Pre-Race News
- Dario Franchitti is out of a ride and Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 car is out of the series. The Dodge team shut down July 1 due to a lack of permanent sponsorship along with a lack of success in qualifying for races, even with Franchitti injured earlier in the season. Ganassi Racing fired some 70 employees who had been working on the car at the time of closure.
- The Dale Earnhardt, Inc. #1 car driven by Martin Truex, Jr. carried a promotion for the film Swing Vote and have the star of the movie Kevin Costner (who also serves as the film's producer) as an honorary crew chief on the hood. However, the car in use was a backup car, as NASCAR impounded the primary car due to a rules violation on the roof in a pre-practice inspection. On July 8, Truex was docked 150 driver points, the team docked 150 owners points, and their crew chief slapped with the now seemingly mandatory $100,000 fine, six-week suspension and probation until December 31.
- Kyle Busch was one of a select handful of drivers who endorses Coke Zero, the race's new sponsor. Since he won the race, fans in the USA would get a free 20-ounce bottle of said drink in a promotion that ran for one week following the race by downloading a coupon from their website.
- David Reutimann tied the record for most consecutive Lucky Dog passes due to a pitting strategy that forced him to pit about 6 laps before the other leaders did. As soon as he pitted, a caution came out almost instantly. As a result, Reutimann finished 21st.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola
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