SPRINT Bank of America 500
Final
for this game
Bank of America 500 Preview
Oct 7, 2008 - 5:30 PMOctober 11, 2008
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Race 31 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
(5th of 10 in "Chase for the Championship")
TV: ABC, 7 p.m. EDT
Laps: 334
Track length: 1 1/2 miles
Race length: 500 miles
Qualifying record: Elliott Sadler, Ford, 193.216 mph, 2005
Race record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 160.306 mph, 1999
DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------
Greg Biffle
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 16 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,260,014
Chase Points: 5,641 (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 then was wrecked by teammate Carl Edwards
at Talladega and finished 24th; remains third in the standings,
77 points behind Jimmie Johnson; through first 30 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; 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
27th in this race last season.
Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
2008 Earnings: $3,776,245
Chase Points: 5,566 (5th)
Finished 12th at Richmond to lock up final Chase berth, then ran
12th at New Hampshire, eighth at Dover and 12th at Kansas; sits
fifth in the standings after running fifth at Talladega; 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 30 starts this season has five top fives and 13
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 almost 200 points; finished
second to Jeff Gordon here last season.
Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,615,783
Chase Points: 5,619 (4th)
Opened the Chase by running fourth at New Hampshire, ninth at
Dover, seventh at Kansas and fourth at Talladega; 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 fourth in this race last season.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,907,270
Chase Points: 5,387 (11th)
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 third in this race last
season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,024,195
Chase Points: 5,469 (10th)
The circuit's most popular driver started the Chase by running
fifth at New Hampshire; fell to 24th at Dover and 13th at
Kansas; was collected in the big one at Talladega and wound up
28th; 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 19th in this race last
season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $6,452,400
Chase Points: 5,646 (2nd)
Dropped from the top spot in the Chase after running second at
Kansas; opened the Chase with thirds at New Hampshire and Dover;
caused the big one at Talladega and finished 29th; 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 fifth here last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,822,399
Chase Points: 5,486 (8th)
Opened Chase by running 14th at New Hampshire and seventh at
Dover; followed up with a fourth at Kansas and 38th at
Talladega; has yet to win this season but has 10 top-fives and
14 top 10s; has five 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: $4,660,093
Chase Points: 5,383 (12th)
Spent a night in the hospital after hard crash at Talladega
which relegated him to a 39th-place finish; started the Chase by
running ninth at Loudon, 38th at Dover and 11th at Kansas; won
once this season at Martinsville in March; through 30 starts has
nine top fives and 15 top 10s along with one pole at the first
Richmond race; has only three DNFs on the year; has been in the
top-12 in the standings since win at Martinsville; 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
20th in this race last season.
Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,604,513
Chase Points: 5,547 (6th)
Had finished in the top-10 in nine straight races until running
20th at Talladega; 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; 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 33rd in this race last
year.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $6,168,245
Chase Points: 5,718 (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; played it safe at Talladega and finished ninth to
increase lead to 72 points; entered the Chase with momentum
after winning the past two races at California and Richmond;
also has wins at Phoenix and the Brickyard; in 30 starts has 12
top fives and 22 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; 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 14th here
last October.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,687,768
Chase Points: 5,473 (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;
was collected in the big one at Talladega and finished 26th;
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;
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 34th in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,482,641
Chase Points: 5,515 (7th)
Snapped a 42-race winless streak by winning at Talladega after
running 40th at Kansas; has 10 top fives and 15 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 seventh in this race last year.
2007 Top 10
-----------
1. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
2. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
3. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
4. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
5. Carl Edwards (99), Ford
6. Dave Blaney (22), Toyota
7. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
8. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
9. David Stremme (40), Dodge
10. Michael Waltrip (55), Toyota
Past Champions
--------------
2007 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 125.868 mph
2006 Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 132.142 mph
2005 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 120.334 mph
2004 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 130.214 mph
2003 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 142.871 mph
2002 Jamie McMurray, Dodge, 141.481 mph
2001 Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 139.006 mph
2000 Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 133.630 mph
1999 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 160.306 mph
1998 Mark Martin, Ford, 123.188 mph
1997 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 144.323 mph
1996 Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 143.143 mph
1995 Mark Martin, Ford, 145.358 mph
1994 Dale Jarrett, Chevrolet, 145.922 mph
1993 Ernie Irvan, Ford, 154.537 mph
1992 Mark Martin, Ford, 153.537 mph
1991 Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 138.984 mph
1990 Davey Allison, Ford, 137.428 mph
1989 Ken Schrader, Chevrolet, 149.863 mph
1988 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 130.677 mph
1987 Bill Elliott, Ford, 128.443 mph
1986 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 132.403 mph
1985 Cale Yarborough, Ford, 136.761
1984 Bill Elliott, Ford, 146.861 mph
1983 Richard Petty, Pontiac, 139.998 mph
1982 Harry Gant, Buick, 137.208 mph
1981 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 117.483 mph
1980 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 135.243 mph
1979 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 134.266 mph
1978 Bobby Allison, Ford, 141.826 mph
1977 Benny Parsons, Chevrolet, 142.780 mph
1976 Donnie Allison, Chevrolet, 141.226 mph
1975 Richard Petty, Dodge, 132.209 mph
1974 David Pearson, 73 Mercury, 119.912 mph
1973 Cale Yarborough, 73 Chevrolet, 145.240 mph
1972 Bobby Allison, 71 Chevrolet, 133.234 mph
1971 Bobby Allison, 69 Mercury, 126.140 mph
1970 LeeRoy Yarborough, 69 Mercury, 123.426 mph
1969 Donnie Allison, 69 Ford, 131.271 mph
1968 Charlie Glotzbach, 68 Dodge, 135.324 mph
1967 Buddy Baker, 67 Dodge, 130.317 mph
1966 *LeeRoy Yarborough, 66 Dodge, 130.743 mph
1965 Fred Lorenzen, 65 Ford, 119.118 mph
1964 Fred Lorenzen, 64 Ford, 134.559 mph
1963 Junior Johnson, 63 Chevrolet, 132.105 mph
1962 Junior Johnson, 62 Pontiac, 132.085 mph
1961 Joe Weatherly, 61 Pontiac, 119.800 mph
1960 Speedy Thompson, 60 Ford, 112.760 mph
* Race changed from 400 to 500 miles
- mark TOUGH break for carl. how does the car just stop working?
SPRINT Bank of America 500 Lap 60/334Oct 11 8:40 PM
