SPRINT LifeLock 400
Final
for this game
Lifelock 400 Preview
Jun 15, 2008 - 10:24 AMJune 15, 2008
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Race 15 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. EDT
Laps: 200 laps
Track length: 2 miles
Race length: 400 miles
Qualifying record: Ryan Newman, Dodge, 194.232 mph, 2005
Race record: Dale Jarrett, Ford, 173.997 mph, 1999
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,394,075
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished sixth at
Pocono and sits second in the standings, just 21 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; has 10 top 10s through first 14
races; 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: $2,278,700
Finally recorded second top 10 of the season by running eighth
at Pocono; pushed teammate Ryan Newman across the finish line to
give Penske Racing a 1-2 finish in the Daytona 500; 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; sits 21st in the standings,
177 points out of the Chase; finished 25th in this event last
year.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $3,326,613
Is in the midst of a stellar first season with Joe Gibbs Racing,
winning four races and posting nine top-fives through 14
races; had lead trimmed to just 21 points over Burton after
running dead last at Pocono; finished 17th at Bristol after
power steering failed and transmission issues relegated him to
38th at Martinsville; won at Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington and
Dover; 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 sixth in this race last
year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,301,745
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 with 10 top 10s through 14 races; 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 10s last season,
but also posted 11 finishes of 25th or worse; finished 12th in
this race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $3,382,300
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 placing
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 and Dover; won this race last
year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,448,258
Finished 14th at Pocono and sits eighth 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 ninth at this race last season.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,783,449
Two-time defending series champion blew a motor at Lowe's and
finished in 39th place; bounced back to run seventh at Dover and
sixth at Pocono; 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, yet failed to finish four races; finished
19th in this race last year.
Kasey Kahne
Team: Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Car: No. 9 Dodge
2008 Earnings: $3,483,937
Jumped up to ninth in the standings after winning at Pocono from
the pole; had a stellar two weeks at Lowe's, winning the Sprint
All-Star Challenge then snapping a 52-race winless skid by
taking the checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 600; has seven
top 10s this season, but just two top fives - both wins; after
winning six races in 2006, struggled in 2007 when he finished
19th in the standings with just one top five and eight top 10s;
also had six DNfs and dipped as low as 36th in the standings at
one point; took on the famed Budweiser sponsorship after Dale
Earhnardt Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports; finished 32nd in
this race last year.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $2,168,971
Continued his charge up the standings by finishing seventh at
Pocono - his fourth consecutive top-10 result; is just 34 points
out of the 12th place; 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
long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop
the box by Chip Bolin; ran 42nd in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $$2,907,490
Finished 35th at Pocono and continues to slide down the
standings; is now in 12th place, just seven points inside the
Chase cutoff; was involved in an early crash at Dover and
finished 41st; came close to winning at Lowe's, but cut down a
tire with three laps remaining while leading and finished 18th;
with rumors swirling about his future at JGR, finished 38th at
Talladega; bounced back to finish fourth at Richmond; 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; 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; ran third in this race
last year.
2007 Top 10
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1. Carl Edwards (99), Ford
2. Martin Truex Jr. (1), Chevrolet
3. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
4. Casey Mears (25), Chevrolet
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Chevrolet
6. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
7. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
8. Jamie McMurray (26), Ford
9. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
10. Michael Waltrip (55), Toyota
Past Champions
--------------
2007 Carl Edwards, Ford, 148.072 mph
2006 Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 118.788 mph
2005 Greg Biffle, Ford, 150.596 mph
2004 Ryan Newman, Dodge, 139.292 mph
2003 Kurt Busch, Ford, 131.219 mph
2002 Matt Kenseth, Ford, 154.822 mph
2001 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 134.197 mph
2000 Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 143.926 mph
1999 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 173.997 mph
1998 Mark Martin, Ford, 158.695 mph
1997 Ernie Irvan, Ford, 153.338 mph
1996 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 166.033 mph
1995 Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 134.141 mph
1994 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 125.022 mph
1993 Ricky Rudd, Chevrolet, 148.484 mph
1992 Davey Allison, Ford, 152.672 mph
1991 Davey Allison, Ford, 160.912 mph
1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 150.219 mph
1989 Bill Elliot, Ford, 139.023 mph
1988 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 153.551 mph
1987 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 148.454 mph
1986 Bill Elliot, Ford, 138.851 mph
1985 Bill Elliot, Ford, 144.724 mph
1984 Bill Elliot, Ford, 134.705 mph
1983 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 138.728 mph
1982 Cale Yarborough, Buick, 118.101 mph
1981 Bobby Allison, Buick, 130.589 mph
1980 Benny Parsons, Chevrolet, 131.808 mph
1979 Buddy Baker, Chevrolet, 135.798 mph
1978# Cale Yarborough, Oldsmobile, 149.563 mph
1977 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 135.033 mph
1976 David Pearson, Mercury, 141.148 mph
1975 David Pearson, Mercury, 131.398 mph
1974 Richard Petty, 74 Dodge, 127.098 mph
1973 David Pearson, 71 Mercury, 153.485 mph
1972 David Pearson, 71 Mercury, 146.639 mph
1971 Bobby Allison, 69 Mercury, 149.567 mph
1970 Cale Yarborough, 69 Mercury, 138.302 mph
1969 Cale Yarborough, 69 Mercury, 139.254 mph
#Race changed from 500 to 400 miles
