NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Bank of America 500 Preview

From The Sports Network

DATE: Saturday, October 13th

SITE: Charlotte Motor Speedway (1960) -- Concord, North Carolina

TRACK: 1.5-mile oval - 1,980 feet (Frontstretch); 1,500 feet (Backstretch)

CAPACITY: 146,000 (Grandstand seating)

ANNUAL: 53rd

TELEVISION: ABC

ANNOUNCERS: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree

RADIO: Performance Racing Network (PRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio

START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (ET)/Green Flag: 7:46 p.m. (ET)

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Matt Kenseth

RUNNER-UP: Kyle Busch

POLE WINNER: Tony Stewart (Finished 8th)

LAPS: 334

MILES: 500

QUALIFYING RECORD: Elliott Sadler, 2005 (193.216 m.p.h.)

TOTAL PURSE: $5,123,929 (2011 figures)

PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $276,936; 2nd Place - $242,266; 3rd Place - $188,091

2011 Finish
Finish	Driver	Start	Finish	Driver	Start
1	Matt Kenseth	2	6	Kevin Harvick	14
2	Kyle Busch	25	7	A.J. Allmendinger	4
3	Carl Edwards	3	8	Tony Stewart	1
4	Kasey Kahne	8	9	Denny Hamlin	17
5	Marcos Ambrose	12	10	Ryan Newman	6

2011 Bank of America 500 Facts and Figures
AVERAGE SPEED: 146.194 m.p.h.
TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 25 minutes, 37 seconds
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.968 second
CAUTION FLAGS: 8 for 34 laps
LEAD CHANGES: 26 among 10 drivers
POLE WINNER: Tony Stewart (191.959 m.p.h.)

Past Bank of America 500 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed

2011 -- Matt Kenseth (2nd) -- Ford -- 146.194 m.p.h.

2010 -- Jamie McMurray (27th) -- Chevrolet -- 140.391 m.p.h.

2009 -- Jimmie Johnson (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 137.658 m.p.h.

2008 -- Jeff Burton (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 133.699 m.p.h.

2007 -- Jeff Gordon (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 125.868 m.p.h.

2006 -- Kasey Kahne (2nd) -- Dodge -- 132.142 m.p.h.

2005 -- Jimmie Johnson (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 120.334 m.p.h.

2004 -- Jimmie Johnson (9th) -- Chevrolet -- 130.201 m.p.h.

2003 -- Tony Stewart (6th) -- Chevrolet -- 142.871 m.p.h.

2002 -- Jamie McMurray (5th) -- Dodge -- 141.481 m.p.h.

2001 -- Sterling Marlin (13th) -- Dodge -- 139.006 m.p.h.

2000 -- Bobby Labonte (2nd) -- Pontiac -- 133.630 m.p.h.

1999 -- Jeff Gordon (22nd) -- Chevrolet -- 160.306 m.p.h. (race record)

1998 -- Mark Martin (2nd) -- Ford -- 123.188 m.p.h.

1997 -- Dale Jarrett (5th) -- Ford -- 144.323 m.p.h.

1996 -- Terry Labonte (16th) -- Chevrolet -- 143.143 m.p.h.

1995 -- Mark Martin (5th) -- Ford -- 145.358 m.p.h.

1994 -- Dale Jarrett (22nd) -- Chevrolet -- 145.922 m.p.h.

1993 -- Ernie Irvan (2nd) -- Ford -- 154.537 m.p.h.

1992 -- Mark Martin (4th) -- Ford -- 153.537 m.p.h.

1991 -- Geoff Bodine (6th) -- Ford -- 138.984 m.p.h.

1990 -- Davey Allison (5th) -- Ford -- 137.428 m.p.h.

1989 -- Ken Schrader (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 149.863 m.p.h.

1988 -- Rusty Wallace (3rd) -- Pontiac -- 130.677 m.p.h.

