Most Poles at Lowe’s: Tim Richmond and Harry Gant - three
Qualifying at Lowe’s:
Driver (make) Date Speed Time
2005 Spring Race: Kasey Kahne (D) 05/05 186.735 mph 28.918 sec.
2004 Fall Race: Casey Mears (D) 10/04 183.014 mph 29.506 sec.
Track Record: Kasey Kahne (D) 05/05 186.735 mph 28.918 sec.
Lowe’s Race Speed:
2005 Spring Race: Kyle Busch (C) 05/05 117.968 mph 2:32:35
2004 Fall Race: Mike Bliss (C) 10/04 110.193 mph 2:43:21
Track Record: Mark Martin (F) 05/96 155.799 mph 1:55:32
Top Ten Finishers in the May 2005 Race: Three started in the Top 10.
POS DRIVER START MAKE LAPS LED
1st Kyle Busch 19 C 63
2nd Sterling Marlin 35 D 5
3rd Ryan Newman 14 D 38
4th Greg Biffle 2 F 14
5th Reed Sorenson 6 D -
6th Bobby Labonte 12 C -
7th Martin Truex Jr. 4 C -
8th David Stremme 20 D -
9th Kenny Wallace 25 F -
10th Ashton Lewis Jr. 24 F -
DNFs: 9 (accident - 7, engine - 2)
Pole Winner Kasey Kahne finished 41st (accident)
Last Place: Shane Hmiel, 16 laps (accident)
Last Driver on Lead Lap: Randy LaJoie, 28th
Most Positions Improved: Sterling Marlin, +33, 35th to second
Most Positions Lost: Kasey Kahne, -40, first to 41st
Top Ten Finishers in the 2004 Fall Race: Five started in the top 10.
POS DRIVER START MAKE LAPS LED
1st Mike Bliss* 7 C 19 Won $83,470
2nd Matt Kenseth 13 F 46
3rd Jimmie Johnson 20 C 30
4th Greg Biffle 3 F -
5th Kyle Busch 18 C 22
6th Martin Truex Jr. 9 C 14
7th Casey Mears 1 D 61
8th Jamie McMurray 4 D -
9th Kenny Wallace 14 C -
10th Clint Bowyer 12 C -
DNFs: 16 (accident - 7, brakes - 1, engine - 7, tires - 1)
Pole Winner Casey Mears finished seventh.
Last Place: Joe Nemechek, 37 laps, accident
Last Driver on Lead Lap: Jimmy Spencer, 22nd
Most Positions Improved: +21, Mike Wallace, 40th to 19th
Most Positions Lost: -37, Joe Nemechek, sixth to 43rd
*First NASCAR Busch Series win.
Important to Start Up Front at Lowe’s:
Eight of the last 11 Lowe’s have been won from the first two rows, 26 of all
47 Lowe’s NBS races.
Only two of the last 18 Lowe’s winners has started outside the top 10: Kyle
Busch, 19th, 05/05 and Michael Waltrip, 31st, 10/99.
Never Led at Lowe’s (five or more races): Select drivers
Driver Races
Stanton Barrett Jr. 9
Jeff Fuller 11
Jamie McMurray 8
In May, Mark Green led for the first time at Lowe’s in his 12th NBS
race at the track (one lap).
Lowe’s Pole Winners - 32 drivers:
Harry Gant - 3, Tim Richmond - 3, Mark Martin - 2, Jeff Gordon - 2, Bobby Labonte - 2,
Dave Blaney - 2, Matt Kenseth - 2, Geoffrey Bodine - 2, Bobby Dotter - 2, Michael Waltrip -
2, Kevin Harvick - 2, 21 drivers - one each
Pre Busch Series:
Prior to the formation of the Busch Series in 1982, 16 Late Model Sportsman races were
held on the day prior to the Lowe’s Cup race. Winners were: Bobby Allison (3), Darrell
Waltrip(3), Morgan Shepherd(2), Ray Hendrick (2), David Pearson(1), Ralph Earnhardt
(1), Bill DeCoster (1) Wally Dallenbach (1), Dave Marcis (1) and Gary Balough (1).
