2008 Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway

2008 Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in California:

The 2008 Race to the Chase is winding down. Only two races remain until the Chase drivers are locked in. All eyes are on the battle for the twelfth and final Chase spot at Auto Club Speedway this weekend.

Clint Bowyer currently holds the final Chase qualifying position by just twelve points. David Ragan and Ryan Newman are hot on his heels but running out of time.

Tickets:

Speedway ticket office (800) 944-7223 or 1-800-PITSHOP

Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)

The Track:

Auto Club Speedway in California is a fast and wide two mile "D" oval with 14 degrees of banking in the turns and 11 degrees in the front D. Due to the wide racing surface most races in California have very few cautions. As a result many Sprint Cup races have come down to fuel mileage battles

Race Distance:

250 laps = 500 miles

The Big Picture:

Last week, Carl Edwards' second win in-a-row chopped another ten points from Kyle Busch's bonus point lead. If the Chase started tomorrow Kyle Busch would have a 30 point lead based on bonus points for winning races.

Clint Bowyer benefited from Kasey Kahne's bad luck and moved up into the twelfth and final Chase qualifying spot.

The current top twelve:

1. Kyle Busch
2. Carl Edwards -212
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -416
4. Jimmie Johnson -418
5. Jeff Burton -492
6. Tony Stewart -596
7. Greg Biffle -625
8. Kevin Harvick -637
9. Jeff Gordon -658
10. Matt Kenseth -688
11. Denny Hamlin -709
12. Clint Bowyer -754

Storylines:

The 2008 Race to The Chase will dominate the headlines this week.

Clint Bowyer currently holds down twelfth by just twelve points over David Ragan. Ryan Newman was in the top twelve before Bristol but bad luck has him now in 14th place overall. Newman is 56 points behind Clint Bowyer.

Those three, plus eleventh place Denny Hamlin, 45 points ahead of Bowyer, are in the thick of the 2008 Race to the Chase.

The magic number for this week is 196. Any driver 196 or more points ahead of thirteenth place is locked into the 2008 Chase for the Cup.

Media Coverage:

TV: ESPN Sunday August 31st 7:00PM Eastern.

Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite

Actual Race: 8:00PM Eastern

Recent Events:

2007 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

2007 Polesitter: Kurt Busch

Previously...:

Last year Jimmie Johnson had the field covered late in the race and rolled it home for the easy win.

This race played a large part in the Race to the Chase as Dale Earnhardt Jr. was battling desperately to get past Kurt Busch for the final Chase spot. Those two battled near the front all day.

Junior finished ahead of Busch that day but it wouldn't be enough to close the gap and get him into the Chase.

Predictions:

500 miles in California can be brutal on engines. We often see engine failures late in the race and sometimes they even determine the outcome of the race.

Carl Edwards won here in the spring. Plus he is coming off back-to-back Sprint Cup wins in Michigan and Bristol. Edwards' Roush-Fenway Racing team is clicking as the series is heading for the Chase. Carl Edwards has to be considered a favorite to win his third Sprint Cup series race in a row.

Jimmie Johnson won this race last year and hasn't finished worse than third at Auto Club Speedway since 2006. Jimmie knows his way around this race track. Plus, this is just about the time of year that his Hendrick Motorsports team explodes on the scene. The defending Sprint Cup Champion is due to make his presence felt.