2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum
The draft constitution was published and the date of the referendum finally announced on 9 April 2008. Among the changes that the referendum sought to make are:


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Campaign
Three weeks before the referendum, the front page of the state press was headlined "Let's Vote Yes for National Interest." Many songs, poems, cartoons and editorials urging people to vote "yes" were published in local and national news media.


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Campaign
The opposition National League for Democracy called for people to vote "no" to the constitution. However, the N.L.D. claimed their campaign against the constitution was violently suppressed, with activists arrested and material confiscated.


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Campaign
The Kachin Independence Organisation, an opposition group which participated in the government's "National Convention" process, called on its members to abstain, saying the government had failed to respond to its demands.


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Criticism
Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar a few days before the referendum, and the vote was postponed to 24 May in the most severely affected areas — 7 out of 26 townships in Irrawaddy Division and 40 out of 45 townships in Yangon Division. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the referendum to be postponed in full to concentrate on the "national tragedy," but the government rejected this. The Junta came under heavy criticism for diverting critical resources from survivors toward the referendum, including evicting refugees from shelters such as schools so that these can be used as polling stations. Massive fraud and intimidation was also reported.


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Criticism
On 6 May 2008, the United States Congress passed a condemnation of the Myanmar constitution and referendum, by a 413–1 vote (the "no" vote cast by Ron Paul).


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Voting
There were many allegations of electoral fraud on the day of the election, including:


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Voting
Opposition groups, including the All Burma Monks' Alliance, the 88 Generation Students Group and the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, described the referendum as a sham.


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Voting dates, 10 May 2008
After the first day of the referendum, the Democratic Promotion Organ of Burma and the Democratic Voice of Burma complained about election fraud. They claimed that, according to witness reports, it was impossible to vote "no" because voters were issued voting ballots that had already been marked "support" and were sent to prison if they refused the pre-marked ballot. It was also reported that there were two separate ballot boxes which were monitored by officials who could see how people voted, which this might have intimidated voters or allowed for later recriminations. Furthermore, as with many referenda relating to procedural matters, there was concern that many people did not understand the details of what they were voting for, and that this might have affected the vote. The Myanma Junta stated that the referendum would easily be supported.


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Results
The day after the election, local media cited informal reports of referendum results as follows:


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Results
Final results were not expected before the end of May; they were announced on 30 May 2008.


2008 Myanmar constitutional referendum, Results
On 15 May 2008, the junta announced that the constitution had been approved by 92.4% of voters, claiming a 99% turnout in the two-thirds of the region that had held the vote.


2008 NAB Cup
The 2008 NAB Cup was the Australian Football League pre-season competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2008 Premiership season began. It culminated with the grand final played on 8 March 2008 at AAMI Stadium in which St Kilda beat Adelaide by 5 points.


2008 NAB Cup
In their continuing attempt to grow Australian football internationally, the AFL played the opening game of the 2008 NAB Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.


2008 NACAC Cross Country Championships
The 2008 NACAC Cross Country Championships took place on March 1, 2008. The races were held at the Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, United States. Detailed reports of the event were given.


2008 NACAC Cross Country Championships, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 64 athletes from 6 countries participated.


2008 NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics
The 5th NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held inToluca, Mexico, at the Alberto "Chivo" Córdova Stadium at theUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de México on July 18–20, 2008. A detailed report on the results was given.


2008 NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
The gold medal winners were published. Detailed results can be found on the Athletics Canadawebsite, on the CACACwebsite, on the MileSplitwebsite, and on the Tilastopajawebsite.


2008 NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics, Participation (unofficial)
20 countries are reported to participate. However, an unofficial count through the result lists resulted in 258 participating athletes from only 19 countries:


2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics – Results
These are the full results of the 2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics which took place between July 18 and July 20, 2008, at Estadio Universitario Alberto Chivo Cordova in Toluca, Mexico.


2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics – Results, Men's results, 100 meters
HeatsWind: Heat 1: -0.6 m/s, Heat 2: -0.5 m/s, Heat 3: 0.0 m/s


2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics – Results, Men's results, 200 meters
HeatsWind: Heat 1: -1.2 m/s, Heat 2: -1.7 m/s, Heat 3: -1.4 m/s


2008 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was held from March 19 to 25 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 71st annual NAIA basketball tournament features 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.


2008 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
The official announcement of the 32-team field for the 71st  Annual Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship occurred late on Tuesday, March 11, with the announcement of the official bracket on Wednesday, March 12 at 5 p.m. CST. Early opening round action between No. 5 Mountain State and Olivet Nazarene went into two long overtimes. This caused a backup in game schedules. The late game featuring Southern Nazarene University and Point Loma Nazarene University was moved back from 10:30pm CST to 11:30pm CST. The late start caused many of the 3,000 fans to leave after halftime.


2008 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
Near the end of the game SNU rallied to tie the SeaLions 67-67 with 14 secs left sending the game into overtime. The game finally ended around 1:30am CST with Point Loma pulling off the upset over SNU. It was the latest finishing NAIA tournament game. Games for the next day started in about 6 hours.


2008 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
The championship game featured defending champions 7 seed Oklahoma City University and 5 seed Mountain State. Oklahoma City won the game, giving them back to back National Championships in win over Mountain State (75-72). Oklahoma City is the first team since Life University (Ga.) won the '99-'00 titles. Oklahoma City was making its third straight NAIA title game appearance, becoming the first team since Kentucky State University from 1970-72 to so. The Stars were defeated in the 2006 championship game by Texas Wesleyan University, 67-65.


2008 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 17th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.


2008 NAIA Football National Championship
The 2008 NAIA Football Championship Series concluded on December 20, 2008 with the championship game played at Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia. The championship was won by the Sioux Falls Cougars over the Carroll Fighting Saints by a score of 23–7.


2008 NAIA football rankings
One human poll made up the 2008 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football rankings, sometimes called the NAIA Coaches' Poll or the football ratings. Once the regular season was complete, the NAIA sponsored a 16-team playoff to determine the year's national champion. A final poll was then taken after completion of the 2008 NAIA Football National Championship.


2008 NAIA football rankings, Leading vote-getters
Since the inception of the Coaches' Poll in 1999, the #1 ranking in the various weekly polls has been held by only a select group of teams. Through the postseason poll of the 2008 season, the teams and the number of times they have held the #1 weekly ranking are shown below. The number of times a team has been ranked #1 in the postseason poll (the national champion) is shown in parentheses.


2008 NAIA football rankings, Leading vote-getters
In 1999, the results of a postseason poll, if one was conducted, are not known. Therefore, an additional poll has been presumed, and the #1 postseason ranking has been credited to the postseason tournament champion, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200
The 2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge race was the second running of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, a discontinued NASCAR Nationwide Series race held on August 2, 2008, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec. The race was the 23rd of the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200
The pole position was won by Scott Pruett of Chip Ganassi Racing, while the race was won by JR Motorsports' Ron Fellows. The race was the first points race in NASCAR history to be run with grooved rain tires.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, Background
The race was the second running of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, with Kevin Harvick winning the inaugural event in 2007. The track, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, was one of two international tracks on the 2008 Nationwide schedule, along with Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, Background
Various road course ringers ran in the race, including Patrick Carpentier, Ron Fellows, Max Papis, Scott Pruett, Boris Said,  Scott Gaylord and  Jacques Villeneuve.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, Background, Qualifying
Scott Pruett of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing won the pole position with a lap time of 102.569 seconds and a speed of 95.082 miles per hour (153.020 km/h). Max Papis started second with a lap speed of 94.834 mph (152.621 km/h), followed by Marcos Ambrose, Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve. The remaining top ten comprised Ron Fellows, Boris Said, Steve Wallace, Brad Coleman and Joey Logano. The lone driver to not qualify for the race was Kevin O'Connell.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, Race
The race started at 3:30 EST, with pole-sitter Scott Pruett leading until lap 7, in which the caution flag flew for rain, followed by the red flag on the following lap. As a result, most teams added windshield wipers to the cars, while grooved rain tires were installed. Rain tires had been previously used in practice and qualifying for the 1997 NASCAR Thunder 100 exhibition race at Suzuka Circuit, and also in 1999 by the Camping World Truck Series during a practice at Watkins Glen International. At one point, Carl Edwards was seen trying to use what appeared to be a Swiffer mop to try cleaning his windshield, possibly during the first caution.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, Race
The race was paused for about an hour before restarting. As a result of the rain, speeds dropped from 90 mph (140 km/h) to 75 mph (121 km/h). On lap 14, Marcos Ambrose took the lead, leading for a race high 27 laps until he was penalized for speeding in pit road. Jacques Villeneuve took the lead on lap 41, which he subsequently relinquished to Ron Fellows on the following lap. Fellows held the lead for seven laps until the race was called due to severe rain on lap 48.


