Home Track" – As Defending Race Champion
Martin Truex Jr. got his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win in last year's Dover spring race, which was both exciting and appropriate as Truex, from Mayetta, N.J., consider Dover his "home track."

Truex, the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, used that Dover win as a springboard into qualifying for the Chase for the NASCRA Sprint Cup. He finished the season 11th in the series standings.
Truex could use a similar boost right about now. He hasn't won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race since last year at Dover and he comes in this week 15th in the standings.

Coming Around: Hornish Looks Increasingly Comfortable
Sam Hornish Jr., used to having success on Memorial Day Weekend, continued that trend this past Sunday. He notched a career-best 13th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600.

Hornish, a rookie in NASCAR this season, is a three-time IndyCar Series champion and the 2006 winner of the Indianapolis 500. He comes into Dover in second place in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, trailing Regan Smith by only one point. His best finishes this year have been under some of the biggest spotlights, so to speak:

• Daytona 500 – 15th
• NASCAR Sprint Showdown – 2nd
• NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race – 7th
• Coca-Cola 600 – 13th

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Finally! Logano Set For Series Debut
Like any other teenager, Joey Logano could hardly contain his excitement last Saturday when he turned 18. But for the Middletown, Conn., native his best present comes one week later when he prepares to make his much-anticipated debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Dover.

The 2007 NASCAR Camping World Series East champion will drive the No. 20 GameStopToyota for Joe Gibbs Racing – the same car that has registered six wins this season. Logano hopes to follow in the footsteps of anther Northeast native – Mayetta, N.J.'s Martin Truex Jr. also made his series debut at Dover (2001) and went on to win two consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series titles (2004-05).

‘Shrub' Grows Into A Factor
Kyle Busch (nicknamed ‘Shrub') has yet to declare his intentions to run a full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series but he's building a case to do so. His fourth win of the year last week at Charlotte (tied for the series lead with Tony Stewart) moved him to second in the standings, 67 points behind leader Clint Bowyer.

Busch, who leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, climbed the NASCAR ladder through the Nationwide Series like the majority of today's young stars in the premier series. In his first full season in NASCAR national series competition in 2004, he had five wins, five poles and was the first rookie to lead the point standings. He finished second in the championship and captured rookie of the year honors setting or tying the majority of the series' rookie records.

Keselowski Continues Strong Season
Series-only regular Brad Keselowski is two months away from marking his first full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series – he made his debut for JR Motorsports last year at Chicagoland. But in that short span, the 24-year-old native of Rochester Hills, Mich., has blossomed.

Last Saturday at Charlotte, Keselowski challenged for the lead, stood up to hard racing with Denny Hamlin and posted his best career finish – third. He also moved to his highest ranking in the standings, fifth, which is the highest spot for any of the five series-only regulars in the top 10 this week. Keselowski was 24th in this race last year driving for his former team but improved to seventh in the fall race driving the No. 88 Chevrolet.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

Crowded At The Top
There's a different driver atop the point standings (Todd Bodine) for the third time in four races. Rick Crawford, who hasn't led, is eight points back and Lowe's winner Matt Crafton stands a career-high third, just 45 markers out of the lead.

New Faces Of The Series
Donny Lia, 27, wins at Mansfield in eighth series start – the first Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate to win since August 2003 (Carl Edwards). Shelby Howard (22) gets first career top-10 at Mansfield; so does Sean Murphy (23).

Concrete Concept
Dover is the series' first concrete surface test of the season. Ron Hornaday Jr. is the defending race winner and has the most concrete wins (three) among active drivers. Travis Kvapil, with wins at Bristol and Nashville, goes for an unprecedented series concrete sweep.

Passing At Lowe’s Motor Speedway: Most In Three Years

2008-05-27T12:28:00.002-07:00

There was a total of 2,850 green flag passes during the 2008 Coca-Cola 600, up almost 900 passes from last year's 600.

During last season's Coca-Cola 600, there was 1,985 green flag passes, 865 less than this season.

That's an increase of 44%.

Additionally, there were 30 Green Flag Passes for the Lead – a Loop Data statistic accounting for lead changes all around the track. During last season's 600, there were 27 Green Flag Passes for the Lead.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Kasey Kahne earned the race's highest Driver Rating – 131.8. Both Jimmie Johnson (39th-place finish) and Brian Vickers (42nd-place finish) had Driver Ratings in the top 10.

Below are the top 10 Driver Ratings from the 2008 Coca-Cola 600:

Driver Rating at 2008 Coca-Cola 600
1. Kasey Kahne 131.8
2. Kyle Busch 125.0
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 117.2
4. Jeff Burton 109.3
5. Greg Biffle 107.6
6. David Ragan 99.8
7. Jimmie Johnson 94.5
8. Kurt Busch 94.4
9. Brian Vickers 92.8
10. Elliott Sadler 91.9

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series News And Notes – Dover

2008-05-27T12:28:00.001-07:00

Raybestos Rookie Lia, TRG Find Victory Lane In Mansfield
Hornaday Looks To Dover Record For Standings Rebound
Bodine Regains Points Lead; Ballew’s Owner Edge Shrinks

Raybestos Rookie Lia Wins First Race In Dramatic Fashion

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 27, 2008) – Donny Lia’s (No. 71 NationRides.com/AutismSpeaks.com Chevrolet) May 24 victory at Mansfield Motorsports Park was surprising to many.

And that would include Lia himself.

“I knew we could do it; I wouldn’t be driving this truck if I didn’t think we could do it,” said the 27-year-old Jericho, N.Y., native and 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion. “But so soon? I can’t believe it.”

He didn’t do it the easy way either, passing veteran David Starr (No. 11 Pit-Now.com Toyota) on the final lap. Lia is just the 10th winner to lead only one lap — and the only one to do so without previously leading a series race.

Lia is the first Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate to win a race in nearly five years. Carl Edwards was the last freshman winner in August 2003 at Nashville Superspeedway.

The victory also was the first for TRG Racing and owner Kevin Buckler, previously a winner of more than 50 races in IMSA, the American Le Mans Series, the Grand American Rolex GT Series, the Grand American Koni Challenge Series and the Grand American Daytona Prototype Series.

“To get our first win in only 10 races is quite a phenomenal accomplishment,” said Buckler. “It says a lot about our team and what we’re capable of.”

Hornaday Hopes To Rebound In AAA Insurance 200

Friday’s stop at Dover International Speedway couldn’t come at a better time for Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet), the defending race winner.

Hornaday is coming off his worst finish — 35th — since joining Kevin Harvick Inc. in 2004. He dropped from first to fifth in points, as well.

At Dover, however, Hornaday has been tough, leading more laps than any other driver over the past three races — 225 of a possible 600.

Hornaday also is tops among active drivers on concrete-surfaced speedways with three wins.

“Dover can be tough on a driver. The two corners seem to be different from each other,” said Hornaday.
“Dover is a tricky place for a driver to get comfortable because there is a radical change in the race track between going off into Turn 1 and Turn 3.

“There are two lines you can run at Dover that are both really fast.”

Three Dover winners and eight drivers who have gone to Victory Lane at concrete-surfaced tracks are expected to compete in the AAA Insurance 200.

Three former Dover winners and eight drivers with concrete wins are expected to compete this week.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Wins On Concrete Surfaces (Active Drivers)
Driver Wins Tracks
1. Ron Hornaday Jr. 3 Bristol, Dover
2. Travis Kvapil 2 Bristol, Nashville
3. Johnny Benson 1 Bristol
Kyle Busch 1 Dover
Chad Chaffin 1 Dover
Ted Musgrave 1 Bristol
Mike Skinner 1 Bristol
Jack Sprague 1 Bristol

Another Twist And Turn Elevates Bodine To Points Lead

Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) met his goal and then some at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

In pre-race remarks, the 2006 series champion expressed hopes he’d leave Ohio with a top-10 finish and a reasonably intact truck.

Bodine did that, finishing third in his best short track performance since running second at Martinsville Speedway in March 2007.

And, with Hornaday finishing 35th, Bodine is the new championship leader. Not that he has any breathing room: The margin is eight over Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel By International Ford) with Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) 45 back in third.

“We had a great race. You know, to get spun out in the beginning, I think it was less than 10 laps into the race, and basically it meant we started last,” said Bodine. “We used pit strategy and a good-handling truck to come all the way back.”

Shane Sieg’s 21st-place finish left Billy Ballew Motorsports’ No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Toyota five points ahead of Germain Racing’s No. 30 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Owner Championship standings.

Etc. and Quotable

Long Time Between Consecutive First-Time Winners: ... You have to go all the way back to July 2003 for the most recent time the series crowned back-to-back, first-time winners. Crafton punched his ticket eight days before Lia’s magic trip to Victory Lane in Mansfield, Ohio. The last two drivers to win in consecutive weeks, interestingly enough, were Roush Fenway teammates Jon Wood and Carl Edwards. Wood won at Kansas Speedway followed by Edwards at Kentucky Speedway. As for new owner winners, TRG’s Buckler is the first since 2006. Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) won at Memphis for Jeff Wyler.
Miller Gets First Win: … Jason Miller, who previously worked for Andy Petree and Bobby Hamilton, got his first win as a crew chief in just his sixth try. Miller, 37, is an Indianapolis native.
Top 10s For Howard, Murphy: … Two young drivers to watch, Shelby Howard (No. 13 Bobcat Chevrolet) and Sean Murphy (No. 07 Akzo Nobel/Spectrum Chevrolet) scored the first top 10s of their NASCAR Craftsman Truck careers at Mansfield. Howard was sixth; Murphy ninth. Howard also led his first laps. “This was by far the best run we had all year and we had our sponsor, Bobcat, on the truck for the first time this year and you know, it’s a good momentum builder for us,” said Howard. “This is a whole different level of racing for me, and we don’t have a top factory-backed team,” said Murphy. “So, I’m really happy to come out here and have a good run. I had a good truck and I drove the wheels off it.”
Kvapil Eyes Series Concrete Sweep: … With victories at Nashville and Dover, Travis Kvapil (No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford) can accomplish an unprecedented concrete surface sweep with a victory in the AAA Insurance 200.
Jersey’s Doug Wolcott Is ‘Mr. Flexible’ At BDR

Growing up on New Jersey’s South Shore, one would think Doug Wolcott, crew chief for the No. 22 Red Bull Toyota driven by Scott Speed, would consider Dover International Speedway his home track.

Dover is in the neighborhood, so to speak, but Wolcott, who grew up in Neptune, N.J., never so much as set foot on Dover’s property prior to arriving as a competitor.

Wolcott is one of three Bill Davis Racing crew chiefs and — perhaps — the most challenged.

Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) and Jeff Hensley have been together since 2005. Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) and Trip Bruce are solidly in their second season.

And Wolcott? Well, he’s had almost too many charges to count: Two already this season, Speed and Phillip McGilton; and three in 2007.

They’ve ranged in experience from rookie to Formula One Champion Jacques Villeneuve.

“This is not the first time I have worked with a lot of drivers,” said Wolcott, 46. “In the 80s, I had my own business in New Jersey and sometimes drove myself. So I am pretty used to helping new drivers get acquainted with the racetrack.”

Wolcott believes the challenge goes beyond driver and crew chief. “You have to keep the team focused on the goal each week,” he said — regardless of who is in the seat. “Nobody likes change so I try to keep the guys’ heads in the game a lot.

“I also like challenging myself. I like pushing these rookies to levels that they have never reached before.”

Rookie Won First Dover Race

It didn’t take long for Dover to be crossed off the list of tracks on which a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate had not won.

Kurt Busch, in a come-from-the-back performance, edged Mike Wallace in the series’ 2000 debut at The Monster Mile.

With Lia’s Mansfield win, rookie candidates have scored victories at 10 of the 22 tracks comprising the current schedule.

While Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford) retained the rookie lead, Lia made a huge jump in the standings — from fifth to second, just eight behind the pacesetter.

Scoring a perfect 21 points at Mansfield, Lia has overcome the handicap of not starting the opening race at Daytona.

Final tabulations are based on a driver’s best 14 finishes.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings after seven races of the 2008 season:

1. Colin Braun 72
2. Donny Lia 64
3. Justin Marks 63
4. Brian Scott 55
5. Andy Lally 55
6. Marc Mitchell 42
7. Phillip McGilton 38
8. Scott Speed 16

Up Next:

The June 6 Sam’s Town 400, first of two stops at Texas Motor Speedway in 2008, is next on the schedule. Todd Bodine won for the fourth time at TMS last June. He shares the track win mark with Brendan Gaughan (No. 10 International MAXX Force Diesel Ford).

In The Loop:

In eight races at Dover, no driver has captured repeat checkered flags. Two drivers – both past champions – hope that trend continues this weekend.

Two past NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions have come oh-so-close to winning at Dover – only be to be shut out of Victory Lane.

Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner have run well, especially over the past three seasons, but couldn’t crack the win column.

Skinner started from the pole last season and led 23 laps – but finished only seventh. He also nabbed a 10th-place result in 2005. Over the last three seasons, Skinner has a Driver Rating of 99.3 (sixth-best), an Average Running Position of 8.0 (sixth-best), 27 Fastest Laps Run (tied for fifth) and has spent 98.2% of the laps – all but 11 – in the top 15 (second only to Ron Hornaday Jr.’s 99.3 percent).

Bodine has come a bit closer, finishing third in 2006. But, that was his only top-10 finish in his three Dover starts. He finished 11th last season.

In his Dover career, Bodine has a Driver Rating of 102.5 (fifth), an Average Running Position of 7.4 (fifth), 27 Fastest Lap Run (tied for fifth) and has run 95 percent of the laps in the top 15 (third).

He also has won three times in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition including a season sweep in 1993.

One driver who has won at Dover – and seemingly everywhere else lately – is Kyle Busch. Busch won there in 2005, and has led laps in all three of his Dover starts. In his three Dover starts, Busch owns series-highs in Driver Rating (125.7), Average Running Position (4.2) and Fastest Laps Run (80).

This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through seven races of the 25-race season)
Points leader – Todd Bodine (1,001)
Driver Rating – Kyle Busch (124.9)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (238)
Victories – Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles – Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes – Seven drivers with three
Top-10 finishes – Mike Skinner with five
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (7)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with seven

Director’s Take: Wayne’s Words

“One word describes Dover International Speedway — fast. It’s right up there with Daytona and Talladega as far as speed in the turns go.

