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Published Wed, Nov 11, 2009 12:53 PM
Modified Wed, Nov 11, 2009 12:53 PM

NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Preview

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Tags: NASCAR Sprint Cup

Date: Sunday, November 15th

Start Time: 3:31 p.m. (et)

Site: Phoenix International Raceway (1964) -- Avondale, Arizona

Track: one-mile oval

Laps: 312

Miles: 312 (500 kilometers)

Capacity: 76,812 (Grandstand seating)

Total purse: $5,096,896 (2008 figures)

Payouts: 1st Place - $261,711; 2nd Place - $156,525; 3rd Place - $158,075

Year: 22nd

On TV: ABC

Announcers: Dr. Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree

On Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio

Race record: Tony Stewart, 1999 (118.132 m.p.h.)

Qualifying record: Ryan Newman, 2004 (135.854 m.p.h.)

2008 Finish

Defending champion: Jimmie Johnson

Runner up: Kurt Busch

Pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (134.725 m.p.h.)

Top 10:

1. Jimmie Johnson (Start: 1)

2. Kurt Busch (3)

3. Jamie McMurray (2)

4. Carl Edwards (15)

5. Denny Hamlin (8)

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr (5)

7. Kevin Harvick (19)

8. Kyle Busch (14)

9. Jeff Burton (24)

10. David Ragan (30)

Average speed: 97.804 m.p.h.

Time of race:

Margin of victory: 0.295 second

Caution flags: 10 for 55 laps

Lead changes: 9 among 5 drivers

Past winners

2008 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 97.804

2007 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 102.989 m.p.h.

2006 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 96.131 m.p.h.

2005 Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 102.641 m.p.h.

2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 94.848 m.p.h.

2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 93.984 m.p.h.

2002 Matt Kenseth, Ford, 113.857 m.p.h.

2001 Jeff Burton, Ford, 102.613 m.p.h.

2000 Jeff Burton, Ford, 105.041 m.p.h.

1999 Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 118.132 m.p.h. (race record)

1998 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 108.211 m.p.h.

1997 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 110.824 m.p.h.

1996 Bobby Hamilton, Pontiac, 109.709 m.p.h.

1995 Ricky Rudd, Ford, 102.128 m.p.h.

1994 Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 107.463 m.p.h.

1993 Mark Martin, Ford, 100.375 m.p.h.

1992 Davey Allison, Ford, 103.885 m.p.h.

1991 Davey Allison, Ford, 95.746 m.p.h.

1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 96.786 m.p.h.

1989 Bill Elliott, Ford, 105.683 m.p.h.

1988 Alan Kulwicki, Ford, 90.457 m.p.h.

Last race

Race: Dickies 500 (November 1st)

Site: Texas Motor Speedway -- Ft. Worth, Texas

Miles: 501

Laps: 334

Finish line order: Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick

Time of Race: 3 hours, 24 minutes, 18 seconds

Average speed: 147.137 m.p.h.

Margin of victory: 25.686 seconds

Caution flags: 5 for 26 laps

Lead changes: 13 among 4 drivers

Lap leaders: J. Gordon 1-11; Kurt Busch 12-57; Kyle Busch 58-87; Kurt BuschJ. Gordon 1-11; Kurt Busch 12-57; Kyle Busch 58-87; Kurt Busch88; Kyle Busch 89-145; D. Hamlin 146-147; Kyle Busch 148-167;Kurt Busch 168; Kyle Busch 169-172; Kurt Busch 173-207; KyleBusch 208-268; Kurt Busch 269-271; Kyle Busch 272-331; Kurt Busch332-334.

Entry list

#00 David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine

#1 Martin Truex Jr (Mayetta, NJ) Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops

#02 Brandon Ash (Umpqua, OR) Dodge/Efusjon Energy Club

#2 Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Dodge/Miller Lite

#5 Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) Chevrolet/Kellogg's/CARQUEST

#6 David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) Ford/UPS

#07 Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) Chevrolet/Jack Daniel's

#7 Robby Gordon (Orange, CA) Toyota/Jim Beam

#09 David Gilliland (Torrance, CA) Chevrolet/Miccosukee Indian

#9 Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) Dodge/Budweiser

#11 Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) Toyota/FedEx Ground

#12 Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) Dodge/Penske Racing

#13 Max Papis (Como, Italy) Toyota/GEICO

#14 Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) Chevrolet/Old Spice

#16 Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) Ford/3M

#17 Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) Ford/USG

#18 Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/Pedigree

#19 Elliott Sadler (Emporia, VA) Dodge/BBY Insignia

#20 Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) Toyota/Home Depot

#24 Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) Chevrolet/DuPont

#26 Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) Ford/IRWIN Marathon

#29 Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) Chevrolet/Shell/Pennzoil

#31 Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) Chevrolet/CAT Financial

#33 Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) Chevrolet/Cheerios/Hamb. Helper

#34 John Andretti (Indianapolis, IN) Chevrolet/Taco Bell

#36 Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) Toyota/Wave Energy Drink

