SAMSUNG 500 Texas Motor Speedway April 6th 2008

Track Details
Completed : 1996
Distance : 1.5 miles
Shape : Quad-oval
Banking : 24° turns
5° straights
Frontstretch : 2,250 feet
Backstretch : 1,330 feet
Seating : 159,585
Contact Info
P.O. Box 500
Fort Worth, TX 76101
(817) 215-8500
Official Web site

2007 Race Results
Sprint Cup Series
Samsung 500 :: Jeff Burton - 04/15/07
Dickies 500 :: Jimmie Johnson - 11/04/07

Cup Historical Race Winners

Nationwide Series
O'Reilly Challenge :: Kevin Harvick - 11/03/07
O'Reilly 300 :: Matt Kenseth - 04/14/07

Craftsman Truck Series
Sam's Town 400 :: Todd Bodine - 06/08/07
Silverado 350K :: Ted Musgrave - 11/02/07
Track Records
RACE RECORDS
Sprint Cup Race Record :: Carl Edwards 151.055 - 11/06/05

Cup Historical Race Winners

Nationwide Race Record :: Kevin Harvick 145.710 - 11/04/06
Truck Race Record :: Jack Sprague 144.844 - 06/10/05

QUALIFYING RECORDS
2008 Qual Records Data not available.

Texas Motor Speedway's construction began in 1995. The original configuration called for an unusual dual banking system that had 24 degrees of banking for stock cars and 8 degrees for open-wheel cars.

On April 5, 1997, Mark Martin won the first NASCAR event at TMS, a Busch Series event. Jeff Burton won the inaugural Cup Series race in front of a sellout crowd on the next afternoon.

In 1998, Turn 4 at Texas Motor Speedway was reshaped to ease the transition from the turns to the front straightaway. That April, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s career got a boost after his first Busch Series victory.

But after that race, a second renovation started and was completed in less than two months. The project eliminated the dual banking and gave the track its current configuration.

In 2005, TMS was awarded a fall Nextel Cup date to go with its April date. That 2005 event was the 34th race of that season's 36-race schedule.



MARSHA~JEFF GORDON FAN #24 DUPONT



MARSHA HAS BEEN AN ONLINE FELLOW RACE FAN FRIEND OF MINE FOR AWHILE THROUGH MY SPACE...I HAVE ENJOYED HER COMMENTS AND SHE HAS BEEN GREAT TO HAVE AS A FRIEND!!! SO GO TO MARSHA'S PAGE AND CHECK OUT HER DEDICATION MY SPACE FAN PAGE TO HER FAVORITE DRIVER: JEFF GORDON #24 DUPONT!!!
http://www.myspace.com/jgordon_24_luv


HIGHLIGHTED DRIVER
DALE EARNHARDT JR. #88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP HENDRICK MOTOR SPORTS


Driver Details
Sponsor : AMP Energy/National Guard
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Rick Hendrick
Team : Hendrick Motorsports
Crew Chief : Tony Eury Jr.
Birthday: Oct. 10, 1974
Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C.

YEAR-BY-YEAR NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RECAP

2007 -- Finished 16th in series points. ... Finished with one pole, seven top-fives and 12 top-10s in a disappointing season, his last with Dale Earnhardt Inc. ... Announced in May that he would join Hendrick Motorsports for the '08 season. ... Nine DNFs marked a career-high. ... First full-time season without a win. ... Voted NASCAR's most popular driver for a fifth consecutive year.

2006 -- Finished fifth in series points. ... Fourth career finish in Sprint Cup top 10. ... Finished with one win, 10 top-fives and 17 top-10s. ... Only victory came at Richmond in May. ... Earned a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup following a one-year absence. ... Voted NASCAR's most popular driver for a fourth consecutive year.

2005 -- Finished 19th in series points. ... Captured his only victory under the leadership of DEI technical director Steve Hmiel, who took over for crew chief Pete Rondeau after the spring Charlotte race. ... Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. led the No. 8 team from the fall New Hampshire race to the end of the season. ... Posted seven top-fives and 13 top-10's. ... Voted NASCAR's most popular driver for the third consecutive year.

2004 -- Finished fifth in series points. ... Had six victories, second only to Jimmie Johnson's eight. ... Daytona 500 victory made the Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. tandem only the third father/son combination to win The Great American Race, along with Lee and Richard Petty and Bobby and Davey Allison. ... Won two restrictor-plate races and was the only driver to post top-10 finishes in each of the four restrictor-plate races.

2003 -- Finished third in series points, his best career finish. ... Was second in the standings for 19 race weekends. ... Posted two victories -- Talladega in April and Phoenix in November; his Talladega win was his record fourth consecutive there. ... Narrowly missed a fifth consecutive win at Talladega in September with a runner-up finish to DEI teammate Michael Waltrip. ... Posted career bests with 13 top-fives and 21-top 10s, totals that were fourth and third in the series, respectively. ... Voted NASCAR's most popular driver, marking the first time a father and son have received the award; his father won posthumously in 2001.

2002 -- Finished 11th in series points. ... Won two races, via season sweep at Talladega Superspeedway. ... Two poles, at Michigan and Kansas. ... Led a series-high 1,068 laps. ... Recorded 11 top-five finishes, 16 top-10s and had the most consecutive top-five finishes (three) in his career. ... Also posted career bests in top-five starts (13) and fewest DNFs (three). ... Won in his first Nationwide Series race as driver/owner at Richmond (Sept).

2001 -- Finished eighth in series points. ... Scored a trio of dramatic, emotional victories. ... First win came in July at Daytona, the first race there since his father's death in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18. He held off DEI teammate Michael Waltrip, to whom he finished second in February, for that win. ... Next victory came at Dover in the series' first race back after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and he punctuated that win with a victory lap carrying an American flag. ... Third win came in October at Talladega, the site of his father's final career victory a year earlier.

2000 -- Finished 16th in series points. ... Became first rookie to win the Sprint All-Star Challenge. ... Came up 42 points shy of winning the Raybestos rookie of the year title behind former Nationwide Series foe Matt Kenseth. ... Joined Jeff Burton as second first-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway. ... Along with Tony Stewart, became second rookie in two years to win at Richmond.

1999 -- Competed in five races. ... Best start was eighth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. ... Best finish was 10th at Richmond in September.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

Won back-to-back Nationwide Series titles in 1998 and 1999, his only two full seasons of Nationwide Series competition. ... Has won 20 races and has more than $3 million in Nationwide Series earnings. ... Entered three Nationwide Series races and won all three in 2003. ... Won six times with 22 top-10 finishes and three poles in 1999. ... Won seven races and three poles in 1998. ... Scored his first Nationwide Series victory in his 16th start at Texas, where he would later get his first Sprint Cup win. ... Made his Nationwide Series debut at Myrtle Beach, S.C. in 1996. ... He started seventh and finished 14th. ... Began his professional career at age 17 competing in the street stock division at Concord Motorsport Park, later moving up to the Late Model stock division. ... First racecar was a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that he owned along with his brother, Kerry. ... Raced against Kerry and sister Kelley at the beginning of his career. ... Won three feature victories in his NASCAR weekly series Late Model stock career (1994-1996). ... When he raced in the Pepsi 400 at Michigan in 2000 along with his late father, Dale, and brother, Kerry, it was the second time a father and two sons ran in the same Sprint Cup event. Lee Petty also raced against his sons, Richard and Maurice.

NOTEWORTHY

Owner of JR Motorsports. ... Co-owner of Chance 2 Motorsports when that organization won consecutive Nationwide Series titles with driver Martin Truex Jr. in 2004 and '05. ... Says his hero is his late father, seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt. ... His first Nationwide Series title in 1998 made him NASCAR's first third-generation champion coupled with his father's record-tying seven Sprint Cup titles and grandfather Ralph Earnhardt's 1956 NASCAR Sportsman Division title. ... Lists the Washington Redskins as his favorite sports team. ... 2006 Corvette Z 06, 2001 Corvette C5-R with LeMans wing, 2005 Corvette, 2001 "Intimidator SS" Camaro, 1996 Hummer, 2002 Mini Cooper and a Chevrolet Z-71 pickup are just some of the vehicles in his personal fleet.

STARTING LINE UP:
POS CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND
1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / AMP Energy 190.907 28.

286 Leader
2 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 189.487 28.498 -0.

212
3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 189.069 28.561 -0.

275
4 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Samsung HDTV / ALLTEL 189.042 28.565 -0.

279
5 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 188.772 28.606 -0.

320
6 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS 188.732 28.612 -0.

326
7 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 188.534 28.642 -0.

356
8 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 188.475 28.651 -0.

365
9 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 188.390 28.664 -0.

378
10 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 188.245 28.686 -0.

400
11 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Texaco / Havoline 188.160 28.699 -0.

413
12 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 188.140 28.702 -0.

416
13 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 188.009 28.722 -0.

436
14 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 187.990 28.725 -0.

439
15 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Jim Beam 187.931 28.734 -0.

448
16 16 Greg Biffle Ford DISH Network 187.865 28.744 -0.

458
17 77 Sam Hornish Jr.* Dodge Mobil 1 187.741 28.763 -0.

477
18 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 187.611 28.783 -0.

497
19 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Quaker State / Menards 187.598 28.785 -0.

499
20 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 187.591 28.786 -0.

500
21 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 187.493 28.801 -0.

515
22 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Cheez-It / CARQUEST 187.474 28.804 -0.

518
23 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 187.311 28.829 -0.

543
24 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 187.195 28.847 -0.

561
25 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 187.156 28.853 -0.

567
26 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy / Garmin 187.007 28.876 -0.

590
27 10 Patrick Carpentier* Dodge Valvoline 186.981 28.880 -0.

594
28 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft 186.974 28.881 -0.

595
29 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 186.948 28.885 -0.

599
30 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios Racing / Sam's Club 186.935 28.887 -0.

601
31 8 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 186.793 28.909 -0.

623
32 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal Cask No. 16 186.645 28.932 -0.

646
33 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 186.220 28.998 -0.

712
34 01 Regan Smith* Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 186.046 29.025 -0.

739
35 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Prilosec OTC 185.995 29.033 -0.

747
36 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 185.752 29.071 -0.

785
37 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Front Row Motorsports 185.669 29.084 -0.

798
38 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Yates Racing 185.631 29.090 -0.

804
39 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 185.350 29.134 -0.

848
40 00 Michael McDowell+* Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 182.933 29.519 -1.

233
41 38 David Gilliland+ Ford Yates Racing - - -
42 41 Reed Sorenson+ Dodge Target - - -
43 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row
/ DenverMattress. com 185.191 29.159 -0.

