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KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY NEWS AND NOTES - OCTOBER 27, 2008


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KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY SEASON TICKET PLANS GO ON SALE OCT. 29

Four affordable ticket plans for the six-event 2009 Kentucky Speedway season that will include two doubleheader race days will be placed on sale Oct. 29. The four-weekend season will mark the facility’s 10th year of operation and open May 9 with an ARCA RE/MAX Series 150-mile event. Racing will continue through an Aug. 1 high-speed doubleheader featuring IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights primetime action. Season plan prices range from $165 to $255 according to seat location meaning fans can enjoy a reserved seat for each of the track’s six race events for as little as $27.50. Benefit-rich plans also include VIP parking for each event which can be exchanged for general campground admission for a savings of $30, one cold pit pass for each race day with each ticket purchased and the opportunity to purchase additional race tickets at a discount. Speedway visitors also will be entertained with event-day concerts spotlighting well-known artists. All concerts are included with the price of an event ticket and the line-up will be announced at a future date. Ticket plans can be reserved and renewed online at KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY, by calling 859-578-2300, through Tickets.com outlets including Meijer stores and by visiting the Kentucky Speedway ticket office in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., at 400 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 100 near the Montgomery Inn restaurant or the track Fan Center located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N in Sparta, Ky.

KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY DRIVE THE TRACK SALE SET FOR SATURDAY, NOV. 1

Kentucky Speedway will play host to its final “Drive the Track Sale” of 2008 Saturday, Nov. 1, from 9:30 a.m., to 4:00 p.m. Visitors who make a minimum $40 official Gift Shop merchandise purchase will be able to drive their personal vehicles on the 1.5-mile tri-oval racetrack at the race facility. The Kentucky Speedway Gift Shop is located in the track Fan Center off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 North in Sparta, Ky. Phone 859-567-3440 for more information.

EDWARDS’ ATLANTA WIN PROVIDES LITTLE HELP IN THE CHASE FOR THE SPRINT CUP STANDINGS

Roush Fenway Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup championship contender and two-time Kentucky Speedway event winner Carl Edwards notched his seventh win of the season yesterday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but gained a mere 15 points on current Chase for the Sprint Cup leader Jimmie Johnson, who finished second by 2.684 seconds and posted his 14th top-five effort and 21st top-10 finish of 2008. Edwards led the race six times for a total of 98 laps including the final 16 circuits. Despite gaining little ground in the standings, Edwards jumped two spots in the series standings to second and has registered top-three finishes in five of the past seven events. Johnson continued his charge toward his third straight series title by engineering his seventh top-two finish in the past nine races and his ninth consecutive top-10 finish. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin placed third, Roush Fenway driver Matt Kenseth captured fourth and Kyle Busch raced across the Atlanta finish line fifth. Hamlin remained 11th in the series standings after picking up his second straight top-five finish and third in the past eight races. Kenseth moved from 10th to ninth in the series standings with his ninth top-five and 19th top-10 finish of the campaign. He has taken two straight top-10 finishes and three top-five finishes in his past six starts. Kyle Busch earned his second top-five finish in the past three races now owns 17 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes through 33 of 36 events. Johnson will hold a 183-point championship advantage over the second-place Edwards when teams arrive at Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 2. Race coverage begins at 3:00 p.m., on ABC television and 3:30 p.m. on the Performance Racing Network, Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128 and XM Radio Channel 104. Edwards won the April 6 race at the track that Dale Earnhardt, Jr., started from the pole position. The Chase for the Sprint Cup standings are: Johnson (Leader: 6,248 points, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Edwards (Second: -183 points, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Greg Biffle (Third: -185, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Jeff Burton (Fourth: -218, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Kevin Harvick (Fifth: -307, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Jeff Gordon (Sixth: -312, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports); Clint Bowyer (Seventh: -314, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing), Tony Stewart (Eighth: -401, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing); Kenseth (Ninth: -413, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Earnhardt, Jr. (Ninth: -419, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports), Hamlin (11th: -425, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing) and Kyle Busch (12th: -465, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing).

