Dodge’s Chase hopes lie on the shoulders of Richard Petty Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne and Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch. Entering Saturday‘s event, Kahne is sixth in points while Busch is one point behind in seventh.

Here are the Chase scenarios for Kahne and Busch:

• Kahne is currently 96 points ahead of 13th place. He clinches a spot in the Chase if he finishes 21st or better or 23rd or better and leads a lap.

• Busch is currently 95 points ahead of 13th place and clinches a spot in the Chase if he finishes 20th or better or 22nd or better and leads a lap.

After Saturday night’s race, the 12 drivers that qualify for the Chase will have their season point totals “reset” to 5,000. Drivers also get 10 bonus points for each race victory during the “regular season” — the 26 races preceding the Chase.

All seven Dodge teams are assured berths in the top 35 in car owner points and assured berths in Saturday night’s race. Dodge has 17 wins at Richmond including three since the manufacturer returned to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001.

The 2009 Chase for the Championship begins next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and concludes on Nov. 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) climbed five positions from 11th to sixth in the point standings with his win at Atlanta. In 11 previous races at RIR, Kahne has posted one win (spring, 2005), two top-five and five top-10 finishes. Kahne’s current point position – sixth – is his highest since the spring event post-Bristol.

“Well, I heard a lot of people say that they counted myself or the 9 team out of making the Chase,” Kahne said. “Maybe after Atlanta, we changed a few people’s minds. Other than a race here or there, we have been pretty consistent so I am really not sure why that was. We missed the setup at Bristol and maybe that’s why, but we will just head to Richmond and race our race. The pit stops have been awesome and the overall communication between everyone on the Budweiser Team has been great.”

Kurt Bush (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) looks to slow a two-race slide that has seen the 2004 NSCS champion drop three positions in the driver standings over the last three races. Busch’s slide to seventh has erased a once comfortable margin of 275 points ahead of 13th as recent as three races ago heading into Michigan. With an average finishing position of 18.71 in 17 Richmond starts, Busch has scored top-10 finishes in three of his last five races at RIR. Busch won at RIR in 2005.

“The overwhelming attitude for a lot of teams will be to do whatever it takes to win there on Saturday night,” Busch said. We’re still in that group looking to clinch a Chase spot, so we’ll have to continuously be looking at the point situation throughout the race. Hopefully we can put ourselves in a position up front to really go after a win at the end of the race.”

NSCS Driver Points after 25 of 36 races
1. Tony Stewart 3,694 +637
2. Jeff Gordon 3,457 400
3. Jimmie Johnson 3,404 347
4. Denny Hamlin 3,296 239
5. Carl Edwards 3,162 105
6. Kasey Kahne 3,153 96
7. Kurt Busch 3,152 95
8. Juan Montoya 3,145 88
9. Ryan Newman 3,138 81
10. Mark Martin 3,126 69
11. Greg Biffle 3,125 68
12. Matt Kenseth 3,077 20 (points from 13th)
13. Brian Vickers 3,057 -20
14. Kyle Busch 3,040 -37

Other Notes:

• Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Reynolds Wrap Dodge Charger) will join Richard Petty and AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 PVA.org Dodge Charger) plus others for the NASCAR Foundation track walk at noon on Saturday at Richmond. Proceeds go to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

• Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Insignia/Best Buy Dodge) is tied with Tony Stewart for the longest active DNF streak (48 races) of drivers that have competed in every race.

What You Need To Know
The Race: Chevy Rock & Roll 400
The Place: Richmond International Raceway
The Date: Saturday, September 12
The Time: 7:45 p.m. (ET)
The Track: .75-mile
The Distance: 400 miles/300 laps
Television: ESPN, 7:00 p.m. (ET)

2009 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Rank Points Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Earnings
Kasey Kahne 6 3153 -541 25 1 2 5 10 $5,042,100
Kurt Busch 7 3152 -542 25 0 1 6 13 $3,347,460
AJ Allmendinger 25 2361 -1333 25 0 0 1 3 $2,948,780
Elliott Sadler 26 2355 -1339 25 0 0 1 3 $2,837,810
Sam Hornish Jr. 27 2292 -1402 25 0 0 2 6 $3,049,990
Reed Sorenson 28 2275 -1419 25 0 0 0 1 $3,373,670
David Stremme 31 2204 -1490 25 0 0 0 0 $3,246,380

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV
(All Times Eastern)
Friday, September 11
12:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice at Richmond (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
2:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (ESPN2)
3:30 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
4:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Pole Qualifying at Richmond (ESPN2)
5:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pole Qualifying (ESPN2)
7:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Countdown (ESPN2)
7:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Race at Richmond (ESPN2)
11:00 p.m. – Trackside at Richmond (SPEED)

Saturday, September 12
5:00 p.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
5:00 p.m. – Drafting Partners featuring Ryan Newman (GAC)
7:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Countdown (ABC)
7:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond (ABC)
11:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Post-Race at Richmond (ABC)
11:00 p.m. – Inside the Headsets (SPEED)
11:30 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
11:30 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)

– 30 –

Kasey Kahne picked up his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the season, driving the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger to victory in Sunday night’s Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  The win greatly enhanced Kahne’s chances of making the 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Kahne, who qualified second, jumped from 11th to sixth in the point standings.  He now has a 96-point advantage over 13th with only one race – Richmond – remaining to finalize the Chase field.  It was a gain of 40 points.

The top 12 drivers in the season point standings following Saturday night’s race at Richmond will compete for the season championship and the Sprint Cup over the final 10 races of the year.

Kahne’s Dodge, powered by the R6 engine, was strong throughout the race, but especially on short runs.  His challengers excelled on longer runs.  Kahne was third when the ninth and final caution appeared with just 15 of the scheduled 325 laps remaining.  It was a made-to-order opportunity for Kahne and the No. 9 team.

All the leaders elected to pit for tires.  Kahne’s over-the-wall crew made a four-tire change and had the No. 9 Dodge back on the track in the second spot.  That was the norm most of the night as the No. 9 crew was flawless on pit road and frequently gained a spot or two in track position on each stop.

Race leader Kevin Harvick took the outside for the double-file restart with Kahne on the inside.  When the green flag appeared for the final 11 laps, Kahne had the lead before the field reached the second turn and quickly built a comfortable advantage en route to his 11th career victory.

“The entire Budweiser Dodge team did great tonight,” said Kahne.  “The pit stops were awesome.  (Kevin) Harvick was best on the long run, but when we got that last caution, I knew we had a shot at the victory.  It’s all about making the Chase.  That certainly put us in a better position going to Richmond.  I knew Harvick and (Juan Pablo) Montoya were going to be tough.  I hadn’t gotten through the gears all night, but (David) Reutimann gave me a little push on the front stretch and got me going.  It was a great win for Richard Petty Motorsports and the Budweiser Dodge team.”

If Kahne finishes 21st or better or 23rd or better and leads a lap at Richmond next week, he is assured a Chase berth.

