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Oct 19, 2008 - 10:26 AMOctober 19, 2008
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Virginia
Race 32 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
(Race No. 6 of 10 in "Chase for the Championship")
TV: ABC, 1 p.m. EDT
Laps: 500
Track length: 0.526 miles
Race length: 263 miles
Qualifying record: Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 98.083 mph, 2005
Race record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 82.223 mph, 1996
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Greg Biffle
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 16 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,361,639
Chase Points: 5,792 (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,
86 points behind Jimmie Johnson after finishing seventh at
Lowe's; through first 31 starts has 11 top fives and 15 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 seventh in this race last season.
Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
2008 Earnings: $3,868,970
Chase Points: 5,693 (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 12th at Lowe's; 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 31 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
ninth here last October.
Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,615,783
Chase Points: 5,619 (4th)
Won at Lowe's to jump up to second in the standings, 69 points
behind Jimmie Johnson; 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 other
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 12th in this race last season.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $6,049,145
Chase Points: 5,552 (9th)
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 fourth in this race last
season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,095,995
Chase Points: 5,524 (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; is now 10th after 26th at Lowe's; 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
23rd in this race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $6,565,025
Chase Points: 5,710 (4th)
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, then dropped
to fourth in the standings after 33rd-place finish at Lowe's;
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 11th here last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,964,360
Chase Points: 5,633 (8th)
Opened Chase by running 14th at New Hampshire and seventh at
Dover; followed up with a fourth at Kansas, 38th at Talladega
and eighth at Lowe's; has yet to win this season but has 10
top-fives and 15 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; ran
third in this race last year.
Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $4,767,834
Chase Points: 5,498 (12th)
Spent a night in the hospital after hard crash at Talladega
which relegated him to a 39th-place finish; bounced back with a
16th at Lowe's; started the Chase by running ninth at Loudon,
38th at Dover and 11th at Kansas; won once this season at
Martinsville in March; through 31 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 sixth in
this race last season.
Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,725,574
Chase Points: 5,671 (6th)
Had finished in the top-10 in nine straight races until running
20th at Talladega and 13th at Lowe's; 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
10th in this race last year.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $6,331,281
Chase Points: 5,878 (1st)
Two-time reigning series champion has a 69-point lead atop the
standings midway through the Chase; 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, then ran
sixth at Lowe's; entered the Chase with momentum after winning
the past two races at California and Richmond; also has wins at
Phoenix and the Brickyard; in 31 starts has 12 top fives and 23
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; won this race the past
two Octobers.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,798,564
Chase Points: 5,518 (11th)
Does not have a win this season but finished fifth at Kansas
after a second at Dover; was collected in the big one at
Talladega and finished 26th, then placed 41st at Lowe's; started
the Chase by running 40th at New Hampshire; has eight top fives
and 16 top 10s with no poles and one DNF 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 fifth in
this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,623,177
Chase Points: 5,650 (7th)
Snapped a 42-race winless streak by winning at Talladega;
followed that up by running 11th at Lowe's; 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 13th in this race last
year.
2007 Top 10
-----------
1. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
2. Ryan Newman (12), Dodge
3. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
4. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
5. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
6. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet
7. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
8. Juan Pablo Montoya (42), Dodge
9. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
10. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
Past Champions
--------------
2007 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 66.608 mph
2006 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 70.446 mph
2005 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 69.695 mph
2004 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 66.103 mph
2003 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 67.658 mph
2002 Kurt Busch, Ford, 74.651 mph
2001 Ricky Craven Ford, 75.750 mph
2000 Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 73.859 mph
1999 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 72.347 mph
1998 Ricky Rudd, Ford, 73.35 mph
1997 Jeff Burton, Ford, 73.072 mph
1996 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 82.223 mph
1995 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 72.145 mph
1994 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 76.700 mph
1993 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 79.078 mph
1992 Mark Martin, Ford, 78.086 mph
1991 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 75.139 mph
1990 Geoff Bodine, Ford, 77.423 mph
1989 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 79.025 mph
1988 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 74.740 mph
1987 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 72.808 mph
1986 Ricky Rudd, Ford, 76.882 mph
1985 Harry Grant, Chevrolet, 73.022 mph
1984 Geoff Bodine, Chevrolet, 73.264 mph
1983 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 66.460 mph
1982 Harry Grant, Buick, 75.073 mph
1981 Morgan Shepherd, Pontiac, 75.019 mph
1980 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 69.049 mph
1979 Richard Petty, Chevrolet, 76.562 mph
1978 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 77.971 mph
1977 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 77.405 mph
1976 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 71.759 mph
1975 Richard Petty, Dodge, 69.282 mph
1974 Cale Yarborough, 73 Chevrolet, 69.936 mph
1973 David Pearson, 71 Mercury, 70.251 mph
1972 Richard Petty, 72 Plymouth, 72.657 mph
1971 Richard Petty, 71 Plymouth, 77.707 mph
1970 Bobby Isaac, 69 Dodge, 68.512 mph
1969 Richard Petty, 69 Ford, 64.405 mph
1968 Cale Yarborough, 68 Mercury, 66.686 mph
1967 Richard Petty, 67 Plymouth, 67.446 mph
1966 Jim Paschal, 66 Plymouth, 69.156 mph
1965 Fred Lorenzen, 65 Ford, 66.765 mph
1964 Fred Lorenzen, 64 Ford, 70.098 mph
1963 Richard Petty, 63 Plymouth, 64.823 mph
1962 Richard Petty, 62 Plymouth, 66.430 mph
1961 Junior Johnson, 61 Pontiac, 66.280 mph
1960 Richard Petty, 60 Plymouth, 63.940 mph
1959 Lee Petty, 57 Oldsmobile, 59.440 mph
1958 Bob Welborn, 57 Chevrolet, 61.160 mph
1957 Buck Baker, 57 Chevrolet, N/A
1956 Buck Baker, 56 Dodge, 60.950 mph
