NATIONWIDE Carfax 250
Final
for this game
Carfax 250 Preview
Aug 14, 2008 - 10:23 AMAugust 16, 2008
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Race 25 of 34 on the Nationwide Series circuit
TV: ESPN2, 3 p.m. EDT
Laps: 125
Track length: 2 miles
Race length: 250 miles
Qualifying record: Greg Biffle, Ford, 186.548 mph, 2007
Race record: Todd Bodine, Chevrolet, 162.749 mph, 2000
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2008 Earnings: $701,285
Series leader has just one victory this season - when he gambled
and stayed out during a rain delay to win at Bristol; followed
with second at Nashville and third at Texas; sits atop the
standings, 128 points ahead of Brad Keselowski after finishing
23rd at Watkins Glen last week; through first 24 races has eight
top fives and 19 top 10s; started the year with a 25th at
Daytona, then rebounded with a ninth at California; ran a full
Busch series slate in 2005 and 2006, finishing second and third,
respectively, in the final standings; finished 12th overall last
year after running just 22 races, winning at Phoenix and
Richmond; finished 10th here last year.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 60 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $751,615
Finished 25th at Watkins Glen, dropping to third in the
standings, 174 points behind leader Clint Bowyer; won for the
second time this year at Gateway, then followed up with an 11th
at O'Reilly; also won at Milwaukee, then followed up with a
fifth at New Hampshire and 11th at Daytona; ran second at Dover
two weeks after running dead last at Darlington; was fourth at
Atlanta after being wrecked by Mark Martin at Las Vegas,
winding up 14th; opened defense of his series title with a 10th
at Daytona and fifth at California; clinched last season's title
at Texas, three races before the end of the season; was the
runner-up to Kevin Harvick two seasons ago; despite late
struggles still had a series-best 21 top-10 finishes and 15 top
fives last season; led in the series standings for 33
consecutive weeks prior to Daytona this year; in 35 starts last
season had four wins, trailing only Harvick, who had six; ran
28th here last year.
Brad Keselowski
Team: JR Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2008 Earnings: $828,997
Second-year driver jumped up to second in the standings after
running sixth at Watkins Glen; sits 128 points behind leader
Clint Bowyer; followed up his first series win at Nashville
by running fourth at Kentucky and eighth at Milwaukee; through
first 24 races has 14 top 10s and eight top fives; finished
third at Lowe's and posted consecutive fourth-place finishes at
Bristol and the first Nashville race; has only three finishes
of 20th or worse this season; finished 25th in points last
season and third in Rookie of the Year standings; joined Dale
Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports team in July last season;
finished 13th here last season.
Joey Logano
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $340,964
Young phenom finished seventh at Watkins Glen a week after
running 17th at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for only his second
finish outside the top 10 this season; won his first race and
second pole at Kentucky in his third series start; captured the
pole at Nashville in just his second series start; was tapped
by Greg Biffle early in that race and wound up a disappointing
31st; finished sixth at Dover in his highly anticipated debut
in one of NASCAR's top series a week after turning 18; in
previous race finished second to Carl Edwards at Milwaukee; won
the 2007 NASCAR Busch East Series championship as a rookie;
signed a development deal with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005; was
dubbed the "Real Deal" by Mark Martin when he was 15; is
rumored to be Tony Stewart's Sprint Cup replacement in the
No. 20 Toyota next season.
David Ragan
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 6 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $585,645
Another driver who is running both series this year; ran ninth
at Watkins Glen and remains fifth in the standings; through
first 24 races has four top fives and 15 top 10s; ran ninth at
Daytona and 12th at California to start the season, then posted
a 10th at Las Vegas, ran 16th at Atlanta and was eighth at
Bristol; was eighth at Texas and fifth at Phoenix; had an
impressive rookie season, finishing fifth overall and winning
the Raybestos Rookie of the Year by 27 points over Marcos
Ambrose; scored four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 2007,
but also had eight finishes of 30th or worse; finished 21st in
this event last season.
David Reutimann
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
Car: No. 99 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $636,820
Has pulled "double-duty" in 2008 after finishing second to Carl
Edwards in the standings last season; sits fourth in the
standings after running 15th at Watkins Glen; placed 26th at
O'Reilly after finishing 13th at Kentucky; started season with a
14th at Daytona and ran fourth at California; ran 25th at Las
Vegas, 10th at Atlanta and third at Bristol; last year had
better finishes than Edwards in 10 of the last 15 races and
scored the most points in the series after the midseason point;
earned his first series win at the second Atlanta race; finished
with five top-fives and 12 top 10s; finished 16th in this race
last year.
2007 Top 10
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1. Denny Hamlin (20), Chevrolet
2. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
3. Kevin Harvick (21), Chevrolet
4. Jeff Burton (29), Chevrolet
5. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
6. Brian Vickers (10) Toyota
7. Paul Menard (15), Chevrolet
8. Todd Bodine (03), Toyota
9. Casey Mears (24), Chevrolet
10. Clint Bowyer (2), Chevrolet
Past Champions
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2007 Denny Hamlin
2006 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2005 Ryan Newman
2004 Kyle Busch
2003 Kevin Harvick
2002 Michael Waltrip
2001 Ryan Newman
2000 Todd Bodine
1999 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
1998 Jeff Burton
1997 Steve Park
1996 Jeff Purvis
1995 Mark Martin
1994 Bobby Labonte
1993 Mark Martin
1992 Todd Bodine
