Sprint Cup Starting Line up Atlanta 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 3, 2008) – Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 along with other notable drivers, going into the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 9.

1 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 119.9
2008 Rundown
• Two top fives
• Average finish of 6.3
• Led three races for 156 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Average finish of 22.6
• Finished 20th in October
• Led two of seven races for 81 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-best Average Running Position of 5.7

2 – Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.1
2008 Rundown
• One win, two top 10s
• Average finish of 8.3
• Led two races for 11 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One top fives, four top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 18.8
• Finished 37th in October
• Led nine of 12 races for 159 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 571 Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most

3 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.1
2008 Rundown
• Three top 10s
• Average finish of 7.3
• Led two races for two laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives, five top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 16.9
• Finished ninth in October
• Led three of eight races for 92 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 256 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-best

4 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.9
2008 Rundown
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 8.7
• Led one race for one lap
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, two top fives
• Average finish of 24.4
• Finished 15th in October
• Led five of 14 races for 70 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 710 laps run on the lead lap  (of a total of 717), third-most

5 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.3
2008 Rundown
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 9.3
• Led two races for 16 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 15.9
• Finished 22nd in October
• Led five of 10 races for 287 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 262 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)

6 – Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.4
2008 Rundown
• 67 consecutive races in the top 12 of the series standings, longest current streak in the series
• One top five
• Average finish of 10.0
• Led three races for 21 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Seven top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.8
• Finished fifth in October
• Led eight of 27 races for 103 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 716 laps run on the lead lap

7 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 114.8
2008 Rundown
• Two wins
• Average finish of 7.0
• Led two races for 150 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 8.7
• Finished second in October’s Atlanta race
• Led four of seven races for 140 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Series-high 130 Fastest Laps Run

8 – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.0
2008 Rundown
• One top 10
• Average finish of 13.7
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One top 10
• Average finish of 28.7
• Finished 31st in October
• Led one of six races for 135 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 708 laps run on the lead lap, fifth-most

9 – Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Best Buy Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 73.7
2008 Rundown
• One top 10
• Average finish of 14.0
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Three top 10s
• Average finish of 21.4
• Finished 14th in October
• Led six of 18 races for 17 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 398 Green Flag Passes, second-most

10 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.6
2008 Rundown
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 17.0
• Led two races for 29 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, seven top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 12.2
• Finished 25th in October
• Led 10 of 17 races for 570 lap
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 210 Quality Passes, sixth-most

11 – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.4
2008 Rundown
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 17.7
• Led two races for 22 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.6
• Finished 30th in October
• Led 12 of 18 races for 790 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 476 Laps in the Top 15, 10th-most

12 – Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 78.7
2008 Rundown
• One top five
• Average finish of 17.7
• Led one race for nine laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top 10s
• Average finish of 21.3
• Finished eighth in October
• Led six of 14 races for 280 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 363 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

14 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.3
2008 Rundown
• One top five
• Average finish of 19.3
• Led two races for 77 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Three wins, eight top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 9.4
• Swept the Atlanta races in 2007
• Led seven of 13 races for 347 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• 33 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

22 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.0
2008 Rundown
• One top five
• Average finish of 25.7
• Led three races for 92 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Four wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 13.1
• Finished seventh in October
• Led 19 of 31 races for 1,050 laps
Season-to-Date Loop Data Highlight
• Average Running Position of 7.6, second-best

Chase Contenders
The Top 12 … And Beyond Following Race 3 of 36

                                                                Weeks     Rank        Season     
                                                                In             Last         Driver
      Driver                    Points       Wins    Top 12     Week       Rating
1.   Kyle Busch               470             0          3               1          119.9
2.   Ryan Newman           450            1           3               2            94.1
3.   Kasey Kahne            444             0           3               6            98.1
4  . Kevin Harvick             428            0            2              7            95.9
5.   Greg Biffle                 427            0            3               9          103.3
6.   Jeff Burton                 421            0            3             10            90.4
7.   Carl Edwards             391            2           2              5          114.8
8.   Martin Truex Jr.          371            0           2              12            84.0
9.   Elliott Sadler              368            0           2              13            73.7
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.       361            0           2              23            94.6
11. Tony Stewart              355            0           3                3            90.4
12. Kurt Busch                 348            0           3               4             78.7
        ___________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. Brian Vickers 348    
14. Jimmie Johnson 343     
15. Bobby Labonte 330      
16. Matt Kenseth 328      
17. Mark Martin  324      
18. Reed Sorenson 321      
19. David Ragan  304    
20. Denny Hamlin 295      
21. David Gilliland 285      
22. Jeff Gordon  284      
23. Clint Bowyer 281    
24. J.P. Montoya 276   
25. Paul Mendard 276      
26. Jamie McMurray 275     
27. Travis Kvapil 270     
28. Scott Riggs  260     
29. David Reutimann 255     
30. Jeremy Mayfield 255     
31. J.J. Yeley  246     
32. Dale Jarrett 230     
33. Michael Waltrip 230  
34. Casey Mears  219  
35. Dave Blaney  212  
36. Dario Franchitti 200    
37. Robby Gordon 193  
38. Same Hornish Jr. 192  
39. Regan Smith  183  
40. Kyle Petty  177  
41. John Andretti 106  
42. Joe Nemechek 101   
43. Ken Schrader 100 
44. Bill Elliott 85    
45. Mike Skinner 73 
46. Patrick Carpentier 43
47. Kenny Wallace 34

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season.

