Charlotte Motor Speedway news 2010-10-07

Kurt Busch in Position to Score First Charlotte Motor Speedway Triple

CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 7, 2010) - After winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Kurt Busch has a chance to make history.

A victory in the Oct. 16 Bank of America 500 would make the Las Vegas native the only driver to win all three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a single season.

"That'd be really cool to make history like that," Busch said. "We struggled for so many years running under the lights at Charlotte and what a great turnaround we had there back in May. Much of that credit is due to my crew chief Steve Addington and all the great knowledge and ideas he has infused into to our 'blue deuce' team.

"The two consecutive winning weekends we had at Charlotte back in May will always stand out as some of the most memorable weekends of my career," Busch continued. "Man, to make it a clean sweep at Charlotte in one season would be something I'd be proud of the rest of my career. Heck, it'd be something I could brag about to my children and grandchildren many years from now...how cool!"

This is only the seventh time since the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race debuted in 1985 that a driver has had the opportunity to score the unique triple. Past attempts include:

- 1985: Darrell Waltrip was the first to strike out. After winning the inaugural NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 on back-to-back days, Waltrip finished 14th in the October race, three laps behind winner Ken Schrader.

- 1991: Davey Allison ended up just one position short of winning all three races. The second-generation sensation dominated the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and led 264 of the 400 laps en route to victory in the Coca-Cola 600. But his No. 28 Ford was in second place, 11.31 seconds behind Geoffrey Bodine when the fall classic came to a close.

- 1993: NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was the next to take a shot. Earnhardt swept around Mark Martin on a late-race restart to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and then led 154 laps on his way to victory in the Coca-Cola 600. Driving Robert Yates' No. 28 Ford, Ernie Irvan dominated the Bank of America 500 with Earnhardt settling for third in Richard Childress' No. 3 Chevrolet.

- 1997: Dale Jarrett spoiled Jeff Gordon's only opportunity to score the triple. Gordon drove the legendary No. 24 Chevrolet known as T-Rex to victory in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and then edged Rusty Wallace to claim the Coca-Cola 600 trophy. Gordon started fourth in the 500, but could do not better than fifth as Jarrett and Bobby Labonte battled at the front of the pack before Jarrett took the win.

- 2003: Jimmie Johnson became the first to earn more than $1 million for winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and went on to earn his first of three consecutive Coca-Cola 600s. In the Bank of America 500, however, Johnson never led during the last half of the race and ended up third behind Tony Stewart and second-place finisher Ryan Newman.

- 2008: Kasey Kahne was the most recent driver to have the chance at the triple. After being voted in to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race by the fans, Kahne won the event, followed by a victory in the Coca-Cola 600 when he took over the race lead with just two laps to go. Kahne came close to securing the unprecedented Charlotte Motor Speedway triple, but came up one position short with a second-place finish to winner Jeff Burton in the Bank of America 500 in October.

Tickets for all October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). The Bank of America Fan 4 Pack includes tickets, hot dogs and Coca-Cola drinks starting at just $39.75 per person or fans can get four nights of great racing with the Bank of America 500 Week Super Ticket for just $99.

-source: cms