“That was something else,” said Kenny Francis, crew chief for the No. 9 Dodge.  “I said about three-quarters through the race that if it came down to a short run, we might have a shot at it (the win).  Man, when that caution came out, it was perfect for us.  Kasey had a great restart, got the lead and drove away.   I just couldn’t believe it.  The guys did a great job all night.  The pit stops were flawless.  We picked up spots just about every stop.  The car was real good on short runs.  It got a little too loose on the long run, but it still wasn’t bad.  It just played into our hand tonight.  We just thank the Lord for making us smart enough to make the right decisions.”

It was Kahne’s second victory and seventh top-10 finish in 12 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The win gives Dodge a sweep at AMS this season.  Kurt Busch dominated the spring event, leading 234 laps en route to victory.  The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge just didn’t handle as well this time around.  Numerous attempts to tighten the car during pit stops fell short in correcting the issue.  Running in the top 20, Busch was involved in a mishap in turn four on lap 246.  Extensive damage ended the night for the Blue Deuce.  Busch finished 38th.

“I had a loose race car all night,” Busch said.  “We just couldn’t get a handle on our Miller Lite Dodge.  I was sideways and I guess the 43 hit us.  He had nowhere to go.  It was a real hard hit; that was a bummer.  We were just trying to get a handle on it, but couldn’t do it.  I felt like we were on the spring (race) tires and everybody else was on the fall (race) tires.

“I was trying to hang on to it and get to the next pit stop, but it kept getting looser and looser.  We just got bit tonight by the loose bug.”

Busch came into the event sixth in points with a 192-point advantage over 13th.  He dropped one spot to seventh and the margin over 13th has been reduced to 95 points.  Busch can secure a spot on the Chase by finishing 20th or better at Richmond or 22nd and lead a lap.

David Stremme recorded his second top-15 finish in the last three races.  He finished 14th in the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger.  He started ninth, ran as high as eighth and was in the top 20 throughout the race.

AJ Allmendinger finished 20th and teammate Elliott Sadler was 21st as 21 cars were on the lead lap when the checkered flag appeared.

Driver    Team    Finished
Kasey Kahne    No. 9 Budweiser Dodge    Win
David Stremme    No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge    14th
AJ Allmendinger    No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge    20th
Elliott Sadler    No. 19 Stanley Dodge    21st
Reed Sorenson    No. 43 Air Force Dodge    27th
Sam Hornish Jr.    No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge    35th
Kurt Busch    No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge    38th

Driver    Rank    Starts    Points    Behind    Wins    Poles    T5s    T10s
Kasey Kahne    6    25    3153    -541    2    0    5    10
Kurt Busch    7    25    3152    -542    1    0    6    13
AJ Allmendinger    25    25    2361    -1333    0    0    1    3
Elliott Sadler    26    25    2355    -1339    0    0    1    3
Sam Hornish Jr.    27    25    2292    -1402    0    0    2    6
Reed Sorenson    28    25    2275    -1419    0    0    0    1
David Stremme    31    25    2204    -1490    0    0    0    0

NSCS Driver Points after 25 of 36 races
1. Tony Stewart      3,694       +637
2. Jeff Gordon              3,457        400
3. Jimmie Johnson       3,404          347
4. Denny Hamlin          3,296        239
5. Carl Edwards        3,162         105
6. Kasey Kahne              3,153           96
7. Kurt Busch          3,152           95
8. Juan Montoya          3,145           88
9. Ryan Newman         3,138            81
10. Mark Martin          3,126            69
11. Greg Biffle        3,125                   68
12. Matt Kenseth        3,077            20    (points ahead of final Chase spot)
13. Brian Vickers       3,057           -20
14. Kyle Busch        3,040            -37

– 30 –

Heading into the weekend, three drivers have already secured spots in this year’s Chase to the Championship (Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson) while nine spots remain to be decided. The 12-driver Chase field will be set following next week’s race at Richmond. Those 12 will compete for the season championship and Sprint Cup over the final 10 races of 2009.

Mix history with drama — Sunday’s Atlanta event is the track’s first series night race — and possibilities resound.

In short, any driver who leaves Atlanta with a 196-point lead over the 13th-place position will clinch a spot in the Chase. Kurt Busch (+192 points) and Kasey Kahne (+52) are the only two Dodge drivers with a mathematical chance to make this year’s Chase.

All seven Dodge teams are inside the top 35 in owner points and assured starting spots in Sunday night’s race. Dodge has earned seven wins at AMS.

Kurt Bush (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway where he dominated the spring race leading 234 of 330 laps en route to his 18th-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. In doing so, Busch recorded a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 – the eighth perfect rating since the inception of the Loop Data statistic in 2005. A two-time AMS champion, Busch looks to extend a six-race streak of top-15 finishes at Atlanta.

“It’s definitely a race that we’ve had a bull’s-eye on since our big win there back in the spring,” said Busch, who will be attempting to become the third driver since 2005 to sweep both Sprint Cup races at Atlanta in the same season. “It will definitely be a challenge to even come close to the performance we had there at Atlanta in the spring race. That was a special day and will always stand out as a special win.”

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) hopes to use past Atlanta success to increase his chances of gaining a spot in this year’s Chase. Kahne has recorded one win (2006), four top-fives and six top-10 finishes in 11 starts at the 1.54-mile oval. Kahne sits in a pack of six Cup drivers positioned seven through 12th who are separated by only 86 driver points heading into Sunday night’s race. Kahne is no stranger to Chase drama. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver erased a 90-point deficit over two races in 2006 to make what was then a 10-driver Chase field.

“It’s a tight battle,” said Kahne. “Any little mistake can definitely cost you a lot of points and hurt your chances. We had a lot bigger point cushion heading into Bristol and just one race later, our points were cut in half. I just try and focus on my race car. We’re doing the same things that we’ve been doing, trying to get the balance where it needs to be so that we can race and be competitive on race day. Hopefully it works out. You definitely think about it, but there’s nothing that you can do. All you can do is perform and try and run strong on race day. If we can do that, the rest will take care of itself.”

Other Notes:
• AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza) has finished 16th, 14th and 17th in three starts at AMS.
• Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Air Force Dodge Charger) has won three NASCAR Nationwide Series races at AMS.
• Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Stanley Dodge) started from the outside pole in 2007.

