Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes
Kobalt Tools 500 Advance
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Kobalt Tools 500
DODGE CHARGER
Dodge continues the winning tradition legends Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Isaac established in the 1970s by designating the Charger as the nameplate Dodge teams will use in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008 and beyond
The Dodge Charger has won at least one race in NASCAR’s premier series since it returned in 2005 and has 137 wins since 1966. Dodge has 198 wins with all nameplates
Ryan Newman won the 50th running of the Daytona 500. He is the second Dodge driver to win The Great American Race since Dodge returned to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001. Ward Burton won in 2002 in a Dodge Intrepid
DODGE AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Dodge has visited victory lane six times at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Five came before the track was reconfigured in 1997
Ryan Newman has started from the Bud Pole seven times at AMS and shares the mark for most poles with Buddy Baker. Newman started from the No. 1 spot six consecutive races (2003-2005)
Kasey Kahne started from the Bud Pole and won the spring race at AMS in 2006. It was the first of a series high six wins during the season
Kasey Kahne has posted three consecutive top-10 finishes to open the 2008 season. It’s the best start for Kahne who is in his fifth season in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, all with Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Dennis Setzer and Stacy Compton will be competing in the Craftsman Truck Series event at AMS, driving Dodge Rams from Bobby Hamilton Racing – Virginia
DID YOU KNOW?
Bobby Labonte has six wins at AMS. He started from the Bud Pole and won the fall event in 1996, one of 14 wins from the No. 1 starting position. In addition to the six wins, he has 12 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at AMS. He has led 958 laps in 30 starts
Kyle Petty will be making his 55th start at AMS and 818th of his career
Kasey Kahne had one win, four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in eight starts at AMS
DODGE ROOKIE CONTENDERS
Sam Hornish Jr. – The three-time IndyCar Series champion and 2006 Indy 500 winner is assured a starting spot in the first five races of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in the No. 77 Mobile 1 Dodge Charger. Hornish cut down a tire early in the UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas and needed extensive repairs before he could return to the race. He finished 41st
Dario Franchitti – The reigning Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champion is the first European driver to compete full time in NASCAR’s premier series.
Franchitti, driver of the No. 40 Dodge Charger from Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, was the top finishing rookie at Las Vegas. He finished 33rd
Patrick Carpentier – The driver of the No. 10 Valvoline Dodge from Gillett Evernham Motorsports made his first start of the season at Las Vegas after an accident kept him out of the season-opening Daytona 500 and rain cancelled qualifying at California. He started 12th at Las Vegas and was the top running rookie until being involved in an accident on lap 162. He finished 40th
ROOKIE STANDINGS
Raybestos Rookies of the Year contender Dario Franchitti is the current point leader with 31 points after three races. Sam Hornish is third with 28
TRACK FACTS
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was the Dixie 300 in 1960. The track opened as a standard 1.5-mile oval. It was corrected to a 1.522-mile distance in 1970. In 1997, the track was reconfigured to a 1.54-mile quad oval with the start-finish line shifted to the backstretch. The 2007 fall event was the first on the quad oval
Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will mark the first time the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ “new car” has raced at the 1.54-mile quad oval
The track qualifying record of 197.478 mph (28.074 sec.) was set in 1997 by Geoffrey Bodine
Trivia
In six career Spring starts at AMS, Ryan Newman has never qualified outside or Row 1 (four poles, two No. 2s)
Bobby Allison earned Dodge’s first victory at AMS (1970)
Dodge has earned the pole in the last five Spring races at AMS (Newman ’03-05, 07; Kahne ’06)
Quotes of the Week
“There really has been a change in the attitude and the relationship. We’ve got Bob Nardelli, Mike Accavetti and Mr. Landry (Steven). They’ve really stepped up and supported all four of the Dodge teams and you can feel it.”
George Gillett
Majority Owner-Gillett/Evernham Motorsports
-on the early success of Dodge in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season
“Tracks like Atlanta are the ones that we are going to excel at with the new car before we do at other race tracks. The 1.5-miles like AMS are going to be our best tracks, then the 2-miles and then the short tracks.”
Kasey Kahne, Driver
No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger
