SPRINT Samsung 500
Final
for this game
Samsung 500 Preview
Apr 6, 2008 - 10:22 AMApril 6, 2008
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Race 7 of 37 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. EDT
Laps: 334
Track length: 1 1/2 miles
Race length: 500 miles
Qualifying record: Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, 196.235 mph, November 2006
Race record: Carl Edwards, Ford, 151.055 mph, November 2005
Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,127,461
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished third at
Martinsville to take over top spot in the standings; won at
Bristol two weeks earlier; finished 13th in the Daytona 500 and
eighth at California; was fifth in Las Vegas and 10th at
Atlanta; 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
season came in April at Texas; finished the season strong with
five top 10s over the final six races.
Kurt Busch
Team: Penske Racing South
Car: No. 2 Dodge Charger
2008 Earnings: $1,512,845
Pushed teammate Ryan Newman across the finish line to give
Penske Racing a 1-2 finish in the Daytona 500; followed with a
13th at California, but finished 38th at Las Vegas and 11th at
Atlanta; bounced back from an inconsistent first season with
Penske to finish seventh in the standings last year; won at
Michigan and Pocono and posted 14 top-10 finishes; also had four
finishes of 30th or worse; won the championship in 2004 but was
released from his contract at Roush Racing after the following
season, when he finished 10th in the standings and was suspended
for the final two races after an incident with the Phoenix
police; finished 11th here in April last year.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $1,321,988
Has gotten off to a strong start with Joe Gibbs Racing, placing
fourth in the first two races and winning at Atlanta; finished
17th at Bristol after power steering failed and transmission
issues relegated him to 38th at martinsville, dropping him to
fifth in the standings; 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 37th in this race last
year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,141,020
The circuit's most popular driver finished sixth at
Martinsville; 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; has not won a points
race since Richmond in May 2006; suffered through a tough final
season at DEI, finishing 16th in the standings; had 12 top 10's
last season, but also posted 11 finishes of 25th or worse;
finished 36th in the first Texas race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $1,502,990
Was docked 100 points and fell from the top spot in the
standings after being penalized after his win at Las Vegas;
victory at Las Vegas was his ninth career Cup win a week after
taking the checkered flag at California; had the dominant car
again at Atlanta, but blew an engine and finished 42nd; sits
14th in the standings after running ninth at Martinsville; ran
19th in the Daytona 500; qualified for the Chase last year and
won at Dover after finishing 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; ran 12th here in April last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $992,393
Finished 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 two 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; reached a landmark milestone at the first Talladega
race, recording his 77th career victory to pass the late Dale
Earnhardt for sixth all-time; had 10 poles last season - double
that of Ryan Newman who had five; finished fourth in this race
last year.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,193,261
Two-time defending series champion finished fourth at
Martinsville; had a disappointing 18th at Bristol following a
13th at Atlanta after running 19th at Las Vegas; ran second at
California after starting this campaign with a 27th at the
Daytona 500; sits 10th in the standings; battled teammate Gordon
for the top spot in the Chase early on, 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 and failed to finish four races; ran 38th here
in April last season.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $999,559
Finished 30th at Martinsville a week after 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
longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced by Chip
Bolin; ran second to Burton in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $1,706,982
Finished second to teammate Kyle Busch at Atlanta, but was vocal
about the poor Goodyear tire quality after the race; 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; took sixth at California after
the Daytona 500; 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;
finished second at Richmond to enter the Chase on a hot streak;
pre-Chase surge included fourth at Bristol as well as running
10th at Michigan on the heels of winning at Watkins Glen - his
third win; captured back-to-back victories at Chicagoland and
at the Brickyard; won three races in total to go along with
23 top-10s; ran 25th in this race last year.
2007 Top 10
-----------
1. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
2. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
3. Mark Martin (01), Chevrolet
4. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
5. Jamie McMurray (26), Ford
6. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
7. Martin Truex Jr. (1), Chevrolet
8. Juan Pablo Montoya (42), Dodge
9. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet
10. David Stremme (40), Dodge
Past Champions
--------------
2007 Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 143.359 mph
2006 Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 137.943 mph
2005 Greg Biffle, Ford, 130.055 mph
2004 Elliott Sadler, Ford, 138.845 mph
2003 Ryan Newman, Dodge, 134.517 mph
2002 Matt Kenseth, Ford, 142.435 mph
2001 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 141.804 mph
2000 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 131.152 mph
1999 Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 144.276 mph
1998 Mark Martin, Ford, 136.771 mph
1997 Jeff Burton, Ford, 125.105 mph
