NASCAR Sprint Cup 2008

NASCAR Sprint Cup Logo

The NASCAR Sprint Cup 2008 began on February 9, 2008 with the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway followed by the 50th Daytona 500 on February 18, 2008. The Chase for the Sprint Cup began on September 14, 2008 with the Sylvania 300 on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway . The season ended on November 16, 2008 with the Ford 400 as part of the Ford Championship Weekend . Jimmie Johnson became champion of the season, 69 points ahead of Carl Edwards . After 2006 and 2007 he won the title for the third time in a row, which so far only Cale Yarborough managed between 1976 and 1978. The name change from Nextel Cup to Sprint Cup came about because the sponsor Nextel was taken over by Sprint for 36 billion US dollars .

Attendees

Each Sprint Cup race in the 2008 season will have a field of 43 cars. The first 35 of the Owner Points (score of the respective owners of a racing car) in 2007 will have a guaranteed starting place in the first five races in 2008. If a driver changes from a team to a new team within the first 35 of the owner points, they no longer have a guaranteed starting place unless they are also in the top 35 of the owner points. However, if a previous champion is not in the top 35 and does not manage to qualify for the race, he can fall back on a so-called Past Champion Provisional , which guarantees him a starting place. However, since the 2007 season, the Past Champion Provisionals are limited to a number of six races per season. Outside the top 35 there will be three former champions this year: Kurt Busch , Bill Elliott and Dale Jarrett , all of whom have a fixed starting position for six races.

Teams that are not in the top 35 Owner Points and also have no Past Champion Provisional must find out their starting place. If, for example, 47 cars wanted to qualify for a race and none of them used a Past Champion Provisional, then twelve cars would fight for eight remaining starting places. Of these twelve, the eight fastest then qualify for the race. From the sixth race of the season, the Owner Points from the previous year will no longer be used, but those from the previous race.

number	driver	Sponsor / s	Car brand	team
00	Michael McDowell (R) ¹ / Mike Skinner	Aaron's / Champion Mortgage / Microsoft Small Business	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
01	Regan Smith (R) / Ron Fellows	Principal Financial Group / Steak-umm / Coors Light	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
07	Clint Bowyer	Jack Daniel’s / DirecTV / BB&T	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
1	Martin Truex junior	Bass Pro Shops / Cub Cadet	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
2	Kurt Busch §	Miller Lite	Dodge	Penske Racing
5	Casey Mears	Kellogg’s / Carquest / Cheez-It / DELPHI	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	David Ragan	AAA	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7th	Robby Gordon	Jim Beam / Camping World Charter / Valvoline / Charter Communications / Mapei / Menards	Dodge	Robby Gordon Motorsports
8th	Mark Martin / Aric Almirola (R)	US Army / Principal Financial Group / Steak-umm	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
9	Kasey Kahne	Budweiser / Allstate	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
10	Patrick Carpentier (R)	Valvoline / LifeLock / Charter / Cintas / Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
12	Ryan Newman	Alltel / Kodak / Avis	Dodge	Penske Racing
15th	Paul Menard	Menards / Moen / Johns-Manville	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
16	Greg Biffle	3M / Dish Network / Red Cross / Jackson Hewitt	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
17th	Matt Kenseth §	DeWalt / R&L Carriers / Carhartt / USG / Dish Network	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
18th	Kyle Busch	M & M’s / Interstate Batteries / Combos / Pedigree / Snickers	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
19th	Elliott Sadler	Best Buy / Stanley Tools / McDonald’s / Siemens / Garmin	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
20th	Tony Stewart §	The Home Depot / Subway	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
21st	Jon Wood / Bill Elliott § / Marcos Ambrose	Little Debbie / US Air Force / Motorcraft	ford	Wood Brothers Racing
22nd	Dave Blaney	Caterpillar	Toyota	Bill Davis Racing
24	Jeff Gordon §	DuPont / Pepsi / Nicorette	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
26th	Jamie McMurray	Crown Royal / Irwin	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
28	Travis Kvapil	Ford / K&N Filters / Lumber Liquidators / Zaxby's / Dish Network	ford	Yates Racing
29	Kevin Harvick	Shell / Pennzoil / Reese's	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
31	Jeff Burton	AT&T Mobility / Prilosec OTC / Lenox Industrial Tools	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
34	Jeff Green / Tony Raines / John Andretti	No sponsor	Chevrolet	Front Row Motorsports
38	David Gilliland	FreeCreditReport.com	ford	Yates Racing
41	Reed Sorenson	Target / Polaroid / Energizer / Tums	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Texaco Havoline / Big Red / Juicy Fruit	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
43	Bobby Labonte §	Cheerios / Betty Crocker / Marathon Oil	Dodge	Petty Enterprises
44	David Reutimann ¹	UPS	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
45	Kyle Petty / Chad McCumbee / Terry Labonte §	Wells Fargo / Marathon Oil / PVA.org / Coca-Cola	Dodge	Petty Enterprises
48	Jimmie Johnson §	Lowe's / Kobalt Tools	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
55	Michael Waltrip	NAPA Auto Parts	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
66	Scott Riggs	State Water Heaters	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing
70	Johnny Sauter / Max Papis ² / Jason Leffler	Haas Automation / Hunt Brothers Pizza	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing
77	Sam Hornish Junior (R)	Mobil 1 / Penske Truck Rental	Dodge	Penske Racing
78	Joe Nemechek	Furniture Row / Denver Mattress	Chevrolet	Furniture Row Racing
83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull	Toyota	Team Red Bull
84	Mike Skinner / AJ Allmendinger	Red Bull	Toyota	Team Red Bull
88	Dale Earnhardt junior	AMP Energy / Mountain Dew / National Guard	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
96	JJ Yeley	Texas Instruments DLP HDTV	Toyota	Hall of Fame Racing
99	Carl Edwards	Office Depot / Aflac / Claritin / Dish Network	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
Part-time driver
08	Carl Long / Burney Lamar / Tony Raines	Rhino’s / Millstar Tools / getFUBAR.com	Dodge	E&M Motorsports
09	Sterling marlin	Miccosukee Resort & Gaming	Chevrolet	Phoenix Racing
33	Scott Wimmer / Kirk Shelmerdine / Ken Schrader	Camping World	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
37	Eric McClure / Kenny Wallace	Hefty / JEGS High Performance	Chevrolet	Front Row Motorsports
47	Marcos Ambrose	Kingsford / Clorox	ford	JTG Daugherty Racing
49	Ken Schrader / Chad McCumbee	Marathon / Microsoft / Qtrax.com / Healthlife.com	Toyota / Dodge	BAM Racing
50	Stanton Barrett	NOS Energy Drink / Check'n Go	Chevrolet	SKI Motorsports
57	Norm Benning	Shodeen Inc. / [e-mail]	Chevrolet	Norm Benning Racing
60	Boris Said	7-Eleven Slurpee / SoBe No Fear	ford	No fear racing
87	Kenny Wallace	Denver mattress	Chevrolet	Furniture Row Racing

