NASCAR NNCS (DAYTONA) - SERIES NOTES

• Kurt Busch Attempting To Stake 12th-Place ‘Bubble’ Claim • Car Of Tomorrow, Round 10: Return To Bristol • On The Line: Ninth-Place Bowyer Guest On Teleconference • New Racing Surface A Bristol Equalizer • On The Air: ESPN Ready For “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”

Tuesday’s victory in the twice-rain-delayed event at Michigan International Speedway helped Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) strengthen his hold on 12th place in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings.

But now it’s grab-as-many-points-as-you-can with three races to go.

And only 163 separate Busch and 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet), who finished 12th at Michigan. Right behind Earnhardt – by eight points – is Busch’s Penkse Racing teammate, Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge).

Fifteenth-place Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford) has a larger mountain to climb – he trails Newman by 125 points – but no one is particularly comfortable as the series heads for Saturday night’s Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“The cleanest car usually has a shot going to Victory Lane,” Busch said of the .533-mile short track, which will host the 30th anniversary running of its night race on Saturday.

“That’s the approach I’ve taken there every year and I’ve had some wins.”

Expect Busch, who trails 11th-place Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) by 33 points, to be fierce at Bristol. He and standings leader Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) lead all active drivers with five wins there.

Earnhardt has one Bristol victory.

Race To The Chase, Round 8: Every Point Becomes Precious

As the “Race to the Chase” winds down, add two important variables to this week’s Sharpie 500 at Bristol: A new concrete racing surface installed after the March event, and the return of the Car of Tomorrow – NASCAR’s next-generation race car – to the track where it made its competitive debut.

Bristol’s new surface is smoother, three feet wider and comes with variable banking to ease transitions all around the track.

On Saturday, NASCAR’s new car will run the 10th of 16 scheduled events this season, in preparation for a fulltime schedule in 2008.

Combine all of that with drivers battling for Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup eligibility, and to clinch potential Chase spots. The already-clinched include standings leader Jeff Gordon, who did it two weeks ago at Watkins Glen, and second-place Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet) who clinched a berth following Tuesday’s Michigan event.

Next up as a potential “clincher” – third-place Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford), who can clinch by starting Saturday night’s race. The “magic number” for drivers is 391; anyone that far ahead of the 13th-place driver coming out Bristol will clinch a Chase berth. A total of six drivers (positions 3-8 in the points) have a chance to clinch this week.

Seeding Update: Drivers Battling For Bonus Points

Aside from solidifying his hold on 12th place in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points, Tuesday’s win at Michigan also boosted Kurt Busch’s seeding chances, should he qualify for the Chase for the NASAR NEXTEL Cup.

Busch now has two ’07 victories, becoming the third driver with multiple wins this season. Thirteen different drivers have won races thus far. And for those pursuing Chase berths, every victory matters.

Following race No. 26, the cutoff event at Richmond International Raceway, the 12 Chase-eligible drivers will have their point totals “reset” to 5,000. They then will have bonus points – 10 for each victory during the 26 races preceding the Chase – applied. Of the 13 race winners, nine are in the series standings’ top 12. The only driver outside the top 12 is Jamie McMurray (No. 26 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford), who won the Pepsi 400 last month at Daytona International Speedway. McMurray is 17th coming into Bristol.

Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) are tied with a series-high four wins each. They’re first and sixth, respectively, in the standings heading to Bristol but with 40 bonus points each, they would begin the Chase as the top two seeds. Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) would be seeded third with 30 bonus points via his three wins. Busch would be seeded third with 20 bonus points via two wins.

Seeding ties are broken by the comparison of drivers’ best finishes beyond victories.

Defending and two-time race champion Matt Kenseth may be the next multiple-victory candidate. A win Saturday night would tie him with three-time series champion Darrell Waltrip – the only driver to win three consecutive night races at Bristol. Only one other driver has won back-to-back Bristol night races – Dale Earnhardt in ’87 and ’88.

Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet), Richard Childress Racing’s second-year driver who’s vying for his first Chase berth, is the only current Chase-eligible driver who hasn’t won yet this season; he’s also seeking his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory.

On The Line: Bowyer, Crew Chief Gil Martin Discuss Bristol On Weekly Teleconference

We are joined on today’s call with Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and his crew chief Gil Martin. Guys I appreciate you taking the time to be with us today especially after that extended weekend we had at Michigan.

Q: Let’s start off with an overall outlook for the chances at Bristol for your team from both the driver and the crew chief points of view. Clint why don’t you lead off, then we will hear from Gil about overall what you think about Bristol this week.

Bowyer: Well you know I am looking forward to it. Obviously anything can happen at Bristol. It is one of those tracks that you can get caught up in just about anything anywhere on the race track. So you got to be conscious, but you have to race hard. We have to do the things that got us here. We ran well there in the spring in the first Car of Tomorrow race. Obviously they have changed the track since then. We have had a couple of tests in the Busch car since then and we have another one tomorrow. So we will be atleast be fond of the race track before we get there. So we are looking forward to the challenge.

Q: Gil, how about you. I guess Bristol is a little bit nerve racking for a crew chief?

Martin: Well, I think it is because anything can happen at Bristol. But like Clint said, we ran well there in the spring. We had a good test there even though the track has changed. We have spent the last seven hours today on the seven post running a lot of runs in preparation for the race this weekend. So I mean, because anything can happen, you can’t worry about that because we have some good success at Bristol and we are going there with a lot of really high thoughts this weekend.

For a complete transcript of this week’s NASCAR Teleconference – and transcripts of previous teleconferences from this season – go to NASCARMedia.com.

Season-High Finish Propels No. 22 To 35th Spot In Owners Points

Dave Blaney and his No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota team owned by Bill Davis had to wait two extra days for their best finish of the ’07 season, but in the end, it was worth it.

Blaney’s sixth-place finish Tuesday in the twice-rain-postponed 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway boosted the team into 35th in the car owner standings.

That means the team is guaranteed a starting berth for Saturday’s Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway – the first time the No. 22 has been in the top 35 in owner standings since the season-opening Daytona 500.

Teams outside the top 35 in owner points must rely on qualifying times to make the race.

“It’s a big relief to get into the top 35, but you have to enjoy a nice run like this even more than that,” Blaney said. “When you can run like this, you’re not going to be out of the top 35 very long.”

The No. 22 switched spots with the No. 21 U.S. Air Force Ford driven by Bill Elliott and owned by Glen Wood. The Wood Brothers Racing team had seized the 35th spot following last week’s event at Watkins Glen International. Elliott finished 35th Tuesday at Michigan, which drops the No. 21 back to 36th. His team trails Blaney’s by 55 points in the owner standings. Blaney’s team now trails the 34th-place No. 45 Wells Fargo Dodge (owned and driven by Kyle Petty) by 24 points.

2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Owner Points – After 23 Races

Pos. Points Team Owner Driver

30th 1,940 No. 15 Chevrolet Bobby Ginn Paul Menard 31st 1,929 No. 66 Chevrolet Joe Custer Jeff Green 32nd 1,925 No. 88 Ford Robert Yates Ricky Rudd 33rd 1,805 No. 70 Chevrolet Joe Custer Johnny Sauter 34th 1,769 No. 45 Dodge Kyle Petty Kyle Petty

35th 1,745 No. 22 Toyota Bill Davis Dave Blaney

36th 1,690 No. 21 Ford Glen Wood Bill Elliott 37th 1,560 No. 10 Dodge James Rocco Scott Riggs 38th 1,547 No. 13 Chevrolet Jay Frye Sterling Marlin 39th 1,448 No. 83 Toyota Dietrich Mateschitz Brian Vickers 40th 1,337 No. 00 Toyota Cal Wells David Reutimann

In The Loop: Kenseth’s, Jeff Gordon’s Bristol Stats Tell A Winning Tale

In winning the last two Bristol night races, Matt Kenseth has established himself as a master of the high-banked short track.

