SPRINT Dodge Challenger 500
Final
for this game
Dodge Challenger 500 Preview
May 10, 2008 - 10:28 AMMay 10, 2008
Darlington Raceway
Darlington, South Carolina
Race 11 of 37 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: FOX, 7 p.m. EDT
Laps: 367 laps
Track length: 1.366 miles
Race length: 500 miles
Qualifying record: Ward Burton, Pontiac, 173.797 mph, 1996
Race record: Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 139.958 mph, 1993
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,722,068
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished 11th at
Richmond to fall from the top spot in the standings; sits 18
points behind Kyle Busch; 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 10th here last May.
Kurt Busch
Team: Penske Racing South
Car: No. 2 Dodge Charger
2008 Earnings: $1,824,600
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 42nd at Richmond to drop to 24th in the
standings; finished 12th here in May last year.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $2,161,163
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; won at Talladega
and finished second to take over the top spot the standings;
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 37th in this race last
year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,694,620
The circuit's most popular driver lost a chance to snap long
winless drought when he was involved in a late-race incident
with Kyle Busch; wound up 15th at Richmond, but still sits 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 eighth in this race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $2,459,825
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
fifth here in May last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,670,164
Finished ninth at Richmond and sits 13th in the standings; 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; won this race last season.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,087,530
Two-time defending series champion 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; sits seventh 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 third here last season.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $1,524,023
Dropped to 22nd in the standings after finishing 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
longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop
the box by Chip Bolin; ran seventh in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $2,305,626
With rumors swirling about his future at JGR, finished 38th at
Talladega; bounced back to finish fourth at Richmond and sits
eighth in the standings; 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 sixth in this race last year.
2007 Top 10
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1. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
2. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet
3. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
4. Ryan Newman (12), Dodge
5. Carl Edwards (60), Ford
6. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
7. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Chevrolet
9. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
10. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
Past Champions
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2007 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 124.372 mph
2006 Greg Biffle, Ford, 135.127 mph
2005 Greg Biffle, Ford, 123.031 mph
2004 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 114.001 mph
2003 Ricky Craven, Pontiac, 126.214 mph
2002 Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 126.070 mph
2001 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 126.558 mph
2000 Ward Burton, Pontiac, 128.076 mph
1999 Jeff Burton, Ford, 121.294 mph
1998 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 127.962 mph
1997 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 121.162 mph
1996 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 124.792 mph
1995 Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 111.392 mph
1994 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 132.432 mph
1993 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 139.958 mph
1992 Bill Elliot, Ford, 139.364 mph
1991 Ricky Rudd, Chevrolet, 135.594 mph
1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 124.073 mph
1989 Harry Gant, Oldsmobile, 115.475 mph
1988 Lake Speed, Oldsmobile, 131.284 mph
1987 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 122.540 mph
1986 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 128.994 mph
1985 Bill Elliot, Ford, 126.295 mph
1984 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 119.925 mph
1983 Harry Gant, Buick, 130.406 mph
1982 Dale Earnhardt, Ford, 123.554 mph
1981 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 126.703 mph
1980 David Pearson, Chevrolet, 112.397 mph
1979 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 121.721 mph
1978 Benny Parsons, Chevrolet, 127.544 mph
1977 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 128.817 mph
