2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season In Review: 11 Weeks, Six Winners
Apr 30, 2008
CIA Stock Photo, Inc.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – There have been six different race winners in 2008 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series: Kyle Busch (Texas, Phoenix and Mexico City), Tony Stewart (Daytona, California and Talladega), Mark Martin (Las Vegas), Matt Kenseth (Atlanta), Clint Bowyer (Bristol) and Scott Wimmer (Nashville).
2008 Season Highlights
• Tony Stewart won the season-opening race at Daytona, then repeated his trip to Victory Lane in the second race (California). It was just the third time in NASCAR Nationwide Series history a driver had won the first two races of the season (Dale Earnhardt in 1986 and Chad Little in 1995).
• Mark Martin won the third race of the season (Las Vegas) – ending Stewart’s bid to become the first driver to win the first three races of a season in NASCAR Nationwide Series history.
• Matt Kenseth posted the first victory for Ford in 2008 with his win at Atlanta – making three different manufacturers to win in the first four races.
• Clint Bowyer won at Bristol, becoming the 10th consecutive different race winner at the Tennessee short track.
• Kyle Busch posted his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory of 2008 with his win at Texas. Busch has won in all three of NASCAR’s national series this season, making this the fourth consecutive season he has done so. Only two other drivers have accomplished the feat – Kevin Harvick in 2003 and Terry Labonte in 1995.
Qualifying
• 99 drivers have attempted to qualify for at least one race this season.
• There have been four different pole winners in 2008: Tony Stewart (two), Kyle Busch (two), Brian
Vickers (one) and Colin Braun (one).
• Brian Vickers posted his second career pole, at Las Vegas. Vickers’ previous pole had come at
Rockingham in November 2003.
• Colin Braun won the pole at Mexico City in his third series start.
• Qualifying was canceled at California, Atlanta, Bristol and Texas.
• Thirty-four drivers have posted at least one top-10 start this season, led by Clint Bowyer with 10.
The Races
• 95 drivers have qualified for at least one NASCAR Nationwide Series race this season.
• 35 drivers have registered at least one top-10 finish in 2008, led by Clint Bowyer with seven.
• Morgan Shepherd finished on the lead lap in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race for the first time since Rockingham on Oct. 23, 1999. His last lead-lap finish in any of the three major NASCAR series was in the season opener for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona on Feb. 16, 2001.
First-Timers
Start Pole Win James Buescher Colin Braun (Mexico City) None Kevin O’Connell Top-10 Finish Laps Led Bryan Clauson (Daytona) Dario Franchitti (Texas) Dario Franchitti (Las Vegas) Dwayne Leik (Talladega) Cale Gale (Nashville) Steve Wallace (Mexico City)