873

Did Not Qualify
44 40 Dario Franchitti* Dodge Kennametal 185.122 29.170 -0.

884
45 45 Chad McCumbee Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 183.736 29.390 -1.

104
46 08 Burney Lamar Dodge rhino's energy drink 181.996 29.671 -1.

385

+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie

RESULTS OF TEXAS CARL EDWARDS #99 OFFICE DEPOT


1 2 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 195/10 339 Running
2 5 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 175/5 339 Running
3 3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 170/5 339 Running
4 4 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Samsung HDTV / ALLTEL 160/0 339 Running
5 14 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 155/0 339 Running
6 35 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Prilosec OTC 150/0 339 Running
7 24 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 146/0 339 Running
8 31 8 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 142/0 339 Running
9 8 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 143/5 339 Running
10 25 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 134/0 339 Running
11 21 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 130/0 338 Running
12 1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / AMP Energy 132/5 338 Running
13 7 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 124/0 338 Running
14 32 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal Cask No. 16 121/0 338 Running
15 41 38 David Gilliland Ford Yates Racing 118/0 338 Running
16 36 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 115/0 338 Running
17 19 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Quaker State / Menards 112/0 338 Running
18 38 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Yates Racing 109/0 338 Running
19 11 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Texaco / Havoline 106/0 337 Running
20 30 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios Racing / Sam's Club 103/0 337 Running
21 29 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 100/0 337 Running
22 22 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Cheez-It / CARQUEST 97/0 337 Running
23 23 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 94/0 337 Running
24 42 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 91/0 337 Running
25 10 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 88/0 336 Running
26 26 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy / Garmin 85/0 336 Running
27 13 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 82/0 336 Running
28 27 10 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge Valvoline 79/0 335 Running
29 9 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 76/0 334 Running
30 15 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Jim Beam 73/0 334 Running
31 20 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 70/0 333 Running
32 17 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge Mobil 1 67/0 333 Running
33 40 00 Michael McDowell * Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 64/0 332 Running
34 28 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft 61/0 332 Running
35 34 01 Regan Smith * Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 58/0 331 Running
36 12 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 60/5 330 Off Track
37 43 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row
/ DenverMattress.com 52/0 330 Running
38 39 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 49/0 329 Running
39 16 16 Greg Biffle Ford DISH Network / DishDVRs 46/0 312 Running
40 37 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Front Row Motorsports 43/0 263 Off Track
41 6 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS 40/0 253 Out of Race
42 33 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 37/0 173 Out of Race
43 18 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 34/0 124 Out of Race

POINT STANDINGS
1 -- Jeff Burton 1065 Leader 7 0 1 3 5
2 -- Kevin Harvick 1006 -59 7 0 0 2 4
3 +2 Kyle Busch 1001 -64 7 1 1 4 4
4 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. 978 -87 7 1 0 3 5
5 +1 Tony Stewart 957 -108 7 0 0 3 5
6 +4 Jimmie Johnson 921 -144 7 1 0 3 3
7 +1 Denny Hamlin 913 -152 7 0 1 2 4
8 +3 Ryan Newman 901 -164 7 0 1 2 3
9 -6 Greg Biffle 901 -164 7 0 0 3 4
10 +4 Carl Edwards 881 -184 7 0 3 3 4
11 +1 Clint Bowyer 874 -191 7 0 0 1 4
12 -5 Kasey Kahne 874 -191 7 0 0 0 4

13 +2 Matt Kenseth 820 -245 7 0 0 1 4
14 -5 Jeff Gordon 783 -282 7 2 0 3 3
15 +1 Kurt Busch 763 -302 7 0 0 1 1
16 -3 Martin Truex Jr. 755 -310 7 0 0 0 1
17 +2 David Ragan 752 -313 7 0 0 0 1
18 -- Brian Vickers 746 -319 7 0 0 0 1
19 -2 Juan Montoya 739 -326 7 0 0 0 0
20 -- Elliott Sadler 711 -354 7 0 0 0 1
21 -- Bobby Labonte 707 -358 7 0 0 0 0
22 -- David Gilliland 699 -366 7 0 0 0 1
23 -- Paul Menard 676 -389 7 0 0 0 0
24 -- Travis Kvapil 646 -419 7 0 0 0 1
25 +5 Jamie McMurray 615 -450 7 0 0 0 1
26 +1 Casey Mears 611 -454 7 0 0 0 1
27 -1 Reed Sorenson 607 -458 7 0 0 1 1
28 -3 Robby Gordon 591 -474 7 0 0 0 1
29 -- Scott Riggs 588 -477 7 0 0 0 0
30 +6 Mark Martin 563 -502 5 0 0 0 2
31 -3 David Reutimann 552 -513 7 0 0 0 0
32 -- Michael Waltrip 530 -535 7 0 0 0 0
33 -2 J.J. Yeley 505 -560 7 0 0 0 0
34 +1 Sam Hornish Jr.* 502 -563 7 0 0 0 0
35 -1 Regan Smith* 496 -569 7 0 0 0 0
36 -3 Jeremy Mayfield 490 -575 7 0 0 0 0
37 +1 Dave Blaney 473 -592 7 0 0 0 0
38 -1 Dario Franchitti* 416 -649 6 0 0 0 0
39 -- Dale Jarrett 367 -698 5 0 0 0 0
40 +1 Mike Skinner 344 -721 5 0 0 0 0
41 -1 Kyle Petty 296 -769 5 0 0 0 0
42 -- Joe Nemechek 266 -799 5 0 0 0 0
43 +2 Patrick Carpentier* 256 -809 4 0 0 0 0
44 +2 Bill Elliott 207 -858 3 0 0 0 0
45 -2 Ken Schrader 192 -873 3 0 0 0 0
46 -2 Aric Almirola 179 -886 2 0 0 0 1
47 +1 Michael McDowell* 149 -916 2 0 0 0 0
48 -1 John Andretti 149 -916 3 0 0 0 0
49 -- Kenny Wallace 34 -1031 1 0 0 0 0
50 +1 Jeff Green 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
51 -1 A.J. Allmendinger 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
52 -- Johnny Benson 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
53 -- Tony Raines 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
54 +2 Johnny Sauter 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
55 -- Boris Said 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
56 -2 Burney Lamar 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
57 -- Eric McClure 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
58 -- Sterling Marlin 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
59 -- Jacques Villeneuve* 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
60 -- Stanton Barrett 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0
61 -- Carl Long 0 -1065 0 0 0 0 0



Hard-Fought 11th-Place Finish For Harvick, 29 Crew
Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet crew fought their way to an 11th-place finish in Sunday's Samsung 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Battling the car's handling throughout most of the event, Kevin proved his mettle and came back to finish just outside of the top 10. The finish was enough to keep him second in NSCS standings, 59 points behind teammate Jeff Burton.

OKAY, SO I CAN NOT STAND THE TEXAS RACE AND NEVER HAVE!!! I CAN NOT STAND THE FACT THAT IT IS ONE OF THE MOST BORING RACES ON THE CIRUIT AND IN MY OPINION...WORSE THAN THE ROAD COURSE RACES!!! TO MAKE IT WORSE...CARL EDWARDS WINS AGAIN...YICK!!! HARVICK HAD A ROUGH DAY BUT HE DID MANAGE TO COME BACK ONTO THE LEAD LAP TWICE...SO I AM NOT TOO DISAPPOINTED BUT ALSO HE IS STILL SECOND IN POINTS WITH HIS TEAM MATE, JEFF BURTON RIGHT ON TOP STILL...THAT IS GREAT!!!!

SO NOW WE HEAD INTO OUR FIRST NIGHT RACE OF THE SEASON, PHOENIX AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT..GOTTA LOVE THE LOOK THAT THOSE LIGHTS GIVE TO THISE CARS!!!

OK..SO HERE IS A QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU FANS... WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT CAUTION LAPS CAN BURN UP REGULAR LAP COUNTS??? I MEAN ONLY 5 TO GO BUT WITH ALL OF THE CAUTION LAPS IT WOUND UP BEING GREEN, WHITE , CHECKERED...THIS IS MY OPINION..NASCAR SHOULD LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE IF THERE ARE ONLY 10 TO 3 LAPS LEFT...RED FLAG THE RACE AND DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO MAKE THE TRACK SAFE!!! THEN AND ONLY IF THERE IS A CRASH ON THE SECOND TO LAST OR LAST LAP...THEN DO THE GREEN, WHITE, CHECKERED...SO PLEASE...COMMENT ON THAT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK...

SEE YA ALL IN PHOENIX AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS BLOG AND DON'T FORGET TO CHOOSE YOUR PICK FOR THE PHOENIX RACE IN THE PHOENIX ENTRY!!! ~TAMI-LYN~


PLEASE MAKE YOUR DRIVER PICK:

GOODY'S COOL ORANGE 500 Martinsville Speedway March 30th 2008

Track Details
Completed : 1947
Distance : .526 miles
Shape : Oval
Banking : 12° turns
0° straights
Frontstretch : 800 feet
Backstretch : 800 feet
Seating : 65,000
Contact Info
P.O. Box 3311
Martinsville, VA 24115
(276) 956-3151
Official Web site

2007 Race Results
Sprint Cup Series
Goody's Cool Orange 500 :: Jimmie Johnson - 04/01/07
Subway 500 :: Jimmie Johnson - 10/21/07

Cup Historical Race Winners

Craftsman Truck Series
Kroger 250 :: Mike Skinner - 03/31/07
Kroger 200 :: Mike Skinner - 10/20/07
Track Records
RACE RECORDS
Sprint Cup Race Record :: Jeff Gordon 82.223 - 09/22/96

Cup Historical Race Winners

Truck Race Record :: Jimmy Hensley 74.294 - 04/17/99

QUALIFYING RECORDS
2008 Qual Records Data not available.

As NASCAR has grown, so has Martinsville Speedway.

Martinsville Speedway ran its first NASCAR race on July 4, 1948. In 1949, Martinsville ran the sixth race in the series that eventually became the Cup Series.

Martinsville Speedway opened in 1947 with 750 seats and has grown continuously over the years. But other than being paved in 1955, the track configuration has not changed since Red Byron won the inaugural event.

The speedway is located three miles south of Martinsville, Va., and is the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still running Cup Series events.

Richard Petty remains the track's leading winner with 15 victories.

The speedway's founder, the late H. Clay Earles, and track president, W. Clay Campbell, have always insisted on beautification. "We like to think of our track as a family type facility," Earles said. "We like to see a man bring his wife and children to our events and be comfortable."

