2008 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

2008 Pep Boys Auto 500:

The 2008 Pep Boys Auto 500 will play a critical role in the 2008 Chase. Atlanta Motor Speedway's fast 1.54 mile quad-oval is vastly different than last week's short track grind in Martinsville. Jimmie Johnson won this race in 2007 on his way to the Cup. Can he win again this weekend?

Tickets:

Speedway ticket office (770) 946-4211

Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)

The Track:

Atlanta Motor Speedway is l.54 mile quad-oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns. Because the cars don't use the speed-sapping restrictor plates here the average speeds in Atlanta are even faster than the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega. This is a very fast race track that has a history of truly great racing.

Race Distance:

325 Laps = 500 Miles

The Big Picture:

Jimmie Johnson extended his point lead last week with another Martinsville victory. Right now it is very hard to imagine anyone passing Johnson for the Championship.

Jimmie Johnson now has a lead of more than one full race. This means that Johnson could skip qualifying, finish 43rd next week in Atlanta and still leave with the point lead.

1. Jimmie Johnson -0
2. Greg Biffle -149
3. Jeff Burton -152
4. Carl Edwards -198
5. Clint Bowyer -246
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

Storylines:

Jimmie Johnson has opened up a large lead in the 2008 Sprint Cup points. Only four races are left in the 2008 Chase for the Cup so the question of the week is: has he effectively clinched the 2008 Championship?

Media Coverage:

TV: ABC Sunday, October 26th, 1:00PM Eastern.

Radio: PRN and SIRIUS Satellite

Actual Race: 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Recent Events:

2007 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

2007 Polesitter: Greg Biffle

Last Year:

The 2007 event saw Jimmie Johnson win his second race in a row to close the gap further in the points. Jimmie Johnson left Atlanta nine points behind Jeff Gordon en route to the 2007 Championship.

The finish of this race was crazy as what looked to be a fuel mileage race turned into a battle for survival as Jimmie Johnson avoided two unusual cautions in the closing laps to claim the win.

Predictions:

Jimmie Johnson swept both races here in 2007 and is coming off another win last week in Martinsville. His Hendrick Motorsports team has a comfortable lead in the points which makes him less likely to gamble on a win. However the safest place to be is out front. I think Jimmie makes a great pick to put the final stamp on his 2008 title.

For my backup pick this week I am going with the driver that swept both races here in 2005. Carl Edwards had the magic combination three years ago and needs a strong finish to battle back towards the top of the points before it is too late. While Hendrick Motorsports drivers have dominated the news in recent weeks I believe that Carl Edwards could find his way to the Winner's Circle in Atlanta.