2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup

The 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup[1] was contested in the final ten races of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to determine a champion. The Chase began with the Sylvania 300 on September 14, 2008 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and ended with the Ford 400 on November 16, 2008 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 Chase was won by Jimmie Johnson, his third consecutive championship.

From 2004 through 2007, the championship system was known as the "Chase for the Nextel Cup", but with the 2005 merger of Sprint and Nextel, the name of the series became known as the Sprint Cup Series in 2008.

Drivers

Chase Standings
PL Seed Driver Pts Behind P W T5 T10 DNF
1 3 Jimmie Johnson 6,073 Leader 5 6 13 20 1
2 9 Greg Biffle 5,924 (−149) 2 2 11 15 3
3 7 Jeff Burton 5,921 (−152) 0 2 7 17 2
4 2 Carl Edwards 5,875 (−168) 1 6 15 23 2
5 5 Clint Bowyer 5,831 (−242) 0 1 5 15 0
6 11 Kevin Harvick 5,817 (−256) 0 0 6 16 0
7 10 Jeff Gordon 5,798 (−275) 3 0 11 16 5
8 8 Tony Stewart 5,735 (−338) 0 1 10 15 3
9 4 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 5,694 (−379) 1 1 10 15 1
10 12 Matt Kenseth 5,665 (−408) 0 0 8 18 3
11 6 Denny Hamlin 5,653 (−420) 1 1 10 16 3
12 1 Kyle Busch 5,628 (−445) 2 8 16 18 2

Seeding

Seedings at the start of The Chase
Seed Driver P
1 Kyle Busch 5,080
2 Carl Edwards 5,050♦
3 Jimmie Johnson 5,040
4 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 5,010
5 Clint Bowyer 5,010
6 Denny Hamlin 5,010
7 Jeff Burton 5,010
8 Tony Stewart 5,000
9 Greg Biffle 5,000
10 Jeff Gordon 5,000
11 Kevin Harvick 5,000
12 Matt Kenseth 5,000

♦ – Edwards was docked the ten-point winner's bonus as a result of a violation found during post-race inspection at the UAW-Dodge 400 in Las Vegas.

Regular season standings with seeding change
PL Driver ₧ Behind +/-
1 Ky. Busch 3,878 Leader N/C
2 Edwards 3,671 (−207) N/C
3 Johnson 3,576 (−302) N/C
4 Earnhardt Jr. 3,488 (−390) N/C
5 J. Burton 3,384 (−394) -2
6 Stewart 3,285 (−493) -2
7 Harvick 3,283 (−495) -4
8 Biffle 3,280 (−498) -1
9 Hamlin 3,235 (−543) +3
10 J. Gordon 3,221 (−657) N/C
11 Kenseth 3,132 (−746) -1
12 Bowyer 3,116 (−762) +7

Schedule

Date Race Track 2007 winner 2008 winner
September 14 Sylvania 300 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire		 Clint Bowyer Greg Biffle
September 21 Camping World RV 400 Dover International Speedway
Dover, Delaware		 Carl Edwards Greg Biffle
September 28 Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kansas		 Greg Biffle≠ Jimmie Johnson
October 5 AMP Energy 500 Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, Alabama		 Jeff Gordon Tony Stewart
October 11 Bank of America 500 ♣ Lowe's Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina		 Jeff Gordon Jeff Burton
October 19 TUMS QuikPak 500 Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Virginia		 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson
October 26 Pep Boys Auto 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Georgia		 Jimmie Johnson Carl Edwards
November 2 Dickies 500 ♣ Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas		 Jimmie Johnson Carl Edwards
November 9 Checker Auto Parts 500 Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Arizona		 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson
November 16 Ford 400 ♣ Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Florida		 Matt Kenseth Carl Edwards

≠ — Non-qualifier for the 2007 Chase.
Italics denotes non-qualifier for 2008 chase.
♣ – Denotes night race or race that will start in the late afternoon and finish at night.

Television

This marked the second year of exclusive national television coverage of the Chase for the Sprint Cup on ABC. Dr. Jerry Punch remained in the play-by-play position, with Andy Petree in one color commentary position, but there were changes in the booth and host position.

Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber were out in the host position, and former MRN Radio, TNT and NBC play-by-play voice Allen Bestwick took their place after spending the 2007 season on pit road. Joining him were 1989 NASCAR series champion Rusty Wallace and JTG Daugherty Racing owner and former Cleveland Cavaliers center Brad Daugherty in the on-site studio, while 1999 series champion Dale Jarrett took Wallace's spot in the broadcast booth and Shannon Spake replaced Bestwick on pit road, joining Jamie Little, Dave Burns and Mike Massaro.

Results

NOTE: Actual race finish in parentheses.