1987 -- Bill Elliott (7th) -- Ford -- 128.443 m.p.h.

1986 -- Dale Earnhardt (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 132.403 m.p.h.

1985 -- Cale Yarborough (7th) -- Ford -- 136.761 m.p.h.

1984 -- Bill Elliott (2nd) -- Ford -- 146.861 m.p.h.

1983 -- Richard Petty (20th) -- Pontiac -- 139.998 m.p.h.

1982 -- Harry Gant (1st) -- Buick -- 137.208 m.p.h.

1981 -- Darrell Waltrip (1st) -- Buick -- 117.483 m.p.h.

1980 -- Dale Earnhardt (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 135.243 m.p.h.

1979 -- Cale Yarborough (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 134.266 m.p.h.

1978 -- Bobby Allison (8th) -- Ford -- 141.826 m.p.h.

1977 -- Benny Parsons (8th) -- Chevrolet -- 142.780 m.p.h.

1976 -- Donnie Allison (15th) -- Chevrolet -- 141.226 m.p.h.

1975 -- Richard Petty (9th) -- Dodge -- 132.209 m.p.h.

1974 -- David Pearson (1st) -- Mercury -- 119.912 m.p.h.

1973 -- Cale Yarborough (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 145.240 m.p.h.

1972 -- Bobby Allison (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 133.234 m.p.h.

1971 -- Bobby Allison (3rd) -- Mercury -- (126.140 m.p.h.

1970 -- LeeRoy Yarborough (5th) -- Mercury -- 123.246 m.p.h.

1969 -- Donnie Allison (3rd) -- Ford -- 131.271 m.p.h.

1968 -- Charlie Glotzbach (1st) -- Dodge -- 135.324 m.p.h.

1967 -- Buddy Baker (4th) -- Dodge -- 130.317 m.p.h.

1966 -- LeeRoy Yarborough (17th) -- Dodge -- 130.743 m.p.h.

1965 -- Fred Lorenzen (1st) -- Ford -- 119.118 m.p.h.

1964 -- Fred Lorenzen (3rd) -- Ford -- 134.559 m.p.h.

1963 -- Junior Johnson (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 132.105 m.p.h.

1962 -- Junior Johnson (2nd) -- Pontiac -- 132.085 m.p.h.

1961 -- Joe Weatherly (6th) -- Pontiac -- 119.800 m.p.h.

1960 -- Speedy Thompson (3rd) -- Ford -- 112.760 m.p.h.

NOTE: Formerly called National 400 (1960-1966), NAPA 500 (1977-1979) National

500 (1967-1976, 1980-82), Miller High Life 500 (1983-85), Oakwood Homes

500 (1986-88), All Pro Auto Parts 500 (1989), Mello Yello 500 (1990-94),

UAW-GM Quality 500 (1995-2005), NASCAR Banking 500 (2009).

Past Bank of America 500 Pole Winners (Finish)