(R) - Has a chance to win Rookie of the Year .
§ - As a former champion, the driver can secure a starting place in a race six times without the necessary qualification.
¹ - Dale Jarrett drove the # 44 for the first five points races in 2008 while David Reutimann drove the # 00. Michael McDowell took over # 00 from Martinsville, while Reutimann drove # 44 to Dale Jarrett.
² - Max Papis will drive the car in both road races at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen .

Innovations for the 2008 season

With the UAW-Dodge 400 2008, a slightly different qualification mode comes into force for the first time. So far, the order of qualifying has been drawn between all drivers, regardless of whether they only have to qualify for one position or to participate in the race as such. Due to the duration of the qualifying (several hours), the chances of qualifying for the race are different. With the new regulation, the drivers will initially create a time that is qualified for the race anyway (the top 35). Then the other drivers try to qualify for the race in a block.

The specific reason was the qualifying for the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, when six of the first seven drivers did not automatically qualify in the intermediate result of qualifying, when it had to be canceled with 14 drivers remaining. According to NASCAR rules, qualifying is completely invalid in such a case and the placements for the race are only awarded according to the championship status. With Boris Said (fastest at the time of the cancellation), Michael Waltrip and Jeremy Mayfield , three drivers who had already achieved a top placement were condemned to watch. With the new regulation, these drivers would not have attempted a qualification at the time of the cancellation.

Course of the season

Testing

The first major event for the drivers was the “Preseason Thunder” on January 28th. The tests were held in Las Vegas . The winds in the Nevada desert were high, causing Regan Smith , Sam Hornish Jr. , Dario Franchitti , David Ragan , Mark Martin , Jeff Burton , Tony Stewart, and Michael Waltrip's cars to be scrapped. Juan Pablo Montoya set the absolute best time two days after his victory at the Daytona 24 Hours . The best six drivers all stayed below the record of the previous year with the "old" car.

In the last of six test runs, the conditions were better than in Las Vegas. This series of tests took place on January 31st and February 2nd. The drivers were able to use Fontana as the last major preparation for the Daytona 500 . Carl Edwards set the fastest time ahead of Reed Sorenson and the eventual winner of the 2008 Daytona 500 , Ryan Newman .

Regular season

The much-discussed Goodyear tires

The regular season began for the drivers on February 9, 2008 with the Budweiser Shootout . The Daytona 500 2008 will be the first race in which points are awarded. After two race wins, Carl Edwards had to give up all of his race points for the fourth race in Atlanta because of an oil filter that did not meet the regulations. A new finding this season was that teammates can exchange points. Done that has Roger Penske with Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. . The effect was that both drivers qualified for the first five races. At the beginning of the season, criticism was mainly directed at Goodyear , as they simply did not put enough development into the tires. This had consequences for Kyle Busch , among others , after his tire unexpectedly burst after 170 and 153 laps he had led at the Nationwide race in Atlanta at the Nicorette 300 . Tony Stewart : “We have a really bad tire on the right side compared to what we tested in October. I don't think anyone is happy with the tires. After ten years in the Cup, I am very disappointed with everything that Goodyear is doing. ”The tire manufacturer responded to this criticism and at the beginning of March invited some drivers to test a new tire at Darlington Raceway , which was recently given a new road surface. Jeff Gordon praised the Raceway but was cautious about the new tires.

In April 2008, with change rumors Tony Stewart at Haas CNC the Silly Season initiated NASCAR. Stewart's change is justified by the car brand, he is currently driving a Toyota , but at Haas CNC he could drive a Chevrolet again. Greg Biffle , Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton were discussed further . Carl Edwards dropped out of the discussion when it became known that he was renewing his contract with Roush Fenway Racing .

