Race Capsule

What: Race 3 of 35 on Nationwide circuit
Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV
When: March 1, 2008
Laps: 200
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Race Length: 300.00 miles
Purse: $1,649,814
Last Year Winner: Jeff Burton

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Sam's Town 300
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 01, 2008
Race 3 of 35
Practice 1

RANK CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND

1 21 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 177.206 30.473 Leader
2 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 176.108 30.663 -0.190
3 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express 176.097 30.665 -0.192
4 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Penske Truck Rental 175.959 30.689 -0.216
5 99 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 175.530 30.764 -0.291
6 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Camping World/ RVs.com 175.075 30.844 -0.371
7 66 Steve Wallace Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities 174.955 30.865 -0.392
8 64 David Stremme Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities 174.814 30.890 -0.417
9 20 Tony Stewart Toyota Old Spice 174.560 30.935 -0.462
10 6 David Ragan Ford Discount Tire 174.520 30.942 -0.469
11 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Delphi 174.407 30.962 -0.489
12 16 Greg Biffle Ford CitiFinancial 174.396 30.964 -0.491
13 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Supercuts 174.261 30.988 -0.515
14 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Camping World/ RVs.com 174.233 30.993 -0.520
15 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford Kingsford Hickory Charcoal 174.059 31.024 -0.551
16 47 Kelly Bires Ford Clorox 173.991 31.036 -0.563
17 32 Brian Vickers Toyota Dollar General 173.958 31.042 -0.569
18 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Great Clips 173.874 31.057 -0.584
19 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet U.S. Navy 173.807 31.069 -0.596
20 111 Jason Keller Chevrolet CJM.com 173.700 31.088 -0.615
21 40 Dario Franchitti* Dodge Fastenal 173.589 31.108 -0.635
22 25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford Curly's 173.166 31.184 -0.711
23 37 Brad Baker Ford Baker Curb Racing 173.149 31.187 -0.714
24 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Wisk 172.723 31.264 -0.791
25 41 Kyle Krisiloff Dodge Energizer e2 Lithium 172.227 31.354 -0.881
26 60 Carl Edwards Ford Save-A-Lot 171.619 31.465 -0.992
27 01 Kertus Davis Chevrolet RaceGirl 171.581 31.472 -0.999
28 36 Kenny Wallace Dodge Shark Energy Drink 171.576 31.473 -1.000
29 7 Mike Wallace Toyota GEICO 170.978 31.583 -1.110
30 1 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 169.683 31.824 -1.351
31 90 Todd Bodine Chevrolet MSRP Motorsports 168.951 31.962 -1.489
32 161 Kevin Lepage Ford Specialty Racing 168.845 31.982 -1.509
33 91 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet MSRP Motorsports 168.587 32.031 -1.558
34 27 Brad Coleman Ford Scott / Smith's 168.460 32.055 -1.582
35 30 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet NOS Energy Drink 168.376 32.071 -1.598
36 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Victory In Jesus 168.261 32.093 -1.620
37 0 Dwayne Leik Chevrolet Lori Morgan 168.093 32.125 -1.652
38 52 Derrike Cope Chevrolet Means Racing 167.691 32.202 -1.729
39 81 D.J. Kennington Dodge NPPL / MC2 Energy Drink 167.266 32.284 -1.811
40 05 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 31-W Insulation / CertainTeed 166.873 32.360 -1.887
41 28 Brian Keselowski* Chevrolet Jay Robinson Inc. 166.261 32.479 -2.006
42 4 Robert Richardson, II Chevrolet JVC 165.401 32.648 -2.175
43 24 Eric McClure Chevrolet Hefty 163.994 32.928 -2.455
44 84 Mike Harmon Chevrolet M150 Energy Drink 162.299 33.272 -2.799
45 283 John Borneman III Ford Borneman Plastering 120.924 44.656 -14.183

* Denotes Rookie

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Sam's Town 300
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 01, 2008
Race 3 of 35

