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2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17. The season continued with the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup beginning on September 14 with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and concluded with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16. Due to the merger in 2005 of Sprint and Nextel, NASCAR's premier series was known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with the 2008 season, crowning the first champion under the new Sprint sponsorship.
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Encyclopedia
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17. The season continued with the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup beginning on September 14 with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and concluded with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16. Due to the merger in 2005 of Sprint and Nextel, NASCAR's premier series was known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with the 2008 season, crowning the first champion under the new Sprint sponsorship. The series has no connection with Sprint car racing, as NASCAR uses stock car bodies. Coors Light also replaced Budweiser as Official Beer of NASCAR, thereby becoming the new sponsor of the Pole Award given to pole winner in each Sprint Cup Series race. However, Budweiser was still the official sponsor for Bud Shootout at Daytona in February.
Top Stories
Car of Tomorrow
All Sprint Cup races utilized the Car of Tomorrow (CoT) template. NASCAR announced on May 22, 2007 that the original timetable, which would have the full-time use of the single car template in 2009, was being abandoned as 80% of all owners were in favor of moving the full-time use of the CoT one year ahead so they would not race with two sets of rules for all but ten races. The cars approved for the 2008 season were the Chevrolet Impala, the Dodge Charger, the Ford Fusion and the Toyota Camry. Dodge had used the Avenger in the 2007 CoT races, but stated that the Charger would be used full time in 2008.
Economic problems affect NASCAR
The Economic crisis of 2008, with high gas prices over US $4 a gallon caused NASCAR's largely blue-collar fan base to feel the pinch. While Bristol was one of a few tracks that still sold out, others saw crowds shrink. Daytona International Speedway sold out the Daytona 500, the Coke Zero 400 did not. Some track ticket packages now included all-you-can-eat deals, and tracks also offered nearby campgrounds to entice those who come for several days to see Nationwide and Craftsman Truck races. For their fall race, Lowe's Motor Speedway offered discounts on local hotel rooms, novelties and food and drink.
The economy also affected the teams themselves with high diesel fuel prices, with that fuel needed to power the semi-trailer trucks which transport the race cars to and from racetracks. Sponsorships also grew increasingly harder to come by, further increasing the gap between teams. Before the season began, Morgan-McClure Motorsports ceased operations for their single-car team, while Yates Racing had no major sponsor on the #28 and #38 cars that they run in the series, as their M&M's sponsorships moved to the Joe Gibbs Racing's #18 team. The Yates team made do in piecemeal fashion, finding companies to sponsor a few races at a time, a practice that paid the bills but stretched the marketing department. As a result of the cutbacks, half of the one hundred employees at Yates were laid off.
Even better sponsored teams struggled. On July 1, Chip Ganassi Racing shut down its #40 team with 2007 IndyCar Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti driving because of a lack of sponsorship funding, becoming the first major victim. Ganassi Racing lost 70 jobs as a result of the closure. Other companies also switched teams for 2009. Caterpillar Inc., despite its decade long relationship with Bill Davis Racing and its flagship #22, moved to Richard Childress Racing's #31 car driven by Jeff Burton, while General Mills, associating itself with Petty Enterprises since 2000, also left to head for RCR's fourth team.
To counter many of these problems, teams also took on financial partners, much like Fenway Sports Group joining Jack Roush and George Gillett teaming up with Ray Evernham last year. In June 2008, Petty Enterprises sold a majority share to Boston Ventures as another example of the economic struggles.
Driver Standings
See 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup for the final standings.
Owners Standings
Teams that were required to qualify on speed each week are listed with their owners' points standing in bold.
Full time
The following is a list of teams that tried to run the full 36 race schedule in 2008.
NOTE: Chase teams standings have a yellow background.
(R) - Denotes a Rookie of the Year candidate.
§ - As a past series champion, this driver had a maximum of six provisionals available to enter races if needed.
1 — Dale Jarrett drove the #44 car for the first five points races of 2008 while David Reutimann drove the #00 car. McDowell took over the #00 at Martinsville for the spring race, while Reutimann took over the #44 car. Jarrett then drove the #44 in the All-Star Race for his final race before taking over as a broadcaster full-time.
