NASCAR NNCS (TALLADEGA) - RACE STATS PREVIEW

The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series returns to one of its most storied tracks this weekend – Talladega Superspeedway.

With tight, fast racing, there’s little question that this will be a must-watch. But more importantly, it’s a must-watch-until-the-end.

The last three Talladega races featured last lap passes for the win. Here’s the run-down:

* Dale Jarrett passed Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman on the final lap as the caution came out for an accident back in the field on a green-white-checkered overtime finish in October 2005. * Jimmie Johnson passed Brian Vickers in turn four of the final circuit to win the first Talladega race in 2006. * Vickers returned the favor, passing Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the closing lap of the second Talladega race in 2006.

Two names are missing from that group, which leads to another question.

Can Talladega masters Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. reclaim past glory?

From the second Talladega race in 2001 until the first Talladega race in 2005, Gordon and Earnhardt combined for seven victories in eight races.

Clearly, a win this Sunday would be huge for Earnhardt, who is quietly storming his way up the series standings.

After starting the season with finishes of 32nd and 40th which put him in 40th place in the standings, Earnhardt now sits within striking distance of the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup cut-off in 15th.

Talladega Superspeedway Data Race #: 9 of 36 (4-29-07) Track Size: 2.66 miles • Banking/Corners: 33 degrees • Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees • Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees • Frontstretch: 4,300 feet • Backstretch: 4,000 feet

Qualifying/Race Data 2006 pole winner: Elliott Sadler (188.511 mph, 50.798 seconds) 2006 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, 142.880 mph, 5-1-06) Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott (212.809 mph, 44.998 seconds, 4-30-87) Track race record: Mark Martin (188.354 mph, 5-10-97) Purse: $6,022,630.00 Estimated Pit Window: Every 34-36 laps, based on fuel mileage

Selected Driver Highlights Note: All driver stats are from Talladega. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005. That is why the Loop Data statistics in this release cover the last four races at Talladega.

Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet) • Two top fives, 10 top 10s • 17.923 average finish • 16.457 Average Running Position, eighth-best • Driver Rating of 83.4, ninth-most • 1,708 Green Flag Passes, most of any driver • 441 Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most • 1,230 Quality Passes, second-most • Eighth-fastest Speed in Traffic

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) • Five top fives, nine top 10s • 10.833 average finish • Average Running Position of 10.486, third-best • Driver Rating of 96.6, fourth-best • Second-Fastest in Turn 3; Fourth-fastest in Turn 4 • 1,587 Green Flag Passes, third-most • 603 Laps in the Top 15, third-most • 1,264 Quality Passes, most of any driver • Fifth-fastest Speed in Traffic

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet) • Five wins, seven top fives, eight top 10s • 13.0 average finish • 537 laps led • Driver Rating of 80.2, twelfth-best • Eighth-fastest in Turn 1; 10th-fastest in Turns 2 and 3; eighth-fastest in Turn 4 • 399 Laps in the Top 15, 11th-most • 933 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) • Four wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles • 15.893 average finish • 729 laps led • Average Running Position of 12.931, sixth-best • Driver Rating of 97.1, third-best • Fastest driver on Turn 1 and Turn 3; Second-fastest on Turn 2; Fifth-Fastest on Turn 4 • 519 Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most • 1,074 Laps in the Top 15, third-most • Fourth-fastest Speed in Traffic

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) • One win, two top fives, three top 10s; one pole • 21.0 average finish • 168 laps led • Average Running Position of 13.642, seventh-best • Driver Rating of 85.7, seventh-best • 509 Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most • 1,018 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) • Three top fives, six top 10s • 15.5 average finish • 128 laps led • Average Running Position of 7.698, best of any driver • Driver Rating of 105.8, best of any driver • 650 Laps in the Top 15, most of any driver • 1,150 Quality Passes, third-most • Fourth-fastest in Turn 1; Fifth-fastest in Turn 2; Third-fastest in Turn 3 and Turn 4 • 1,379 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) • Eight top fives, 10 top 10s • 11.938 average finish • 138 laps led • Average Running Position of 12.912, fifth-best • Driver Rating of 96.3, fifth-best • Fifth-fastest in Turn 1 and Turn 3; Seventh-fastest in Turn 2; Second-fastest in Turn 4 • 18 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most • 1,521 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most • Fourth-fastest Green Flag Speed • 443 Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most • Sixth-fastest Speed in Traffic • 811 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Talladega Tidbits • There have been 75 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway. • There have been five different winners over the last five Talladega NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races. • Talladega boasts both the fastest qualifying lap (Bill Elliott, 212.809, April 1987) and the fastest race (Mark Martin, 188.354, May 1997) in NASCAR history. • The have been 12 drivers who have won from the pole position at Talladega, most recently Bobby Labonte in 1998. • Eighteen races have been won from the second starting position – more than any other position. • Jeff Gordon’s starting position of 36th in 2000 is the lowest starting position of a Talladega race winner. • Bobby Isaac won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Budweiser Pole at Talladega in 1969. • Richard Brickhouse won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Talladega in 1969. • The track surface was repaved in 1970, 1979 and 2006. • Ken Schrader (1998) and Brian Vickers (2006) won their first career race at Talladega. • Sterling Marlin, Jeremy Mayfield, Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler each have won three poles at Talladega, most of active drivers. • There have been 35 different race winners at Talladega – 18 of them have won more than once. • The have been three caution free races at Talladega: April 1997, April 2001 and October 2002. • Tony Stewart has finished second six times at Talladega, but has not won there. That ties him with Bobby Allison (Martinsville) and Mark Martin (Pocono) for the most runner-up finishes without a victory at a track on the current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup circuit.

Talladega Active Streaks • Kurt Busch has five consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega. He also has led at least one lap in nine consecutive Talladega races. • Matt Kenseth has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega and has finishes in the top five in two of the last three races there. • Elliott Sadler has started in the top 10 in four of the last five Talladega races. • Brian Vickers has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega.

Last Five Winners at Talladega 2006 – Brian Vickers 2006 – Jimmie Johnson 2005 – Dale Jarrett 2005 – Jeff Gordon 2004 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Margin of Victory – Last Five Races 2006 – Under caution 2006 – .120 second 2005 – Under caution 2005 – .193 2004 – .117

Quick Facts All-time Highlights at Talladega Most Wins: 10, Dale Earnhardt Most Wins, Active: 5, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Most Poles: 8, Bill Elliott Most Poles, Active: 3, Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek, Jeremy Mayfield, Elliott Sadler Most top 5s: 23, Dale Earnhardt Most top 5s, Active: 11, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett Most top 10s: 27, Dale Earnhardt Most top 10s, Active: 22, Mark Martin Best Average Starting Position, Active: 7.0, Jimmie Johnson Best Average Finish, Active: 10.833, Kurt Busch

Oldest Winner: Harry Gant – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days (5/6/91) Youngest Winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days (7/27/86) Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 153 (Pete Hamilton, 8/23/70) Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 2 (Dale Jarrett, 10/2/05)