SPRINT Coca-Cola 600
Final
for this game
Coca-Cola 600 Preview
May 24, 2008 - 10:28 AMMay 25, 2008
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Race 12 of 37 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: FOX, 5 p.m. EDT
Laps: 400
Track length: 1 1/2 miles
Race length: 600 miles
Qualifying record: Elliott Sadler, Ford, 193.216 mph (2005)
Race record: Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 151.952 mph (1995)
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,931,926
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
24th in this race last season.
Kurt Busch
Team: Penske Racing South
Car: No. 2 Dodge Charger
2008 Earnings: $1,992,050
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 32nd in this event last year.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $2,674,464
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 30th in this race last
year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,934,520
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 eighth in this race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $2,856,475
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 15th at this race last
year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $1,950,075
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 41st at this race last season.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,322,541
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 10th in this race last year.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $1,808,014
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
12th in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $2,523,637
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 sixth in this race last year.
2007 Top 10
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1. Casey Mears (25), Chevrolet
2. J.J. Yeley (18), Chevrolet
3. Kyle Petty (45), Dodge
4. Reed Sorenson (41), Dodge
5. Brian Vickers (83), Toyota
6. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
7. Ricky Rudd (88), Ford
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Chevrolet
9. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet
10. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
Past Champions
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2007 Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 130.222 mph
2006 Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 128.840 mph
2005 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 114.698 mph
2004 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 142.763 mph
2003 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 126.198 mph
2002 Mark Martin, Ford, 137.729 mph
2001 Jeff Burton, Ford, 138.107 mph
2000 Matt Kenseth, Ford, 142.640 mph
1999 Jeff Burton, Ford, 151.367 mph
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 136.42 mph
1997 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 136.745 mph
1996 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 147.581 mph
1995 Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 151.952 mph
1994 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 139.445 mph
1993 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 145.504 mph
1992 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 132.980 mph
1991 Davey Allison, Ford, 138.951 mph
1990 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 137.650 mph
1989 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 144.077 mph
1988 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 124.460 mph
1987 Kyle Petty, Ford, 131.483 mph
1986 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 140.406 mph
1985 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 141.807 mph
1984 Bobby Allison, Buick, 129.233 mph
1983 Neil Bonnett, Chevrolet, 140.707 mph
1982 Neil Bonnett, Ford, 130.058 mph
1981 Bobby Allison, Buick, 129.326 mph
1980 Benny Parsons, Chevrolet, 119.265 mph
1979 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 136.674 mph
1978 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 138.355 mph
1977 Richard Petty, Dodge, 137.676 mph
1976 David Pearson, Mercury, 137.352 mph
1975 Richard Petty, Dodge, 145.327 mph
1974 David Pearson, 73 Mercury, 135.720 mph
1973 Buddy Baker, 73 Dodge, 134.890 mph
1972 Buddy Baker, 72 Dodge, 142.255 mph
1971 Bobby Allison, 69 Mercury, 140.442 mph
1970 Donnie Allison, 69 Ford, 129.680 mph
1969 LeeRoy Yarborough, 69 Mercury, 134.361 mph
1968 *Buddy Baker, 68 Dodge, 104.207 mph
1967 Jim Paschal, 67 Plymouth, 135.832 mph
1966 Marvin Panch, 65 Plymouth, 135.042 mph
1965 Fred Lorenzen, 65 Ford, 121.772 mph
1964 Jim Paschal, 64 Plymouth, 125.772 mph
1963 Fred Lorenzen, 63 Ford, 132.418 mph
1962 Nelson Stacy, 62 Ford, 125.552 mph
1961 David Pearson, 61 Pontiac, 111.633 mph
1960 Joe Lee Johnson, 60 Chevrolet, 107.735 mph
* Race changed from 400 miles to 600 miles