Driver overall rating

The ones highlighted in green are in the Chase for the Sprint Cup .

space	driver	Points	Lagging behind leaders	Starts	Pole positions	Victories	Top 5	Top 10	Car brand
1	Jimmie Johnson	6684	(-)	36	6th	7th	15th	22nd	Chevrolet
2	Carl Edwards *	6615	(-) 69	36	1	9	19th	27	ford
3	Greg Biffle	6467	(-) 217	36	2	2	12	17th	ford
4th	Kevin Harvick	5170	(-) 276	36	0	0	7th	19th	Chevrolet
5	Clint Bowyer	5170	(-) 303	36	0	1	7th	17th	Chevrolet
6th	Jeff Burton	5148	(-) 349	36	0	2	7th	18th	Chevrolet
7th	Jeff Gordon	5147	(-) 368	36	4th	0	13	19th	Chevrolet
8th	Denny Hamlin	5146	(-) 470	36	1	1	12	18th	Toyota
9	Tony Stewart	5137	(-) 482	36	0	1	10	16	Toyota
10	Kyle Busch	5134	(-) 498	36	2	8th	17th	21st	Toyota
11	Matt Kenseth	5121	(-) 500	36	0	0	9	20th	ford
12	Dale Earnhardt junior	5043	(-) 557	36	1	1	10	16	Chevrolet
13	David Ragan	3177	(-) 2385	36	0	0	6th	14th	ford
14th	Kasey Kahne	3118	(-) 2599	36	2	2	4th	14th	Dodge
15th	Martin Truex junior	2964	(-) 2845	36	0	0	3	11	Chevrolet

* Edwards was stripped of 10 bonus points for winning the UAW Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after an abnormality occurred in his car.

vehicles

Car of Tomorrow

On May 22, 2007 NASCAR announced that the Car of Tomorrow , or COT for short, will be used for the entire 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, contrary to the original plans. The COT was used in 16 races last season. Dodge fielded an Avenger in the 2007 COT races . In 2008, however, Dodge Charger chassis will be used as the COT. The charger was already represented in the old car model from 2005 to 2007 in NASCAR.

Vehicle manufacturer Sprint Cup 2008

brand	model
Chrysler	Dodge Charger
ford	Ford Fusion
GM	Chevrolet Impala SS
Toyota	Toyota Camry

run

All races in the 2008 Sprint Cup season will be held in the USA .

Brief overview

date	run	Racetrack	Pole position	winner
02/09/2008	Budweiser Shootout *	Daytona International Speedway	Kurt Busch	Dale Earnhardt junior
02/14/2008	Gatorade Duel 1 *	Daytona International Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Dale Earnhardt junior
02/14/2008	Gatorade Duel 2 *	Daytona International Speedway	Michael Waltrip	Denny Hamlin
02/17/2008	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Ryan Newman
02/24/2008	Auto Club 500	Auto Club Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Carl Edwards
03/02/2008	UAW Dodge 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Kyle Busch	Carl Edwards
03/09/2008	Atlanta 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	Jeff Gordon	Kyle Busch
03/16/2008	Food City 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Jeff Burton
03/30/2008	Goody's Cool Orange 500	Martinsville Speedway	Jeff Gordon	Denny Hamlin
04/06/2008	Samsung 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Dale Earnhardt junior	Carl Edwards
04/12/2008	Subway Fresh Fit 500	Phoenix International Raceway	Ryan Newman	Jimmie Johnson
04/27/2008	Aaron's 499	Talladega Superspeedway	Joe Nemechek	Kyle Busch
05/03/2008	Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400	Richmond International Raceway	Denny Hamlin	Clint Bowyer
05/10/2008	Dodge Challenger 500	Darlington Raceway	Greg Biffle	Kyle Busch
05/17/2008	NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race *	Lowe's Motor Speedway	Kyle Busch	Kasey Kahne
05/25/2008	Coca-Cola 600	Lowe's Motor Speedway	Kyle Busch	Kasey Kahne
06/01/2008	Best Buy 400	Dover International Speedway	Greg Biffle	Kyle Busch
06/08/2008	Pocono 500	Pocono Raceway	Kasey Kahne	Kasey Kahne
06/15/2008	LifeLock 400	Michigan International Speedway	Kyle Busch	Dale Earnhardt junior
06/22/2008	Toyota / Save Mart 350	Infineon Raceway	Kasey Kahne	Kyle Busch
06/29/2008	Lenox Industrial Tools 301	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Patrick Carpentier	Kurt Busch
07/05/2008	Coke Zero 400	Daytona International Speedway	Paul Menard	Kyle Busch
07/13/2008	LifeLock.com 400	Chicagoland Speedway	Kyle Busch	Kyle Busch
07/27/2008	Allstate 400 at the Brickyard	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson
08/03/2008	Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500	Pocono Raceway	Jimmie Johnson	Carl Edwards
08/10/2008	Centurion Boats at The Glen	Watkins Glen International	Kyle Busch	Kyle Busch
08/17/2008	3M Performance 400	Michigan International Speedway	Brian Vickers	Carl Edwards
08/23/2008	Sharpie 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	Carl Edwards	Carl Edwards
08/31/2008	Pepsi 500	Auto Club Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson
07.09.2008	Chevy Rock and Roll 400 **	Richmond International Raceway	Kyle Busch	Jimmie Johnson
The " Chase for the Sprint Cup " begins here
09/14/2008	Sylvania 300	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Kyle Busch	Greg Biffle
09/21/2008	Camping World RV 400	Dover International Speedway	Jeff Gordon	Greg Biffle
09/28/2008	Camping World RV 400	Kansas Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson
05/10/2008	Amp Energy 500	Talladega Superspeedway	Travis Kvapil	Tony Stewart
10/11/2008	Bank of America 500	Lowe's Motor Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Jeff Burton
October 19, 2008	TUMS QuikPak ​​500	Martinsville Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson
10/26/2008	Pep Boys Auto 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	Jimmie Johnson	Carl Edwards
11/02/2008	Dickies 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Jeff Gordon	Carl Edwards
11/09/2008	Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500	Phoenix International Raceway	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson
11/16/2008	Ford 400	Homestead Miami Speedway	David Reutimann	Carl Edwards

