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Pennsylvania 500 Preview

August 5, 2007 
Pocono Raceway 
Long Pond, Pennsylvania 
Race 21 of 36 on Nextel Cup circuit (20th points race)

TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. EDT

Laps: 200 Track length: 2 1/2 miles Race length: 500 miles

Qualifying record: Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 172.391 mph, 2000
Race record: Rusty Wallace, Ford, 144.892 mph, 1996

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

Jeff Burton 
Team: Richard Childress Racing 
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
2007 Earnings: $3,968,088

Finished eighth at the Brickyard last week to remain fourth in
the standings; has four top-10 finishes over the past five
races, with the lone blip a 16th at Daytona; ran seventh at New
Hampshire and third at Sonoma to end a stretch of four
consecutive finishes outside the top 10; trails series points
leader Jeff Gordon by 443 points; has six top-five finishes and
12 top-10s this season; captured his first victory of the season
at Texas; finished 13th at the earlier race here, and was ninth
at this event a year ago.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc. 
Car: No. 8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
2007 Earnings: $3,034,545

Still clinging to 12th and final spot for the "Chase for the
Championship" by 13 points ahead of Kurt Busch; has finished
19th or worse over the past three races, including a 34th at the
Brickyard and a 36th at Daytona; leaving the company his father
founded to run for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008; has yet to win
a race or a pole this season, but has three top-five's and
seven top-10's; also has five finishes of 30th or lower;
finished 12th here earlier this year and dead last in this event
a year ago.


Jeff Gordon 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
2007 Earnings: $4,478,721

Finished third at the Brickyard for his eighth straight top-10
finish; owns a comfortable 371-point cushion atop the series
standings despite being docked 100 points for failing
post-qualifying inspections at Sonoma, where he ran seventh; has
four checkered flags this season and 79 career, just four shy
of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place all-time; reached a
landmark milestone at Talladega, recording his 77th career
victory to pass the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth all-time; has
completely dominated the circuit this season and is on pace to
capture his fifth career title, leading the series in poles (6),
top-five finishes (13) and top-10s (18); won the race at this
track on June 10 and finished third at this event last year.


Denny Hamlin 
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing 
Car: No. 11 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
2007 Earnings: $3,068,071

Finished 22nd at the Brickyard and remains second in the
standings, 371 points behind Gordon; saw his lead over
third-place Matt Kenseth dwindle to just six points; followed up
his first win of the season at New Hampshire by finishing dead
last at Daytona after wrecking early in the race with teammate
Tony Stewart; has avoided the sophomore slump by finishing out
of the top-10 just six times in the past 16 races; has seven
top-five finishes and 11 top-10s this season; finished second at
Darlington and has four third-place finishes at Las Vegas,
Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond; won both Pocono races last
season as a rookie, and was sixth here earlier this year.


Kevin Harvick 
Team: Richard Childress Racing 
Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
2007 Earnings: $5,403,367

Finished seventh at the Brickyard to move up to seventh in the
standings; has five top-10 finishes over his past six races,
with the lone blemish a 34th at Daytona; won the season-opening
Daytona 500 by nipping Mark Martin at the finish line; has four
top-fives and 10 top-10s this season; finished second to Juan
Pablo Montoya on the road course at Sonoma; has finished lower
than 30th only twice this season; ran 11th at this track earlier
this season and was fifth in this event a year ago.


Jimmie Johnson 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
2007 Earnings: $4,151,370

Defending series champion continued his up-and-down season by
finishing 39th at the Brickyard after a fiery crash on the heels
of a 37th three weeks ago at Chicago; dropped two more spots in
the standings to ninth; prior to past two poor showings
finished 10th at Daytona after running fifth at New Hampshire;
has posted victories this season at Las Vegas, Atlanta,
Martinsville and Richmond; despite collecting nine top-five
finishes, has been hurt by five finishes outside the top 35;
finished 42nd in the first Pocono race this year, and was sixth
in this event last season.


Matt Kenseth 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $3,614,372

Posted fourth straight top-10 finish by placing 10th at the
Brickyard; ran 34th and 42nd, respectively, prior to the four
straight top-10 results; remains third in the standings, 377
points behind Gordon, but climbed to within six behind
second-place Denny Hamlin; captured his only victory of the
season in the campaign's second race at California; has seven
top-five finishes and 14 top-10s this season; finished ninth
here in June, and was 14th at this event a year ago.


Tony Stewart 
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing 
Car: No. 20 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 
2007 Earnings: $3,981,475

Won the Brickyard for his second consecutive victory of the
season; moved up to fifth in the standings and sits 452 points
behind Gordon; finished 38th at Daytona prior to his win at
Chicago after an early-race crash with teammate Denny Hamlin;
has turned his season around with six finished of sixth or
better over the last eight races; remains one of the circuit's
most inconsistent drivers, collecting 13 top-10 finishes while
placing 25th or worse in the other six events; finished fifth at
Pocono in June and was seventh at this race last year.


2006 Top 10
-----------
1.  Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet 
2.  Kurt Busch (2), Dodge 
3.  Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet 
4.  Brian Vickers (25), Chevrolet 
5.  Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet 
6.  Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
7.  Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet 
8.  Bobby Labonte (43), Dodge 
9.  Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet 
10. Martin Truex Jr. (1), Chevrolet


Past Champions
--------------
2006  Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 132.626 
2005  Kurt Busch, Ford,125.283 mph 
2004  Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 126.271 mph 
2003  Ryan Newman, Dodge, 127.705 mph 
2002  Bill Elliott, Dodge, 125.809 mph 
2001  Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 134.590 mph 
2000  Rusty Wallace, Ford, 130.662 mph 
1999  Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 116.982 mph 
1998  Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 134.650 mph 
1997  Dale Jarrett, Ford, 142.068 mph 
1996  Rusty Wallace, Ford, 144.892 mph 
1995  Dale Jarrett, Ford, 134.038 mph 
1994  Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 136.075 mph 
1993  Dale Earnhardt, Chevy, 133.343 mph 
1992  Darrell Waltrip, Chevy, 134.058 mph 
1991  Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 115.459 mph 
1990  Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 124.007 mph
1989  Bill Elliott, Ford, 117.847 mph 
1988  Bill Elliott, Ford, 122.866 mph 
1987  Dale Earnhardt, Chevy, 121.745 mph 
1986  Tim Richmond, Chevy, 124.218 mph 
1985  Bill Elliott, Ford, 134.008 mph 
1984  Harry Gant, Chevy, 121.351 mph 
1983  Tim Richmond, Pontiac, 114.818 mph 
1982  Bobby Allison, Buick, 115.496 mph
1981  Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 119.111 mph 
1980  Neil Bonnett, Mercury, 124.395 mph 
1979  Cale Yarborough, Chevy, 115.207 mph
1978  Darrell Waltrip, Chevy, 142.540 mph 
1977  Benny Parsons, Chevy,  128.379 mph 
1976  Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.875 mph 
1975  David Pearson, Mercury, 111.179 mph 
1974  Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.593 mph