Atlanta II: Dodge Motorsports preview
HISTORICAL DATA * Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at AMS: Kurt Busch, 03/08/2009, Kobalt Tools 500, 127.573 mph avg. speed. DODGE AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY * Kurt Busch dominated this year's spring event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, ...
HISTORICAL DATA
* Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at AMS: Kurt Busch, 03/08/2009, Kobalt Tools 500, 127.573 mph avg. speed.
DODGE AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
* Kurt Busch dominated this year's spring event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading 234 of 330 laps en route to his 18th-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.
* Kurt Busch needs only a 162-point lead over 13th place entering next week's event at Richmond, the final race to set the Chase field, to clinch a spot in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Busch currently has a 192-point advantage over 13th.
* Dodge has visited victory lane seven times at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Bobby Allison, Richard Petty-3, Dave Marcis, Kasey Kahne, and Kurt Busch).
* Two current Dodge drivers have won Sprint Cup races at AMS: They are Kurt Busch (2002, 2009) and Kasey Kahne (2006). Busch's win in 2002 came while driving for another team.
* Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) is the most recent race winner at Atlanta who has started from the pole position (2006).
* Dodge has claimed nine poles in-which qualifying has taken place at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2002.
DODGE DRIVER NOTES & ANECDOTES
* David Stremme will be making his 100th career NSCS start.
* Kurt Busch is looking to extend a six-race streak of top-15 finishes at Atlanta.
* Kasey Kahne has scored 15 top-15 finishes in 24 races this season.
* Reed Sorenson's charity golf outing on Friday, Sept. 4 helps benefit Speedway Children's Charities.
* AJ Allmendinger has finished 16th, 14th and 17th in three starts at AMS.
* Elliott Sadler's best AMS starting position -- the outside front role in 2007.
* Sam Hornish Jr. is making his fourth-career AMS start.
DID YOU KNOW?
* Kurt Busch has finished 15th or better in 16 of the 24 races in 2009. He has scored at least one victory in each of the last eight seasons.
* Only 89 points separate positions seven to 14 in the Sprint Cup driver standings.
* Kurt Busch ranked 19th after 24 races last season.
* Kasey Kahne finished seventh at this year's spring event at AMS.
* AMS was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970. The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.
* Kurt Busch's perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 in March was the eighth perfect rating since the inception of the Loop Data statistic in 2005.
* Reed Sorenson, of Peachtree, Ga., has won three NASCAR Nationwide Series races at AMS.
* Following the 24th race of 2009 at Bristol, 13 of the top-15 point positions changed.
DODGE DRIVERS
Kurt Busch, No.2 Miller Lite Dodge
"While we know we can lock up a spot in the Chase there in Atlanta on Sunday night with a good finish, we still have to be in the mode of doing what it takes to win and bank us some more bonus points to help with our seating when the Chase kicks in.
Labor Day weekend is a special weekend because it really kicks us into our fall races. It's a three-day weekend for our fans. With practice and qualifying on Friday and racing on Sunday night, they've got Monday to get home safe. Racing at night, it's much more enjoyable on the track temperature-wise and in the car temperature-wise. And of course, enjoyable for our fans as well."
Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge
"It's a tight battle. Any little mistake can definitely cost you a lot of points and hurt your chances. We had a lot bigger point cushion heading into Bristol and just one race later, our points were cut in half. I just try and focus on my racecar. We're doing the same things that we've been doing, trying to get the balance where it needs to be so that we can race and be competitive on race day. Hopefully it works out. You definitely think about it, but there's nothing that you can do. All you can do is perform and try and run strong on race day. If we can do that the rest will take care of itself."
You've been on the Chase bubble before, does the pressure get any easier to handle? "I think the reason that it gets easier is because you try to relax and work with your team and do what you can there. It's all about the team guys and how everyone is stepping up together and communicating together. If we just keep doing that same stuff that we've been doing, hopefully it's enough to make the Chase."
Reed Sorenson, No. 43 Air Force Dodge
"I think the race fans will love the night racing. I don't know why, but everything in NASCAR just seems so much faster and more colorful at night."
AJ Allmendinger, No. 44 Hunt Brothers Pizza Dodge
Mike (Shiplett, crew chief) and I were together last year at Atlanta and I think that experience together will pay off. There aren't a lot of tracks that we have been to twice. It's hard to beat experience in this sport."
-credit: dodge motorsports
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