2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, Race
On the same lap, Villeneuve, who did not have a wiper installed, collided with another car's rear; Joey Logano also crashed on the lap, hitting a car without brake lights. Patrick Carpentier finished second, followed by Ambrose, Ron Hornaday Jr., and Boris Said. The top ten was rounded out with Edwards, Jason Leffler, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Steve Wallace.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series
The 2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series was the 22nd season of the Camping World East Series, a regional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR. The season began on April 19, 2008, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway with the An American Revolution 150. The regular season concluded on October 12, 2008, at Stafford Motor Speedway. Matt Kobyluck won the championship, 210 points in front of Austin Dillon. Joey Logano entered the season as the defending drivers' champion, but he did not defend his championship because he moved up to the Nationwide Series in 2008.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series
It also marked the first season with Camping World as the title sponsor, which replaced Anheuser-Busch's Busch Beer after 21 years.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, Schedule
* Races aired on delay only. All HDNet races aired live and re-aired on Speed.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, Schedule, Television
The 2008 television schedule followed a similar format to the 2007 season with almost all of the events having television coverage in one form or another. The first part of the season was broadcast on the Speed Channel via tape-delay. HDNet signed on to broadcast the final seven races live. The U.S. Cellular 200 presented by Wellmark race at Iowa Speedway was shown live on HDNet due to the fact that it is a combination race with the Camping World West Series and it is part of the West Series' TV schedule. The Toyota All-Star Showdown  moved to January and aired live on Speed.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, An American Revolution 150
The An American Revolution 150 presented by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet was held at Greenville-Pickens Speedway on April 19. Peyton Sellers won the pole for the event and then went on to take the checkered flag in the first position. During post-race inspection, an illegal shock absorber was found on Peyton's car and he was disqualified and was credited with a last-place finish in the race and everyone else in the field moved ahead one finishing position. Austin Dillon crossed the line behind Peyton and was subsequently declared the winner. This was Austin's first win in his first race in the series.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, An American Revolution 150
Did not Qualify: (9) Todd Peck (#50), Jason Cochran (#72), Richard Gould (#58), A. J. Henriksen (#17), Daniel Pope II (#10), Johnny Petrozelle (#33), James Pritchard (#41), Ian Henderson (#93), Joe Oliver (#08).


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, U.S. Cellular 200
The U.S. Cellular 200 presented by Wellmark took place on May 18. This marks the second year that the East and West series have met in Iowa for a points race. Nextel Cup driver Kasey Kahne was on hand to take part in the event and marks the second time in a row that the winner of the previous night's "Nextel All-Star Race" was on hand for this event. Austin Dillon captured his first pole award, and Brian Ickler captured his first win in the series.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, U.S. Cellular 200
Did not Qualify: (10) Michael Faulk (#36), Max Dumarey (#76), John Salemi (#63), Derek Thorn (#80), Jody Lavender (#89), Dustin Delaney (#39), Ryan Duff (#7), Richard Johns (#59), Lloyd Mack (#33), Ryan Preece (#28)


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, U.S. Cellular 200
NOTE: On May 20, NASCAR announced that the No. 18 car of Marc Davis was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); 20C-8.4C (lubrication oil reservoir tank cover was not in place on the top of the lubrication oil reservoir tank encasement) and 20C-2.1O (any device or duct work that permits air to pass from one area of the interior of the car to another, or to the outside of the car, will not be permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, the inside of the car to the trunk area, or the floors, firewalls, crush panels and wheel wells passing air into or out of the car) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book. The violations was discovered during post race inspection on May 18.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Strutmasters.com 150
The Strutmasters.com 150 was run on May 31 at South Boston Speedway. Ricky Carmichael took his first pole award and Brian Ickler went on to lead a dominant 149 laps of the  150. He then held off bids from runner-up Austin Dillon of Lewisville, North Carolina, and third-place Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia, through a late race caution that extended the event to 155 laps. This win was his second of the season, and his second in a row.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Strutmasters.com 150
Did not Qualify: (9) Todd Peck (#50), Jason Cochran (#72), Richard Gould (#58), A. J. Henriksen (#17), Daniel Pope II (#10), Johnny Petrozelle (#33), James Pritchard (#41), Ian Henderson (#93), Joe Oliver (#08).


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, NASCAR Camping World Series 125 At The Glen
The NASCAR Camping World Series 125 at The Glen was run on June 8. This marked the return of the series to the historic Watkins Glen International track for the first time since 2004. Antonio Pérez took the pole award and Matt Kobyluck went on to win the race. A green-white-checkered finish necessitated by a late-race blown engine and stretched the race from its scheduled 51 laps to 55. Marc Davis (No. 18 Slim Jim Toyota) led a total of 32 laps of the event and led the field to its final restart.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, NASCAR Camping World Series 125 At The Glen
Did not Qualify: (2) James Buescher (#31), Larry Moloney (#89)


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, NASCAR Camping World Series 125 At The Glen
NOTE: The race was red flagged just past half-way due to rain. The red flag lasted for approximately 90 minutes


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Heluva Good! Summer 125
The Heluva Good! Summer 125 was run on June 27 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This race is the first of three this season that will be run in conjunction with the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. Qualifying was rained out and the field was set by the rulebook. This put points leader Austin Dillon on the pole. Matt Kobyluck went on to lead a race high 47 laps, but it was Eddie MacDonald taking the win after he managed to jump into the lead over Trevor Bayne on the final restart on lap 122.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Heluva Good! Summer 125
NOTE: This was Eddie MacDonald's first win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 16 career NASCAR Camping World Series East starts at the track.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100
The Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100 was run on July 12 at the Thompson International Speedway. Jesus Hernandez seemed to have the car to beat as he led three times for a race high of 50 laps, but it was Trevor Bayne who took both the pole and the win for the event. This was Bayne's first pole award and his first win in the series in only his sixth start.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Strutmasters.com 150 presented by Dollar General
The Strutmasters.com 150 presented by Dollar General was run on July 19 at the Music City Motorplex. Sterling Marlin was on hand to compete in this event. Peyton Sellers captured another pole award and led a race-high 74 laps. In the end it was Matt Kobyluck who crossed the start–finish line first to capture his second win of the season.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, The Edge Hotel 150
"The Edge Hotel 150" was run on July 26 at Adirondack Motor Speedway in Lowville (New Bremen), New York. Bryon Chew captured his first pole award of the season and went on to finish eleventh, while Matt Kobyluck, who led for only three laps, went on to take the win for his third of the season and second in a row. This was also Kobyluck's third win at this track in only six visits.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, The Edge Hotel 150
NOTE: NASCAR announced on July 29 that the #3 car of Austin Dillon was being penalized due to a rules violations discovered during post-race inspection. The car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20C-12.3-S (front shock absorbers would not extend to the specified distance within the specified period of time) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book. The violations were discovered during post race inspection on July 26. The infraction dropped Dillon to 25th in the official race finish. All other drivers in the event moved up one position in the official finishing order.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Mohegan Sun NASCAR Camping World Series 200
The Mohegan Sun NASCAR Camping World Series 200 took place on August 16 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. This race is the second and final road course on the 2008 schedule. Qualifying for this event was rained out so the starting lineup was set by the rule book. This put points leader Matt Kobyluck on the pole for the event. Matt went on to lead a race high 41 laps en route to win his 4th race of the season and third in a row.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Mohegan Sun NASCAR Camping World Series 200
Note: The race was red flagged at lap 51 due to rain. The red flag was out for 75 minutes before racing resumed.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Mansfield 150
The Mansfield 150 took place on August 23 at Mansfield Motorsports Park in Mansfield, Ohio. Trevor Bayne captured his second pole award of the season, while Brian Ickler dominated the field leading six times for 128 laps en route to his third win of the season.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Heluva Good! Fall 125
The Heluva Good! Fall 125 took place on September 13 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. "Independent" teams lead the field by taking the top three spots in qualifying on Thursday. Peyton Sellers, Steve Park and Eddie MacDonald took the top three spots respectively; Each of them drive for teams that have no affiliation with any Cup or Nationwide teams. Rain on Friday forced the race to be postponed until Saturday morning. A 52 lap green flag stretch during the middle of the race was not planned on and ended up resulting in several teams running out of gas in the closing laps. Eddie MacDonald took the lead from Steve Park on the last lap and went on to win the race.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Heluva Good! Fall 125
Note: Eddie MacDonald became the third driver to complete the sweep of the Camping World Series East events at NHMS. Previous drivers to accomplish this feat are Mike McLaughlin in 1992 and Joey Logano in 2007


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Sunoco 150
The  Sunoco 150 was run on September 19 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Points leader Matt Kobyluck was poised to clinch the series championship with good finish in the race. Brian Ickler got his first pole position of the year but the race would turn bittersweet for him as he was involved in a wreck only 18 laps into the event. A nine-minute red flag stopped the race for cleanup after an accident. Aric Almirola would go on to win the race but it was Matt Kobyluck, who by finishing in third place and extending his lead to 219 points over second place with only one race remaining, clinched the series championship.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Sunoco 150
Notes: Aric Almirola became the second driver this year to win his first race in the series on his first start in the series.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Sunoco 150
Matt Kobyluck became the thirteenth different series champion in the series 22 years.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, 36th Annual Carquest Fall Final
The 36th Annual Carquest Fall Final at Stafford Motor Speedway was originally scheduled to run on September 28; however, due to an unfavorable forecast the race was postponed until the weekend of October 11–12.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, 36th Annual Carquest Fall Final
While Matt Kobyluck had wrapped up the series championship at Dover, there were still several positions within the top ten in points that were up for grabs.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, 36th Annual Carquest Fall Final
Brian Ickler was the second to last driver to go out in qualifying and he laid down a lap of 19.376 seconds (new series record at the track) and took the pole. Ickler would lead the first 36 laps of the event before handing the lead over to Ted Christopher on a restart. Peyton Sellers would be the only other driver to lead laps during the race, and between the three of them they exchanged the lead 8 times.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, 36th Annual Carquest Fall Final
A blistering race speed and a 57-lap green flag run put many cars down a lap and made for an exciting race. A couple of late race cautions kept the leaders within reach of each other. Towards the end of the race NASCAR was getting reports of Christopher's car leaking oil and spent several laps under caution looking for a leak but ended up not bringing him to pit road to take a look at the car. On the final restart on lap 143 Ickler was leading with Christopher on the outside as they came to take the green flag. The two got together and Ickler went spinning into the infield with Christopher taking the lead.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, 36th Annual Carquest Fall Final
Ickler kept the car running and was able to continue but a caution was not thrown and the race continued under green. Christopher and Sellers were running nose to tail for the lead. Coming out of turn 4 on lap 148 Ickler was directly in front of the leaders and Christopher seemed to have to check up a little bit to not get into Ickler. This led to Sellers getting into the rear of Christopher and sending him spinning towards the outside wall. Sellers would take the lead and the white flag as Christopher came to a rest near the wall out of turn 4. The yellow came out and Sellers crossed the line in first place under the yellow/checkered flags and took the win.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, 36th Annual Carquest Fall Final
Peyton Sellers would proceed to stop under the flag stand to get the checkered flag and do a little celebrating but all victory lane proceedings would be postponed while the tower reviewed the contact between Sellers and Christopher. Fifteen minutes later word came from the tower that Sellers was the winner of the event. This was Sellers' first win of the season after having a win in the season opener at Greenville-Pickens Speedway taken away from him for an illegal shock absorber.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Toyota All-Star Showdown
The Toyota All-Star Showdown was moved to January of the next year from its traditional October date in order to allow the race to keep a "post-season" feel, this race is a 2008 Camping World Series race, per NASCAR rulebook, since it is run with 2008 rules, and not 2009 rules (e.g., 2008 approved equipment only;  no 2009 approved equipment was allowed to be run, and no 2009 rules applied).