Driver Standings After 24 Races (Chase Field Set Following Race 26)

Pos. Driver Points Point Lead Over 13th Position
1 Tony Stewart 3,564 +653
2 Jimmie Johnson 3,344 433
3 Jeff Gordon 3,310 399
4 Denny Hamlin 3,141 230
5 Carl Edwards 3,110 199
6 Kurt Busch 3,103 192
7 Ryan Newman 2,995 84
8 Greg Biffle 2,986 75
9 Juan Montoya 2,975 64
10 Mark Martin 2,971 60
11 Kasey Kahne 2,963 52
12 Matt Kenseth 2,945 34 (ahead of final Chase spot)
13 Kyle Busch 2,911 -34
14 Brian Vickers 2,906 -35
15 Clint Bowyer 2,833 -112

2009 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Rank Points Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Earnings
Kurt Bush 6 3,103 -461 24 0 1 6 13 $3,245,730
Kasey Kahne 11 2,963 -601 24 0 1 4 9 $3,858,310
AJ Allmendinger 25 2,258 -1,306 24 0 0 1 3 $2,847,930
Elliott Sadler 26 2,255 -1,309 24 0 0 1 3 $2,736,510
Sam Hornish Jr. 27 2,234 -1,330 24 0 0 2 6 $2,947,080
Reed Sorenson 28 2,193 -1,371 24 0 0 0 1 $3,247,420
David Stremme 31 2,084 -1,481 24 0 0 0 0 $3,113,820

What You Need To Know
The Race: Pep Boys Auto 500
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, September 6
The Time: 7:45 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 1.54-mile
The Distance: 500.5 miles/325 laps
Television: ESPN, 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV
(All Times Eastern)
Saturday, Sept. 5
11:00 a.m. – Sprint Cup Practice at Atlanta (SPEED)
12:30 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
1:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
2:30 p.m. – Drafting Partners – Michael Waltrip, Richard Childress (GAC)
2:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Pole Qualifying at Atlanta (SPEED)
4:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pole Qualifying at Atlanta ((SPEED)
6:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Countdown (ESPN2)
7:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Race at Atlanta (ESPN2)
9:30 p.m. – Camping World Truck Series SetUp (SPEED)
9:45 p.m. – Camping World Truck Series Race at Iowa (SPEED)
Sunday, Sept. 6
10:00 a.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
3:30 p.m. – NASCAR Performance (SPEED)
4:00 p.m. – NASCAR Smarts (SPEED)
4:30 p.m. – NASCAR In A Hurry (SPEED)
5:00 p.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
7:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Countdown (ESPN)
7:00 p.m. – SPEED Report (SPEED)
7:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Race at Atlanta (ESPN) [green flag – 7:46 p.m.]
9:00 p.m. – Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (SPEED)
11:00 p.m. – Inside the Headsets (SPEED)
11:30 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
11:30 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)

– 30 –

After running in the top 10 through the first 120 laps of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Busch lined up ninth for the double-file restart on lap 121. As the field exited Turn 2, another car went into a spin just in front and to the left of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger. Busch turned sharply to the left, but caught the front end of the spinning auto which sent the No. 2 into the inside retaining wall, nose first.

The damage was extensive, requiring a trip to the garage for repairs. Busch returned to the track, but the damage was more severe than crumpled sheet metal and called it a day before the checkered flag appeared. He finished 36th with his first DNF of the season.

“I felt like our car was really strong on restarts,” said Busch. “The adjustment we made had the car a little tight. I just had to wait on it and while waiting, the No. 6 got loose in front of us. I originally thought I hit him, but after looking at the tape, he just spun on his own. I couldn’t go left, (Carl) Edwards was there. If I had to do it all over again, I would have tried to take minimal damage, but nosing into the 6 car’s door wasn’t an option because there was no way I could stop. I tried to turn left, clipped him and it flung us right toward the inside fence.

“After we got the car repaired and went back out trying to salvage a finish and not get a DNF, we had a motor issue. I don’t know if we run it out of water, oil or what. A good day gone real, real bad. Hopefully, we’ve got all our bad luck out of the way.”

Busch dropped two spots in the season point standings. He is now sixth, 178 points ahead of the driver currently 13th in the standings. Three races remain to determine the top 12 drivers that will compete for the season championship and the Sprint Cup over the final 10 events of 2008.

“We just didn’t need that to happen,” said Pat Tryson, crew chief on the No. 2 Dodge. “That’s the double-file restarts with everybody bunched up. The 6 (No. 6) just got loose and we got the worse end of it. Looking at the replay, we never touched him. We had a car very capable of a top-10 finish.”

All three Penske Racing Dodges were involved in mishaps during the afternoon, but in the case of Sam Hornish Jr. and David Stremme, their racecars escaped with minimum damage and both were able to continue.

Hornish, driving the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, picked up his second top-five in the last three races, finishing fifth at the facility he calls his home track. Hornish fell a lap down, got the free pass but was penalized a lap for pitting twice under the caution. He put himself in position to get the free pass again and took full advantage of the opportunity.

Once back on the lead lap following the sixth caution on lap 146, Hornish used a light foot to conserve fuel and get the No. 77 to the checkered flag.

“It was an eventful day to be sure,” said Hornish. “We’ve got to go back and work on a lot of things. We got the car right when we needed it to be. We all kept our heads and saved enough fuel to get to the end. It was a good day for us. Obviously, we want to be a little bit better. I’m happy about it and proud of all the guys on the Mobil 1 Dodge. “

How much fuel did Hornish have left at the finish? “We’re going to find out when we get back and get the tank drained,” he said. “I saved all the way on that last run. The first couple of laps right after we went back to green, I worked to get as far as I could, but as soon as the cars got singled out, I started saving. Basically, I was only using the gas that I needed to use to get around the track.”

“At lap 130, I was very mad because we did about everything that we could possibly do wrong, but I guess that’s why these races are as long as they are. You can screw it up for 140 laps and figure it out the last 60. The guys on the Mobil 1 Dodge, they stuck with it. It’s a big day for me to come up here and get a top five at Michigan, my home track. It feels pretty darn good.”

Stremme, driving the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge, finished 13th. It’s his best finish since the second race of the season at California where he also finished 13th.

“It was pretty crazy out there today,” Stremme said. “We had a lot better car than where we finished with our Penske Dodge. We got spun and took two tires and it didn’t work out. We come back and finished 13th and was really happy about that finish.

“You had to be really patient with the track bar because of how slippery the track was today. The lanes moved around so much that you had to continuously try and find the line that worked best for you. We kept digging all day and got a very respectable finish.”

Kasey Kahne started 43rd in the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger and had to battle his way up through the field. He had to start at the rear of the field because of an engine change on Friday. An ill-handling car made the task a bit more difficult, but a late-race surge earned Kahne a finish of 11th.

“Overall, bringing home an 11th in our Budweiser Dodge was a great effort by everyone on this team,” Kahne said. “It was a great finish considering where we ran all day. We got the best finish that we could. The pit crew did a great job. Considering we started 43rd, we had a lot of cars that we had to pass on a very slick race track and we were able to pass a lot of cars. Kenny (Francis, crew chief) did a great job on top of the box making adjustments to try and get our Budweiser Dodge to handle better. We’ll take the points and be happy to head to Bristol next weekend.”

The other three drivers from Richard Petty Motorsports also had handling issues. AJ Allmendinger finished 22nd, Elliott Sadler was 25th and Reed Sorenson was 29th.

