NATIONWIDE Camping World 300
Final
for this game
Camping World 300 Preview
Aug 27, 2008 - 10:25 AMAugust 30, 2008
California Speedway
Fontana, California
Race 27 of 34 on the Nationwide Series circuit
TV: ESPN2, 9:30 p.m. EDT
Laps: 150
Track length: 2 miles
Race length: 300 miles
Qualifying record: Tony Stewart, 185.941 mph (February 2005)
Race record: Hank Parker Jr., 155.957 mph (April 2001)
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2008 Earnings: $762,435
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, 122 points ahead of Brad Keselowski after finishing
second to him at Bristol; through first 26 races has nine top
fives and 21 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 fifth here last year.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 60 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $828,905
Finished 37th at Bristol, dropping to third in the standings,
241 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 26th here last year.
Brad Keselowski
Team: JR Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2008 Earnings: $911,128
Second-year driver moved up to second in the standings after
winning at Bristol; sits 122 points behind series leader
Clint Bowyer; followed up his first series win at Nashville
by running fourth at Kentucky and eighth at Milwaukee; through
first 26 races has 15 top 10s and nine 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 35th here last season.
Joey Logano
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $394,140
Young phenom finished 16th at Bristol after running seventh at
Michigan and Watkins Glen over previous two races; his car
failed post-race inspection at Michigan when a magnet was found
underneath the gas pedal in order to influence dyno test;
finished 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 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: $623,140
Another driver who is running both series this year; ran 25th at
Bristol to remain sixth in the standings; through first 26
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 10th in this event last
season.
David Reutimann
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
Car: No. 99 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $675,845
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 Michigan; 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 15th in this race
last year.
2007 Top 10
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1. Jeff Burton (29), Chevrolet
2. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
3. Denny Hamlin (12), Chevrolet
4. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
5. Clint Bowyer (21), Chevrolet
6. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
7. Kevin Harvick (33), Chevrolet
8. Jamie McMurray (26), Ford
9. Robby Gordon (22), Dodge
10. David Ragan (6), Ford
Past Champions
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2007 Jeff Burton (29), Chevrolet
2006 Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
2005 Carl Edwards (99), Ford
2004 Greg Biffle (16), Ford
