2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The seven-year agreement gives Nationwide Insurance the exclusive rights to tie its brand to NASCAR's second most popular racing series.
Did not qualify: Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#56), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Larry Gunselman (#91), Kenny Wallace (#36), Kevin Lepage (#61), Joe Nemechek (#87), Donnie Neuenberger (#52), Brett Rowe (#05), Mike Harmon (#84), Kertus Davis (#0).
NOTE: On February 20 NASCAR announced that seven Nationwide teams had been penalized due to rule violations during Speedweeks at Daytona.
The most notable was Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #5 team whose crew chief was fined $25,000 and suspended for the next six Nationwide Series events until April 9.
Tony Stewart dominated most of the day leading 139 of 150 laps with fellow Toyota driver David Reutimann sitting in 2nd for much of the race.
2006 Champion Kevin Harvick had one of the best cars all day but fell out of contention after his tire changer failed to secure a lugnut on lap 102.
This move handed the lead to Bristol winner Clint Bowyer who held the top spot until teammate Scott Wimmer passed him with 20 to go.
Franchitti suffered a fractured left ankle and minor contusions from the hard impact,[10] the injury would sideline him for 5 Sprint Cup Series races.
Lepage publicly apologized for the incident the next day saying "I made a huge driver error by blending onto the racetrack in the wrong area.
Virginia native Denny Hamlin who was leading at the time of Clauson's spin made a pit stop during the caution for four fresh Goodyear tires.
Edwards' bad luck would continue when on lap 2 his #60 Ford blew the right-front tire and smacked the Turn 3 wall causing his race to end early.
Mark Martin's engine stalled on the restart with three laps remaining due to fuel pickup problems, triggering a six-car wreck, the race was red flagged again for cleanup.
It marked the eighth win for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2008 Nationwide Series, and the fourth consecutive victory for the team's #20 car.
Joey Logano was able to keep his car in one piece and finish sixth, despite making contact with Kasey Kahne on pit road early in the race.
His #20 Toyota was clipped by Greg Biffle's Ford, turning him sideways into Busch's car before shooting up the track and into the outside wall.
Late in the race fuel became an issue as Reutimann appeared to have his second Nationwide career win in the bag while being pursued by Bowyer and Kyle Busch.
However, a caution brought out by a spinning Brad Teague ruined Reutimann's hopes of victory, as he was passed by Bowyer and Busch on the restart with 8 laps to go.
The defending 2007 NASCAR Busch Series champion, Carl Edwards, won the event, end his 36-winless streak drought.
Fellow Joe Gibbs driver Kyle Busch also fared well starting 4th and leading 63 laps eventually finishing 3rd.
Greg Biffle crashed on the last lap causing the race to end under caution with Stewart, Hamlin and Busch claiming the top 3 spots.
NOTE: NASCAR announced on July 2 that Chad Walter crew chief for the #5 JR Motorsports team had been fined due to a rule violation during the Nationwide Series event at New Hampshire on June 28.
Walter was fined $10,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until December 31 due to the use of improper language by a crew chief during a televised interview of the race.
The race stayed green setting a record average speed, Kyle Busch had a 3.120 second advantage over Denny Hamlin when he took the checkered flag.
Did not qualify: Jeremy Clements (#50), Robert Richardson Jr. (#23), Kevin Lepage (#43), Brian Keselowski (#92), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Chad Blount (#36), Justin Hobgood (#91).
Although Marcos Ambrose dominated the race in the #59 for a second-straight year, he got penalized for speeding on pit road which gave the lead to Canadian Ron Fellows.
Did not qualify: Kertus Davis (#49), John Wes Townley (#09), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Kenny Hendrick (#34), Nick Tucker (#78), Johnny Chapman (#90), Brian Keselowski (#92), Ryan Hackett (#76), Mike Harmon (#84).
Did not qualify: Johnny Chapman (#90), Stanton Barrett (#30), John Wes Townley (#09), Larry Gunselman (#0), Travis Kittleson (#56), Tim Weaver (#75).
Did not qualify: Morgan Shepherd (#89), Burney Lamar (#05), John Wes Townley (#09), Kenny Hendrick (#31), Justin Hobgood (#91), Johnny Sauter (#78), Mike Harmon (#84).
Did not qualify: Kevin Lepage (#73), Stan Silva Jr. (#65), Derrike Cope (#82), Danny Efland (#0), Kenny Hendrick (#31), Jason White (#78), Morgan Shepherd (#89).
Did not qualify: Stanton Barrett (#30), Casey Atwood (#05), Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#35), Mark Green (#70), Robert Richardson Jr. (#23), John Wes Townley (#09), Kevin Lepage (#73), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Derrike Cope (#78).