ORDER CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR

1 99 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine
2 60 Carl Edwards Ford Save-A-Lot
3 28 Brian Keselowski* Chevrolet Jay Robinson Inc.
4 6 David Ragan Ford Discount Tire
5 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Wisk
6 41 Kyle Krisiloff Dodge Energizer e2 Lithium
7 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford Kingsford Hickory Charcoal
8 24 Eric McClure Chevrolet Hefty
9 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express
10 37 Brad Baker Ford Baker Curb Racing
11 7 Mike Wallace Toyota GEICO
12 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Camping World/ RVs.com
13 66 Steve Wallace Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities
14 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Camping World/ RVs.com
15 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Supercuts
16 47 Kelly Bires Ford Clorox
17 40 Dario Franchitti* Dodge Fastenal
18 1 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
19 64 David Stremme Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities
20 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Great Clips
21 25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford Curly's
22 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet U.S. Navy
23 20 Tony Stewart Toyota Old Spice
24 0 Dwayne Leik Chevrolet Lori Morgan
25 4 Robert Richardson, II Chevrolet JVC
26 32 Brian Vickers Toyota Dollar General
27 27 Brad Coleman Ford Scott / Smith's
28 161 Kevin Lepage Ford Specialty Racing
29 05 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 31-W Insulation / CertainTeed
30 84 Mike Harmon Chevrolet M150 Energy Drink
31 52 Derrike Cope Chevrolet Means Racing
32 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Penske Truck Rental
33 81 D.J. Kennington Dodge NPPL / MC2 Energy Drink
34 36 Kenny Wallace Dodge Shark Energy Drink
35 90 Todd Bodine Chevrolet MSRP Motorsports
36 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Delphi
37 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Victory In Jesus
38 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries
39 30 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet NOS Energy Drink
40 111 Jason Keller Chevrolet CJM.com
41 16 Greg Biffle Ford CitiFinancial
42 21 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
43 91 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet MSRP Motorsports
44 283 John Borneman III Ford Borneman Plastering
45 01 Kertus Davis Chevrolet RaceGirl

* Denotes Rookie

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Sam's Town 300
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 1, 2008
Race 3 of 35

POS CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND

1 32 Brian Vickers Toyota Dollar General 181.708 29.718 Leader
2 29 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express 180.832 29.862 -0.144
3 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Interstate Batteries 179.844 30.026 -0.308
4 20 Tony Stewart Toyota Old Spice 179.796 30.034 -0.316
5 99 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 179.665 30.056 -0.338
6 40 Dario Franchitti* Dodge Fastenal 179.659 30.057 -0.339
7 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford Kingsford Hickory Charcoal 179.617 30.064 -0.346
8 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet RVs.com / Camping World 179.509 30.082 -0.364
9 60 Carl Edwards Ford Save-A-Lot 178.749 30.210 -0.492
10 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Camping World/ RVs.com 178.294 30.287 -0.569
11 111 Jason Keller Chevrolet CJM.com 178.253 30.294 -0.576
12 66 Steve Wallace Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities 177.965 30.343 -0.625
13 22 Mike Bliss Dodge Supercuts 177.754 30.379 -0.661
14 25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford Curly's 177.643 30.398 -0.680
15 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet U.S. Navy 177.643 30.398 -0.680
16 47 Kelly Bires Ford Clorox 177.538 30.416 -0.698
17 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet Delphi 177.189 30.476 -0.758
18 21 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 177.183 30.477 -0.759
19 7 Mike Wallace Toyota GEICO 177.183 30.477 -0.759
20 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Great Clips 176.759 30.550 -0.832
21 64 David Stremme Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities 176.332 30.624 -0.906
22 27 Brad Coleman Ford Scott / Smith's 176.234 30.641 -0.923
23 16 Greg Biffle Ford CitiFinancial 176.010 30.680 -0.962
24 37 Brad Baker Ford Baker Curb Racing 175.376 30.791 -1.073
25 41 Kyle Krisiloff Dodge Energizer e2 Lithium 175.103 30.839 -1.121
26 30 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet NOS Energy Drink 174.769 30.898 -1.180
27 6 David Ragan Ford Discount Tire 173.997 31.035 -1.317
28 1 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 173.891 31.054 -1.336
29 9 Patrick Carpentier Dodge Wisk 173.812 31.068 -1.350
30 24 Eric McClure Chevrolet Hefty 173.494 31.125 -1.407
31 01 Kertus Davis Chevrolet RaceGirl 173.488 31.126 -1.408
32 90 Todd Bodine Chevrolet MSRP Motorsports 172.529 31.299 -1.581
33 161 Kevin Lepage Ford Specialty Racing 172.381 31.326 -1.608
34 81 D.J. Kennington Dodge MC2 Energy Drink / NPPL 172.287 31.343 -1.625
35 91 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet MSRP Motorsports 171.614 31.466 -1.748
36 36 Kenny Wallace Dodge Shark Energy Drink 171.488 31.489 -1.771
37 52 Derrike Cope Chevrolet Means Racing 171.293 31.525 -1.807
38 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Victory In Jesus 169.375 31.882 -2.164
39 28 Brian Keselowski* Chevrolet Jay Robinson Inc. 168.666 32.016 -2.298
40 05 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 31-W Insulation / CertainTeed 168.492 32.049 -2.331
41 0 Dwayne Leik Chevrolet Lori Morgan 168.271 32.091 -2.373
42 4 Robert Richardson, II Chevrolet JVC Everio 167.260 32.285 -2.567
43 283 John Borneman III Ford Borneman Plastering 166.333 32.465 -2.747