He has finished in the top 10 in nine of his last 11 Bristol races, and his worst finish in that span was 16th in 2005. Over the past five races, Kenseth sits atop most of the key Loop Data categories.

Kenseth ranks first in the following:

* Driver Rating (119.6) * Average Running Position (5.3) * Fastest Laps Run (204) * Green Flag Speed * Laps in the Top 15 (2,364)

Standings leader Jeff Gordon also has tremendous statistics at Bristol – which is key if he wants to put distance between himself and Jimmie Johnson in the bonus points race. Currently, Gordon’s four wins this season has earned him 40 potential bonus points. Johnson also has 40, while Tony Stewart has 30.

Gordon could add to his points stash with another solid Bristol performance – he has five wins there and two consecutive top-five finishes.

Over the past five Bristol races, Gordon has a Driver Rating of 104.8 (third-best among drivers competing Saturday), an Average Running Position of 8.5 (second-best), 108 Fastest Laps Run (tied for fourth-best), 2,079 Laps in the Top 15 (second-most) and 84 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), which is third-best.

Greg Biffle is one driver who could surprise come Saturday night. Biffle, who is looking to make a major leap into the top 12, could make gains with another solid performance at Bristol.

He has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five Bristol races and over that span has a Driver Rating of 105.4 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 10.9 (fourth-best) and 158 Fastest Laps Run (second-most).

Keys To Victory

Bristol Motor Speedway is a physically demanding track that scoffs at aerodynamics and rewards drivers who keep their cars unscathed. The latter is a difficult task on a high-banked half mile. But despite the new racing surface, look for these Bristol constants:

* New concrete doesn’t mean a new personality. Bristol remains a small, fast track that likely will provide a second groove by Saturday night.

* Staying out of trouble is as important as staying near the front. Although cars can tolerate some body damage here, too much contact means a serious drop in the running order.

* A new track means new setups. Also new spring and shock combinations and lots of practice research.

* Everyone is a rookie, again. Organizations with NASCAR Busch Series and/or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams may have a head start because of those series’ Aug. 23-24 tests at Bristol.

NNCS, Etc. …

It’s the “Night Race” at Bristol Motor Speedway and ESPN will have live coverage of Saturday’s Sharpie 500 – beginning at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

ESPN’s Suzy Kolber will host, along with analyst Brad Daugherty. Dr. Jerry Punch anchors the play-by-play booth, joined by 1989 series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time series champion crew chief Andy Petree.

Prior to Saturday, ABC News’ five-part series NASCAR in Primetime continues tonight with its second installment at 10 p.m. ET. The series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation, logistics, drama and competition of NASCAR.

The unscripted documentary series chronicles NASCAR on and off the track to explain the sport’s emergence as a cultural phenomenon.

NASCAR in Primetime also includes inside looks at drivers Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) and Mark Martin.

Almirola To Make DEI Debut at Bristol Aric Almirola (No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet) will make his first start for Dale Earnhardt Inc., Saturday night at Bristol.

It will be the second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start for the 23-year-old from Tampa, Fla., who departed Joe Gibbs Racing in mid-July for Ginn Racing – which then merged, days later, with DEI.

Almirola will split time in the No. 01 with veteran Mark Martin for the rest of this season and in ’08. He’ll also compete in Friday night’s NASCAR Busch Series event for JGR.

Saturday night’s start also will be Almirola’s first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Bristol; he competed in two previous NASCAR Busch Series events there.

“I don't have a lot of experience at Bristol, but I have enough to know that you have to be patient and totally focused," he said. “It’s a demanding track; you can’t ever let your guard down.”

Some “Concrete” Facts The day after Bristol Motor Speedway’s March 25 event, workers began demolishing its old concrete track to prepare for reconstruction. The result is a new multi-million-dollar concrete surface and a five-month transformation that represents the biggest change to Bristol’s racing surface since concrete replaced asphalt 15 years ago.

