SPRINT Camping World RV 400
Final
for this game
Camping World RV 400 Preview
Sep 23, 2008 - 8:12 PMSeptember 28, 2008
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kansas
Race 29 of 37 on Sprint Cup circuit
(3rd of 10 in "Chase for the CHampionship")
TV: ABC, 2 p.m. EDT
Laps: 267
Track length: 1 1/2 miles
Race length: 400 miles
Qualifying record: Matt Kenseth, Ford, 180.856 mph, 2005
Race record: Mark Martin, Ford, 137.774 mph, 2005
DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------
Greg Biffle
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 16 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $3,994,839
Chase Points: 5,380 (3rd)
Snapped 33-race winless skid by winning at New Hampshire to
start the Chase, then won again at Dover; remains third in the
standings, 10 points behind Carl Edwards; through first 29
starts has 10 top fives and 13 top 10s; claimed two poles this
season at Darlington and Dover; also has a pair of DNFs on the
year, at Darlington and the second Daytona race; has been in the
top-12 in the standings since the season-opening Daytona 500,
where he finished 10th, and has remained there for 27 straight
weeks; finished second in the 2005 series standings, earning six
victories; he is the only driver to win Nationwide and Craftsman
Truck series titles; did not qualify for the Chase last season
and wound up 14th in the standings; won this race last season.
Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
2008 Earnings: $3,539,895
Chase Points: 5,284 (6th)
Finished 12th at Richmond to lock up final Chase berth, then ran
12th at New Hampshire and eighth at Dover; pulled off a shocking
victory in the Chase opener last season from the pole last year
en route to finishing a surprising third in the standings on the
strength of five top-10 finishes over the Chase; has one win on
the year, coming at the first Richmond race in May; in 27 starts
this season has four top fives and 12 top 10s; has not earned a
pole, but also has no DNFs on the year; is running double duty
this season and currently tops the Nationwide Series standings
by 186 points; finished second here last season.
Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,302,242
Chase Points: 5,308 (4th)
Opened the Chase by running fourth at New Hampshire and ninth at
Dover; one of the circuit's most consistent drivers struggled
entering the Chase; ran in the top 15 through the first 17
races, but had an average finish of 20th over last nine starts
before the Chase - including just two top 10s which came at the
Brickyard and Richmond; won first Bristol race for lone victory
of the season; has no poles this season and a pair of DNFs;
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; best overall finish was
third in the 2000 standings; ran 36th in this race last season.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,711,895
Chase Points: 5,180 (12th)
Championship hopes all but vanished after blowing an engine at
Dover and finishing 43rd to fall to last place in the Chase;
began the Chase with a broken sway bar at New Hampshire that
relegated him to a 34th-place finish; first season at Joe Gibbs
Racing has seen him win eight races and post 15 top fives and 17
top 10s; had held on to the top spot for 17 consecutive weeks;
win at Watkins Glen gave him a sweep of the road courses
following victory at Sonoma in June; prior to win at the Glen
had "slumped" with a 15th at the Brickyard and 36th at Pocono;
also ran dead last at the first Pocono race; ran 17th at the
first Bristol race after power steering failed and transmission
issues relegated him to 38th at Martinsville; has wins 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; is building off a solid 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; ran 41st in this race last
season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $3,836,420
Chase Points: 5,261 (9th)
The circuit's most popular driver started the Chase by running
fifth at New Hampshire then fell to 24th at Dover; has been more
consistent than spectacular with nine top fives and 14 top 10s,
posting just a single DNF and claiming one pole; snapped a
76-race winless stretch by winning first Michigan race on fumes;
in 11 remaining races before the Chase had an average finish of
16 and just two top 10s; was involved in a late-race incident
with Kyle Busch at Richmond while racing for the win and wound
up 15th; was the top finishing Hendrick car at the Daytona 500
with a ninth-place showing; 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 10th in this
race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $6,072,750
Chase Points: 5,390 (1st)
Took over the top spot in the Chase after running third at New
Hampshire and Dover; has 13 top fives and 21 top 10s; finished
second to Jimmie Johnson at the Brickyard - his fourth
runner-up this season; was also second to Kyle Busch at
Darlington, Dover and the second Daytona race; 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; penalty dropped him from third to sixth in the
standings and he never recovered as he eventually wound up
ninth; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship and is in
contention to win the title against this year; ran 37th here
last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,517,427
Chase Points: 5,272 (8th)
Ran 10th at Pocono for his 10th top 10 of the season, but has
been mediocre since by running 14th at New Hampshire and seventh
at Dover; has yet to win this season but has nine top-fives and
13 top 10s; has four DNFs this season after posting just one
last year; 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 2008 season with a disappointing 39th in the Daytona
500; 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; had six
checkered flags last season and 81 career, just two shy of tying
Cale Yarborough for fifth place all-time; ran fifth in this race
last year.
Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $4,420,161
Chase Points: 5,197 (11th)
Started the Chase by running ninth at Loudon then ran 38th at
Dover to fall to 11th place; won once this season at
Martinsville in March; through 28 starts, has nine top fives and
15 top 10s along with one pole at the first Richmond race; has
only two DNFs on the year; has been in the top-12 in the
standings since win at Martinsville and has remained there for
21 straight weeks; struggled to a 12th-place finish in the Chase
last season with only three top-10s; in 2006 became the first -
and thus far - only rookie to make the Chase, going on to finish
third in the standings; posted seven top-10s in the 10 races that
make up the Chase; ran 29th in this race last season.
Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,318,616
Chase Points: 5,289 (5th)
Started the Chase by finishing 10th at New Hampshire and sixth
at Dover; posted six top fives and 14 top 10s this season; has
no poles and no DNFs on the year; entered the top-12 in the
standings after Pocono in the beginning of August and has
remained there for eighth straight weeks; last year finished
10th in the Chase with four top-10 finishes; in 2006 finished
fourth in the Chase with six top-10 finishes including wins at
New Hampshire and Phoenix; took an early lead in the 2006 Chase
after winning at New Hampshire from the pole, but a 32nd-place
finish at Dover knocked him out of the top spot; ran sixth here
in this race last year.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $5,666,173
Chase Points: 5,380 (2nd)
Two-time reigning series champion barely missed out on third
straight win after being passed by Greg Biffle in the closing
laps at New Hampshire, settling for second; followed with fifth
at Dover; entered the Chase with momentum after winning the past
two races at California and Richmond; also has wins at Phoenix
and the Brickyard; in 28 starts has 11 top fives and 20 top 10s
to go along with four poles and just a single DNF; battled
teammate Jeff 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; finished last season with 10 wins, 20
top fives, 24 top 10s, yet failed to finish four races; in 2006
he came back from ninth early in the Chase to win the
championship with six top 10s which included a win at
Martinsville and four second-place finishes; finished fifth in
the 2005 standings and second in 2004, eight points behind Kurt
Busch; ran third here last September.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,401,811
Chase Points: 5,223 (10th)
Does not have a win this season but finished second at Dover to
move up to 10th in the standings after running 40th at New
Hampshire; has seven top fives and 15 top 10s with no poles and
no DNFs on the year; ran third at Daytona and first Michigan
race; 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; last season
had a late-Chase surge with a win at the season-ending race at
Homestead, following a third at Phoenix and second at Texas;
finished fourth in the final standings; won the series
championship in 2003 despite capturing only one checkered flag,
prompting NASCAR to change to its current Chase format; is
running this season without long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser
who has been replaced atop the box by Chip Bolin; ran 35th in
this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,084,169
Chase Points: 5,277 (7th)
Is currently on a 41-race winless streak after running 11th at
Dover; has nine top fives and 14 top 10s, along with no poles
and three DNFs on the year; 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; 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; also clashed with
his team after finishing second to Jimmie Johnson at Richmond;
finished sixth in the Chase last season, one year after not
qualifying; won the 2005 championship for his second career
title; finished 39th in this race last year.
2007 Top 10
-----------
1. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
2. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
3. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
4. Casey Mears (25), Chevrolet
5. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
6. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
7. Reed Sorenson (41), Dodge
8. Elliott Sadler (19), Dodge
9. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Chevrolet
Past Champions
--------------
2007 Greg Biffle, Ford, 104.981 mph
2006 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 121.753 mph
2005 Mark Martin, Ford, 137.774 mph
2004 Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 128.058 mph
2003 Ryan Newman, Dodge, 121.630 mph
2002 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 119.394 mph
2001 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 110.576 mph
