Thursday, May 6, 2010

Driver Chassis Selections; Darlington's SHOWTIME Southern 500

by Jeff Wackerlin
MotorRacingNetwork.com


1. Kevin Harvick: Coming off best finish in three starts with the COT in 11th; Last of four top 10s came in the 2004 March race; Led only laps (14) in the 2003 Labor Day race; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 297) in the Showtime Southern 500.

2. Jimmie Johnson: Leads all drivers with a 6.9 average finish; Coming off second top-five finish in the three races with the COT; Won both races in 2004; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 602) in the Showtime Southern 500.

3. Kyle Busch: Won this event in 2008 after leading 169 laps; 24.0 average finish in the three starts with the COT; Only other top 10 in five overall starts came with Hendrick Motorsports in 2006; Will make his third track start with Joe Gibbs Racing in the same car (chassis No. 261) that finished 12th at Phoenix last November.

4. Matt Kenseth: Fifth-best average finish (7.7) in the three races with the COT; Coming off fourth consecutive top 10; Defending event pole winner; Seven top 10s in 16 starts.

5. Greg Biffle: Winner of this event in 2005 and 2006; Coming off fourth top 10 (eighth) in nine starts; Leads all drivers with 212 laps led in the three races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 576) in the Showtime Southern 500.

6. Jeff Gordon: Leads all drivers in wins (7) and laps led (1,610); Leads all drivers with a 3.0 average finish in the three races with the COT; Winner of the first COT race; Only driver with three top fives with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 484) that finished second in three races last season.

7. Denny Hamlin: Fourth-best average finish (7.3) in the three races with the COT; Second in laps led (194) with the COT; Finished second in first COT race in 2007; 8.0 average finish in four starts; Will return in his Martinsville winning chassis (No. 267) in the Showtime Southern 500.

8. Kurt Busch: 14.8 average finish in four starts with Penske Racing: Four top 10s in 13 overall starts came with Roush Racing; One lap led in three starts with the COT.

9. Jeff Burton: 10.7 average finish in three races with the COT; Has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races; Won both races in 1999 with Roush Racing; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 305) in the Showtime Southern 500.

10. Mark Martin: Won this event last year in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports; 10.3 average finish in the three races with the COT; 26 top 10s in 43 starts; Will debut a new chassis (No. 582) in the Showtime Southern 500; The only time this car has been on track came in the Charlotte test.

11. Carl Edwards: Two top fives in the three races with the COT; Four top 10s and an average finish of 15.7 in six overall starts; Led 33 laps in this event in 2007; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 558) that finished second at Pocono last June.

12. Clint Bowyer: Won the pole for this event in 2007; Only top 10 (ninth) in four starts came in that event; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 264) that posted an average finish of 12.8 in four starts in 2009; This car was also used in the Darlington Goodyear tire test.

13. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 15.5 average finish in two starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Has finished eighth or better in four of his last five starts; Best finish in 15 starts is a pair of fourth-place finishes with the last coming in 2008; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 584) that won the pole and finished 15th at Atlanta.

14. Martin Truex Jr.: 11.2 average finish in four starts; Coming off first top 10 (sixth); Fifth in laps led (72) in the three races with the new car; Will make track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing.

15. Tony Stewart: Finished third in first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009; Posted eight top 10s in previous 16 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; 10.0 average finish in the three races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 515) that he won the All-Star race with in 2009.

16. Ryan Newman: Finished third in first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009; Posted six top 10s in previous 10 starts with Penske Racing; Two top fives in the three races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 506) that finished fifth at Pocono last June.

17. Joey Logano: Started fifth and finished ninth in first track start in 2009; Led 19 laps in that event; Will debut a new chassis (No. 266) in the Showtime Southern 500.

18. Juan Pablo Montoya: Finished track best 20th last year; 22.0 average finish in three starts; Piloting chassis No. 910, which was last raced to 37th-place finish at Las Vegas after an on-track altercation.

19. Jamie McMurray: 16.4 average finish in nine starts; Last of three top 10s came in 2005 race; Bringing brand new chassis No. 1006.

20. Paul Menard: Finished 15th last year in a Ford; 27.3 average finish in three starts; Piloting chassis No. 653; This car was last raced to 17th at Las Vegas in February.

21. AJ Allmendinger: 26.7 average finish in three starts; Making track debut in Ford; Bringing chassis No. 277, which was last run at Phoenix where he finished 15th from the pole.

22. Kasey Kahne: 15.3 average finish in seven starts; Last of two top fives came in 2005; Has started on the pole three times.

23. David Ragan: Finished track best fifth in 2008; 23.3 average finish in three starts; Bringing chassis RK-638, which was last raced to a 24th-place finish in last year's Coca-Cola 600.

24. Brian Vickers: Best finish in seven starts was 16th in May 2006; Best finish with Red Bull was 25th in 2008; 28.6 average finish.

25. Scott Speed: Finished 26th in track debut in 2009.

26. Brad Keselowski: Finished seventh in track debut in 2009 after starting 31st; Piloting brand-new chassis PRS-720, which has been described as one of the lightest ever built at Penske Racing.

27. David Reutimann: 27.0 average finish in three starts; Best finish of 19th was in 2008.

28. Marcos Ambrose: Finished 33rd in track debut in 2009 from the 10th starting position; Tested in March during Goodyear tire test.

29. Sam Hornish Jr.: Qualified fourth last year in second track start, but finished 30th; 34.0 average finish.

30. Elliott Sadler: 18.6 average finish in 17 starts; Last of four top-five finishes came in a Ford with Yates Racing in 2004 spring race; Finished 14th with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009; Bringing chassis No. 283, which was tested during last month's tire test at track.

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