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The 51st Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
This grand race will run on February 15, 2009 this year.
The Daytona 500 has produced many of the most memorable moments in the history of NASCAR.
From the famous fight between Donnie and Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough in 1979 to the three-wide photo finish of the inaugural 1959 Daytona 500, something special always happens at the Daytona 500.
Most recently in 2007, the 49th annual Daytona 500 produced the closest finish since the advent of electronic scoring with Kevin Harvick nosing Mark Martin at the start/finish line by .020 seconds.
In the 50th running of the Daytona 500, Ryan Newman passed Tony Stewart on the last lap to win the most anticipated event in racing history and hoist the gold Harley J. Earl trophy in the air.
Newman’s name is now on a list with other legendary Daytona 500 champions such as Lee and Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Bobby and Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Buddy Baker, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick.
Who will be the champion of the 51st Daytona 500 in 2009? We will just have to wait and see. But race fans don’t want to wait too long to purchase their tickets. Why not buy a set of these?

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Camping World 400 Results

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For Greg Biffle, Darlington must seem like a long time ago.

It was after a last-place finish in the Mother’s Day weekend event when the Roush Fenway Racing driver criticized his team for a loose wheel that cost him a shot at the victory. There were no such concerns Sunday, when a recently-revamped No. 16 team turned in a series of quick, productive stops that helped Biffle win the Chase opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“Spectacular,” crew chief Greg Erwin said of his team’s performance. “We’ve made some changes. The progress of the 16 pit crew has been pretty well-documented. We had one hang-up on one stop that, you know, cost us a couple of spots. But the difference is, nobody got down, because everybody knew the potential was there. We’ve seen that the last couple of weeks, as strong as we’ve been. I couldn’t be happier for everyone.”

What once seemed a handicap has suddenly emerged as a strength for Biffle, now third in Sprint Cup points after being largely eclipsed by the likes of Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson during the course of NASCAR’s regular season. Although Biffle passed Johnson on the racetrack with 12 laps remaining Sunday, his pit crew kept him in contention for the victory, his first since winning at Kansas last season.

That pit crew has undergone some changes in recent weeks. Team owner Jack Roush tweaked the crews of both Biffle and teammate Edwards just before the Chase, moving some of the best people from the team of Jamie McMurray — who didn’t qualify for the year-end playoff — to the No. 16 and 99 programs. He also hired a new jack man for Biffle’s team. The changes went into effect before the Aug. 31 race at California, and the results were immediate. After finishing second in the Labor Day weekend event, Biffle raved about what it was like to have a crew that allowed him to beat other drivers off pit road.

“What a phenomenal job,” Biffle said after that runner-up finish. “I feel bad. I let them down.”

Not at New Hampshire. The changes, approved by team general manager Robbie Reiser and implemented specifically for the Chase, had paid off.

“It was all Chase-related,” Erwin said. “It had been something that had been discussed between the crew chiefs and, quite honestly, Robbie Reiser, not just with the 16 team specifically, but with the three and potentially four teams we were going to have in the Chase. There were some members on the 26 car that were proven veterans. Both our team, as well as the 99, has had some issues with one guy in particular on each squad. Reiser stepped up to the plate and decided, look, this is our best foot forward. These are what we think are our most experienced under-the-gun-type players, and made the decision and allowed each of our teams to get some guys from the 26 car. It’s helped. You know, without a doubt, it’s helped.”

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RICHMOND, Va. — Not so fast, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. Jimmie Johnson has no intention of giving up his title without a fight.

Johnson stormed into the Chase for the championship by winning his second consecutive race Sunday, getting a big boost as he starts his pursuit of a third consecutive title.

The two-time defending Cup champion passed Tony Stewart and Martin Truex for the lead with 32 laps to go at Richmond International Raceway, then held off Stewart’s late challenge over the final 10 laps.

“I think this … car is going to be ready for this championship battle,” Johnson said in Victory Lane. “I think chances are high. We’re in the show and we’re going to give 100 percent and try to make history.”

Johnson is seeking to become the first driver to win three consecutive titles since Cale Yarborough (1976-78).

It was the final event before NASCAR’s 10-race title hunt begins next week in New Hampshire, and everyone had to wait a day to see which 12 drivers would make the Chase after NASCAR postponed the Saturday start because of Tropical Storm Hanna.