Campbell became track president in 1988, and since that time the speedway has more than doubled its seating capacity. Under Campbell's leadership, the track has constructed 25 corporate suites, a chalet village for hospitality entertainment, high-rise grandstands and twice as much free parking.

Some of the other improvements in the past several years include a new entrance for race-day traffic off the U.S. 58 Bypass, all pits are now on one pit road, an overhead walkway from the grandstand to the parking area, an infield media center, new scoreboard, infield tunnel and competitors' garage.

"Martinsville Speedway is constantly growing and we expect to continue that trend for many years to come," Campbell said.

STARTING LINE UP
POS CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND
1 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 96.288 19.

666 Leader
2 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight 95.757 19.775 -0.

109
3 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army 95.733 19.780 -0.

114
4 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 95.569 19.814 -0.

148
5 26 Jamie McMurray Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools 95.492 19.830 -0.

164
6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 95.487 19.831 -0.

165
7 49 Ken Schrader Toyota Microsoft Small Business 95.463 19.836 -0.

170
8 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M's 95.347 19.860 -0.

194
9 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 95.271 19.876 -0.

210
10 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 95.213 19.888 -0.

222
11 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 95.208 19.889 -0.

223
12 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 95.208 19.889 -0.

223
13 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 95.079 19.916 -0.

250
14 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Yates Racing 95.060 19.920 -0.

254
15 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS 95.036 19.925 -0.

259
16 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 95.032 19.926 -0.

260
17 21 Bill Elliott Ford Little Debbie 94.951 19.943 -0.

277
18 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 94.874 19.959 -0.

293
19 16 Greg Biffle Ford Jackson Hewitt 94.870 19.960 -0.

294
20 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 94.832 19.968 -0.

302
21 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditRep
ort. com 94.832 19.968 -0.

302
22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy / National Guard 94.770 19.981 -0.

315
23 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 94.713 19.993 -0.

327
24 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 94.637 20.009 -0.

343
25 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge McDonald's 94.637 20.009 -0.

343
26 77 Sam Hornish Jr.* Dodge Mobil 1 94.637 20.009 -0.

343
27 99 Carl Edwards Ford Claritin 94.600 20.017 -0.

351
28 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 94.595 20.018 -0.

352
29 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Wrigley's Big Red 94.595 20.018 -0.

352
30 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 94.562 20.025 -0.

359
31 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 94.543 20.029 -0.

363
32 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker 94.538 20.030 -0.

364
33 01 Regan Smith* Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 94.486 20.041 -0.

375
34 00 Michael McDowell Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 94.406 20.058 -0.

392
35 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Pittsburgh Paints / Menards 94.369 20.066 -0.

400
36 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 94.312 20.078 -0.

412
37 10 Patrick Carpentier* Dodge Charter Comm. 94.298 20.081 -0.

415
38 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 94.139 20.115 -0.

449
39 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Kellogg's / CARQUEST 93.966 20.152 -0.

486
40 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 93.664 20.217 -0.

551
41 7 Robby Gordon+ Dodge Charter Comm. 93.641 20.222 -0.

556
42 1 Martin Truex Jr.+ Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 93.627 20.225 -0.

559
43 40 Dario Franchitti* Dodge Kennametal 94.078 20.128 -0.

462

Did Not Qualify
44 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 94.078 20.128 -0.

462
45 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Front Row Motorsports 93.507 20.251 -0.

585
46 08 Tony Raines Dodge rhino's energy drink 93.460 20.261 -0.

595
47 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row

RESULTS OF MARTINSVILLE DENNY HAMLIN #11 FED EX



1 2 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight 190/5 500 Running
2 1 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 175/5 500 Running
3 24 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 170/5 500 Running
4 10 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 165/5 500 Running
5 9 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 155/0 500 Running
6 22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy / National Guard 160/10 500 Running
7 39 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Kellogg's / CARQUEST 146/0 500 Running
8 5 26 Jamie McMurray Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools 142/0 500 Running
9 27 99 Carl Edwards Ford Claritin 138/0 500 Running
10 12 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 134/0 500 Running
11 4 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 130/0 500 Running
12 11 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 127/0 500 Running
13 29 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Wrigley's Big Red 124/0 500 Running
14 33 01 Regan Smith * Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 121/0 500 Running
15 25 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge McDonald's 118/0 500 Running
16 35 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Pittsburgh Paints / Menards 115/0 500 Running
17 6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 112/0 500 Running
18 14 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Yates Racing 109/0 499 Running
19 13 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 106/0 499 Running
20 19 16 Greg Biffle Ford Jackson Hewitt 103/0 499 Running
21 42 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 100/0 499 Running
22 43 40 Dario Franchitti * Dodge Kennametal 97/0 499 Running
23 40 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 94/0 497 Running
24 21 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditRep
ort.com 91/0 497 Running
25 32 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker 93/5 497 Running
26 34 00 Michael McDowell Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 85/0 497 Running
27 23 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 82/0 497 Running
28 26 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge Mobil 1 79/0 497 Running
29 37 10 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge Charter Comm. 76/0 497 Running
30 28 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 73/0 496 Running
31 30 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 70/0 496 Running
32 31 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 72/5 495 Running
33 20 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 64/0 493 Running
34 17 21 Bill Elliott Ford Little Debbie Nutty Bars 61/0 492 Running
35 16 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 58/0 483 Running
36 38 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 55/0 471 Running
37 7 49 Ken Schrader Toyota Microsoft Small Business 52/0 467 Running
38 8 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M's 49/0 443 Running
39 15 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS 51/5 441 Out of Race
40 41 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Charter Comm. 43/0 440 Running
41 36 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 40/0 420 Running
42 3 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army 37/0 379 Out of Race
43 18 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 39/5 374 Out of Race



Harvick 12th At Martinsville, 2nd In Points
Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet race team earned a hard-fought 12th-place finish in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 NEXTEL Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon. He moves up one position in Sprint Cup Series points to second.

Kevin Harvick: In his own words

What are the experiences, beliefs and dreams that shape the lives of some of NASCAR's drivers? Staff writer Dustin Long asked Kevin Harvick about these subjects earlier this month as he sat in a spacious conference room at Kevin Harvick Inc.:

Dustin Long: Tell me about the best race you've driven.

Kevin Harvick: That would have to be Bristol probably 2001, we got three laps down and came back and won the race. That was probably the coolest weekend I remember racing. That was Busch. We had a flat tire or something happened and we came back and, at that time our nemesis was Jeff Green ... and that's who I had to pass to come back and win the race with like 10 laps to go, so that was just kind of neat.


DL: How much roughing it did you do early in your racing career?

KH: We roughed it quite a lot. My dad was a fireman ... on the side he would build Late Model Stock cars for other people, and they would go race and that was the money we got to go race go-karts. When we first started, we had a little tag-along, I think it was a little nomad trailer probably about 12-14 foot trailer. An orange-and-white pickup truck that my grandpa had with a camper shell on it, that's how we went to the race track with the go-kart and the tool box and everything. We actually progressed to a bread van.


DL: What's in your iPod?

KH: I'm one of those guys that can't remember anything. I can relate with a song, but I can never remember the names. I have everything from Johnny Cash to Metallica to Three Doors Down, blink-182. I'm a wide variety of music, so I'm kind of all over the board.


DL: What do you listen to when you workout?

KH: I guess I'm getting old. I watch MSNBC when I work out. So, I'm involved in all the politics, not involved in it but I like to keep up with it, the drama of the politics at this point in the year.


DL: So, what do you think of the political drama?

KH: I think that the Democratic Party is doing exactly what the Republican Party needs for them to do and that's destroy themselves before they ever even get started. It's just interesting to watch. Now it's getting down to the end of the race and they're throwing a lot of jabs at each other because it's so close and one state could mean winning or losing. Hopefully, they'll keep doing their thing and we'll all support [John] McCain and go from there.


DL: Tell me about the go-kart races at your house Martinsville race weeks.

KH: We had to kind of tone down the [go-kart] race at the house. The race at the house kind of got out of control. Last year we had 400-500 people show up. It's in my neighbor's backyard is where it's actually at. We'll have the race, but we're not going to tell anyone about it. We're actually going to try to pull together an actual sanctioned race at the second Martinsville. We're trying to do it in one of the coliseums in Winston[-Salem] or in Greensboro. Have a dirt race inside one of those coliseums.


DL: You don't like tailgaters on the road but are you really going that slow?

KH: I drive pretty slow on the road. I actually don't drive a lot on the road because my wife thinks I drive too slow. So, if I'm in the car with her, she actually drives.


DL: What stands out about your days wrestling?

KH: I didn't know anything about wrestling until my freshman year in high school. That was the only thing that I could do that didn't interfere with my racing, but it was probably the best thing that I've done to mentally keep yourself focused and challenge you and really prepare you for life in general. Just the fact that it's you against the other guy and in order to get better, you have to work at it and make yourself better even at times when you don't feel good, when you're sore, when you're tired, whatever the case may be, you still have to go out and make yourself work harder.


DL: What's on your office desk?

KH: Let's see, I have a computer and I have two notepads full of notes. That's kind of how I function is I have notepads. If I don't write it down, I'll forget it. I'm sure a lot of people are that way. Telephone and that's really about it.


DL: What's on those notepads?

KH: Just whether it's notes from my Nationwide car, what we need to do to the cars, what we did right, what we did wrong, competition notes for the 29 car. Things that I think we need to do or that I need to do better or whatever I just like to write them down. I'll put them on my desk and make them into a nice sheet, formal sheet for the meetings on that particular week. I'll just write it down. I use my computer for e-mail and things like that. For the most part, I will write it all down, I won't formally type it all out because I'll have notes on top of notes scattered everywhere.


DL: What's a skill you wish you had?

KH: I wish I could play golf better. That sounds dumb but it's really true. I'm terrible at golf. I play golf once a year and that's in DeLana's father's golf tournament that they put on for his benefit every year. I just hate playing golf because I'm just so totally terrible at it. Back in about, I'd say about '99, [Ron] Hornaday and I decided that we were the worst golf players that ever existed in the world, so we went out and bought shotguns or we didn't buy them, we went to Earnhardt and got shotguns and so we took up skeet shooting instead of golf.


DL: What inspires you?

KH: The thing that inspires me the most is just the fact of the challenges that are created in our sport from a competition aspect. I like to beat the guy next to me. I don't like when the guy next to me beats me constantly. I feel like I'm better than the guy next to me on both sides, on all sides of it. I feel like when we get beat, that drives me to compete to the next level to make myself better, to make my teams better.