2011 -- Tony Stewart -- 8th

2010 -- Jeff Gordon -- 23rd

2009 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 1st

2008 -- None -- Weather

2007 -- Ryan Newman -- 28th

2006 -- Scott Riggs -- 17th

2005 -- Elliott Sadler -- 27th

2004 -- Ryan Newman -- 14th

2003 -- Ryan Newman -- 2nd

2002 -- None -- Weather

2001 -- Jimmy Spencer -- 11th

2000 -- Jeff Gordon -- 39th

1999 -- Bobby Labonte -- 2nd

1998 -- Derrike Cope -- 14th

1997 -- Geoffrey Bodine -- 43rd

1996 -- Bobby Labonte -- 40th

1995 -- Ricky Rudd -- 4th

1994 -- Ward Burton -- 41st

1993 -- Jeff Gordon -- 5th

1992 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 2nd

1991 -- Mark Martin -- 35th

1990 -- Brett Bodine -- 8th

1989 -- Bill Elliott -- 4th

1988 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 28th

1987 -- Bobby Allison -- 2nd

1986 -- Tim Richmond -- 27th

1985 -- Harry Gant -- 24th

1984 -- Benny Parsons -- 2nd

1983 -- Tim Richmond -- 5th

1982 -- Harry Gant -- 1st

1981 -- Darrell Waltrip -- 1st

1980 -- Buddy Baker -- 3rd

1979 -- Neil Bonnett -- 31st

1978 -- David Pearson -- 5th

1977 -- David Pearson -- 3rd

1976 -- David Pearson -- 6th

1975 -- David Pearson -- 2nd

1974 -- David Pearson -- 1st

1973 -- David Pearson -- 36th

1972 -- David Pearson -- 3rd

1971 -- Charlie Glotzbach -- 5th

1970 -- Charlie Glotzbach -- 37th

1969 -- Cale Yarborough -- 25th

1968 -- Charlie Glotzbach -- 1st

1967 -- Cale Yarborough -- 10th

1966 -- Fred Lorenzen -- 25th

1965 -- Fred Lorenzen -- 1st

1964 -- Richard Petty -- 3rd

1963 -- Marvin Panch -- 3rd

1962 -- Fireball Roberts -- 2nd

1961 -- David Pearson -- 21st

1960 -- Fireball Roberts -- 23rd

Last Race Results
RACE: Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 (October 7th)
SITE: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama
MILES: 502.74
LAPS: 189
WINNER: Matt Kenseth
RUNNER-UP: Jeff Gordon
THIRD: Kyle Busch
FOURTH: David Ragan
FIFTH: Regan Smith
POLE WINNER: Kasey Kahne (Finished 12th)
TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 56 minutes, 12 seconds
AVERAGE SPEED: 171.194 m.p.h.
MARGIN OF VICTORY: Under Caution
CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 17 laps
LEAD CHANGES: 54 among 18 drivers
LAP LEADERS: K. Kahne 1-7; C. Bowyer 8; K. Kahne 9-10; T. Bayne 11; C. Bowyer
	12; D. Earnhardt Jr. 13-14; Kyle Busch 15-17; K. Harvick 18; T.
	Kvapil 19; Kyle Busch 20-22; M. Kenseth 23-32; D. Earnhardt Jr.
	33-40; M. Kenseth 41; D. Earnhardt Jr. 42-49; C. Mears 50; J.
	Burton 51-52; T. Bayne 53-56; C. Mears 57-61; J. Johnson 62-71;
	J. Gordon 72-78; J. McMurray 79-89; Kurt Busch 90-93; M. Kenseth
	94-96; Kurt Busch 97-98; J. Burton 99; J. Johnson 100; D. Ragan
	101; M. Ambrose 102-103; M. Kenseth 104-108; K. Harvick 109-116;
	J. McMurray 117-118; M. Kenseth 119-126; G. Biffle 127; M.
	Kenseth 128-131; J. McMurray 132-139; T. Kvapil 140-141; C. Mears
	142-143; G. Biffle 144-145; K. Harvick 146-147; G. Biffle
	148-151; J. McMurray 152; G. Biffle 153-155; J. McMurray 156-160;
	G. Biffle 161; J. McMurray 162; G. Biffle 163-167; J. McMurray
	168; K. Harvick 169; J. McMurray 170; M. Kenseth 171; C. Mears
	172-173; J. McMurray 174-181; C. Bowyer 182-187; T. Stewart 188;
	M. Kenseth 189.