• Variable banking has corrected a convex shape into a smoother bowl effect. Workers also smoothed transitions into all four turns. The high-banked, .533-mile track also gained three feet, expanding to 43 feet wide.

• Bristol’s 43 pit stalls – asphalt before – now are concrete and two feet wider.

• The project required more than 20,000 cubic yards of concrete – 3,000 of which forms the track’s new, top layer. The new track surface, including the sub-base, is 17 inches thick.

• More than 650 tons of rebar – iron reinforcement bars – was used. That’s equivalent to 382 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup cars (which weigh 3,400 pounds each), 1,182 adult Kodiak bears and 41,600,000 Sharpie pens.

All For A Good Cause The NASCAR Foundation is gearing up for a busy Bristol Motor Speedway weekend – first for Saturday morning’s charity track walk and also in preparation for the second annual NASCAR Foundation Blood and Marrow Drive on Sept. 11.

Saturday’s track walk begins at 10 a.m. Fans may walk the .533-mile surface for fun, fitness and to raise money for those in need. All proceeds go to the Foundation and the Bristol chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

All NASCAR NEXTEL Cup cars will run a “Roll Up Your Sleeves” decal this weekend in support of the Blood and Marrow drive. In addition, temporary “Roll Up Your Sleeves” tattoos will be available at The NASCAR Foundation booth for fans to show their support.

The second annual NASCAR Foundation Blood and Marrow Drive takes place Sept. 11 at 25 tracks across the country.

On Deck: Labor Day Weekend at California In Round 9 of the “Race to the Chase,” drivers battling for the 12th and final Chase-eligible position are down to one event – at California Speedway – before facing the No. 26 cutoff race at Richmond International Raceway.

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 McDonald’s/Dodge Dealers Dodge) is the defending race champion at California. Next Sunday’s Sharp Aquos 500 is set for a 6 p.m. ET start.

Etc. … In what has evolved into another Bristol “night race” tradition, children of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers will perform the national anthem prior to Saturday’s Sharpie 500. … NASCAR legendary owner and driver Junior Johnson will serve as the Grand Marshal of Thursday’s 11th annual Blue Lizard Transporter Parade.

At 9 p.m., NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team haulers will parade along a 10-mile route to Bristol Motor Speedway. Most will be giving rides to a child from Make-A-Wish or the Children's Miracle Network as the event involves Making Wishes and Miracles Happen For Children In The East Tennessee Region. Johnson is the all-time winning team owner at Bristol, with 21 victories there.

NASCAR Podcasts Every week NASCAR produces Podcasts available through NASCARmedia.com and iTunes. Mondays feature a race recap from the previous event and includes driver interviews and post-race audio. Tuesdays offer a preview of the next race with a statistical analysis featuring NASCAR’s Manager of Statistics, Writing and Production, Mike Forde. NASCAR’s Director of Cost Research Brett Bodine joins us each Wednesday for insight and analysis on the upcoming event.

On Thursday, expect a crew member podcast with Gil Martin, Clint Bowyer’s crew chief and a Nashville, Tenn., native.

To subscribe to the official NASCAR Podcast login to NASCARMedia.com and click on the Podcast link on the right side of the page.

The Race: Sharpie 500 The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway The Date: Saturday, August 25 The Time: 8 p.m. (ET) TV: ESPN, 7 p.m. (ET) The Track: 533-mile oval The Distance: 266.5 miles/500 laps The Purse: $6,182,147 2006 Winner: Matt Kenseth 2006 Pole: Kurt Busch Series Standings Pos Driver Points 1 Gordon 3,471 2 Hamlin 3,195 3 Kenseth 3,117 4 Stewart 3,073 5 Edwards 2,970 6 Johnson 2,959 7 Burton 2,927 8 Kyle Busch 2,881 9 Bowyer 2,779 10 Harvick 2,773 11 Truex Jr. 2,757 12 Kurt Busch 2,724 Pre-Race Schedule (local/ET time): Friday—Practice, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Qualifying, 3:20 p.m. Final Practice, 6:15-7:20 p.m.