DL: What scares you?

KH: I don't like the dark. I don't like pitch-black dark. That freaks me out. Because I just don't know what's around me.

STANDINGS:

1 +3 Jeff Burton 915 Leader 6 0 1 3 4
2 +1 Kevin Harvick 876 -39 6 0 0 2 4
3 -1 Greg Biffle 855 -60 6 0 0 3 4
4 +1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 846 -69 6 0 0 3 5
5 -4 Kyle Busch 831 -84 6 1 1 3 3
6 +1 Tony Stewart 811 -104 6 0 0 3 4
7 -1 Kasey Kahne 786 -129 6 0 0 0 4
8 +7 Denny Hamlin 758 -157 6 0 1 1 3
9 +5 Jeff Gordon 749 -166 6 2 0 3 3
10 +3 Jimmie Johnson 746 -169 6 1 0 2 2
11 -3 Ryan Newman 741 -174 6 0 1 1 2
12 -3 Clint Bowyer 740 -175 6 0 0 1 3

13 -1 Martin Truex Jr. 695 -220 6 0 0 0 1
14 +2 Carl Edwards 686 -229 6 0 2 2 3
15 -4 Matt Kenseth 677 -238 6 0 0 1 3
16 -6 Kurt Busch 669 -246 6 0 0 1 1
17 +2 Juan Montoya 633 -282 6 0 0 0 0
18 +3 David Ragan 628 -287 6 0 0 0 1
19 +1 Elliott Sadler 626 -289 6 0 0 0 1
20 -3 Brian Vickers 613 -302 6 0 0 0 1
21 -3 Bobby Labonte 607 -308 6 0 0 0 0
22 -- David Gilliland 584 -331 6 0 0 0 1
23 +4 Paul Menard 564 -351 6 0 0 0 0
24 +4 Travis Kvapil 537 -378 6 0 0 0 1
25 -2 Robby Gordon 518 -397 6 0 0 0 1
26 -1 Reed Sorenson 516 -399 6 0 0 1 1
27 +6 Casey Mears 514 -401 6 0 0 0 1
28 -2 David Reutimann 512 -403 6 0 0 0 0
29 -5 Scott Riggs 506 -409 6 0 0 0 0
30 +6 Jamie McMurray 494 -421 6 0 0 0 1
31 -- J.J. Yeley 471 -444 6 0 0 0 0
32 -2 Michael Waltrip 460 -455 6 0 0 0 0
33 -1 Jeremy Mayfield 446 -469 6 0 0 0 0
34 +5 Regan Smith* 438 -477 6 0 0 0 0
35 -- Sam Hornish Jr.* 438 -477 6 0 0 0 0
36 -7 Mark Martin 421 -494 4 0 0 0 1
37 +1 Dario Franchitti* 416 -499 6 0 0 0 0
38 -1 Dave Blaney 373 -542 6 0 0 0 0
39 -5 Dale Jarrett 367 -548 5 0 0 0 0
40 -- Kyle Petty 296 -619 5 0 0 0 0
41 +1 Mike Skinner 268 -647 4 0 0 0 0
42 -1 Joe Nemechek 214 -701 4 0 0 0 0
43 +1 Ken Schrader 192 -723 3 0 0 0 0
44 +2 Patrick Carpentier* 180 -735 3 0 0 0 0
45 -2 Aric Almirola 179 -736 2 0 0 0 1
46 +1 Bill Elliott 146 -769 2 0 0 0 0
47 -2 John Andretti 106 -809 2 0 0 0 0
48 -- Michael McDowell 88 -827 1 0 0 0 0
49 -1 Kenny Wallace 34 -881 1 0 0 0 0
50 -- Jeff Green 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
51 -2 A.J. Allmendinger 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
52 -1 Johnny Benson 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
53 -1 Burney Lamar 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
54 -- Johnny Sauter 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
55 -2 Boris Said 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
56 -1 Eric McClure 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
57 -1 Sterling Marlin 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
58 -1 Jacques Villeneuve* 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
59 -1 Stanton Barrett 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0
60 -1 Carl Long 0 -915 0 0 0 0 0

ANOTHER RACE DOWN AND AS USUAL...FOR MARTINSVILLE...IT WAS EXTREMELY EXCITING...U MUST FORGIVE ME FOR POSTING EVERYTHING LATE. I GOT BUSY DOING OTHER THINGS LAST WEEK. ANYWAY...THE EXCITEMENT OF THE RACE ACTUALLY KEPT ME UP ALL DAY. NO CAT NAPS...LOL..THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS GOING ON, ALREADY IN NASCAR. KEVIN DIDN'T RUN AS GOOD AS I HAD HOPED...HONESTLY IT WAS NEARLY DISAPPOINTING TO SEE HOW BAD HE WAS RUNNING. OTHER DRIVERS KEPT IT EXCITING THOUGH. LIKE POOR MATT KENSETH. WHAT TOUGH LUCK FOR HIM!!! JEFF GORDON DID VERY WELL AFTER GETTING INTO A MINOR ACCIDENT THAN MAKING HIS WAY BACK TO FINISH IN SECOND SPOT!!! GREAT TO SEE JIMMIE JOHNSON CRASH, THOUGH. THAT NEVER HURTS MY FEELINGS. I MIGHT EVEN BE HAPPY TO SAY I WAS GLAD TO SEE "ROWDY" KYLE BUSCH HAVE HARD TIMES AND FALL OUT OF THE LEAD IN POINTS. NOT A DENNY HAMLIN FAN BUT HAVE TO SAY CONGRATS ON WINNING AT A NOT SO EASY TRACK. THE ONE THING ABOUT THIS SEASON IS AT LEAST DIFFERENT DRIVERS ARE WINNING AND NO ONE IS REALLY DOMINATING!!! REALLY TOO BAD ABOUT THE ROUSCH/WALTRIP ISSUES AND THE STOLEN SWAY BAR...I HAVE TO SAY I THINK THAT JACK ROUSH IS OVER REACTING BUT I DO NOT THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL AGREE WITH ME...IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO READ ABOUT THIS IN THE FUTURE...MATTER OF FACT I WILL POST AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS AFTER MY COMMENTS. I AM HAPPY ABOUT JEFF BURTON 1ST IN POINTS AND KEVIN IN 2nd EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THAT CAN CHANGE ON A DIME!!! WELL...ON TO TEXAS. WHICH HONESTLY DOES NOT EXCITE ME TOO MUCH. IT IS USUALLY A PRETTY BORING RACE! OK...STARTING THIS WEEK...I WILL BE PICKING OUT 1 RACE FAN WHO WILL BE FEATURED EACH WEEK HERE IN MY KEVIN HARVICK BLOG. SO BE ON THE LOOK OUT. ALSO I WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING A DRIVER TOO. ~TAMI-LYN~

SPECIAL FEATURE ARTICLE:
Waltrip had Roush part, refutes notion it was stolen

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Like others in the NASCAR garage, Michael Waltrip is making light of Jack Roush's allegation that his team may have maliciously stolen a proprietary part -- a sway bar -- from Roush-Fenway Racing last season.

Inside the Martinsville Speedway media center Saturday morning, Waltrip, owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, admitted he had the part, however, he said "no one went to [Roush's] toolbox and swiped his sway bar."


Bain of his existence
When Jack Roush says he doesn't like Toyota in NASCAR, he isn't kidding. Now comes accusations of a stolen swaybar directed at one of the manufacturer's teams. While some may be laughing, Joe Menzer writes its Roush who needs a good chuckle.


Furthermore, Waltrip said if anyone had any more questions to go ask Jeff Gordon, the Hendrick Motorsports driver who contends the incident, now referred to as "Partgate," has been blown out of proportion.

"Our spokesperson on this subject is Jeff Gordon, so if y'all have anything to ask go ask Jeff. I don't think I could've said it near as well as he did," Waltrip said.

Tongue-in-cheek, Gordon said, "I think we should investigate more. I think we should get the FBI involved."

Both Gordon and Waltrip said that after post-race inspections parts are left lying around and at times get picked up or even mixed up. Mistakes are made and Waltrip said the part was returned to Roush without dramatics or under any threat from the Roush organization.

"The told us, hey you have our sway bar and we said, 'we do?' ... it was laying in a storage room somewhere," said Waltrip, a Toyota owner who said he learned his team had the part in January.

Two opinions are being exchanged around the NASCAR garage this weekend in Martinsville. On one hand, some are of the opinion Roush, a Ford-supported operation, is being over-dramatic while others feel the allegation is substantial and when a noted team owner talks of a lawsuit, it should be taken seriously.

Waltrip said, "He [Roush] feels like he was wronged and that is his prerogative and I respect that man," said Waltrip, before adding, "I hope we don't dignify this with a whole lot of time and effort ... this is not intellectual espionage."

On Friday, Roush held a lengthy news conference explaining his frustration about the missing sway bar (Garage Pass), which he said is not subject to NASCAR teardown in post-inspection.

"It was not a part that would have been mixed up with other Toyota parts, a front anti-roll sway bar ... we designed our own part and we did an analysis of it. We optimized the torsional effect of it with minimizing the weight of it through heat treating ...," Roush said.

The sway bar had a distinctive paint job, was numbered and uniquely configured, Roush continued.

"They wouldn't fit somebody else's car unless they copied it," he added. "The other team, the non-descript Toyota team, went behind my toolbox and took my bar out of my inventory and put it with their inventory and took it home with them. That's the fact."

Still, Waltrip maintains his innocence and said on an average race weekend there are more than 70 racing vehicles in a NASCAR garage and that parts get strewn about and mistakes are made.

"If I truly felt if someone purposely got it for any specific reason, I could see why he's upset," Waltrip said.

Upon the return of his sway bar, Roush believes the appearance of the part was altered and said the incident has yet to be resolved.

"We are still considering what, if any, legal action we'll seek in the public sector," he said.

FOOD CITY 500 Bristol Motor Speedway March 16th 2008

Track Details
Completed : 1961
Distance : .533 miles
Shape : Oval
Banking : 36° turns
16° straights
Frontstretch : 650 feet
Backstretch : 650 feet
Seating : 160,000
Contact Info
151 Speedway Blvd.,
P.O. Box 3966
Bristol, TN 37625
(423) 764-1161
Official Web site
2007 Race Results
Sprint Cup Series
Sharpie 500 :: Carl Edwards - 08/25/07
Food City 500 :: Kyle Busch - 03/25/07

Cup Historical Race Winners

Nationwide Series
Food City 250 :: Kasey Kahne - 08/24/07
Sharpie Mini 300 :: Carl Edwards - 03/24/07

Craftsman Truck Series
O'Reilly 200 :: Johnny Benson - 08/22/07

Track Records
RACE RECORDS
Sprint Cup Race Record :: Charlie Glotzbach 101.074 - 07/11/71

Cup Historical Race Winners

Nationwide Race Record :: Harry Gant 92.929 - 04/04/92
Truck Race Record :: Travis Kvapil 88.813 - 08/20/03

QUALIFYING RECORDS
2008 Qual Records Data not available.

