Jul 2, 2008 - 9:39 AM
3 shoutsJuly 5, 2008 Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Race 18 of 36 on the Sprint Cup circuit
TV: TNT, 8 p.m. EDT
Laps: 160 Track Length: 2 1/2 miles Race Length: 400 miles
Qualifying Record: Bill Elliott, Ford, 210.364 mph, 1987 Race Record: Bobby Allison, Mercury, 173.473 mph, 1980
DRIVERS TO WATCH ----------------
Jeff Burton Team: Richard Childress Racing Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $2,769,224
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished 12th at Loudon last week and remains in second in the standings, 64 points behind Kyle Busch; finished 15th at Michigan; won at Bristol for first win of the season; finished 13th in the Daytona 500 and eighth at California; was fifth in Las Vegas and 10th at Atlanta; has 10 top 10s through first 17 races; finished eighth in last season's standings, one year after placing seventh; finished in the top 10 in half of the races last season, including nine top fives; lone win of the 2007 season came in April at Texas; finished the season strong with five top 10s over the final six races; ran 16th in this race last season.
Kyle Busch Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $3,829,638
Is in the midst of a stellar first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, winning five races and posting 10 top fives through 17 races; lead slipped to 64 points over Burton after finishing 25th at New Hampshire last week, following his first road course win at Sonoma; ran dead last at Pocono and then finished 13th at Michigan; finished 17th at Bristol after power steering failed and transmission issues relegated him to 38th at Martinsville; won at Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington and Dover; runner-up finish at Richmond was marred by a late-race incident with Dale Earnhardt Jr.; had the dominant car and led the most laps at the Daytona 500; was strong at Las Vegas early, but struggled late and wound up 11th; is looking to build off a sensational run at Hendrick Motorsports as he moves to JGR and Toyota; finished fifth in the final 2007 standings after qualifying for the Chase for the second consecutive season; had 20 top-10 finishes in 36 races last season, including 11 top fives; lone win came during the first Bristol race - the inaugural Car of Tomorrow event; ran second in this race the past two years.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $2,653,745
The circuit's most popular driver finished 24th at Loudon last week; snapped a 76-race winless stretch by winning at Michigan on fumes; nearly snapped skid but was involved in a late-race incident with Kyle Busch at Richmond and wound up 15th; sits third in the standings with 11 top 10s through 167 races; ran fifth at Bristol after a third at Atlanta and second at Las Vegas; was the top finishing Hendrick car at the Daytona 500 with a ninth-place showing; was involved in an early race crash at California and finished 40th; made the move from his father's Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he won 17 Cup events, to Hendrick Motorsports; got off to a good start with his new team by winning the Bud Shootout; suffered through a tough final season at DEI, finishing 16th in the standings; had 12 top 10s last season, but also posted 11 finishes of 25th or worse; finished 36th in this race last season.
Carl Edwards Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $3,770,800
Finished 17th at Loudon, ending run of eight top-10 finishes; sits in fourth in the standings, 234 points behind Busch; won at Texas for his third win of the season; was docked 100 points and fell from the top spot in the standings after being penalized after his win at Las Vegas; victory at Texas was his 10th career Cup win; had the dominant car again at Atlanta, but blew an engine and finished 42nd; ran 19th in the Daytona 500; qualified for the Chase last year and won at Dover after placing 12th at New Hampshire, but failed post-race inspection and was docked 25 points and fined; penalty dropped him from third to sixth in the standings and he never recovered; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship; finished with 11 top fives and 15 top 10s last year; also won at Michigan and Bristol; was second to Kyle Busch at Darlington and Dover; finished fourth here last year.
Jeff Gordon Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $2,892,741
Finished 11th at New Hampshire and remains sixth in the standings; finished 18th at Michigan; ran second at Martinsville; rebounded to finish fifth at Atlanta after being involved in a scary late-race crash at Las Vegas where he finished 35th; bounced back with a third at California after opening his 2008 season with a disappointing 39th in the Daytona 500; already has three DNFs this season after posting just one last year; only a dominant finish by teammate Jimmie Johnson kept him from capturing a fifth championship last season; finished with 10 top-10 finishes in the final 11 races - the other finish in that span was an 11th at Dover; totaled a remarkable 30 top-10 finishes and 21 top fives in 36 races last year; spun with less than two laps remaining at Watkins Glen while leading, costing him another potential win - still managed to finish ninth; had six checkered flags last season and 81 career, just two shy of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place all-time; had 10 poles last season - double that of Ryan Newman who had five; finished fifth at this race last season.
Jimmie Johnson Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $3,208,807
Ran ninth at New Hampshire last week and remains in fifth in the standings; two-time defending series champion blew a motor at Lowe's and finished in 39th place; bounced back with three top-10s, including a sixth at Michigan; picked up his first win of the season at Phoenix, then ran 13th at Talladega and 30th at Richmond; finished second at Texas following a fourth at Martinsville; had a disappointing three-race stretch at Las Vegas, Atlanta and Bristol when his average finish was 20th; ran second at California after starting this campaign with a 27th at the Daytona 500; battled teammate Gordon for the top spot in the Chase early last season, then took off - winning four straight races over the second half of the Chase; suffered through an up-and-down season before the Chase, finishing 39th at the Brickyard after a fiery crash on the heels of a 37th at Chicago; finished the season with 10 wins, 20 top-fives, 24 top 10s, yet failed to finish four races; finished 10th in this race last year.
