• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Pennsylvania 500 Preview

Jul 29, 2008 - 7:43 PM

August 3, 2008 
Pocono Raceway 
Long Pond, Pennsylvania 
Race 21 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit

TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. EDT

Laps: 200 
Track length: 2 1/2 miles 
Race length: 500 miles

Qualifying record: Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 172.391 mph, 2000
Race record: Rusty Wallace, Ford, 144.892 mph, 1996


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

Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $3,265,373

One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished ninth at 
the Brickyard and remained third in the standings, 271 points 
behind Kyle Busch; ran in the top-15 through the first 17 races 
but finished 37th at Daytona and 19th at Chicago; 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 19 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 11th in this race last season.

Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $4,476,763

Is in the midst of a stellar first season with Joe Gibbs Racing,
winning seven races and posting 12 top fives through 20 races; 
lead dropped to 253 points atop the standings after finishing 
15th at the Brickyard; earned first road course win at Sonoma; 
ran dead last at Pocono then finished 13th at Michigan; ran 17th
at Bristol after power steering failed and transmission issues 
relegated him to 38th at Martinsville; won at Atlanta, 
Talladega, Darlington, Dover and the second Daytona race; 
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 building off a sensational 
run at Hendrick Motorsports in his move 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 last season, including 11 top fives; lone win came 
during the first Bristol race - the inaugural Car of Tomorrow 
event; ran 12th in this race last season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $3,059,170

The circuit's most popular driver finished 12th at the Brickyard
and remained second in the standings, 253 points behind Busch; 
snapped a 76-race winless stretch by winning at Michigan on 
fumes; nearly snapped skid but was involved in a late-race 
incident with Busch at Richmond and wound up 15th; has 12 
top-10s through 20 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; 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 second to Kurt Busch in this race last season.

Carl Edwards 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,509,825

Finished second to Jimmie Johnson at the Brickyard - his fourth 
runner-up this season; sits in fifth in the standings, 320 
points behind Kyle Busch; 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 also second to Busch at Darlington, 
Dover and the second Daytona race; finished 21st here last year.

Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $3,449,149

Finished fifth at the Brickyard and remains sixth in the 
standings; finished 18th at Michigan; 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; finished fourth at this race last season.

Jimmie Johnson 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $4,112,865

Won at the Brickyard a week after running second at Chicago to 
move up to fourth in the standings; two-time defending series 
champion blew a motor at Lowe's and finished in 39th place; 
bounced back with three top-10s, including a sixth at Michigan; 
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; 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 fifth in this race last year.

Kasey Kahne
Team: Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Car: No. 9 Dodge
2008 Earnings: $4,360,353

Bounced back from disappointing 33rd at Sonoma and 30th at 
Loudon by running seventh at Daytona, 15th at Chicago and 
seventh at the Brickyard; finished second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
at Michigan; won first Pocono race 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 nine top 10s this season; 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 Earnhardt 
moved to Hendrick Motorsports; finished 27th in this race last 
year.

Matt Kenseth 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $3,267,708

Blew a tire at the Brickyard and finished 38th, dropping to 11th
in the standings; despite tough race has eight top-10s in past 
10 races; ran third at Daytona and Michigan during that stretch; 
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 
14th in this race last year.

Tony Stewart 
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing 
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $3,816,206

Slid to a 23rd-place finish after running well at the Brickyard;
finished fifth at Chicago in first race since announcing he will
leave JGR at the end of the season to drive for his own 
Stewart-Haas Racing team next season; fell ill at Daytona and 
was relieved by J.J. Yeley who finished 20th; is now in 10th 
place, just 39 points inside the Chase cut-off; 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; finished 38th at Talladega then 
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 in the Daytona 500, 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 sixth in this race last 
year.

2007 Top 10
-----------
1.  Kurt Busch (2), Dodge 
2.  Dale Earnhardt Jr.(8), Chevrolet 
3.  Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet  
4.  Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet 
5.  Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet 
6.  Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
7.  Ryan Newman (12), Dodge 
8.  Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet 
9.  Mark Martin (01), Chevrolet 
10. Casey Mears (5), Chevrolet


Past Champions
--------------
2007  Kurt Busch, Dodge, 131.627 mph
2006  Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 132.626 
2005  Kurt Busch, Ford,125.283 mph 
2004  Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 126.271 mph 
2003  Ryan Newman, Dodge, 127.705 mph 
2002  Bill Elliott, Dodge, 125.809 mph 
2001  Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 134.590 mph 
2000  Rusty Wallace, Ford, 130.662 mph 
1999  Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 116.982 mph 
1998  Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 134.650 mph 
1997  Dale Jarrett, Ford, 142.068 mph 
1996  Rusty Wallace, Ford, 144.892 mph 
1995  Dale Jarrett, Ford, 134.038 mph 
1994  Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 136.075 mph 
1993  Dale Earnhardt, Chevy, 133.343 mph 
1992  Darrell Waltrip, Chevy, 134.058 mph 
1991  Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 115.459 mph 
1990  Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 124.007 mph
1989  Bill Elliott, Ford, 117.847 mph 
1988  Bill Elliott, Ford, 122.866 mph 
1987  Dale Earnhardt, Chevy, 121.745 mph 
1986  Tim Richmond, Chevy, 124.218 mph 
1985  Bill Elliott, Ford, 134.008 mph 
1984  Harry Gant, Chevy, 121.351 mph 
1983  Tim Richmond, Pontiac, 114.818 mph 
1982  Bobby Allison, Buick, 115.496 mph
1981  Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 119.111 mph 
1980  Neil Bonnett, Mercury, 124.395 mph 
1979  Cale Yarborough, Chevy, 115.207 mph
1978  Darrell Waltrip, Chevy, 142.540 mph 
1977  Benny Parsons, Chevy,  128.379 mph 
1976  Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.875 mph 
1975  David Pearson, Mercury, 111.179 mph 
1974  Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.593 mph