NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Good Sam Club 500 Preview
From The Sports Network
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| DATE: Sunday, October 23rd |
| SITE: Talladega Superspeedway (1969) -- Talladega, Alabama |
| TRACK: 2.66-mile oval - 4,300 feet (Frontstretch); 4,000 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 130,169 (Grandstand Seating) |
| ANNUAL: 40th |
| TELEVISION: ESPN |
| ANNOUNCERS: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree |
| RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 2 p.m. (et)/Green Flag: 2:19 p.m. (et) |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Clint Bowyer |
| RUNNER-UP: Kevin Harvick |
| POLE WINNER: Juan Pablo Montoya (Finished 3rd) |
| LAPS: 188 |
| MILES: 500 |
| QUALIFYING RECORD: Bill Elliott, 1987 (212.809 m.p.h.) |
| RACE RECORD: Mark Martin, 1997 (188.354 m.p.h.) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $5,318,791 (2010 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $226,450; 2nd Place - $201,999; 3rd Place - $186,379 |
| 2010 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Clint Bowyer | 2 | 6 | Martin Truex Jr | 18 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 14 | 7 | Jimmie Johnson | 19 |
| 3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1 | 8 | Jeff Gordon | 31 |
| 4 | David Reutimann | 21 | 9 | Denny Hamlin | 17 |
| 5 | Joey Logano | 25 | 10 | Brad Keselowski | 11 |
| 2010 Good Sam Club 500 Facts and Figures |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 163.618 m.p.h. |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 3 minutes, 23 seconds |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: Under Caution |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 6 for 19 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 87 among 26 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Juan Pablo Montoya (184.640) |
| Past Good Sam Club 500 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2010 -- Clint Bowyer (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 163.618 m.p.h. |
| 2009 -- Jamie McMurray (22nd) -- Ford -- 157.213 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Tony Stewart (34th) -- Toyota -- 140.281 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Jeff Gordon (34th) -- Chevrolet -- 143.438 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- Brian Vickers (9th) -- Chevrolet -- 157.602 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Dale Jarrett (2nd) -- Ford -- 143.818 m.p.h. |
| 2004 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (10th) -- Chevrolet -- 156.929 m.p.h. |
| 2003 -- Michael Waltrip (18th) -- Chevrolet -- 156.045 m.p.h. |
| 2002 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (13th) -- Chevrolet -- 183.665 m.p.h. |
| 2001 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (6th) -- Chevrolet -- 164.185 m.p.h. |
| 2000 -- Dale Earnhardt (20th) -- Chevrolet -- 165.681 m.p.h. |
| 1999 -- Dale Earnhardt (27th) -- Chevrolet -- 166.632 m.p.h. |
| 1998 -- Dale Jarrett (3rd) -- Ford -- 159.317 m.p.h. |
| 1997 -- Terry Labonte (6th) -- Chevrolet -- 156.601 m.p.h. |
| 1996 -- Jeff Gordon (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 133.387 m.p.h. |
| 1995 -- Sterling Marlin (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 173.188 m.p.h. |
| 1994 -- Jimmy Spencer (2nd) -- Ford -- 153.217 m.p.h. |
| 1993 -- Dale Earnhardt (11th) -- Chevrolet -- 153.858 m.p.h. |
| 1992 -- Ernie Irvan (7th) -- Chevrolet -- 176.309 m.p.h. |
| 1991 -- Dale Earnhardt (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 147.383 m.p.h. |
| 1990 -- Dale Earnhardt (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 174.430 m.p.h. |
| 1989 -- Terry Labonte (5th) -- Ford -- 157.354 m.p.h. |
| 1988 -- Ken Schrader (7th) -- Chevrolet -- 154.505 m.p.h. |
| 1987 -- Bill Elliott (1st) -- Ford -- 171.293 m.p.h. |
| 1986 -- Bobby Hillin (13th) -- Buick -- 151.552 m.p.h. |
| 1985 -- Cale Yarborough (2nd) -- Ford -- 148.772 m.p.h. |
| 1984 -- Dale Earnhardt (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 155.485 m.p.h. |
| 1983 -- Dale Earnhardt (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 170.611 m.p.h. |
| 1982 -- Darrell Waltrip (2nd) -- Buick -- 168.157 m.p.h. |
| 1981 -- Ron Bouchard (10th) -- Buick -- 156.737 m.p.h. |
| 1980 -- Neil Bonnett (2nd) -- Mercury -- 166.894 m.p.h. |
| 1979 -- Darrell Waltrip (8th) -- Oldsmobile -- 161.229 m.p.h. |
| 1978 -- Lennie Pond (5th) -- Oldsmobile -- 174.700 m.p.h. |
| 1977 -- Donnie Allison (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 162.524 m.p.h. |
| 1976 -- Dave Marcis (1st) -- Dodge -- 157.547 m.p.h. |
