SPRINT Pep Boys Auto 500
Final
for this game
Pep Boys Auto 500 Preview
Oct 25, 2008 - 10:21 AMOctober 26, 2008
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Georgia
Race 33 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
(7th of 10 in "Chase for the CHampionship")
TV: ABC, 1 p.m. EDT
Laps: 325
Track length: 1.54 miles
Race length: 500 miles
Qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 197.478 mph, 1997
Race record: Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 163.633 mph, 1995
DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------
Greg Biffle
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 16 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,361,639
Chase Points: 5,924 (2nd)
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; moved up to second in the
standings, 149 points behind Jimmie Johnson after finishing 12th
at Martinsville; through first 32 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 22nd in this race
last season.
Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
2008 Earnings: $3,962,64
Chase Points: 5,831 (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 ninth at Martinsville;
pulled off a shocking victory in the Chase opener last season
from the pole 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 32 starts this season has five top fives and 14 top 10s;
has not earned a pole, but also has no DNFs on the Nationwide
year; is running double duty this season and currently tops the
Series standings by almost 200 points; finished sixth here
last October.
Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $5,018,225
Chase Points: 5,921 (3rd)
Won at Lowe's to jump up to second in the standings, 69 points
behind Jimmie Johnson, but ran 17th at Martinsville to fall back
to third; 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 fifth in this race last season.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $6,135,120
Chase Points: 5,628 (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 20th in this race last
season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,217,970
Chase Points: 5,694 (9th)
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 ninth after running second at Martinsville; 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; finished 25th in this race last
season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $6,710,875
Chase Points: 5,875 (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;
remains there despite finishing third at Martinsville; has 15
top fives and 23 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; 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 and he eventually wound up
ninth; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship and is in
contention to win the title again this year; ran second here
last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $5,100,596
Chase Points: 5,798 (7th)
Ran fourth at Martinsville to move up to seventh in the
standings; has yet to win this season but has 11 top-fives and
16 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 seventh in this
race last year.
Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $4,767,834
Chase Points: 5,653 (11th)
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 and fifth at Martinsville; started the Chase by
running ninth at Loudon, 38th at Dover and 11th at Kansas; won
once this season at Martinsville in March; through 32 starts has
10 top fives and 16 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 first Martinsville race;
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 24th in this race last season.
Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $4,857,210
Chase Points: 5,817 (6th)
Had finished in the top-10 in nine straight races until running
20th at Talladega and 13th at Lowe's; bounced back with a
seventh at Martinsville; 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 15th in this race last
year.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $6,550,442
Chase Points: 6,073 (1st)
Two-time reigning series champion has a 149-point lead atop the
after winning at Martinsville; 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 32 starts has 13 top fives and 24
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 by 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 last year.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,921,980
Chase Points: 5,665 (10th)
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; ran
seventh at Martinsville; started the Chase by running 40th at
New Hampshire; has eight top fives and 17 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 fourth in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $5,740,338
Chase Points: 5,735 (8th)
Snapped a 42-race winless streak by winning at Talladega;
followed that up by running 11th at Lowe's and 26th at
Martinsville; 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 30th in this race last year.
2007 Top 10
-----------
1. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
2. Carl Edwards (99), Ford
3. Reed Sorenson (41), Dodge
4. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
5. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
6. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
7. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
8. Kurt Busch (2), Dodge
9. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
10. Brian Vickers (83), Toyota
Past Champions
--------------
2007 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 135.260 mph
2006 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 143.421 mph
2005 Carl Edwards, Ford, 146.834 mph
2004 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 145.847 mph
2003 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 127.769 mph
2002 Kurt Busch, Ford, 127.519 mph
2001 Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 151.746 mph
2000 Jerry Nadeau, Chevrolet, 141.296 mph
1999 Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 137.932 mph
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 114.915 mph
1997 Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 159.904 mph
1996 Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 134.661 mph
1995 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 163.633 mph
1994 Mark Martin, Ford, 148.982 mph
1993 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 125.221 mph
1992 Bill Elliott, Ford, 133.322 mph
1991 Mark Martin, Ford, 137.968 mph
1990 Morgan Shepherd, Ford, 140.911 mph
1989 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 140.229 mph
1988 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 129.024 mph
1987 Bill Elliott, Ford, 139.047 mph
1986 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 152.523 mph
1985 Bill Elliott, Ford, 139.597 mph
1984 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 134.610 mph
1983 Neil Bonnett, Chevrolet, 137.643 mph
1982 Bobby Allison, Buick, 130.884 mph
1981 Neil Bonnett, Ford, 130.391 mph
1980 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 131.190 mph
1979 Neil Bonnett, Mercury, 140.120 mph
1978 Donnie Allison, Chevrolet, 124.312 mph
1977 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 110.052 mph
1976 Dave Marcis, Dodge, 127.396 mph
1975 Buddy Baker, Ford, 130.900 mph
1974 Richard Petty, 74 Dodge, 131.651 mph
1973 David Pearson, 71 Mercury, 130.211 mph
1972 Bobby Allison, 72 Chevrolet, 131.295 mph
1971 Richard Petty, 71 Plymouth, 129.061 mph
1970 Richard Petty, 70 Plymouth, 142.712 mph
1969 LeeRoy Yarbrough, 69 Ford, 133.001 mph
1968 LeeRoy Yarbrough, 68 Mercury, 127.068 mph
1967 Dick Hutcherson, 67 Ford, 132.286 mph
1966 Richard Petty, 66 Plymouth, 130.244 mph
1965 Marvin Panch, 65 Ford, 110.120 mph
1964 Ned Jarrett, 64 Ford, 112.535 mph
1963 Junior Johnson, 63 Chevrolet, 121.139 mph
1962 Rex White, 62 Chevrolet, 124.896 mph
1961 David Pearson, 61 Pontiac, 125.230 mph
1960 Fireball Roberts, 60 Pontiac, 112.652 mph