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Toyota All-Star Showdown
The East-West showdown format favoured the West in qualifying, as six of the top ten drivers in qualifying were West drivers, with only two East Series regulars making the top ten, along with defending champion Joey Logano (who was not an East Series regular in 2008) and Mexico Series champion Antonio Pérez.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Toyota All-Star Showdown
West Series champion Eric Holmes was among the leaders of the first 100 laps, along with East Series driver Brian Ickler (originally from California; moved to the Charlotte area to race in the East Series in 2008), who led 98 laps throughout the night. Holmes dropped back because of a dragging part on the start of the second segment. On Lap 141, Ron Hornaday Jr. ran into the side of Ickler, and caused an incident that led to a nine-minute red flag as 22 cars were involved, either by the crash or being stuck behind the wreckage.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Toyota All-Star Showdown
On Lap 250, Logano raced Peyton Sellers, who has a Nationwide Series ride for 2009, hard, running into Sellers to cause a spin in turn three. Logano crossed the line first but was disqualified by NASCAR for unsportsmanlike conduct. East Series champion Matt Kobyluck, who did not lead a single lap and crashed in practice, going to his 2006 Showdown-winning car, finished second but was declared the winner.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Toyota All-Star Showdown
East driver Trevor Bayne was second, and West driver Jason Bowles, who drove a car for this race purchased from East Series team owner Andy Santerre, who supported the team (he did not bring his regular team with him to the Showdown) was third.


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Toyota All-Star Showdown
Did not qualify out of 50-lap "last chance qualifier" was held after qualifying. The top six advanced. : (16) Blake Koch (#21), Joe Polewarczyk Jr. (#03), Daryl Harr (#00), Keith Spangler (#39), Brian Wong (#89), Marcus Zukanovic (#99), Tony Toste (#91), Stan Silva Jr. (#65), Paul Pedroncelli Jr. (#0), Billy Kann (#78), Kyle Kelley (#7), Dakoda Armstrong (#5), Wes Banks (#31), Rod Johnson Jr. (#04), Terry Henry (#19), Greg Pursley (#26).


2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series, 2008 Races, Toyota All-Star Showdown
NOTE:  Logano crossed the line first but was penalised for rough driving in the Lap 250 crash with Sellers.


2008 NASCAR Camping World West Series
The 2008 NASCAR Camping World West Series was the 55th season of Camping World West Series, a regional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR. It began with the Toyota/NAPA Auto Care 150 at All-American Speedway on March 29, 2008, and concluded with the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 by Thunder Valley, again at All-American Speedway, on October 25, 2008. Eric Holmes won the championship, 48 points in front of Jason Bowles. This was Holmes' second championship after his first came in 2006. He would go on to win a third championship in 2010, ironically meaning that he won a title every other year in this span of five years.


2008 NASCAR Camping World West Series
The 2008 season also was the first with Camping World as the title sponsor of the series, which replaced Anheuser-Busch's Busch Beer after 21 years.


2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
The 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series was an exciting season of racing and the second season of the series. Scott Steckly, who dominated many events He won three of the first four events of the year fought off a late season charge from Thomson Jr. to become the series second ever champion winning by a margin of 24 points. British Columbia native Jason White was the rookie of the year beating Anthony Simone. Past CASCAR champion Peter Gibbons decided to retire after a lengthy career.


2008 NASCAR Corona Series
The 2008 NASCAR Corona Series was the fifth season of NASCAR-sanctioned stock car racing in Mexico.


2008 NASCAR Corona Series, Results and standings, Standings
(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by final practice results or rainout. * – Most laps led.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was the fourteenth season of the Craftsman Truck Series, the third highest stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. It was contested over twenty-five races, beginning with the Chevy Silverado HD 250 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnny Benson of Bill Davis Racing was crowned champion. The season was also the last under the Craftsman sponsorship banner. Sears Holdings Corporation, the owners of the Craftsman brand name of tools, withdrew sponsorship at the end of the season. On October 23, NASCAR officials confirmed that Camping World would become the title sponsor beginning with the 2009 season.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Chevy Silverado HD 250
The Chevy Silverado HD 250 was held February 15 at Daytona International Speedway. Erik Darnell won the pole. Anticipating another three wide finish such as the ones in 2003 and 2007, Darnell hoped to squash those hopes, and nearly did so by dominating the early portions of the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Chevy Silverado HD 250
During the early stages, multiple wrecks came about, including "The Big One" on lap 20, which was started when Brendan Gaughan made contact with an extremely tight Mike Skinner, forcing him up the racetrack and into the path of Matt Crafton, who also collected Ted Musgrave, Jon Wood, Chad Chaffin, and most notably P. J. Jones whose No. 63 truck caught fire trying to avoid the wreck, forcing a red flag.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Chevy Silverado HD 250
Only three laps later did the next wreck strike, with Joey Clanton getting loose and spinning, collecting outside polesitter Terry Cook, Mike Bliss, and ROTY contenders Colin Braun and Justin Marks. Darnell had the race in hand until green flag pitstops began at lap 84. Todd Bodine grabbed the lead from the dominant Darnell, who thought he had a loose wheel. While slowing to enter pit road, Marks was unaware that Darnell was pitting and the two made contact, ending Darnell's night. After the pit stop, Bodine would not look back, holding off a hard charging Kyle Busch and Johnny Benson for his first ever win at Daytona.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Chevy Silverado HD 250
NOTE: Todd Bodine suffered a 25-point penalty when an illegal part was found on his truck during pre-qualifying inspection.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, San Bernardino County 200
The San Bernardino County 200 was held February 23 at the newly renamed Auto Club Speedway. As all of Friday's activities were cancelled due to rain, Truck qualifying and the race were both cancelled, with the race being pushed back to Saturday morning. Based on the 2007 owners points, defending champion Ron Hornaday Jr. was on pole. However, the race would mostly be dominated by Kyle Busch, coming out of a frustrating Speedweeks. Busch would dominate, leading the first 51 laps. However, Daytona winner Todd Bodine ran down Busch and passed him on the backstretch just after the halfway point. After the final round of green flag pit stops, Busch regained the lead by 3.5 seconds over Bodine and never looked back, cruising to his first Truck Series win of the season.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, American Commercial Lines 200
The American Commercial Lines 200 was held on March 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Defending series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole. Hornaday would also dominate the race on long runs, leading for 81 laps. However, the critical moment of the race was on lap 112 when Kyle Busch's crew chief, Richie Wauters brought his driver into the pits after a ten-minute rain delay on lap 111. The stop forced leader Hornaday to pit a lap later. Busch took the lead from Hornaday within 10 laps to go, and held of Hornaday over a four lap sprint to the finish to take his second consecutive victory.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 250
The Kroger 250 was held March 29 at Martinsville Speedway. Jack Sprague won the track record breaking pole. The race would instead be dominated by "Short Track Slayer" Dennis Setzer, whose team, Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia, had recently moved to the Martinsville area to be more competitive. This competitiveness showed when Setzer took the lead on lap 128 when debutant Brent Raymer spun in front of leader Kyle Busch. Setzer would lead the rest of the way thanks to nine more cautions.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 250
Although the race went on for an extra three laps, Setzer would hang on for his first win since he won Mansfield (also on fuel mileage) with the defunct Spears Motorsports. However, behind Setzer it was complete chaos. While Setzer was rounding turn 4 to take the win, Busch, in a desperate attempt to take second, Busch attempted to drive underneath Johnny Benson However, Busch's left side hit the apron, sending both Benson Jr. and Busch spinning to 25th and 26th-place finishes. The win was emotional for the whole team as it was their first win since Bobby Hamilton won at Mansfield in 2005.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
The O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 was held on April 26 at Kansas Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. started from pole. For the first time this season, points leader Kyle Busch was absent in this race, due to a conflict between the finish of the Aaron's 312 and the start of the Truck race. With a new truck and the guidance of crew chief Rick Ren, Hornaday dominated the race, leading 136 of 167 laps en route to his first win of the season. Making the win even sweeter was the fact that it was a KHI 1–2 finish with new teammate Jack Sprague close behind. Rookie Colin Braun rounded out the "podium" although controversially as he was involved in incidents with veterans Sprague and Matt Crafton.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, North Carolina Education Lottery 200
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 was held on May 16 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won the pole. Busch would dominate for 86 laps at the site of his first ever truck series win. On lap 104, Busch collided with defending champion Ron Hornaday Jr., sending both trucks into the turn 3 wall and out of contention to win. Late in the race with seven laps to go, Erik Darnell was leading the field to the green on a restart when his tires spun, taking him out of contention.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, North Carolina Education Lottery 200
As Johnny Benson moved by Darnell for the top spot, NASCAR penalized Benson Jr. for jumping the start. In the lead during the next restart would be Matt Crafton, followed by a resurgent Hornaday and Todd Bodine. On the subsequent restart, Bodine sent Hornaday spinning into turn one, handing second and third to Chad McCumbee and Brendan Gaughan, respectively. Despite a valiant run by McCumbee on the backstretch, Crafton would take home an upset victory, his first in 178 races and the first for ThorSport Racing in a decade (Terry Cook's first win at Flemington Speedway).