| 1975 -- Buddy Baker (2nd) -- Ford -- 130.892 m.p.h. |
| 1974 -- Richard Petty (3rd) -- Dodge -- 148.637 m.p.h. |
| 1973 -- Dick Brooks (24th) -- Plymouth -- 145.454 m.p.h. |
| 1972 -- James Hylton (22nd) -- Mercury -- 148.728 m.p.h. |
| 1971 -- Bobby Allison (2nd) -- Mercury -- 145.945 m.p.h. |
| 1970 -- Pete Hamilton (4th) -- Plymouth -- 158.517 m.p.h. |
| 1969 -- Richard Brickhouse (9th) -- Dodge -- 153.778 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Formerly called Talladega 500 (1969-1987), Talladega Diehard 500 |
| (1988), Diehard 500 (1989-1997), Winston 500 (1998-2000), EA Sports |
| Thunder 500 (2002), EA Sports 500 (2001, 03-04), UAW-Ford 500 (2005-07), |
| Amp Energy 500 (2008-10). |
| Past Good Sam Club 500 Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2010 -- Juan Pablo Montoya -- 3rd |
| 2009 -- None -- Weather |
| 2008 -- Travis Kvapil -- 27th |
| 2007 -- Michael Waltrip -- 25th |
| 2006 -- David Gilliland -- 15th |
| 2005 -- Elliott Sadler -- 34th |
| 2004 -- Joe Nemechek -- 7th |
| 2003 -- Elliott Sadler -- 30th |
| 2002 -- None -- Weather |
| 2001 -- Stacy Compton -- 11th |
| 2000 -- Joe Nemechek -- 3rd |
| 1999 -- Joe Nemechek -- 30th |
| 1998 -- Ken Schrader -- 24th |
| 1997 -- Ernie Irvan -- 5th |
| 1996 -- Jeremy Mayfield -- 16th |
| 1995 -- Sterling Marlin -- 1st |
| 1994 -- Dale Earnhardt -- 34th |
| 1993 -- Bill Elliott -- 11th |
| 1992 -- Sterling Marlin -- 2nd |
| 1991 -- Sterling Marlin -- 5th |
| 1990 -- Dale Earnhardt -- 1st |
| 1989 -- Mark Martin -- 3rd |
| 1988 -- Darrell Waltrip -- 33rd |
| 1987 -- Bill Elliott -- 1st |
| 1986 -- Bill Elliott -- 27th |
| 1985 -- Bill Elliott -- 4th |
| 1984 -- Cale Yarborough -- 6th |
| 1983 -- Cale Yarborough -- 24th |
| 1982 -- Geoffrey Bodine -- 15th |
| 1981 -- Harry Gant -- 4th |
| 1980 -- Buddy Baker -- 32nd |
| 1979 -- Neil Bonnett -- 34th |
| 1978 -- Cale Yarborough -- 4th |
| 1977 -- Benny Parsons -- 24th |
| 1976 -- Dave Marcis -- 1st |
| 1975 -- Dave Marcis -- 4th |
| 1974 -- David Pearson -- 2nd |
| 1973 -- Bobby Allison -- 29th |
| 1972 -- Bobby Isaac -- 42nd |
| 1971 -- Donnie Allison -- 41st |
| 1970 -- Bobby Isaac -- 2nd |
| 1969 -- Bobby Isaac -- 4th |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Bank of America 500 (October 15th) |
| SITE: Charlotte Motor Speedway -- Concord, North Carolina |
| MILES: 501 |
| LAPS: 334 |
| WINNER: Matt Kenseth |
| RUNNER-UP: Kyle Busch |
| THIRD: Carl Edwards |
| FOURTH: Kasey Kahne |
| FIFTH: Marcos Ambrose |
| POLE WINNER: Tony Stewart (Finished 8th) |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 25 minutes, 37 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 146.194 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.968 second |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 8 for 34 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 16 among 10 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: T. Stewart 1-42; M. Kenseth 43; C. Edwards 44; J. Johnson 45; J. |
| Yeley 46; T. Stewart 47-49; G. Biffle 50-78; R. Newman 79-84; G. |
| Biffle 85-123; D. Ragan 124; Kyle Busch 125; J. Montoya 126-127; |
| M. Kenseth 128-147; T. Stewart 148-196; J. Yeley 197-199; Kyle |
| Busch 200-309; M. Kenseth 310-334. |
| Good Sam Club 500 Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 00 | David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) | Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) | Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) | Dodge/Miller Lite |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) | Toyota/Red Bull |
| 5 | Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) | Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com |
| 6 | David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) | Ford/UPS My Choice |
| 7 | Robby Gordon (Orange, CA) | Dodge/Speed Energy/Mapei |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) | Ford/Stanley |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/FedEx Office |
| 13 | Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) | Toyota/GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) | Chevrolet/Office Depot |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip (Owensboro, KY) | Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) | Ford/3M/O'Reilly Auto Parts |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) | Ford/Jeremiah Weed |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/M&M's Halloween |
| 20 | Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) | Toyota/Home Depot |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) | Ford/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire |
| 22 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) | Chevrolet/Drive to End Hunger |