Bank of America 500 Entry List
Car	Driver, Hometown	Car/Name
1	Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO)	Chevrolet/McDonald's
2	Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI)	Dodge/Miller Lite
5	Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA)	Chevrolet/Time Warner Cable
6	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Olive Branch, MS)	Ford/Best Buy
9	Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia)	Ford/Stanley
10	David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL)	Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing
11	Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA)	Toyota/FedEx Ground
13	Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA)	Ford/Geico
14	Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN)	Chevrolet/Mobil 1/Office Depot
15	Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS)	Toyota/5-Hour Energy
16	Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA)	Ford/3M/DG
17 *	Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI)	Ford/Best Buy
18	Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV)	Toyota/M&M's
19	Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR)	Toyota/Plinker Tactical
20	Joey Logano (Middletown, CT)	Toyota/Home Depot
21	Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN)	Ford/Good Sam/Camping World
22	Sam Hornish Jr. (Defiance, OH)	Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil
23	Scott Riggs (Bahama, NC)	Chevrolet/North Texas Pipe
24	Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA)	Chevrolet/Drive to End Hunger
26	Josh Wise (Riverside, CA)	Ford/MDS Transport
27	Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI)	Chevrolet/Menards/Pitts. Paint
29	Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA)	Chevrolet/Jimmy Johns
30	David Stremme (South Bend, IN)	Toyota/Inception Motorsports
31	Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA)	Chevrolet/Caterpillar
32	T.J. Bell (Sparks, NV)	Ford/TBA
33	Cole Whitt (Alpine, CA)	Chevrolet/littlejoesautos.com
34	David Ragan (Unadilla, GA)	Ford/Glory Foods
36	Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH)	Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing
37	J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ)	Ford/TBA
38	David Gilliland (Riverside, CA)	Ford/Glory Foods
39	Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN)	Chevrolet/Quicken Loans
42	Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia)	Chevrolet/Target/Kellogg's
43	Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL)	Ford/Smithfield
47	Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX)	Toyota/Scott Brand
48	Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA)	Chevrolet/Lowe's
51	A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA)	Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction
55	Mark Martin (Batesville, AR)	Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine
56	Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ)	Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts
78	Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV)	Chevrolet/Furniture Row
83	Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA)	Toyota/Burger King
87	Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL)	Toyota/AM FM Energy Wood&Pellet
88	Regan Smith (Cato, NY)	Chevrolet/AMP Energy/Nat. Guard
91	Reed Sorenson (Peachtree City, GA)	Chevrolet/Plinker Tactical
93	Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI)	Toyota/Burger King
95	Scott Speed (Manteca, CA)	Ford/TBA
98	Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ)	Ford/K-Love/Curb Records
99	Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO)	Ford/Kellogg's

* - Defending champion

Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years)
Driver	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Matt Kenseth	8th	11th	26th	14th	34th	41st	2nd	6th	Won
Kyle Busch	---	34th	39th	6th	3rd	4th	8th	2nd	2nd
Carl Edwards	---	---	10th	8th	5th	33rd	39th	12th	3rd
Kasey Kahne	---	32nd	23rd	Won	8th	2nd	3rd	38th	4th
Marcos Ambrose	---	---	---	---	---	---	22nd	16th	5th
Kevin Harvick	10th	36th	28th	18th	33rd	13th	18th	8th	6th
Tony Stewart	Won	10th	25th	13th	7th	11th	13th	21st	8th
Denny Hamlin	---	---	8th	28th	20th	16th	42nd	4th	9th
Ryan Newman	2nd	14th	7th	27th	28th	21st	11th	36th	10th
Joey Logano	---	---	---	---	---	---	5th	7th	12th
Greg Biffle	17th	33rd	3rd	37th	27th	7th	16th	5th	15th
Brad Keselowski	---	---	---	---	---	---	12th	27th	16th
Paul Menard	---	---	---	---	22nd	26th	27th	24th	17th
Dale Earnhardt Jr	9th	3rd	42nd	4th	19th	36th	38th	29th	19th
Jeff Gordon	5th	2nd	38th	24th	Won	8th	4th	23rd	21st
Martin Truex Jr	---	---	---	31st	17th	14th	9th	15th	23rd
Clint Bowyer	---	---	---	23rd	2nd	12th	6th	17th	24th
Jimmie Johnson	3rd	Won	Won	2nd	14th	6th	Won	3rd	34th
Mark Martin	11th	13th	5th	30th	16th	9th	17th	14th	37th