“But it’s deceptively fast, particularly for the first-time driver.

“No one had to think too hard to label Dover as ‘The Monster Mile.’

“The monster has bitten plenty of drivers — rookie and veteran alike. And it can happen anywhere: turns and straightaways.

“You just never know when.

“And one more thing. The track is self-cleaning. If a driver gets into trouble, it’s 100 percent guaranteed the truck will wind up on the apron.

“No NASCAR Craftsman Truck driver has been able to conquer Dover more than once. Maybe, like Darlington, the Monster will give you one free pass — but not two.

“There’s no time to be patient. Those 200 laps go by in a hurry and if there’s a long green flag run, you’re going to be lapped if you (and your truck) don’t hustle.

“If you’re not moving forward, you definitely are going backwards. There’s no riding at Dover.

“Some of our most aggressive drivers have won at Dover: Kurt and Kyle Busch, Scott Riggs, Ted Musgrave and Jason Leffler.

“And, of course, Ron Hornaday Jr., last year’s AAA Insurance 200 winner.

“That’s why fans love watching us compete at ‘The Monster Mile.” There’s usually plenty of action, drama and sometimes a surprise winner.” Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director.

Chevrolet’s Third Win Ahead Of ‘07 Pace

Chevrolet is ahead of its 2007 pace as the truck maker attempts to dethrone defending manufacturers’ champion Toyota.

The Silverado brand captured its third victory of the year at Mansfield Motorsports Park — one race earlier than a year ago when Toyota and Ford snagged the season’s first five checkered flags.

Chevrolet heads to Dover International Speedway with a four-point lead over its chief rival. It’s also the defending AAA Insurance 200 winner .

Ford remains the only manufacturer still looking for win No. 1 in 2008. Mansfield wasn’t kind to Ford; its top finisher, Erik Darnell (No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) finished 11th.

Ford last won in September 2007 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a drought of 13 races.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings

Chevrolet 48
Toyota 44
Ford 34
Dodge 28

By The Numbers: 740

Number of laps run in this year’s points paying races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Kyle Busch is the only driver to complete all 740.

FAST FACTS

The Race: AAA Insurance 200
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: May 30, 2008
The Time: 5 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 200 miles / 200 laps
TV: SPEED, 8:30 p.m. ET (Delay)
Track Layout: 1-Mile concrete oval
2007 Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr.
2007 Pole: Mike Skinner
2008 Standings:
Rk Driver Points
1 T. Bodine 1001
2 R. Crawford 993
3 M. Crafton 956
4 J. Benson 943
5 R. Hornaday Jr. 937
6 T. Cook 920
7 M. Skinner 918
8 D. Starr 913
9 E. Darnell 901
10 C. McCumbee 899
Schedule: Thursday: Practice, 2:30–3:45 p.m. and 4:15-5:30 p.m. Friday: Qualifying, 10:10 a.m.

Track Contact: Gary Camp (302) 857-3212 or gcamp@dovermotorsports.com

NASCAR Teleconference Transcript - Joey Logano

2008-05-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

An interview with:
JOEY LOGANO

HERB BRANHAM: Good afternoon. I'd like to welcome everybody to today's NASCAR cam video teleconference. This is in advance of this weekend's NASCAR National Series triple-header at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, the Monster Mile. Real special guest today. Joining us from the NASCAR research and development center in Concord, North Carolina, is Joey Logano, who makes his long-awaited NASCAR National Series debut Saturday in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The race is the Heluva Good! 200. Joey is making his debut more or less in mid-season as he just turned 18 years old - that's the age limit - on May 24th. Joey won last year's NASCAR Camping World East Series championship. This weekend he'll be driving the No. 20 GameStop Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Joey, so many people have been waiting on your debut. So many people are excited. How about you personally? What is the excitement and anticipation to finally get out there in National Series competition?

JOEY LOGANO: I'm definitely excited to get out there, been just waiting my whole life to get out to the Nationwide Series. Finally to get to run, it's definitely exciting. With the new sponsors, GameStop on the car, first time they've been on the racecar, so that's really exciting, too. Got an exciting year coming up.

HERB BRANHAM: Had you ever waited for a birthday with more anticipation?

JOEY LOGANO: Not really. I waited till I turned 14 to run ASA, 15 for Pro Cup. Ran the Camping World Series last year. It was like the first time I was able to run for a whole series for points. I kind of had to wait because my birthday is in May, you know, it's in the middle of the season. But, yeah, I've definitely been excited.

Q. There's been a lot of hype and expectations put on you for your debut this weekend. Have you had a chance to talk to any fellow drivers and what they think of you coming up into the series?

JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, I mean, you know, talked to Kyle, Denny, Tony. They're real good guys, help me out as much as they can. I talked to Kyle a little bit last week. Gave me some advice about Dover, about who you can race with, what to do, things to do on the racetrack.

Yeah, they're very helpful

Q. The last couple years the expectations have been getting higher and higher for you, and you haven't even stepped on a Nationwide or Cup track. How do you deal with that heading into your debut?

JOEY LOGANO: I mean, yeah, there's a lot of hype. But it's not because I want to put hype on it. It's all you guys putting all the stuff into it. But I'm here to race. You know, all the hype kind of goes out the window as soon as the race goes green.

So, you know, like I was saying, I'm looking forward to getting to Dover. As far as all that stuff, it doesn't really bother me too much.

Q. You're 18 years old. People are forgetting that you're handling yourself like you're a professional. Are you regretting not being able to be a regular 18-year-old, hang out with your friends, or are you still able to do all those things?

JOEY LOGANO: I'm still able to do a lot of that stuff. When I'm home, I'm not sitting down often. I'm either hanging out with my friends or doing whatever. But, you know, I still have that core group of friends that we can do whatever with. We'll go on the lake, we'll go to the go-kart track. We'll do stuff like that. So I still have a kid's life.

Q. The media coverage is on the radio, in print, online. Do you pay attention to that at all? Do you read the stuff? How do you deal with it?

JOEY LOGANO: I think it's cool personally (laughter). You know, as a kid, as any kid, you would think it's cool to be on TV and newspaper and all that stuff.

But I don't really look into it that much. You know, I don't really read many of the articles. I don't know, I don't really let it get to me. I'm here to race. I have known that stuff comes along with it, which is fine.

Q. But does it not get to you at some point, Oh, my God, how am I ever going to do this?

JOEY LOGANO: No, not really. My goal is to go out there and win races. If that's what everyone expects out of me, yeah, so be it. But, you know, I feel like I'm getting in a great car with Dave Rogers and the guys there. I really think we can do real good.

Q. Can you catch us up on what you've been doing this year other than that ARCA race at Rockingham? How much testing have you been able to do? Have you done any Cup testing at all?

JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, I do a ton of Cup testing. I was talking to Wally Brown, a Cup engineer that does all the test stuff. 4100 miles I think testing in the Cup car. Yeah, I got plenty of testing under my belt. Like to get some more racing, though. So I'm getting to that now.

Q. Have you done some Nationwide testing, as well?

JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, we tested once down at Rockingham a couple weeks ago just to get all the guys together, working together. Me and Dave worked real good together. Me and the whole 20 team worked good together. We kind of got something and made some changes to see what I thought about it so we could kind of put it to work at Dover.

Q. You're getting into some equipment that's been pretty stout so far this year. How much does that really help your confidence level, getting into cars that have already won racing this year?

JOEY LOGANO: It definitely helps a ton. Getting into a winning car is definitely a big deal here. You can ask any driver. A lot of it is driver and a lot of it is the car you get into. I'm definitely getting into one of the greatest cars out there. To get out there knowing you can go out there and run up front, you know, it's not like you're going to go out there and have a best finish of a 20th place because that's all you've got with in the car. I've got a good enough car to run up front, so that's a good deal.

Q. Talking to Bill and Billy Venturini, they said they think you don't know how good you are. How is it possible for you to have done so much at this age and for you not to grasp what you're all about?

JOEY LOGANO: I don't really look at myself that way. You know, I'm here to race, like I said. But I don't look back and say, Wow, I'm good. You know, I do the best as I can and let everything else take care of itself. I'm not going to go out there and brag about myself and say I'm the best thing out there. That stuff's going to speak for itself as far as winning races.

Q. Was there a moment when you started stepping up in competition, especially racing people that were a lot older than you, that there's a win or a moment where you just sort of thought, Yeah, I can do this?

JOEY LOGANO: I don't really think there is one moment. You know, I've raced my whole life. Started when I was six. Always raced against people that were older than me. I don't think there's ever been one moment I said, I can do this. I've wanted to run Cup Series since I was six years old. Like I said, I don't really look at that stuff. You know, if I think I can do it or whatever, I just let it take care of itself.

Q. Going into the next phase of your career, what are the best and worst? What are the main things you're concerned about and what's the thing you're most excited about with moving into the Nationwide Series?

JOEY LOGANO: I'm definitely excited about getting there. You know, all these interviews I've been doing about Dover, Dover, Dover. I'm looking forward to getting to the other races we've got. We have 18 of them scheduled. I'm looking forward to all that.

As far as what – I would say I'm not worried about, but the thing we've really been talking about is green flag pit stops. Haven't been able to do many of those in the all the series that I ran. When we went down to Rockingham, we were practicing making green flag stops. I feel confident we can do it. We're going to a track that's harder to make a green flag pit stop. You see people are struggling. But I feel we'll be fine there.

Q. You brought up you're looking forward more so to the rest of the schedule, not just Dover this weekend. Looking forward to all that, how do you define success for yourself? At the end of the year, what would be satisfying to you?

JOEY LOGANO: What would be satisfying for me? It would be winning a few races. I think I can. I think the whole team can win some races. So I haven't sat down and said I want to finish here, here, here in every single race.

But, yeah, run up front every week and, you know, finish as good as we can and get some wins under our belt would be our goal right now.

Q. Looking toward what you've driven in the past, with the East Series stuff, is there a lot of difference between the equipment in the East Series and what you're going to be driving in Nationwide?

JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, they're similar cars. A lot of the Camping World cars were old Nationwide cars. So they're about the same. And now that the horsepower is, you know, smaller in the Nationwide car, they're more equal. I think the biggest difference is going to be radial tires to bias ply tires. I think that's the biggest change between the both of them. Besides that, there's not much difference.

Q. You've acclimated to the tire change just fine? You haven't had any trouble adjusting to that?

JOEY LOGANO: No, no. You know, when I did all the Cup testing, that's on a radial tire. Kind of ran a radial tire in the Hooter's Pro Cup series, stuff like that, so I've had some laps on that.

Q. You spent most of your teenage years competing against adults. Do you know how that has changed you or what you might have been like had you not had this opportunity?

JOEY LOGANO: I don't know what I'd be doing if I wasn't doing this. I've raced my whole life. That's what I am. That's what I do. I don't know what else I would be doing. I guess I'd be throwing garbage cans or something.

But, yeah, it's definitely changed my whole life, changed everything. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Q. What have you learned from adults that has surprised you?

JOEY LOGANO: I've learned a lot, you know. I've always spent time with people older than me. You know, when you're racing against people older than you, you always spend time with people that are older than you. Wisdom comes from older people, apparently (laughter).

So, yeah, I've learned a lot. I can't name one thing. But I feel like I've learned so much at a young age, that I'm able to do this stuff now, you know, and put that stuff to use that I've learned.

Q. Was there any thoughts to starting your career at another track? Dover is obviously a huge task to take on for your Nationwide Series race. Any communication between you, your family and the Joe Gibbs Racing family, or was it a question of, When I turn 18, I'm going racing?

JOEY LOGANO: It was pretty much: When I turn 18, we're going racing. We didn't really think much of it. Dover seemed like a good track for me to start at. I raced there before. I ran there last year in the Camping World Series. I feel comfortable going there in a similar car that we ran last year there.

I'm fine going to that place. I know it is a tough place, the Monster Mile. But, you know, that seems like a plenty good enough place for me to start.

Q. Do you hope to make some Cup starts by the end of this year? People are already earmarking you for Cup as early as 2009. What is your own timetable?

JOEY LOGANO: You know, I take things one day at a time. Right now I focus on the next race in front of me. You always have to put a hundred percent into the next race. I don't look that far ahead of me. I'll let that stuff take care of itself. If we go out there and win races, people are going to realize it, and that's when we move up.

Right now I focus on one day at a time. When Joe and J.D. say I'm ready, that's when I'm going to go.

Q. Reading up on you since you're getting ready to make the jump to Nationwide with Joe Gibbs, I know you're still going to run some ARCA races, but has there been any talk maybe trying to qualify for a Cup race for this year for Gibbs?

JOEY LOGANO: No. We haven't really brought it up too much right now. We're focusing on running our Nationwide races right now. We're going to run Talladega, ARCA race. That's what's on the schedule right now. You never know, things could pop up here and there, but that's all we've got right now

Q. With being in the ARCA series, now that you've moved up, is there any advice or anything you can tell other drivers that are trying to get out of ARCA to move up to Nationwide?

JOEY LOGANO: I mean, pretty much when people ask me what do you got to do to move up, you got to win races. That's what it comes down to. That's how you get your name out there and you get someone behind you that can bring you to the next series. You've got to get out there and do whatever you can do to run up front and win as many races as you can. It takes a lot of hard work.

Q. You've had a lot of successes already. Where does Dover rank on your list of successes with the showdown, the east championship? Do you see it as another step?

JOEY LOGANO: It's another step. Dover, yeah, it's been a buildup for a long time now. I can't wait to get there. But it's still another race. It's a racecar. It's a racetrack. There's nothing that out of the ordinary.

Q. You're basically the new kid on the block at Joe Gibbs Racing. That team obviously has a lot of colorful personalities. How is your personality and how do you fit in with the rest of them?

JOEY LOGANO: I'm just kind of a happy-go-lucky kid that gets to drive racecars. I'm a very happy person. I got a smile on my face all the time. I'm a very highly competitive person, just like the rest of my teammates there. I think that's how a lot of athletes are. We go there for one reason: that's winning. We're going to do whatever it takes to do that. But at the same time I'm going to have fun with it.

HERB BRANHAM: Thank you, Joey Logano, for joining us today. We appreciate it. Best of luck on this big debut. Everybody has been waiting for it.