| 27 | Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) | Chevrolet/Menards/Serta |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Jimmy Johns |
| 31 | Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) | Chevrolet/Caterpillar |
| 32 | Terry Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Ford/C&J Energy Ford |
| 33 * | Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 34 | David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) | Ford/TBA |
| 35 | Geoffrey Bodine (Chemung, NY) | Chevrolet/Luke & Associates |
| 36 | Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) | Chevrolet/Golden Corral |
| 37 | Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) | Ford/Bradley University |
| 38 | Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) | Ford/Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/U.S. Army |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) | Chevrolet/Energizer |
| 43 | A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) | Ford/Best Buy |
| 46 | Scott Speed (Manteca, CA) | Ford/Red Line |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Toyota/Scott Products |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) | Chevrolet/Lowe's |
| 51 | Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) | Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction |
| 55 | J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) | Ford/TBA |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) | Toyota/NAPA Auto Brakes |
| 66 | Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) | Toyota/HP Racing |
| 71 | Andy Lally (Northport, NY) | Ford/TRG Motorsports |
| 78 | Regan Smith (Cato, NY) | Chevrolet/Furniture Row Racing |
| 83 | Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) | Toyota/Red Bull |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) | Toyota/TBA |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) | Chevrolet/Diet Mountain Dew |
| 97 | Kevin Conway (Cornelius, NC) | Toyota/TBA |
| 99 | Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) | Ford/Subway |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) |
| Driver | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Clint Bowyer | --- | --- | --- | --- | 35th | 11th | 5th | 12th | Won |
| Kevin Harvick | 27th | 7th | 2nd | 10th | 6th | 20th | 20th | 21st | 2nd |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 15th | 25th | 19th | 3rd |
| David Reutimann | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 22nd | 37th | 26th | 4th |
| Joey Logano | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 3rd | 5th |
| Martin Truex Jr | --- | --- | --- | 28th | 5th | 42nd | 41st | 31st | 6th |
| Jimmie Johnson | 37th | 34th | 37th | 31st | 24th | 2nd | 9th | 6th | 7th |
| Jeff Gordon | 42nd | 5th | 19th | 37th | 36th | Won | 38th | 20th | 8th |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | --- | --- | --- | 21st | 4th | 39th | 38th | 9th |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8th | 10th |
| Mark Martin | 30th | 23rd | 15th | 41st | 8th | --- | --- | 28th | 11th |
| Paul Menard | --- | --- | --- | --- | 34th | 38th | 2nd | 13th | 13th |
| Matt Kenseth | 4th | 33rd | 14th | 3rd | 4th | 26th | 26th | 24th | 16th |
| Carl Edwards | --- | --- | 42nd | 5th | 9th | 14th | 29th | 14th | 17th |
| Greg Biffle | --- | 24th | 28th | 27th | 41st | 23rd | 24th | 4th | 19th |
| Ryan Newman | 7th | 4th | 16th | 4th | 13th | 5th | 43rd | 36th | 23rd |
| Kyle Busch | --- | --- | --- | 33rd | 11th | 36th | 15th | 15th | 25th |
| Kasey Kahne | --- | --- | 27th | 13th | 2nd | 16th | 36th | 2nd | 26th |
| Kurt Busch | 4th | 6th | 5th | 8th | 3rd | 7th | 21st | 30th | 30th |
| Tony Stewart | 2nd | 3rd | 6th | 2nd | 22nd | 8th | Won | 35th | 31st |
| Jamie McMurray | 26th | 16th | 17th | 12th | 37th | 37th | 32nd | Won | 36th |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | Won | 2nd | Won | 40th | 23rd | 40th | 28th | 11th | 39th |
| Jeff Burton | 11th | 32nd | 13th | 35th | 27th | 43rd | 4th | 5th | 41st |
| Brian Vickers | --- | --- | 36th | 6th | Won | 39th | 35th | 13th | --- |
| Trevor Bayne | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mover of the Week |
| Kyle Busch - Started in the 25th position and finished 2nd |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Tony Stewart |
| Darkhorse - Kasey Kahne |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Jimmie Johnson) - Finished 34th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Joey Logano) - Finished 12th |
| NOTES: |
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Five down, five to go, as the Chase for the Sprint Cup continues this
week at Talladega.
