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RACING VENUES (SPARTA, KY) - KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY NEWS AND NOTES


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NEWMAN NAILS DOWN FIRST DAYTONA 500 WIN FOR ACCOMPLISHED OWNER PENSKE

Teammates Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch helped deliver the first Daytona 500 title for accomplished NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner Roger Penske Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway. Newman and his No. 12 Dodge received the necessary drafting help from Busch and his No. 2 Dodge on the closing circuit of the 120-lap season-opening event and the duo powered past the cars driven by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. The No. 12 crossed the finish line 0.092 of a second of the No. 2 leaving Stewart and his No. 20 third and Kyle Busch and his No. 18 fourth. Chip Ganassi Racing driver Reed Sorenson completed the race top five. The first Daytona 500 contested with the series’ winged-car design produced 42 lead changes among 16 drivers and marked the fifth time since 1972 that the “Great American Race” witnessed 40 or more lead changes. The car design also generated the most lead changes since the 2001 event saw 49 lead changes. The 16 lead drivers was the second most in race history, just two behind the 18 leaders in the 2006 edition of the race. Penske, owner of 14 IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 winning entries, now owns one of NASCAR’s most coveted titles. Penske-owned NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries have won a total of 58 races with Rusty Wallace (37), Newman (13), Bobby Allison (4), Kurt Busch (3) and Mark Donohue (1). Newman captured his first Daytona 500 title by leading the race four times for a total of eight laps. He led twice in the final 17-lap segment of the race that saw four lead changes among three drivers. He also pocketed his first win in 81 races dating back to his Sept. 18, 2005 triumph at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver has now taken two top-five and three top-10 finishes in 13 career Daytona starts. His previous best finish at the track was a third-place performance in the 2006 season-opening event. Kurt Busch drove to his seventh top-five finish in his 15 Daytona starts. Stewart scored his seventh top-five finish in 19 starts at the facility. Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 68 laps, closed out the weekend as the second driver to be ranked in the top 10 in the point standings in all three major NASCAR Series. He took second-place finishes the season-opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Nationwide Series events. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will stage its second race of the season and the first of two scheduled at California Speedway Feb. 24. FOX Television coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128 coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. The top 12 drivers entering the event are: Ryan Newman (Leader: 190 points, Dodge, Penske Racing); Kurt Busch (Second:

-15, Dodge, Penske Racing); Tony Stewart (Third: -20 (tied), Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Kyle Busch (Third: -20 (tied), Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Reed Sorenson (Fifth: -30, Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing); Kasey Kahne (Sixth: -39, Dodge, Gillett Evernham Motorsports); Elliott Sadler (Seventh: -40, Dodge, Gillett Evernham Motorsports); Dale Earnhardt, Jr., (Eighth: -47, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Robby Gordon (Ninth: -48, Dodge, Robby Gordon Motorsports); Greg Biffle (10th: -51, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Bobby Labonte (11th: -60, Dodge, Petty Enterprises); and Jeff Burton (12th: -61, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing).

STEWART SAILS TO NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES WIN AT DAYTONA

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Tony Stewart became the first driver to win a Daytona International Speedway NASCAR Nationwide Series race from the pole position Feb. 16. Stewart and his No. 20 Toyota whisked across the finish line 0.259 of a second ahead of teammate Kyle Busch in his No. 18 Toyota. Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., drove home third; Braun Racing pilot Brian Vickers finished fourth and Roush Fenway stalwart Matt Kenseth took fifth place. Stewart ran his NASCAR Nationwide Series win total to three in his 78th career series start. He has taken a win in three of the past four series season-opening events. The victory also was the first for Joe Gibbs Racing in a series event at famed race facility. Kyle Busch tallied his second top-10 finish in his ninth series Daytona start. Earnhardt, Jr., knocked out his seventh top-five and eighth top-10 series finish in 14 starts at the track. The series joins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at California Speedway and this weekend and will race Feb. 23. ESPN2 coverage of the 300-mile battle begins at 7:00 p.m. Radio coverage is set to start at 4:30 p.m., on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128. The top 10 drivers in the series standings entering the race are: Tony Stewart (Leader: 190 points, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Kyle Busch (Second: -10, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Third: -25, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Brian Vickers (Fourth: -25, Toyota, Braun Racing); Matt Kenseth (Fifth: -35, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Bryan Clauson (Sixth: -40, Toyota, Chip Ganassi Racing); Denny Hamlin (Seventh: -43, Toyota, Braun Racing); Greg Biffle (Eighth: -44, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); David Ragan (Ninth: -47, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing) and Martin Truex, Jr. (10th: -55, Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)

T. BODINE BESTS NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES DAYTONA FIELD

Germain Racing driver and 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Todd Bodine and his No. 30 Toyota opened the 2008 series season with a Daytona International Speedway win after beating Kyle Busch and his No. 21 Toyota past the finish line by .077 of a second Feb. 15. Johnny Benson and his No. 23 Toyota placed third, David Starr and his No. 11 Toyota claimed fourth and Rick Crawford took fifth place in his No. 14 Ford. Bodine, a 2002 NASCAR Nationwide Series race winner at Kentucky Speedway, led the 100-lap tussle a total of three times for a race-high 49 laps and avoided trouble during the six caution periods that consumed 25 competitive laps. He claimed his first series Daytona International Speedway win and the 13th of his series career in his 91st series start. Bodine owns four top-five series finishes at the track. Benson reeled in his third top-10 series finish at the track through four career starts. The series leads off a California Speedway doubleheader with the Nationwide Series Feb. 23 at 3:00 p.m., on FOX Television, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128. The top 10 drivers in the series standings going into the 200-mile affair will be: Todd Bodine (Leader: 195 points, Toyota, Germain Racing); Kyle Busch (Second: -25, Toyota, Billy Ballew Motorsports); Johnny Benson (Second: -25, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); David Starr (Fourth: -35, Toyota, Red Horse Racing); Rick Crawford (Fifth: -40, Ford, Circle Bar Racing); Stacy Compton (Sixth: -45, Dodge, Bobby Hamilton Racing); Chad McCumbee (Seventh: -49, Ford, MRD Motorsports); Justin Marks (Eighth: -53, Toyota, Germain Racing); Brian Scott (Ninth: -57, Chevrolet, Xpress Motorsports); and Dennis Setzer (10th: -61, Dodge, Bobby Hamilton Racing).