Catchfence

Ride Along with Hamlin, J. Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt at Atlanta on DIRECTV

Event: Kobalt Tools 500
Previous Winner: Kurt Busch (beat Jeff Gordon by .332 of a second on March 8, 2009)
Date / Time: Sunday, March 7, at 1 p.m. EST
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga.
Configuration: 1.54-mile D-shaped oval (325 laps = 500.5 miles)
Banking in Corners: 24 degrees
Banking on Frontstretch: 5 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,332 feet
Backstretch: 1,800 feet
First Sprint Cup Series Race: July 31, 1960 – Dixie 300 (Winner – Fireball Roberts)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 124,000

NASCAR HOTPASS™ on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews is available for all 36 point-paying races during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., is as follows:

DIRECTV Channel 795:

Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota team of Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin will make his 155^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 10^th at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. … The 29-year-old Chesterfield, Va., native has scored eight wins and 79 top-10 finishes in 154 Sprint Cup starts, meaning he has finished 10^th or better in 51.2 percent of the races he has entered … Has three top-10 finishes in nine starts at Atlanta … 2010 marks Hamlin’s fifth full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of third in 2006 … Started 27^th and finished 19^th last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Ranks 21^st in Sprint Cup Series points.

DIRECTV Channel 796:

Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont / National Guard Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Jeff Gordon will make his 585^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 36^th at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. … The 38-year-old from Vallejo, Calif., has four Sprint Cup championships (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001) and 82 wins in NASCAR’s top division … Has won 68 poles and has 360 top-10 finishes, meaning he has finished 10^th or better in 61.9 percent of the races in which he’s competed … Has four wins (March 1995, November 1998, March 1999, October 2003), two poles (November 2000 and March 2008) and 23 top-10 finishes in 35 starts at the 1.54-mile oval … 2010 marks Gordon’s 18^th full year in Sprint Cup and he has finished in the top-five in points on 11 occasions … Started second and finished third last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Ranks 13^th in Sprint Cup points with one top-10 finish.

DIRECTV Channel 797:

Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Jimmie Johnson has won the last four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships (2006-2009) and has never finished worse than fifth in points … The 34-year-old from El Cajon, Calif., will make his 295^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 18^th at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. … Has three wins (October 2004, March 2007 and October 2007), 11 top-10 finishes in 17 starts at the 1.54-mile oval … Johnson has won 49 races and has 182 top-10 finishes in 294 Sprint Cup starts, meaning he has finished 10^th or better in 62 percent of races he has entered … Started 20^th and won last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Ranks fifth in Sprint Cup points with two wins.

DIRECTV Channel 798:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr., will make his 367^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 22^nd at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. … Has one win (March 2004) and 10 top-10 finishes in 21 career Sprint Cup starts at Atlanta … In four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at the 1.54-mile oval, Earnhardt has never started or finished worse than 15^th … The 35-year-old Kannapolis, N.C., native has won 18 races and has 143 top-10 finishes in 366 Sprint Cup starts … 2010 marks Earnhardt’s 11^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of third in 2003 … Started fourth and finished 16^th last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Ranks 15^th in Sprint Cup points with one top-10 finish.

About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV:

NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.

- True Speed Communication for NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV, Press Release