Race One: 2008 Sylvania 300

Results:

  1. Greg Biffle (1)
  2. Jimmie Johnson (2)
  3. Carl Edwards (3)
  4. Jeff Burton (4)
  5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5)
  6. Tony Stewart (8)
  7. Denny Hamlin (9)
  8. Kevin Harvick (10)
  9. Clint Bowyer (12)
  10. Jeff Gordon (14)
  11. Kyle Busch (35)
  12. Matt Kenseth (40)

Point Standings:

  1. Carl Edwards 5,220 ₧ (leader via tiebreaker with Johnson, six wins)
  2. Jimmie Johnson tied
  3. Greg Biffle −30
  4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -50 (fourth via tiebreak with Burton, more top 5 finishes)
  5. Jeff Burton −50
  6. Denny Hamlin −72
  7. Tony Stewart −77
  8. Kyle Busch −78
  9. Clint Bowyer −83
  10. Kevin Harvick −86
  11. Jeff Gordon −99
  12. Matt Kenseth −177

Race Two: 2008 Camping World RV 400

Results:

  1. Greg Biffle (1)
  2. Matt Kenseth (2)
  3. Carl Edwards (3)
  4. Jimmie Johnson (5)
  5. Kevin Harvick(6)
  6. Jeff Gordon (7)
  7. Clint Bowyer (8)
  8. Jeff Burton (9)
  9. Tony Stewart (11)
  10. Dale Earhnhardt Jr. (24)
  11. Denny Hamlin (39)
  12. Kyle Busch (43)

Points:

  1. Carl Edwards, 5,390 ₧, leader
  2. Jimmie Johnson −10 (Second via tiebreaker with Biffle, four wins)
  3. Greg Biffle −10
  4. Jeff Burton −82
  5. Kevin Harvick −101
  6. Clint Bowyer −106
  7. Tony Stewart −113
  8. Jeff Gordon −118
  9. Dale Earhnardt Jr. -129
  10. Matt Kenseth −167
  11. Denny Hamlin, −193
  12. Kyle Busch, −210

Race Three: 2008 Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman

Results:

  1. Jimmie Johnson (1)
  2. Carl Edwards (2)
  3. Greg Biffle (3)
  4. Jeff Gordon (4)
  5. Matt Kenseth (5)
  6. Kevin Harvick (6)
  7. Jeff Burton (7)
  8. Denny Hamlin (11)
  9. Clint Bowyer (12)
  10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (13)
  11. Kyle Busch (28)
  12. Tony Stewart (40)

Points:

  1. Jimmie Johnson, 5,575 ₧, leader
  2. Carl Edwards, −10
  3. Greg Biffle, −30
  4. Jeff Burton, −121
  5. Kevin Harvick, −136
  6. Jeff Gordon, −143
  7. Clint Bowyer, −164
  8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., −190
  9. Matt Kenseth, −192
  10. Denny Hamlin, −243
  11. Tony Stewart, −255
  12. Kyle Busch, −311

Race Four: 2008 AMP Energy 500

Results:

  1. Tony Stewart (1)
  2. Jeff Burton (4)
  3. Clint Bowyer (5)
  4. Jimmie Johnson (9)
  5. Kyle Busch (15)
  6. Kevin Harvick (20)
  7. Greg Biffle (24)
  8. Matt Kenseth (26)
  9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (28)
  10. Carl Edwards (29)
  11. Jeff Gordon (38)
  12. Denny Hamlin (39)

Points:

  1. Jimmie Johnson, 5,718 ₧, leader
  2. Carl Edwards, −72
  3. Greg Biffle, −77
  4. Jeff Burton, −99
  5. Clint Bowyer, −152
  6. Kevin Harvick, −171
  7. Tony Stewart, −203
  8. Jeff Gordon, −232
  9. Matt Kenseth, −245
  10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., −249
  11. Kyle Busch, −331
  12. Denny Hamlin, −335

Race Five: 2008 Bank of America 500

Results:

  1. Jeff Burton (1)
  2. Kyle Busch (4)
  3. Jimmie Johnson (6)
  4. Greg Biffle (7)
  5. Jeff Gordon (8)
  6. Tony Stewart (11)
  7. Clint Bowyer (12)
  8. Kevin Harvick (13)
  9. Denny Hamlin (16)
  10. Carl Edwards (33)
  11. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (36)
  12. Matt Kenseth (41)

Points:

  1. Jimmie Johnson, 5,878 ₧, leader
  2. Jeff Burton, −69
  3. Greg Biffle, −86
  4. Carl Edwards, −168
  5. Clint Bowyer, −185
  6. Kevin Harvick, −207
  7. Tony Stewart, −228
  8. Jeff Gordon, −245
  9. Kyle Busch, −326
  10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., −354
  11. Matt Kenseth, −360
  12. Denny Hamlin, −380

Race Six: 2008 TUMS QuikPak 500

Results:

  1. Jimmie Johnson (1)
  2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (2)
  3. Carl Edwards (3)
  4. Jeff Gordon (4)
  5. Denny Hamlin (5)
  6. Kevin Harvick (7)
  7. Matt Kenseth (8)
  8. Clint Bowyer (9)
  9. Greg Biffle (12)
  10. Jeff Burton (17)
  11. Tony Stewart (26)
  12. Kyle Busch (29)

Points:

  1. Jimmie Johnson, 6,073 ₧, leader
  2. Greg Biffle, −149
  3. Jeff Burton, −152
  4. Carl Edwards, −198
  5. Clint Bowyer, −242
  6. Kevin Harvick, −256
  7. Jeff Gordon, −275
  8. Tony Stewart, −338
  9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., −379
  10. Matt Kenseth, −408
  11. Denny Hamlin, −420
  12. Kyle Busch, −445

See also

References

External links

Preceded by
2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup		 NASCAR seasons
2008 		Succeeded by
2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup
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