HORNADAY, JR. NARROWS NCTS CHAMPIONSHIP GAP WITH ATLANTA TOP-FIVE FINISH

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Ryan Newman entered the NCTS Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway Oct. 25, but Kevin Harvick, Inc., driver and race runner-up Ron Hornaday, Jr., was the winner in the series standings after gaining 31 points on championship front runner Johnny Benson of Bill Davis Racing. While Newman was earning his first career series win for Kevin Harvick, Inc., his teammate was chalking up his fourth top-five finish in his past six races. Benson finished a respectable seventh and posted his second straight top-10 finish but still lost championship ground. He will roll into the Oct. 31 race at Texas Motor Speedway with a 31-point lead over Hornaday, Jr. Sprint Cup Series regular Denny Hamlin nabbed third, Germain Racing driver Todd Bodine claimed fourth and Scott Speed corralled a fifth-place finish. Hamlin scored his first top-five finish in his second series start of the season. He also owns a win and a total of four top-five finishes this season through 13 starts. Bodine moved from fourth to third in the standings with his second straight top-five finish and fourth straight top-10 finish. Speed wheeled to his second straight top-10 series finish that marked his seventh of the season. SPEED Channel coverage from Texas Motor Speedway will begin at 8:30 p.m., and radio coverage is set for a 9:00 p.m., start on the Motor Racing Network, Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128 and XM Radio Channel 104. Hornaday, Jr., won the June 6 race at the track that Justin Marks started from the pole position. Benson placed third in the event. The top 10 in the series standings entering the race are: Benson (Leader: 3,324 points, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Hornaday, Jr. (Second: -31 points, Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick, Inc.); Todd Bodine (Third: -218, Toyota, Germain Racing); Erik Darnell (Fourth (tied): -297, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Matt Crafton (Fourth (tied): -297, Chevrolet, ThorSport Racing); Rick Crawford (Sixth: -341, Ford, Circle Bar Racing); Mike Skinner (Seventh: -343, Toyota, Bill Davis Racing); Dennis Setzer (Eighth: -524, Dodge, Bobby Hamilton Racing); Jack Sprague (Ninth: -532, Toyota, Wyler Racing) and Chad McCumbee (10th: -670, Chevrolet, MRD Motorsports).

EDWARDS EARNS MEMPHIS NNS WIN

Defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and Roush Racing driver Carl Edwards added intrigue to the 2008 series title battle by scoring an Oct. 25 Memphis Motorsports Park victory and gaining 80 points on current leader and Richard Childress Racing competitor Clint Bowyer. Edwards’ second win in the past five starts moved his season total to a series-high five and extended his top-five finish streak to six. Bowyer closed out the Memphis race in 16th place and ended his top-five finish streak at two and top-10 finish streak at seven. His championship lead over the second-place Edwards will stand at 116 when the series visits Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 1. Edwards finished 0.147 of a second in front of Michael Waltrip Racing driver David Reutimann while Kenny Wallace grabbed third place, Richard Childress Racing newcomer Austin Dillon nailed down the fourth spot and Joe Gibbs Racing star Joey Logano snared fifth place. Reutimann moved from seventh to sixth in the series standings with his first top-five finish since his fifth-place run at Chicagoland Speedway July 11. He has posted three top-10 finishes in the past seven races. Wallace earned his first top-five and top-10 finish of the season in his 31st start while Dillon earned his first top-five finish in just his second career series start. Logano, the reigning Kentucky Speedway NASCAR Nationwide Series event winner, clicked off his fourth top-five and 11th top-10 finish of the season. He has dialed up top-10 finishes in six of his last nine series starts. Coverage from Texas Motor Speedway will begin at 3:00 p.m., on ESPN2 and radio coverage takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. on the Performance Racing Network, Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128 and XM Radio Channel 104. Kyle Busch took an April 5 victory at the track this season after Kevin Harvick started from the pole position. The top 10 drivers in the series standings are: Bowyer (Leader: 4,667 points, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing); Edwards (Second: -116, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Brad Keselowski (Third: -289, Chevrolet, Jr. Motorsports); Mike Bliss (Fourth: -499, Chevrolet, Phoenix Racing); David Ragan (Fifth: -512, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing); Reutimann (Sixth: -615, Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing); Kyle Busch (Seventh: -736, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing/Braun Racing); Mike Wallace (Eighth: -913, Toyota, Germain Racing); Jason Leffler (Ninth: -941, Toyota, Braun Racing) and Marcos Ambrose (10th: -975, Ford, JTG Daugherty Racing).