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Ohio 250
The Ohio 250 was held on May 24 at Mansfield Motorsports Park. Johnny Benson won the pole. As with most Mansfield races, the action was expected to be tight and dramatic, with fuel mileage playing out in the latter half. With the downsizing in fuel cells to 18 gallons, it was deemed mathematically impossible for any driver in the field to repeat Dennis Setzer's no stop victory the previous year. With a record 15 cautions, the best of the afternoon was saved for the last part of the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Ohio 250
David Starr and his Red Horse Racing team had dominated the day, leading 170 laps in total. However, in the final laps, Starr's seemingly inevitable victory would be done in. Rookie Donny Lia, who had started 28th, had worked his way through the field and to the rear tailgate of Starr's truck. On the final lap, Lia daringly pulled the bump and run on Starr exiting turn 2. The two drivers along with Todd Bodine made it three wide on the backstretch.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Ohio 250
Lia would gain the advantage heading into turn three and the 2007 Whelen Modified Tour champion would hang on to take the first ever win for both him and his upstart team, legendary road racing team TRG Motorsports, as well as the second consecutive first time winner for the 2008 season.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, AAA Insurance 200
The AAA Insurance 200 was held on May 30 at Dover International Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole. Skinner would not lead for long as the dominant Kyle Busch would take the top spot and stay there for the first 96 laps. However, heavy smoke was billowing from Busch's No. 51 truck, forcing him to the garage with transmission troubles and knocking him out of contention. Taking over the top spot would be Todd Bodine, who would stay out on a lap 133 restart with Shane Sieg.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, AAA Insurance 200
Making only his sixth start in NASCAR competition and running on two tires, ex-Formula One driver Scott Speed lived up to his name and opened up a four-second lead on Ron Hornaday Jr.. Although Speed's lead would be cut due to Bodine crashing on lap 170, he would hold off veterans Hornaday and Jack Sprague to become the third consecutive first time winner for the 2008 season. The other time this happened was in 1998, with Andy Houston (Loudon), Terry Cook (Flemington), and Jimmy Hensley (Music City)


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Sam's Town 400
The Sam's Town 400 was held June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. Justin Marks won his first career pole. As the series was on a streak of three consecutive first time winners, many looked towards Chad McCumbee, who had nearly won the fall Texas race in '07, polesitter Marks, and Plano native Colin Braun.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Sam's Town 400
It was not just the young drivers seeking the win at Texas, but veterans as well, such as defending champion Ron Hornaday Jr., Mike Skinner, who started on the front row at Texas for his eighth consecutive start had never won, and Brendan Gaughan, who literally turned the track into his personal playground in both '02 and '03. Although Marks led early he would fall back to 8th before the first round of pit stops. As usual, Cup series points leader Kyle Busch would also be a factor in the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Sam's Town 400
Although Busch started in the back (Shane Sieg qualified the No. 51 truck while Busch was in Pocono, Pennsylvania and he also missed the drivers meeting.) he was able to work his way into the top 10 within 60 laps. However, Busch's fortunes would be undone as he had not had the proper seat time to adjust the truck. All the while, "Restart Master" Hornaday would lead a record 140 laps (breaking Greg Biffle's record of 119) and hold off Busch on a green-white-checkered to take his first win at Texas.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Cool City Customs 200
The Cool City Customs 200 was held on June 14 at Michigan International Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole. Skinner would only lead the opening lap before falling back and eventually finishing 8th. From then on, the race would be dominated by Todd Bodine who would lead for 39 laps. However, the final pit stop, it would be Erik Darnell taking the top spot, holding it for the final 25 circuits. However, a late caution came out with three to go, setting up a fast finish.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Cool City Customs 200
On the last lap, Johnny Benson took the lead from Darnell in turn 3 and the two were side by side on the frontstretch. In the final 50 yards it appeared as though Benson Jr. would win by a nose, but Darnell surged at the last minute with a side draft and beat Benson to the line by less than 0.005 seconds, the second closest finish in Truck Series history. During the final lap, points leader Ron Hornaday Jr. was running fourth after starting in the back due to an engine change. In turn 2, Hornaday was spun by Kyle Busch into the infield, but no caution came out, handing Hornaday a 23rd-place finish and the loss of the points lead. After the race Hornaday and team owner Kevin Harvick confronted Busch on pit road.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Camping World RV Sales 200
The Camping World RV Sales 200 was held June 20 at Milwaukee Mile. Johnny Benson took the pole and won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, O'Reilly 200
The O'Reilly 200 was held June 28 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Johnny Benson took the pole but Ron Hornaday Jr. won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Built Ford Tough 225
The Built Ford Tough 225 was held July 19 at Kentucky Speedway. Mike Skinner took the pole but Johnny Benson won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Power Stroke Diesel 200
The Power Stroke Diesel 200 was held July 25 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Bobby East took his first Craftsman Truck Series pole but Johnny Benson won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Toyota Tundra 200
The Toyota Tundra 200 was held August 9 at Nashville Superspeedway. Todd Bodine took the pole but Johnny Benson won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Toyota Tundra 200
NOTE: Todd Bodine suffered a 25-point penalty for an illegal modification to his truck found in post race inspection.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)
The O'Reilly 200 was held on August 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Scott Speed won the pole and would fall back and eventually finished 3rd.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)
• Jimmie Johnson would make his lone career Truck Series start to date, driving the #81 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet Silverado for Randy Moss Motorsports. He would lead 28 laps and finish 34th after crashing on lap 102.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Camping World 200
The Camping World 200 was held September 6 at Gateway International Raceway. Dennis Setzer took the pole but Ron Hornaday Jr. won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Camping World RV Rental 200
The Camping World RV Rental 200 was held on September 13 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. won the race and there was a large post race scuffle after the race between the crews of Todd Bodine and David Starr.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350
The Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 was held September 20 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole. Hornaday would be passed by Mike Skinner after the opening lap. During a series of pit stops, points leader Johnny Benson decided to stay out, despite the fact his tires were old. He would lead for 26 laps before the right front tire went flat, sending Benson Jr. into the wall and ending his bid for the win.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350
After pit stops following a caution by Dennis Setzer and Shane Sieg, Erik Darnell would take the lead stay there for 56 laps, leading the most. However, Mike Skinner chased down Darnell on the white flag lap and was side by side with him along the backstretch. Darnell side drafted Skinner to retake the lead coming out of turn 4 but Skinner hit Darnell's side, breaking the No. 99's momentum and taking Skinner to his first win of 2008.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Mountain Dew 250
The Mountain Dew 250 was held on October 4 at Talladega Superspeedway. Erik Darnell won the pole. The points race had tightened with Johnny Benson only a single point ahead of defending champion Ron Hornaday Jr.. Like Daytona, Darnell dominated the race, leading 48 laps with teammates Colin Braun and John Wes Townley close behind. Townley would later be spun unintentionally by defending race winner Todd Bodine while on pit road at lap 50. Alabama native Rick Crawford earned a speeding penalty during the series of pit stops, ending his chances at a home state victory.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Mountain Dew 250
After another series of green flag pit stops, John Andretti, Braun, Kyle Busch, and Brian Scott took turns leading until 14 to go when Busch, Hornaday, and Bodine all pulled away. With 1 to go Braun was pushed into the lead by T. J. Bell, but was later passed by Busch on the backstretch. However, Bodine pulled the "bump and run" on Busch, loosening him and eventually passing him for the win, with new points leader Hornaday in tow.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 200
The Kroger 200 was held October 18 at Martinsville Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. took the pole but Johnny Benson won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 200
Did not qualify: Tayler Malsam (#41), Robert Bruce (#73), Russ Dugger (#89), Craig Wood (#50).


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, E-Z-GO 200
The E-Z-GO 200 was held October 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ryan Newman won his first ever Craftsman Truck Series race in his first start.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Chevy Silverado 350K
The Chevy Silverado 350K was held October 31 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Rick Crawford won the pole. The sparks flew early on lap 2 as Travis Kvapil, attempting a three wide pass, pushed rookie Cale Gale into the left side of Crawford's truck. Gale's resultant spin forced T. J. Bell to hit his brakes, but Todd Bodine couldn't avoid Bell and tapped him up the track while also turning Jon Wood into the wall. Gale's car steered from the wall and hit Bell's rear quarter panel, sending him into the fence.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Chevy Silverado 350K
At lap 51, spring Texas winner Ron Hornaday Jr. passed Kyle Busch for the lead. While Hornaday was pitting on lap 56, Jack Smith spun on the backstretch, pinning Hornaday a lap down. 10 laps later Hornaday would be in 16th thanks to a caution. Hornaday would charge to the lead, passing Kvapil on lap 108 and holding off Busch to sweep at Texas and cut Johnny Benson's point lead down to only six points.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
The Lucas Oil 150 was held November 7 at Phoenix International Raceway. Ron Hornaday Jr. took the pole but Kevin Harvick won the race.


