NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series News and Notes

Carl Edwards-Jimmie Johnson finish at Atlanta one for the archives
Rating the backflip: Gymnastics coach gives Edwards a ‘9’
New rules returning onus for success to drivers, crew chiefs
Chevrolet, Ford tied for lead in Manufacturers Championship standings
Rave reviews for NASCAR Acceleration: 2005

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 23, 2005) – Lead changes, both official and unofficial, provided a set-up Sunday at lightning-fast Atlanta Motor Speedway for one of the most thrilling finishes in NASCAR history.
Pearson-Petty at Daytona? Craven-Busch at Darlington? Surely, Carl Edwards’ bump-and-run frontstretch tango with Jimmie Johnson belongs in that hallowed class of photo-finishes.

Sunday’s last-lap snapshot showed Edwards winning by less than a car length.

A big-picture view, however, reveals the framing of a new star.

“I’ve never driven a car so hard,” Edwards (No. 99 Scott’s Ford) said Sunday after winning the golden corral 500 and performing his now-requisite, trademark victory backflip off his car at the start-finish line.

Edwards’ last-lap nipping of the series point leader was the 27th and final lead change of the race, and overshadowed a day-long battle between Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) and Greg Biffle (No. 16 National Guard/Post-It Ford), Edwards’ Roush Racing teammate.

• Officially – meaning there was a new leader when they crossed the start-finish line compared to a previous lap – Johnson and Biffle swapped the lead eight times;

• Unofficial lead changes – ones that didn’t result in a new leader at the stripe compared to the previous lap – totaled perhaps twice that, involving Johnson and Biffle.

When it was done, Edwards had followed up his breakthrough NASCAR Busch Series victory on Saturday in stunning style. He had become the first driver in history to get career-first victories in NASCAR’s top two series on the same weekend.

More big-picture from the statistical landscape: This past weekend marked the 20th time a driver has swept a NASCAR Busch Series race and a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race on the same weekend.

Edwards, who also became the 11th driver in history to win races in all three of NASCAR’s national series (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck), kept on driving Sunday night, not all that long after his victory-lane celebration. He and his motorcoach driver Tom Giacchi drove from Atlanta to Edwards’ hometown of Columbia, Mo. On Monday, Edwards flew to New York to ring the New York Stock Exchange’s closing bell. Also Monday, he gave his mother Nancy Sterling a new Ford.

Said Edwards: “It was so cool to drive home and it was just like going to a local dirt track and winning a race and then driving home all night.”

NEWS AND NOTES, PART II

JUDGING EDWARDS: MIZZOU GYMNASTICS COACH GIVES HIM A ‘9’ … With Carl Edwards’ post-victory backflips getting so much attention, it seemed appropriate to get an expert opinion on Edwards’ execution of the maneuver. Weighing in on a variety of questions regarding the backflips performed at Atlanta: University of Missouri head gymnastics coach Rob Drass, from Edwards’ hometown of Columbia:

Q: Was Saturday’s or Sunday’s flip better – and why?
A: Saturday’s flip was definitely a better landing – it was a better start, he had good balance, he made it without putting a hand down, and he had better height.

Q: How was the landing?
A: Saturday’s landing was much better. A three-point landing (like he had on Sunday) is definitely not as good as a two-point landing!

Q: Did he have proper elevation?
A: He did on Saturday. Elevation is the key to the whole thing – you have more time to complete the flip.

Q: How can he improve his technique?
A: He needs to come into the gym and train on our trampoline. We’ll get him ready to do double-backs in no time.

Q: He still has four years of eligibility left. Would a college team be interested in him or should he stick to driving a race car?
A: I think he’s a pretty darn good race-car driver, so I certainly wouldn’t advise him to stop what he’s doing, but if that doesn’t work out for him, who knows?

Q: What score would you give him?
A: 9.0 – not too bad of a backflip after three or four hours in a car.

Q: Is there any potential for a judging controversy?
A: It depends on whether they thought his hand touched before his feet on Sunday. That could get tricky. The federation could have very well been sorting through appeals for days.

IN CONTROL OF THEIR OWN DESTINIES … NASCAR’s new impound rules were in place at Atlanta, meaning that after qualifying on Friday, cars were impounded until Sunday morning when prior to the golden corral 500, teams were allowed to perform only cursory service to cars. Basically, teams qualified using their race set-ups.

The impounding, combined with the lower spoilers and softer tires implemented for 2005, have placed the battle where it belongs.

“It’s putting the results of the races more into the drivers’ hands,” said NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton.

Manufacturer Wins Points

CHEVROLET 2 30

FORD 2 30

DODGE 0 16

DEAD-HEAT: CHEVROLET, FORD TIED ATOP SERIES MANUFACTURERS STANDINGS … After four races in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season, Chevrolet and Ford are tied for the lead in the series’ Manufacturers Championship standings, with Dodge running third. Chevrolet and Ford share the lead on the strength of two victories each. … Chevrolet has won the Manufacturers Championship 28 times while Ford has won 15 times; the other 10 years the championship has been awarded, it has been won by Hudson (3), Dodge (2), Buick (2), Oldsmobile (1), Pontiac (1) and Plymouth (1). … Points are earned thusly: Nine points to the highest-finishing car type; six points to the second-highest finishing type; four points for the third-highest finishing type. … Chevrolet has won the championship the last two years. … Jimmie Johnson is currently the leading Chevrolet driver, as the series point leader. Greg Biffle, second in points, is the top Ford driver. Ryan Newman (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge) is the leading Dodge driver, standing sixth in the points.

