CIA Stock Photo Inc.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.– The new car combined with an impressive talent pool has equaled a boost in competitive balance this season. Seven different drivers have posted victories in the 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2008, led by Carl Edwards with three (California, Las Vegas and Texas). Kyle Busch (Atlanta and Talladega), Ryan Newman (Daytona), Jeff Burton (Bristol), Denny Hamlin (Martinsville), Jimmie Johnson (Phoenix) and Clint Bowyer (Richmond) are the other race winners.
2008 Season Highlights
• Ryan Newman won the season-opening Daytona 500, his first career restrictor plate victory.
• Carl Edwards won back-to-back races at California and Las Vegas – the second time in his career he has posted consecutive wins.
• Kyle Busch won at Atlanta – the first victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Toyota. The victory came in the 40th start for Toyota in NASCAR’s premier series and was the first by a foreignbased manufacturer since Jaguar won with Al Keller at the wheel at Linden (N.J.) Airport in 1954.
• Jeff Burton won at Bristol and was followed across the line by teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer – giving car owner Richard Childress his first-ever 1-2-3 sweep.
• Denny Hamlin won at Martinsville – his fourth career victory and his first in his home state.
• Carl Edwards won at Texas Motor Speedway to join Jeff Burton as the only drivers with multiple victories at Texas.
Qualifying
• 65 drivers have attempted to qualify for at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this season.
• There have been six different pole winners in 2008: Jeff Gordon (two), Jimmie Johnson (one), Kyle Busch (one), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one), Ryan Newman (one), Joe Nemechek (one) and Denny Hamlin (one). Qualifying was canceled due to weather at the Auto Club Speedway and Bristol.
• Jeff Gordon won the pole at Atlanta – marking his 16th consecutive year with a pole. Gordon is third on the all-time list for consecutive years with a pole, behind David Pearson (20) and Richard Petty (17).
• 36 different drivers have posted at least one top-10 start, led by Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson –
with seven.
The Races
• 54 drivers have qualified for/participated in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this season.
• There have been seven different race winners in 2008: Carl Edwards (three), Kyle Busch (two), Ryan Newman (one), Jeff Burton (one), Denny Hamlin (one), Jimmie Johnson (one) and Clint Bowyer (one).
• 28 different drivers have posted at least one top-10 finish in 2008, led by Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – each with seven.
• Jeff Gordon finished 43rd after an accident at Texas – just the second time in his career that he finished 43rd. The other time also was at Texas (March 1999).
First-Timers
Start Pole Win
Dario Franchitti (Daytona) None None
Michael McDowell (Martinsville)
Laps Led Lead in Points
Dario Franchitti (California) Ryan Newman (Daytona)
Kyle Busch (California)
Carl Edwards (Las Vegas) *
* Lost point lead after mid-week penalty
The Pole Winner/Race Winner
Texas # 144.814 0.399 6 16 6 27 10 5
Phoenix 103.292 7.002 4 10 8 42 10 3
Talladega 157.409 UC 20 52 8 23 27 8
Richmond # 95.786 0.439 4 4 11 62 16 8
Average 121.832 1.436 10.000 23.900 9.800 45.600 18.900 4.400
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