2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Ford 200
The Ford 200 was held November 14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mike Skinner took the pole but Todd Bodine won the race.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series began on February 16 at Daytona International Speedway with the Camping World 300, and ended on November 15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 300. This was the first season in which NASCAR's second-tier series was known as the Nationwide Series, ending the 26-year sponsorship by Anheuser-Busch's Busch Beer. The seven-year agreement gives Nationwide Insurance the exclusive rights to tie its brand to NASCAR's second most popular racing series.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Schedule
The following table shows the 2008 schedule published by NASCAR.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Schedule
♣ — Race ran at night, or started in the late afternoon and finished at night.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Television
The 2008 TV schedule followed the same format as 2007, with most races broadcast on ESPN2 and six races broadcast on ABC when ESPN2 broadcast larger sporting events. All races were to be shown live on free-to-air TV in Australia on Ten HD. In South America, SPEED do the broadcasting of all the season.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World 300
The Camping World 300 presented by Chevrolet was held February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. Tony Stewart won the pole and then went on to win the race. Stewart became the first driver to win the season opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona from the pole. Johnny Sauter, Cale Gale, Kertus Davis and David Gilliland all received 25-point penalties for various infractions.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World 300
Did not qualify: Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#56), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Larry Gunselman (#91), Kenny Wallace (#36), Kevin Lepage (#61), Joe Nemechek (#87), Donnie Neuenberger (#52), Brett Rowe (#05), Mike Harmon (#84), Kertus Davis (#0).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World 300
NOTE: On February 20 NASCAR announced that seven Nationwide teams had been penalized due to rule violations during Speedweeks at Daytona. The most notable was Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #5 team whose crew chief was fined $25,000 and suspended for the next six Nationwide Series events until April 9. Earnhardt Jr. was penalized with the loss of 50 driver points, while car owner Rick Hendrick was penalized 50 owner points. An altered rear spoiler was found during post-practice template inspection which enhanced the aerodynamic performance on the car.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World 300
On March 4 it was announced that some teams had their penalties upheld and some rescinded by the National Stock Car Racing Commission. Rusty Wallace, Inc. had 3 penalties rescinded on the #64 car driven by David Stremme. The commission also amended 2 of 3 penalties issued to Richardson-Hass Motorsports' #14 car driven by David Gilliland. The commission also reduced a fine against Kevin Harvick, Inc. #77 crew chief Charles Wilson from $15,000 to $5,000 and also reduced a suspension from the next 6 races to only 4 races. The commission opted to uphold penalties against the JD Motorsports #0 car driven by Kertus Davis. The commission also decided to amend 2 of 3 penalties issued to the Phoenix Racing #1 car driven by Johnny Sauter.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Stater Brothers 300
The Stater Brothers 300 was held on Monday, February 25 due to rain at the newly renamed Auto Club Speedway of Southern California (previously California Speedway) in Fontana, California. Jeff Burton won the pole due to qualifying being canceled after being rained out. The race was scheduled to be held on the 23rd, but water seeping onto the track surface prevented this, and it was then scheduled to be held after Sunday's Auto Club 500. More rain postponed that, and again also delayed the Nationwide race to Monday, an hour after the completion of the Sprint Cup Series race. Tony Stewart dominated most of the day leading 139 of 150 laps with fellow Toyota driver David Reutimann sitting in 2nd for much of the race.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Stater Brothers 300
NOTE: Eric Norris driver of the #14 Carl A. Haas Motorsports entry withdrew, making only 42 starters.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Sam's Town 300
The Sam's Town 300 was held on March 1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Brian Vickers won the pole. Just like the previous two weeks, Tony Stewart dominated the race. However, his chance to score his first Vegas win were dashed on lap 138 when he spun while alongside David Reutimann. Hometown hero Kyle Busch had to start in the back but worked his way through the field and took the lead after a lap 63 pit stop. However, his day would end on lap 103 when he cut a right front tire.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Sam's Town 300
Another strong car, the #29 of Jeff Burton, worked his way through the field following an unscheduled pit stop. However, on lap 158, his engine blew while challenging Mark Martin for the lead. Eventually, after 12 cautions, the race would turn to three drivers: Martin who was seeking to return to Victory Lane, Carl Edwards who was looking to keep his momentum going after his Cup win in Fontana, and Brad Keselowski, trying to make a name for himself and become the first non Cup Series driver to win since Aric Almirola last year.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Sam's Town 300
On lap 195 while Edwards and Keselowski were going side by side at the start/finish line, Martin tapped Edwards in the rear, spinning him into Keselowski and sending the race into overtime. Martin would easily fend off former teammate Greg Biffle for his first Nationwide Series win of the season. Martin later apologized to both Edwards and Keselowski in victory lane.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Sam's Town 300
Did not qualify: Sam Hornish Jr. (#12), Mike Harmon (#84).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Nicorette 300
The Nicorette 300 was held on March 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Burton won the pole. As usual, the race would be dominated by Sprint Cup Series points leader Kyle Busch. Busch hoped to make history by being the points leader in all three of NASCAR's top racing circuits. He would do so to an extent, leading 153 laps. However, Busch's hopes would be derailed by a flat tire while entering turn 1. His misfortune would open the door for other drivers such as Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, and polesitter Burton.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Nicorette 300
David Ragan would take the top spot after pit stops under the caution for Busch's crash. However, Burton and Kenseth took first and second on lap 177. Things would stay this way for 9 laps until Kenseth made the pass for the lead. The main highlight of the race came on lap 189. While exiting turn two, Dale Earnhardt Jr. attempted to pass Eric McClure. However, McClure spun in front of Dale Jr., turning him into the wall and into the path of rookie Bryan Clauson, who hit McClure's car as it hit the wall, lifting it off the ground. This brought out a red flag lasting several minutes. Although Kenseth led with three to go, debris from Ragan's car brought out a green-white-checkered finish to lap 198, with Kenseth holding off Harvick for his first win of the season.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Sharpie Mini 300
The Sharpie Mini 300 was held March 15 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Scott Wimmer won the pole. Unlike other races, Kyle Busch would not dominate this one, as he was taken out by a spinning Martin Truex Jr. on lap 13. 2006 Champion Kevin Harvick had one of the best cars all day but fell out of contention after his tire changer failed to secure a lugnut on lap 102. Clint Bowyer dominated the race, leading for 119 laps.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Sharpie Mini 300
However, the move of the race came on lap 164 when Bowyer and eight others stayed out on the track as rain began to hit the track. Up to that point, Bowyer had been fending off a charging Kasey Kahne for the past 40 laps before the rains hit. The cars would be pulled onto pit road on lap 171 and Bowyer would be declared the winner after a 47-minute rain delay.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Sharpie Mini 300
Did not qualify: Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#56), Sam Hornish Jr. (#12).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Pepsi 300
The Pepsi 300 was held on March 22 at Nashville Superspeedway. Kyle Busch won the pole. As usual, Busch would dominate the race, leading 125 laps. However, his bad luck would continue as he spun coming out of turn 4. This move handed the lead to Bristol winner Clint Bowyer who held the top spot until teammate Scott Wimmer passed him with 20 to go. Wimmer would hang on to snap his 57 race winless streak (since Pikes Peak in 2003) and become the first non-Sprint Cup driver to win a race in 2008. This was also Wimmer's 6th and final career victory in the Series.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, O'Reilly 300
The O'Reilly 300 was held on April 5 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Kevin Harvick started from the pole after qualifying was rained out. Kyle Busch won the race, it was his first Nationwide Series win of the 2008 season. Busch led four times for 126 laps, including the final 43 laps of the race. Kevin Harvick who led 55 laps broke an axle on his first pit stop and lost 21 laps while his crew replaced it, he finished 34th. Tony Stewart went down a lap with an unscheduled pit stop on lap 71 after cutting his right rear tire. He had run over a lug nut on pit road during a green-flag pit stop on lap 56. Only 14 cars finished on the lead lap.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, O'Reilly 300
Failed to make race as qualifying was canceled due to rain: Donnie Neuenberger (#0).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Bashas' Supermarkets 200
The Bashas' Supermarkets 200 was held on April 11 at Phoenix International Raceway. Kyle Busch won the pole. And as usual, the race would be utterly dominated by  Busch. Busch hoped to make history by being the points leader in all three of NASCAR's top racing circuits.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Corona México 200
The Corona México 200 was held on April 20 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. Colin Braun won the pole. Kyle Busch won the race after passing Scott Pruett with nine laps remaining. Busch warned over his radio that Pruett would get dumped if he kept blocking him, a reference to the 2007 race. The win was Busch's first on a road course and his third straight Nationwide Series win. Scott Pruett led 36 of the 80 laps and wound up finishing third.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Corona México 200