? - The #00 MWR Toyota tried to make the final races of 2008 as the #47 car in conjunction with JTG Daugherty Racing.
NOTES: 1. Bill Davis Racing's #27 team suspended operations on March 10, 2008, due to lack of sponsorship. The team had originally planned to run the full schedule with former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve. That team is officially listed as 47th in owners points.
2. Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 team suspended operations on July 1, also due to a lack of sponsorship. Dario Franchitti was to have run the full schedule, and was listed as 40th in owners points at that time. Bryan Clauson was scheduled to run in the #40 at the Bank of America 500 and the Pep Boys Auto 500, but both times qualifying was rained out and the car did not make the field.
Drivers in bold were released during the season.
Part time
The following is a list of teams that ran part time in 2008.
? - These teams are scheduled to become full time teams in 2009.
¶ - This team ran as a Ford at Sonoma under No Fear Racing ownership.
NOTES: 1. Morgan-McClure Motorsports closed their shop on January 14, 2008, citing a lack of sponsorship, and did not field the #4 team this season.
2. BAM Racing suspended operations, at first making a transition from Dodge to Toyota, and then due to a loss of a sponsorship. They were expected to return in the fall. Chad McCumbee raced in the #49 (the car was Dodge) for Petty Enterprises in the Sprint Showdown.
Television
United States
The 2008 season marked the second year of television contracts with FOX, TNT and ESPN/ABC. The biggest changes involved ESPN and ABC, as Dale Jarrett became the network's lead race color commentator and Rusty Wallace became the pre-race analyst. Dale, who completed his driving career with the Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, followed in the footsteps of his father, Ned, who worked with ESPN through most of the 1980s through the 2000 NASCAR season. Allen Bestwick took over the hosting role for all races as well as some editions of ESPN 2's NASCAR Now, replacing Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber on the pre-race show, with Shannon Spake taking Bestwick's place as pit reporter. Also, veteran NASCAR reporter Nicole Manske (along with Ryan Burr) took over as a part-time host of NASCAR Now show for Erik Kuselias. No major changes were made by Fox and TNT for the 2008 season.
One innovation was FOX's "Gopher Cam", placed below the track near the inside of the turns for a unique perspective. In the need for a name for their new mascot, Fox turned to internet users and even drivers for suggestions, and the gopher cam mascot was named "Digger". "Digger" is now emblazoned on T-shirts, hats and even as a plush toy.
Another innovation was TNT's "RaceBuddy", an internet application that showed multiple views of the race and radio feeds from drivers (using NASCAR.com's RaceDay Scanner).
Canada and Mexico
In Canada NASCAR races were seen on TSN and RDS in English and French, while Speed Channel Latin America held the rights in Mexico and all of Latin America, including the Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duels and the Sprint All-Star Race.
Outside North America
Sky Sports held the rights in Great Britain, while Five US aired a one-hour highlights package preceding each race. In Australia the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season was covered by FOX SPORTS as usual however, Free-to-air TV's TEN HD presented marquee events live along with one hour highlights packages from all other rounds the Saturday after the event. TenHD also presented the entire Nationwide series season, marking the first time that a full NASCAR Championship was shown on Free-to-Air TV in Australia, mostly due to Marcos Ambrose's involvement in the series. NTV held the rights in Japan, while Sky Italia held rights in Italy (only NNS) and Premiere Sport held the German rights. In Spain, Teledeporte broadcasted six live races and hour-long summaries of the remaining thirty.
2008 competition changes
On January 21, 2008, NASCAR announced various competition changes for the 2008 season.
Qualifying procedures
- In all three national series, teams that were not locked into the starting field via the Owners Points exemption qualified together as a group at the end of their respective qualifying sessions. This rule was dubbed
"The Boris Said Rule" as per what happened during qualifying for the 2007 Pepsi 400, where Said was the provisional pole sitter when rain washed out the remainder of qualifying, and rules required that all cars must attempt to make a lap before inclement weather stops all activities. The session was washed out, and Said did not make the field as the field was set by the rulebook (Top 35 in points among owners, past race winners and qualifying attempts).