Only seven points separate the top three drivers at the halfway point, as Carl
Edwards holds down the top spot, followed by Kevin Harvick (5 behind) and Matt
Kenseth (7 behind).
Five-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, after moving to third
on the points list, was pushed to the door last week in North Carolina, as he
dropped to eighth after wrecking at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Despite tumbling
down the points list, Johnson is 35 points behind.
Clint Bowyer will attempt to do something only the Earnhardt family has
accomplished at Talladega, and that is to win this race in back-to-back
seasons.
Dale Earnhardt won back-to-back fall races at Talladega three times (1983-84,
1990-91, 1999-2000), while son Dale Jr. captured this race in 2001-02.
Out of the running in the Chase this season, Bowyer raced to victory in 2010,
as he edged his Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick for the lead
just before NASCAR displayed the caution flag on the final lap for a five-car
accident on the frontstretch. A.J. Allmendinger's car got airborne and flipped
upside down on the track before it rolled back over.
After the 500-mile race ended under caution, it took NASCAR several minutes to
determine a winner. Officials reviewed replays and then credited Bowyer with
the victory, his fourth and last career title. Bowyer is 13th on the points
list, just one position out of the Chase.
Jamie McMurray took the checkered flag for the 2009 running of this race, as he
defeated Kasey Kahne to snap an 86-race winless streak in the Series. McMurray
crossed the finish line in the lead when the caution flag was displayed for a
multi-car crash that featured Mark Martin's car flipping on the track during a
green-white-checkered finish. McMurray scored his third career Cup victory, but
his first since July 2007 at Daytona.
When Tony Stewart won in 2008, it was his 33rd career Sprint Cup title, as he
defeated Paul Menard by 0.052 of a second. Stewart, who started 34th, led four
times for a race-high 24 laps, including the final 17. The race featured 64
lead changes among 28 drivers. Pole sitter Travis Kvapil led for 10 laps, but
finished 27th.
Jeff Gordon started in the 34th position in 2007 and led just one lap, but it
was the final lap, as he defeated Jimmie Johnson by less than a second. The
win was a milestone for Gordon, as he captured his 80th career Cup title, only
the sixth driver to reach that mark. Gordon has added five titles since
then and stands alone in third place on the series' all-time win list.
In 2006, Brian Vickers recorded his first career Sprint Cup title, as he
crossed the finish line under caution ahead of Kasey Kahne. In front of an
estimated crowd of 160,000, Vickers claimed the lead down the final
backstretch. Jimmie Johnson ducked to the bottom, but Vickers gave him a
little shot from behind and Johnson spun into Dale Earnhardt Jr, sending both
off the track. Vickers led on five separate occasions for 17 laps, while
Earnhardt Jr led seven times for a race-high 37 laps.
In 2005, Dale Jarrett came out of nowhere to capture his 32nd Sprint Cup
title, as he clipped Tony Stewart for the checkered flag. Jarrett, who led for
just one lap early in the race, overtook Matt Kenseth on the final lap for his
only win of that season. Stewart led 11 times for 65 laps, while Kenseth led
seven times for 23 laps and finished third.
Chevrolet has won this race in 16 of the last 21 years. Dodge has struggled
here, last winning in 1976, as legend Dave Marcis won the Talladega 500.
Overall, Dodges have won only two of the previous 39 fall races at Talladega,
Marcis in 1976 and Richard Petty in 1974.
This race has been won from the pole position four times, the most recent in
1995 by Sterling Marlin. Overall, the pole sitter has won 13 of the 84 races
at Talladega. The furthest back a winner has started at Talladega was when
Jeff Gordon won the DieHard 500 in April of 2000, as he started from the 36th
position. Stewart (2008) and Gordon (2007) own the record for winning
the fall race from the furthest starting spot, 34th. Since the inception of
electronic scoring in 1993, every race that has ended under green has had a
margin of victory under half a second. 61 of the 84 races at Talladega have
been won from a top-10 starting position.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup championship continues with the October 30 Tums
Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Denny Hamlin is the defending race
winner.
10/18 17:06:36 ET
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As of October 18, 2011, at 05:06 PM ET
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