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Gateway 250 Preview

Jul 21, 2007 - 10:37 AM

July 21, 2007 
Gateway International Raceway 
Madison, Illinois
Race 20 of 34 on Busch series circuit

TV: ESPN, 8 p.m. EDT

Laps: 200 
Track length: 1 1/4-mile oval 
Race length: 250 miles

Qualifying record: Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 135.021 mph,
2005 Race record: Carl Edwards, 119.142 mph, Ford, 2006


DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Dave Blaney 
Team: Braun Racing 
Car: No. 10 Toyota Camry 
2007 Earnings: $605,909

Finished ninth at Chicago last week to remain fourth in the
standings; has scored three top five and six top-10 finishes in
2007; won the first Busch Pole for Toyota at California; after
getting as high as second in the points standings last month,
had dropped to sixth following a 35th-place finish at New
Hampshire; still seeking his first win of the season; did not
race here last year, but has two previous starts at Gateway -
the last came in 1999. He finished in the top-10 in both of his
starts here.


Carl Edwards 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 60 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $805,785

Finished 20th at Chicago, only the fifth time in 19 races he
failed to finish in the top-10; was running in the top 10 in the
late stages of the race, but had to pull off the track with 23
laps to go to serve a NASCAR penalty for a procedural violation
by his pit crew; still holds a commanding lead in the standings,
716 points ahead of Kevin Harvick who is not running a full
Busch series schedule; has led in the standings for 18
consecutive weeks, and has has been in the top five following
the last 48 Busch races; in 19 starts this season, he has a
series-best four wins; has posted 12 top-five finishes and 15
top-10s; won this race last year.


Jason Leffler 
Team: Braun Racing 
Car: No. 38 Toyota Camry 
2007 Earnings: $632,351

Finished 33rd in Chicago last week, dropping a spot to sixth in
the standings; prior to Chicago had moved from 20th to fifth in
the standings over his previous six races; that stretch included
a pair of third-place finishes, with his lowest showing being a
14th at Milwaukee; has been inconsistent with eight finishes of
30th or worse in 19 races this year; finished 33rd in this race
last year.


David Ragan 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 6 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $459,912

Finished 19th at Chicago; moving up one position to fifth in the
standings ahead of Jason Leffler; scored two top-five and four
top-10 finishes in 2007; best finish this year was third at
Talladega; won the pole and finished fifth at Texas; leads the
Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year standings by 17 points over Marcos
Ambrose; did not race here last year and has one career Busch
series start at Gateway, finishing 32nd after starting 43rd in
2005.


David Reutimann 
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing 
Car: No. 99 Toyota Camry 
2007 Earnings: $617,631

Remained third in the standings, 867 points behind Edwards after
finishing 17th at Chicago; has six top-10 finishes in 2007
including his career-best finish of second place at the first
Nashville race; prior to a 40th at Daytona, had posted
back-to-back top-10 finishes with an eighth at New Hampshire and
a seventh at Milwaukee; has also finished 30th or worse four
times this season; finished 14th at this race last year.

2006 Top 10
-----------
 1. Carl Edwards (60), Ford 
 2. Clint Bowyer (2), Chevrolet 
 3. Denny Hamlin (20) Chevrolet 
 4. Reed Sorenson (41), Dodge 
 5. Kevin Harvick (21), Chevrolet 
 6. Scott Wimmer (66), Ford 
 7. David Green (27), Ford 
 8. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet 
 9. Kenny Wallace (22), Ford 
10. Kevin Grubb (56), Chevrolet

Past Champions
--------------
2006  Carl Edwards 
2005  Reed Sorenson 
2004  Martin Truex Jr.
2003  Scott Riggs 
2002  Greg Biffle 
2001  Kevin Harvick 
2000  Kevin Harvick 
1999  Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
1998  Dale Earnhardt Jr.
1997  Elliott Sadler