Revisions to pit road rules
- Over-the-wall pit crews in NASCAR's three national series were able to hand push their car no more than three pit boxes away from their assigned pit box -- limiting the crews to the same three-box length for pushing as the vehicles could drive through getting onto pit road.
- Outside tires that had been removed from a vehicle during a pit stop could no longer be free-rolled from the outside of the pit box to the wall. The tires were required to be hand-directed to the inner half of the pit box before being released.
Fuel cell size
- All three national series ran the same upgraded 17¾ gallon fuel cell which was used in the 2007 Nextel Cup Series. The fuel cell was a safety feature that was added that year, replacing the old 22-gallon cell.
Engines
- A new engine combination package introduced in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series allowed for cost-saving opportunities for teams. Modifications reduced RPMs and horsepower, which helped engines and pieces to last longer. In turn, teams had the opportunity to run multiple races using the same engine components.
Tire usage at non-sanctioned tests
- Teams in all three national series received an allotment of tires to use for non-NASCAR sanctioned tests. Cup Series teams had access to 200 tires over the course of the year (except for tests that were sanctioned by Goodyear); Nationwide teams got 160 tires and Truck teams got 120 tires.
NASCAR fines
- Money collected from fines issued to drivers and others was remitted to the , which supported a variety of charitable initiatives. Previously, fine money had been added to the season-ending point funds paid to drivers based on their finish in the point standings.
Testing
The first tests followed the change of the calendar at Daytona International Speedway in the first two full weeks of January. Teams that finished in odd numbered positions (1, 3, 5, etc.) through the 2007 USG Sheetrock 400 tested January 7 through 9, while even numbered finishers (2, 4, 6, etc.) through that same period tested January 14 through 16. Speed televised nightly reports throughout this period, as well as the events of the annual Media Tour in Charlotte and the tests in Las Vegas (held on January 28 and 29th) and California (held on January 31 and February 1).
The remaining dates and tracks that were announced December 4, 2007 were:
- Phoenix International Raceway - March 3 and 4
- Pocono Raceway - May 27 and 28
- Lowe's Motor Speedway - September 23 and 24
On April 15, an additional practice session was announced by NASCAR at Lowe's to be held on May 5 and 6th due to problems that were unforeseen at both Las Vegas and Texas during their spring races.
2008 season races
See List of 2008 NASCAR races for a complete list and schedule of the 2008 season races.
Budweiser Shootout
The 2008 NASCAR season and the 2008 edition of Speedweeks began with the thirtieth annual Budweiser Shootout on February 9 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The non-points race, featured the previous season's pole winners and past winners of the event. Following tradition teams randomly picked their starting positions, Kurt Busch drew the pole, but ultimately had to start near the rear due to a crash in final practice. The 2008 race set a record with 23 drivers starting the race, the largest field ever in the event. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won his first NASCAR race with his new team Hendrick Motorsports and his first Sprint Cup Series win since May 2006 at Richmond, leading a record 47 of the 70 laps.
Daytona 500
Pole Qualifying
Qualifying for the 2008 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway took place on February 10 of that year. Jimmie Johnson won the pole with Michael Waltrip starting second who had been the center of controversy during a cheating scandal in last year's race.
Gatorade Duels
The Gatorade Duels were held on February 14, 2008, which established the starting order for the 2008 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the first race which was wreck free, while the second race was won by Denny Hamlin driving a Toyota. This was the first win for Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series, and the first win by a foreign make since 1954. Bill Elliott driving the #21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing failed to race his way in during the first duel, this will be the first time the Wood Brothers team has not competed in NASCAR's signature event in 46 years. A wreck in the second race on Lap 17 took out Jacques Villeneuve, Stanton Barrett, Dario Franchitti, and Jamie McMurray after Villeneuve got loose in Turn 3.
(Drivers who were top two not in previous season's Top 35 points are in boldface.)