Mover of the Week

Travis Kvapil - Started in the 36th position and finished 8th

Sports Network Selections

Pick to Win - Kyle Busch

Darkhorse - Greg Biffle

Last Week's Pick to Win (Brad Keselowski) - Finished 7th

Last Week's Darkhorse (Dave Blaney) - Finished 29th

NOTES:

Four races are in the books in the Race for the Chase and Brad Keselowski owns a 14-point advantage over Jimmie Johnson heading into the halfway point of the Sprint Cup Championship. Just 23 points back is Denny Hamlin followed by Kasey Kahne (36 behind).

Matt Kenseth, who captured last week's race at Talladega, is this week's defending champion. Last year, Kenseth passed Kyle Busch for the lead with 25 laps remaining and then regained the advantage with just seven laps left to capture the 2011 running of the Bank of America 500.

After the final restart with a dozen laps left, Kenseth pulled away from Busch and then beat him to the finish line by one second for his third win of the season and the 21st of his career. Kenseth's first win in NASCAR's premier series came in the 600-mile race at this track during his 2000 rookie season.

Last week, Kenseth survived a 25-car accident on the final turn of the last lap to win for the second time in 2012 and first since capturing Daytona back in February. Despite the win, Kenseth remains in last place in the Chase, 62 points behind.

Back in 2010, Jamie McMurray outran title contenders Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson in the closing laps for his third victory of that season. He passed Busch after the final restart with 21 laps remaining and easily pulled away from the field from there. McMurray had won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis earlier that year.

Although there were 22 lead changes among nine drivers, Jimmie Johnson was the main ingredient in 2009, as he captured this race for the third time. With the win, Johnson became the first pole sitter to capture the fall race at Charlotte since 1982. He grabbed the lead for the fifth time on lap 321, and then held it for his 46th of 58 career Sprint Cup victories. He finished 2.303 seconds ahead of runner-up Matt Kenseth.

Johnson is tied with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for most victories at Charlotte with six. Three of Johnson's six wins at Charlotte have come in the fall race (2004, '05 and '09).

In a race that featured 24 lead changes among 16 drivers, Jeff Burton came away as the Charlotte race winner in October 2008. Burton held off Kasey Kahne at the finish by less than one second. He led the final 57 laps for his 21st career and last Sprint Cup win. Johnson started on the pole and led a race- high 67 laps, but wound up finishing sixth.

In 2007, Jeff Gordon took the lead for the final time with five laps remaining, and the held off Clint Bowyer for his 81st career Sprint Cup victory. Gordon has won five times since and now totals 86 victories. Johnson finished 14th, despite leading a race-high 95 laps. Ryan Newman started on the pole, but finished 28th after a crash put him out of the race.

Kasey Kahne recorded a season-sweep at Charlotte when he won the fall event there in 2006. Kahne put on a dominating performance by leading a race-high 134 laps. He crossed the finish line 1.624 seconds ahead of Johnson for series-high sixth win of the season.

Johnson became the first driver to win four consecutive races at Charlotte when he took the fall event there in October 2005. In a race that spanned more than four hours due to a NASCAR record 22 cautions, Johnson grabbed the lead with 12 laps to go, and then drove to his 18th career Cup victory. Elliott Sadler started on the pole and led the most laps with 112, but Sadler finished 27th after crashing late in the race.

This will be the 108th Sprint Cup race at Charlotte. Sixty one of the previous 107 races there have been won from a top-five starting position. Thirty one of them have been won from the front starting row. David Pearson, a 14-time pole sitter here, posted 11 straight poles at Charlotte from the fall of 1973 through 1978. 14 races have been won from the pole, the last by Jimmie Johnson (October, 2009). Six of the last nine races at Charlotte have come from the top-7.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup championship continues with the October 21 running of the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner.

10/11 10:35:41 ET

As of October 11, 2012, at 10:36 AM ET