* = Races in which no points are awarded

** = Postponed from Saturday evening to Sunday due to bad weather

Budweiser Shootout - Daytona Beach, Florida

See main article: Budweiser Shootout 2008

The Budweiser Shootout took place on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway . No points were awarded for the current season. Two training sessions were held before the race. During the second exit, eleven of the 23 vehicles were demolished and made unfit to drive. Actually, the second training session was only intended for final handling checks.
The Budweiser Shootout is both the first official race of the Cup season and the first NASCAR race of the Speedweeks . The first practice session was dominated by Tony Stewart ( Joe Gibbs Racing ), in the second practice the best performance went to Reed Sorenson (Ganassi-Dodge).
The eventual victory went to Dale Earnhardt Junior in his first race for Hendrick Motorsports . Tony Stewart (Joe Gibbs Racing) came second in the 30th shootout, and Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick Motorsports) came third . The latter two pilots had to start with replacement vehicles because they were involved in the accidents of the second free practice.

Gatorade Duel 1 - Daytona Beach, Florida

The Gatorade Duel 1 took place on February 14th at Daytona International Speedway . As with the Budweiser Shootout , Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	41	Reed Sorenson	Chevrolet	Chip Ganassi Racing
3	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
4th	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	43	Bobby Labonte	Dodge	Petty Enterprises
7th	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
8th	87	Kenny Wallace	Chevrolet	Furniture Row Racing
9	77	Sam Hornish Junior	Dodge	Penske Racing
10	15th	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Gatorade Duel 2 - Daytona Beach, Florida

The Gatorade Duel 2 took place on February 14th at Daytona International Speedway . Denny Hamlin clinched the first ever victory for the Toyota brand in the Cup.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
5	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
6th	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	44	Dale Jarrett	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
10	34	John Andretti	Chevrolet	Front Row Motorsports

Ryan Newmans # 12 after racing on Gatorade Victory Lane .

Daytona 500 - Daytona Beach, Florida

See main article: Daytona 500 2008

The first race of the season took place on February 17th at Daytona International Speedway . Michael Waltrip started on the front positions behind last year's champion Jimmie Johnson . 16 Chevrolet Impalas , eleven Dodge Chargers , nine Toyota Camrys and seven Ford Fusion are on the grid . After a quiet initial phase, drivers Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch won for Penske Racing . In advance, Dodge was not given a chance to win, which made the win all the more surprising. The victory is also due to the good teamwork between the two drivers. In general, this race was the first victory for Dodge in a Restrictor Plate race. Newman received a winning fee of $ 1,445,250 for his performance. A total of US $ 18.6 million in prize money was awarded.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
2	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
3	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
5	41	Reed Sorenson	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
6th	19th	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
7th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
8th	7th	Robby Gordon	Dodge	Robby Gordon Motorsports
9	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 200 laps, 500 miles (805 kilometers)

• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Carl Long (# 08), Sterling Marlin (# 09), Patrick Carpentier (# 10), Bill Elliott (# 21), Jacques Villeneuve (# 27), Eric McClure (# 37 ), Ken Schrader (# 49), Stanton Barrett (# 50), AJ Allmendinger (# 84)

Auto Club 500 - Fontana, California

Route overview of the Auto Club Speedway

The second race of the season took place on February 25th at the Auto Club Speedway . The qualification was canceled due to heavy rainfall and so the championship results from 2007 were used for the starting grid for places one to 36. In the other positions, last year's race winners were given priority in the best possible position, so Kurt Busch started in 36th place.

The race was actually scheduled for Sunday, but it was postponed to Monday due to heavy rain. During the first attempt at the race, Denny Hamlin got off the track and hit the wall. After the first ten laps, Jeff Gordon was leading by four seconds. After a total of 87 laps, the race was then postponed to Monday. With around 20 laps to go, Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman led the field, but due to contact with the wall, the latter lost the lead and Carl Edwards won the race for Ford .

In Germany this was the first race that had not been broadcast live by Premiere since the pay-TV broadcaster acquired the rights. The commentator on this: "Better a summary than no race on German television." See also, section TV broadcast .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4th	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
5	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
7th	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
8th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
10	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing

• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: AJ Allmendinger (# 84), Ken Schrader (# 49), Mike Skinner (# 27), Burney Lamar (# 08), Patrick Carpentier (# 10)

UAW Dodge 400 - Las Vegas, Nevada

The USAF Thunderbirds before the race

The third race of the season took place on March 2nd at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
6th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
7th	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	28	Travis Kvapil	ford	Yates Racing
9	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
10	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

• Pole position: Kyle Busch
• Race length: 400 miles (644 km), 267 laps

• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Johnny Sauter (# 21; accident during qualifying), John Andretti (# 34), Joe Nemechek (# 78), AJ Allmendinger (# 84)

