Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

NOTES: To say that Kurt Busch was dominating in his performance last year would be an understatement, as he led for 234 laps en route to his 19th career Sprint Cup title. Busch outraced Jeff Gordon to the finish, as he defeated Speed Racer by 0.332 of a second. Pole sitter Mark Martin, who led for the first five laps, finished a distant 31st. Busch led for 75 of the final 80 laps and reclaimed the lead from Carl Edwards with just two laps remaining. After three previous lackluster appearances, Kyle Busch raced to victory in 2008, as he defeated Tony Stewart by just over two seconds. Busch, who started sixth on the grid, led eight times for a race-high 173 laps. Pole sitter Jeff Gordon placed fifth. Third-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr battled throughout, leading six times for 62 laps, but lost the lead on lap 286 to Busch, who held the advantage for the final 40 circuits. With a whopping 31 lead changes among 13 drivers, Jimmie Johnson was the last driver standing in 2007, as he crossed the finish line ahead of Tony Stewart for his 25th career Sprint Cup title. Johnson, who started third on the grid, led for the first 36 laps, but it wasn't until lap 323 when he overtook Stewart for the lead with just three laps remaining. Johnson led for a race- high 135 laps, while Stewart led for 121. Pole sitter Ryan Newman finished 23rd. Only two drivers, Brian Vickers and Scott Riggs failed to finish the race. Johnson swept both Atlanta races in 2007. Johnson's win total now stands at 49. Kasey Kahne defeated Mark Martin and the weather in 2006, to capture his second career Sprint Cup title. After a 24-hour rain delay, Kahne crossed the finish line 1.928 seconds ahead of Martin. Kahne, who started on the pole, reclaimed the lead on lap 246 of the 345-lap event and never relinquished the top spot. Kahne led for a total of 85 laps, while Greg Biffle, who placed 16th led for 128 laps. The 2006 win was a springboard for Kahne, as he went on to win six races. Jeff Gordon has fond memories of Atlanta, as he recorded his first ever Sprint Cup start back in 1992. In 35 career starts, Gordon owns four wins and 23 top-10 finishes. In 2005, Carl Edwards burst on the scene by capturing the previously named Golden Corral 500, his first victory at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level, just one day after he got his first Nationwide Series win. Edwards followed with yet another Atlanta triumph in October's Sprint Cup event. When he won that year, Edwards reclaimed the lead on the final lap to edge Jimmie Johnson by less than a second. That margin of victory was tied for eighth on the list of closest finishes since the advent of electronic timing in mid-season 1993. With his win, Edwards became the first driver ever to post a Nationwide-Sprint sweep at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Cale Yarborough won it a record six times, including three in a row from 1967 to 1969 while driving for the famed Wood Brothers. The 1967 race was Yarborough's first superspeedway win. Yarborough was the last driver to win this race in back-to-back seasons. Ryan Newman has won the pole four times in the past seven years and seven times overall in Atlanta, but has yet to convert. In fact, his best finish is fifth in 2004. The pole sitter has won this race 10 times and 14 overall in Atlanta, more than any other starting spot. Newman will celebrate a career milestone at Atlanta, as the Stewart-Haas Racing driver is expected to make his 300th career start in NASCAR's top division. Newman is tied with Buddy Baker for most poles at Atlanta. He won six consecutive poles there from March 2003 to October 2005. In 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr captured the race as he took the lead on lap 310 of 325 and powered across the finish line 4.584 seconds ahead of runner-up Jeremy Mayfield. Kevin Harvick, who took over Dale Earnhardt's car after the racing legend died in an accident at Daytona in 2001, notched his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in March 2001 when he edged Jeff Gordon at this race. Jimmie Johnson has performed quite well in Atlanta, posting three wins and 11 top-10 finishes in 17 races, with an average finish of 10.706. Johnson could be the man to beat with back-to-back wins in California and Las Vegas. Johnson stands fifth on the points list. If Johnson wins this weekend at Atlanta, it will be his 50th career victory, which will place him in a tie with Ned Jarrett and 2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Junior Johnson for 10th on the series' all-time race winners list. Over the years, there have been 101 Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Speedway, two races per year except 1961, which had three. Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5 mile paved speedway. The track was re-measured in 1970 to 1.522 miles and was renamed in 1990 to Atlanta Motor Speedway. The layout was once again re-configured to 1.54-miles as the track was reversed. The Sprint Cup Series takes next week off before heading to Bristol Motor Speedway for the March 21st Food City 500. Kyle Busch is the defending race winner. 03/02 19:20:18 ET