Did Not Qualify
44 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Penske Truck Rental - - -
45 84 Mike Harmon Chevrolet M150 Energy Drink 164.399 32.847 -3.129

+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie

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Burton second on Nationwide Series grid

DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Saturday, Mar. 01, 2008

LAS VEGAS - Brian Vickers set a Nationwide Series track record Saturday morning with a lap at 181.708 mph to win the pole for Saturday's Sam's Town 300.

Vickers will start alongside Jeff Burton on the front row. Burton won this race one year ago.

Tony Stewart, who has won the first two Nationwide Series races this season, was fourth fastest. He would have started on Row 2 alongside Kyle Busch, who has finished second in both of the season's races, but Busch crashed his car on his second qualifying lap and will have to go to a backup Toyota. That means Busch will have to start from the rear of the field.

Sam Hornish Jr. also crashed his car in qualifying, wrecking as he completed his first lap. Hornish did not make the field and will not race Saturday afternoon.

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Sam's Town 300
Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Order Driver (No.) Car Pts/Bonus Laps Laps Led Winnings

1 Mark Martin (5) Chevrolet 195/10 202 81 $94,045
2 Greg Biffle (16) Ford 170/0 202 0 $67,450
3 Clint Bowyer (2) Chevrolet 165/0 202 0 $50,500
4 Kevin Harvick (33) Chevrolet 160/0 202 0 $38,575
5 David Stremme (64) Chevrolet 155/0 202 0 $34,500
6 Dario Franchitti (40) Dodge 150/0 202 0 $40,468
7 Mike Wallace (7) Toyota 151/5 202 1 $35,918
8 Patrick Carpentier (9) Dodge 142/0 202 0 $28,400
9 Brad Coleman (27) Ford 138/0 202 0 $33,778
10 David Ragan (6) Ford 139/5 202 3 $28,675
11 Stanton Barrett Jr. (30) Chevrolet 130/0 202 0 $33,568
12 Bobby Hamilton Jr. (25) Ford 127/0 202 0 $32,118
13 Kenny Wallace (36) Dodge 124/0 202 0 $25,500
14 Carl Edwards (60) Ford 126/5 202 1 $25,590
15 Kelly Bires (47) Ford 118/0 201 0 $33,548
16 Johnny Sauter (1) Chevrolet 115/0 201 0 $24,420
17 Kevin Lepage (161) Ford 112/0 201 0 $23,935
18 Jason Keller (111) Chevrolet 109/0 200 0 $30,268
19 Robert Richardson (4) Chevrolet 111/5 198 1 $30,158
20 Johnny Borneman III (283) Chevrolet 103/0 198 0 $23,580
21 Brett Rowe (05) Chevrolet 100/0 197 0 $30,938
22 Eric McClure (24) Chevrolet 97/0 197 0 $29,803
23 Brad Keselowski (88) Chevrolet 99/5 195 12 $32,468
24 Jeff Burton (29) Chevrolet 96/5 157 6 $23,090
25 David Reutimann (99) Toyota 88/0 152 0 $29,598
26 Mike Bliss (22) Dodge 85/0 141 0 $29,313
27 Tony Stewart (20) Toyota 87/5 137 61 $22,710
28 Marcos Ambrose (59) Ford 79/0 131 0 $29,033
29 D.J. Kennington (81) Dodge 76/0 122 0 $28,883
30 Steve Wallace (66) Chevrolet 73/0 115 0 $29,023
31 Kyle Busch (18) Toyota 75/5 102 18 $22,395
32 Derrike Cope (52) Chevrolet 67/0 90 0 $28,553
33 Kertus Davis (01) Chevrolet 64/0 81 0 $28,443
34 Bobby Labonte (21) Chevrolet 66/5 72 10 $21,865
35 Brad Baker (37) Ford 58/0 65 0 $28,223
36 Brian Vickers (32) Toyota 60/5 61 8 $31,188
37 Todd Bodine (90) Chevrolet 52/0 45 0 $21,685
38 Larry Gunselman (91) Ford 49/0 45 0 $21,650
39 Jason Leffler (38) Toyota 46/0 42 0 $28,083
40 Morgan Shepherd (89) Dodge 43/0 37 0 $28,048
41 Dwayne Leik (0) Chevrolet 40/0 36 0 $27,988
42 Brian Keselowski (28) Chevrolet 37/0 30 0 $27,943
43 Kyle Krisiloff (41) Dodge 34/0 9 0 $27,902

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By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
2 hours, 59 minutes ago

LAS VEGAS (AP)—Mark Martin took Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Victory Lane by winning the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, then immediately apologized for an accident he started in the closing laps.