JOEY LOGANO: All right. Thank you.

HERB BRANHAM: And thanks to all the media, as always, for participating. We appreciate the coverage.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Week 13: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 – And Beyond

2008-05-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 along with other notable drivers, going into the Best Buy 400 at Dover International Speedway on June 1 (Note: Drivers listed below who are outside the top 12 are chosen based on past performances at the upcoming track and/or those within striking distance of the top 12).

1– Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 113.1
2008 Rundown
• Three wins, eight top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 7.9
• Led nine races for 628 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Four top fives
• Average finish of 11.8
• Finished fifth in September’s Dover race
• Led two of six races for 112 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high Average Running Position of 8.3

2 – Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.6
2008 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 7.9
• Led seven races for 62 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.9
• Finished seventh in September
• Led eight of 28 races for 127 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 620 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

3– Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.2
2008 Rundown
• Five top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 9.8
• Led 10 races for 527 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 15.8
• Finished third in September
• Led eight of 16 races for 366 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 329 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

4 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.2
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Led seven races for 646 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 15.5
• Finished 38th in September
• Led one of four races for 61 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 671 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

5 – Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.1
2008 Rundown
• One win, three top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 12.7
• Led four races for 150 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 11.3
• Finished 12th in September
• Led one of four races for two laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 117 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

6 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.0
2008 Rundown
• Three wins, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 12.6
• Led four races for 306 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 9.1
• Won September’s Dover race
• Led four of seven races for 136 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 387 Fastest Laps Run

7 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.6
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 13.5
• Led three races for 34 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 17.9
• Finished 20th in September
• Led one of 14 races for 133 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 1,061 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

8 – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.4
2008 Rundown
• Four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 14.7.
• Led five races for 373 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.6
• Finished ninth in September
• Led 10 of 18 races for 1,061 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 3,144 Laps in the Top 15 (77.4%), fifth-most

9 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.1
2008 Rundown
• One win, four top fives
• Average finish of 15.9
• Led eight races for 447 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Three wins, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 11.9
• Finished 14th in September
• Led seven of 12 races for 554 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 228 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

10 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.2
2008 Rundown
• Five top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 15.5
• Led seven races for 208 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Four wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.3
• Finished 11th in September
• Led 17 of 30 races for 2,198 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 169 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

11 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.0
2008 Rundown
• Four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 15.1
• Led five races for 114 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Finished second in September
• Led five of 11 races for 229 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 166 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

12 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.2
2008 Rundown
• One win, six top 10s
• Average finish of 15.9
• Led six races for 71 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One top 10
• Average finish of 25.3
• Finished 32nd in September
• Led two of eight races for 64 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 560 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), eighth-most

15 – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.6
2008 Rundown
• One top five, three top 10s
• Average finish of 19.2
• Led two races for 13 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One win, two top 10s
• Average finish of 10.5
• Finished 13th in September
• Led one of four races for 216 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Average Running Position of 13.9, 11th-best

Chase Contenders
The Top 12 … And Beyond Following Race 12 of 36

Weeks Rank Season
In Last Driver
Driver Points Wins Top 12 Week Rating
1. Kyle Busch 1,860 3 12 1 113.1
2. Jeff Burton 1,766 1 12 2 94.6
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,721 0 11 3 110.2
4. Denny Hamlin 1,596 1 7 4 101.2
5. Clint Bowyer 1,578 1 8 5 85.1
6. Carl Edwards 1,538 3 8 7 102.0
7. Kevin Harvick 1,517 0 11 9 90.6
8. Tony Stewart 1,511 0 12 8 95.4
9. Jimmie Johnson 1,493 1 8 6 96.1
10. Jeff Gordon 1,486 0 3 10 94.2
11. Greg Biffle 1,483 0 12 11 92.0
12. Kasey Kahne 1,454 1 10 14 86.2
___________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. David Ragan 1,398
14. Ryan Newman 1,369
15. Martin Truex Jr. 1,291
16. Matt Kenseth 1,264
17. J.P. Montoya 1,263
18. Bobby Labonte 1,258
19. Travis Kvapil 1,240
20. Brian Vickers 1,203
21. Kurt Busch 1,192
22. David Gilliland 1,131
23. Jamie McMurray 1,126
24. Mark Martin 1,121
25. Elliott Sadler 1,119
26. David Reutimann 1,101
27. Scott Riggs 1,085
28. Casey Mears 1,081
29. Paul Menard 1,067
30. Robby Gordon 980
31. Reed Sorenson 969
32. Regan Smith 941
33. Michael Waltrip 933
34. Sam Hornish Jr. 930
35. Dave Blaney 910
36. J.J. Yeley 751
37. Joe Nemechek 543
38. Kyle Petty 540
39. Patrick Carpentier 524
40. Jeremy Mayfield 490
41. Michael McDowell 484
42. Dario Franchitti 483
43. Mike Skinner 423
44 Dale Jarrett 367
45. Bill Elliott 350
46. AJ Allmendinger 314
47. Ken Schrader 298
48. Aric Almirola 243
49. Sterling Marlin 228
50. Johnny Sauter 174
51. John Andretti 149
52. David Stremme 84
53. Jon Wood 55
54. Kenny Wallace 34

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season.

Race Recap: Kahne gets a big break, wins Coca-Cola 600

2008-05-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

For Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle, the finish of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 was a replay of the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Kahne took the checkered flag with Biffle chasing him for the final three laps, but what happened in the first 397 laps of the 400-lap marathon featured more subplots than an Agatha Christie novel.

Seizing the moment when Tony Stewart blew a tire while leading on Lap 397, Kahne streaked to the finish 10.203 seconds ahead of Biffle, who recovered from a loose wheel and a lost lap early in the race to claim the runner-up spot.

Kyle Busch ran third, despite a litany of problems that included a failing battery -- which the No. 18 team changed under caution on Lap 298 -- and a lost lap for an unscheduled pit stop when Busch thought he had a tire losing air. Busch extended his series points lead to 94 over sixth-place finisher Jeff Burton.

Gambling on fuel mileage after spending most of the race mired in traffic, Jeff Gordon ran fourth, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who survived a blown tire and getting hit from behind on Lap 297. Nursing his battered No. 88 Chevrolet to the finish, Earnhardt solidified his third-place standing in the points, 139 behind Busch.

Thanks to quick work in the pits on a gas-and-go stop on Lap 388, Stewart held a lead of more than five seconds over Kahne, but on Lap 397 Stewart blew a right front tire in Turn 1, surrendering the lead to Kahne less than a half-lap later.

“I was thinking second, and then I saw Tony slow up,” said Kahne, who won for the eighth time in his career and for the first time since October 2006 at Lowe’s. “I thought he was out of gas, and I couldn’t believe it.

“He went into Turn 1 and he was high (in the corner), and when I came off Turn 2 he was low and slow.”

Kahne is the sixth driver to win the Coca-Cola 600 and the all-star race in the same year and the first to do so since Jimmie Johnson in 2003.

Disappointed two weeks in a row, Biffle would have preferred a closer race at the end of the 600, but he took his second straight defeat to Kahne philosophically.

“Overall, I was probably more frustrated last week not getting the win, because I felt like I had the fastest car,” said Biffle, who is 11th in the Cup standings. “Tonight, I didn’t feel like I had the fastest car. I had a really good, solid car and just kept passing and got the track position where we were at the end.

“But I would have liked a chance to race Kasey. We got pretty fast there the last 50 laps of the race.”

The race changed dramatically on Lap 297, with Earnhardt in the lead and cruising, three seconds ahead of Stewart, his closest pursuer. As he rolled through Turn 3, however, the right rear tire on Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet blew, bouncing him off the Turn 4 wall. As Earnhardt slowed, J.J. Yeley plowed into the back of his car.

Earnhardt managed to stay on the lead lap, thanks to the work of his pit crew and a generous call from NASCAR, which opted to hold Earnhardt a lap for endangering a safety crew, then rescinded the penalty after a review of videotape.

“We got lucky at the end,” Earnhardt said. “Got gas and made it last. I don't know what happened getting in to (Turn) 3. I think we blew a right rear tire. I hate it for my guys. We were running really strong -- I sure want to get me a win here.”

Notes: Stewart finished 18th, the first car one lap down, and held on to the eighth spot in the Cup standings. ... Jimmie Johnson tumbled three spots to ninth in the points standings when his engine failed late in the race. He finished 39th with his first DNF of the season. ... Brian Vickers led four times for 61 laps, but a broken left rear wheel sent him hard into the Turn 2 wall on Lap 185. The tire bounced off the wall and into the infield, slightly damaging a camper. No one was hurt. ... David Ragan’s stay in the top 12 lasted one race. He finished 12th and dropped to 13th in the standings. Kahne moved back into the top 12 in 12th, 56 points ahead of Ragan.

Race Recap: Busch's Win Breaks Gibbs' NASCAR Nationwide Series Streak

2008-05-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

As the second- and third-place finishing teams confronted each other in the pits, Kyle Busch was taking bows for his fourth NASCAR Nationwide Series victory of the year.

Busch won the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway under caution when Mike Wallace's wreck slowed the race after Busch had taken the white flag for a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the event two laps beyond its posted distance of 200.

Driving the No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota, Busch ended the four-race winning streak of the No. 20 Toyota that belongs to his full-time owner, Joe Gibbs. Denny Hamlin, who took a turn in the No. 20 on Saturday, finished second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and polesitter Brian Vickers.

"Before the race, I said, hopefully we could have the Dollar General Toyota (Braun's car) come home in first place with him (Hamlin) the runner-up," Busch said.

He got his wish, but the real fireworks occurred between Hamlin and Keselowski under the final caution. Keselowski tapped Hamlin's Camry as the cars circled the track behind the pace car. Hamlin retaliated by turning right into Keselowski’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

"What the hell did he do that for?" asked Earnhardt, Keselowski's car owner, after the race. "Brad bumped him just a little bit under caution, and Denny knocked the fender off his car. Now the car’s all tore up."

As Busch celebrated his 15th win in the series, crews from the two teams engaged in an angry confrontation on pit road, as NASCAR officials tried to keep the teams apart.

Hamlin complained that Keselowski had repeatedly failed to give him racing room earlier in the event.

"Give a guy two inches to let him clear, and don’t just hang onto my rear quarter panel," said Hamlin, who made it clear that his retaliation was for the bump under caution, not for the way Keselowski had raced him. "You throw a rock, I'm going to throw a concrete block back."

Keselowski, a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, had a different perspective.

"I race one day a week, not two," he said. "I have 200 laps to prove myself, not 400. I have to make the most of every lap."

Committed to a fuel mileage strategy, Busch stayed out on old tires and inherited the lead, when the rest of the contending cars – with the exception of Greg Biffle’s No. 16 Ford – came to pits on Lap 163, after a wreck in Turn 3 involving Kelly Bires and Kasey Kahne caused the eighth caution of the race.

Two more quick cautions – one when Steve Wallace and Jason Leffler wreck in close quarters in Turn 4 and one for debris on Lap 181 – enabled Busch to save enough fuel to make it to the finish. But Busch still had to hold off the cars behind him.

With five laps left, Hamlin made a determined move to the inside of Busch's No. 32 Toyota, but Busch surged past his teammate from Joe Gibbs Racing and held him off until Josh Wise scraped the wall the bring out the 11th caution and set up the two-lap finishing dash.

Notes: Busch led 86 laps, the sixth time he's led the most laps in a NASCAR Nationwide Series event this year. … Keselowski's third-place finish was a career best. … Joe Gibbs Racing had won the previous six NASCAR Nationwide Series events, two by Busch in the No. 18 car, followed by four straight (Tony Stewart twice and Hamlin and Busch once each) in the No. 20. … Clint Bowyer finished sixth and saw his series points lead narrowed to 67 over second-place Busch.

Picks for THE RACES (Including Indy 500 and grand Prix)

2008-05-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

Man so many races today so little time lets start out! Truck race my pick for that race will be Matt Crafton going back to back i nwins. NASCAR natiownide race we are sticking with Bryan Clasuon to grab his first wins 4th fastest in testing very qucik in practice he should be fast. The Grand Prix at Monte Carlo in F1 our winner will be Lweis Hamiltion. The Indy 500 will have a repeat winner in Helio Castronevs and our dark horse will be Graham Rahal. The Coca Cola 600 our winner will be Carl Edwards and out dark hosre will be David Ragan

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Test At Pocono Raceway

2008-05-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

Two-Day Session Helps Teams Prepare For Both ’08 Pocono Events, Plus Those At Similar Tracks
Media Interview Opportunities Available Each Day

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2008) – Sandwiched between Sunday’s 49th annual Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and the Best Buy 400 at Dover International Speedway on June 1, next week’s two-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test at Pocono Raceway will allow teams to gather more crucial data on NASCAR’s new car.

The car – NASCAR’s now-generation race car – is in its first fulltime season. Teams used it in 16 of 36 events in 2007 and the Pocono 500 on June 8 marks the new car’s debut at that track. And with its distinct 2.5-mile, triangular layout, data mined at Pocono also aids prep work for July’s event at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Pocono, with its unique three corner configuration, should provide the teams with a lot of new information as it relates to the new car,” said NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby. “It's yet another opportunity for the teams to work on their set-ups, collect new data and make some gains in improving performance.

“And, there are some small features of Pocono that teams can transform to getting ready for running at the Brickyard later this summer.”

Next week’s session is the series’ sixth NASCAR-sanctioned test of 2008.

“The Pocono test is very important," said Steve Letarte, crew chief for Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), the defending champion of the Pocono 500. "It's a very 'travel' sensitive track with three very unique corners.”

Tuesday’s session begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. Wednesday’s session runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., with a noon-1 p.m. lunch break.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES INTERVIEW SCHEDULES

All interviews (tentative and subject to change) take place in the infield media center. Teleconference capability and transcripts will be available for Wednesday’s midday interview session. Audio from both Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s sessions will be available at NASCAR’s media-only web site – www.nascarmedia.com.

Tuesday, May 27

Pre-Practice – Jimmie Johnson, 11:20 a.m.; Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch 11:45 a.m.

Post-Practice – Jeff Gordon, 7:10-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 28

Lunch – Greg Biffle, approximately noon; Martin Truex Jr., approximately 12:15 p.m.