Atlanta Nationwide Series Results 

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 8, 2008) – Matt Kenseth may not have had the dominant car in Saturday’s Nicorette 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but his No. 17 Ford was first to the finish line.

Benefitting from Kyle Busch’s blown tire, which took the dominant car out of contention, Kenseth held off Kevin Harvick by .159 seconds during a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race three laps beyond its scheduled distance. The win was Kenseth’s first of the year and 24th in the series.

Busch, who finished 24th, had led 153 of 170 laps when his right front tire exploded at the entry to Turn 1. Busch’s No. 20 Toyota slammed into the outside wall, ending his chance to lead the championship standings in all three of NASCAR’s top series entering Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 Sprint Cup race.

“I knew Kyle opened the door for everybody,” Kenseth said. “There was no way anybody was going to beat him on speed. But he kind of opened the door, and we were able to get to the front and take advantage of it.”

Harvick, the 2006 champion, took the series lead by 25 points over 2007 champ Carl Edwards, who ran fourth. Jeff Burton was third and Bobby Labonte fifth. Brad Keselowski, Mike Bliss, Jason Leffler, Kasey Kahne and David Reutimann completed the top 10.

“I think we were better than the 17,” Harvick said, “but he was better than we were for a couple of laps.”

Harvick felt he lost the race in the pits on Lap 172, when a slow stop dropped him from first to sixth in the running order.

“We fell behind on that final pit stop and didn’t have enough time to recover from it,” Harvick said. “When you have opportunities like this, you’ve got to take advantage of them.”

The demise of Busch’s dominant car sparked the hopes of those who had been chasing him. After pit stops under the caution caused by Busch’s accident, David Ragan restarted in the lead with 20 laps left in the 195-lap event.

Ragan’s advantage was short-lived. On Lap 177, Burton surged into the lead, pulling the No. 17 Ford of Matt Kenseth with him. Burton, whose No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevy won the owners championship last year, held the lead until Kenseth claimed the top spot with a pass to the outside on Lap 186.

Three laps later, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled to the inside of Eric McClure’s No. 24 Chevrolet, McClure spun and triggered a multicar crash that also destroyed the No. 41 Dodge of Bryan Clauson and crumpled the hood of Earnhardt’s No. 5 Chevy.

Kenseth led Harvick to a restart with three laps left, but debris from David Ragan’s car, which faltered approaching the line, brought a quick end to the green-flag condition. That set up the two-lap dash to the finish.

Atlanta Craftsman Truck Results 

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 7, 2008) — Benefitting from an astute call from the pits, Kyle Busch held off Ron Hornaday Jr. on Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win the American Commercial Lines 200, the second straight victory for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points leader.

After a stoppage for rain lasting almost 10 minutes, Busch restarted in the lead with four laps remaining in the 130-lap event at the 1.54-mile speedway. Busch pulled away towin by 1.116 seconds over the defending series champion.

The win was Busch’s eighth in the series, and it was his fifth straight truck series race with a finish of first or second.

Mike Skinner ran third, followed by Matt Crafton and Chad McCumbee. Jack Sprague, Ted Musgrave, Terry Cook, Todd Bodine and Jon Wood completed the top 10, as only the first nine trucks finished on the lead lap.

The call of the race came on lap 112, when crew chief Richie Wauters brought Busch into the pits for tires during the third caution of the race, after rain slowed the proceedings on lap 111. That forced Hornaday to come to the pits with the other leaders a lap later.

When the field restarted on lap 116, Busch was third but quickly dispatched Crafton and McCumbee through Turns 3 and 4.

“That baby was evil-loose — it was all over the place,” Busch said of the handling of the No. 51 Toyota early in the race. “But we got it handling really well on that last pit stop, and from that point on, it was a rocket ship.”

Wauters said the call to pit wasn’t that difficult.

“It wasn’t that tough when you’ve got Kyle,” Wauters said. “We knew we had a better truck on new tires. The only way to win the race was to come in for tires.”

Hornaday’s No. 33 Chevrolet was dominant on long runs, but in a four-lap dash to the finish, he had to settle for the runner-up finish.

“I’ll tell you in one word, ‘Second stinks,’” Hornaday said. “I don’t know how he (Busch) can drive that thing that far out of control. I knew if we had a short run, he was going to get me. But we’ll take second. It was a good points day, but it’s a shame — this thing was fast.”

Busch continues as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship leader by 72 points over Todd Bodine.