Sunday's race marks the final appearance of the old-style NASCAR race car, otherwise known as the spoiler car. It's also, the final race for the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which first began racing in NASCAR in 1971. Sixteen of the 23 Chevrolet drivers to win Cup champions did so in a Monte Carlo, which has earned 396 race victories. "We were fortunate to win a number of races over the years with the Monte Carlo," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "The Brickyard 400s in 1995 and 2003, the Winston Select 500 at Talladega in 2000, Kevin (Harvick')s first Cup win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2001 and this year's Daytona 500 all are near the top. The best memory, however, had to be winning the 1998 Daytona 500 with Dale (Earnhardt). We had won the Daytona 499 more than a few times but never got to the top until '98. Having Dale win in his 20th try and it being NASCAR's 50th anniversary only made things that much bigger."
-- Speed TV
SPEEDtv.com - The Online Motorsports Authority | Nextel Cup | CUP: NASCAR Midweek Notebook | by Tom Jensen