Kobalt Tools 500 - Atlanta, Georgia

The Atlanta Motor Speedway

The fourth race of the season took place on March 9th at Atlanta Motor Speedway . For the fourth race of the season, a total of nine drivers with repainted vehicles competed, these are: Sam Hornish Junior , Juan Pablo Montoya , Tony Stewart , Kyle Busch , Jimmie Johnson , Kyle Petty , Carl Edwards , Robby Gordon and Patrick Carpentier . In the first free practice session, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. set the fastest lap time, he has a home race in Atlanta. He also started the race from pole position, was able to hold this position for a few laps, but later had to beat Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart enter and finished the race in third place. The Toyotas were able to record their first race victory in their relatively young racing history. The last non-American team won in 1954. Juan Pablo Montoya came in 16th and was 79 points behind. Carl Edwards, who was victorious twice this season, had to give up the race under the black flag. Jacques Villeneuve will not compete with the Bill Davis team in the coming race either, as there was no sponsor for the team. All three Childress Chevrolets made it into the top 10 of the race.

“This car and this tire on this racetrack were just terrible,” said four-time champion Jeff Gordon (5th), describing the racing conditions in Atlanta.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4th	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
10	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

• Pole position: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
• Race length: 325 laps, 500 miles (805.9 km)
• Most leading laps: Kyle Busch
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Ken Schrader (# 49), Bill Elliott (# 21), Johnny Benson (# 27), John Andretti (# 34), Burney Lamar (# 08)

Food City 500 - Bristol, Tennessee

The fifth race of the season took place on March 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway . After 24 years, 668 races and 32 individual victories, this was the last race for Dale Jarrett

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
2	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
3	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4th	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
7th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
8th	8th	Aric Almirola	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt Incorporated
9	38	David Gilliland	ford	Yates Racing
10	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 506 laps

• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Patrick Carpentier (# 10), Jeff Green (# 21), John Andretti (# 34)

Goody's Cool Orange 500 - Martinsville, Virginia

The sixth race of the season took place on March 30th at Martinsville Speedway . Dale Jarrett's UPS Toyota has been driven by David Reutimann since that race , while rookie Michael McDowell takes over the wheel of his former car .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4th	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6th	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7th	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8th	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

• Pole position: Jeff Gordon
• Race length: 500 laps, 263 miles (423.24 km)
• Most leading laps: Kyle Busch
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Kyle Petty (# 45), Tony Raines (# 08), John Andretti (# 34), Joe Nemechek (# 78)

Samsung 500 - Fort Worth, Texas

Carl Edwards with the winner's trophy

The seventh race of the season will take place on April 6th at Texas Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing ₩
5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
8th	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
9	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

• Pole position: Dale Earnhardt junior
• Race length: 339 laps, 508.5 miles (817 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Carl Edwards
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Dario Franchitti (# 40), Chad McCumbee (# 45), Burney Lamar (# 08)

and display information about the image

Michael McDowell had an accident during qualifying for the Samsung 500 and got out of the car unharmed.

Subway Fresh Fit 500 - Phoenix, Arizona

The eighth race of the season took place on April 12th at the Phoenix International Raceway . A special feature of the race is that it was held under floodlights . Before the race, outrage was triggered in the paddock by the news that Craftsman Truck driver Aaron Fike had contested several races under the influence of heroin : "I can't believe that, that's absurd" - Jimmie Johnson . As a result of the scandal, several pilots demanded that they conduct random drug tests. Tony Stewart said : "I've never been quoted on a drug test, but I think it should be mandatory".
Defending champion Jimmie Johnson took the first win of the season for Hendrick Motorsports and won ahead of Clint Bowyer , Jeff Burton took the overall lead. The reason for the victory was mainly due to the good fuel strategy. The preliminary coverage of the race was interrupted because of the delayed New York Yankees baseball game against Boston Red Sox due to rain . FOX started broadcasting again in round two, Premiere for the time being completely waived the summary on Monday and showed it on Tuesday.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
6th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8th	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
9	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing

• Pole position: Ryan Newman
• Race length: 312 laps, 312 miles (502 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Kyle Petty (# 45), John Andretti (# 34)

Aaron's 499 - Talladega, Alabama

Green flag on the Talladega Superspeedway

The field of drivers of the race led by Kyle Busch

The ninth race of the season took place on April 27th on the Talladega Superspeedway . It was the second Restrictor Plate race of the season after the Daytona 500 . Joe Nemechek secured pole position ahead of Tony Stewart and Ken Schrader . As usual in races with an air restrictor , the drivers only achieved good positions by cooperating with others, as happened right at the start of the race between Toyota driver Denny Hamlin and Ford occupant Jamie McMurray . The next such maneuver was performed by Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon on Dale Earnhardt junior , which earned him rank one. The crowd favorite held that position for a total of 46 laps. The lead changed constantly and so it was that Paul Menard , as well as Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya , Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick could all record a lead lap. The drivers Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers both failed to complete their refueling stops as requested, Busch missed the entrance to his pit, Vickers car started turning when exiting the pit. So after the first half of the race, the motto was Gibbs against Hendrick . Earnhardt Jr. lay in front of Stewart and Hamlin, but the former threatened to fall asleep on his gas foot. Tony Stewart was eliminated from the fight for entry into Victory Lane because of a wall contact that damaged his tire. Paul Menard was surprisingly good, but the performance was thwarted by a bump draft failed by Ryan Newman, David Stremme and Juan Pablo Montoya . The final of the race opened with a Big One created by Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart . Were also involved Bobby Labonte , Martin Truex Jr. , Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray. With almost 30 laps to go, the top 5 consisted of Michael Waltrip , Jimmie Johnson , Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon . Jimmie Johnson briefly took the lead but was soon replaced by Kyle Busch. Busch owed this to Jeff Gordon, Montoya, Stremme and Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch's victory was ultimately driven dry by a yellow phase triggered by the second Big One.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
6th	28	Travis Kvapil	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7th	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8th	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

