2008 Sam's Town 300

Weekend Schedule

Friday, February 29, 2008 
 5:30 a.m.            NSCS registration opens.
 6:00 a.m.            NSCS garage opens.
 8:00 a.m.            NNS garage opens.
 9:30 a.m.            NNS rookie and spotter meetings, drawing for qualifying order.
10:30-11:50 a.m.      NNS practice.
11:00 a.m.            NSCS rookie and spotter meetings, drawing for qualifying order.
11:30 a.m.            NSCS Hot Pass in effect.
12:00-1:30 p.m.       NSCS practice.
 1:45-3:30 p.m.       NNS final practice.
 3:10 p.m.            NSCS Hot Pass in effect.
 3:40 p.m.            NSCS qualifying (two laps, all positions).

Saturday, March 1, 2008
 6:00 a.m.            NNS garage and registration opens.
 8:30 a.m.            NSCS garage opens.
 9:05 a.m.            NNS qualifying (all positions).
10 a.m.               NSCS Hot Pass in effect.
10:30-11:15 a.m.      NSCS practice.
11:15-11:45 a.m.      TV exhibition run.
11:30 a.m.            NNS driver and crew chief meeting (media center).
11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m. NSCS final practice.
 1:00 p.m.            NNS driver introductions (Security to clear pit road).
 1:30 p.m.            NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 (200 laps, 300 miles).
 
Sunday, March 2, 2008
 7:30 a.m.            NSCS garage opens.
 8:30-10:30 a.m.      Speedway Children’s Charities Track Walk.
 9:30 a.m.            Track services meeting.
11:30 a.m.            NSCS driver and crew chief meeting (in the garage).
12:30 p.m.            NSCS Hot Pass in effect (until one hour after race).
 1:00 p.m.            NSCS driver introductions (Security to clear pit road).
 1:30 p.m.            NASCAR Sprint Cup Series UAW-Dodge 400 (267 laps, 400 miles).
    
All Times Local * Schedule is tentative and subject to change. 
NSCS=NASCAR Sprint Cup Series * NNS=NASCAR Nationwide Series * NCTS=NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Martin Wins Sam's Town 300

CIA Stock Photo Martin Gets Into Edwards In The Low Line

Carl Edwards restarted third with Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin in tow, all on new tires. Edwards slipped by Franchitti without much trouble and was waging a side-by-side battle with Keselowski. Meanwhile Martin had gotten by Bowyer and Biffle and was now squarley behind Edwards in the bottom lane and Keselowski was still riding the high side. Martin got into the back Edwards forcing him into Keselowski's car. Both creened out of control and Martin took the lead. That set up a green-white-checkers situation and Martin won the race pulling away from Biffle and Bowyer.

"I couldn't stop it once it started," said Martin, "I ran into the back of Carl, I hate it, I just hate it. I sure didn't intend for it to turn out like that." Edwards wanted to be mad but just couldn't. "I would like to be really mad at Mark," Edwards said. "But he's a guy we all look up to. I am sure he just made a mistake."

Kevin Harvick slipped into the fourth spot on the final lap and David Stremme finished fifth. Rounding out the top ten were rookie Dario Franchitti, who had a race best finish with a sixth place followed by Mike Wallace, Patrick Carpentier, Brad Coleman and David Ragan. Tony Stewart was going for a third consecutive victory in the Nationwide Series and was leading on lap 137 of 200 when David Reutimann and he battled for the top position. Reutimann and Stewart made contact and both cars wrecked, ending Stewart's quest for three. The Nationwide Series moves to the Atlanta Motor Speedway next Saturday, March 8th.  ...Daily Headlines

Vickers On Sam's Town 300 Pole

Kyle Busch Wrecks Nationwide Car

Bruton Smith Proposes Date Swap

"I thought it was a great idea, and so did the people I talked with who are with NASCAR," Smith said. "We're interested in helping California, and the proposal has been made that we give California the October date in Atlanta, and then the Labor Day event out there comes to Atlanta. Everybody will love it. The sport will love it. You will love it. I will. It's the thing to do. The people I've talked to within the sport, within NASCAR, they all agree that's the thing to do."

"You're asking me to name names. No, I don't want to do that. They may report to you later, but we've had conversations now two or three times, and I liked the reception that it got because they know that it would help California tremendously," Smith said. "I think if we can help, then maybe we'll be successful with the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta and I can assure you we would work very hard to do that. We've had conversations, but no petition per se, like in writing or something. We've just been talking, and we've done that a couple of times already."

Both tracks have had problems with the weather in recent years. Last year the California Speedway suffered a record-breaking heat wave and Atlanta Motor Speedway experienced extremely cold temperatures -- the move would obviously be beneficial to both tracks and it would allow the California race to become a part of the Chase for the Championship.

When pressed on when he thought he could get a formal answer to his proposal, Smith said: "I hope that we'll have an answer in the very near future and that if it happens, it will be for next year, yes."

Labonte Turns In Quickest Lap In Nationwide Practice

Dollar General comes on board with Braun Racing for the Sam’s Town 300

Familiar Territory: NASCAR Veteran Mike Bliss Right Back In Top-10 Mix

The NASCAR national series veteran driver – who won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2002 and has 384 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national series – is back full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the first time since 2004. He finished fifth in the standings that season after a 10th-place ranking in 2003, his first full season in the series.

Last year, the 42-year-old native of Milwaukie, Ore., competed in 23 races for Fitz Motorsports and posted three top fives and eight top 10s, including a runner-up finish at Memphis Motorsports Park. His results propelled the team to an 11th-place finish in the owner points, its highest ranking ever.

Owner Armando Fitz moved quickly to secure Bliss for full-time duty this season. He also kept crew chief Paul Wolfe in the fold and the two are meshing well early. Bliss has also recently been joined on the team by another NASCAR veteran, Kenny Wallace (No. 36 Shark Energy Drink Dodge).

Bliss has run well at Las Vegas regardless of the series. In two NASCAR Nationwide Series starts he has a pole, a fifth-place and 12th-place finish. He has four top fives in six career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts and finished 16th in his lone NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at the track.

Woosley First Female Crew Chief In NASCAR National Series History

She moved to the top of the pit box following a six-race suspension imposed on regular crew chief Gene Allnut, who was one of five crew chiefs suspended due to a rule violation at Daytona. A native of Kentucky, Woosley has been with the team since last year and has been involved in racing for two seasons.

Toyota Tag-Team: Stewart, Busch Showing Early-Season Strength

His two-race winning streak is the first in the series since Kevin Harvick (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) won last summer at Montreal and Watkins Glen. Stewart’s chances at three straight are pretty good, too, considering his recent series results. He’s coming off a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating at California, only the eighth driver to do so in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

He finished third in this event last year with a perfect view of the thrilling finish between defending race winner Jeff Burton (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet) and his current teammate and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota). And the hot start by second-year manufacturer Toyota certainly doesn’t hurt Stewart’s chances, nor those of his teammate Busch or the other four Toyota drivers entered in the event.

In fact, Busch’s start has bordered on historic. He leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings and is second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series rankings heading to his home track.

Nationwide Notebook

Nationwide Rookie News

Nationwide Rookie Points After California

DRIVER                               POINTS

Bryan Clauson                          25
Dario Franchitti                       21
Brian Keselowski                       10
Cale Gale                               9

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