#37 Tony Raines (LaPorte, IN) Chevrolet/Long John Silver's

#39 Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) Chevrolet/U.S. Army

#42 Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) Chevrolet/Target

#43 Reed Sorenson (Peachtree City, GA) Dodge/PVA.org

#44 AJ Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) Ford/Ford Racing

#47 Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) Toyota/Little Debbie/Kingsford

#48 * Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) Chevrolet/Lowe's

#55 Michael Waltrip (Owensboro, KY) Toyota/NAPA/Susan G. Komen

#66 Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) Toyota/TBA

#70 Kevin Conway (Cornelius, NC) Chevrolet/TRG Motorsports

#71 Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Chevrolet/TRG Motorsports

#77 Sam Hornish Jr (Defiance, OH) Dodge/Mobil 1

#78 Regan Smith (Cato, NY) Chevrolet/Furniture Row Racing

#82 Scott Speed (Manteca, CA) Toyota/Red Bull

#83 Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) Toyota/Red Bull

#87 Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) Toyota/NEMCO Motorsports

#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (Kannapolis, NC) Chevrolet/Amp Energy/Nat'l Guard

#96 Erik Darnell (Beach Park, FL) Ford/Academy Sports & Outdoors

#98 Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) Ford/Menards/Johns Manville

#99 Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) Ford/AFLAC

Leading contenders

Name 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Jimmie Johnson 15th 2nd 6th 7th 2nd Won Won
Kurt Busch 22nd 6th 4th 10th 8th 12th 2nd
Carl Edwards 37th 6th 5th 42nd 4th
Denny Hamlin 13th 3rd 16th 5th
Dale Earnhardt Jr 37th 5th Won Won 40th 9th 43rd 6th
Kevin Harvick 17th 17th 34th 4th 23rd Won 6th 7th
Kyle Busch Won 38th 8th 8th
Jeff Burton Won 12th 8th 11th 15th 10th 9th 9th
Greg Biffle 15th 13th 2nd 34th 2nd 11th
Kasey Kahne 5th 27th 7th 40th 13th
Mark Martin 19th 4th 10th 15th 14th 6th 14th
Matt Kenseth 4th Won 6th 36th 32nd 13th 3rd 15th
Juan Pablo Montoya 17th 17th
Tony Stewart 5th 8th 18th 8th 4th 14th 4th 22nd
Ryan Newman 40th 18th 3rd 2nd 12th 15th 5th 34th
Jeff Gordon 6th 3rd 7th 3rd 3rd 4th 10th 41st
Brian Vickers 13th 18th 26th 11th 21st 42nd

Notes

Two weeks remain and it's Jimmie Johnson by 73 points over Mark Martin inthe race for the Sprint Cup title. Not to be overlooked is Jeff Gordon inthird, only 112 points behind. Johnson, it would seem has the inside track, ashe has won this race the last two seasons and has recorded six straight top-10finishes. Johnson's streak of seven straight top-10s ended last week in Texas,as he finished 38th due to an accident on lap 3.It's certainly possible to catch Johnson. The two largest comebacks to win thechampionship with two races to go happened in 1990 and 1992. Dale Earnhardtcame back to win the title in 1990 after being down 45 points with two racesto go. Ironically, Earnhardt overtook Martin that season to win thechampionship. In 1992, Alan Kulwicki set the series record for the largestcomeback with two races to go. Kulwicki was third in the standings, 85 pointsdown with two races left, and overtook Bill Elliott and Davey Allison to winthe only championship of his career.Last year, Johnson became the first pole sitter to win this race, as he edgedKurt Busch by less than half a second to join Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burtonand Davey Allison as the only back-to-back champions of this race. Johnson led217 of 313 laps and held off Busch in a green-white-checkered finish.Chevrolet has now won the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 six straight years.Johnson, a 46-race winner in the Sprint Cup Series, continued the Chevroletdominance in this race in 2007, as he posted his 33rd career title, defeatingGreg Biffle by less than a second. Johnson led twice for 55 laps, includingthe final 24. Pole sitter Carl Edwards led the first 87 laps, but failed tofinish due to engine problems and placed 42nd.In 2006, Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line 0.250 of a second ahead ofJohnson to claim his 10th career Sprint Cup title and fifth of the 2006campaign. Harvick, who started second on the grid, led for a whopping 252laps, including the final 30. Pole sitter Jeff Gordon was out in front for thefirst three laps and finished fourth.Kyle Busch out-dueled Greg Biffle in 2005 by less than a second for his secondcareer Sprint Cup title. Busch led for a total of 63 laps, including the final28 in front of a crowd of 105,000. Busch, who started 15th on the grid, led onthree separate occasions, while Biffle led four times for 189 laps. Polesitter Denny Hamlin led for 23 laps and finished 13th.This and That from Phoenix International Raceway: Construction was completedin January 1964. The facility consisted of a one-mile oval and a 2.5-mile roadcourse. Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenixon Nov. 6, 1988. Ricky Rudd won the 1995 race from the 29th-place startingposition, the furthest back a race winner has started. There have been 31NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Arizona. Arizona Senator John McCain will be theGrand Marshal and Brian McKnight will sing the National Anthem.The 10th and final race in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup takes placeSunday, November 22nd at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as Carl Edwards defends histitle.11/11 12:45:33 ET

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