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JGR teammates Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch each won their first race at Darlington this weekend.

An all-Gibbs weekend as Busch, Stewart dominate

Repaved Darlington gets high praise following races

By NASCAR.COM
May 12, 2008
03:04 PM EDT
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A recap of the Gibbs sweep in Darlington:

Figuratively speaking

52.1% -- Percent of races Joe Gibbs Racing has won in the Cup and Nationwide Series this season. In 23 combined races, the team has four wins in the Cup Series (Kyle Busch - 3, Denny Hamlin - 1) and eight victories in the Nationwide Series (Tony Stewart - 4, Kyle Busch - 3, Denny Hamlin - 1).

Cup Series

Pit Crew of the Week

No. 31 Chevrolet: Jeff Burton's crew flirted with pit strategy at Charlotte all night. When it came time for the money stop, the crew gave their driver fuel only to keep him out front in clean air and help propel him to his second victory of the season.

Tip of the Week

Radiators are often ignored. Yet keeping engines cool and running in the right temperature range is critical to taking the heat off your engine.

Click here for more

Race
Lineup | Results | Standings | Central

• Polesitter Greg Biffle looked like he was the man to beat Saturday night at Darlington. The two-time winner at the track was very strong early in the race, but loose tires and an engine failure took him out of the race. That opened the door for Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 169 laps while surviving a lug nut issue of his own, and he cruised to victory by more than three seconds in front of second-place Carl Edwards. Jeff Gordon moved back into the top 12 with his third-place finish but more impressive were the surprising top-10 finishes of Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney and David Ragan.
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Qualifying
• Everyone in Darlington knew Ward Burton's 12-year qualifying record would fall due to the repaving, but no one saw by just how much. Forty-one of the 44 cars to qualify bested Burton's mark highlighted by Greg Biffle, who turned a blistering lap of 179.442 mph, almost six miles an hour faster than Burton's 173.797 in 1996.
More

Also check out ...
Caraviello: Busch keeps winning despite boos
Darlington wins over even its harshest critics
Ragan, Kvapil, Blaney leave on an upswing
Biffle's frustration comes out after 43rd

Nationwide Series

Race
Lineup | Results | Standings | Central

• Darlington was one of two tracks Tony Stewart hadn't won at yet in the Cup or Nationwide Series. When the checkered flag dropped on Friday night, that list was down to one as Stewart held off Clint Bowyer in a green-white-checkered finish to win the Diamond Hill Plywood 200.
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Qualifying
• Carl Edwards grabbed the pole for Friday's race and Cup regulars took seven of the top-10 positions but the story was who didn't make the race. Denny Hamlin won the last two Darlington races from the pole and was going for a third pole when he smacked the wall during his go-or-go-home qualifying run and didn't make the race.

Survey says ...

Following Kyle Busch's third Cup Series win, NASCAR.COM asked: Will Kyle Busch win the Cup championship in 2008?

Response Votes Pct.
No 57,272 77%
Yes 17,549 23%

Off the Marx

Bill Marx of Sporting News Wire Service weighs in with his top 10:

Pos. Driver Need to Know ...
1. Kyle Busch In the Chinese calendar, 2008 is The Year of The Rat. In the NASCAR calendar, 2008 is The Year of Kyle Busch. (This next line is too easy. You all have fun with it.)
2. Carl Edwards Delicious thought: There are 15 races before the Chase starts for us to watch Edwards and Busch duel.
3. Jeff Burton Snatches the title of Mr. Consistency from Matt Kenseth.
4. Clint Bowyer Top 10 streak ends with 15th-place finish.
5. Denny Hamlin Keeps his perfect top-10 record at Darlington intact.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Why did Tony Eury Jr. fiddle with the No. 88 after it was so strong in practice?
7. Tony Stewart Can't catch a break in a Cup race at Darlington. Four Nationwide wins are very impressive.
8. Jeff Gordon Uses another strong finish at Darlington to re-enter the top 12 for the second time this season.
9. David Ragan Look at this: Ragan is 12th in points. Meanwhile, Roush Fenway teammate Kenseth is 20th. Who saw that coming?
10. Travis Kvapil The No. 28 Yates Racing Ford does not have a primary sponsor, yet Kvapil is 18th, 111 points out of 12th, the last Chase-eligible position. His top-10 at Darlington is his second in three weeks and third of the season, a career high.

Up next ...

Cup Series: Lowe's Motor Speedway
• 7 p.m. ET Saturday on SPEED | Ticketsexternal link | Travel

Nationwide Series: Lowe's Motor Speedway
• 7 p.m. ET May 24 on ESPN2 | Ticketsexternal link | Travel

Truck Series: Lowe's Motor Speedway
• 7:30 p.m. ET Friday on SPEED | Ticketsexternal link | Travel

The End

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