Driver Team Finished
Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge 5th
Kasey Kahne No. 9 Budweiser Dodge 11th
David Stremme No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge 13th
AJ Allmendinger No. 44 Super 8 Dodge 22nd
Elliott Sadler No. 19 Best Buy Dodge 25th
Reed Sorenson No. 43 Bumper to Bumper Dodge 29th
Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge 36th

Driver Rank Starts Points Behind Wins Poles T5s T10s
Kurt Busch 6 23 2957 -543 1 0 6 12
Kasey Kahne 8 23 2884 -616 1 0 4 9
AJ Allmendinger 25 23 2206 -1294 0 0 1 3
Sam Hornish Jr. 26 23 2176 -1324 0 0 2 6
Elliott Sadler 27 23 2170 -1330 0 0 1 3
Reed Sorenson 28 23 2087 -1413 0 0 0 1
David Stremme 31 23 1980 -1520 0 0 0 0

NSCS Driver Points after 23 of 36 races

1. Tony Stewart 3,500 +721
2. Jeff Gordon 3,216 437
3. Jimmie Johnson 3,197 418
4. Carl Edwards 2,995 216
5. Denny Hamlin 2,986 207
6. Kurt Busch 2,957 178
7. Juan Montoya 2,887 108
8. Kasey Kahne 2,884 105
9. Ryan Newman 2,845 66
10. Greg Biffle 2,821 42
11. Matt Kenseth 2,811 32
12. Mark Martin 2,791 12 (points ahead of final Chase)
13. Brian Vickers 2,779 -12
14. Clint Bowyer 2,773 -58
15. Kyle Busch 2,721 -70

– 30 –

With only four races remaining in the “Race to The Chase”, the focus is intensifying in and around 12th-place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, otherwise known as the “Chase cut-off.” After the season’s 26th race at Richmond on Sept. 12, the top 12 drivers in the season point standings qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR’s 10-race “playoffs” that determine the series champion.

Heading into Michigan this weekend, Kurt Busch is fourth in Sprint Cup standings, holding a very comfortable 275 point advantage over the 13th position held by his younger brother, Kyle Busch. Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne’s 17th-place finish at Watkins Glen last weekend dropped the Richard Petty Motorsports driver one position to eighth, but he still has a 127-point margin over 13th in the standings.

Seven Dodge teams are entered in the CARFAX 400 seeking to give Dodge its 204th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. All seven drivers are assured berths as they are inside the top 35 in car owner points. Dodge is seeking its 10th win at Michigan.

Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) heads to Michigan with plenty of confidence. In 11 starts at Michigan, Kahne has posted one win and five top fives, including two runner-up finishes. Kahne won the June, 2006 race at MIS after starting from the pole in the rain-shortened event (called after 129 of the 200 scheduled laps were completed).

“There is so much racing room out there that you have to really work on your setup,” Kahne said. “I feel like that is one of the tracks where it is really critical to have a good aero and engine package.

“The racing at Michigan can be great at times, but it always comes to down to fuel mileage. It also can be a race where cars run away and get strung out and there’s not a lot of passing going on. As far as the width of the racetrack and racing groove, there’s plenty of room. If you have a good car, you’ll be able to pass and it will be a fun race.”

Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) continues to build momentum for what seems to be an assured spot in the Chase. He heads to MIS having finished 15th or better in 15 of the 21 races in 2009. Busch, the 2007 event winner, has not been outside the top five in the point standings since Las Vegas (19 races ago). The Penske Racing veteran certainly knows how to get around MIS. He has two wins, three top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 17 career starts.

What’s the key for Busch this weekend?

“Fuel Mileage is the key at Michigan,” Busch said. “Seriously, that’s one track that you always expect to have fuel mileage involved in the equation. Mark (Martin) won there in June because of fuel mileage. Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. won the first race there last year due to fuel mileage.”

“It’s just the norm — it’s to be expected,” said Busch’s crew chief Pat Tryson. “I’ll bet if you look back at the record book, you’ll see that a huge proportion of the Michigan races were won because of fuel mileage. The reason for that is simple – there are so few cautions on that track. It’s so wide and there is so much racing room, you don’t see guys running into each other like you do on most of the other tracks.”

Other Notes:
• Richard Petty Motorsports is the only four-car team without a DNF — did not finish — in all 2009 point races. The Petty streak has reached 140 starts without a DNF. Kasey Kahne’s DNF at Martinsville on Oct.19 was the team’s last.
• Richard Petty Motorsports will swap crew chiefs and crews on the 43 and 44 cars this weekend. Crew Chief Sammy Johns will now tune the 43 Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Dodge of Reed Sorenson. Mike Shiplett moves from Sorenson’s Dodge to AJ Allmendinger.

What You Need To Know
The Race: CARFAX 400
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, August 16
The Time: 2 p.m. (EDT)
The Track: 2 mile road course
The Distance: 200 laps/400 miles miles
Television: ESPN, 1:00 p.m. (ET)

2009 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Rank Points Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Earnings
Kurt Bush 4 2902 -481 22 0 1 6 12 $3,027,084
Kasey Kahne 8 2754 -629 22 0 1 4 9 $3,603,819
AJ Allmendinger 24 2109 2109 22 0 0 1 3 $2,680,328
Elliott Sadler 26 2082 -1301 22 0 0 1 3 $2,548,013
Sam Hornish Jr. 28 2021 -1362 22 0 0 1 5 $2,721,663
Reed Sorenson 29 2011 -1372 22 0 0 0 1 $2,996,914
David Stremme 31 1856 -1527 22 0 0 0 0 $2,867,087

Dodge Driver Career Statistics at Michigan International Speedway
Driver Starts Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish Earnings
Kurt Bush 17 2 3 7 0 290 13 19.4 $1,684,710
Kasey Kahne 11 1 5 5 1 40 14.2 16.8 $1,430,425
David Stremme 5 0 0 0 0 0 26.4 29.2 $442,370
Elliott Sadler 21 0 1 5 0 22 19.1 22.1 $1,730,416
AJ Allmendinger 4 0 0 0 0 1 30.2 29.2 $298,790
Reed Sorenson 7 0 1 2 0 3 29.4 24 $688,473
Sam Hornish Jr. 3 0 0 0 0 2 30.7 24.3 $338,935

Dodge Motorsports Top Michigan Int’l Speedway Finishers
(Since 2001) (all races)
Year Driver Car/Sponsor Team Start Finish
2002 Scott Pruett No. 41 Target Dodge Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates 19 6
2003 Scott Pruett No. 39 Target Dodge Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates 28 2
2004 Casey Mears N0. 41 Target Dodge Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates 16 4
2005 Scott Pruett No. 40 Coors Lite Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates 25 4
2006 Scott Pruett No. 40 Lone Star Steakhouse Dodge Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates 13 6
2007 Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske Racing 13 11
2008 Juan Pablo Montoya No. 43 Wrigley’s Big Red Dodge Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates 25 4
2009 Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske Racing 5 8

Driver Standings After 22 Races (Chase Field Set Following Race 26)
Pos. Driver Points Point Lead Over 13th Position
1. Tony Stewart 3,383 756
2. Jimmie Johnson 3,123 496
3. Jeff Gordon 3,041 414
4. Kurt Busch 2,902 275
5. Denny Hamlin 2,847 220
6. Carl Edwards 2,830 203
7. Juan Montoya 2,781 154
8. Kasey Kahne 2,754 127
9. Ryan Newman 2,727 100
10. Greg Biffle 2,718 91
11. Mark Martin 2,716 89
12. Matt Kenseth 2,685 58 Final Chase Position

