2008 Coke Zero 400
Race details
Race 18 of 36 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2008 Coke Zero 400 program cover, featuring the 2007 Coke Zero 400 finish
2008 Coke Zero 400 program cover, featuring the 2007 Coke Zero 400 finish
Date July 5, 2008 (2008-July-05)
Official name Coke Zero 400
Location Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4 km)
Distance 162 laps, 405 mi (651.784 km)
Scheduled Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching as low as 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)[1]
Average speed 138.554 miles per hour (222.981 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Time 48.409
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 51
Winner
No. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Turner Network Television
Announcers Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Kyle Petty
The start of the 2008 Coke Zero 400.

The 2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola was the eighteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, marking the official halfway point of the season.

Summary

This race was held on July 5 of that year at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and was the third race utilizing restrictor plates this season. TNT's air time began at 6:30 PM US EDT, and MRN with Sirius Satellite Radio carried the radio broadcast beginning at 7:15 PM US EDT.

Pre-Race news

  • Dario Franchitti is out of a ride and Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 car is out of the series. The Dodge team shut down July 1 due to a lack of permanent sponsorship along with a lack of success in qualifying for races, even with Franchitti injured earlier in the season. Ganassi Racing fired some 70 employees who had been working on the car at the time of closure.
  • The Dale Earnhardt, Inc. #1 car driven by Truex was a backup car, as NASCAR impounded the primary car due to a rules violation on the roof in a pre-practice inspection. On July 8, Martin Truex Jr. was docked 150 driver points, the team docked 150 owners points, and their crew chief slapped with the now seemingly mandatory $100,000 fine, six-week suspension and probation until December 31.
  • David Reutimann tied the record for most consecutive Lucky Dog passes due to a pitting strategy that forced him to pit about 6 laps before the other leaders did. As soon as he pitted, a caution came out almost instantly. As a result, Reutimann finished 21st.

Qualifying

Paul Menard won his first pole of his career in Sprint Cup racing, edging his teammate, Mark Martin out for the honor.

RANK[2] DRIVER NBR CAR TIME SPEED
1  Paul Menard 15 Chevrolet 48.409   185.916  
2  Mark Martin 8 Chevrolet 48.421   185.870  
3  Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88 Chevrolet 48.534   185.437  
4  Joe Nemechek 78 Chevrolet 48.573   185.288   *
5  Johnny Sauter 70 Chevrolet 48.583   185.250   *
6  David Ragan 6 Ford 48.584   185.246  
7  Boris Said 60 Ford 48.601   185.181   *
8  Regan Smith 01 Chevrolet 48.655   184.976  
9  Kyle Busch 18 Toyota 48.694   184.828  
10  Patrick Carpentier 10 Dodge 48.734   184.676   *
11  Travis Kvapil 28 Ford 48.735   184.672  
12  Dave Blaney 22 Toyota 48.740   184.653  
13  A.J. Allmendinger 84 Toyota 48.744   184.638   *
14  Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 48.772   184.532  
15  Denny Hamlin 11 Toyota 48.773   184.528  
16  Casey Mears 5 Chevrolet 48.784   184.487  
17  Tony Stewart 20 Toyota 48.788   184.472  
18  Sterling Marlin 09 Chevrolet 48.791   184.460   *
19  Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 48.799   184.430  
20  Bobby Labonte 43 Dodge 48.810   184.388  
21  Michael McDowell 00 Toyota 48.817   184.362  
22  Jon Wood 21 Ford 48.817   184.362   *
23  Scott Riggs 66 Chevrolet 48.842   184.268   *
24  Jeff Burton 31 Chevrolet 48.857   184.211  
25  Carl Edwards 99 Ford 48.869   184.166  
26  Clint Bowyer 07 Chevrolet 48.869   184.166  
27  Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 48.889   184.090  
28  David Gilliland 38 Ford 48.891   184.083  
29  J. J. Yeley 96 Toyota 48.892   184.079   *
30  Brian Vickers 83 Toyota 48.900   184.049  
31  Michael Waltrip 55 Toyota 48.921   183.970  
32  Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 48.961   183.820  
33  Juan Pablo Montoya 42 Dodge 48.964   183.809  
34  Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 48.977   183.760  
35  Greg Biffle 16 Ford 48.983   183.737  
36  David Reutimann 44 Toyota 49.013   183.625  
37  Martin Truex Jr. 1 Chevrolet 49.023   183.587  
38  Kurt Busch 2 Dodge 49.035   183.542  
39  Robby Gordon 7 Dodge 49.062   183.441  
40  Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge 49.085   183.355  
41  Reed Sorenson 41 Dodge 49.098   183.307  
42  Jamie McMurray 26 Ford 49.111   183.258  
43  Terry Labonte 45 Dodge 49.127   183.199   PC
44  Kasey Kahne 9 Dodge 49.269   182.671   OP
45  Sam Hornish Jr. 77 Dodge 49.523   181.734   OP

OP: qualified via owners points

PC: qualified as past champion

PR: provisional

QR: via qualifying race

* - had to qualify on time

Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes:   Scott Riggs (#66), J. J. Yeley (#96), Dario Franchitti (#40-WD)

Race recap

The biggest news in the event was that Tony Stewart dropped out during a caution in Lap 72 because of flu-like symptoms, and J. J. Yeley took his place in the #20 Toyota. Yeley was on standby after he failed to qualify in the #96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota.

Also making news was David Reutimann, driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing #44 Toyota, as he tied the record for most consecutive lucky dog free passes in a race between the fourth and eighth of 11 cautions overall, as in each case his car was the first car one lap (or more) down, and as a result, finished 21st.

