Pep Boys Auto 500 Qualifying Update

Atlanta Motor Speedway -- 10/26/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Saturday Oct 25 2008 3:33pm

`The most fun you can have in a racecar.`

That's the way NASCAR Cup driver-turned-analyst Ricky Craven described nascar racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Many drivers cite the 1½-mile Atlanta oval as their favorite track on the circuit because of it's high-banked, multi-groove nascar racing, giving drivers more choices in lines and passing zones than they have at a lot of other tracks.

In fact, if you were watching Saturday's truck race at Atlanta, you saw drivers going to the high groove and taking it three-wide on the very first lap and throughout the race.

The track is also known for producing exciting finishes, and the late race battle between Ryan Newman and Ron Hornaday in the CTS race was another example of that (Newman prevailed).

Earlier this year the problem at Atlanta was tires, but recent tire tests at the track would seem to indicate that tires won't be any more of an issue Sunday than they have been at other tracks this season.

The problem so far this weekend has been rain, including rain-shortened practices and a third consecutive rain-out of qualifying - the tenth this year overall.

Of course, that puts the 12 Chase drivers side-by-side on the starting grid once again, with Jimmie Johnson (+425) and Greg Biffle (+650) on row one, and Jeff Burton (+2500) and Carl Edwards (+325) on row two.

Bryan Clauson and Joey Logano will miss the race because of the qualifying rain-out.

NASCAR did manage to squeeze three practices in this weekend, though the first practice on Friday started two hours late and was called after just eight minutes with no one running more than six laps. The top five, however, which included three Roush Fords, were: Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Carl Edwards and Michael Waltrip.

Carl Edwards went on to lead both Saturday practices, with 184.726 and 181.776 mph laps respectively. Edwards also won the Nationwide race in Memphis on Saturday.

Edwards was followed in the early Saturday practice by Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth.

Fastest in Happy Hour behind Edwards was Paul Menard, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin and Greg Biffle.

Other notable positions in Happy Hour include Jeff Burton, 20th, Jimmie Johnson, 21st, Dale Earnhardt Jr., 28th, Jeff Gordon, 34th, and Tony Stewart, 39th.