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Date: Friday, May 2nd

Start Time: 7:44 p.m. (et)

Site: Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia

Track: 0.75-mile paved speedway

Laps: 250

Miles: 187.5

Capacity:

Total purse: $1,145,047

Payouts: 1st Place - $46,600; 2nd - $32,425; 3rd - $29,675 (2007 figures)

Year: 22nd

On TV: ESPN 2

Announcers: Marty Reid, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree

On Radio: MRN

Race record: 103.766 m.p.h. (Mark Martin, 1993)

Qualifying record: 129.348 m.p.h. (Kyle Busch, 2004)

2007 Finish

Defending champion: Clint Bowyer

Runner up: Matt Kenseth

Pole winner: Denny Hamlin (126.683 m.p.h.)

Top 10:

1. Clint Bowyer (Start: 8)

2. Matt Kenseth (2)

3. Jeff Burton (4)

4. Kevin Harvick (13)

5. Kyle Busch (17)

6. Greg Biffle (6)

7. Casey Mears (27)

8. Reed Sorenson (10)

9. David Reutimann (16)

10. Scott Wimmer (19)

Average speed: 91.899 m.p.h.

Time of race: 2 hours, 2 minutes, 25 seconds

Margin of victory: 1.483 seconds

Caution flags: 7 for 48 laps

Lead changes: 8 among 5 drivers

Past winners

2007 Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 91.899 m.p.h.

2006 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 79.068 m.p.h.

2005 Carl Edwards, Ford, 85.709 m.p.h.

2004 Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 85.023 m.p.h.

2003 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 74.652 m.p.h.

2002 Jason Keller, Ford, 80.138 m.p.h.

2001 Jimmy Spencer, Chevrolet, 84.028 m.p.h.

2000 Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 81.023 m.p.h.

1999 Mark Martin, Ford, 90.060 m.p.h.

1998 Jeff Burton, Ford, 95.799 m.p.h.

1997 Mark Martin, Ford, 86.450 m.p.h.

1996 , Jeff Purvis Chevrolet, 98.168 m.p.h.

1995 Kenny Wallace, Ford, 96.291 m.p.h.

1994 Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 91.253 m.p.h.

1993 Mark Martin, Ford, 103.766 m.p.h. (race record)

1992 Harry Gant, Buick, 97.561 m.p.h.

1991 Harry Gant, Buick, 92.156 m.p.h.

1990 Michael Waltrip, Pontiac, 88.091 m.p.h.

1989 , , No race held

1988 , , No race held

1987 , , No race held

1986 , , No race held

1985 , , No race held

1984 Sam Ard, Oldsmobile, 75.084 m.p.h.

1983 Sam Ard, Oldsmobile, 73.639 m.p.h.

1982 Tommy Houston, Pontiac, 57.667 m.p.h.

Last race

Race: Aaron's 312 (April 26th)

Site: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama

Miles: 319

Laps: 117

Finish line order: Tony Stewart, David Stremme, Bobby Hamilton Jr, Jason Leffler, Mark Green

Time of Race: 2 hours, 20 minutes, 17 seconds

Average speed: 133.111 m.p.h.

Margin of victory: 0.302 second

Caution flags: 8 for 27 laps

Lead changes: 15 among 9 drivers

Lap leaders: T. Stewart 1-6; B. Keselowski 7-11; R. Richardson Jr. 12; D. LeikT. Stewart 1-6; B. Keselowski 7-11; R. Richardson Jr. 12; D. Leik13-14; B. Keselowski 15-17; J. Leffler 18; B. Keselowski 19; J.Leffler 20-25; T. Stewart 26-39; B. Coleman 40; T. Stewart 41-43;M. Shepherd 44; T. Stewart 45-49; D. Earnhardt Jr. 50-63; R.Sorenson 64; T. Stewart 65-117.

Entry list

#0 Danny Efland (Irmo, SC) Chevrolet/TBA

#1 Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) Chevrolet/Miccosukee Resort

#01 Kertus Davis (Gaffney, SC) Chevrolet/RaceGirl

#2 * Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) Chevrolet/BB&T

#02 Andy Ponstein (Jenison, MI) Chevrolet/Stott Classic Racing

#4 Robert Richardson Jr (McKinney, TX) Chevrolet/JVC

#5 Landon Cassill (Fairfax, IA) Chevrolet/National Guard

#05 Brett Rowe (Barborsville, WV) Chevrolet/CertainTeed/31W Insulation

#6 David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) Ford/Discount Tire

#7 Mike Wallace (St. Louis, MO) Toyota/GEICO

#9 Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) Dodge/Ragu

#11 Jason Keller (Greenville, SC) Chevrolet/America's Incredible Pizza

#12 Sam Hornish Jr (Defiance, OH) Dodge/Mobil 1

#17 Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) Ford/CitiFinancial

#20 Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) Toyota/Z-Lines Designs