“NASCAR ACCELERATION: 2005” REVS UP SEASON LAUNCH IN MAJOR MARKETS … NASCAR’s season-launch effort spawned impressive numbers both at the track and via television screens. Spanning Speedweeks – and the traditional season-opening Daytona 500 – through the season’s third NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, “NASCAR Acceleration: 2005” generated excitement among new and established fans.

The final proof was generated by the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 13 – the highest-rated, most-viewed sporting event of that weekend according to Nielsen Media Research. That distinction spotlighted increases from 2004 to 2005 in viewing households for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, but equally significant is the year-to-date growth in numbers of households tuning in to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup events through the season’s first three races – a clear nod to the success of “NASCAR Acceleration: 2005.”

Here’s a seven-city example:
City UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Though first three races
Atlanta 22% increase in households 34% increase in households
Boston 57% increase in households 19% increase in households
Dallas 83% increase in households 34% increase in households
Detroit 35% increase in households 19% increase in households
Hartford 42% increase in households 23% increase in households
New York 19% increase in households 30% increase in households
San Francisco 41% increase in households 39% increase in households

FROM THE ARCHIVES: TOP-FIVE STATUS AN EARLY TITLE BAROMETER … As the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series pauses for the Easter holiday, Jimmie Johnson leads the point standings. He also has one win, which means he’s following a recent trend.

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DeWALT Power Tools Ford) led the standings at this stage of the 2003 season and went on to win the series championship. So did the 2004 series champion, Kurt Busch (No. 97 IRWIN Industrial Tools/Sharpie Ford). Like Johnson, Busch and Kenseth each had one win at the Easter holiday, but here’s another interesting fact: Over the last 10 seasons, Kenseth and Busch are the only drivers who led the standings at Easter, then went on to clinch a title.

The 2002 series champion, Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet), ranked the lowest in the standings at that season’s Easter holiday. Stewart had one win, but was in 12th place in the points. During the past 10 seasons, no other champion has been out of the top five in points going into the Easter break. Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) had the most wins – three – at this point during his 1995 championship season. Only Terry Labonte and Dale Jarrett (No. 88 UPS Ford) were winless at this point in their title seasons of 1996 and 1999, respectively.

JUST AHEAD: CLOSE-QUARTERS RACING, TRIPS TO TEXAS, PHOENIX … The month of April offers a varied lineup of venues for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. The next stop takes place April 3 at Bristol Motor Speedway. A week later, on April 10, the series visits Martinsville – which means teams will compete on consecutive weeks at half-mile ovals for the first time since 1999. Reconstruction of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule, resulting from realignment, is the impetus. Short-track competition used to be more frequent on the schedule; as recently as 1996, teams faced a three-in-a-row short-track challenge: 500-lap showdowns at Bristol, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Martinsville.
Following the back-to-back visits to Bristol and Martinsville, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams head west, stopping first on April 17 at Texas Motor Speedway, and on April 23 at Phoenix International Raceway. During that two-week stretch, teams will transition from Bristol’s and Martinsville’s tough half-mile circuits to Texas’ 1.5-mile expanse. Then they’ll adjust to PIR’s flatter one-mile surface.

STAYING BUSY, STAYING ON TRACK … Although the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is pausing for the Easter holiday, several drivers are racing this weekend. Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge), Jamie McMurray (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge), Carl Edwards and Sterling Marlin (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge) all plan to compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Busch Series event – the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway in Nashville, Tenn. Kahne will drive the No. 6 Country Crock Dodge for his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup owner, Ray Evernham. McMurray will drive the Rusty Wallace-owned No. 64 Top-Flite Dodge. Edwards will drive Roush Racing’s No. 60 Charter Communications Ford. And Marlin – a Columbia, Tenn., native – will drive the No. 40 Jani-King Dodge for owner Armando Fitz.

Fast Facts

Next Race: Food City 500. (Race No. 5 in the 36-race NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season.)

The Track: Bristol Motor Speedway; Bristol, Tenn.

The Date/Time: Sunday, April 3, 1:15 p.m. (ET).

TV: FOX, 12:30 p.m. (ET).

Radio: PRN/XM Satellite.

Posted awards: $5,336,617.

Race length: 500 laps/266.5 miles.

Track layout: .533-mile oval.

2004 winner: Kurt Busch.

2004 polesitter: Ryan Newman.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10: 1. Jimmie Johnson 680. 2. Greg Biffle 598. 3. Carl Edwards 593. 4. Kurt Busch 577. 5. Mark Martin 539. 6. Ryan Newman 515. 7. Tony Stewart 514. 8. Elliott Sadler 482. 9. Rusty Wallace 477. 10. Jamie McMurray 475.

Track contact: Lori Worley, (423) 989-6948 or lori@bristolmotorspeedway.com.

For more information, contact:
Herb Branham, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 681-4164 or hbranham@nascar.com.