WEDNESDAY TELECONFERENCE PARTICIPANT INFORMATION:
1-888-699-8040 (Domestic)
(719) 457-2729 (International)
Meeting ID or Reference: 4677423

TELECONFERENCE REPLAY:
1-888-203-1112 (Domestic)
(719)-457-0820 (International)
Replay passcode: 4677423

Fast Facts

What: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing

Where: Pocono Raceway

Track Layout: 2.5-mile triangular layout

Times: Tuesday, May 27 from 12:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.; Wednesday, May 28 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., with a lunch break from noon-1 p.m. All times ET

Who: 48 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams

Track Contact: Bob Pleban, (570) 646-2300 bpleban@@poconoraceway.com

Speedway Motorsports, Inc. announced today that H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, chief operating officer and president of Speedway Motorsports and president and

2008-05-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Speedway Motorsports, Inc. announced today that H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, chief operating officer and president of Speedway Motorsports and president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, is retiring from both positions following the Coca-Cola 600.

A decision will be made on Wheeler's successor in the near future by the Speedway Motorsports, Inc. board of directors.

"'Humpy' Wheeler is a true legend in motorsports and his contributions will be missed," said Bruton Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports. "His career with Lowe's Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports, Inc. has been filled with many innovative promotions and I am sure that he will be remembered as one of the greatest promoters in racing history."

"While it is with sadness that I announce my retirement from Speedway Motorsports and Lowe's Motor Speedway, it is time for me to move on to other things," said Wheeler. "I have devoted my entire life to racing and I don't intend on leaving it, just serving it in different ways.

"I have made arrangements with a well-known author to co-write a unique book interweaving my various experiences in the sport with the wonderful human drama and rich characters that abound in it," Wheeler added.

"I will resume the 'Humpy Show' on SPEED Channel and look forward to being chairman of the Charlotte Regional Partnership in 2009. I also look forward to other endeavors, including lecturing and working with the motorsports management program at Belmont Abbey College."

Born in Belmont, N.C., Wheeler attended the University of South Carolina on a football scholarship and graduated in 1961 with a degree in journalism. In addition to football, Wheeler was an outstanding amateur boxer, compiling a 40-2 record including a dozen Golden Gloves Championships.

Prior to joining Lowe's Motor Speedway, Wheeler worked as a sports writer, a real estate manager and a dirt track promoter. He served in a variety of executive positions in the racing division at Firestone Rubber & Tire Co. from 1964 through 1971. He joined the speedway in 1975 and has been general manager since 1976. He was named president in 1980.

During his 33 years at the speedway, Wheeler worked closely with longtime colleague Smith to set the industry standard for motorsports entertainment and to build Lowe's Motor Speedway into the showplace of NASCAR facilities.

In April 2006, Wheeler joined an elite group of those who shaped motorsports history when he was inducted into the prestigious International Motorsports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame; the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame; and the North Carolina Public Relations Hall of Fame.

"I am grateful to the fans, the staff, the media, the sponsors and everyone who has helped me throughout my racing career," Wheeler said. "I have been blessed with a wonderful family and many close and dear friends who I hope to spend more time with.

"The people I've met along the way-from the Salt Flats of Bonneville, to Indianapolis, to my early dirt-track days, to the wild ride of NASCAR to the top-have furnished me with experiences beyond my wildest dreams. For a boy from the little town of Belmont, N.C., who dreamed of a racing career, I can only say that it ain't over yet.

"I look forward to addressing the crowd for the last time at Lowe's Motor Speedway Sunday during my 32nd Coca-Cola 600, and thanking them for being there because without them we have nothing," Wheeler concluded.

"We owe Humpy a tremendous debt of gratitude for all he has done for Speedway Motorsports and Lowe's Motor Speedway," said Smith. "We wish him all the best in any future endeavors and hope that he and his wife Pat have a great retirement with their family."

About Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Speedway Motorsports is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. The Company owns and operates the following premier facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. The Company provides souvenir merchandising services through its SMI Properties subsidiaries; manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing cars and parts through its 600 Racing subsidiary; and produces and broadcasts syndicated motorsports programming to radio stations nationwide through its Performance Racing Network subsidiary. The Company also equally-owns Motorsports Authentics, a joint venture formed with International Speedway Corporation to produce, market and sell licensed motorsports merchandise. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.speedwaymotorsports.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, particularly statements with regard to the Company's future operations and financial results. There are many factors that affect future events and trends of the Company's business including, but not limited to, consumer and corporate spending sentiment; air travel; governmental regulations; military actions; national or local catastrophic events; the success of and weather surrounding NASCAR, IRL, NHRA and other racing events; our relationship with NASCAR and other sanctioning bodies; the success of expense reduction efforts; capital projects; expansion; economic conditions; stock repurchases; financing needs; insurance; litigation; taxes; oil and gas activities and associated profitability; geopolitical situations in foreign countries; and other factors outside of management control. These factors and other factors, including those contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from management's views and expectations. Inclusion of any information or statement in this news release does not necessarily imply that such information or statement is material. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly revised or updated forward-looking information, and such information included in this news release is based on information currently available and may not be reliable after this date.

In the Loop

2008-05-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

Johnson Looks to Break Out of “Slump”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 21, 2008) – You know you’ve got a track figured out when consecutive finishes of 10th and 14th are considered a slump.

That’s the situation for Jimmie Johnson going into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Johnson was his normally strong self at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2007, but didn’t come away with his usual top-five finish. In fact, he did everything but come away with a top-five finish. Take a look at his statistics from the two 2007 races:

Johnson at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15 DR
5/07 10 6.2 70 88.8% 121.1
10/07 14 7.1 72 83.1% 116.3
Total 12.0 6.7 142 86.0% 118.7
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating

In most years, those numbers would have probably equaled victory. Compare those stats to his 2005 season at LMS, when he swept.

Johnson at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (2005)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15 DR
5/05 1 7.8 24 88.0% 127.0
10/05 1 13.9 9 72.3% 101.7
Total 1.0 10.9 33 80.2% 114.4

In each of the above categories – except for the average finish – Johnson was better at LMS in 2007 than in 2005. In other words, there’s no slump at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for Johnson – just a product of the two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion setting the bar so high.

Statistically, Johnson is peerless at Lowe’s Motor Speedway over the last three year (six races). His numbers in key stats all rank first, and often trump those of the second-place driver:

Jimmie Johnson at LMS (2005-2007)
Driver Rating: 120.2
Avg. Running Position: 7.5
Fastest Laps Run: 246
Laps in the Top 15: 88.6%/1,956
Quality Passes*: 345
*Quality Passes: Passes of cars in the top 15 under green flag conditions

2nd-Place Driver in Key Stats at LMS
Driver Rating: Kyle Busch, 94.3
Avg. Running Position: Mark Martin, 11.9
Fastest Laps Run: Kasey Kahne, 163
Laps in the Top 15: Mark Martin, 75.4%/1,664
Quality Passes: Kyle Busch, 279

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The performance of Kyle Busch also will be an interesting factor. In eight career LMS races, Busch has only two top-10 finishes – and neither were in the Coca-Cola 600. In fact, he’s struggled in the 600 in his career. Take a look at his last three Coca-Cola 600s:

Busch at Coca-Cola 600 (2005-2007)
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15 DR
5/05 25 11.8 20 71.0% 97.8
5/06 38 15.8 5 67.3% 79.0
5/07 30 15.7 10 60.0% 88.2
Total 31.0 14.4 35 66.1% 88.3
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Loop Data Defined: NASCAR statistics generated from electronic scoring loops embedded around each track hosting races in NASCAR’s three national series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News & Notes - Lowe's

2008-05-21T06:36:00.001-07:00

Driver Named Mears Is Defending Champion — In Charlotte
Kahne Looks For Follow-Up To All-Star Win
Strategy A Key In NASCAR’s Longest Race
Hornish, Allmendinger Boosted By All-Star Efforts
600 Has Legacy Of Historic ‘Firsts’
Mears And Memorial Day Weekend A Perfect Historical Match

Through the years, the name Mears has become synonymous with auto racing success on Memorial Day weekend. Rick Mears started that, with a record four victories in the Indianapolis 500. Last year, the family legacy was embellished with a monumental NASCAR win, as Casey Mears (No. 5 Kellogg’s/ CARQUEST Chevrolet) — Rick’s nephew — captured his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, winning the Coca-Cola 600.

Consider it a sign of the times: A Mears as a defending stock car race champion.

Casey Mears is part of a growing number of former open-wheel racers now in NASCAR. Prior to coming to NASCAR in 2002, he showed promise in off-road, Indy Lights and the CART Series.

”Going into the 600, I am just real excited,” Mears said. “To come back and be able to defend a title for the first time at one of the biggest races of the year, being the month of May ... I think we have a great shot at it and I am looking forward to it. One of the real cool things from a team standpoint, coming back to Lowe’s we are bringing the 500th chassis that Hendrick Motorsports has built. That is a big deal and a big milestone for the team. It would be great to have a victory with that car.”

Kahne Hoping All-Star Momentum Leads To Chase Berth

The pressure is off.

Sort of.

Kasey Kahne got his first victory for one of the most recognizable sponsorships in all of sports this past Saturday night, as he brought the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge into Victory Lane, winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Kahne also made some history in the process. Because he hadn’t won a series race in 2007 and thus far in 2008, he wasn’t in the All-Star field – until the annual fan vote, which places one driver in the All-Star race, went his way. Kahne then became the first All-Star champion who made the race via the fan vote.

The All-Star victory ended Kahne’s winless streak that dated to October 2006 — when he won at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

But since the All-Star event is a non-points race, technically, the winless streak lives.

Technicalities, though, have little to do with confidence, and Kahne’s just received a major boost.

“As far as us coming out and winning the 600, we got some work to do,’ Kahne said. “We have to keep working hard and doing the right things. But [the All-Star win] shows that our cars are not as far off [as I thought].

“I’m already looking forward to next weekend’s 600.”

Kahne, another former open-wheel racer who shifted personal gears and came to NASCAR, challenged for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title in 2006, winning six events and finishing eighth in series points.

Even though he has yet to win a points race in awhile, Kahne has run respectably this year. He comes into the 600 only two points out of 12th place, the cut-off for eligibility into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

NASCAR’s “Endurance” Race Puts Emphasis on Strategy

NASCAR’s longest race — Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway — is also, arguably, its most unique.

In addition to the out-of-the-ordinary distance, the event has a split personality, as it starts in the afternoon and ends under the lights.

Translation: What works set-up wise at 5:30 might not work at 10 p.m.

Driver — and pit crew — fitness also comes into play.

Four hundred laps equals 600 miles at the 1.5-mile venue, so all the above variables evolve with time and track conditions.

Which means patience and a flexible, long-term plan are key.

The green flag drops during the last few hours of daylight. A significant portion of the race takes place during twilight. It ends well into Sunday evening after the track surface has cooled and grip has increased.

Pit crews stay busy with adjustments that reflect driver preferences amid conditions. And pit stops, ever crucial, must maximize opportunity.

That was the scene in 2007, when defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Casey Mears and then-crew chief Darian Grubb paired a good performance with a calculated gamble. Near the end, they played fuel-mileage, staying on track while other teams pitted, and beat everyone else.

Mears’ current crew chief, Alan Gustafson, anticipates accruing more data with NASCAR’s new car; teams tested at Lowe’s on May 5-6.

“With this car, we’re not really sure,” Gustafson said. “We haven’t had that many situations with the changing track conditions. I think adjustability is the key. Throughout the test we tried some theories out so we knew what we could change from day to night.”

Hornish, Allmendinger, Also Riding Wave Of Momentum

The 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge), predicted by many to be the most promising of all the former open-wheel racers who have come to NASCAR, is coming off his best NASCAR effort thus far — a seventh-place finish in the prestigious NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. That run followed a second-place finish in the All-Star preliminary event — the NASCAR Sprint Showdown, which sent its top-two finishers into the main event.

AJ Allmendinger (No. 84 Red Bull Toyota) won the Showdown, then finished 17th in the All-Star race. For Allmendinger, a five-time winner in the Champ Car Series, it was also a career highlight as far as NASCAR goes.

Both drivers will need whatever momentum the All-Star race provided, going into the Coca-Cola 600. Neither are guaranteed a starting spot, as their teams are outside the top 35 in car owner point standings.

Hornish is 36th.

Allmendinger is 40th

“Momentum is a huge tool,” said Hornish’s crew chief Chris Carrier. It’s the best or worst tool there is in any competitive sport. Now we’ve got some momentum on our side. That’s what we’ve been looking for all year, to try to get a little bit of that and now we’ve got some of it.”

Added Hornish: “We keep trying to advance all the time and we think we’re heading in the right direction.”

Allmendinger, in his second season of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, said the Showdown victory felt, to him, like winning the Daytona 500.

“We definitely learned a lot about what the race track might do,” Allmendinger said. “We’ll assess what we learned and make those adjustments coming back for the 600. It all starts again … got to qualify to get in the show.”

Allmendinger’s All-Star performance wrapped up an eventful week for Team Red Bull. Last Thursday, the pit crew for Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota) won the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge.

NASCAR CAM: Mark Martin Video, Transcript Available On NASCARMedia.com

This week on the NASCAR CAM Video Teleconference, Mark Martin fielded media questions as he and the No. 8 U.S. ARMY Chevrolet team prepare for the Coca Cola 600 this weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

On the challenges of preparing for the Coca-Cola 600: “Well you know Lowe’s Motor Speedway has always been one of the moodiest personalities as far as the pavement goes I think of any place that I have ever raced.

“And so the additional twist from day to night, practicing now and racing then, and qualifying there. Just all that movement adds a lot to the stress levels of the crew chiefs and folks like Tony Gibson and all. But it’s really a lot of fun.

“It is perfect to have the All-Star race the week before the 600 because it gives you really the best practice possible for the 600. With the 600 starting in the day light and going into the night and lasting well into the night most of the time.

“It gives you an opportunity to practice during the day, and you get plenty of day time practice, but it gives you the chance to race under race conditions into the night the week before the 600. So it is a good thing for all the teams.

“It is the greatest venue in motorsports in my opinion. So I go to Lowe’s with enthusiasm.

