2008 Dodge Challenger 500
The 2008 Dodge Challenger 500, the 59th running of the event, was the eleventh race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. It was held on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at the fabled Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 11 of 36 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Darlington Raceway | |||
| Date | May 10, 2008 | ||
| Official name | Dodge Challenger 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington County, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures plummeting as low as 64 °F (18 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 140.35 miles per hour (225.87 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Roush Fenway Racing | ||
| Time | 27.405 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 169 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds | ||
Summary
The race was televised in the USA on Fox starting at 7 PM US EDT with radio being handled on MRN on terrestrial radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. It was the first race on the newly repaved 1.366 mile track as "The Lady in Black" has gone under an extreme makeover akin to plastic surgery, with speeds at Goodyear tire testing in March having cars clocked at or over 200 MPH.
The race also served as the last chance to qualify for Sprint All-Star Race XXIV to be held the following week at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Otherwise, those who have not won a race, a series championship or a previous All-Star race would have to qualify via the Sprint Showdown race as one of the top two finishers or through fan voting by being on the lead lap in the Showdown.
Pre-race news
- Back in the saddle for the #40 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge was Sterling Marlin after Ken Schrader failed to make the Richmond race the previous week. Another change found Jeff Green replacing John Andretti in the #34 car, however they failed to qualify.
Qualifying
Greg Biffle edged out Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the pole position.
Race
After getting a rousing chorus of booing from Earnhardt fans for what he did the previous week at Richmond, Kyle Busch quieted them down with his third win of the 2008 campaign.
Other finishers in the top ten were Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., David Ragan, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney and Jeff Burton.[2]
Failed to Qualify: Johnny Sauter (#70), Jeff Green (#34).
Top 10 results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 8 | 28 | Travis Kvapil | Yates Racing | Ford |
| 9 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 10 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
References
- Weather information for the 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- Top ten finishers of the 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 at Driver Averages. Accessed 2013-06-18. Archived 2013-06-21.
| Previous race: 2008 Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 |
Sprint Cup Series 2008 season |
Next race: 2008 Coca-Cola 600 |