2008 UAW-Dodge 400
Encyclopedia
The 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 was the third race in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
. It was run on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
in Las Vegas, Nevada
. After four years in which the Auto Club 500 and this race were separated by one week, the events were held on back-to-back weeks for the first time. In part, it was because Easter Sunday in 2008 was to fall relatively early, on March 23. Per tradition, NASCAR does not stage a race on Easter Sunday. The race was telecast on Fox
starting at 3:30 PM US EST
and radio broadcasting was handled by Performance Racing Network
and Sirius Satellite Radio
commencing at 3 PM US EST.
Carl Edwards
won the race, the second Sprint Cup event he had captured in less than a week.
The first involved those from the Top 35 teams based on the 2007 Owner's points, which were followed by the cars that must "Go or Go Home". Only eight from that group qualified for the race. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch
won the pole for this race.
Failed to Qualify: Johnny Sauter (#21; crashed), A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Joe Nemechek
(#78), John Andretti
(#34).
NOTE: Burney Lamar
(#08) withdrew prior to qualifying.
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season 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...
. It was run on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. After four years in which the Auto Club 500 and this race were separated by one week, the events were held on back-to-back weeks for the first time. In part, it was because Easter Sunday in 2008 was to fall relatively early, on March 23. Per tradition, NASCAR does not stage a race on Easter Sunday. The race was telecast on Fox
NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox is the Emmy-winning branding used for Fox Sports's broadcasts of NASCAR races airing on the Fox network since 2001. The production has been in high-definition since 2005.-Background:...
starting at 3:30 PM US EST
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
and radio broadcasting was handled by Performance Racing Network
Performance Racing Network
The Performance Racing Network is a radio network controlled by Speedway Motorsports, Inc..Performance Racing Network broadcasts all NASCAR-sanctioned Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events held at Speedway Motorsports-controlled tracks which include Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas,...
and Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
commencing at 3 PM US EST.
Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards
Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
won the race, the second Sprint Cup event he had captured in less than a week.
Pre Race News
- Mark MartinMark Martin (NASCAR)Mark Anthony Martin is an American stock car driver currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As of 2012, Martin will drive for Michael Waltrip Racing, moving on from successful organizations such as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing. He has the second most wins in the NASCAR...
made his 701st start in NASCAR's premier series, tying him with Buddy BakerBuddy BakerElzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
for tenth overall in most starts in history. - Due to previous obligations, Bill ElliottBill ElliottWilliam Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
did not return to the #21 Wood BrothersWood Brothers RacingWood Brothers Racing is an American auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. The team was formed in 1950 by the sons of Walter and Ada Wood, thus the Wood Brothers...
Ford. Jon WoodJon WoodJon Wood is a NASCAR driver. He is the grandson of Glen Wood, one of the famous Wood Brothers who founded what has become Sprint Cup's longest continuously active team. Wood is currently a free agent....
, grandson of team co-founder Len WoodLen WoodLen Wood is a former Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999, sitting for the New Democratic Party of Ontario.-Background:...
, was then penciled in, but according to the Speed ChannelSPEED ChannelSpeed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
practice coverage, Jon Wood did not feel comfortable in qualifying with so little experience in NASCAR's new COT. So Johnny SauterJohnny SauterJohnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
was eventually assigned to drive the car. The car did not make the field as it crashed during its qualifying run.
Qualifying
Last week's postponement of qualifying at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California made this week's race the first in the Sprint Cup Series to utilize the so-called "Boris Said Rule" format where the teams are divided into two groups to qualify.The first involved those from the Top 35 teams based on the 2007 Owner's points, which were followed by the cars that must "Go or Go Home". Only eight from that group qualified for the race. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
won the pole for this race.
Failed to Qualify: Johnny Sauter (#21; crashed), A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Joe Nemechek
Joe Nemechek
Joseph Frank Nemechek III is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and owner of NEMCO Motorsports. He won the 1992 Busch Series championship...
(#78), John Andretti
John Andretti
John Andretti is an American race car driver. He has won in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.-Andretti family:...