The land upon which Bristol Motor Speedway is built used to be a dairy farm.

Larry Carrier and Carl Moore traveled to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 to watch a race and it was then that they decided to build a speedway in Northeast Tennessee. However, they wanted a smaller model of the Charlotte track, something with a more intimate setting and opted to erect a half-mile facility instead of mirroring the 1.5-mile track.

Work began on what was then called Bristol International Speedway in 1960 and it took approximately one year to finish. Officials scratched many ideas for the track on envelopes and brown paper bags.

The land on which BMS now sits, as well as construction of the track, cost approximately $600,000. The entire layout for BMS covered 100 acres and provided parking for more than 12,000 cars. The track itself was a perfect half-mile, measuring 60 feet wide on the straightaways, 75 feet wide in the turns and the turns were banked at 22 degrees.

Seating capacity for the very first NASCAR race at BMS, held on July 30, 1961, was 18,000. Prior to this race, the speedway had hosted weekly races. The first driver on the track for practice on July 27, 1961, was Tiny Lund in his Pontiac. The second driver out was David Pearson. Fred Lorenzen won the pole for the first race at BMS with a speed of 79.225 mph.

Atlanta's Jack Smith won the inaugural event, The Volunteer 500, at BMS on July 30, 1961.

In the fall of 1969 BMS was reshaped and remeasured. The turns were banked at 36 degrees and it became a .533-mile oval.

The speedway was sold after the 1976 season to Lanny Hester and Gary Baker. In the spring of 1978, the track name was changed to Bristol International Raceway. In August of that year, the first night race was held on the oval.

On July 6, 1983, Warner Hodgdon completed 100 percent purchase of Bristol Motor Speedway. Hodgdon named Larry Carrier as the track's general manager. On Jan. 11, 1985, Warner Hodgdon filed for bankruptcy.

Larry Carrier formally took possession of the speedway and covered all outstanding debts.

In August 1992, BMS became the first fully concrete speedway to host a Cup event.

On Jan. 22, 1996, Larry Carrier sold the speedway to Bruton Smith at a purchase price of $26 million. At the time of the sale, the facility seated 71,000.

On May 28, 1996, the track's name was officially changed to Bristol Motor Speedway. By August of that year, 15,000 seats had been added bringing the seating capacity to 86,000.

For the August 1998 Goody's 500 the speedway featured more than 131,000 grandstand seats and 100 skyboxes. On Aug. 26, 2002, work began on the most ambitious construction project since Speedway Motorsports Inc., purchased BMS in 1996. The new backstretch increased the venue's seating capacity to more than 160,000.

STARTING LINE UP: RAINED OUT

1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's N/A N/A N/A
2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont Cromax Pro N/A N/A N/A
3 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet DIRECTV N/A N/A N/A
4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Carhartt N/A N/A N/A
5 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet CARQUEST / Kellogg's N/A N/A N/A
6 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot N/A N/A N/A
7 77 Sam Hornish Jr.* Dodge Mobil 1 N/A N/A N/A
8 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility N/A N/A N/A
9 99 Carl Edwards Ford Dish Network N/A N/A N/A
10 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil N/A N/A N/A
11 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker N/A N/A N/A
12 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight N/A N/A N/A
13 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL / Samsung HDTV N/A N/A N/A
14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M N/A N/A N/A
15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy / National Guard N/A N/A N/A
16 8 Mark Martin Chevrolet Principal Financial Group / Mark Martin's 700th start N/A N/A N/A
17 01 Regan Smith* Chevrolet Coors Light N/A N/A N/A
18 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal N/A N/A N/A
19 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Hamburger Helper "My Hometown Helper" N/A N/A N/A
20 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser N/A N/A N/A
21 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Wrigley's Juicy Fruit N/A N/A N/A
22 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries N/A N/A N/A
23 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Energizer e2 Lithium N/A N/A N/A
24 6 David Ragan Ford So. Cal Insurance N/A N/A N/A
25 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV N/A N/A N/A
26 40 Dario Franchitti* Dodge Target N/A N/A N/A
27 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge U2 3D / Best Buy N/A N/A N/A
28 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Jim Beam N/A N/A N/A
29 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Quaker State / Menards N/A N/A N/A
30 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Yates Racing N/A N/A N/A
31 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Haas Automation N/A N/A N/A
32 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditRep
ort.com N/A N/A N/A
33 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation N/A N/A N/A
34 22 Dave Blaney Toyota CAT Paving Products N/A N/A N/A
35 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Wells Fargo N/A N/A N/A
36 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite N/A N/A N/A
37 44 Dale Jarrett Toyota UPS N/A N/A N/A
38 21 Bill Elliott Ford Little Debbie N/A N/A N/A
39 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull N/A N/A N/A
40 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine N/A N/A N/A
41 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS N/A N/A N/A
42 34 John Andretti Chevrolet Front Row Motorsports N/A N/A N/A
43 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing N/A N/A N/A

RESULTS OF THE FOOD CITY 500 JEFF BURTON #31 AT & T



1 8 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 190/5 506 Running
2 10 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 175/5 506 Running
3 3 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 170/5 506 Running
4 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford Jackson Hewitt 160/0 506 Running
5 15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / AMP Energy 155/0 506 Running
6 12 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express 155/5 506 Running
7 20 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 146/0 506 Running
8 16 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army 142/0 506 Running
9 32 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditRep
ort.com 138/0 506 Running
10 4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DISH Network 134/0 506 Running
11 2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 130/0 506 Running
12 36 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 127/0 506 Running
13 11 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 124/0 506 Running
14 6 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 131/10 506 Running
15 21 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Texaco / Havoline 118/0 505 Running
16 9 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot 115/0 504 Running
17 22 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M's 117/5 504 Running
18 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 114/5 504 Running
19 27 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Stanley Tools 106/0 504 Running
20 39 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 103/0 504 Running
21 24 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 100/0 504 Running
22 31 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Haas Automation 97/0 503 Running
23 40 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 99/5 503 Running
24 28 7 Robby Gordon Dodge RVs.com / Camping World 91/0 503 Running
25 25 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 88/0 503 Running
26 17 01 Regan Smith * Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 85/0 503 Running
27 30 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Yates Racing 82/0 503 Running
28 35 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 79/0 501 Running
29 7 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge Mobil 1 76/0 501 Running
30 33 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 73/0 500 Running
31 23 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 70/0 500 Running
32 29 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet PEAK / Menards 67/0 499 Running
33 13 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 64/0 499 Running
34 34 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 61/0 498 Running
35 42 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row
/ DenverMattress.com 58/0 498 Running
36 26 40 Dario Franchitti * Dodge The Hartford 55/0 497 Running
37 37 44 Dale Jarrett Toyota UPS 52/0 496 Running
38 19 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker 49/0 489 Running
39 38 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 46/0 486 Running
40 43 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 43/0 441 Running
41 41 49 Ken Schrader Dodge Qtrax.com 40/0 420 Running
42 5 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet CARQUEST / Kellogg's 37/0 417 Running
43 18 26 Jamie McMurray Ford Crown Royal 34/0 373 Running

SPECIAL DALE JARRETT ARTICLE...FAREWELL TO DALE JARRETT #44 UPS






BMS provides quiet ending for Jarrett's final Cup race

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- His fellow competitors gave him a standing ovation in the driver's meeting, spectators saluted with a goodbye message, and his father waved the green flag. Dale Jarrett's final Sprint Cup points race began with the kind of fanfare that Bristol Motor Speedway is known for.

But it ended quietly and unceremoniously, with a 37th-place result. The former series champion started in the same place, was lapped by leader Clint Bowyer just 46 circuits into Sunday's Food City 500, and then slipped out of Bristol without much of a fuss.


More than a champ
Dale Jarrett is a former Cup champion and three time winner of the Daytona 500, but there is so much more to the man than just numbers.

Complete story, click here
"Well, it wasn't the finish I would have liked," he said. "I'm able to go out with the best sponsor in the business in UPS, and I would have liked to have had a better day for them. But you really can't be too upset when you take into consideration the kind of career I have been fortunate to have."

That career, while somewhat eclipsed today by the more recent struggles that Jarrett endured with Michael Waltrip Racing, surely stands on its own. One title, two wins at Indianapolis, three Daytona 500 crowns and 32 total Cup victories are nothing to dismiss. His peak came between 1996 and 2001, when he won 24 times for Robert Yates Racing and never placed lower than fourth in championship points.

Sunday, the 51-year-old -- who has one exhibition start remaining, in the all-star race May 17 -- was honored in the driver's meeting preceding the event. During pre-race ceremonies, 33,000 fans flipped over cards that spelled out an outgoing thank-you message. The speedway presented him with gifts including a replica Revolutionary War rifle, 668 golf balls (one for each of his career starts), a putter and a Bristol Club diamond ring. Ned Jarrett, Dale's father and a former champion driver himself, waved the green flag to start the event.

Jarrett now embarks on a career as a television analyst for ESPN.

"I'm excited for him as a person, I'm sad as a driver to see him go," Tony Stewart said. "We're going to miss having him down in the garage area every week. You have to be excited for somebody like him that's done this as long as he has, and he's leaving on his own terms. He's got other things that he wants to do with his life, and I think we all ought to be happy for him for that."