New Chase arrivalsDavid Ragan and Kasey Kahne were the only two drivers mathematically eligible to race their way into the Chase field. Ragan put on a gutsy push before contact with other cars ended his run with a 32nd-place finish.

Kahne finished 19th, giving the final Chase spot to Clint Bowyer.

“I drove everything I could all day,” Kahne said. “It was a long day in the pits — we came out close to last almost every time. But we were never going to beat Clint.”

The Chase field is Johnson, Stewart, Busch, Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Bowyer.

Busch goes into the Chase seeded first based on his eight Cup victories this season. He had a rough day at Richmond in his final tuneup for his title run. He was wrecked by Dale Earnhardt Jr. while leading midway through the race, and was later wrecked a second time by Elliott Sadler. Busch finished 15th.

Edwards also had a long day after an early tire problem relegated him to the pack. He finished 13th but is still the second seed in the Chase based on his six previous victories. Johnson is seeded third, with four victories.

The three are the only Chase drivers with multiple victories — five of the title contenders are winless this season — and an intense fight for the championship is expected.

Among the winless drivers are Stewart and Gordon, who have never before gone this deep into the season without a victory. Stewart was visibly frustrated after failing to catch Johnson and end his 39-race winless streak.

Chase Standings
Tiebreaker is best finishes beyond race victories

Pos. Driver Points

1. Kyle Busch 5,080
2. Carl Edwards 5,050
3. Jimmie Johnson 5,040
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5,010
5. Clint Bowyer 5,010
6. Denny Hamlin 5,010
7. Jeff Burton 5,010
8. Tony Stewart 5,000
9. Greg Biffle 5,000
10. Jeff Gordon 5,000
11. Kevin Harvick 5,000
12. Matt Kenseth 5,000

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Let’s see what is left to complete the Chase?  Who is going to take home the trophy? Click a link to find tickets to the race.  Great seats are available for every race!

Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Speedway – September 14, 2008

Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA at Dover International Speedway – September 21, 2008

Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway – September 28, 2008

Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway – October 5, 2008

Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway – October 11, 2008

TUMS QuikPak 500 Martinsville Speedway – October 19, 2008

Pep Boys Auto 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway – October 26, 2008

Dickies 500 Texas Motor Speedway – November 2, 2008

Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil Phoenix International Raceway – November 9, 2008

Ford 400 Homestead-Miami Speedway – November 16, 2008

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Once again Carl Edwards is the man of the hour. Edwards won the Sharpie 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway for the second year in a row. Edwards driving the No.60 Roush Fenway Racing car passed Kyle Busch for the lead with 31 laps to go.

Edwards records his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season and the 13th of his career. He also won last weekend’s race at Michigan.

Kyle Busch led a career-high 415 laps and finished second. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon completed the top-five.

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Carl Edwards held off Kyle Busch on a restart with just two laps remaining in the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway to claim his fifth Sprint Cup victory of the season. Edwards also won the Nationwide Series race on Saturday. He completed a the sweep this weekend and added 10 bonus points to his total for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

As runner-up , Kyle Busch clinched his place in the Chase. With 8 wins, good for 80 bonus points, Kyle Busch is assured of a top seeding when the field for the Chase is set after the Sept. 6 race at Richmond.  David Ragan came in third, a career best finish set up by staying on the track when all the other contenders except for Dale Earnhardt Jr. pitted under caution on Lap 181 of the 200-lap race. Greg Biffle was fourth, with Matt Kenseth  in 5th.   Edwards had less than a 2 second lead when the engine on  Denny Hamlin’s‘ car blew on Lap 194 to bring out the seventh and final caution of the race. On the restart on Lap 199, Carl Edwards pulled away from Kyle Busch through the first two corners and extended his lead to .947 seconds at the finish.