13. Kyle Busch 2,627 -58 Points from 12th
14. Brian Vickers 2,589 -96
15. Clint Bowyer 2,586 -99
16. David Reutimann 2,530 -155

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV
(All Times Eastern)

Friday, August 14
12:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice at Michigan (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Practice at Michigan (SPEED)
3:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pole Qualifying at Michigan (SPEED)
5:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Final Practice (SPEED)
8:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice at Michigan (repeat) (SPEED)
9:00 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)

Saturday, August 15
12:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice at Michigan (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
3:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Countdown at Michigan (ESPN2)
3:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series CARFAX 250 (ESPN2)
6:00 p.m. – NASCAR Performance (SPEED)
6:30 p.m. – NASCAR Smarts (SPEED)

Sunday, August 16
11:00 a.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
1:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Countdown (ESPN)
2:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup CARFAX 400 at Michigan (ESPN)
7:00 p.m. – SPEED Report (SPEED)
8:00 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)
9:00 p.m. – Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (SPEED)

– 30 –

Kahne raced in the top 10 through most of the 160-lap event at the 2.5-mile track, working his way as high as fifth on several occasions. With the effort, Kahne remains eighth in the season point standings, but expanding the margin over 13th to 121 points.

The top 12 drivers in the Sprint Cup Series point standings after the first 26 races will compete in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the final 10 events of the season.

“At times, we were pretty quick today,” said Kahne. “We had good speed on the longer green flag runs. The tires performed well. We had no tire issues. The car was too tight to pass there at the end, so I was saving fuel and making sure the cars behind me didn’t catch me.”

Richard Petty, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, was expecting a little more after two of the RPM cars qualified in the top 10. “Our drivers got everything they could out of the cars,” he said. “We were just off a tick.”

A disappointing qualifying effort had Kurt Busch starting 40th in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. He picked up 10 spots in the first nine laps and was running 26th by lap 20. Busch had moved inside the top 25 when his bid for a strong finish took a serious blow. After an uneventful green-flag pit stop on lap 31 for tires and fuel, a vibration had the No. 2 Dodge back on pit road for an unscheduled stop five laps later. The crew changed all four tires which corrected the issue, but Busch was a lap down to the leader.

Busch spent the rest of the race working the No. 2 Dodge into position to take advantage of the free pass (lucky dog) awarded with each caution. Unfortunately, the yellow flag appeared only three times in the 400-mile event. Busch finished 27th, but remained fourth in the point standings.

“That vibration just killed us,” said Busch. “We had to pit under green and lost a lap. With so few cautions, we just couldn’t make it up. We must have logged about 60 laps during two segments, running around as the Lucky Dog guy and couldn’t get the caution when we needed it. It was a frustrating day for the Miller Lite Dodge Team. To add to it all, the vibration wasn’t a loose wheel. The guys said it was something going on weird with the tire, like it had equalized or something. It was a big disappointment here today, that’s for sure.”

Reed Sorenson started ninth in the No. 43 Valvoline Dodge and stayed in the top 20 throughout the race. He was back in the top 10 at the halfway mark of the race before an alternator issue dropped him back to 13th at the checkered flag.

“Our Valvoline Dodge was really good today,” Sorenson said. “We had about a 10th-place car. We were better on long runs than we were on the short ones. We had alternator issues that didn’t allow us to run like we wanted to at the end of the race. Overall, it was a pretty good day for us.”

David Stremme finished 16th in the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge, his best finish since the seventh race of the season at Texas where he was 14th.

“It was a good day for our Penske Dodge Charger,” he said. “After happy hour on Saturday, we felt we had a top-15 car. We were a bit loose early in the race, but (Crew Chief) Roy McCauley made some great calls on the pit box. On that last restart, our Dodge Charger came to life. I’m looking forward to getting back to Pocono. We had a good car there earlier this year and were caught up in a wreck which took us out of contention. We have some momentum now and need to keep it going.”

McCauley was also pleased with the results. “That’s what we needed,” he said. “David did a fantastic job driving. We had a good solid car all day. We made up spots when we could pass, but the No. 12 Penske Dodge was solid all day. That’s what we needed. We got caught a little bit behind here in the point’s situation with some unfortunate incidents and we’re just trying to claw our way back up there.”

The fourth Dodge Charger to post a top-20 finish was AJ Allmendinger in the No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge Charger. He finished 20th.

Sam Hornish Jr. started 15th and ran in the top 15 through the first 60 laps before making contact with the wall on lap 69. He finished 37th.

Elliott Sadler, with the new R6 Dodge engine in the No. 19 Best Buy Dodge Charger, had problems from the start of the race. An oil leak forced Sadler to the garage where it took the team most of the afternoon to correct the problem and get Sadler back on the track. He finished 40th.

Mark McArdle, vice-president of competition at Richard Petty Motorsports, said the RPM teams continue to improve. “Obviously, we would have been happier with better results today,” he said. “We’ll take a solid day in points for both the 9 and 43, a good day for the 44 as well. We continue to show strong performance with the current generation of cars and the R6 engine is running well. We have a lot of positives to build on. We just didn’t have quite the car we needed today to contend for the win. We weren’t too far off. We’ve been gaining a little bit each week. Once again, I think we had a car that was capable of contending for a top-five position. We had great pit stops all day. We just didn’t quite get the result we wanted.”

Driver Team Finished
Kasey Kahne No. 9 Budweiser Dodge 7th
Reed Sorenson No. 43 Valvoline Dodge 13th
David Stremme No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge 16th
AJ Allmendinger No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge 20th
Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge 27th
Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge 37th
Elliott Sadler No. 19 Best Buy Dodge 40th

Driver Rank Starts Points Behind Wins Poles T5s T10s
Kurt Busch 4 20 2608 -446 1 0 6 10
Kasey Kahne 8 20 2482 -572 1 0 3 8
Elliott Sadler 25 20 1924 -1130 0 0 1 3
Reed Sorenson 26 20 1883 -1171 0 0 0 4
AJ Allmendinger 27 20 1873 -1181 0 0 0 1
Sam Hornish Jr. 29 20 1806 -1248 0 0 1 3
David Stremme 31 20 1699 -1355 0 0 0 0

NASCAR SPRINT CUP
SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(Top 12 after 20 of 36 races)
Points Behind
1. Tony Stewart 3,054 -
2. Jimmie Johnson 2,862 -192
3. Jeff Gordon 2,847 -207
4. Kurt Busch 2,608 -446
5. Carl Edwards 2,556 -498
6. Denny Hamlin 2,518 -536
7. Ryan Newman 2,506 -548
8. Kasey Kahne 2,482 -572
9. Mark Martin 2,471 -583
10. J.P. Montoya 2,461 -593
11. Greg Biffle 2,445 -609
12. Matt Kenseth 2,429 -625

###

JOLIET, Ill. (Saturday, July 11, 2009) – The first 211 laps of Saturday night’s 267-lap LifeLock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway were uneventful with only two cautions for debris disturbing the on-track racing. That changed dramatically during the final 56 circuits with the yellow flag appearing five times, setting up five double-file shootout restarts and a bit of aggressive driving.

