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Amp Energy 500 Preview

Oct 3, 2008 - 10:11 AM

October 5, 2008 
Talladega Superspeedway 
Talladega, Alabama

Race 30 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit 
(4th of 10 in "Chase for the Championship")

TV: ABC, 1 p.m. EDT

Laps: 188 
Track length: 2.66 miles 
Race length: 500 miles

Qualifying record: Bill Elliott, 212.809 mph, 1987 
Race record: Mark Martin, 188.354 mph, 1997


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

Greg Biffle
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 16 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,174,939
Chase Points: 5,545 (3rd)

Snapped 33-race winless skid by winning at New Hampshire to 
start the Chase, then won again at Dover; winning streak ended 
with a third at Kansas; remains third in the standings, 30 
points behind Jimmie Johnson; through first 29 starts has 11 top 
fives and 14 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 28 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; finished 23rd in
this race last season.


Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
2008 Earnings: $3,650,720
Chase Points: 5,411 (7th)

Finished 12th at Richmond to lock up final Chase berth, then ran
12th at New Hampshire, eighth at Dover and 12th at Kansas to sit 
seventh in the standings; 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 29 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 189 points; finished 11th here last season.


Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,452,800
Chase Points: 5,454 (4th)

Opened the Chase by running fourth at New Hampshire, ninth at
Dover and seventh at Kansas; 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 dead last in this 
race last season.


Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,812,020
Chase Points: 5,264 (12th)

Championship hopes all but vanished after more engine troubles 
at Kansas relegated him to a 28th-place finish; blew an engine 
at Dover and finished 43rd to fall to last place in the Chase; 
began the Chase with a broken sway bar at New Hampshire that 
dropped 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; 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 36th in this race last 
season.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $3,940,895
Chase Points: 5,385 (8th)

The circuit's most popular driver started the Chase by running 
fifth at New Hampshire; fell to 24th at Dover and 13th at 
Kansas; 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 40th in this race last season.


Carl Edwards 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $$6,332,325
Chase Points: 5,565 (2nd)

Dropped from the top spot in the Chase after running second at 
Kansas; opened the Chase with thirds at New Hampshire and Dover; 
has 14 top fives and 22 top 10s; finished second to Jimmie 
Johnson at the Brickyard and has five runner-ups 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 
again this year; ran 14th here last year.


Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,702,213
Chase Points: 5,432 (6th)

Opened Chase by running 14th at New Hampshire and seventh at 
Dover; followed up with a fourth at Kansas; has yet to win this 
season but has 10 top-fives and 14 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; won 
this race last year.


Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $4,553,977
Chase Points: 5,332 (10th)

Started the Chase by running ninth at Loudon, 38th at Dover and
11th at Kansas to sit in 11th place; won once this season at 
Martinsville in March; through 29 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 fourth 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)

Has finished in the top-10 in nine straight races; started the 
Chase by finishing 10th at New Hampshire, sixth at Dover and
sixth at Kansas; posted six top fives and 15 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 nine 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 20th in 
this race last year.


Jimmie Johnson 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala 
2008 Earnings: $6,030,584
Chase Points: 5,575 (1st)

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 and a win at Kansas to take over first place in the 
Chase; entered the Chase with momentum after winning the past 
two races at California and Richmond; also has wins at Phoenix 
and the Brickyard; in 29 starts has 12 top fives and 21 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 second here to Gordon last October.


Matt Kenseth 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,566,677
Chase Points: 5,383 (9th)

Does not have a win this season but finished fifth at Kansas 
after a second at Dover to move up to ninth in the standings; 
started the Chase by running 40th at New Hampshire; has eight 
top fives and 16 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 26th in this race last year.


Tony Stewart 
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing 
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,212,505
Chase Points: 5,320 (11th)

Is currently on a 42-race winless streak after running 40th at
Kansas; 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 eighth in this race last year.


2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet 
 2. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet 
 3. Dave Blaney (22), Toyota 
 4. Denny Hamlin, (11), Chevrolet 
 5. Ryan Newman (11), Dodge 
 6. Casey Mears (25), Chevrolet 
 7. Kurt Busch (2), Dodge 
 8. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet 
 9. Tony Raines (96), Chevrolet 
10. Reed Sorenson (41) Dodge 

Past Champions
--------------
2007 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
2006 Brian Vickers, Chevrolet
2005 Dale Jarrett, Ford 
2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet 
2003 Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet 
2002 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet 
2001 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet 
2000 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 
1999 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 
1998 Dale Jarrett, Chevrolet 
1997 Terry Labonte, Chevrolet 
1996 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 
1995 Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet 
1994 Jimmy Spencer, Ford 
1993 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 
1992 Ernie Irvan, Chevrolet 
1991 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 
1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 
1989 Terry Labonte, Ford 
1988 Ken Schrader, Chevrolet 
1987 Bill Elliot, Ford 
1986 Bobby Hillin, Buick
1985 Cale Yarborough, Ford 
1984 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet 
1983 Dale Earnhardt, Ford 
1982 Darrell Waltrip, Buick 
1981 Ron Bouchard, Buick 
1980 Neil Bonnett, Mercury 
1979 Darrell Waltrip, Oldsmobile 
1978 Lennie Pond, Oldsmobile 
1977 Donnie Allison, Chevrolet 
1976 Dave Marcis, Dodge 
1975 Buddy Baker, Ford 
1974 Richard Petty, 74 Dodge 
1973 Dick Brooks, 72 Plymouth 
1972 James Hylton, 71 Mercury 
1971 Bobby Allison, 69 Mercury 
1970 Pete Hamilton, 70 Plymouth 
1969 Richard Brickhouse, 69 Dodge