Turn 4 Transitions
by Natalie Anthony
10/8/2008

Bank of America 500
October 11, 2008 (Saturday) - 7:40 pm (ET) - ABC


Chase Watch - Report #5

The only other thing being talked about more than the finish to last weekend's race at Talladega may be that of the economy. The finish at Kansas between Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson left NASCAR nation very satisfied, but Tony Stewart and Regan Smith's battle at the end of the AMP Energy 500 gave us controversy. I personally think that Tony pushed Ragan below the line to keep his position and win the race. Did the rookie get the shaft? Yes and a big one. I don't think the next time Ragan is up for a win that he will play as nice as he did last Sunday by not taking Tony out in the last turn. Give it up for one of the underdogs.

Happy 34th Birthday Dale Jr.!!!

Front Line Chasers
Carl Edwards
Roush Fenway Racing - Ford
Point Standings: 2nd
Carl has the opportunity this Saturday night to take the points lead from Jimmie Johnson if he can finish a few spots better. Carl has finished in the Top 10 his last two times at Lowes and the sponsor's poster boy best finish was 14th last season out of his last two races.

Jeff Burton
Richard Childress Racing - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 4th
Pulling off a chase breaker is far fetched for Jeff, but getting a Top five this weekend is in the bag. Jeff's last two races put him in 4th last October and just outside the Top five in 6th this past May.

Jeff Gordon
Hendrick Motorsports - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 8th
You will hear it here first. Jeff Gordon may get his first win of the season this Saturday. Jeff won the October race last year beating out another chase contender (Clint Bowyer) and in May of 2008 put the #24 in fourth. The only other drivers Jeff needs to concentrate on being in front of when the white flag waves is Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.

Kyle Busch
Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
Point Standings: 11th
Even though Kyle's increasingly bad performances during these last four races of the chase has sent him to the back of the chase pack, that doesn't mean that Kyle can't dominate this race and bring in another win to add to his already impressive eight. Kyle finished in third place for his last two races at LMS.

Last Lap Challenge Chasers
Matt Kenseth
Roush Fenway Racing - Ford
Point Standings: 9th
Matt's one and only win at Lowes was way back in 2000, but Matt did manage to pull a 7th place finish this past May. He could have been in the Top 10 last October, but the DeWalt Ford was caught up in an accident that took him out of contention for a decent finish. If Matt can avoid any mayhem, he may have the chance to finish in the Top 15 or better.

Bottom 25 Chasers

Kevin Harvick
Richard Childress Racing - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 6th
I would have thought by this point in the season Kevin would have already taken home a trophy in the Sprint NASCAR series. Well, there will be no rearranging of the mantle after this weekend's race. Kevin has never won at Lowes and his best finishes mostly come during the All Star Challenge. If NASCAR could reduce the race laps to 90 for this weekend's race then he might have a fighting chance.

Track Stats
Lowe's Motor Speedway (Concord, N.C.) - LMS
Bank of America 500
(Sister Tracks - Atlanta, California, Homestead-Miami, Kansas
Dover, Chicagoland, Michigan, Darlington, & Texas))

Bank of America 500
(October 13, 2007)
Top 10 Results
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Clint Bowyer
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jeff Burton
5. Carl Edwards
6. Dave Blaney
7. Tony Stewart
8. Kasey Kahne
9. David Stremme
10.Michael Waltrip

Coca-Cola 600
(May 25, 2008)
Top 10 Results
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Greg Biffle
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6. Jeff Burton
7. Matt Kenseth
8. Elliott Sadler
9. Carl Edwards
10.David Reutimann

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