Also qualifying for Daytona 500: Brian Vickers (#83 Team Red Bull Toyota).
| Top Ten Finishers (Race #2) |
|---|
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Make | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 4 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | | 5 | 8 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | | 6 | 6 | David Ragan | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 7 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | | 8 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 9 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | | 10 | 34 | John Andretti | Chevrolet | Front Row Motorsports |
NOTE: Race Two finish was extended four laps due to green-white-checker finish rule.
Daytona 500
The 50th annual running of the Daytona 500 was held on February 17, 2008, marking the 50th anniversary since the inaugural running in 1959. Ryan Newman won the race with teammate Kurt Busch finishing second, it marked team owner Roger Penske's first win on a restrictor-plate track. The win also ended Ryan Newman's 81 race winless drought in Sprint Cup Series racing. Jeff Burton led during the last restart with 3 laps left and immediately lost the lead. Tony Stewart led during the last lap but it was the Penske Racing teammates of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch who denied Stewart the win as he tried for the 10th time to win the race.
Failed to Qualify:
NOTE: Robby Gordon, owner/driver of the #7 Dodge, was penalized both 100 championship driver and owner points after NASCAR officials confiscated an unapproved Dodge Charger nose piece on his Car of Tomorrow during opening day inspection for the Daytona 500 on February 8. Gordon's crew chief Frank Kerr was fined $100,000 and suspended for the next six Sprint Cup Series events until April 9. The points penalty dropped him to 40th place after finishing 8th in the season opener. However, on March 5, an appeals committee overturned the point penalty and suspension, but increased the fine to $150,000. Gordon's infraction occurred because of a nose that Gillett Evernham Motorsports had given the team was not yet approved. The team had switched to Dodge from Ford after Daytona testing and has assistance from Gillett Evernham Motorsports, which gave the nose in question.
Auto Club 500
The 2008 Auto Club 500 was run on February 24 and February 25 due to rain at the newly renamed Auto Club Speedway of Southern California (previously California Speedway) in Fontana, California. Qualifying was canceled for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series after periods of rain showers fell for most of the day on Friday. As a result, the race lineup was determined by the NASCAR rule book. The race began on late Sunday afternoon but was red flagged and eventually postponed until Monday morning. Veteran NASCAR driver Mark Martin made his 700th Sprint Cup Series start. The first caution of the race was brought out when Denny Hamlin lost control in Turn 3 after running over some water that had seeped up through cracks in the track surface. The next caution involved a large wreck when Casey Mears spun out in Turn 2 after also running over water. The wreck collected Casey's teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr..
Reed Sorenson and Sam Hornish, Jr. were also involved. Hornish hit Sorenson's car causing his car's hood to come up and hit his windshield obscuring his vision leading him to rear end the back of Casey Mears' car causing Mears' car to tumble onto its side. The race was red flagged as track workers cleaned up and tried to repair the water problem by cutting into the track. Drivers who were involved in early wrecks notably Earnhardt, Jr. and Mears complained that NASCAR should not have started the race with water still seeping onto the track. Eventually a seventh caution for rain put the race on hold, at 11:00 PM PT (2:00 AM ET), NASCAR decided to postpone the remaining race laps until Monday morning at 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET) due to seeping water on the track. When the race resumed, it was Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson leading the race until Carl Edwards took the lead from Johnson to win his first race at Auto Club Speedway. The Nationwide Series race was run one hour after the conclusion of the Sprint Cup race.
Failed to make race as qualifying was canceled due to rain: Patrick Carpentier (#10), Mike Skinner (#27), Ken Schrader (#49), A. J. Allmendinger (#84), Burney Lamar (#08)
UAW-Dodge 400
The UAW-Dodge 400 was run on March 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch, a Las Vegas native won the pole and led 56 laps in the race before slipping to 11th. Matt Kenseth also ran strong during the race leading 70 laps and was running third with five laps to go when he was spun by Jeff Gordon. Gordon's car hit hard against the inside retaining wall head on at 180 miles per hour, and the wall did not have a SAFER barrier, this caused his car's radiator to fly out from the chassis into the path of oncoming traffic. Kenseth was able to recover from the spin without hitting anything. The wreck brought a red flag on lap 264 as track workers cleaned up, Jeff Gordon walked away sore from the wreck and made the point that SAFER barriers should be installed to the inside walls. Carl Edwards went on to win his second race in a row and the ninth of his career.