POINTS AFTER BRISTOL
1 -- Kyle Busch 782 Leader 5 1 1 3 3
2 -- Greg Biffle 752 -30 5 0 0 3 4
3 -- Kevin Harvick 749 -33 5 0 0 2 4
4 +1 Jeff Burton 745 -37 5 0 1 2 3
5 +1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 686 -96 5 0 0 3 4
6 +1 Kasey Kahne 674 -108 5 0 0 0 4
7 +1 Tony Stewart 656 -126 5 0 0 2 3
8 -4 Ryan Newman 635 -147 5 0 1 1 2
9 +7 Clint Bowyer 606 -176 5 0 0 1 2
10 -- Kurt Busch 605 -177 5 0 0 1 1
11 +1 Matt Kenseth 604 -178 5 0 0 1 3
12 -1 Martin Truex Jr. 595 -187 5 0 0 0 1

13 -- Jimmie Johnson 581 -201 5 1 0 1 1
14 +1 Jeff Gordon 574 -208 5 1 0 2 2
15 +4 Denny Hamlin 568 -214 5 0 0 0 2
16 +1 Carl Edwards 548 -234 5 0 2 2 2
17 -8 Brian Vickers 537 -245 5 0 0 0 1
18 -4 Bobby Labonte 511 -271 5 0 0 0 0
19 +4 Juan Montoya 509 -273 5 0 0 0 0
20 -- Elliott Sadler 508 -274 5 0 0 0 1
21 -- David Ragan 498 -284 5 0 0 0 1
22 +6 David Gilliland 490 -292 5 0 0 0 1
23 +1 Robby Gordon 475 -307 5 0 0 0 1
24 +2 Scott Riggs 466 -316 5 0 0 0 0
25 -3 Reed Sorenson 461 -321 5 0 0 1 1
26 +1 David Reutimann 461 -321 5 0 0 0 0
27 -2 Paul Menard 449 -333 5 0 0 0 0
28 +1 Travis Kvapil 428 -354 5 0 0 0 1
29 -11 Mark Martin 421 -361 4 0 0 0 1
30 +3 Michael Waltrip 402 -380 5 0 0 0 0
31 +4 J.J. Yeley 386 -396 5 0 0 0 0
32 +2 Jeremy Mayfield 374 -408 5 0 0 0 0
33 -3 Casey Mears 368 -414 5 0 0 0 0
34 -2 Dale Jarrett 367 -415 5 0 0 0 0
35 +1 Sam Hornish Jr.* 356 -426 5 0 0 0 0
36 -5 Jamie McMurray 352 -430 5 0 0 0 0
37 -- Dave Blaney 334 -448 5 0 0 0 0
38 -- Dario Franchitti* 319 -463 5 0 0 0 0
39 -- Regan Smith* 317 -465 5 0 0 0 0
40 -- Kyle Petty 296 -486 5 0 0 0 0
41 -- Joe Nemechek 214 -568 4 0 0 0 0
42 -- Mike Skinner 198 -584 3 0 0 0 0
43 -- Aric Almirola 142 -640 1 0 0 0 1
44 +1 Ken Schrader 140 -642 2 0 0 0 0
45 -2 John Andretti 106 -676 2 0 0 0 0
46 -2 Patrick Carpentier* 101 -681 2 0 0 0 0
47 -1 Bill Elliott 85 -697 1 0 0 0 0
48 -1 Kenny Wallace 34 -748 1 0 0 0 0
49 -1 A.J. Allmendinger 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
50 -1 Johnny Benson 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
51 +1 Johnny Sauter 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
52 -1 Boris Said 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
53 -3 Burney Lamar 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
54 -1 Eric McClure 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
55 -1 Sterling Marlin 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
56 -1 Jacques Villeneuve* 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
57 -1 Stanton Barrett 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0
58 -1 Carl Long 0 -782 0 0 0 0 0

* Denotes Rookie

Bristol Motor Speedway - WEEKLY TOP 12: Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Impala SS

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL IMPALA SS met with media and talked about Bristol Motor Speedway, Dale Jarrett, tires issues at Atlanta, having a weekend off, and more. Full Transcript:

ON DIFFERENCES OF NEW CONFIGURATION OF BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY: "I don't think there are as many things to save you if your car is not right. Before you could hook a lip or trail the throttle or something to help your car. You could keep it on the bottom, you could kind of survive. Here, if your car isn't handling good, you are probably going to get passed. You can't just hold the bottom and wait for a caution to adjust it. Just a lot more options.

"For me, even this morning, I was sitting there thinking I really didn't remember what I did last time and what was right and what was wrong. Before when you came here, you knew exactly what you needed to do. I think our cars are better than they were the last time. I would assume the tire is a little bit different than it was last time. There will be a few things that have changed; we just have to adjust through it as it comes to us during the first practice.

"I liked the old style better."

ON WHAT DALE JARRETT HAS MEANT TO THE SPORT: "I think that is one thing we haven't done a very good job of as a sport is to maintaining the guys that helped get us to this point. I think the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500 should be what it looks like every weekend at a NASCAR. When you go to somebody's hometown, those older guys that are already retired and meant a lot to our sport should be very visible and the general public should know who those people are.

"Obviously, Dale Jarrett has been a huge part of our sport. I think it is going to be kind of strange not having Dale Jarrett in a race. He is going to be great for us and the sport in the TV booth. He has meant a lot to our sport as a competitor. I think it is important that those guys are remembered and don't ever disappear.

"He is one of those guys on the track that just picks and chooses his marks. He is respectful to race with. You race him clean because he races you clean. When it comes time, he will get up on the wheel and make something happen. He is one of those guys that when you get to lap 450, it seems like it is usually his style to kind of wait until that point and all of a sudden he just appears and wins races.

"He is a great person off the race track. He is just laid back, very cordial person. Very good with his sponsors and people, media and things like that. He is one of the good figures of sport that everybody can look up to.

"I told him after the Daytona 500 this year that no matter what happens in my career, I can always say that Dale Jarrett pushed me to 14th place finish in the Daytona 500 (LAUGHS). I told him that after the race this year. That is kind of neat, just being able to race with Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, a lot of those guys is neat because I like history of the sport. Those guys are a huge part of the history of our sport and deserve all the recognition for helping us get the sport to where it is today. It is important that the fans don't forget that. I don't think you can celebrate enough something like Dale Jarrett's last race for as much as he has meant to this sport."

ON WHAT IS NOW KNOWN ABOUT NEW GENERATION CAR THAT WASN'T KNOWN A YEAR AGO WHEN IT DEBUTED AT BRISTOL: "It is just the characteristics of it. Whether it be a handling characteristic or what. It is obviously a little less throttle time at all the race tracks that we have gone to so far compared to our old car. For the most part, it is very sensitive to the front bump stops and other things up in the front of the car. As we have gone through a year, I think our cars have come along ways from where they were a year ago at this time.

"We have had a very open mind to it. We know that nothing that we have done before will work and everybody been communicating well. It has taken all three teams to help progress things faster than it would by oneself. We have worked hard as an organization and still have a lot of work to do to continue going forward. That is the hard thing about it, you can't stop working because it is going to be a constant progression for a long time."

ON THE GOOD START THE NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVY HAS GOTTEN OFF TO SO FAR THIS SEASON: "It feels good. This is the best we have ever started. As we have gone through years, usually we have some hiccups, whether it be Vegas or Atlanta or California. In the past, those always seemed to be hard spots for us to make something happen. This year we have been fortunate to have tests out there, which went really well. All the races went really well. We just have to keep it headed in that direction. As long as we do good on the tracks we normally do good on, we will be ok. The high-banked 1.5-mile stuff in the past has been hard for us, so we feel like we have made that better and have to continue to make it better."

ON STAYING HOME NEXT WEEK AS THE CAR OWNER: "They will keep us informed as to what going on. We will be at home, relaxing and just kind of taking it all in. This year on the Cup side, we have had so much work to do as far as testing and other things, this off week is timed at a really good point for not only myself but the race teams and everybody involved in our sport to really relax and take advantage of the off week. Before, the third week of the season, you weren't really ready for an off week. With all the stuff we have had going on this year, it comes at a perfect time."

ON THE ATMOSPHERE OF RACING AT BRISTOL: "It is definitely a different feel than going to a bigger race track. This place is very unique in the way the racing is and the way that the fans react. Everything is so much closer to you. So you can see, feel and be a part of all reactions that happen in the grandstands. The most unique thing about Bristol is you can't hear anything."

ON THE TIRE TALK FOLLOWING THE ATLANTA RACE: "The tires weren't very good last week. The only good thing that happened with the tires last week is that we didn't have a tire failure. As a competitor, our sport has advanced in numerous ways. I feel like the tires are probably the slowest thing to advance with the rest of our sport."

ON DISCUSSION FOLLOWING DARLINGTON TIRE TEST THIS WEEK OF GOODYEAR REVAMPING THE TIRE AND GOING BACK FOR A SECOND TEST: "We did the first tire test at Atlanta and we didn't have any problems. When we went back to race, probably half the cars had tire problems. For me, it looks like it is time to look at the procedure. I don't know what the right procedure is, what is going on. There has been for years a lot of inconsistency from one set of tires to the other. That is frustrating as a competitor. You work hard to get your travels right so you are within a 1/16th of an inch, and you bolt a set of tires on and the car goes to crap. You don't know why, you put another set on and go from there.
It just looks to me, and like I said, I don't have a solution, it might be time to re-evaluate how we approach it."

ON GUYS TRYING TO GET IN THE TOP-35 IN POINTS, IF BRISTOL IS A GOOD TRACK OR BAD TRACK FOR THAT: "I would say this might be a bad track. Most of those guys probably haven't raced a whole lot here, maybe once. That is probably the hardest thing for them coming in to this particular weekend. You have to be able to go fast but you have to be able to survive at the same time. It is probably not the most optimum race to make up points unless they have a 15-car pile up and you aren't in it."

ON IF HE CAN IMAGINE WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE FOR HIM IN A FEW YEARS: "Well, I am never going to say never. I always tell people I do this because I am competitive and like what I do and like to be a part of the sport. Financially we are very fortunate to be at a point in my life where I don't have to do it, but I want to do it. The day that goes away, I will probably just go away by myself."

ON OTHER COMPETITORS CRITICISM OF KYLE BUSCH DRIVING STYLE: "I have seen a lot of things that he does that I probably wouldn't do. But those are just different peoples styles and everybody has their own unique style. Just race as hard as you can."

ON IF HE CIRCLES THIS BRISTOL RACE ON HIS CALENDAR: "I used to. I don't know if it will still be that kind of place for me, it was good for us at the first race last year.
As we go forward, it will develop new characteristic of what type of race track it is and what type of place it is for us."

ON WHAT HE MIGHT SAY TO SAM HORNISH OR OTHER DRIVERS WHO ARE SEEING BRISTOL FOR THE FIRST TIME: "Good luck. (LAUGHS) I didn't realize Sam hadn't ever been here. Wow, that would be quite a position to be in, especially with the points position those guys are in. My best advice would be to make laps and try to stay out of the way and just survive because that is biggest part of Bristol is surviving."