The tenth caution sent the race went to a green-white-checker finish with four laps remaining. In the first lap of "Checkers or Wreckers", second place driver Jeff Gordon was bumped by Carl Edwards, and spun onto the infield but the green flag stay aloft. However, the second "Big One" occurred on the white flag lap involving Michael Waltrip, Travis Kvapil and Yeley amongst others, and when the yellow light was lit, Kyle Busch, who was as far down as 37th due to a steering wheel problem, was declared the winner over Edwards by 0.026 of a second.

Results

POS[3] ST # DRIVER SPONSOR / OWNER CAR LAPS MONEY STATUS LED PTS
1 9 18   Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries   (Joe Gibbs) Toyota 162 315950 running 31 190
2 24 99   Carl Edwards Aflac   (Jack Roush) Ford 162 243625 running 1 175
3 19 17   Matt Kenseth R&L Carriers   (Jack Roush) Ford 162 208191 running 0 165
4 36 2   Kurt Busch Miller Lite   (Roger Penske) Dodge 162 139650 running 0 160
5 6 6   David Ragan AAA Insurance   (Jack Roush) Ford 162 141150 running 0 155
6 37 7   Robby Gordon Menards   (Robby Gordon) Dodge 162 145058 running 1 155
7 41 9   Kasey Kahne Budweiser   (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) Dodge 162 148491 running 0 146
8 3 88   Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard / AMP Energy   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 162 123325 running 51 152
9 25 07   Clint Bowyer Jack Daniel's   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 162 121175 running 0 138
10 2 8   Mark Martin U.S. Army   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 162 139258 running 0 134
11 28 83   Brian Vickers Red Bull   (Dietrich Mateschitz) Toyota 162 109800 running 0 130
12 14 29   Kevin Harvick Reese's   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 162 146761 running 0 127
13 20 43   Bobby Labonte Cheerios / Pillsbury Cinnabon   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 162 136936 running 0 124
14 10 10   Patrick Carpentier Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper   (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) Dodge 162 97650 running 0 121
15 1 15   Paul Menard Menards / Vertis   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 162 119750 running 19 123
16 43 45   Terry Labonte Richard Petty Driving Experience   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 162 114233 running 0 115
17 35 1   Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops / Swing Vote   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 162 127558 running 0 -38
18 4 78   Joe Nemechek Furniture Row Racing   (Barney Visser) Chevrolet 162 92550 running 0 109
19 12 22   Dave Blaney Caterpillar   (Bill Davis) Toyota 162 109108 running 0 106
20 17 20   Tony Stewart Home Depot   (Joe Gibbs) Toyota 162 141786 running 0 103
21 34 44   David Reutimann UPS   (Michael Waltrip) Toyota 162 93350 running 0 100
22 39 41   Reed Sorenson Polaroid / Tums   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 162 119839 running 0 97
23 30 48   Jimmie Johnson Lowe's   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 162 143736 running 4 99
24 8 01   Regan Smith Principal Financial Group   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 162 99225 running 0 91
25 21 00   Michael McDowell Champion Mortgage   (Michael Waltrip) Toyota 162 102633 running 0 88
26 15 11   Denny Hamlin FedEx Office   (Joe Gibbs) Toyota 162 124716 running 6 90
27 29 55   Michael Waltrip NAPA Auto Parts   (Michael Waltrip) Toyota 162 98622 running 1 87
28 5 70   Johnny Sauter Hunt Brothers Pizza   (Gene Haas) Chevrolet 162 85450 running 0 79
29 42 77   Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Truck Rental   (Roger Penske) Dodge 162 131100 running 0 76
30 26 24   Jeff Gordon DuPont   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 162 134486 running 46 78
31 11 28   Travis Kvapil Ford. Drive One.   (Yates Racing) Ford 161 114589 running 0 70
32 40 26   Jamie McMurray Irwin Marathon with WeldTec   (Jack Roush) Ford 157 92750 running 0 67
33 22 21   Jon Wood U.S. Air Force   (Wood Brothers) Ford 155 103920 running 0 64
34 16 5   Casey Mears Kellogg's / Carquest   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 152 102500 running 0 61
35 7 60   Boris Said No Fear / Advance Auto Parts   (Mark Simo) Ford 149 84325 crash 2 63
36 32 12   Ryan Newman Alltel / Samsung HDTV   (Roger Penske) Dodge 149 126250 running 0 55
37 23 31   Jeff Burton AT&T Mobility   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 140 129408 crash 0 52
38 31 42   Juan Pablo Montoya Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Slim Pack   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 132 111758 crash 0 49
39 38 19   Elliott Sadler Best Buy / Garmin   (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) Dodge 129 110070 running 0 46
40 27 38   David Gilliland FreeCreditReport.com   (Yates Racing) Ford 124 83580 crash 0 43
41 18 09   Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Resorts & Gaming   (James Finch) Chevrolet 103 83450 handling 0 40
42 13 84   A.J. Allmendinger Red Bull   (Dietrich Mateschitz) Toyota 100 83355 running 0 37
43 33 16   Greg Biffle 3M   (Jack Roush) Ford 69 91612 crash 0 34

NOTE: Race extended two laps due to green-white-checker finish.

Failed to Qualify: Scott Riggs (#66) and J. J. Yeley (#96).

2009 Race

It was announced in August that next year's Coke Zero 400 would have the superstretch grandstand closed and tickets limited to the 110,000 seats all the way around the current seating configuration from outside Turn Four to Turn One as an economic measure.

Results

  1. "Weather of the 2008 Coke Zero 400". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  2. "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  3. "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
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