Following the race it was announced that the #99 car driven by Edwards had failed post-race inspection. On March 5, Edwards was docked 100 championship points with team owner Jack Roush also docked 100 owner points. Carl Edwards' crew chief Bob Osbourne was fined $100,000 and suspended for six races until April 30. As the 99 team qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the team did not receive 10 bonus points for the UAW-Dodge 400 victory used for determining the Chase seeding order.
Failed to Qualify: A. J. Allmendinger (#84), Joe Nemechek (#78), John Andretti (#34), Johnny Sauter (#21; crashed on first lap)
NOTE: Burney Lamar (#08) withdrew prior to qualifying.
Kobalt Tools 500
The Kobalt Tools 500 was held on March 9 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the pole. Carl Edwards had the car to beat along with Kyle Busch, although Edwards' engine expired late in the race. Busch would go on to lead 173 laps and win the race giving Toyota its first Sprint Cup Series victory. The win also marked the first win by a foreign make since 1954.
| Top Ten Finishers |
|---|
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Make | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 3 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 4 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 6 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | | 7 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | | 8 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 9 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Team Red Bull | | 10 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
Failed to Qualify: Ken Schrader (#49), Bill Elliott (#21), Johnny Benson (#27), John Andretti (#34), Burney Lamar (#08)
Food City 500
The Food City 500 was held on March 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Qualifying was canceled due to a day-long rain on March 14, and as a result, the field was set by NASCAR's rulebook, giving Jimmie Johnson the 2007 series champion, the pole position. Jeff Burton won the race after it was extended six laps due to the green-white-checker finish rule when Denny Hamlin had fuel pump problems on the final restart.
NOTE: Race extended six laps due to green-white-checker finish.
Failed to make race as qualifying was canceled due to rain: Patrick Carpentier (#10), Jeff Green (#21), John Andretti (#34).
As a result of the standings after this race, two teams that were not in the Top-35 in owners points, the #83 Red Bull Toyota Camry of Brian Vickers and the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger of Kurt Busch (owners points were given to the #77) will be locked into the Top 35 after the first five races.
Goody's Cool Orange 500
The Goody's Cool Orange 500 was held on March 30 at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Jeff Gordon won the pole. Kyle Petty failed to make the race after Dario Franchitti tied with his qualifying time, due to the fact that Franchitti was 38th in owners points and Petty was 40th, marking the first time since 2004 that he failed to make a race. Denny Hamlin won this race, the second for Toyota in Sprint Cup history. The race was notable for having 20 caution periods, the second most cautions during a NASCAR Sprint Cup race; only the 22 cautions at the 2005 Coca Cola 600 holds that record.
| Top Ten Finishers |
|---|
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Make | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 3 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | | 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 5 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 6 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 7 | 5 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 8 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 9 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 10 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
Failed to Qualify: Kyle Petty (#45), Tony Raines (#08), John Andretti (#34), Joe Nemechek (#78)
Samsung 500
The Samsung 500 was held on April 6 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the pole. The race was won by Carl Edwards who started 2nd and led 123 laps. The major story of the race weekend was Michael McDowell's near head on crash during qualifying after he lost control heading into Turn 1 on his second lap. McDowell's car slammed into the Turn 1 SAFER barrier and spun upside down for several hundred yards before the car began a series of at least eight barrel rolls, coming to rest at the bottom of the race track near the infield. McDowell exited the car and was ok. Qualifying was delayed 1 hour and 12 minutes as NASCAR officials assessed and repaired damage to the SAFER barrier.
NOTES: 1. Race extended five laps due to a green-white-checker finish.
2. During post race inspection Ryan Newman's #12 car was found to be one-eighth of an inch higher beyond the allotted half-inch tolerance. As a result, Newman and car owner Roger Penske were penalized 25 championship driver and 25 championship owner points, respectively. Crew chief Roy McCauley was fined $25,000 and placed on probation until December 31.