Four Dodge drivers were running in the top 20 before the barrage of yellow flags began. By the time the checkered flag appeared, only Kasey Kahne managed to elude the bumping and banging to finish third in the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger. Kurt Busch wasn’t as fortunate.

Kahne started 15th, but had moved into the top 10 by lap 40. He was running fourth by lap 75 and competed in the top six the rest of the race. He led once for two laps.

“We had a good Budweiser Dodge tonight,” said Kahne. “We had to battle all night. Those restarts were tough. We’ve been working really well together, our whole Budweiser Dodge team. The guys had good stops all night. They’ve been on a roll with that. The car was good from the drop of the green (flag). We made some adjustments trying to keep up and make it better.”

The finish moved Kahne up four positions in the season point standings to eight. It was his seventh top-10 finish of the season and third in the last four races.

“The Budweiser Dodge ran well all night,” said No. 9 Crew Chief Kenny Francis. “We’ve struggled here at Chicago in the past. To have a car that good and run up front all night with our Dodge, I couldn’t be prouder of our guys and Kasey for coming home third. We had a really good car all night. The fuel mileage was good. It all worked out good. I wish we could have beaten the 24 and 5 there, but it was a good race for us.”

After starting 22nd, Kurt Busch appeared to have a top-10 finish within grasp, but that slipped away after a fender-banging encounter with Jimmie Johnson as they battled for position with less than 20 laps remaining. The clash resulted in a tire rub on the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge which forced Busch to drop off the pace. He finished 17th.

“I guess it was just a late-race rumble there and we came out on the short end of the stick,” said Busch. “I don’t know what the problem is with Jimmie (Johnson) and me, but we’re running into each other way too often it seems. It (the contact made) was definitely a by-product of the double-file restarts and what can happen shortly after. Everyone is digging, rooting and gouging for everything they can get. We’re disappointed because we had a solid top-10 car and came out of here with a 17th-place finish. We chose to stay out when the 24 and the others pitted for fresh rubber and that’s what probably cost us most. But it was a hard call to make and we tried to maintain our track position. All was well until the 48 split us and put me up into the wall. We pitted there at the end to repair the fender damage and get four fresh tires, but there’s not too much catching up you can do with a green-white-checkered finish like we had. I’m pretty livid right now, to tell you the truth. It’s a great time to have an off week on our schedule. We’ll tire-test at Atlanta, take a breather and then come back ready to get after it again at Indy.”

Busch remains fourth in the season standings, but lost ground to point leader Tony Stewart. He now trails the leader by 358 points.

“We were a sixth to 10th-place car most of the night,” said Crew Chief Pat Tryson. “It just didn’t work for us there at the end. We got run into by the 48 and it kind of ruined our evening. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

AJ Allmendinger finished 13th in the No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge, giving Richard Petty Motorsports a pair of top-15 finishes.

Sam Hornish Jr. was running inside the top 20 in the No. 77 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Dodge following a round of pit stops during the third caution on lap 212, but misfortune hit just eight laps later when he was hit from behind and sent sliding across the track and into the inside retaining wall. He finished 38th.

Reed Sorenson was running 13th in the No. 43 McDonald’s McCafe Dodge when a green-flag pit cycle started on lap 92. The crew completed the stop without incident and had the 43 back off pit road in time to hold position, but NASCAR ruled that Sorenson had ignored the single-file rule entering pit road. He was assessed a pass-through penalty. He ended up losing two laps after having to make the stop with the field under the green flag. He finished 24th.

David Stremme finished 26th in the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge while Elliott Sadler followed in 27th in the No. 19 Insignia Dodge Charger.

Driver Team Finished
Kasey Kahne No. 9 Budweiser Dodge 3rd
AJ Allmendinger No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge 13th
Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge 17th
Reed Sorenson No. 43 McDonald’s McCafe Dodge 24th
David Stremme No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge 26th
Elliott Sadler No. 19 Insignia/Best Buy Dodge 27th
Sam Hornish No. 77 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Dodge 38th

Driver Rank Starts Points Behind Wins Poles T5s T10s
Kurt Busch 4 19 2526 -358 1 0 6 10
Kasey Kahne 8 19 2336 -548 1 0 3 7
Elliott Sadler 23 19 1881 -1003 0 0 1 3
AJ Allmendinger 27 19 1770 -1114 0 0 0 4
Reed Sorenson 28 19 1759 -1125 0 0 0 1
Sam Hornish Jr. 29 19 1754 -1130 0 0 1 3
David Stremme 32 19 1584 -1300 0 0 0 0

NASCAR SPRINT CUP
SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(Top 12 after 19 of 36 races)
Points Behind
1. Tony Stewart 2,884 -
2. Jeff Gordon 2,709 -175
3. Jimmie Johnson 2,672 -212
4. Kurt Busch 2,526 -358
5. Denny Hamlin 2,457 -427
6. Carl Edwards 2,438 -446
7. Ryan Newman 2,385 -499
8. Kasey Kahne 2,336 -548
9. J.P. Montoya 2,321 -563
10. Kyle Busch 2,298 -586
11. Mark Martin 2,296 -588
12. Matt Kenseth 2,295 -589

###

DAYTONA, Fla., (July 1, 2009) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the ‘World Center of Racing’ for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 at historic Daytona International Speedway. The 2.5-mile, high-banked superspeedway is the 18th stop on the 36-race, regular-season schedule. Seven Chargers are entered in quest of Dodge’s third win of the season and 16th overall at DIS.

With only nine races remaining in the ‘Race to the Chase’, this weekend’s restrictor-plate racing throws a wild card into the deck that’s sure to be stacked with excitement. Heading into the event, all eyes continue to be on the top 12 positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings. Only 71 points separates eighth to 14th and a mere 17 points separates 10th to 14th. Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch currently sits fourth while Richard Petty Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne is 13th, only one point shy of the final Chase spot.

This weekend also celebrates the 25th anniversary of “The King” Richard Petty’s 200th win. Petty won the 1984 Coca-Cola 400 at DIS.

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) may be the best Cup driver who has never won a restrictor-plate race. In 17 career starts at Daytona, Busch has amassed an amazing eight top-fives and nine top 10s without earning a trip to victory lane. Busch has scored top-10 finishes in the last four races at Daytona (3rd, 2nd, 4th and 10th), the longest current streak.

“I think the biggest thing I always have going for me is that I truly enjoy the plate races,” Busch said. “I think that I am in the minority when I say that. I know how much the fans love it. I know it’s hard for most people to understand, but the more I’m right in the middle of the lead pack, the more comfortable I am in the car. I feel like I learn something each time I’m in that position, especially how to survive and get a good finish out of it.”
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) is no stranger to strong runs at Daytona. Kahne has scored four top-10 finishes in the last five races at the superspeedway. He gave Dodge its 203rd NASCAR Sprint Cup victory two races ago at Infineon. It was his 10th career win.

Heading into Daytona, Kahne says good decision making at over 200 mph is just as important as having a fast race car at Daytona.

