2008 SPRINT CUP RACE 25: Pepsi 500 @ California

The 25th race of the Sprint Cup season took the drivers back to California for the Pepsi 500 for another night race. Carl Edwards came into this race very confident having won the last two races and the first Auto Club Speedway race earlier in the year. Jimmie Johnson claimed the pole during qualifying beating out A.J. Allmendinger in the #84 car. This track is another one of those tracks Roush Fenway cars seem to have figured out. Edwards won in the Spring and Kenseth won the 2007 Spring race. In the race, two of the cautions were brought out due to "caution lights". The first caution for it was thrown when the light became detached and fell onto the racetrack. Later in the evening, the wind was so bad that a chunk of a light was blown off and caused a debris hazard on the racetrack. Meanwhile, Johnson was the man all day with a car that seemed like it was on steroids. He led 228 laps out of 250 at the two mile oval. Greg Biffle made an appearance late in the race to challenge Johnson here and there off of pit road, but his water temperature climbed as a result of paper stuck to his grill. Biffle did hold on however to finish second behind Jimmie Johnson. This was Johnson's third win of the year, definately shaping up as a threat once again in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Meanwhile, the noose tightens for the Chase hopefuls. Three Chevys, three Fords, three Toyotas, and one Dodge got Top 10s. The Roush guys did claim three spots in the Top 6 but failed to stop Jimmie Johnson.

The Top 10:
1. #48 Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)
2. #16 Greg Biffle (Ford)
3. #11 Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
4. #29 Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet)
5. #17 Matt Kenseth (Ford)
6. #99 Carl Edwards (Ford)
7. #18 Kyle Busch (Toyota)
8. #9 Kasey Kahne (Dodge)
9. #44 David Reutimann (Toyota)
10. #07 Clint Bowyer (Chevrolet)

Off to Richmond for the cutoff for the Chase. Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, and David Ragan are all trying to punch their ticket for it.