• Pole position: Joe Nemechek
• Race length: 188 laps, 500.08 miles (805 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Tony Stewart
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Dave Blaney (# 22), John Andretti (# 34),

JJ Yeley (# 96)

Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 - Richmond, Virginia

The tenth race of the season was held on May 3rd at Richmond International Raceway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
2	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
4th	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
5	1	Martin Truex, Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
6th	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
7th	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports

• Pole position: Denny Hamlin
• Race length: 410 laps, 307.5 miles (495 km, Green-White-Checkered )
• Most leadership laps: Denny Hamlin
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Jon Wood (# 21), Scott Wimmer (# 33), John Andretti (# 34), Ken Schrader (# 40)

Dodge Challenger 500 - Darlington, South Carolina

Pit stop at the car of "Junior"

The eleventh race of the season took place on May 10th at Darlington Raceway . Kyle Busch won the race despite several problems that temporarily pushed him back to 23rd place.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4th	88	Dale Earnhardt junior	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7th	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
8th	28	Travis Kvapil	ford	Yates Racing
9	22nd	Dave Blaney	Toyota	Bill Davis Racing
10	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

• Pole position: Greg Biffle
• Race length: 367 laps, 501 miles (807 km)
• Most leading laps: Kyle Busch
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Johnny Sauter (# 70), Jeff Green (# 34)

NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

See main article: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV

Pit crew challenge

The annual Sprint Open and All-Star Race took place on May 17th, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway . No points were awarded in the race. In advance, the Pit Crew Challenge took place on Wednesday and Thursday . The Red Bull team with Brian Vickers won the challenge and prevailed against 24 other crews. The pit crew winners were free to choose their pit box in the All-Star Race, for which they could not qualify in the Sprint Challenge. Kyle Busch secured pole position for the All-Star Race just ahead of Jeff Gordon . The front row of the sprint showdown was occupied by Elliott Sadler and Brian Vickers. The Pennzoil Victory Challenge took place in the framework of the race . The drivers Clint Bowyer , Jimmie Johnson , Kevin Harvick , Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch had to complete a burnout and two 360 ° donuts on the way to the pits. The US $ 10,000 prize money went to the winner's Greg Biffle Foundation . AJ Allmendinger won the Sprint Open. Kasey Kahne , who qualified through the fan vote, won the race.

Coca Cola 600 - Concord, North Carolina

The 12th race of the season takes place on May 25th parallel to the Indianapolis 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
2	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress
7th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	19th	Elliot Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
9	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	44	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing

• Pole position: Kyle Busch
• Race length: 400 laps, 600 miles (966 km)
• Most leadership laps: Dale Earnhardt junior
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Jeff Green (# 34), Stanton Barrett (# 50), Jon Wood (# 21), Joe Nemechek (# 78), Tony Raines (# 08)

Best Buy 400 - Dover, Delaware

The 13th race of the season took place on June 1st at Dover International Speedway . For the Chase candidates Dale Earnhardt junior , Tony Stewart , Denny Hamlin , Kevin Harvick , Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne , the race ended after 20 laps when Elliott Sadler and David Gilliand triggered a " Big One ".

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt Inc.
7th	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	22nd	Dave Blaney	Toyota	Bill Davis Racing
10	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Greg Biffle
• Race length: 400 laps, 400 miles (643.7 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Greg Biffle
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Jason Leffler (# 70) & Chad McCumbee (# 45)

Pocono 500 - Long Pond, Pennsylvania

The 14th race of the season took place on June 8th at the Pocono Raceway . Pocono is known as a super speedway, but there is no restrictor plate. In the 500-mile race, the COT was used on the raceway for the first time.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
2	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
6th	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

• Pole position: Kasey Kahne
• Race length: 200 laps, 500 miles (805 km)
• Most leading laps : Kasey Kahne
• Driver who did not qualify for the race: JJ Yeley (# 96)

LifeLock 400 - Brooklyn, Michigan

The field of drivers before the flying start

The 15th race of the season took place on June 15th at Michigan International Speedway . The qualification was canceled due to rain, so the starting line-up was based on the owner points. After two years and 76 races without a win, Dale Earnhardt junior won another Sprint Cup race.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	88	Dale Earnhardt junior	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
3	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
5	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6th	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7th	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	19th	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
10	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Kyle Busch
• Race length: 203 laps, 406 miles (653 km) ( Green-White-Checkered-Finish )
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Jason Leffler (# 70), Tony Raines (# 34)

Toyota / Save Mart 350 - Sonoma, California

Carl Edwards ' Ford Fusion

The 16th race of the season will take place on June 22nd at the Infineon Raceway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	38	David Gilliland	ford	Yates Racing
3	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4th	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
7th	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing South
8th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	19th	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing

• Pole position: Kasey Kahne
• Race length: 112 laps, 224 miles (360 km) ( Green-White-Checkered-Finish )
• Most leading laps: Kyle Busch
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: JJ Yeley (# 96), Scott Riggs (# 70), Dario Franchitti (# 40), Brandon Ash (# 02)