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Centurion at The Glen
Race Results

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RANK	+/-	DRIVER	PTS	BEHIND	STARTS	POLES	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	WINNINGS
1	–	Kyle Busch	3059	Leader	21	2	7	12	13	4,739,060
2	–	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2883	-176	21	1	1	7	12	3,142,670
3	+2	Carl Edwards	2874	-185	21	0	4	9	15	4,751,700
4	–	Jimmie Johnson	2859	-200	21	3	2	7	11	4,300,950
5	-2	Jeff Burton	2833	-226	21	0	1	4	11	3,377,580
6	–	Jeff Gordon	2678	-381	21	2	0	8	10	3,575,460
7	+2	Kasey Kahne	2592	-467	21	2	2	3	11	4,482,670
8	-1	Greg Biffle	2589	-470	21	2	0	6	9	2,979,110
9	+1	Tony Stewart	2569	-490	21	0	0	7	10	4,012,740
10	-2	Denny Hamlin	2547	-512	21	1	1	6	10	3,435,320
11	+2	Kevin Harvick	2520	-539	21	0	0	4	7	3,292,890
12	–	Clint Bowyer	2512	-547	21	0	1	4	10	2,824,540

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During a rain delay that stopped the Pennsylvania 500 for 41 minutes, driver Carl Edwards and crew chief Bob Osborne argued loudly about who made the call to come to the pits after an afternoon thunderstorm began to soak Pocono Raceway. In retrospect, both should be willing to take the credit, because the strategy earned Edwards his fourth Sprint Cup Series victory of the year and the 11th of his career. Tony Stewart was second, 3.858 seconds back. Jimmie Johnson was third, after starting on the pole, and coasting across the finish line after running out of fuel in the final corner.

Kevin Harvick rallied from a first-lap spin to finish fourth. David Ragan was fifth, followed by Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon. Edwards’ chances of winning hinged on the race resuming after the rain delay, which came on Lap 131. Edwards, Johnson and Stewart were among those who had come to the pits on Lap 128, while 19 other cars remained on the track. When the race resumed, however, those 19 cars had to make two pit stops to one for those drivers who already had come to pit road. That proved to be the difference. Martin, Edwards and Johnson dominated the first two-thirds of the race, leading 53, 36 and 33 of the first 131 laps, respectively, but only Martin, who did not pit on Lap 128, was among the frontrunners when NASCAR red-flagged the race.
continued after the break

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Results for Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400 race for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway, listing starting position in parentheses, driver, car, laps completed with reason out if not running at the finish, points earned, driver rating and money won:
1. (1) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267 laps, 146.3 rating, 195 points, $331,175.

2. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, 115.6, 175, $251,086.

3. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267, 115.5, 165, $219,436.

4. (11) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267, 106.9, 165, $153,550.

5. (12) Tony Stewart, Toyota, 267, 120.6, 160, $164,011.

6. (15) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 267, 107, 155, $119,875.

7. (9) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 267, 103.1, 151, $152,291.

8. (14) David Ragan, Ford, 267, 97.6, 142, $114,300.

9. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 94.1, 143, $135,583.

10. (17) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 267, 82.6, 134, $143,400.

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"It’s definitely been a phenomenal year," Busch said. "It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t come along very often."

"It’s definitely an awesome feeling to be here [Friday night]," Busch said in Victory Lane. "We weren’t that good early in the race, but we made some adjustments, and this car just came to life."

Kyle Busch drove his No. 18 Toyota to a victory over Sprint Cup teammate Denny Hamlin in Friday night’s Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Busch’s fifth 2008 victory and 16th of his career, gave Jor Gibbs Racing a series record tying 13 victories in a single season.  Hamlin was driving Todd Braun’s No. 32 Toyota on Friday.

In NASCAR’s top three series combined, Busch has 13 victories, six in Cup and two in the Craftsman Truck Series to go with his five Nationwide wins.

Brad Keselowski, second in the series championship standings, ran third and trimmed Clint Bowyer’s points lead to 183. Brian Vickers was fourth, followed by pole-sitter David Reutimann, Greg Biffle, Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Stewart and rookie Landon Cassill.

Eight of the top 12 drivers from the Cup Series were entered Friday night, hoping to get a feel for the track under different circumstances. Busch is on the pole for Saturday’s Lifelock 400 race in the Sprint Cup Series.

"It means plenty for [Saturday], that’s for sure," Busch said. "The biggest thing I learned [Friday night], the track didn’t change much. It got cooler, it gained grip and the balance didn’t change a whole lot. That was pretty cool to see."

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LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway – July 12, 2008

Allstate 400 at The Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – July 27, 2008

Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono – August 3, 2008

Centurion Boats at The Glen – August 10, 2008

3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway – August 17, 2008

Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway – August 23, 2008

Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway – August 31, 2008

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway – September 6, 2008

Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Speedway – September 14, 2008

Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway – September 21, 2008

Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway – September 28, 2008

Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway – October 5, 2008

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