Road course veteran Boris Said struggled for most of the day and was spun out by Marcos Ambrose with 28 laps remaining. The damage took Said out of the race, and he angrily pointed at Ambrose. Boris commented that "He either made a mistake or he's incredibly stupid, and I don't think he'd make a big mistake like that. I wouldn't expect it from him. "I'm not going to get mad, I'm just going to get even." Ambrose finished the day in second place, his best finish in the Nationwide Series. This was the last race held at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the NASCAR Nationwide Series.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Corona México 200
Did not qualify: Brett Rowe (#05), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Derrike Cope (#49), Joe Fox (#0).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Aaron's 312
The Aaron's 312 was held on April 26 at Talladega Superspeedway, in Talladega, Alabama. Tony Stewart won the pole and later went on to win the race. Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated much of the race running in first and second place respectively. 2007 IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti blew a tire on lap 11 and spun around onto the apron in Turn 3 into the path of the #91 car driven by Larry Gunselman who slammed into the driver's side of Franchitti's car.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Aaron's 312
Franchitti suffered a fractured left ankle and minor contusions from the hard impact,  the injury would sideline him for 5 Sprint Cup Series races. The big wreck (often dubbed "The Big One") occurred on lap 71 when Kevin Lepage was coming off pit road and merged immediately in front of the lead pack traffic. Lepage was only running around 115 mph when the wreck happened compared to the leaders who were running 191 mph. Several contenders were taken out including Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. The race was red flagged to clean up debris.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Aaron's 312
Around 16 cars were involved in the wreck, during the race several drivers were penalized for blending onto the track too early, instead of blending at Turn 2. Lepage publicly apologized for the incident the next day saying "I made a huge driver error by blending onto the racetrack in the wrong area. This caused a multi-car accident and changed the outcome of the race for many teams." Dale Earnhardt Jr. waited to make a last lap pass down the backstretch on Stewart but didn't have any drafting help, Dale would cross the finish line in sixth position.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Lipton Tea 250
The Lipton Tea 250 was held on May 2 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Kasey Kahne won the pole. The race, like the previous year's featured pit strategy as a key factor. Bryan Clauson (#41) spun out on lap 247 with only 3 laps left bringing out the eighth and final caution. Virginia native Denny Hamlin who was leading at the time of Clauson's spin made a pit stop during the caution for four fresh Goodyear tires.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Lipton Tea 250
On the restart of a green-white-checkered finish Hamlin blew past Carl Edwards and race leader Kevin Harvick who both opted to not pit during the late race caution. It was Denny Hamlin's sixth Nationwide Series career win and also Joe Gibbs Racing's seventh Nationwide Series victory in 2008. Kyle Busch came from a lap down to finish third, even after Steve Wallace got into Busch on the final lap. Kyle retaliated at Wallace after the checkered flag and spun out fourth-place finisher David Ragan in the process. Busch and Wallace had a small altercation on pit road after the race. Wallace who was seated in his #66 Chevy grabbed Busch's helmet when Busch confronted him about the incident.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Diamond Hill Plywood 200
The Diamond Hill Plywood 200 was held on May 9 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Carl Edwards won the pole. Denny Hamlin who won the previous race and was the fastest in the two final practice sessions hit the wall on his qualifying lap and failed to qualify. Carl Edwards, who won the pole, chose to start on the outside of Bowyer, the second-place qualifier. But scraped the wall while racing Bowyer on the opening lap.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Diamond Hill Plywood 200
Edwards' bad luck would continue when on lap 2 his #60 Ford blew the right-front tire and smacked the Turn 3 wall causing his race to end early. Matt Kenseth led Tony Stewart by more than two seconds with 46 laps left in the race but Kenseth made a pit stop on lap 121, complaining that his wheels were chattering. The crew put on four tires and sent Kenseth back on the track, but Kenseth wrecked in Turn 4 on lap 128 trying to catch the first car one lap down.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Diamond Hill Plywood 200
The race was red flagged with 19 laps remaining as track crews cleaned up after Kenseth's wreck. David Ragan spun on lap 138 and hit the wall bringing out the seventh caution. Mark Martin's engine stalled on the restart with three laps remaining due to fuel pickup problems, triggering a six-car wreck, the race was red flagged again for cleanup. Stewart led the field to the restart of a green-white-checker finish on lap 148. Tony Stewart pulled away from Clint Bowyer and went on to win his first race at Darlington Raceway. It was Stewart's fourth victory in the 2008 Nationwide Series, and the sixth of his career. It marked the eighth win for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2008 Nationwide Series, and the fourth consecutive victory for the team's #20 car.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Carquest Auto Parts 300
The Carquest Auto Parts 300 was held on May 24 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. Brian Vickers won the pole. Kyle Busch driving for Braun Racing won the race, ending the four-race winning streak of Joe Gibbs Racing. During the final caution (#88) Brad Keselowski tapped (#20) Denny Hamlin's bumper as the cars circled the track behind the pace car. Keselowski was upset with the way Hamlin had raced him. Hamlin retaliated by turning right into Keselowski's Chevrolet, damaging the left-front fender.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Carquest Auto Parts 300
The move by Hamlin upset Dale Earnhardt Jr. owner of the #88 and driver of the #83 for this race only, who was running fourth right behind the #88. While still under caution Earnhardt drove up and tapped Hamlin's bumper. After the incident an angry post-race confrontation erupted between the #88 JR Motorsports crew and the #20 Gibbs crew. The confrontation resulted in three members of the JR Motorsports crew being fined by NASCAR and one member was also suspended for one race.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Carquest Auto Parts 300
Did not qualify: Burney Lamar (#37),  Johnny Chapman (#90), Brett Rowe (#05).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Heluva Good! 200
The Heluva Good! 200 was held on May 31 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Carl Edwards won the pole. The start of the race was delayed for three hours due to heavy rain. This race marked the much anticipated debut of 18-year-old driving sensation Joey Logano driving the #20 GameStop Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Dario Franchitti made his first start since breaking his ankle in the Aaron's 312 at Talladega. Kyle Busch driving for Braun Racing led 68 laps, but various problems dropped him back in the field.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Heluva Good! 200
Busch made a pit stop on Lap 105 while leading, but contact between his #32 Toyota and Brad Keselowski's #88 Chevrolet forced both cars back to pit road under the third caution of the race. Busch had rallied back to the eight position when on Lap 169, Braun Racing teammate Jason Leffler lost control of his car and knocked Busch into the Turn 2 wall. From then on, Denny Hamlin would hold off polesitter Edwards and David Stremme over the final 28 laps to win the race. It would be Joe Gibbs Racing's ninth victory in the 2008 Nationwide Series. Joey Logano was able to keep his car in one piece and finish sixth, despite making contact with Kasey Kahne on pit road early in the race.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Federated Auto Parts 300
The Federated Auto Parts 300 presented by Dollar General was held on June 7 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. The 18-year-old phenom Joey Logano won the pole in his second ever start. Logano led early for 60 laps. Though Logano, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann, and others headed for the pits on Lap 79, Brad Keselowski stayed out. This move put Keselowski on a different fuel strategy, pitting late with 41 laps to go instead of pitting with the rest of the field with 77 to go.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Federated Auto Parts 300
On lap 89 Logano was taken out of contention during a four wide race through Turn 4. His #20 Toyota was clipped by Greg Biffle's Ford, turning him sideways into Busch's car before shooting up the track and into the outside wall. Late in the race fuel became an issue as Reutimann appeared to have his second Nationwide career win in the bag while being pursued by Bowyer and Kyle Busch.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Federated Auto Parts 300
However, a caution brought out by a spinning Brad Teague ruined Reutimann's hopes of victory, as he was passed by Bowyer and Busch on the restart with 8 laps to go. As Bowyer made contact with Reutimann, Keselowski made his move to the inside of Bowyer, taking the lead and eventually his first ever win in his 49th start.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Federated Auto Parts 300
Did not qualify: Brian Keselowski (#92),  Brett Rowe (#05), Ryan Hackett (#76).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Meijer 300
The Meijer 300 presented by Oreo was held on June 14 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. 18-year-old phenom Joey Logano won the pole. From the drop of the green, Logano and teammate Kyle Busch dominated the race, leading a combined total of 116 laps, with Busch leading a race high 85 laps. It would be the Logano and Busch show until lap 163 when Busch spun coming out of turn 2. From there, Logano went on to win the race, becoming the youngest winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at only 18 years and 21 days, beating Casey Atwood's long standing record of 18 years, 10 months and 9 days set when he won at Milwaukee in 1999.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World RV Rental 250
