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NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge Preview

May 16, 2008 - 10:23 AM

May 17, 2008
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
(non-points event)

TV: SPEED, 9 p.m. EDT

Track: 1 1/2-mile banked oval

Distance: 80 laps/120 miles (run in four 20-lap segments)


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

Jeff Burton 
Team: Richard Childress Racing 
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $1,856,926

One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished 10th at 
Darlington and sits second in the standings, 79 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 
fourth in the All Star Challenge last season.


Kurt Busch 
Team: Penske Racing South 
Car: No. 2 Dodge Charger
2008 Earnings: $1,912,250

Pushed teammate Ryan Newman across the finish line to give 
Penske Racing a 1-2 finish in the Daytona 500; has not had a 
top-10 finish since; was 11th at Atlanta for his second-best
finish of the season; bounced back from an inconsistent first 
year 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 12th at Darlington and sits 22nd in the 
standings; finished 19th in this event last year.


Kyle Busch 
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing 
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry 
2008 Earnings: $2,474,863

Has gotten off to a stellar 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 Darlington; leads Jeff Burton by 79 points atop 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 20th in this race last 
year.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $1,832,720

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 at Richmond and wound up 15th; 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 ninth in this race last season.


Carl Edwards 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $2,701,675

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; was 
second to Kyle Busch at Darlington; ran fifth at this race last 
year.


Jeff Gordon 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $1,864,400

Finished third at Darlington and sits 10th 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; ran 11th at this race last season.


Jimmie Johnson 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $2,224,591

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 sixth 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 Kevin Harvick in this race last year. 


Matt Kenseth 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $1,670,039

Moved up to 20th after running sixth at Darlington; finished 
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: $2,430,687

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 after a 21st at Darlington; 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 fifth in this race last year.


Past champions
--------------
2007 -- Kevin Harvick
2006 -- Jimmie Johnson
2005 -- Mark Martin
2004 -- Matt Kenseth
2003 -- Jimmie Johnson
2002 -- Ryan Newman
2001 -- Jeff Gordon
2000 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
1999 -- Terry Labonte
1998 -- Mark Martin
1997 -- Jeff Gordon
1996 -- Michael Waltrip
1995 -- Jeff Gordon
1994 -- Geoff Bodine
1993 -- Dale Earnhardt
1992 -- Davey Allison
1991 -- Davey Allison
1990 -- Dale Earnhardt
1989 -- Rusty Wallace
1988 -- Terry Labonte
1987 -- Dale Earnhardt
1986 -- Bill Elliott
1985 -- Darrell Waltrip