Lenox Industrial Tools 301 - Loudon, New Hampshire

The 17th race of the season takes place on June 29th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
2	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
3	96	JJ Yeley	Toyota	Hall of Fame Racing
4th	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
5	19th	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
6th	41	Reed Sorenson	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
7th	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8th	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	43	Bobby Labonte	Dodge	Petty Enterprises

• Pole position: Patrick Carpentier
• Race length: 284 laps, 300 miles (483 km) (301 laps shortened due to the onset of rain)
• Most Leadership Laps: Tony Stewart
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Marcos Ambrose (# 21), Tony Raines (# 34)

Coke Zero 400 - Daytona Beach, Florida

The field from the race winner, Kyle Busch led,

The 18th race of the season took place on July 5th at Daytona International Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
5	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	7th	Robby Gordon	Dodge	Robby Gordon Motorsports
7th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
8th	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

• Pole position: Paul Menard
• Race length: 162 laps, 405 miles (652 km) ( Green-White-Checkered-Finish )
• Most Leadership Laps: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Scott Riggs (# 66), JJ Yeley (# 96)

LifeLock.com 400 - Joliet, Illinois

The 19th race of the season took place on July 13th at Chicagoland Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4th	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6th	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
7th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
10	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing

• Pole position: Kyle Busch
• Race length: 267 laps, 400.5 miles (644.5 km)
• Most leading laps: Kyle Busch
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Johnny Sauter (# 08) and Tony Raines (# 34)

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard - Speedway, Indiana

The 20th race of the season took place on July 27th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Jimmie Johnson started from pole position and emerged as the fastest driver from the first training session and the "happy hour". The race was marked by a scandalous selection of tires from the Goodyear company . In order not to expose the driver to unnecessary danger, NASCAR was forced to call a total of eleven caution phases over a total of 52 laps, because after ten to twelve laps the tires had already dissolved down to the carcass. After a total of 71 laps, the reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson also fought against the last attacks by Carl Edwards , who fell back to fifth in the championship. Johnson, on the other hand, made up one place and secured fourth place ahead of Edwards.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	19th	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
8th	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	84	AJ Allmendinger	Toyota	Team Red Bull

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 160 laps, 400 miles (644 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Bill Elliott (# 21), Johnny Sauter (# 08), Tony Raines (# 34), Stanton Barrett (# 50)

Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 - Long Pond, Pennsylvania

The 21st race of the season took place on August 3rd at the Pocono Raceway . On lap 69 the race was interrupted due to rain showers. Brickyard winner Jimmie Johnson secured pole position from Mark Martin . After 53 laps, Carl Edwards won his fourth race of the season ahead of Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. The championship lead kept Kyle Busch , who finished the race in 36th place. In the battle for the Chase , the drivers Clint Bowyer (12th place) and Matt Kenseth (13th) were separated by just eleven points.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	40	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
8th	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
9	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 200 laps, 500 miles (805 km)
• Most leadership laps: Mark Martin
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Chad Chaffin (# 34)

Centurion Boats at The Glen, Watkins Glen, New York

The 22nd race of the season took place on August 10th at Watkins Glen International . The fact that it was raining during the timeframe of the scheduled qualification, the starting line-up decided according to the "Owner Points" and Kyle Busch started from pole position.

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	21st	Marcos Ambrose	ford	Wood Brothers Racing
4th	42	JP Montoya	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
5	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
6th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8th	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing

• Pole position: Kyle Busch
• Race length: 90 laps, 220 miles (355 km)
• Most leading laps: Kyle Busch
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Boris Said (# 60) and Brian Simo (# 34)

3M Performance 400 - Brooklyn, Michigan

The 23rd race of the season took place on August 17th at Michigan International Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
7th	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
8th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	19th	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
10	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Brian Vickers
• Race length: 200 laps, 400 miles (644 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Carl Edwards
• Driver who did not qualify for the race: Johnny Sauter (# 08)

Sharpie 500 - Bristol, Tennessee

The 24th race of the season took place on August 23rd at Bristol Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
7th	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Carl Edwards
• Race length: 500 laps, 267 miles (429 km)
• Most leading laps: Kyle Busch
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Jeff Green (# 34), Johnny Sauter (# 08), Patrick Carpentier (# 10), Stanton Barrett (# 50)

Pepsi 500 - Fontana, California

The 25th race of the season took place on August 31st at the Auto Club Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7th	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
8th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
9	44	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
10	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 250 laps, 500 miles (805 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Driver who did not qualify for the race: Tony Raines (# 70)

Chevy Rock and Roll 400 - Richmond, Virginia

The 26th race of the season was held on September 6th at Richmond International Raceway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
6th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	44	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
10	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
Driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup

• Pole position: Kyle Busch
• Race length: 400 laps, 300 miles (483 km)
• Most leadership laps: David Reutimann
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Joey Logano (# 02), Sterling Marlin (# 09), Tony Raines (# 34)

Chase for the Sprint Cup

The Chase for the Sprint Cup is NASCAR's play-off system. The top twelve drivers in the overall standings qualify for the chase, which lasts ten races. All twelve drivers receive 5000 points as well as 10 bonus points for every victory they have achieved in the course of the season so far.