“You have to make the right decisions, but a lot of it is luck,” Kahne said. “You have to depend on other cars to help you get to the front. You’re really at the mercy of the cars behind you, and for whatever reason, I haven’t been able to make it work at the end and win one of these things. There are so many things out of your control when it comes to plate racing. You better hit all the marks on everything you can control, or you can really dig yourself a hole.”

Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Stanley Dodge) certainly feels that Daytona owes him one. In last February’s Daytona 500, Sadler led the field for 24 laps before Matt Kenseth passed him on the final green flag lap. The pass came seconds before the yellow and eventually red flag ended the rain-plagued race. Sadler has scored an impressive four top five’s and eight top 10’s at Daytona, but still is haunted by the one that got away.

“There has not been a day since I left Daytona that I haven’t thought about what might have been had we won that race,” Sadler said. “Winning the Daytona 500 is every driver’s dream, but to win that race, on that day, would have been the best thing in the world for me as a racer.”

Other Notes:
• Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Air Force Dodge) had a career-best, ninth-place finish at this year’s Daytona 500.
• AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Dodge) was the highest-finishing Dodge at this year’s Daytona 500. He finished third.
• Sam Hornish Jr. (Mobil 1Dodge) finished 15th in his debut NSCS event, the 2008 Daytona 500.

2009 Top 12 NSCS Drivers
Driver Points
1. Tony Stewart 2,524
2. Jeff Gordon 2,455
3. Jimmie Johnson 2,355
4. Kurt Busch 2,254
5. Carl Edwards 2,157
6. Denny Hamlin 2,132
7. Ryan Newman 2,127
8. Kyle Busch 2,108
9. Greg Biffle 2,106
10. Matt Kenseth 2,054
11. Mark Martin 2,052
12. Juan Pablo Montoya 2,049

What You Need To Know
The Race: Coke Zero 400
The Place: Daytona International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, July 4
Green Flag: 8:16 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2.5-mile superspeedway
The Distance: 400 miles/160 laps
Television: TNT, 6:30 p.m. (ET)

2009 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Rank Points Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Earnings
Kurt Bush 4 2254 -270 17 0 1 5 9 $2,414,210
Kasey Kahne 13 2048 -476 17 0 1 2 6 $2,755,630
Elliott Sadler 23 1660 -864 17 0 0 1 2 $2,035,610
Sam Hornish Jr. 25 1638 -886 17 0 0 0 4 $2,141,810
Reed Sorenson 26 1604 -920 17 0 0 0 1 $2,337,630
AJ Allmendinger 29 1534 -990 17 0 0 1 3 $2,177,350
David Stremme 31 1441 -1083 17 0 0 0 0 $2,233,790

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV
(All Times Eastern)

Thursday, July 2

12:00 a.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
3:00 p.m. – Camping World Touring Series – Infineon (SPEED)
4:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice at Daytona (SPEED)
5:00 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
5:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Final Practice at Daytona (ESPN2)
6:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
Friday, July 3
3:00 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
4:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pole Qualifying (SPEED)
7:00 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
7:00 p.m. – Trackside at Daytona (SPEED)
8:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Race from Daytona (ESPN)
Saturday, July 4
4:30 p.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
6:30 p.m. – NASCAR on TNT Live (TNT)
7:30 p.m. – Countdown to Green (TNT)
8:00 p.m. – Sprint cup Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (TNT)
# # #

LOUDON, N.H. (Sunday, June 28, 2009) – Last year, Kurt Busch won the rain-shortened LENOX Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The event was halted after 284 laps, 16 short of the scheduled distance. Busch used fuel strategy to get the lead, but needed a final pit stop for a splash of fuel if the race went the full 300 laps. He did have enough to make it 284 and picked up the win.

Sunday’s event had a similar finish. Rain ended the race once again before the 301 laps had been completed. The end came on lap 273, 28 short of the scheduled distance. Busch was in contention for the win, but lost out on fuel strategy as rookie Joey Logano didn’t need the late-race stop for fuel thanks to the early end.

Busch finished third in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger. He raced in the top five most of the afternoon and led on two occasions for 28 laps. He was making a charge on runner-up Jeff Gordon just as the rain brought out the 11th caution of the day.

“It was a solid day for us,” Busch said. “We made some good adjustments in the pits. My biggest downside was restarts, slipping the tires and getting forward bite going through the gears. I just couldn’t get the car to stay low. When the time came to push really hard, the car was there. Last year, to drive into Victory Lane and do it in a rain-shortened race and then today where we were fast enough to win and not get the win, that’s how this sport evens itself out. You have your good and your bad luck and overall it was a good day for our Miller Lite Dodge.”

It was the fifth top-five and ninth top-10 finish of the season for Busch. He remains fourth in the season point standings, 270 behind the leader.

The No. 2 Dodge was fast from the start and Crew Chief Pat Tryson and the crew needed to make few adjustments during the afternoon to keep pace.

“I think it was a good day for our Miller Lite Dodge Charger,” said Tryson. “The difference in this one is that the guy that had a couple of problems got a couple of breaks and was able to run further on fuel than everyone at the end. We were trying to race the 24 and in a couple more laps, the 20 would have been off and we would have been racing for the win. Third-place isn’t bad. It was a good point’s day.”

Sam Hornish Jr. turned in an impressive performance in the No. 77 AAA/Penske Racing Dodge Charger, running as high as fourth in the closing laps before finishing eighth.

“We had a really good car today,” said Hornish. “The Penske Dodge ran real well. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t get to finish the race out. I’m real proud of all the guys working on the car. That’s what we need to continue doing…going out there and getting top fives and top 10s. Then you can win races. We’ll keep working away at it. I think we’re going to have some real good days coming up here. That’s what we need to keep doing. We had a pretty darn good point’s day today.”

Crew Chief Travis Geisler is pleased with fourth top-10 finish in the last 10 outings for the No. 77 team.

“It was a real good day,” he said. “We started 26th, but felt we could have started a little better had we been able to qualify on Friday. We never had anything go wrong. We were able to capitalize on having a good car and Sam made some great moves on restarts. I think without the rain we were definitely a top-five car.”

Kasey Kahne followed up his win at Infineon with a 10th at the 1.058-mile flat track. It was his fourth top-10 finish in the last six starts.

“The Budweiser Dodge ran great today and we were working our way back toward the front when the rain came,” he said. “There were a lot of cars that got lucky at the end when the rain came in. The guys gave me another great car and something to build on for the upcoming weeks.”

Kahne jumped to within one point of the 12th spot in the driver standings.

Teammate Reed Sorenson managed to work his way from 27th to just outside the top 10, but when the pit cycle didn’t complete before the rain came, he ended up 17th.

“That was a heck-of-a-lot of hard work for 17th,” he said. “We ran pretty well today. There were guys up in front of us that I passed a couple of times today that finished better than us. That’s frustrating. We ran well today, that’s the key and we can take this on to Daytona.”

David Stremme overcame early problems and battled his way into the top 12 before late-race problems dropped the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge to 28th.

Two Richard Petty Motorsports’ drivers – Elliott Sadler and AJ Allmendinger – were caught up in a six-car mishap on lap 60. Sadler was able to continue and worked his way into the top 15 before settling for 26th. Allmendinger received more serious damage which required a trip to the garage for repairs. He finished 32nd.