#21 Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Chevrolet/TBA

#22 Johnny Sauter (Necedah, WI) Dodge/Supercuts

#24 Eric McClure (Chilhowie, VA) Chevrolet/Hefty

#25 Bobby Hamilton Jr (Nashville, TN) Ford/Smithfield Foods

#27 Brad Coleman (Houston, TX) Ford/Cottonelle/Kroger

#28 Kenny Wallace (St. Louis, MO) Chevrolet/U.S. Border Patrol

#29 Scott Wimmer (Wausau, WI) Chevrolet/Holiday Inn

#31 Jeff Green (Owensboro, KY) Chevrolet/Key Motorsports

#32 Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/Haas Avacodos from Mexico

#33 Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) Chevrolet/Camping World

#37 Burney Lamar (W. Sacramento, CA) Ford/TBA

#38 Jason Leffler (Long Beach, CA) Toyota/Great Clips

#40 Bryan Clauson (Noblesville, IN) Dodge/Fastenal

#47 Kelly Bires (Mauston, WI) Ford/Clorox

#52 Derrike Cope (Spanaway, WA) Chevrolet/TBA

#57 Chad Beahr (Mechanicsville, VA) Dodge/Dverve.net

#59 Marcos Ambrose (Australia) Ford/Kingsford Hickory Charcoal

#60 Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) Ford/Scotts

#61 Kevin Lepage (Shelburne, VT) Ford/TBA

#64 David Stremme (South Bend, IN) Chevrolet/Arteus Homes & Communities

#66 Steve Wallace (Charlotte, NC) Chevrolet/Arteus Homes & Communities

#70 Mark Green (Owensboro, KY) Chevrolet/Foretravel Motorcoach

#76 Ryan Hackett (LaPlata, MD) Ford/J&R Supply

#81 D.J. Kennington (St. Thomas, CA) Dodge/TBA

#84 Mike Harmon (Birmingport, AL) Chevrolet/Elite N Racing

#88 Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hls, MI) Chevrolet/U.S. Navy

#89 Morgan Shepherd (Conover, NC) Dodge/Victory In Jesus

#90 Johnny Chapman (Statesville, NC) Chevrolet/TBA

#91 Larry Gunselman (Snohomish, WA) Ford/TBA

#92 Brian Keselowski (Rochester Hls, MI) Dodge/TBA

#99 David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine

Leading contenders

Name 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Clint Bowyer 9th 7th Won
Matt Kenseth 4th 8th 3rd 2nd
Kevin Harvick 5th Won 3rd 12th Won 4th
Kyle Busch Won 23rd 9th 5th
David Reutimann 16th 9th
Carl Edwards Won 6th 13th
David Ragan 14th
Mike Bliss 28th 8th 33rd
Jason Leffler 11th 24th 37th
Jason Keller 18th Won 21st 5th 11th
Kelly Bires

Notes

Last season, Clint Bowyer for the fifth time in his Nationwide Seriescareer, as he crossed the finish line 1.483 seconds ahead of Matt Kenseth.Bowyer, who started eighth on the grid, led three times for 29 laps, includingthe final 29. Jeff Burton, who placed third, dominated most of the raceleading three times for 136 laps. Pole sitter Denny Hamlin led the opening 20laps, but finished 41st.In 2006, Kevin Harvick, starting in the 10th position, raced to victory, as hedefeated Jeff Burton by less than a second. Harvick led twice during the racefor 49 laps, as he won for the 20th time in his Nationwide Series career.Harvick now ranks second on the all-time Nationwide wins list with 32. Polesitter Jason Leffler, who led for a total of 66 laps, finished 24th.When Carl Edwards won in 2005, he led just one lap, but it was the last, as heraced past Elliott Sadler in turn three of the final lap for 0.144-secondvictory. The win for Edwards was the second of five 2005 victories and thesecond of his Nationwide career. His win total now stands at 13.Kevin Harvick will be making his 15th career Nationwide Series start atRichmond International Raceway (RIR). In 14 previous starts on the .75-miletrack, Harvick has recorded four wins, one pole, nine top-five and 10 top-10finishes.Jeff Green, the 2000 series champion, will make his season series debut forKey Motorsports, a team that has been plying its trade in the NASCAR CraftsmanTruck Series. He won this race at RIR in 2000.Landon Cassill will make his 10th career NASCAR Nationwide Series startFriday. The 18-year-old rookie, who will pilot the No. 5 National GuardChevrolet in 16 races for JR Motorsports this season, competed at Richmond onSept. 7, 2007. He started that race 36th and finished 22nd.The pole sitter has fared well at this race, posting wins in five races, thelast coming in 2004, when Kyle Busch captured the checkered flag.The NASCAR Nationwide championship moves to the Darlington Raceway on Friday,May 9th for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200, as Denny Hamlin defends his title.04/29 17:25:19 ET

 

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