ON HIS KEVIN HARVICK, INC. NATIONWIDE PROGRAM: "It has been a lot of hard work. Changing a lot of things over the winter. The biggest thing is I can be in there every day and drive the car weekly and be able to do the testing. In the past, the drivers wouldn't come to the test. Week to week, the drivers would change in the seat and you never got much feed back. Right now it is all about feedback.

"A lot of people forget that we kind of stand alone. I have some things in my mind that I can bring from what I do over here on the Cup side to what I do over there. But in the end, they only thing we buy are the chassis and the engines. The rest of it we do in-house. It has been a lot of work and we still have a long ways to go. We have been consistent so far at the beginning of this year and been in contention to win a couple of races that is all you can ask for. We just pretty much started from scratch this year and kind of went from there.

"I told them that I was a mad last week as I have ever been over losing a race, or finishing 30th or 35th and we finished second. For me it is probably one of the most challenging things I have ever done in my career. It would mean as much to me to take our car to victory lane as anything that I have probably ever done in this sport."

ON IF NASCAR HAS LOST ITS CORE FAN AND WHAT CAN DRIVERS DO TO GET THEM BACK: "I don't think NASCAR has lost its core fan. There are still a lot of people here that have watched these races for a long time. There are a lot of owners here that have watched these races for a long time. Right now, I think everybody is doing a good job. The consistency of the product that we have on the race track and around the garage is pretty stable and I think that is what everybody is looking for."

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

WHAT A FANTASTIC RACE...BOY I HAVE BARELY ANYTHING TO BITCH ABOUT...I MEAN RCR FRICKEN RULES!!!! I THINK IT IS AWESOME THAT JEFF BURTON WON..OF COURSE WOULD OF LOVED TO SEE KEVIN TAKE IT BUT SECOND TO HIS TEAM MATE IS ACCEPTABLE..AND HOW ABOUT THAT CLINT BOWYER...CAN YOU SAY 1,2,3...JEFF, KEVIN, CLINT??? WHOO HOOO...

IT IS A SAD DAY FOR ME TO SAY GOOD BYE TO DALE JARRETT...GOD BLESS THE ERA OF THE WINSTON CUP DRIVERS...OTHER THAN MARK MARTIN...IN MY OPINION...THE GOOD OLE BOY RACIN IS GONE..ALTHOUGH KEVIN AND MY OTHER 4 DRIVERS ARE THE REASON WHY I STILL WATCH...TO ME AN ELEMENT OF RACING IS GONE...

WELL, THE SPRINT SERIES HAS THE WEEKEND OF NEXT WEEK WITH EASTER COMING...THAT IS OK..BECAUSE MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING AND ALONG WITH THAT COMES PARTYING WITH MY CLOSEST FRIENDS AT DAVEY'S...SO ONWARD AND UPWARD...HAPPY EASTER TO ALL AND SEE YA ALL IN MARTINSVILLE!!!!

PLEASE POST YOUR PICKS:

KOBALT TOOLS 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway

Track Details
Completed : 1960
Distance : 1.54 miles
Shape : Quad-oval
Banking : 24° turns,
5° straights
Frontstretch : 2,332 feet
Backstretch : 1,800 feet
Seating : 124,000
Contact Info
P.O. Box 500
Hampton, GA 30228
(770) 946-4211
Official Web site

2007 Race Results
Sprint Cup Series
Kobalt Tools 500 :: Jimmie Johnson - 03/18/07
Pep Boys Auto 500 :: Jimmie Johnson - 10/28/07

Cup Historical Race Winners

Nationwide Series
Nicorette 300 :: Jeff Burton - 03/17/07

Craftsman Truck Series
EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 :: Kyle Busch - 10/27/07
American Commercial Lines 200 :: Mike Skinner - 03/16/07

Few who saw Atlanta Motor Speedway in its infancy would recognize the track today.

Situated on 870 acres in Hampton, Ga., just 25 miles south of Atlanta, today's Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of NASCAR's most sought-after destinations.

But it's far from what Walker Jackson, Lloyd Smith, Garland Bagley, Ralph Sceiano and Ike Supporter envisioned when they planned the speedway in 1958. Before construction of the proposed superspeedway had been completed, insufficient funds forced four of the founders to abandon ship. Dr. Warren Gremmel, Bill Boyd, Jack Black and Art Lester joined Bagley in the venture and spent $1.8 million to get the facility ready.

Ready, in this case, was a relative term. Some of the seats were so low fans couldn't see over the retaining wall. The only bathroom facility in the infield was a three-hole outhouse. There was mud all over.

When the 1.5-mile track, then called Atlanta International Raceway, finally made its debut on July 31, 1960, it became the seventh superspeedway -- a paved facility of 1 mile or more -- to host a Cup race.

The track's future was hazy in the 1960s and '70s, when it suffered several financial setbacks. The track was recognized under Chapter 10 bankruptcy proceedings in the 1970s and went through several general managers before settling down with Walt Nix, who served as general manager for much of the next two decades except for a brief period when current NASCAR president Mike Helton was in charge.

Despite the great racing and national attention, Atlanta International Raceway was still a meager facility struggling to get by.

Bruton Smith changed all that when he purchased Atlanta International Raceway on Oct. 23, 1990, and renamed the facility Atlanta Motor Speedway. A year later, the addition of the East Turn Grandstand expanded the seating capacity by 25,000, and the 30 suites that rimmed the top gave the track a high-class look.

Under Smith's stewardship, Atlanta Motor Speedway has undergone massive expansion.

In 1994, Tara Place, the nine-story building that houses 46 luxury condominiums, Tara Ballroom, the speedway office complex and more luxury suites opened, as did the adjacent Tara Clubhouse. A year later, the North Turn Grandstand opened, and in 1997, the Champions Grandstand was added, and the total of luxury suites was increased to 137.

When the Champions Grandstand was built, the start/finish line was moved from the west to the east side of the track, and two doglegs were added to the frontstretch to form a 1.54-mile quad-oval, which replaced the original oval. The only reminders of the track that used to be are the suite tower and the Weaver Grandstand, which are now situated on the backstretch.

In 2005, an F2 tornado blazed through the track, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage less than four months before that year's fall race. Miraculously, the track was more than ready for that October race, and it went off without a hitch.

In 2006, more than 13,000 seats were added with the building of Winners Grandstand in Turn 1, as well as new luxury seating called Club One and the East Turn grandstand was renamed the Elliott grandstand. Additionally, more than 90 motorcoach parking spaces were added along the backstretch, strengthening the fan-centric atmosphere of AMS.




Starting Line Up
1 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 185.251 29.927 Leader
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy / National Guard 184.862 29.990 -0.063
3 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker 183.807 30.162 -0.235
4 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 183.297 30.246 -0.319
5 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker 183.249 30.254 -0.327
6 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Snickers 182.910 30.310 -0.383
7 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet DIRECTV 182.753 30.336 -0.409
8 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 182.627 30.357 -0.430
9 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 182.344 30.404 -0.477
10 8 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 182.332 30.406 -0.479
11 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's / Kobalt Tools 182.207 30.427 -0.500
12 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 182.135 30.439 -0.512
13 16 Greg Biffle Ford Jackson Hewitt 181.920 30.475 -0.548
14 6 David Ragan Ford AAA 181.866 30.484 -0.557
15 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 181.824 30.491 -0.564
16 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 181.777 30.499 -0.572
17 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing 181.747 30.504 -0.577
18 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy / Garmin 181.735 30.506 -0.579
19 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Wrigley's Big Red 181.515 30.543 -0.616
20 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Energizer / Menards 181.455 30.553 -0.626
21 10 Patrick Carpentier* Dodge Cintas 181.331 30.574 -0.647
22 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 181.307 30.578 -0.651
23 40 Dario Franchitti* Dodge Fastenal 181.283 30.582 -0.655
24 26 Jamie McMurray Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools 181.011 30.628 -0.701
25 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 180.964 30.636 -0.709
26 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Valvoline / Jim Beam 180.875 30.651 -0.724
27 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 180.592 30.699 -0.772
28 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 180.527 30.710 -0.783
29 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 180.516 30.712 -0.785
30 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 180.398 30.732 -0.805
31 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditRep
ort.com 180.363 30.738 -0.811
32 20 Tony Stewart Toyota Home Depot "10 Years Strong" 180.228 30.761 -0.834
33 77 Sam Hornish Jr.* Dodge Penske Truck Rental 180.047 30.792 -0.865
34 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 180.047 30.792 -0.865
35 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 179.977 30.804 -0.877
36 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 179.720 30.848 -0.921
37 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 179.516 30.883 -0.956
38 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 179.359 30.910 -0.983
39 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Kellogg's / CARQUEST 178.677 31.028 -1.101
40 45 Kyle Petty+ Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America 178.643 31.034 -1.107
41 01 Regan Smith+* Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group 177.102 31.304 -1.377
42 28 Travis Kvapil+ Ford Zaxby's 176.904 31.339 -1.412
43 44 Dale Jarrett Toyota UPS Champion's Provisional


RESULTS OF THE KOBALT TOOLS 500 KYLE BUSCH #18 M & M's



1 6 18 Kyle Busch 195 Toyota 325 running $189,675
2 32 20 Tony Stewart 170 Toyota 325 running $162,886
3 2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 170 Chevrolet 325 running $121,000
4 13 16 Greg Biffle 165 Ford 325 running $107,375
5 1 24 Jeff Gordon 160 Chevrolet 325 running $138,186
6 7 07 Clint Bowyer 155 Chevrolet 325 running $94,850
7 8 29 Kevin Harvick 146 Chevrolet 325 running $124,086
8 38 17 Matt Kenseth 142 Ford 325 running $124,341
9 35 83 Brian Vickers 143 Toyota 325 running $79,300
10 15 31 Jeff Burton 134 Chevrolet 325 running $123,958
11 29 2 Kurt Busch 130 Dodge 325 running $79,325
12 5 43 Bobby Labonte 132 Dodge 325 running $114,536
13 11 48 Jimmie Johnson 124 Chevrolet 325 running $127,786
14 12 12 Ryan Newman 121 Dodge 324 running $115,075
15 22 11 Denny Hamlin 118 Toyota 324 running $112,791
16 19 42 Juan Montoya 115 Dodge 324 running $104,158
17 39 5 Casey Mears 112 Chevrolet 324 running $89,850
18 28 66 Scott Riggs 109 Chevrolet 324 running $93,908
19 20 15 Paul Menard 106 Chevrolet 324 running $83,425
20 30 00 David Reutimann 103 Toyota 323 running $92,908
21 3 1 Martin Truex, Jr. 100 Chevrolet 323 running $106,233
22 10 8 Mark Martin 97 Chevrolet 323 running $108,558
23 14 6 David Ragan 94 Ford 323 running $83,950
24 26 7 Robby Gordon 91 Dodge 323 running $95,958
25 33 77 Sam Hornish Jr. 88 Dodge 323 running $117,550
26 43 44 Dale Jarrett 85 Toyota 322 running $73,825
27 34 84 Mike Skinner 82 Toyota 322 running $69,800
28 9 9 Kasey Kahne 84 Dodge 322 running $102,841
29 42 28 Travis Kvapil 76 Ford 322 running $99,789
30 27 55 Michael Waltrip 73 Toyota 321 running $81,508
31 25 41 Reed Sorenson 70 Dodge 321 running $99,489
32 31 38 David Gilliland 67 Ford 321 running $81,722
33 23 40 Dario Franchitti 64 Dodge 321 running $80,550
34 16 22 Dave Blaney 61 Toyota 321 running $69,025
35 21 10 Patrick Carpentier 58 Dodge 320 running $68,990
36 17 78 Joe Nemechek 55 Chevrolet 320 running $68,955
37 37 96 J.J. Yeley 52 Toyota 320 running $76,920
38 41 01 Regan Smith 49 Chevrolet 320 running $76,885
39 36 70 Jeremy Mayfield 46 Chevrolet 318 running $68,850
40 24 26 Jamie McMurray 43 Ford 317 running $76,810
41 40 45 Kyle Petty 40 Dodge 313 running $68,765
42 4 99 Carl Edwards 42 Ford 274 engine $116,395
43 18 19 Elliott Sadler 34 Dodge 257 accident $94,518