Martin, the winningest driver in NASCAR’s No. 2 series, raced to the 48th victory of his career Saturday in a car owned by Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports. But the win came at the expense of Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, who races full-time for Earnhardt.

Martin was sixth following a final round of pit stops when the race restarted with 10 laps to go. With four fresh tires on his Chevrolet, he sliced his way toward the front while chasing cars that had only taken two tires.

Edwards and Keselowski were racing side-by-side when Martin quickly closed in on Edwards’ bumper. Slight contact sent Edwards’ car wiggling across the track, and he slid high directly into Keselowski to wreck both cars.

Martin slipped past into the lead, then held in a two-lap shootout to the finish.

“I’ve got to apologize before we do anything else,” Martin said as soon as he climbed from his car. “I ran into the back of Carl. I hate it. I just hate it, really, because we could have had a 1-2 finish with JR Motorsports.

“I hate that it happened, but I sure didn’t intend for it to happen.”

Edwards, the defending series champion, finished 14th.

“I’d like to be really mad at Mark, but he’s a heck of a guy and has a lot of respect,” Edwards said. “I’m sure he just made a mistake.”

Keselowski had to settle for 23rd.

“I felt like I had a chance to win or finish in the top five,” he said. “I feel great about our effort. I knew we had something there for them at the end. I am not sure what happened at the end. I knew it was going to be a dogfight.”

Earnhardt, the car owner, was disappointed for Keselowski but was confident the 24-year-old will bounce back.

“He’s a good kid and he’ll be stronger because of what happened today,” Earnhardt said. “We’ll put it behind us. It’s hard to stomach. We’ll be stronger the next race. He knows the type of driver Mark is and it’s awesome to hear Mark be honest about the situation.

“We all know he’s one of the cleanest drivers out there. He’s taught this entire garage how to drive clean and how to drive respectfully. It’s guys like him that taught a lot of drivers how to race.”

Martin was met in Victory Lane by Earnhardt, who grew up idolizing the veteran and tabbed him to run a handful of races for his expanding race team. Earnhardt aligned it with Hendrick Motorsports this season to form a hybrid two-car effort, and the win was the first for JR Motorsports.

“Junior and I both remember when he was just about this tall—coming over to his house and watching videos,” Martin said. “I have known him ever since. I have tremendous respect for him, and I’m really glad to get this trophy for him and this team.”

Earnhardt was thrilled that Martin was able to give him his first win.

“I’ve known Mark forever, and he’s taught me a lot, on and off the track,” Earnhardt said. “And he’s such a talented driver. We’re really fortunate to have that kind of talent behind the wheel of our car. Anytime you put him behind the wheel of a car, you’ve got a shot to win.”

Greg Biffle finished second and was followed by Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, David Stremme and Dario Franchitti in his career best NASCAR finish.

Mike Wallace was seventh, followed by Patrick Carpentier, who replaced Kasey Kahne in the car because Kahne is ill. Brad Coleman and David Ragan rounded out the top 10.

Tony Stewart’s run of two straight wins ended when he wrecked 138 laps into the 200 lap event. Stewart led two times for 61 laps, but was in fourth when he lost control of his Toyota and spun into David Reutimann.

“We got into a wreck,” Stewart said. “My foot’s banged up little bit. You get that close to somebody’s door, it makes it hard to drive.”

Kyle Busch, Stewart’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, was strong once again and led 18 laps before his right front tire blew. It sent him straight into the wall and out of the race.

“The right front tire went down. I just don’t put them in the fence on purpose,” Busch said. “No warning. No vibrations. No nothing with the tire. Going down the back straightaway, a smooth ride into the fence on the corner. Just a bummer day here in Las Vegas.”

Stewart wound up 27th and Busch was 31st, but the two remained first and second in the points standings. Stewart holds a 42 point lead over Busch, who is tied for second with Harvick.

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