Sylvania 300 - Loudon, New Hampshire

The 27th race of the season took place on September 14th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
7th	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8th	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
10	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

• Pole position: Kyle Busch
• Race length: 300 laps, 317 miles (511 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Tony Raines (# 34), Carl Long (# 46)

Camping World RV 400 - Dover, Delaware

The 28th race of the season took place on September 21st at Dover International Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush-Fenway Racing
2	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush-Fenway Racing
4th	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt Incorporated
5	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
6th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8th	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing

• Pole position: Jeff Gordon
• Race length: 400 laps, 400 miles (643.7 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Matt Kenseth
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Chad Chaffin (# 34), Johnny Sauter (# 08), Stanton Barrett (# 50)

Camping World RV 400 - Kansas City, Kansas

The 29th race of the season took place on September 28th at Kansas Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3	99	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	84	AJ Allmendinger	Toyota	Team Red Bull
10	55	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 267 laps, 400.5 miles (644.5 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Michael McDowell (# 00), Johnny Sauter (# 08)

Amp Energy 500 - Talladega, Alabama

The 30th race of the season took place on October 5th on the Talladega Superspeedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	15th	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
3	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
6th	43	Bobby Labonte	Dodge	Petty Enterprises
7th	66	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing
8th	7th	Robby Gordon	Dodge	Robby Gordon Motorsports
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	19th	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports

• Pole position: Travis Kvapil
• Race length: 188 laps, 500.08 miles (804.8 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Tony Stewart
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Sam Hornish junior (# 77), Patrick Carpentier (# 10)

Bank of America 500 - Concord, North Carolina

Restart at Lowe's Motor Speedway

The 31st race of the season took place on October 11th at Lowe's Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
2	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
3	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
4th	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
5	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7th	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	8th	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
10	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 334 laps, 500 miles (804.7 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Brian Vickers
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Brad Keselowski (# 25), Scott Speed (# 82), Bryan Clauson (# 40), Derrike Cope (# 75)

TUMS QuikPak ​​500 - Martinsville, Virginia

The 32nd race of the season took place on October 19th at Martinsville Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6th	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 504 laps, 265 miles (426.64 km, Green-White-Checkered-Finish)
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Sterling Marlin (# 09), Derrike Cope (# 75)

Pep Boys Auto 500 - Atlanta, Georgia

The 33rd race of the season was held on October 26th at Atlanta Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
4th	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6th	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
7th	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8th	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
9	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 325 laps, 500 miles (805 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Matt Kenseth
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race because of the rain: Joey Logano (# 02), Bryan Clauson (# 40)

Dickies 500 - Fort Worth, Texas

The 34th race of the season took place on November 2nd at Texas Motor Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	16	Greg Biffle	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6th	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
7th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
9	17th	Matt Kenseth	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10	44	David Reutimann	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing

• Pole position: Jeff Gordon
• Race length: 334 laps, 501 miles (806 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Carl Edwards
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Johnny Sauter (# 08), Massimiliano Papis (# 13), Bryan Clauson (# 40), Chad McCumbee (# 45), Tony Raines (# 70)

Checker Auto Parts 500 - Avondale, Arizona

The 35th race of the season took place on November 9th at the Phoenix International Raceway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
3	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
6th	88	Dale Earnhardt junior	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
7th	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8th	18th	Kyle Busch	Toyota	Job Gibbs Racing
9	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	6th	David Ragan	ford	Roush Fenway Racing

• Pole position: Jimmie Johnson
• Race length: 313 laps, 313 miles (504 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Jimmie Johnson
• Not qualified for the race: Joe Nemechek (# 78)

Ford 400 - Homestead, Florida

The 36th and last race of the season took place on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway .

space	Car no.	driver	Car brand	team
1	99	Carl Edwards	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
3	26th	Jamie McMurray	ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4th	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
6th	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Gillett Evernham Motorsports
7th	28	Travis Kvapil	ford	Yates Racing
8th	5	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
9	20th	Tony Stewart	Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing
10	1	Martin Truex junior	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

• Pole position: David Reutimann
• Race length: 267 laps, 400 miles (643.72 km)
• Most Leadership Laps: Carl Edwards
• Drivers who did not qualify for the race: Massimiliano Papis (# 13) Sam Hornish junior (# 77), Ken Schrader (# 96)

Television broadcast

In addition to the Daytona 500 2008 on February 5, which was broadcast live, Premiere showed the remaining 35 races of the season in a fifty-minute summary on Monday evening. In the USA, FOX , TNT and ESPN / ESPN on ABC showed the Sprint Cup.

Web links

Commons : NASCAR Sprint Cup 2008 Season  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of NASCAR (English)
• Overall driver ranking

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 2008 SPRINT CUP TESTING NEWS LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, Jan. 28-29, 2008 - Montoya fastest in Las Vegas tests, day 2 ( Memento from May 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ test speeds: Friday morning (English)
3. ↑ Exchange of points also with the Pettys?
4. ↑ Stewart and Co. are critical of Goodyear tires
5. ↑ Tire dispute: Goodyear takes a stand - Gordon tests
6. ↑ Silly Season: Lots of rumors and movements
7. ↑ NASCAR - News / Citroën and the DTM
8. ↑ Crash: Eleven of 23 cars scrapped in free practice
9. ↑ Welcome - Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins the shootout
10. ↑ Atlanta: Lots of new Sprint Cup liveries
11. ↑ Atlanta Training: The Empire Strikes Back
12. ↑ Villeneuve team stops working
13. ↑ Jeff Gordon: "Not One's Fault"
14. ^ NASCAR preview: Circus Maximus in Bristol
15. ^ Heroin scandal: NASCAR pilots outraged
16. ↑ Johnson: "We Don't Play Gasoline Games"
17. ↑ Talladega thriller: Kyle Busch wins over Montoya
18. ↑ So yes: Daytona 500 live at 'Premiere'!