Backstretch Motorsports

With the half-way point in NASCAR’s 26 race regular season just past (Dover), its time to take a look at the season so far see who is doing what.

With his victory Sunday at Michigan, Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the latest addition to the 2008 winners list. Nine different drivers have posted victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008, led by Kyle Busch with four. Carl Edwards (three), Kasey Kahne
(two), Ryan Newman (one), Jeff Burton (one), Denny Hamlin (one), Jimmie Johnson (one) and Clint Bowyer (one) are the others. If those drivers make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, each will get 10 points per win toward their Chase “seeding.” Ties in number of wins are broken by the NASCAR rule book (number of seconds, thirds, etc.).

What a difference a year makes. This season has featured the parity NASCAR has hoped for. Performances by teams and manufacturers has been with the new Car of Today, Tomorrow or what ever its called these days has been focus and hard to come by, but there have been exceptional races run and developed battles galore.

2008 has also featured its share of headlines that have dealt with post-race infractions, suspensions, poor performances at tracks with limited passing opportunities, cars finishing on lead lap in the teens and many other factors that add up to pure transition to a new racing style that the CoT brings, still in development in every aspect.

Starting with the season opener , Ryan Newman posted the first Daytona 500 victory for Dodge since Ward Burton won in 2002. That victory was the only other restrictor-plate victory for Dodge. For Newman, it was his first career restrictor-plate victory.

Teammate Kurt Busch finished second, giving car owner Roger Penske his first restrictor-plate victory and first 1-2 finish in 25 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing.

Toyota leads the manufacturer point standings with 91 points. Chevrolet has 88, Ford 80 and Dodge has 71.
Toyota has posted five victories in 2008. Chevrolet has four while Ford and Dodge each have three.

Denny Hamlin led 381 laps at Richmond, setting the record for the number of laps led in a 400-lap race at Richmond. He eclipsed the mark of 369 set by Bobby Allison in September 1979. The record for laps led all-time at Richmond is 488 of 500 on the half-mile configuration by David Pearson in September 1970.

Kasey Kahne was the only driver with three top-10 finishes in the first three races. In 2007, Kahne did not get his third top 10 until race No. 24 (Bristol).

Kyle Busch has led 791 laps, more than any other driver. 44 drivers have led at least one lap. No one has led in every race.

Kyle Busch (three); Jimmie Johnson (three), Carl Edwards (two), Tony Stewart (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Denny Hamlin (one), Greg Biffle (one) and Kasey Kahne (one) have led the most laps at least once.

Jeff Burton became the fourth different driver to lead the points when he took the lead following Martinsville. It is his first time to lead the points since Oct. 14, 2006 (Lowe’s Motor Speedway). Kyle Busch re-assumed the lead in the point standings following his second-place finish at Richmond and has held it since.

Five different drivers have been the highest-finishing rookie in 2008: Sam Hornish Jr. (six), Regan Smith (five), Michael McDowell (two), Dario Franchitti (one) and Patrick Carpentier (one).

Sam Hornish Jr. has posted the best finish by a rookie candidate in 2008: 13th at Lowe’s.

69 drivers have attempted to qualify for at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, including Matt Crafton who qualified Robby Gordon’s car at Dover.

There have been seven different pole winners: Jeff Gordon (two), Kyle Busch (two), Greg Biffle (two), Jimmie Johnson (one), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one), Ryan Newman (one), Joe Nemechek (one), Denny Hamlin (one), Kasey Kahne (one).
Qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather at the Auto Club Speedway, Bristol and Michigan.
37 different drivers have posted at least one top-10 start, led by Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson with 12.
The average finish of the pole winner is 15.47.

Greg Biffle won the pole on the newly-repaved Darlington Raceway, breaking Ward Burton’s 1996 track qualifying record. Burton’s was the longest standing qualifying record at an active, nonrestrictor- plate track.

There have been 260 on-track penalties issued this season. Every team that has competed in two or more races this season has received at least one on-track penalty.

Penalty Recap:
Pitting Before Pit Road is Open 139
Too Fast Entering Pit Road 29
Too Fast Exiting Pit Road 28
Others 71