Shell-Pennzoil Team Posts Third Top-10 Finish of the Season at Atlanta
Kevin Harvick grabbed his best finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2001 with a hard-fought seventh-place showing in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500.

The solid effort was Harvick and company’s third top-10 performance in four races of the young 2008 season. The strong result also moved the Bakersfield, Calif., native up two spots, to third, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship point standings.

In qualifying Friday evening, Harvick lapped the 1.54-mile quad-oval in 30.357 seconds (182.627 mph), posting the eighth-best time of the session.

Over the early-goings of the 325-lap event, Harvick hung in the top five while crew chief Todd Berrier formulated a plan to help alleviate the tight-handling condition of the bright yellow and red No. 29 machine.

The Shell-Pennzoil team’s first shot at relief came in the form of the event’s first caution flag on lap 37. Berrier summoned his driver to pit road two laps later, calling for four fresh tires, including air pressure adjustments and fuel. Sound work on pit road allowed Harvick to maintain his track position and when the green flag waved again on lap 42, the Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS was fifth.

Over the next 42 laps, Harvick’s Chevrolet came to life as he worked his was up to the third position. However, the 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner advised Berrier the car was starting to become too loose to make any progress on the two front-runners.

The yellow flag flew again on lap 84 and Berrier seized the opportunity to keep working on his car’s handling. The Shell-Pennzoil crew chief called for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment as the No. 29 team worked for their first win of the season.

Back under green in fourth, Harvick worked his way back to the third spot before the third caution of the day waved on lap 114. Harvick informed his team that the No. 29 Chevy was to his liking and he would need no adjustments during this round of pits stops. The 2007 Daytona 500 winner restarted the race third on lap 118.

Harvick’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet continued to improve as he passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the second spot on lap 129. Unfortunately, as the long green-flag run continued the No. 29 Chevy began to suffer from an extremely loose-handling condition. As the field began to pit under green-flag conditions on lap 163, Harvick continued to race in the third spot before he was summoned to pit road for his fourth stop of the day on lap 168. Again, Berrier called for four fresh tires, including air pressure adjustments, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help tighten up the No. 29 Chevy Impala SS.

As green-flag pit stops cycled through the field, Harvick continued to race in the top five and was fourth when the yellow flag was displayed on lap 198. After a stop on pit road for another round of chassis adjustments including the removal of a right-side spring rubber and lightning-quick service by the No. 29 crew, Harvick was back on the race track in the fourth spot for the restart on lap 204.

A loose-handling condition continued to plague the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team over the next 22 laps. However, a caution flag for a single-car incident in turn four brought out the day’s fourth caution period and gave Berrier another chance to fix the ailing machine. Another four-tire-and-fuel stop with a major chassis adjustment was in order and Harvick restarted the race in fourth on lap 225.

Over the next 42 laps, Harvick visited pit road twice under yellow flag conditions to help ease the ill-handling machine. Finally, after the pit stop on lap 263 the Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet began to come back to life. Harvick was able to work his way back into the top five and was fourth when the final caution flag flew on lap 281.

Berrier summoned Harvick to pit road on lap 285 to hopefully fine-tune the bright yellow and red machine and give Harvick a chance to compete for the win. However, a slight hiccup on pit road landed Harvick in the eighth spot for the final restart on lap 288.

Harvick was able to fight his way to the seventh spot before the field took the checkered flag on lap 325.

Kyle Busch won the event followed by Tony Stewart, Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon. Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton finished sixth and 10th, respectively.

The Shell-Pennzoil team heads to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this weekend for the running of the Food City 500. Live coverage of the event will be televised on FOX Sunday, March 16, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will also be covered live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the fifth of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races will be televised live on SPEED Friday, March 14 beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

KEVIN HARVICK - NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET IMPALA SS
"It was a good day for us today with our Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet. We got another solid finish and had a good points day. Like everybody else, we went from tight to loose and on that last run at the end, we just got so loose and couldn't do anything with the guys in front of us."



POINT STANDINGS AS OF ATLANTA
1 -- Kyle Busch 665 Leader 4 1 1 3 3 1,123,940
2 +3 Greg Biffle 592 -73 4 0 0 2 3 764,188
3 +1 Kevin Harvick 574 -91 4 0 0 1 3 795,707
4 -2 Ryan Newman 571 -94 4 0 1 1 2 1,946,140
5 +1 Jeff Burton 555 -110 4 0 0 1 2 767,795
6 +4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 531 -134 4 0 0 2 3 1,029,250
7 -4 Kasey Kahne 528 -137 4 0 0 0 3 832,577
8 +3 Tony Stewart 525 -140 4 0 0 2 3 1,435,830
9 +4 Brian Vickers 491 -174 4 0 0 0 1 553,095
10 +2 Kurt Busch 478 -187 4 0 0 1 1 1,352,620
11 -3 Martin Truex Jr. 471 -194 4 0 0 0 1 717,545
12 +4 Matt Kenseth 470 -195 4 0 0 1 2 743,477

13 +1 Jimmie Johnson 467 -198 4 1 0 1 1 911,214
14 +1 Bobby Labonte 462 -203 4 0 0 0 0 703,739
15 +8 Jeff Gordon 444 -221 4 1 0 2 2 856,757
16 +8 Clint Bowyer 436 -229 4 0 0 0 1 626,395
17 -10 Carl Edwards 433 -232 4 0 2 2 2 1,246,090
18 -1 Mark Martin 421 -244 4 0 0 0 1 726,595
19 +1 Denny Hamlin 413 -252 4 0 0 0 1 759,839
20 -11 Elliott Sadler 402 -263 4 0 0 0 1 768,473
21 -2 David Ragan 398 -267 4 0 0 0 1 581,013
22 -4 Reed Sorenson 391 -274 4 0 0 1 1 930,001
23 +2 Juan Montoya 391 -274 4 0 0 0 0 639,502
24 -3 Robby Gordon 384 -281 4 0 0 0 1 653,517
25 +1 Paul Menard 382 -283 4 0 0 0 0 557,095
26 +3 Scott Riggs 369 -296 4 0 0 0 0 567,694
27 +4 David Reutimann 358 -307 4 0 0 0 0 566,812
28 -6 David Gilliland 352 -313 4 0 0 0 0 614,959
29 -1 Travis Kvapil 346 -319 4 0 0 0 1 639,544
30 +5 Casey Mears 331 -334 4 0 0 0 0 639,880
31 -4 Jamie McMurray 318 -347 4 0 0 0 0 580,716
32 +1 Dale Jarrett 315 -350 4 0 0 0 0 555,163
33 +1 Michael Waltrip 303 -362 4 0 0 0 0 585,723
34 -4 Jeremy Mayfield 301 -364 4 0 0 0 0 519,725
35 -3 J.J. Yeley 298 -367 4 0 0 0 0 577,365
36 +2 Sam Hornish Jr.* 280 -385 4 0 0 0 0 688,584
37 -1 Dave Blaney 273 -392 4 0 0 0 0 563,346
38 -1 Dario Franchitti* 264 -401 4 0 0 0 0 533,263
39 -- Regan Smith* 232 -433 4 0 0 0 0 525,130
40 -- Kyle Petty 217 -448 4 0 0 0 0 501,207
41 +1 Joe Nemechek 156 -509 3 0 0 0 0 408,875
42 +3 Mike Skinner 155 -510 2 0 0 0 0 152,675
43 -2 John Andretti 106 -559 2 0 0 0 0 339,838
44 +2 Patrick Carpentier* 101 -564 2 0 0 0 0 172,278
45 -2 Ken Schrader 100 -565 1 0 0 0 0 170,071
46 -2 Bill Elliott 85 -580 1 0 0 0 0 159,433
47 -- Kenny Wallace 34 -631 1 0 0 0 0 256,735
48 -- A.J. Allmendinger 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 22,345
49 -- Johnny Benson 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 0
50 +1 Burney Lamar 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 0
51 -2 Boris Said 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 22,170
52 -2 Johnny Sauter 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 0
53 -1 Eric McClure 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 22,988
54 -1 Sterling Marlin 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 22,095
55 -1 Jacques Villeneuve* 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 22,863
56 -1 Stanton Barrett 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 22,813
57 -1 Carl Long 0 -665 0 0 0 0 0 21,920

ANOTHER RACE IS ON THE BOOKS AND I HAVE TO SAY I REALLY THOUGHT KEVIN WAS GOING TO PULL IT THROUGH BUT HE DID GREAT AND THAT IS A GOOD THING...BEING 3RD IN POINTS MAKES ME VERY HAPPY BECAUSE I KNOW KEVIN CAN HOLD ON TO IT...I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH KYLE BUSH AS FAR AS TRYING TO BUMP DALE JARRETT TO PASS ON THE LAST LAP...I MEAN HE HAD THE RACE WON BUT HE JUST COULDN'T RESIST TO BUMP JARRETT...PLEASE!!! WELL ON TO BRISTOL WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING RACES IN MY BOOK!!! ~TAMI-LYN~

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