Failed to Quailfy: Dario Franchitti (#40), Chad McCumbee (#45), Burney Lamar (#08)
Subway Fresh Fit 500
The Subway Fresh Fit 500 was held on April 12 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Ryan Newman won the pole. Coverage of the pre-race was interrupted when FOX switched over to cover the remaining Yankees-Red Sox baseball game. Jimmie Johnson won the race by not pitting for fuel during the last laps. The win marked Hendrick Motorsports' first win of the 2008 season.
Failed to Qualify: Kyle Petty (#45), John Andretti (#34)
Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 was held April 27 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race marked the one-quarter mark of the season. Joe Nemechek won the pole. David Stremme substituted for Dario Franchitti, who fractured his left ankle in a hard crash during the Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 race. Kyle Busch won the race after leading only 12 laps. The race featured only eight cautions. Most of those cautions were results of one or two car incidents. However, the last caution was a result of the "Big One" that occurred in the final moments of the race. Because the crash occurred after the white flag had been waved, the race was allowed to finish under caution.
Failed to Qualify: Dave Blaney (#22), J. J. Yeley (#96), John Andretti (#34)
Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400
The Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 was held on May 3 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Denny Hamlin won the pole and went on to lead 381 of the 400 laps. However, a leaking right-front tire caused him to fall back with 18 laps left. It then appeared that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. whose last Sprint Cup win came at this race two years ago would be able to win the race and end his winless streak, but was spun out by Kyle Busch with Three laps to go. The race was won by Clint Bowyer who was running third at the time of Earnhardt's spin.
NOTE: Race was extended by eight laps due to green-white-checker finish.
Failed to Qualify: Ken Schrader (#40), Scott Wimmer (#33), Jon Wood (#21), John Andretti (#34)
Dodge Challenger 500
The Dodge Challenger 500 was run May 10 at the newly repaved Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Greg Biffle won the pole, breaking Ward Burton's long standing pole speed by , mostly due to the repaved surface on the track. Kyle Busch was the winner of the race. this would be the last race under the "Dodge Challenger 500" name; next year the race will return to the original name of the Southern 500.
Failed to Qualify: Johnny Sauter (#70), Jeff Green (#34)
Sprint All-Star Race XXIV
Sprint All-Star Race XXIV and the Sprint Showdown were both held on May 17 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Charlotte, North Carolina suburb of Concord. This non-points race involved winners of the 2007 and 2008 season, along with past Sprint Cup champions and All-Star Race winners from the past decade (1998 through 2007) plus the top two finishing drivers of the Sprint Showdown and a driver voted in by fans from the Showdown who's car had to be raceable. On the line was $1,000,000 in prize money for the winner. Kasey Kahne finished fifth in the Showdown and was voted into the All-Star event and went onto capture the victory, becoming the third driver to qualify from the preliminary race and win the main event and the first chosen by the fan vote to do the same. The only cautions the race had was after all 4 segments ended which was 4 cautions.
Sprint Showdown
All-Star Race
| Top Ten Finishers |
|---|
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Make | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 9 | | Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | | 2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 5 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 6 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Penske Racing | | 7 | 77 | | Dodge | Penske Racing | | 8 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 9 | 8 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | | 10 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
Coca-Cola 600
NASCAR's longest race in terms of distance, the Coca-Cola 600 was run on May 25 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. Kyle Busch won the pole. Tony Stewart led the race in the final laps after making a pit stop for fuel only, but with three laps remaining Stewart blew a tire giving the lead to Kasey Kahne who was running five seconds behind. Kahne and Greg Biffle finished first and second respectively for the second week in a row. Kahne became the first driver to win the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star Race in the same year since Jimmie Johnson in 2003, and the sixth overall.