On the biggest change he has seen come down from NASCAR over the years: “Well the first thing that comes to my mind is the SAFER Barrier although the HANS Device is more significant at the bottom line for safety. But believe me that SAFER Barrier, it’s a whole different world hitting that compared to what we used to hit back in the day.”

For the complete transcript and downloadable video of the NASCAR CAM Video Teleconference, visit NASCARMedia.com.

Longest Race Has Made For Lasting Memories

When Casey Mears got his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in last year’s Coca-Cola 600, it added to the race’s legacy as a milestone-maker.

Since the race’s 1960 inception, many drivers who would go on to become big-time stars have either debuted at the 600, or gotten their first victory in the event.

Some significant series debuts (with finish in parentheses) include:

Dale Earnhardt, 1975. (22nd)
Janet Guthrie, 1976. (15th)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1999 (16th)
Michael Waltrip, 1985. (28th)
Elliott Sadler, 1998. (42nd)
As far as first career victories coming in the Coca-Cola 600, consider these classics:

1961, David Pearson: Pearson, the 1960 Rookie of the Year, could not land a ride for the 1961 season. That year, car builder Ray Fox had a powerful Pontiac prepared for the 600 at the race track then known as Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fox’s regular driver Darel Dieringer was unable to compete due to a conflict with a tire company, with which he had a contract. Fox needed a driver immediately. Joe Littlejohn, a famed racer and promoter, heard of Fox’s plight and sought out Pearson, who was doing roofing work at the time. Pearson climbed down from the rooftop and ended up winning the 600 by more than two laps. Pearson went on to win three championship and a total of 105 races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, second all-time only to Richard Petty’s 200 victories.
1994, Jeff Gordon: Gordon came to NASCAR competition via the Midwestern, open-wheel ranks of USAC. Gordon electrified the racing world by winning a Daytona 500 qualifying race in his first premier series start. He went on to win the 1993 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award that year. In May 1994. Gordon came to Charlotte and promptly put his Rick Hendrick-owned Chevrolet on the pole with a new track record. Gordon led the first lap of the 600, but dropped back and played it safe, knowing this would be a long race and an event with high attrition. Gordon did not take the lead until Lap 300 of the 400-lap event, and then for only two laps. He took only two tires on the last pit stop, giving him great track position. Gordon made his way to the front again for the final time on Lap 392 and beat Rusty Wallace to the line by nearly four seconds. Gordon has 81 career victories and four NASCAR Sprint Cup championships.
1995, Bobby Labonte: The younger brother of 1984 series champion Terry Labonte was in his third full-time season, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Labonte qualified second in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet. He ended up winning by 6.28 seconds — ahead of his brother. Labonte won the 2000 series championship and has 21 series victories.
2000, Matt Kenseth: In his first full-time season for Jack Roush Racing, Kenseth qualified the No. 17 DEWALT Ford 21st. Remarkably, after 400 laps and 600 miles, Kenseth nipped runner-up Bobby Labonte — who was en route that year to the series championship — by a mere 0.573 seconds. Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup titlist, has 16 series victories.
In The Loop: Johnson Always A Statistical Favorite At LMS

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) has made headlines this season. As has Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet), Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota), Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet).

But one driver has inexplicably flown under the radar, and become the quietest two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion ever.

Somehow, even with a win at Phoenix International Raceway, Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) has lurked in the background of 2008. And it’s not as if he’s had a poor season. Actually, he’s had a number of solid runs, as his sixth-place position in the standings would confirm.

Figure on that ending this weekend. Statistics suggest a breakout for Johnson at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where he’s won five times.

Johnson, who’s finished outside the top 10 only twice in 13 LMS races, holds series-high marks in Driver Rating (120.2), Average Running Position (7.5), Fastest Laps Run (246), Laps in the Top 15 (1,956/88.6%) and Quality Passes (345).

As impressive is how those numbers compare to the second-place driver in each category:

Driver Rating: Johnson leads Kyle Busch (94.3) by 25.9 points.

Average Running Position: Johnson leads Mark Martin (11.9) by 4.4 positions.

Fastest Laps Run: Johnson leads Kasey Kahne (163) by 83 fastest laps.

Laps in the Top 15: Johnson leads Martin (1,664) by 292 laps.

Quality Passes: Johnson leads Kyle Busch (279) by 66 passes.

But if not Johnson, then whom?

Carl Edwards combines past LMS success with a incredible record on intermediate tracks with the new car. Edwards’ three ‘08 wins – Auto Club Speedway, Las Vegas and Texas – have all come on similar layouts.

At LMS, Edwards has finished outside the top 10 only once (15th in last year’s Coca-Cola 600) and has two third-place finishes. In his LMS career, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 88.6, an Average Running Position of 15.0, 41 Laps in the Top 15.

Of course, there’s also Kyle Busch, winner of two of the last three races this season. Though his finishes at LMS haven’t been all that solid – his average is 25.9 – his statistics have.

Over the past six LMS races, Busch has a Driver Rating of 94.3 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 14.4 (fourth), 116 Fastest Laps Run (third), an Average Green Flag Speed of 177.051 mph (second), 1,504 Laps in the Top 15 (third) and 279 Quality Passes (second).

Top 35: There’s Notoriety On The Wrong Side Of The Bubble

There are some illustrious racing resumes on the “wrong side” of the top 35 bubble this week.

Teams that are in the top 35 of the car owner point standings are guaranteed starting spots each week.

Those outside the top 35 must rely on qualifying speeds to make the field.

A look at positions 36-40 this week shows both a former Indianapolis 500 champion and a two-time Daytona 500 titlist on the outside looking in — Sam Hornish and Sterling Marlin.

Hornish drives the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge for Roger Penske; Marlin is substituting for another former Indy 500 champ, injured Dario Franchitti, in the No. 40 Wii Fit Dodge owned by Felix Sabates.

Dave Blaney, in the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota of Bill Davis, has the 35th and final locked-in spot this week.

Two teams that are safe this week nonetheless occupy what could be called a precarious perch.

Regan Smith, in the No. 01 Principal Financial Group-DEI Chevrolet owned by Teresa Earnhardt, is 34th but only 11 points ahead of Blaney.

Two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip, the driver/owner of the No. 55 NAPA Toyota, is 33rd but only 27 in front of Blaney.

NSCS, Etc.

Memorial Day Salute: Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 pre-race entertainment will feature an active and patriotic “Salute The Troops” theme. Among the planned activities are the presentation of 1,500 soldiers, plus an assault demonstration.

Participating troops hail from Fort Bragg and represent the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, the United States Airborne Army Special Operations Command and the North Carolina National Guard.

The 82nd Airborne All-American Chorus will perform, as will the Golden Knights — the U.S. Army Parachute Team.

Members of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle group, which advocates for Prisoners of Wars and those Missing In Action, will ride a parade lap and make a special POW/MIA flag presentation. Also scheduled to appear — and perform — are NHRA Funny Car legend John Force, 200 bagpipers and Toyota’s Tundra Monster Truck.

Honorary Officials: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole, a Salisbury, N.C., native, will serve as Sunday’s honorary race director. Richard Thompson, the speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates, will serve as Sunday’s honorary starter.

Country-music artist Darryl Worley will sing the National Anthem.

Dr. William K. Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., will deliver Sunday’s invocation.

And Dr. Robert H. Schuller, founder of the Orange Grove, Calif.-based Crystal Cathedral church, will led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Up Next: Monstrous Time Set For Dover International Speedway

Dover International Speedway is called the “Monster Mile.” They even have a mascot to prove it. That would be “Miles” (shown at left).

The mascot, and the track’s nickname, are based on the hard reality of racing at Dover’s one-mile concrete oval, which is fast and challenging, likened by some as a “big Bristol.”

Next up on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the first of two 2008 races at Dover — the Best Buy 400.

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) is the defending champion. Truex’s win last year was his first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and helped fuel his charge to an eventual berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Truex finished 11th in the final 2007 points.

Truex hasn’t won since last year’s Dover spring race. He considers Dover his “home track” because of the speedway’s relative closeness to his hometown of Mayetta, N.J.

He comes into Dover 15th in points, only 36 behind 12th-place David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford).

The Race: Coca-Cola 600
The Place: Lowe’s Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, May 25
The Time: 5:30 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 1.5-mile oval
The Distance: 600 miles/400 laps
TV: FOX, 5 p.m. (ET)
Radio: PRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Casey Mears
2007 Polesitter: Ryan Newman
Series Standings
Driver Points
1 Kyle Busch 1,690
2 Jeff Burton 1,611
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,556
4 Denny Hamlin 1,500
5 Clint Bowyer 1,490
6 Jimmie Johnson 1,442
7 Carl Edwards 1,400
8 Tony Stewart 1,397
9 Kevin Harvick 1,396
10 Jeff Gordon 1,326
11 Greg Biffle 1,308
12 David Ragan 1,266

NASCAR Nationwide Series News & Notes - Charlotte

2008-05-21T06:33:00.002-07:00

Rising Son: Results Starting To Show For Steve Wallace
JGR Riding Six Straight Wins, But Is 1-14 In Series Races At LMS
In The Loop: Pick ‘Em Between Burton, Edwards, Busch

Midwest Up-Rooting: Steve Wallace Comes Home To N.C.

The race following an open week always brings extra energy. Drivers and teams are understand-ably antsy for their return to the track.

But this week, that vibe is wound just a little tighter since the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 will be contested in Charlotte. It’s considered a “home” event since the majority of competitors and organizations are based in the area even though their hometowns may be located elsewhere.

The Wallace family built its racing legacy in St. Louis before brothers Rusty, Kenny (No. 28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevrolet) and Mike (No. 7 GEICO Toyota) made their way to the sport’s hub in North Carolina.

Third-generation racer Steve Wallace (No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) was born in North Carolina. And 20 years later, in his second full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he’s preparing for perhaps the most-anticipated race of his young career.

Last year, he collected his first two career poles but was inconsistent; his best finish was 12th. He also had nine DNFs—including one race where he was parked by NASCAR for aggressive driving.

This year, Wallace has seemingly found his groove. He surprised many with his first top-10 finish at Mexico City and in his last two races, has bettered that with career-best fifth-place finishes. He’s currently 11th in the series standings.

He’s been quick to credit his Rusty Wallace Racing teammate David Stremme (No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet) as a mentor as well as a steadying influence on the team.

Stremme also is having a strong season. He’s 10th in the standings and has two top fives and seven top 10s in 11 races this year. He didn’t race in Mexico; instead the team’s road-course specialist, Max Papis, drove the No. 64 Chevrolet.

Will LMS Be The Streak-Ender For JGR?

The only thing to date that’s interrupted the NASCAR Nationwide Series record six-race winning streak of Joe Gibbs Racing is the just-completed open week.

But Saturday night’s stop at Lowe’s Motor Speedway could present a major bump in that record road.

The team – led this week by Denny Hamlin (No. 20 Z-Line Designs Toyota) – has only one series win at LMS. That was the 2004 fall race when JGR driver Mike Bliss registered his first career victory in one of the most exciting races of the season.

Bliss made a daring late-race pass on the front stretch that split Jimmie Johnson (No. 5 Lowe’s Chevrolet) and Matt Kenseth, carrying him to the win.

Bliss now drives the No. 1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing and has plenty of momentum of his own heading back to Charlotte.

The versatile veteran, who won the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, is fifth in the standings. That ranking is the best among four other series-only regulars in the top 10 this week.

Three-Car First For JR Motorsports

For the first time in its four-year history, JR Motorsports has three cars entered in a race.

Team owner and two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the organization’s No. 83 Junior Division NAVY Chevrolet, only the second time that car has been entered in a series event.

Brad Keselowski (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet), the team’s series-only regular driver, is seventh in the standings heading to Charlotte.

Jimmie Johnson, the two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, also is entered under the JRM banner.

Johnson ran full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2000-01. He has one win and two poles, the most recent of which came at the 2005 fall race at LMS.

On And Off The Track, A Busy Weekend For Ambrose, Fellow Aussies

Marcos Ambrose (No. 59 Kingsford Ford) will host 30 fellow Australians in Charlotte as part of a second annual tour event.

“We kicked off this idea last year and have twice as many fans back this time around,” he said. “If there is one thing Australians know how to do, it’s have a good time.”

The group arrives Wednesday night and will venture to several local attractions Thursday before heading to Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the evening’s activities.

Friday, Ambrose will host a tour of the JTG shop, lunch and a night of sprint-car racing.

The group will root for Ambrose in Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race and on Sunday, they head to a local bar to cheer on Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe in the Indianapolis 500 before heading to LMS for the Coca-Cola 600.

Monday they take part in the Richard Petty Driving Experience at LMS before flying back to Australia that afternoon.

Ambrose also plans a tour for August at Auto Club Speedway where he will run both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

In The Loop: Burton Boasts Best Driver Rating Among Saturday’s Field

The statistics suggest Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race will likely come down to a battle between the defending series champion, a 27-time series race winner, and the hottest driver in the sport.

In other words, figure on Carl Edwards (No. 60 Scotts Water Smart Ford), Jeff Burton (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet) and Kyle Busch (No. 32 Dollar General Toyota) running up front all night.

Burton won the last time the series raced at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four races. Over that span, he has a Driver Rating of 104.4 (best of any driver in Saturday’s field), an Average Running Position of 13.6, 51 Fastest Laps Run and has run 69.4% of the Laps in the Top 15.

Edwards has struggled of late at the 1.5-mile track, finishing outside the top 10 in each of the previous three LMS races. But he won the spring race in 2006 and finished fourth in the fall race in 2005.

Overall at LMS, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 99.9, an Average Running Position of 12.9, a series-high 102 Fastest Laps Run and has run 61.9% of the Laps in the Top 15.

Busch, who won twice at LMS (spring, 2004-05), was the runner up last fall and finished in the top 10 in both 2007 races. In his past six races at LMS, Busch has a Driver Rating of 103.3, an Average Running Position of 13.0, 57 Fastest Laps Run and a series-high percentage of Laps in the Top 15 (70.3%) among those drivers who have run each of the last six races there.

Also watch for another strong run from series-only regular Kelly Bires (No 47 Clorox Ford). Bires finished ninth in last season’s fall race, his first at the track in series competition. In that race, Bires had a Driver Rating of 89.6, an Average Running Position of 12.2 and ran 70.5% of the Laps in the Top 15.