The Camping World RV Rental 250 was held on June 21 at The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. The defending 2007 NASCAR Busch Series champion, Carl Edwards, won the event, end his 36-winless streak drought. Edwards had started in the back, due to not making to the track for qualifying. Last week's winner, Joey Logano finished a hard strong 2nd, while points leader, Clint Bowyer finished 3rd.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World RV Rental 250
Did not qualify: Rubén Pardo (#05), Kenny Hendrick (#31), Andy Ponstein (#02), Chad Chaffin (#55), Mike Harmon (#84).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com
The Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com was held on June 28 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Landon Cassill won the pole but started from the rear due to an engine change. Cassill gained 28 positions but on Lap 47 a tap from Bobby Hamilton Jr. sent his #5 Chevy into the wall and ended his day. He finished 34th. Tony Stewart who started 8th dominated the race in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota leading 75 of the 200 laps.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com
Fellow Joe Gibbs driver Kyle Busch also fared well starting 4th and leading 63 laps eventually finishing 3rd. David Reutimann led 25 laps and managed a 7th-place finish in his Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. Nationwide points leader Clint Bowyer started 2nd and led 36 laps before finishing 9th. Greg Biffle crashed on the last lap causing the race to end under caution with Stewart, Hamlin and Busch claiming the top 3 spots. The race marked the first 1–2–3 Nationwide Series finish for Toyota. Stewart's win was the eighth of the season for the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com
NOTE: NASCAR announced on July 2 that Chad Walter crew chief for the #5 JR Motorsports team had been fined due to a rule violation during the Nationwide Series event at New Hampshire on June 28. Walter was fined $10,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until December 31 due to the use of improper language by a crew chief during a televised interview of the race. After a wreck between Bobby Hamilton Jr. and the #5 driver Landon Cassill, Walter said "Shit happens" in an interview with an ESPN reporter. Rick Hendrick, listed owner of the #5 Chevy, was penalized with the loss of 25 Nationwide Series car owner points while Cassill was docked 25 Nationwide Series driver points.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Winn-Dixie 250
The Winn-Dixie 250 powered by Coca-Cola was held on July 4 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Denny Hamlin won the race.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Winn-Dixie 250
NOTE: Race extended 5 laps / 12.5 miles due to a green-white-checker finish.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Dollar General 300
The Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola was held on July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Sprint Cup Series regular David Reutimann won the pole. Denny Hamlin started the race in 41st position after a mechanical problem in qualifying forced him to start from the rear. Hamlin rallied back and finished 2nd having one of the fastest cars near the end of the race. Tony Stewart missed a shift at the start of the race causing Kevin Harvick to slam into the back of Stewart's car taking both drivers out of contention for the win.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Dollar General 300
The first caution flag flew on Lap 56 when Jason Leffler spun into the infield grass during green flag pit stops. The second caution was brought out on Lap 63 when Matt Kenseth's #17 car spun coming off Turn 4. The third and final caution came out for debris from Tony Stewart's #20 car. The race stayed green setting a record average speed, Kyle Busch had a 3.120 second advantage over Denny Hamlin when he took the checkered flag. The win was Busch's fifth 2008 Nationwide victory, and the 16th of his career. The win gave Joe Gibbs Racing a series record tying 13 wins in a single season, matching in 20 races the 13 wins Richard Childress Racing scored in all of 2007.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Dollar General 300
Did not qualify: Jeremy Clements (#50), Robert Richardson Jr. (#23), Kevin Lepage (#43), Brian Keselowski (#92), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Chad Blount (#36), Justin Hobgood (#91).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
The Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250  was held on July 19 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Carl Edwards was the winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250
Did not qualify: Brad Baker (#37), Andy Ponstein (#02), Kevin Lepage (#84), Nick Tucker (#57).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Kroger 200
The Kroger 200 was held on July 26 at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Indiana. Kyle Busch was the overall winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Kroger 200
Did not qualify: Charles Lewandoski (#36), Andy Ponstein (#02), Chad Beahr (#57).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge
The NAPA Auto Parts 200 was held on August 2 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The race became the first NASCAR race in history to be run in the rain, as cars were fitted with rain tires and windshield-wipers. Despite these advantages, the race was eventually red-flagged and was soon called after 48 of the scheduled 74 laps. Although Marcos Ambrose dominated the race in the #59 for a second-straight year, he got penalized for speeding on pit road which gave the lead to Canadian Ron Fellows.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge
Fellows held it to the end and was declared the winner, his final NASCAR Nationwide Series win of his racing career, plus his final win in any form of division in NASCAR. During an earlier caution for rain, Carl Edwards was seen using what looked to be a floor mop to try and clean his windshield; he was given it to combat the windshield fogging up on the inside.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Zippo 200 at the Glen
The Zippo 200 was held on August 9 at Watkins Glen International. Marcos Ambrose was the overall winner, becoming the first Australian winner in NASCAR history. Dario Franchitti became the first Scottish driver to win a NASCAR pole position and the first Scotsman to lead laps in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race, finishing 5th.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Zippo 200 at the Glen
Did not qualify: Burney Lamar (#05), Kenny Hendrick (#31), Derrike Cope (#49), Larry Gunselman (#0), Alex Garcia (#98).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Carfax 250
The Carfax 250 was held on August 16 at Michigan International Speedway.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Carfax 250
Did not qualify: Larry Gunselman (#0), Kertus Davis (#49), Michael Guerity (#57), Jeremy Clements (#50).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Food City 250
The Food City 250 was held on August 22 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski was the overall winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Food City 250
Did not qualify: Kertus Davis (#49), John Wes Townley (#09), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Kenny Hendrick (#34), Nick Tucker (#78), Johnny Chapman (#90), Brian Keselowski (#92), Ryan Hackett (#76), Mike Harmon (#84).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World RV Service 300 presented by Coleman
The Camping World RV Service 300 was held on August 30 at Auto Club Speedway. Kyle Busch was the overall winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Emerson Radio 250
The Emerson Radio 250 was held on September 7 at Richmond International Raceway. Carl Edwards was the overall winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Camping World RV Sales 200
The Camping World RV Sales 200 was held September 20 at Dover International Speedway. Kyle Busch won the pole and then went on to win the race.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Kansas Lottery 300
The Kansas Lottery 300 was held on September 27 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Denny Hamlin is the race winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Kansas Lottery 300
Did not qualify: Johnny Chapman (#90), Brian Keselowski (#92), Mike Harmon (#84), Larry Gunselman (#0).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Dollar General 300
The Dollar General 300 was held on October 10 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Kyle Busch was the winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Dollar General 300
Did not qualify: Mark Green (#70), Kertus Davis (#49), Kenny Hendrick (#93), Andy Ponstein (#02), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Johnny Sauter (#78), Josh Wise (#00), Larry Gunselman (#0), Justin Marks (#03), Robert Richardson Jr. (#23).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Kroger on Track for the Cure 250 presented by the Southern Dodge Dealers
The Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 was held on October 25 at Memphis Motorsports Park in Millington, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis. Carl Edwards was the winner. Kenny Wallace suffered a 100-point penalty for unapproved adjustments found in his car during post-race inspection.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Kroger on Track for the Cure 250 presented by the Southern Dodge Dealers
Did not qualify: Johnny Chapman (#90), Stanton Barrett (#30), John Wes Townley (#09), Larry Gunselman (#0), Travis Kittleson (#56), Tim Weaver (#75).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, O'Reilly Challenge
The O'Reilly Challenge was held on November 1 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Kyle Busch was the winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, O'Reilly Challenge
Did not qualify: Morgan Shepherd (#89), Burney Lamar (#05), John Wes Townley (#09), Kenny Hendrick (#31), Justin Hobgood (#91), Johnny Sauter (#78), Mike Harmon (#84).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Hefty Odor Block 200
The Hefty Odor Block 200 was held on November 8 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. Carl Edwards was the winner.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Hefty Odor Block 200
Did not qualify: Kevin Lepage (#73), Stan Silva Jr. (#65), Derrike Cope (#82), Danny Efland (#0), Kenny Hendrick (#31), Jason White (#78), Morgan Shepherd (#89).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Ford 300
The Ford 300 was held November 15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, a suburb of Miami. Edwards wins the race. Clint Bowyer wins his first championship.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 2008 season races, Ford 300
Did not qualify: Stanton Barrett (#30), Casey Atwood (#05), Danny O'Quinn Jr. (#35), Mark Green (#70), Robert Richardson Jr., John Wes Townley (#09), Kevin Lepage (#73), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Derrike Cope (#78).