(#34).
NOTE: Burney Lamar
Burney Lamar
Burney Lamar is an American race car driver. He has driven in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series and is currently a free agent.-Racing career:...
(#08) withdrew prior to qualifying.
Race notes
- This year's UAW-Dodge 400 set a new record for the most caution flags at LVMS, with 11. There was also a 15-minute red flag delay after Matt KensethMatt KensethMatthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth is an American stock car driver. Kenseth currently drives the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
and Jeff GordonJeff GordonJeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
crashed on Lap 261 of the scheduled 267. NASCAR was able to stage the final two laps without incident to avoid a green-white-checker finishGreen-white-checker finishThe green-white-checker finish is a rule implemented into many levels of automobile racing in the United States. When the race would otherwise end during a yellow-flag caution condition , this rule gives the field an attempt to finish the race under a green-flag, racing condition...
attempt. - After the race, the car Edwards drove failed a post-race inspection because the lid of the oil tank reservoir was found to be open. Three days later, on March 5, Edwards and car owner Jack RoushJack RoushJack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
were docked 100 points apiece, fined $100,000 and crew chief Bob OsbourneBob OsbourneBob Osborne is the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief for the No. 99 Aflac/Scotts Ford Fusion driven by Carl Edwards. He is currently employed at Roush Fenway Racing. He has been a crew chief in NASCAR for 8 years. ]...
was suspended for six weeks until April 30 and placed on probation through the rest of the 2008 calendar year. Additionally, the ten-point bonus they earned will not apply as they did qualify for the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup2008 Chase for the Sprint CupThe 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup was the ten-race playoffs which concluded the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Chase began with the Sylvania 300 on September 14, 2008 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and ended with the Ford 400 on November 16, 2008 at Homestead-Miami Speedway...
. - Jeff GordonJeff GordonJeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
had a terrifying crash into the inside retaining wall at about 180 miles per hour, with a few laps to go after making contact with Matt KensethMatt KensethMatthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth is an American stock car driver. Kenseth currently drives the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
. Due to the inside wall not being a SAFER BarrierSAFER barrierThe Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barrier, sometimes called a soft wall, is a technology found primarily on oval automobile race tracks and intended to make racing accidents safer...
, the front of the car was demolished. Gordon finished 35th.
| Top Ten Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Car # | Driver | Make | Team | ||||
| 1 | 99 | Carl Edwards Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing... |
Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... |
Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 2 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. * NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."... |
Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918... |
Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas... |
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| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle Greg Biffle Gregory Jack "Greg" Biffle is a NASCAR driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-90s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former announcer Benny Parsons... |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 4 | 29 | Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala... |
Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress... |
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| 5 | 31 | Jeff Burton Jeff Burton Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver... |
Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | ||||
| 6 | 9 | Kasey Kahne Kasey Kahne Kasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series.... |
Dodge Dodge Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide.... |
Gillett Evernham Motorsports | ||||
| 7 | 6 | David Ragan David Ragan David Ragan, , is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He has previously driven the #6 Roush Fenway Racing ford, but is currently looking for a ride for the 2012 season... |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 8 | 28 | Travis Kvapil Travis Kvapil Travis Kvapil is an American race car driver. He currently drives for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:... |
Ford | Yates Racing Yates Racing Yates Racing was an American stock car racing racing team that competed in NASCAR until the 2009 season when it merged with Richard Petty Motorsports. Previously known as Robert Yates Racing, the team was owned by Doug Yates, who has officially owned the team since his father Robert's retirement on... |
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| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract... |
Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son... |
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| 10 | 8 | Mark Martin Mark Martin (NASCAR) Mark Anthony Martin is an American stock car driver currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As of 2012, Martin will drive for Michael Waltrip Racing, moving on from successful organizations such as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing. He has the second most wins in the NASCAR... |
Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was a NASCAR-related organization located in Mooresville, North Carolina, United States working to continue the legacy of Dale Earnhardt. It was originally formed in 1980 by seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt who died in a crash on the closing lap of the 2001... |
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