Two-Time Series Champion Harvick Is In-Race Reporter For ESPN2

ESPN2’s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with Saturday’s live, prime-time telecast of the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway beginning at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

The telecast also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree.

Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Kevin Harvick (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) joins the ESPN coverage team as In-Race Reporter, talking to Wallace on the race’s pace laps and during caution periods.

The Director’s Take: Perfecting Balance Is The Long And Short Of It At LMS

Balance will be the name of the game Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway according to Joe Balash, NASCAR Nationwide Series director.

“Getting the car ready for both short and long runs will be the determining factor for the teams,” he said.

“Some drivers will have their cars balanced well early and will be stout during the short runs. They’ll also be anticipating cautions."

“But if those cautions don’t come, there will be quite a bit of passing throughout the field and you’ll see new leaders emerge because their cars were set up especially for longer runs."

“As 1.5-mile tracks go, this is a very fast track."

“On top of all that, there’s the added pressure of securing bragging rights with a win here. It’s the home track for most of our racers, which makes it very important.”

Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Most Wins: Mark Martin, 6
Most Poles: Matt Kenseth, 4
Quick Fact: Only one spring race has been won from the pole (Joe Nemechek, 2003).

NNS Etc.

After Saturday, Joey Logano won’t have to be only a NASCAR Nationwide Series fan.

Logano, last year’s NASCAR Camping World Series East champion, will turn 18 that day and will be eligible to drive in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. His much-anticipated debut is set for the following week at Dover International Speedway.

Joe Gibbs Racing plans to help Logano celebrate at LMS with a car-shaped cake.

Braun Racing will make the team's 100th start in a Toyota since it entered the series in 2007. Jason Leffler (No. 32 Great Clips Toyota), 2003 series champion Brian Vickers (No. 10 ABF Toyota) and Kyle Busch will team up to make the organization’s 99th, 100th and 101st starts. Leffler earned the first victory for Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series last July at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

Due to his team’s 30th-place standing in the owner points, Eric McClure (No. 24 Hefty Brand Chevrolet) can look forward to his first career series start at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He did not qualify in six previous attempts.

He has run in national series competition at the track, though, when he competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Showdown for Front Row Motorsports in 2005.

Cale Gale (No. 77 VFW Chevrolet) will represent Veterans of Foreign Wars at LMS. This isn’t the first time he’s worn the colors of VFW. Gale’s T-ball team also was sponsored by VFW and his grandfather is a proud member of the organization.

Also to show support for America’s Armed Forces, members of KHI’s teams are wearing red bracelets provided by VFW.

This is the first race that Gale will have to qualify on time.
For more information, contact:
Tracey Judd, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 947-6733 or tjudd@nascar.com

Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Standings

Rank Driver Points
1 Dario Franchitti 89
2 Bryan Clauson 73
3 Brian Keselowski 47
4 Cale Gale 44
5 Landon Cassill 37
6 Chase Miller 34
7 Patrick Carpentier 31

Results following the Diamond Hill
Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway

Bill France Performance Cup Standings

Toyota’s six-race winning streak could be in danger Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Chevrolet, second in the Bill France Performance Cup standings, and third-place Ford, each have 15 wins at LMS.

Dodge is the defending winner of this race and LMS is one of four tracks where the manufacturer has its series-best two victories.

Up Next: Heluva Good! 200 at Dover International Speedway

Joey Logano’s debut headlines the Heluva Good! 200 at Dover on Saturday, May 31.

Reigning series champion Carl Edwards also is the defending race winner. Denny Hamlin, Logano’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, won the fall race at Dover last year and captured the pole for the 2007 spring event.

The last driver to win consecutive spring races at Dover was Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998-99).

Fast Facts

The Race: CARQUEST Auto Parts 300

The Place: Lowe’s Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, May 24

The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

The Distance: 300 miles / 200 laps

TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET

Track Size: 1.5-mile oval

2007 Winner: Kasey Kahne

2007 Pole: Matt Kenseth

2008 Standings

1 Clint Bowyer 1,740
2 Kyle Busch 1,628
3 Carl Edwards 1,590
4 David Reutimann 1,572
5 Mike Bliss 1,545
6 David Ragan 1,521
7 Brad Keselowski 1,500
8 Jason Leffler 1,480
9 Mike Wallace 1,385
10 David Stremme 1,327

Schedule: Thursday–Practice 1-2:30 p.m.; Final Practice 6-7 p.m. Saturday–Qualifying, 3:45 p.m.

The Coca-Cola 600 Through the Years

2008-05-21T06:33:00.001-07:00

Look At One of NASCAR’s Crown Jewels

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 19, 2008) – The Memorial Day Weekend tradition that is the Coca-Cola 600 conjures up thoughts of spotlight prestige and unforgettable history. Over the years, some of NASCAR’s biggest stars shined brightest on one of the sport’s largest stages. Take a look at some of the lasting memories of the 600:

1961: Pearson Gets First Win – David Pearson, the 1960 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year, could not land a ride for the 1961 season. That year, car builder Ray Fox had a powerful Pontiac prepared for the 600 at the race track then known as Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fox’s regular driver Darel Dieringer was unable to compete due to a conflict with a tire company, with which he had a contract. Fox needed a driver immediately. Joe Littlejohn, a famed racer and promoter, heard of Fox’s plight and sought out Pearson, who was doing roofing work at the time. Fox gave Pearson a practice run and was impressed with his style. Pearson went on to qualify third for the 55 car field. The white Pontiac shot to the lead on Lap 2 and dominated the race, leading 226 of the 400 laps. Pearson won the race by a margin of over two laps, but not without a little end-race drama. With a little over one lap to go, Pearson’s Pontiac blew a tire. He knew a pit stop would dash his hopes for a victory, so he pressed on. Pearson limped across the finish line in a shower of sparks for his first of 105 wins in NASCAR’s premier series.

1966: Petty Subs for Panch – Marvin Panch wasn’t driving his normal Wood Brothers ride due to a rules dispute. He was prepared to go to LeMans, France for testing of the GT-40 sports car when he got a call from Lee Petty. Petty had an extra car he wanted to enter for the 1966 Coca-Cola 600. According to Panch, “Lee Petty offered me a ride, so I just had to take it”. The car was a year-old Plymouth, driven on the dirt tracks by Richard Petty. Years later, Panch noted the suspension was set up for dirt, and remnants of past races flew from every nook and cranny in the Plymouth as Panch motored around the track at racing speed. He mentioned picking dirt out of his eyes for quite a while after the race. But the car was fast enough to qualify seventh. Panch worked his way to the front of the pack with Richard Petty taking over in relief on Lap 358 of the 400-lapper. The seat was rubbing on an old racing injury of Panch’s and Petty had dropped out on Lap 236 with engine problems, so he was pressed into service. Richard Petty wheeled the Plymouth into victory lane, but he explained, “Marvin put the car in front and all I did was keep it there.”

1975: Earnhardt Make His Debut – Second generation driver Dale Earnhardt had been trying to follow in his father’s footsteps for several years. He had been noticed on the local short tracks of the Carolina’s and then-Charlotte Motor Speedway President Richard Howard felt it was time to give the kid a shot at the big tracks. Howard secured a ride for Earnhardt in Ed Negre’s Dodge. Ironically, the car was No. 8, the same number used by Earnhardt’s famous father, Ralph. The young Earnhardt took to the big track and fast speeds fairly well, qualifying 33rd. He stayed out of trouble during the race, coming home in 22nd spot, 45 laps behind race winner Richard Petty.

1978: Waltrip breaks through – Darrell Waltrip, who earned the nickname “Jaws” for his outspoken demeanor, had been a powerhouse in NASCAR’s premier series since 1975 and had 12 wins to his credit. But he never won an event at Charlotte. David Pearson, having won 10 consecutive Charlotte poles, was always a strong favorite, but Waltrip was due for a Charlotte win. Waltrip was not overly confident of his chances after qualifying a distant 17th but the Chevrolet worked well on race day, taking him to the front by Lap 43. The 1978 edition of NASCAR’s longest race was a hotly contested affair with the lead swapping hands 44 times among six drivers. As the leaders entered the closing laps of the event, six cars were tightly bunched for the lead when Dale Earnhardt, running several laps off the pace, spun in Turn 4, bringing out the caution. Once the track was clean, the green flag flew with two laps remaining. Waltrip was in the lead as fellow front-runner Benny Parsons spun in Turn 1, clipping Donnie Allison and tagging David Pearson. Darrell Waltrip, who was in front of the trouble, motored on to his first of five 600 wins, the most of any other driver.

1987: Petty tradition honored, legacy extended – Charlotte, N.C. and the Petty family have a bond dating back to June 19, 1949, the day of the first race in NASCAR’s premier series. The event was run on the old three-quarter mile dirt track and Lee Petty competed in that first race. He was responsible for the premier series’ first caution flag when he flipped his Buick. By the time Lee retired from racing, he had three Charlotte-based wins to his credit. Later, in 1960, Lee’s son, Richard, scored the first of his 200 premier-series victories Cup wins at Charlotte’s Southern States Fairgrounds half-mile track. Richard Petty retired with seven Charlotte-based wins. In the 1980s, third-generation driver Kyle Petty was involved in NASCAR. It was time for him to continue the tradition. Petty was driving the Wood Brothers Ford Thunderbird #21 for the 1987 season. He qualified seventh for the Coca-Cola 600 — the race had gotten a new name and major sponsor in 1985. Leader after leader fell out of the race. Meanwhile, Petty steadily worked his way up through the field and moved to the front on Lap 284. Each time he was challenged, the other driver would drop out of the race due to mechanical problems. Petty was showing this race truly would be “survival of the fittest.” Petty took the lead from Rusty Wallace on Lap 384 and never again was challenged. The winning Petty tradition would continue as Kyle Petty pulled into victory lane for the biggest win of his career. “I really didn’t want to lead this race, but it seemed I was the only one left,” Petty said.

1994: Jeff Gordon’s first victory – Jeff Gordon came to NASCAR competition via the Midwestern, open-wheel ranks of USAC. He had some success in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for a few years before coming to NASCAR’s premier series in 1993. Gordon electrified the racing world by winning a Daytona 500 qualifying race in his first premier series start. He went on to win the 1993 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award that year. Gordon was dubbed the “Wonder Boy” by Dale Earnhardt, and the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 proved why the nickname was appropriate. Gordon came to Charlotte and promptly put his Rick Hendrick-owned Chevrolet on the pole with a new track record. Gordon led the first lap of the 600, but dropped back and played it safe, knowing this would be a long race and an event with high attrition. Gordon did not take the lead until Lap 300 of the 400-lap event, and then for only two laps. He took only two tires on the last pit stop giving him great track position. Gordon made his way to the front again for the final time on Lap 392 and beat Rusty Wallace to the line by nearly four seconds. Gordon’s first victory had come at one of NASCAR crown-jewel events. He had immediately secured a place for himself in the history of the sport.

2003: Johnson becomes king of sponsor’s home – It was only a matter of time before Jimmie Johnson won a “crown jewel” race. His status of “rookie” in 2002 was in name only – he won three times and finished fifth in the points standings. Onlookers could tell this driver was one day destined for a Daytona 500 win, a Darlington win, a 600 win, an Indy win and maybe even a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Of course, they were right, as it took Johnson only four years to accomplish all five of those lofty goals. The first checked off the list was the Coca-Cola 600, in 2003. Johnson, driving a car sponsored by Lowe’s at a track sponsored by Lowe’s, personified patience. He set a LMS record that still stands five years later – lowest starting position by a race winner. Starting 37th, Johnson used every bit of the 400 laps to climb to first. He led just 34 laps that race to finish a spot ahead of eventual series champion Matt Kenseth.

2007: Mears makes a name in NASCAR – Casey Mears was in an unenviable position – racing on a Memorial Day Weekend and having the same last name as a four-time Indianapolis 500 champion. Talk about pressure. Mears’ uncle, Rick, tasted Indy glory four times. Casey had yet to win a single NASCAR race. That would all come to an end in 2007. Mears, 0-for-155 to start his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, used the guile of a veteran winner to capture the 2007 Coca-Cola 600. Using fuel strategy smarts – combined with a ton of patience – Mears drove to Victory Lane in a memorable 600 race. While most of other front runners came into pit for a splash ‘n go fuel stop, Mears “rolled the dice”…and won. His No. 25 Chevrolet lasted until the checkered, becoming the latest Mears to win on Memorial Day Weekend.

Storylines: Lowe's Motor Speedway and Mansfield

2008-05-20T05:21:00.001-07:00

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Careers Made at the 600
Talk about history. The 600 has been around since 1960. For years it was called the World 600, now the Memorial Day Weekend tradition is known as the Coca-Cola 600 – and it is one of the crown jewels of NASCAR.

Fittingly, it’s a place where careers have begun…and have been made.

A number of notable drivers made their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the event, drivers like Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Also, a number of marquee names got their first premier series win in the 600, such as past series champions David Pearson, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth.

A Winning Strategy A Must
The old adage “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” fits the Coca-Cola 600 perfectly.

Teams have 600 miles run over 400 laps to get the car’s setup just right. And changes are not only expected, they’re necessary.

The green flag drops under a twilight sky, and ends at night, when track temperature dips and the surface gets more grip.

Pit strategy is also a key factor, and can mean the difference between winning and losing. Casey Mears, and then crew chief Darian Grubb, gambled and won with their fuel mileage strategy last season, deciding to stay on track while others pitted for fuel. The “roll of the dice” paid off, giving Mears his first series win.

Mears A Memorial Day Mainstay
For years, the name Mears was synonymous with Indy on Memorial Day weekend. Now it's synonymous with NASCAR. Casey Mears, nephew of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, is the defending champion of the 600.

Last year, Casey won for the first time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, ending a 155-race drought. He now looks for another strong finish in the 600, as back-to-back sub 30th-place finishes has dropped him to 27th in the series standings.

Kahne’s Rebound Season Continues
Kasey Kahne entered the 2008 season with a new sponsor and a renewed outlook.

His 2007, by his standards, was awful. He missed the Chase and failed to win a single race – all after winning a series-high six races in 2006.