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Final standings, Full Drivers' Championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.


2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, Final standings, Declaring for points in one series: Rules change for 2011
This was the third-to-last season where Cup Series drivers could run for points in another series. NASCAR implemented this change after Cup drivers were winning the Busch/Nationwide championships over the series regulars for 5 years straight (2006-2010). If the change had been implemented for the 2008 season, Keselowski would have been the champion. The rest of the top 10 in the standings would have been Mike Bliss in 2nd, Mike Wallace, Leffler, Ambrose, David Stremme (who finished 11th in points), Jason Keller (12th), Kelly Bires (13th), Steve Wallace (14th), and Bobby Hamilton Jr (15th).


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race XXIV were run on Saturday, May 17, 2008, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, a suburb outside of Charlotte. The events were telecast live at 7 pm US EDT on Speed Channel with radio broadcast on MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 6:15 pm US EDT.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The All-Star Race is an annual race that involves winners of the entire 2007 and 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races (known as the Nextel Cup Series in 2007) through the Dodge Challenger 500, either as a driver or team owner, and also includes past championship drivers of the Winston/Nextel Cup series from 1998 through 2007, as well as winning drivers from 2000 to 2007, known through this period as either "The Winston" or the "Nextel All-Star Challenge".


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible 2008 drivers
NOTE: Only the driver's first accomplishment is listed, as most of those drivers listed have attained more than one of the previously mentioned accomplishments to qualify. All former All-Star Race winners are referenced by the current use of the Roman Numeral designation. For example, Ryan Newman won All-Star Race XVIII, but he also won the 2008 Daytona 500.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible 2008 drivers
Sprint Cup champions of the past ten years, winners of Sprint All-Star Races XIV through XXIII, and all race winners (driver and owner) from the 2007 Daytona 500 through the 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 have exemptions into the race, as will the top two finishing drivers in the Sprint Showdown as well as the fan vote winner from said Showdown.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible 2008 drivers
+ – Dale Jarrett is retiring after the 2008 Food City 500 marking his final driving appearance.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible 2008 drivers
§ – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is eligible as a past All-Star Race winner as a driver, while the No. 8 team is also eligible as Mark Martin, a past All-Star Race winner, is scheduled to drive in this race.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Eligible 2008 drivers
± – Kyle Busch and Casey Mears are eligible as both won races in 2007 for different teams. Kyle Busch won the 2007 Food City 500 as the driver of the No. 5 team, while Mears won the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 with the No. 25 team (now the No. 88 team). Kyle Busch's No. 18 team won the 2008 Kobalt Tools 500 and 2008 Aaron's 499 and is eligible for the 2009 race as well.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Race format, Sprint Showdown
The teams that have not qualified for the All-Star Race were in a 40-lap race divided into two "halves" (two 20-lap segments) with a five-lap break to allow for teams to have the option to make a pit stop. The top two drivers from this race, along with a fan ballot that selected the third (from the internet, Sprint cellular phone subscribers, Sprint retail locations, and on-site fan voting up to that night) among those on the lead lap and in the Top 50 in driver points will qualify for the main event.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Race format, Sprint Showdown
The cell phone votes counted double those of the other methods. Qualifying was the standard NASCAR two-lap event, with the fastest lap counting, and Elliott Sadler winning said pole. However, during the first segment, Sadler was knocked out of the race when A. J. Allmendinger bumped him high into the Turn Two wall, and Allmendinger and Sam Hornish, Jr. automatically qualified, while Kasey Kahne won the fan vote.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Race format, Sprint All-Star Race XXIV
The race format of four "quarters" (like football or professional basketball) was slightly modified this season. In Sprint All-Star Race XXIII, the quarters were each 20 laps. This year, as announced at NASCAR's Media Tour, five laps were added to each segment to have a total of 100 laps (or four 25-lap quarters) in the race. The remainder of the race format, adopted last year, was unchanged.


2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Race format, Sprint All-Star Race XXIV
The qualifying for this race is a three-lap cumulative timed event with a mandatory four-tire pit stop arriving at the pit road speed of 45 MPH but leaving as full throttle after either the first or second qualifying lap. Kyle Busch took advantage of numerous miscues by others (including penalties for speed violations or loose lug nuts) to win the pole position. Kahne became the first to qualify from the fan vote to win, only taking a splash of gas to dominate the final quarter which, along with the rest of the race, went caution free.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 60th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 37th modern-era Cup season. It was contested over thirty-six races, and began on February 9 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout exhibition race, followed by the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17. The season continued with the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup beginning on September 14 with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and concluded with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
As a result of the merger between Sprint Corporation and Nextel Communications, NASCAR's premier series was renamed as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with the 2008 season, The season marked the first season that the Car of Tomorrow was used for the entire season after being used for select races during the 2007 season. Coors Light also replaced Budweiser as the Official Beer of NASCAR, thereby becoming the new sponsor of the Pole Award given to pole winner in each Sprint Cup Series race. However, Budweiser was still the official sponsor for Bud Shootout at Daytona in February. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports was crowned champion at season's end, making him only the second driver in NASCAR's top division to win three championships in a row, with the first being Cale Yarborough.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Top stories, Car of Tomorrow
All Sprint Cup races utilized the Car of Tomorrow (CoT) template. NASCAR announced on May 22, 2007, that the original timetable, which would have the full-time use of the single car template in 2009, was being abandoned as 80% of all owners were in favor of moving the full-time use of the CoT one year ahead so they would not race with two sets of rules for all but ten races. The cars approved for the 2008 season were the Chevrolet Impala, the Dodge Charger, the Ford Fusion and the Toyota Camry. Dodge had used the Avenger in the 2007 CoT races, but stated that the Charger would be used full-time in 2008.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Top stories, Economic problems affect NASCAR
The Economic crisis of 2008, with high gas prices over US $4 a gallon caused NASCAR's largely blue-collar fan base to feel the pinch.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Top stories, Economic problems affect NASCAR
While Bristol was one of a few tracks that still sold out, others saw crowds shrink. Daytona International Speedway sold out the Daytona 500, but not the Coke Zero 400. Some track ticket packages now included all-you-can-eat deals, and tracks also offered nearby campgrounds to entice those who come for several days to see Nationwide and Craftsman Truck races. For their fall race, Lowe's Motor Speedway offered discounts on local hotel rooms, novelties and food and drink.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Top stories, Economic problems affect NASCAR
The economy also affected the teams themselves with high diesel fuel prices, with that fuel needed to power the semi-trailer trucks which transport the race cars to and from racetracks. Sponsorships also grew increasingly harder to come by, further increasing the gap between teams. Before the season began, Morgan-McClure Motorsports ceased operations for their single-car team, while Yates Racing had no major sponsor on the No. 28 and No. 38 cars that they run in the series, as their M&M's sponsorships moved to the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 team. The Yates team made do in piecemeal fashion, finding companies to sponsor a few races at a time, a practice that paid the bills but stretched the marketing department. As a result of the cutbacks, half of the one hundred employees at Yates were laid off.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Top stories, Economic problems affect NASCAR
Even better sponsored teams struggled. On July 1, Chip Ganassi Racing shut down its No. 40 team with 2007 IndyCar Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti driving because of a lack of sponsorship funding, becoming the first major victim. Ganassi Racing lost 70 jobs as a result of the closure. Other companies also switched teams for 2009. Caterpillar Inc., despite its decade long relationship with Bill Davis Racing and its flagship No. 22, moved to Richard Childress Racing's No. 31 car driven by Jeff Burton, while General Mills, associating itself with Petty Enterprises since 2000, also left to head for RCR's fourth team.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Top stories, Economic problems affect NASCAR
To counter many of these problems, teams also took on financial partners, much like Fenway Sports Group joining Jack Roush and George N. Gillett Jr. teaming up with Ray Evernham last year. In June 2008, Petty Enterprises sold a majority share to Boston Ventures as another example of the economic struggles.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Complete schedule
List of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams in 2008 (43 full-time teams).


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Television, United States
The 2008 season marked the second year of television contracts with Fox, TNT and ESPN/ABC. The biggest changes involved ESPN and ABC, as Dale Jarrett became the network's lead race color commentator and Rusty Wallace became the pre-race analyst. Dale, who completed his driving career with the Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, followed in the footsteps of his father, Ned, who worked with ESPN through most of the 1980s through the 2000 NASCAR season.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Television, United States
Allen Bestwick took over the hosting role for all races as well as some editions of ESPN2's NASCAR Now, replacing Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber on the pre-race show, with Shannon Spake taking Bestwick's place as pit reporter. Also, veteran NASCAR reporter Nicole Manske (along with Ryan Burr) took over as a part-time host of NASCAR Now show for Erik Kuselias. No major changes were made by Fox and TNT for the 2008 season.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Television, United States
One innovation was Fox's "Gopher Cam", placed below the track near the inside of the turns for a unique perspective. In the need for a name for their new mascot, Fox turned to internet users and even drivers for suggestions, and the gopher cam mascot was named "Digger". "Digger" is now emblazoned on T-shirts, hats and even as a plush toy.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Television, United States
Another innovation was TNT's "RaceBuddy", an internet application that showed multiple views of the race and radio feeds from drivers (using NASCAR.com Race Day Scanner).


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Television, Canada and Mexico
In Canada NASCAR races were seen on TSN and RDS in English and French, while Speed Channel Latin America held the rights in Mexico and all of Latin America, including the Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duels and the Sprint All-Star Race.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Television, Outside North America
Sky Sports held the rights in Great Britain, while Five US aired a one-hour highlights package preceding each race. In Australia the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season was covered by Fox SPORTS as usual however, Free-to-air TV TEN HD presented marquee events live along with one hour highlights packages from all other rounds the Saturday after the event. Ten HD also presented the entire Nationwide series season, marking the first time that a full NASCAR Championship was shown on Free-to-Air TV in Australia, mostly due to Marcos Ambrose's involvement in the series. NTV held the rights in Japan, while Sky Italia held rights in Italy (only NNS) and Premiere Sport held the German rights. In Spain, Teledeporte broadcast six live races and hour-long summaries of the remaining thirty.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 2008 competition changes
On January 21, 2008, NASCAR announced various competition changes for the 2008 season.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Testing
The first tests followed the change of the calendar at Daytona International Speedway in the first two full weeks of January. Teams that finished in odd numbered positions (1, 3, 5, etc.) through the 2007 USG Sheetrock 400 tested January 7 through 9, while even numbered finishers (2, 4, 6, etc.) through that same period tested January 14 through 16. Speed televised nightly reports throughout this period, as well as the events of the annual Media Tour in Charlotte and the tests in Las Vegas (held on January 28 and 29th) and California (held on January 31 and February 1).


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Testing
The remaining dates and tracks that were announced December 4, 2007 were:


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Testing
On April 15, an additional practice session was announced by NASCAR at Lowe's to be held on May 5 and 6th due to problems that were unforeseen at both Las Vegas and Texas during their spring races.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 2008 season races, Budweiser Shootout
The 2008 NASCAR season and the 2008 edition of Speedweeks began with the thirtieth annual Budweiser Shootout on February 9 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The non-points race, featured the previous season's pole winners and past winners of the event. Following tradition teams randomly picked their starting positions, Kurt Busch drew the pole, but ultimately had to start near the rear due to a crash in final practice. The 2008 race set a record with 23 drivers starting the race, the largest field ever in the event. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first NASCAR race with his new team Hendrick Motorsports and his first Sprint Cup Series win since May 2006 at Richmond, leading a record 47 of the 70 laps.


2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 2008 season races, Daytona 500, Pole qualifying
Qualifying for the 2008 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway took place on February 10 of that year. Jimmie Johnson won the pole with Michael Waltrip starting second who had been the center of controversy during a cheating scandal in last year's race.