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Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes - Amp Energy 500 Race Advance

Wednesday October 1, 2008

 

Dodge Motorsports NSCS Amp Energy 500 Race Advance

Talladega Superspeedway

HISTORICAL DATA

· Total Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wins: 201

· First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm Beach, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.

· Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Kurt Busch, 6/29/08, Loudon, NH, 317.4-miles, 1.058-mile track, 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301.

· First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at Talladega: Richard Brinkhouse, Talladega 500, 9/14/69, 153.779 avg. mph

· Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at Talladega: Dave Marcis, Talladega 500, 8/08/76, 157.547

· First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at this event: Richard Brinkhouse, Talladega 500, 9/14/69, 153.779 avg. mph

· Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at this event: Dave Marcis, Talladega 500, 8/08/76, 157.547

DODGE AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

· Richard Brinkhouse drove a winged Dodge Daytona to victory in the inaugural Talladega 500. The event was boycotted by virtually all the top NASCAR drivers.

· Juan Pablo Montoya earned his highest finish of the season at this year’s spring race at Talladega. Montoya finished second after starting 26th.

· Juan Pablo Montoya was the highest finishing rookie at last years fall event at Talladega. Montoya finished 15th.

· Bobby Labonte will be enshrined into the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame this weekend at Talladega. Labonte has six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes at Talladega including a win in 1998 prior to joining the Dodge ranks.

· Two of Kurt Busch’s three top-five finishes in 2008 have come in restrictor-plate races.

· Kurt Busch’s overall restrictor-plate record sports 14 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s in 31 races.

· Stacey Compton, driving the No. 92 Melling Racing Dodge, won the pole position at both Talladega races in 2001.

· Terry Labonte will drive the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge Charger this weekend. Labonte has made 52 starts at the 2.66-mile track with two wins, 10 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.

THE DODGE BOYS

· The Dodge R6P8 engine made its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Kansas Speedway in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger driven by Kurt Busch.

· Five Dodge drivers had turns at the front of the field during the April event at Talladega. The list includes Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and David Stremme (filling in for the injured Dario Franchitti in the No. 40 Dodge).

· Robby Gordon will be making his 300th career Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Talladega.

· Ryan Newman won the first restrictor plate race of the season, the Daytona 500. Kurt Busch was second to give Penske Racing a 1-2 sweep. Dodge claimed six of the first eight positions.

· Kasey Kahne recorded the 200th win by Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series with his victory in the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway earlier this year.

· Kurt Bush gave Dodge its last Sprint Cup victory when he won the LENOX Industrial 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY TRACK FACTS

· Talladega is the largest oval track in the Nextel Cup Series at 2.66-miles long.

· A 1988 rule mandated cars racing at Talladega and Daytona use restrictor plates which limit the amount of air and fuel entering the intake manifolds and greatly reducing power.

· The winner at Talladega has started from the pole 13 times in 78 races and on the front row 31 times.

· Three races at Talladega have been run caution free.

· The turns at Talladega are banked 33 degrees.

DODGE ROOKIE CONTENDERS

· Sam Hornish Jr. – The three-time IndyCar Series champion and 2006 Indy 500 winner sits only three points shy of first place in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.

· Patrick Carpentier – The driver of the No. 10 Dodge Charger from Gillett Evernham Motorsports currently sits 37th in driver points.

RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

Regan Smith 187

Sam Hornish Jr. 184

Patrick Carpentier 178

Michael McDowell 168

DID YOU KNOW?

· Four of the last six races at Talladega have ended under caution.

· 36 different drivers have posted victories at Talladega led by the late Dale Earnhardt. (10).

· The most lead changes at Talladega came in 1984 with 75. The fewest – 13 – occurred in 1973.

· On two occasions, only the Talladega winner finished on the lead lap. The most recent was in 1979. The fewest number of cars running at the finish was 14 in 1986; the most – 40 – in 2001.

· Patrick Carpentier (No. 10 Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Charger) is the only Raybestos Rookie of the Year to win a pole in 2008. He did so at New Hampshire.

· Kurt and Eva Busch will attend the University of Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, guest of Tide play-by-play announcer Eli Gold.

DODGE NSCS DRIVER QUOTES

Describe racing at Talladega: “I like racing at Talladega, but I hate wrecking there. It’s so easy to get caught up in somebody else’s mess, but that’s part of racing at Talladega. If you’re not in one of the wrecks, it’s fun running that close together for 500 miles. It’s a hectic, but exciting day. Anytime we go to Talladega I know it’s going to be a wild race. There are some things that are out of my control, but I have to make sure that I take care of what I can and get the Budweiser Dodge to the finish, hopefully with a chance to win.”

Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger

On preparing for Talladega: “The guys in the motor department have been working hard to get ready for Talladega. When you go to restrictor-plate track you can use all of the extra horsepower that you can get because you motor is already down a couple of hundred horsepower already due to the plate. The last two races that we had at Talladega showed that we could pass, which was something that had been lacking, you just need to have the motor to do so. We’re happy with the motor that we are taking down and we hope that it will pull us to the front.”

On his induction into the Talladega Walk of Fame: “It’s special to receive an award like induction into the Talladega Walk of Fame because it’s voted on by the fans. It’s the fans that allow us to do what we do and their appreciation is the highest one of the highest honors a driver can receive. If you look at the list of drivers that already have a place in that walk of fame, it’s the best of the best that have ever been in this sport. To be able to put my name beside theirs is pretty cool, especially my brother Terry’s.”

Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Charger

On Talladega: “Early in my career I had a love-hate relationship with Talladega. From our first race there in 1979 we knew that we could run up front and challenge for wins, but something always happened. Most of the time it was an engine problem. Talladega motors weren’t nearly as durable as they are today because they turned a lot more rpm without the plates. If it held together we would usually finish in the top-10. In 1989 we were able to put a complete race together and get our first win. I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish down there, but that first win really sticks out.”

Terry Labonte, No. 45 Spirit of America Motor Oil Dodge Charger

On racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “This will be my third restrictor plate race in the Cup Series and I’m glad I know what to expect running in those big packs. I wouldn’t say it’s something that you can ever get comfortable doing –running 200 mph inches away from each other – but you can get used to it. That’s something I have going for me now that I didn’t have going into Talladega in the spring.

“We just need to be smart and keep the Tow Truck in a Box Dodge clear of trouble so we can be there for the closing laps. That’s what really matters. But in the back of your mind you still know it’s Talladega and anything can happen at that place. You can never let your guard down.”

Patrick Carpentier, No. 10 Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Charger

“I really look forward to racing at Talladega Superspeedway. The larger tracks seem to suit me and we have run well at restrictor-plate races this season. One of the biggest transitions from racing in the IndyCar Series to NASCAR is learning the different types of tracks. Most of my previous experience has been at tracks that are 1.5 miles and larger. I think that is why I enjoy the bigger tracks. We are focused on racing the Mobil 1 Dodge back into the top-35 in owner points. We need to race smart and stay out of trouble to gain valuable points on Sunday.”

Sam Hornish Jr., No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger

FRONTSTRETCH LIVE AT THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND AT LOUDON!
Popular writer Amy Henderson will be tracking all the action at New Hampshire from inside the garage, giving you the stories you’re looking for with a special edition of our Newsletter planned over the weekend. It all culminates on Sunday with her special participation in our LIVE blog during the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, paired with our usual panel of expert analysts! It’s three days of going the extra mile for you … so we hope you enjoy it!

This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Ren Jonsin.

 

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