So far, 2008 has been much more kind to the driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge. He sits just two points outside the coveted 12th place position in the standings and is coming of a huge win in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Kahne, who earned a spot in the race by winning the NASCAR Sprint Fan Vote, became the first driver to win the All-Star race after winning the Fan Vote.

Now he returns to the scene of arguably the biggest win of his career – the 2006 Coca-Cola 600 – looking to end a 52-race winless drought. Kahne swept the two Lowe’s Motor Speedway races in 2006 and six of his seven races have come on intermediate style tracks.

Johnson Feel Right at Home
This weekend is a “home track advantage” for a lot of drivers. But Jimmie Johnson may feel even more at home than anyone else.

Not only does he share a sponsor – Lowe’s – with the track, but he’s won five times there – including three consecutive 600s, from 2003-2005.

His statistics at Lowe’s Motor Speedway over the last three years there dominate the rest of the field. His Driver Rating is a series-high 120.2, which is 26 points more than second-place Kyle Busch (94.3).

Martin Looks for Second 600 Win
Mark Martin has 35 wins during his storied 26-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career – but perhaps none bigger than the Coca-Cola 600 in 2002.

He hopes the magic repeats itself six years and one team later. Martin, who won the 600 while driving for Roush Fenway Racing, now runs a partial schedule for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Like Kahne, Martin is looking to end a lengthy win drought – he hasn’t won in 74 attempts.

Memorial Day Momentum: Hornish, Allmendinger Roll
As the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner, Sam Hornish Jr. knows a thing or two about Memorial Day Weekend success. Now he’s hoping that translates to NASCAR success this weekend.

Momentum is on his side. Hornish, along with Sprint Showdown winner AJ Allmendinger, both qualified for last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race because of their 1-2 finish in the Showdown. Now they look to continue their roll.

Their first challenge: Make the Coca-Cola 600 field. Neither are in the top 35 in Owner Points, meaning neither has a guaranteed spot.

Hornish’s No. 77 Dodge is 36th in the standings and Allmendinger’s No. 84 Toyota is 40th.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Wallace, Stremme Remain Strong for Rusty Wallace Racing
The Wallace family built its racing legacy in St. Louis, but third-generation driver Steve Wallace looks forward to racing in Charlotte and brings the best statistics of his series career with him. Wallace, 20, was born in North Carolina so this is a true “home” race for him.

Teaming with David Stremme for his father’s Rusty Wallace Racing team, Steve Wallace sits 11th in the standings, 28 points behind his teammate. He’s posted career-best top-five finishes in his last two races and has benefitted from the mentorship and consistency of Stremme, who is putting together what could be his best season in the series.

Bliss Leads Impressive List of Series-Only Regulars
Mike Bliss’ fifth-place ranking leads five series-only regulars in the standings. His only series win to date came at the 2004 fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. That event is remembered as one of that season’s best thanks to his daring late-race move that split Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth on the frontstretch, carrying him to the win. The victory was also the lone win at the track in series competition for JGR, a team currently on a series-record six-race winning streak. Bliss now drives for Phoenix Racing while the trio of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch has put together the string of wins for JGR. Hamlin is the JGR driver this weekend.

With Momentum, Kahne Is Able
There’s a lot to be said for momentum—just ask Kasey Kahne. The defending winner of last year’s race returns after winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race over the weekend. That’s also good news for Dodge; the manufacturer has yet to win in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition this season and its last win was engineered by Kahne at Bristol Motor Speedway this past August.

JR Motorsports Adds to Team
JR Motorsports will add to the organization’s short history when the team will enter three cars in the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300. Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 83 Chevrolet, series-only regular Brad Keselowski—ranked seventh in the points—will be in the No. 88 and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson—who competed in two full seasons in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2000-01—will be in the No. 5. Braun Racing will also field three Toyotas with Kyle Busch, ranked second in the points, in the No. 32; Jason Leffler (eighth in the standings) in the No. 38 and 2003 series champion Brian Vickers in the No. 10.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

ThorSport Racing Returns Home A Winner
ThorSport Racing, the only team based outside the North Carolina/Virginia NASCAR axis, returns to Ohio a winner for the first time in 237 races. The Sandusky team had just one previous victory (at the defunct Flemington (N.J.) Speedway) before Matt Crafton captured last weekend’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway event to break a personal winless streak of 177 races.

Ohio Natives Get One Shot for Hometown Glory
This weekend’s fifth visit to Mansfield Motorsports Park marks the only annual appearance by a NASCAR national series in a state that – ironically – sends more than its share of natives to NASCAR teams. Jack Roush is the most prominent Ohioan counting 48 wins and a championship in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Battle for Point Lead Heats Up
Championship leaders Ron Hornaday Jr. and Todd Bodine ran into late-race trouble at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Hornaday remains atop the point standings but only by five over Rick Crawford. Both drivers will celebrate their 50th birthdays in June. Sixty-six points are the difference between the first and sixth positions. And – Kyle Busch’s eighth-place finish boosted Billy Ballew back into the No. 1 spot in owner standings.

Sprague the Favorite a Mansfield
Jack Sprague’s a “can’t miss” favorite at Mansfield Motorsports Park. Four appearances have netted a win and three second-place finishes. The defending winner, however, is Dennis Setzer, winner of this season’s only short track race at Martinsville Speedway. There have been five consecutive different short track winners.

Chevrolet Back On Top; Cope’s Family Ties
Chevrolet passes Toyota to lead by a point in a close manufacturers’ battle. Ford remains the only winless truck maker in 2008 riding a non-winning streak of 12 races. Neither Ford nor Toyota has managed to win at Mansfield … Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope’s 24-year-old twin nieces make their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Mansfield.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series News And Notes – Mansfield

2008-05-20T05:20:00.001-07:00

Crafton, ThorSport Racing End Long Victory Droughts
Jack Sprague Definitely Knows Mansfield Motorsports Park
Wild Night In Charlotte Rattles NASCAR Craftsman Truck Standings

The Long Wait Is Over For Crafton, ThorSport Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 19, 2008) – Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) didn’t miss a beat after winning the May 16 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 and thereby erasing a 177-race winless streak.

“Finally, we can shut them up,” he said of those who’ve asked the when question since Crafton joined the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in October 2000. “Now they can say, ‘when’s the next one coming?’”

Indeed, Crafton ended the series’ longest run of frustration (see chart below) for a non-winner.

It hardly was a surprise. Crafton finished second in March at Martinsville Speedway and has had numerous third-place finishes during his seven-season career.

“Perseverance pays off,” he said.

The trait also paid off for ThorSport Racing, a fulltime team since 1998. Terry Cook (No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota) posted its only victory on Aug. 8, 1998 at the now defunct Flemington (N.J.) Speedway.

Crafton won in the team’s 237th start since that win.

“I can’t thank Duke and Rhonda Thorson enough for the money they put out of their own pocket,” said Crafton.

Jack Sprague Has Mansfield Motorsports Park’s Number

Three-time champion Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) is all smiles this week — even if things didn’t exactly go his way May 16 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Saturday’s Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park is next on the schedule and Sprague’s record at the .5-mile oval is nothing short of incredible.

Sprague has competed at Mansfield four times, winning in 2004. Since then, he’s finished second in three consecutive races.

It might be the half-mile track. Sprague is third in series short-track wins (13) and is the only driver to have won at all five such tracks on the schedule.

Sprague can’t completely explain his success at Mansfield but said, “Mansfield is a short track just like I grew up on. I have the most experience with these types of tracks and I am most comfortable racing at these venues.”

Sprague, however, is candid in explaining one element.

“A lot of my success can be attributed to pit strategy,” he said. “We have always had great pit stops and been able to make the right calls (for track position).

“Qualifying is very critical here. A good qualifying effort can set you up to have a great day.”

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Most Starts At First Win
Driver Starts Wins
Matt Crafton 178 1
Bryan Reffner 112 1
Kevin Harvick 75 2
Jimmy Hensley 70 2
David Starr 66 4
Note: Eight drivers have required 50 or more starts to win their first race. Seventeen needed fewer than 10.

Wild Night In Charlotte Tightens Title Race

Just about every driver among the top five had a shot at victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, but when the dust settled, Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) remained atop the standings.

But Hornaday’s 23rd-place finish, after coming within a few laps of defending his 2007 victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, has benefitted multiple challengers — starting with veteran Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford).

Crawford ended the event just five points behind Hornaday. In fact, the top six positions are separated by 66 points.

The biggest gainers — no surprise here — were Matt Crafton and Chad McCumbee (No. 8 MRD Chevrolet). They moved up three and two positions, to fourth and sixth, respectively.

While Kyle Busch finished eighth after leading a race-high 86 laps, the performance was good enough to put his team owner, Billy Ballew, back in the Owners’ Championship lead.

Ballew is up by 32 over DeLana Harvick, Hornaday’s team owner.

Etc. and Quotable

ThorSport An Outsider But. … ThorSport Racing is based in Sandusky, Ohio and is the only fulltime team not headquartered in North Carolina or Virginia.
Whole Lot Of Leading Going On. … A Lowe’s Motor Speedway series record 11 drivers exchanged the lead 14 times in Friday night’s race. Hornaday is the only driver to lead a lap in all six of the season’s races.
Several Drivers Set for Mansfield Debuts. … At least three drivers are bidding for their first NASCAR Craftsman Truck action on Saturday. They are John Wes Townley (No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford); Scotty Crockett (No. 12 Mario Gosselin Chevrolet) and Angela Cope (No. 73 Dodge). Cope, 24, is one of two racing twins and the niece of 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope. Cope will drive the No. 74 team truck.
“The fans in Ohio look forward to this race all year, and they really let us know how much they enjoy having (us) visit. They treat the drivers like kings. It adds extra excitement being at our home track, less than an hour from our shop. There's just an electricity in the air." - Shelby Howard, driver of ThorSport Racing’s No. 13 Chevrolet.
“At Mansfield, where the main thing is to stay out of trouble and go for the decent finish, leaving with a top-10 finish and very little damage to the Lumber Liquidators Tundra is a good day – and you won’t hear me say that often.” - Todd Bodine, whose best Mansfield finish is 15th.
Short Tracks Up For Grabs. … There have been five different winners in the most recent five short-track races. Go back six — to Mansfield ‘07 — and Dennis Setzer (No. 18 BHR VA Dodge) is the only double winner.
No Luck At Lowe’s: Rookies Hope For Better Results

The five-race run of consecutive rookie finishes among the top 10 ended last week at Lowe’s Motor Speedway where Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford) was 15th with Andy Lally (No. 7 TRG/Adobe Road Winery Chevrolet) one spot behind.

Now it’s on to Mansfield where there’s been a rookie top-10 finisher (and two among the top five) in each of the four previous races.

Roush Fenway Racing’s Todd Kluever performed the best: He ran fourth in 2005. Last year’s best rookie finisher was 10th-place Kevin Hamlin.

Two Raybestos candidates finished among the top 10 in this year’s only short-track race. Donny Lia (No 71 TRG Chevrolet) and Scott Speed (No. 22 Red Bull Toyota) finished ninth and 10th, respectively.

Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings after six races of the 2008 season:

1. Colin Braun 64
2. Justin Marks 56
3. Brian Scott 49
4. Andy Lally 45
5. Donny Lia 43
6. Phillip McGilton 38
7. Marc Mitchell 37
8. Scott Speed 7

Howe Among Many Ohioans In NASCAR Craftsman Trucks

The state of Ohio may be hundreds of miles from the North Carolina/Virginia bases of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

But that doesn’t mean the state isn’t well-represented. Some might say Ohioans have more than their share of influence on the series — starting with Jack Roush, a native of Manchester, whose trucks have won 48 times and sent Greg Biffle to the 2000 championship.

Among those whose Mansfield Motorsports Park visit will be a Buckeye homecoming is Doug Howe, crew chief of the No. 08 Gunbroker.com Dodge driven by Jason White.

Howe hails from Cuyahoga Falls — a town located 70 miles northeast of the track.

Howe became interested in racing as a youth and volunteered as a crew member for local driver Scott Baker. What began as a weekend hobby evolved into a decision to move to Mooresville, N.C., and pursue a career in NASCAR racing.

He’s currently with SS Green Light Racing and has worked with a number of teams including JR Motorsports and what became Germain Motorsports.

“He’s worked for various teams but he always seems to come back to Green Light,” said his wife Sheryl, who also works for the team in an administrative capacity. The Howes have two daughters, Crystal and Julia.

Both describe their father as “quiet.”

“Doug is one of the hardest-working and most loyal people in all of racing,” said Bobby Dotter, the team’s general manager. “He brings a lot to our team. I don’t think there is anyone in the garage area that doesn’t like Doug.”

Up Next:

Teams tackle the first of three concrete-surfaced tracks on May 30 with a visit to Dover International Speedway’s “Monster Mile.”

The AAA Insurance 200 marks the ninth appearance of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Dover.

Championship leader and 2007 champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is the defending winner of the AAA Insurance 200.

In The Loop:

Racing at Mansfield is hit-or-miss for past NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions – some are solid, some aren’t.

The two best active drivers are Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday Jr.

In the four series races held at Mansfield, Sprague has finished inside the top two – including a win in 2004.

In his three races since, Sprague has a Driver Rating of 107.6, a series-best Average Running Position of 8.8, 21 Fastest Laps Run and a series-high percentage of Laps in the Top 15 (80.4%).

Hornaday, with a Mansfield win in 2006, owns the top average Mansfield Driver Rating of 120.1 over the last three races there. Additionally, he has an Average Running Position of 9.5 and a series-high 65 Fastest Laps Run.

But the success rate hasn’t been so robust for champions Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner and Ted Musgrave. While none have fared poorly, there is only one top-five finish at Mansfield among them (Skinner’s fourth-place finish last year).

Over the past three Mansfield races, Musgrave has the strongest statistics of those three drivers. Musgrave, whose best Mansfield finish was 12th in 2005, has a Mansfield Driver Rating of 93.1 and an Average Running Position of 12.7.

Bodine has a Driver Rating of 88.2, an Average Running Position of 13.0 and 35 Fastest Laps Run, which ranks second in the series at Mansfield. Skinner has a Driver Rating of 87.7 and a Average Running Position of 13.6.