| Top Ten Finishers |
|---|
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Make | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | | 2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 5 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 6 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | | 7 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 8 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | | 9 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 10 | 44 | David Reutimann | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing |
Failed to Qualify: Jeff Green (#34), Stanton Barrett (#50), Jon Wood (#21), Joe Nemechek (#78), Tony Raines (#08)
Best Buy 400
The Best Buy 400 was held on June 1 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Greg Biffle won the pole. A wreck on Lap 17 ruined the day for championship contenders Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Clint Bowyer, and Kasey Kahne. The wreck occurred when Elliott Sadler made slight contact with David Gilliland, Sadler's car spun out and blocked traffic down the narrow backstretch. Polesitter Greg Biffle dominated the early laps leading 164 of them. Although an alternator problem on Lap 170 forced Biffle to relinquish his lead to teammate Carl Edwards. Biffle switched batteries and kept going, although he was forced to leave the cooling fans off inside his car. In the final 153 Laps there were no cautions allowing Kyle Busch to build a lead over 8 seconds to second place runner Carl Edwards. Busch took the lead from Edwards during green-flag pit stops that ended on Lap 237. Only the top six cars managed to stay on the lead lap.
Failed to Qualify: Jason Leffler (#70), Chad McCumbee (#45)
Pocono 500
The Pocono 500 was held on June 8 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Kasey Kahne won the pole, he went on to win the race. Starting with Pocono TNT started its' six race broadcast schedule. Kyle Busch qualified tenth but in the second practice hit the wall and started from the back. He finished dead last after a crash with Jamie McMurray, but had a big enough cushion in the standings to remain in first place over Jeff Burton by 21 points.
Failed to Qualify: J. J. Yeley (#96)
NOTE: Tony Raines (#34) withdrew before the qualifying session.
LifeLock 400
The LifeLock 400 was held on June 15 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Qualifying was cancelled because of rain after twelve drivers took times, and the field was set by the NASCAR rulebook. With a green-white-checker finish extending the race, and fuel economy usage, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won his first points paying race in 76 attempts in the first win by a driver from North Carolina in a NASCAR Sprint Cup race since October 2006 at Talladega when Brian Vickers won; ironically, Vickers won for Earnhardt's new team, Hendrick Motorsports. It also marked the first time a Chevrolet has gone to victory lane in the last 14 Sprint Cup races there.
| Top Ten Finishers |
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| Pos | Car # | Driver | Make | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | | 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 4 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Team Red Bull | | 5 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | | 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 8 | 6 | David Ragan | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 9 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | | 10 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
Failed to make race as qualifying was cancelled due to rain: Jason Leffler (#70), Tony Raines (#34).
NOTES: 1. Race extended three laps due to green-white-checker finish.
2. The #87 Denver Mattress car driven by Kenny Wallace as well as the #08 car without a driver were withdrawn earlier in the week.
Toyota/Save Mart 350
The first of two road course races on the schedule, the Toyota/Save Mart 350, was raced at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point in Sonoma, California on Sunday, June 22. Kasey Kahne won the pole, but Kyle Busch dominated the field again starting from the 30th position and winning.
Failed to Qualify: J.J. Yeley (#96), Scott Riggs (#70), Dario Franchitti (#40), Brandon Ash (#02)
NOTE: Race was extended by two laps due to green-white-checker finish.
Lenox Industrial Tools 301
The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 was raced on Sunday, June 29 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. The big surprise was sprung in qualifying when following a rain delay of nearly two hours, Québécois Patrick Carpentier won the pole position over Bobby Labonte. Another big surprise was when Kurt Busch won the race, curtailed 17 laps shy of the scheduled distance as severe thunderstorms hit the area under the seventh and final caution.
NOTE: Race was cut short to 283 laps due to rain.
Failed to qualify: Marcos Ambrose (#21), Tony Raines (#34)
Coke Zero 400
The Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola was held on July 5 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Martin Truex, Jr.'s car was seized by NASCAR, after the roof template would not fit during opening day technical inspection. Penalties of 150 owner and driver points penalties and a $100,000 fine along with his crew chief and his assistant (car chief) were both suspensded for six races being announced on July 8. Paul Menard won the pole, the first of his Sprint Cup career. Tony Stewart became extremely ill on lap 73 and was replaced by former teammate J. J. Yeley. Kyle Busch won his sixth race of the season and the tenth of his career.
| Top Ten Finishers |
|---|
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Make | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | | 2 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | | 4 | 2 | Kurt Busch |
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