NATIONWIDE Hefty Odor Blocker 200
Final
for this game
Hefty Odor Block 200 Preview
Nov 8, 2008 - 11:52 AMNovember 8, 2008
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix, Arizona
Race 34 of 35 on the Nationwide Series circuit
TV: ESPN2, 4:00 p.m.
Laps: 200
Track length: 1 mile
Race length: 200 miles
Qualifying record: Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 133.819 mph, 2004
Race record: Jeff Burton, Ford, 115.145 mph, 2000
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2008 Earnings: $973,670
Remains the series leader though he has just one victory this
season - when he gambled and stayed out during a rain delay to
win at Bristol; followed with second at Nashville and third at
Texas; is 91 points ahead of Carl Edwards after finishing
sixth at Texas; through first 33 races has 12 top fives and 27
top 10s; started the year with a 25th at Daytona, then rebounded
with a ninth at California; ran a full Busch series slate in
2005 and 2006, finishing second and third, respectively, in the
final standings; finished 12th overall last year after running
just 22 races, winning at Phoenix and Richmond; ran third here
last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 60 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $1,149,895
Remains second in the standings and trails Clint Bowyer by 91
points running second at Texas, a week after winning at Atlanta;
had a disappointing 37th-place finish at Bristol - his worst
showing of the year excluding Darlington, where a wreck left him
in 43rd; defending series champion has five wins this year; won
for the second time this season at Gateway; also won at
Milwaukee and ran second at Dover; opened defense of his series
title with a 10th at Daytona and fifth at California; clinched
last season's title at Texas, three races before the end of the
season; was the runner-up to Kevin Harvick two seasons ago;
despite late struggles still had a series-best 21 top-10
finishes and 15 top fives last season; led in the series
standings for 33 consecutive weeks prior to Daytona this year;
in 35 starts last season had four wins, trailing only Harvick,
who had six; posted a seventh-place finish here last year.
Brad Keselowski
Team: JR Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2008 Earnings: $1,115,184
Second-year driver sits third in the standings, 293 points
behind Clint Bowyer after running seventh at Texas; had moved up
to second in the standings after winning at Bristol, but
followed that effort with his worst performance of the year -
placing 33rd in Fontana; followed up his first series win at
Nashville by running fourth at Kentucky and eighth at Milwaukee;
through first 33 races has 19 top 10s and 10 top fives; finished
third at Lowe's and posted consecutive fourth-place finishes at
Bristol and the first Nashville race; has only five finishes of
20th or worse this season; finished 25th in points last season
and third in Rookie of the Year standings; joined Dale Earnhardt
Jr.'s JR Motorsports team in July last season; finished 21st
here last season.
Joey Logano
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $610,336
Finished fourth at Texas after running fifth at Atlanta; young
phenom had his car fail post-race inspection at Michigan when a
magnet was found underneath the gas pedal in order to influence
dyno test; finished 17th at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve; won his
first race and second pole at Kentucky in his third series
start; captured the pole at Nashville in just his second series
start; was tapped by Greg Biffle early in that race and wound up
a disappointing 31st; finished sixth at Dover in his highly
anticipated debut in one of NASCAR's top series a week after
turning 18; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch East Series championship
as a rookie; signed a development deal with Joe Gibbs Racing in
2005; was dubbed the "Real Deal" by Mark Martin when he was 15;
is Tony Stewart's Sprint Cup replacement in the No. 20 Toyota
next season.
David Ragan
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 6 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $806,040
Sits fourth in the standings after fifth-place finish at
Texas; has only three finishes higher than ninth in past 13
races; is running both series this year; ran 25th at Bristol;
through first 33 races has seven top fives and 21 top 10s; ran
ninth at Daytona and 12th at California to start the season,
then posted a 10th at Las Vegas, ran 16th at Atlanta and was
eighth at Bristol; was eighth at Texas and fifth at Phoenix; had
an impressive rookie season, finishing fifth overall and winning
the Raybestos Rookie of the Year by 27 points over Marcos
Ambrose; scored four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 2007,
but also had eight finishes of 30th or worse; finished 23rd as a
rookie here last year.
David Reutimann
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
Car: No. 99 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $839,120
Has pulled "double-duty" in 2008 after finishing second to Carl
Edwards in the standings last season; remained sixth in the
standings after running eighth at Texas Motor Speedway; had
back-to-back eighth-place finishes at Bristol and Fontana; is
winless this year with 14 top 10 finishes and seven top fives;
ran 15th at Michigan; placed 26th at O'Reilly after finishing
13th at Kentucky; started season with a 14th at Daytona and ran
fourth at California; ran 25th at Las Vegas, 10th at Atlanta and
third in the Sharpie Mini 300; last year had better finishes
than Carl Edwards in 10 of the last 15 races and scored the most
points in the series after the midseason point; earned his first
series win at the second Atlanta race; finished with five
top-fives and 12 top 10s; ran 12th here last year.
2007 Top 10
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1. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
2. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
3. Clint Bowyer (2), Chevrolet
4. Scott Wimmer (29), Chevrolet
5. Kevin Harvick (21), Chevrolet
6. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
7. Carl Edwards (60), Ford
8. Jason Leffler (38), Toyota
9. Jamie McMurray (26), Ford
10. Ron Hornaday Jr. (77), Chevrolet
Past Champions
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2007 Kyle Busch
2006 Matt Kenseth
2005 Carl Edwards