This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through six races of the 25-race season)

Points leader – Ron Hornaday Jr. (874)
Driver Rating – Kyle Busch (124.9)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (237)
Victories – Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles – Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes – Five drivers with three
Top-10 finishes – Five drivers with four
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (6)
Weeks in Top 10 – Five drivers with six
Director’s Take: Wayne’s Words

“When we were a lot younger, it was always exciting when the circus came to our area of North Carolina.

“That’s how I’d explain the response of residents in and around Mansfield, Ohio since the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series made its first visit to the community in 2004.

“We have been welcomed with open arms to say the least. It seems like the whole town turns out for the annual hauler parade and downtown street festival.

“Thousands of folks have taken the opportunity to meet our drivers, get autographs and tour team and NASCAR haulers.

“It harkens back to another era in racing — when the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were in their infancies and visited tracks in small towns across the southeast.

“The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is definitely No. 1 in mid-Ohio during the fourth week of May.

“Mansfield Motorsports Park itself hasn’t always been so welcoming to the drivers.

“The well-banked half-mile is among the most challenging short tracks on the schedule.

“A driver must be on top of his game and his crew chief more so.

“A year ago, Spears Motorsports gambled on a no-stop strategy and Dennis Setzer won. That won’t happen this year as we’ve reduced the capacity of the fuel cell.

“One thing is certain. The fans will see a lot of close-up action.

— Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director.

Chevrolet Rolls While Toyota ‘Poles’

Toyota has ruled the roost, so to speak, since Todd Bodine’s (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) win at Daytona International Speedway in February.

Chevrolet, however, knocked Toyota off its perch with Matt Crafton’s victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. General Motors bypassed its rival and carries a one-point Manufacturers’ Championship lead into this week’s Ohio 250.

Toyota, however, reached one milestone in the Queen City when Kyle Busch (No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Toyota) posted a qualifying lap of 179.045 mph to give the truck maker its 50th pole.

Busch’s pole came in Toyota’s 106th race — and 96th time that the No. 1 position had been decided through time trials.

The latter figure gives Toyota a 52% success rate.

“That’s an incredible number I think, (and) to have it happen in such a short time frame is a testament to the program,” said Jim Aust, President/CEO of Toyota Racing Development.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings

Chevrolet 39
Toyota 38
Ford 30
Dodge 25

FAST FACTS

The Race: Ohio 250
The Place: Mansfield Motorsports Park
The Date: May 24, 2008
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 250 laps / 125 miles
TV: SPEED, 12:30 p.m. ET
Track Layout: .5-Mile Oval
2007 Winner: Dennis Setzer
2007 Pole: Mike Skinner
2008 Standings:

Rk Driver Points
1 R. Hornaday Jr. 874
2 R. Crawford 869
3 T. Bodine 836
4 M. Crafton 829
5 D. Setzer 817
6 C. McCumbee 808
7 K. Busch 797
8 J. Benson 796
9 E. Darnell 771
10 T. Cook 760

Schedule: Friday: Practice, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Qualifying, 6:30 p.m.

Young Nationwide driver might turn the natiownide seires back to what it was in 2005

2008-05-19T16:19:00.001-07:00

In 2005 Martin Truex Jr was the last natiownide only driver when it was called the Busch series to the the title. Ever since then its been Cup guys. This year the NASCAR Natiownide series migth have some young guys changing that.

Joey Logano= Okay hes only doing 18 races but my friend Joey Logano is gonna be fast from the start I predict a win this year. He can adapt to any car , got that charger mentality off his back and became soley a natural. In 2009 look for him to be 2nd in points to his guy...

Bryan Clasuon= One of my good friends alot of people believe hes better than Logano , Busch , Hamlin and even Carl Edwards. Won alot in USAC is with a team that is struggling but after being the 4th fastest driver in testing at Lowes motor speedway. He will win races this year possible canidate for the 40 car in 2009 and will most liekly be the 2009 NASCAR Natiownide seires Champion

Steve Wallace= Known by broadcasters has "Car in the wall" or "Car around" Steve has made a complete 360 in his career and could move up to cup has soon has this year. Ruffled up Kyle Busch at richmond showed he can race hard and still get top fives. Wrecking so much people didn't know hes has good has a otn of the guys who race in cup right now whatch out for him

Marc Davis= good friend aswell Could be the tiger woods of NASCAR has had a ton of sucess in his career simillar to his JGR teamate Joey Logano and Bryan Clasuon. Currently leads Camping World east points after 2 staright top 2 finsihes to start out the year almost winning at Iwoa. Joe Gibbs is awaiting his 18th bday june 23rd so he could possibly Join Logano in Natiownide. In 2009 look for a top 3 finish in points by him

James Buschser= Extremely underrated talent won in his first arca remax start started racign at 12 moved up the ranks rather quick in simillar style like Kyle Busch. Bruan has picked him up to groom him for fulltime Natiownide in 2009. Top five finsih in points could happen

Austin Dillion= Hes not the best but hes good. Might not do natiownide for a while he wants to go to college but he will certainly race a ton for his grandad RC.

Jeffery Earnhardt= Looking to win some races and have sucess like his grandad Dale Earnhardt and uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr taking it very slow looking to fulltime nationwide in 2009

Aj Hunsinger= good friend of mine races on dirt in pa. IMCA bad cars but always gets top fives and wins heat races. Talkign to some teams about fulltime nationwide in 2009 he could be an underdog.

Chase Austin=Hes raced everything there is on dirt hes extremely underrated like Hunsinger and Buschser. Races for Rusty Wallace hopeful for fulltime Natiownide could alo be the Tiger Woods of NASCAR

Brian Ickler= Underrated (using that word alot) Just won at Iwoa teams need to be looking at this guy he could be the next big thing

Colin Bruan= Should be higher he could be one of the greats very talented driver

Landon Cassil= having a hard time in Natiownide but is preveiling in Truck very well could be saving grace for him

Brad Kelsolowki= Might be the best out of the bucnh dude is extremely talented will win the championship in the Nationwide series this year and will be in that 5 car in 2009 or 2010

Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Coca-Cola 600 At Lowe’s Motor Speedway

2008-05-19T13:38:00.001-07:00

The Coca-Cola 600 – one of the crown jewels of NASCAR – will be especially important to three previous winners for three different reasons:

Kasey Kahne

Kahne is trying to end a winless drought which stretches 52 points races long and, perhaps more importantly, return to the top 12 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway seems like the right place to check off both those goals. Kahne swept the LMS races of 2006, and added a win in last Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.

LMS is the only track at which Kahne is a multiple winner, and a strong performance almost assures Kahne’s Top-12 return – he is currently only two points out.

Jeff Gordon

Gordon looks to stay in the top 12, a spot he entered two weeks ago for the second time this season.

Gordon has five wins at LMS, including the last time the series ran at the 1.5-mile track. He also has three Coca-Cola 600 wins in his career.

Plus, he has a personal milestone he’d like to continue – a win this season will make it 15 consecutive years with at least one victory, which would put him three years away from Richard Petty’s all-time record of 18.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson is falling behind in the “potential Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup bonus point” race. With each win in the first 26 races, a driver earns 10 bonus points to start the Chase. Right now, Johnson has 10 for his win at Phoenix. Still, he trails Kyle Busch by 20. A win at LMS, a track he’s conquered five times, would close the gap.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2008 Top 12 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating

1
Kyle Busch
8
0
0
1
2
3
25.9
94.3

2
Jeff Burton
28
0
2
7
13
4
15.2
82.9

3
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
17
1
0
4
8
3
16.9
85.1

4
Denny Hamlin
5
0
0
0
3
0
14.8
78.8

5
Clint Bowyer
4
0
0
1
1
0
18.3
76.9

6
Jimmie Johnson
13
2
5
8
11
1
6.8
120.2

7
Carl Edwards
6
0
0
3
5
0
7.3
88.6

8
Tony Stewart
18
0
1
6
11
1
12.9
78.2

9
Kevin Harvick
14
0
0
1
3
1
21.1
65.2

10
Jeff Gordon
30
7
5
14
16
9
16.8
85.0

11
Greg Biffle
10
0
0
1
3
2
21.0
83.6

12
David Ragan
2
0
0
0
0
1
38.5
46.4

Selected Driver Highlights – Lowe’s Motor Speedway-specific
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last three races at LMS. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 25.9
• Average Running Position of 14.4, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 94.3, second-best
• 116 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 177.051 mph, second-fastest
• 1,504 (68.1%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 279 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Four top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 16.9
• Average Running Position of 17.8, 13th-best
• Driver Rating of 85.1, seventh-best
• 51 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
• 413 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 176.548 mph, third-fastest
• 1,182 (53.6%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
• 208 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Three top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Average Running Position of 15.0, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 88.6, fifth-best
• 41 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
• Series-high 495 Green Flag Passes
• 1,225 (55.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
• 215 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Five wins, 14 top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.8
• Average Running Position of 6.4, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 85.0, eighth-best
• 102 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• 1,108 (50.2%) Laps in the Top 15, 12th-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Five wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 6.8
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
• Series-best Driver Rating of 120.2
• Series-high 246 Fastest Laps Run
• 459 Green Flag Passes, second-most
• Series-high 1,956 (88.6%) Laps in the Top 15
• 298 Quality Passes, second-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Two wins, three top 10s
• Average finish of 15.8
• Average Running Position of 14.0, third-best
• Driver Rating of 92.9, fourth-best
• 163 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 430 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
• 1,171 (53.1%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
• 242 Quality Passes, third-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford)
• One win, five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 15.8
• Average Running Position of 18.4, 14th-best
• Driver Rating of 87.0, sixth-best
• 76 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
• 1,200 (54.4%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most

Mark Martin (No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Four wins, 17 top fives, 21 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.1
• Average Running Position of 11.9, second-best
• Driver Rating of 93.2, third-best
• 39 Fastest Laps Run, tied for 13th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 176.546 mph, fourth-fastest
• 1,664 (75.4%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 232 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Casey Mears (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• One win
• Average finish of 20.1
• Average Running Position of 16.1, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 81.3, 12th-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 175.904 mph, 10th-fastest
• 1,334 (60.4%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 209 Quality Passes, seventh-most

At Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
History
• Construction began in 1959.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was May 29, 1982.
• The first night race was the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in 1992. The first night (twilight) point race was in the spring of 1993.
• The track was repaved mid-season in 1994.
• The first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at LMS was on May 16, 2003.
• The 2003 fall race was the first race at Lowe’s to be run completely at night.
• The track was re-paved before the 2006 season.

Notebook
• There have been 98 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960. In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying point races held the week before the World 600. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
• Fireball Roberts won the pole for the first race at LMS, in 1960.
• Joe Lee Johnson won the first race at LMS, in 1960.
• 36 drivers have posted poles at LMS, led by David Pearson with 14.
• David Pearson posted 11 straight poles at Charlotte from the fall of 1973 through 1978.
• Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead active drivers with seven poles each.
• Jeff Gordon won five straight spring race poles from 1994 to 1998.
• 40 drivers have won races, led by Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip with six each.
• Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon lead active drivers in wins with five victories each.
• Hendrick Motorsports has won 15 races at LMS, more than any other organization.
• There have been 13 back-to-back victories at Lowe’s, including three in-a-row by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964-fall1965).
• A sweep has occurred eight times at LMS, including three of the past four seasons: Jimmie Johnson (2004 and 2005) and Kasey Kahne (2006).
• 13 races have been won from the pole, the last by Jimmie Johnson in the spring of 2004.
• Jimmie Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started at LMS.
• Hendrick Motorsports has won seven of the past 10 races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Three different HMS drivers have won there since 2002, including sweeps in 2004 and 2005 by Jimmie Johnson and an organization sweep last season by Casey Mears and Jeff Gordon.

NASCAR in North Carolina
• There have been 506 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in North Carolina.
• 406 NASCAR drivers have their home state recorded as North Carolina; 311 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
• There have been 42 race winners from North Carolina in NASCAR’s three national series; 29 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Driver
NCSC
NNS
NCTS

Richard Petty
200
0
0

Dale Earnhardt
76
21
0

Lee Petty
54
0
0

Ned Jarrett
50
0
0

Junior Johnson
50
0
0

Herb Thomas
48
0
0

Buck Baker
46
0
0

Bobby Isaac
37
0
0

Dale Jarrett
32
11
0

Jim Paschal
25
0
0

Benny Parsons
21
0
0

Speedy Thompson
20
0
0

Buddy Baker
19
0
0

Harry Gant
18
21
0

Dale Earnhardt, Jr
17
22
0

Bob Welborn
9
0
0

Kyle Petty
8
0
0

Morgan Shepherd
4
15
0

Bill Blair
3
0
0

Gwyn Staley
3
0
0

Billy Myers
2
0
0

Jimmy Pardue
2
0
0

Brian Vickers
1
3
0

Phil Parsons
1
2
0

Richard Brickhouse
1
0
0

Leon Sales
1
0
0

Buddy Shuman
1
0
0

Donald Thomas
1
0
0

Jack Ingram
0
31
0

Tommy Houston
0
24
0

Sam Ard
0
22
0

Robert Pressley
0
10
2

Scott Riggs
0
4
5

Dennis Setzer
0
2
18

Hank Parker, Jr
0
2
0

Johnny Rumley
0
2
0

Ed Berrier
0
1
0

Justin Labonte
0
1
0

Stephen Leicht
0
1
0

Andy Houston
0
0
3

Ricky Hendrick
0
0
1

Shane Hmiel
0
0
1

Lowe’s Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 12 of 36 (5-25-08)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
• Banking/Corners: 24 degrees
• Banking/Straights: 5 degrees
• Frontstretch: 1,980 feet
• Backstretch: 1,500 feet

Driver Rating at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Jimmie Johnson 120.2
Kyle Busch 94.3
Mark Martin 93.2
Kasey Kahne 92.9
Carl Edwards 88.6
Matt Kenseth 87.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 85.1
Jeff Gordon 85.0
Brian Vickers 84.7
Greg Biffle 83.6
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data
2006 pole winner: Scott Riggs (187.865 mph, 28.744 seconds)
2006 race winner: Kasey Kahne, 128.840 mph, 5-28-06)
Track qualifying record: Elliott Sadler (193.216 mph, 27.948 secs., 10-13-05)
600-mile race record: Bobby Labonte (151.952 mph, 5-28-95)

Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, based on fuel mileage.