The starting field was set per the NASCAR rule book after Friday’s qualifying was rained out with the first 35 positions determined by 2009 owner points.

Driver Team Finished
Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge 3rd
Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 AAA/Penske Truck Rental Dodge 8th
Kasey Kahne No. 9 Budweiser Dodge 10th
Reed Sorenson No. 42 McDonald’s McCafe Dodge 17th
Elliott Sadler No. 19 Best Buy Dodge 26th
David Stremme No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger 28th
AJ Allmendinger No. 44 Berlin City Auto Group Dodge 32nd

Driver Rank Starts Points Behind Wins Poles T5s T10s
Kurt Busch 4 17 2254 -270 1 0 5 9
Kasey Kahne 13 17 2048 -476 1 0 2 6
Elliott Sadler 23 17 1660 -864 0 0 1 2
Sam Hornish Jr. 25 17 1638 -886 0 0 0 4
Reed Sorenson 26 17 1604 -920 0 0 1 1
AJ Allmendinger 29 17 1534 -990 0 0 1 3
David Stremme 31 17 1441 -1083 0 0 0 0

NASCAR SPRINT CUP
SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(Top 12 after 17 of 36 races)
Points Behind
1. Tony Stewart 2524 -
2. Jeff Gordon 2455 -69
3. Jimmie Johnson 2355 -169
4. Kurt Busch 2254 -270
5. Carl Edwards 2157 -367
6. Denny Hamlin 2132 -392
7. Ryan Newman 2127 -397
8. Kyle Busch 2108 -416
9. Greg Biffle 2106 -418
10. Matt Kenseth 2054 -470
11. Mark Martin 2052 -472
12. Juan P. Montoya 2049 -445

- 30 -

LOUDON, N.H., (June 25, 2008) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the 1.058-mile oval of New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 301. The event kicks off the “Race to the Chase,” the 10-race stretch that ends at Richmond in September where the 12-driver field for the 2009 Chase for the Championship will be determined. Those 12 drivers will compete for the season championship and the Sprint Cup over the final 10 races of the season.

Dodge has three Sprint Cup wins at New Hampshire while earning the pole in six of the last 11 races including the track qualifying record set in 2003. All seven Dodge drivers are assured berths in Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 301.

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) is the defending winner of Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 301. Thanks to good fuel mileage and a timely final pit stop, Busch was the leader when rain forced NASCAR officials to call the race after 284 laps, 16 short of the scheduled 300 circuits. Busch and the Pat Tryson-led Penske Racing team celebrated in an empty garage building amid a lightning-spiked downpour.

Busch currently sits fourth in the Sprint Cup driver point standings, 280 points behind leader Tony Stewart. He has one win — at Atlanta Motor Speedway — plus four top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

“To this day, there are still a lot of people who don’t realize the whole story when it came to our Miller Lite Dodge Team winning that race, Busch said. “In our eyes, it will always be a fuel mileage win. I don’t think that the record was ever set straight about what all came down there during the June race last year.

“When everybody pitted with, I don’t know, 30 laps to go — I was told, ‘you’re in the lead, there’s 26 laps to go’ — that’s the most motivation a driver could ever ask for,” Busch said, “because you want to hold it and bring it home for your team.”
Dodge’s Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) claimed the first victory for Richard Petty Motorsports last weekend at Infineon and has moved within three points of the 12th and final Chase spot. The second win for Dodge this season, Kahne’s trip to Victory Lane marked his first road-course event victory and the 10th of his career. Heading into New Hampshire, Kahne has scored one top-five and four top-10 finishes in 10 starts at Loudon.
“Last weekend was a great weekend for everyone on this Budweiser Dodge team,” said Kahne. “We have some good momentum and confidence going into this weekend. New Hampshire is a fun track and I enjoy racing there. We’ve learned a lot over the last month and a half at the Indy tire test. Hopefully we can apply that this weekend and get another good finish.”

Other Notes:
• Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Best Buy Dodge) earned his second top-10 finish of the season last weekend at Infineon. In 20 career starts at Loudon, Sadler has five top-five finishes.
• AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Berlin Auto Group Dodge Charger) made it a Richard Petty Motorsports ‘top-10 trifecta’ last weekend with his seventh-place finish. Allmendinger will be making his second career start at Loudon.
• David Stremme (No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger) will make his fifth start at the Loudon track. He has a best finish of 11th.
2009 Top 12 Drivers
Driver Points
1. Tony Stewart 2,364
2. Jeff Gordon 2,280
3. Jimmie Johnson 2,207
4. Kurt Busch 2,084
5. Carl Edwards 2,051
6. Ryan Newman 2,046
7. Denny Hamlin 2,009
8. Greg Biffle 1,992
9. Kyle Busch 1,962
10. Matt Kenseth 1,957
11. Mark Martin 1,926
12. Juan Pablo Montoya 1,917

What You Need To Know
The Race: LENOX Industrial Tools 301
The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, June 28
Green Flag: 2:16 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 1.058-mile road course
The Distance: 317.4 miles/300 laps
Television: TNT, 1:30 p.m. (ET)

2009 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Rank Points Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Earnings
Kurt Bush 4 2084 -280 16 0 1 4 8 $3,780,141
Kasey Kahne 13 1914 -450 16 0 1 2 5 $2,628,781
Elliott Sadler 23 1570 -794 16 0 0 1 2 $1,949,963
Sam Hornish Jr. 26 1496 -868 16 0 0 0 3 $2,028,303
Reed Sorenson 27 1487 -877 16 0 0 0 1 $2,220,158
AJ Allmendinger 29 1467 -897 16 0 0 1 3 $2,104,303
David Stremme 31 1362 -1002 16 0 0 0 0 $2,124,272

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV
(All Times Eastern)

Friday, June 26
11:30 a.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
12:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice at New Hampshire (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Practice at New Hampshire (SPEED)
3:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Qualifying (SPEED)
7:00 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
7:00 p.m. – Trackside at New Hampshire (SPEED)
Saturday, June 27
9:00 a.m. – Sprint Cup Practice (SPEED)
10:00 a.m. – Nationwide Series Qualifying (SPEED)
11:30 a.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
1:00 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – NASCAR Smarts (SPEED)
2:00 p.m. – Camping World Pole Qualifying from Memphis (SPEED)
2:30 p.m. – Nationwide Countdown (ABC)
3:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Race (ABC)
5:30 p.m. – Camping World Truck Series SetUp (SPEED)
6:00 p.m. – Camping World Truck Series Race (SPEED)
Sunday, June 28
8:00 a.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
9:00 a.m. – NASCAR Performance (SPEED)
10:00 a.m. – Nationwide Series Race (ESPNC)
10:30 a.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
12:30 p.m. – NASCAR on TNT Live (TNT)
1:30 p.m. – Countdown to Green (TNT)
2:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Race at New Hampshire (TNT)
7:00 p.m. – SPEED Report (SPEED)
8:00 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)
9:00 p.m. – Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (SPEED)
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