SPRINT Aaron's 499
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Apr 27, 2008 - 10:24 AMApril 27, 2008
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Alabama
Race 9 of 37 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. EDT
Laps: 188
Track length: 2.66 miles
Race length: 500 miles
Qualifying record: Bill Elliott, Ford, 212.809 mph, April 1987
Race record: Mark Martin, Ford, 188.354 mph, May 1997
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,464,502
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished third at
Martinsville to take over top spot in the standings; increased
his lead over Kyle Busch to 80 points after consecutive sixth
place finishes at Texas and Phoenix; 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;
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 34th here last April.
Kurt Busch
Team: Penske Racing South
Car: No. 2 Dodge Charger
2008 Earnings: $1,680,845
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 third here in April last year.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $1,668,663
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; ran 10th at
Phoenix and sits second 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: $1,494,270
The circuit's most popular driver finished seventh at Texas to
move up to third in the standings; 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 seventh in this race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $2,202,725
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
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
42nd here in April last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,409,017
Ran 13th at Phoenix a week after finishing dead last at Texas;
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; 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; swept both races at
Talladega last year.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,819,658
Two-time defending series champion picked up his first win of
the season at Phoenix; 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; at ran second at California after starting this campaign
with a 27th at the Daytona 500; sits fourth in the standings;
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 and failed to
finish four races; finished second to Gordon in both Talladega
races last season.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $1,284,916
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
longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop
the box by Chip Bolin; ran 14th in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $2,008,829
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; 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
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1. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
2. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
3. Kurt Busch (2), Dodge
4. David Gilliland (38), Ford
5. Jamie McMurray (26), Ford
6. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Chevrolet
8. David Stremme (40), Dodge
9. Ryan Newman (12), Dodge
10. Martin Truex Jr. (1), Chevrolet
Past Champions
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2007 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 154.167 mph
2006 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 142.880 mph
2005 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 146.904 mph
2004 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 129.396 mph
2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 144.625 mph
2002 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 159.022 mph
2001 Bobby Hamilton, Chevrolet, 184.003 mph
2000 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 161.156 mph
1999 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 163.395 mph
1998 Bobby Labonte, Pontiac 163.439 mph
1997 Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 156.601 mph
1996 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 133.387 mph
1995 Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 173.188 mph
1994 Jimmy Spencer, Ford, 163.217 mph
1993 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 153.858 mph
1992 Ernie Irvan, Chevrolet, 176.309 mph
1991 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 147.383 mph
1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 174.430 mph
1989 Terry Labonte, Ford, 157.354 mph
1988 Ken Schrader, Chevrolet, 154.505 mph
1987 Bill Elliot, Ford, 171.293 mph
1986 Bobby Hillin, 151.552 mph
1985 Cale Yarborough, Ford, 148.772 mph
1984 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 155.485 mph
1983 Dale Earnhardt, Ford, 170.611 mph
1982 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 168.157 mph
1981 Ron Bouchard, Buick, 156.737 mph
1980 Neil Bonnett, Mercury, 166.894 mph
1979 Darrell Waltrip, Oldsmobile, 161.229 mph
1978 Lennie Pond, Oldsmobile, 174.700 mph
1977 Donnie Allison, Chevrolet, 162.524 mph
1976 Dave Marcis, Dodge, 157.547 mph
1975 Buddy Baker, Ford, 130.892 mph
1974 Richard Petty, 74 Dodge, 148.637 mph
1973 Dick Brooks, 72 Plymouth, 145.454 mph
1972 James Hylton, 71 Mercury, 148.728 mph
1971 Bobby Allison, 69 Mercury, 145.945 mph
1970 Pete Hamilton, 70 Plymouth, 158.517 mph
1969 Richard Brickhouse, 69 Dodge, 153.778 mph
(Note: Race held in the fall between 1969-97)