Kasey Kahne Team: Gillett Evernham Motorsports Car: No. 9 Dodge 2008 Earnings: $3,861,130
Ran a disappointing 33rd at Sonoma and 30th at Loudon the past two weeks; finished second to Earnhardt at Michigan; won at Pocono from the pole; had a stellar two weeks at Lowe's, winning the Sprint All-Star Challenge then snapping a 52-race winless skid by taking the checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 600; has eight top 10s this season; after winning six races in 2006, struggled in 2007 when he finished 19th in the standings with just one top five and eight top 10s; also had six DNFs and dipped as low as 36th in the standings at one point; took on the famed Budweiser sponsorship after Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports; finished ninth in this race last year.
Matt Kenseth Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $2,719,985
Finished 18th at New Hampshire, snapping streak of six consecutive top-10 results; ran third at Michigan; is just 15 points out of the 12th place in the standings; finished 38th at Richmond and 41st at Talladega; ran 38th at Phoenix following a ninth at Texas and 30th at Martinsville; had consecutive top 10s at Bristol and Atlanta; was 20th at Las Vegas due to a late-race incident with Jeff Gordon; ran fifth at California, fresh off a disappointing 35th place showing at the Daytona 500; last season had a late-Chase surge with a win at the season-ending race at Homestead, following a third at Phoenix and a second at Texas; finished fourth in the final standings; had 13 top five finishes and 22 top 10s last season; won the series championship in 2003 despite capturing only one checkered flag, prompting NASCAR to change to its current Chase format; enters this season without long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop the box by Chip Bolin; ran ninth in this race last year.
Tony Stewart Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $3,312,948
Finished 13th at Loudon after running 10th at Sonoma; is now in ninth place; was involved in an early crash at Dover and finished 41st; came close to winning at Lowe's, but cut down a tire with three laps remaining while leading and finished 18th; with rumors swirling about his future at JGR, finished 38th at Talladega; bounced back to finish fourth at Richmond; ran 14th at Phoenix following back-to-back top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Texas; finished second to teammate Kyle Busch at Atlanta, but was vocal about the poor Goodyear tire quality; suffered a hard crash at Las Vegas, injured his ankle and finished last; had another disappointment at Daytona, finishing third despite having the lead with one lap to go; moved within two points of the points lead after the first two Chase races last year, but could not keep pace with Johnson and Gordon and faded to sixth in the final standings; ran 38th in this race last year.
2007 Top 10 ----------- 1. Jamie McMurray (26), Ford 2. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet 3. Kurt Busch (2), Dodge 4. Carl Edwards (99), Ford 5. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet 6. Greg Biffle (16), Ford 7. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet 8. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford 9. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge 10. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
Past Champions -------------- 2007 Jamie McMurray, Ford, 138.983 mph 2006 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 153.143 mph 2005 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 131.016 mph 2004 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 145.117 mph 2003 Greg Biffle, Ford, 166.109 mph 2002 Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 135.952 mph 2001 Dale Earnhardt Jr., 157.601 mph 2000 Jeff Burton, Ford, 148.576 mph 1999 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 169.213 mph 1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 144.549 mph 1997 John Andretti, Chevrolet, 157.791 mph 1996 Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 161.602 mph 1995 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 166.976 mph 1994 Jimmy Spencer, Ford, 155.558 mph 1993 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 151.755 mph 1992 Ernie Irvan, Chevrolet, 170.457 mph 1991 Bill Elliot, Ford, 159.116 mph 1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 160.894 mph 1989 Davey Allison, Ford, 132.207 mph 1988 Bill Elliot, Ford, 163.302 mph 1987 Bobby Allison, Buick, 161.074 mph 1986 Tim Richmond, Chevrolet, 131.916 mph 1985 Greg Sacks, Chevrolet, 158.730 mph 1984 Richard Petty, Pontiac, 171.204 mph 1983 Buddy Baker, Ford, 167.442 mph 1982 Bobby Allison, Buick, 163.099 mph 1981 Cale Yarborough, Buick, 142.588 mph 1980 Bobby Allison, Mercury, 173.473 mph 1979 Neil Bonnett, Mercury, 172.890 mph 1978 David Pearson, Mercury, 154.340 mph 1977 Richard Petty, Dodge, 142.716 mph 1976 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 160.966 mph 1975 Richard Petty, Dodge, 158.381 mph 1974 David Pearson, 73 Mercury, 138.301 mph 1973 David Pearson, 71 Mercury, 158.468 mph 1972 David Pearson, 71 Mercury, 160.821 mph 1971 Bobby Isaac, 71 Dodge, 161.947 mph 1970 Donnie Allison, 69 Ford, 162.235 mph 1969 LeeRoy Yarborough, 69 Ford, 160.875 mph 1968 Cale Yarborough, 68 Mercury, 167.247 mph 1967 Cale Yarborough, 67 Ford, 143.583 mph 1966 Sam McQuagg, 66 Dodge, 153.813 mph 1965 A.J. Foyt, 65 Ford, 150.046 mph 1964 A.J. Foyt, 64 Dodge, 151.451 mph 1963 Fireball Roberts, 63 Ford, 150.927 mph 1962 Fireball Roberts, 62 Pontiac, 153.688 mph 1961 David Pearson, 61 Pontiac, 154.294 mph 1960 Jack Smith, 60 Pontiac, 146.842 mph 1959 Fireball Roberts, 59 Pontiac, 140.581 mph
From the Bleachers
-
Lap 49/160, Leader: K. Busch
mark
i was excited when they said limited commercial breaks, but this is way worse...
Jul 5 9:26 PM -
mark
no way, definitely not just you. someone needs to make a commercial of him racing around an oval on a bicycle...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Owv79xVyrY
Jul 1 8:16 PM -