Wins From the Pole at Lowe’s: Eight times by five drivers
Driver Date
Harry Gant 05/82 & 10/87
Tim Richmond 05/85 & 05/86
Dale Earnhardt 10/86
Jeff Gordon 05/92 & 10/92
Matt Kenseth 10/00
Busch and Nextel Weekend Sweeps: three times by three drivers
Driver Dates
Bobby Allison 5/26/84 & 5/27/84
Dale Earnhardt 10/4/86 & 10/5/86
Mark Martin 10/7/95 & 10/8/95
Milestones at Lowe’s: (all-time): last five years or active
First NASCAR Busch Series Start:
Driver Date (Finish)
Kyle Busch 05/03 (2nd)
Bobby Hamilton 10/88 (14th)
Robert Huffman 05/91 (35th)
Matt Kenseth 05/96 (31st)
Terry Labonte 10/85 (1st)
Sterling Marlin 05/86 (29th)
Ted Musgrave 10/89 (12th)
Donnie Neuenberger 10/02 (26th)
Robert Pressley 10/84 (26th)
Dennis Setzer 10/91 (40th)
Jack Sprague 10/89 (41st)
First NASCAR Busch Series Win: Seven
Driver Date
Bobby Allison 05/84
Mike Bliss 10/04
Harry Gant 05/82
Terry Labonte 10/85
Sterling Marlin 10/90
Tim Richmond 05/85
Darrell Waltrip 10/82
First NASCAR Busch Series Pole: Nine
Driver Date (# of races)
Rich Bickle 05/95 (7)
Dave Blaney 10/98 (16)
Tracy Leslie 05/93 (71)
Phil Parsons 10/82 (27)
Larry Pearson 10/83 (11)
Tim Richmond 10/84 (5)
Greg Sacks 05/89 (3)
Mike Skinner 05/94 (4)
Jack Sprague 05/91 (27)
First NASCAR Busch Series Top Ten: selected drivers
Driver Date (Finish)
Kyle Busch 05/03 (2nd) - - his first NBS start
Wally Dallenbach Jr. 10/02 (7th)
Bill Elliott 05/83 (3rd) - - his first NBS start
Terry Labonte 10/85 (1st) - - his first NBS start
Randy LaJoie 05/86 (10th)
Chad Little 05/93 (7th)
Sterling Marlin 05/90 (4th)
Ted Musgrave 10/00 (8th)
Kyle Petty 05/86 (9th)
Tony Stewart 10/97 (3rd)
Darrell Waltrip 05/82 (6th) - - his first NBS start
Season Sweeps at Lowe’s: four times by four drivers
Driver Dates
Harry Gant 05/87 & 10/87
Rob Moroso 05/89 & 10/89
Jeff Gordon 05/92 & 10/92
Mark Martin 05/96 & 10/96
Miscellaneous Lowe’s NBS Stats: (all-time)
1. Most Cars Starting a Race: 10/94 - 45 cars
2. Most DNFs in a Race: 10/87 & 10/94 - 26 cars (NBS record for most DNFs)
3. Fewest DNFs in a Race: 10/99 & 10/00 - eight cars
4. Most Laps Led by Winner: 10/86 - Dale Earnhardt - 194 laps
5. Most Laps Led by a Non-Winner: 10/85 - Geoffrey Bodine - 183 laps
6. Fewest Laps Led by Winner: 5/90 - Dale Jarrett - one lap
7. Race Top Five All Same Make: 10/99 - Chevy
8. Average Lead Changes per Race: 12.2
9. Average Leaders Per Race: 6.5
10. Average Cautions Per Race: 6.19
Lowe’s FastFacts:
May 2005 Lowe’s winner Kyle Busch was the only driver to score two top fives (first
05/04 and fifth 10/03) at the track in 2004.
This spring, Kyle Busch won from a 19th place start. The race had the most
drivers in the lead lap of any Lowe’s Busch (28).
Greg Biffle finished fourth this May at Lowe’s. He was the 10/03 race winner.
He has two wins, five top fives, and eight top 10s in his nine NASCAR Busch
Series races at the track. Average Lowe’s finish of 4.6 is best all-time among
drivers with more than five races at Lowe’s. Biffle won the pole and finished
sixth in last year’s spring Lowe’s, fourth in last year’s fall Lowe’s.
In the fall 2004 Lowe’s race, Mike Bliss won his first NBS race in his 70th start.
He did not compete at Lowe’s in May.
Current Busch Series Consecutives:
Category Driver Streak
Races Competed In Jason Keller 266 (started 9/97 at Richmond)
Top Five Finish Greg Biffle two (started at Dover 2)
Top 10 Finish Greg Biffle six (started at Michigan)
Running at Finish Stacy Compton 25 (started at Nashville 1)
Finish in Lead Lap Greg Biffle seven (started at Watkins Glen)
Nextel Cup Regulars in the Busch Series:
Nextel Cup regulars have won 19 of the 30 races in 2005. Non-Cup regular driver winners
are Clint Bowyer (1), Johnny Sauter (1), David Green (1), Reed Sorenson (2) and Martin
Truex Jr. (6).
Dover winner Ryan Newman has four wins, all consecutive starts, and six top three finishes in
his six NBS starts in 2005. Average finish, 1.9.
In seven NBS starts in 2005 Mark Martin has two wins, one pole, and five top seven
finishes. Average finish, 9.0.
Kevin Harvick finished fourth at Kansas. He has three wins, two poles, and 11 top five
finishes in his 17 NBS starts in 2005. Average finish 6.8.
Matt Kenseth finished seventh at Kansas. He had his first 2005 finish outside the top 10
at Dover 2 (11 races). Many other Nextel Cup regulars have not fared so well in the
Busch Series in 2005 – average finish, five or more races: Kansas winner Kasey Kahne,
16.4; Sterling Marlin, 21.4; Jeremy Mayfield, 24.0; Jamie McMurray, 21.2; Joe
Nemechek, 15.1; Tony Stewart, 20.0; Michael Waltrip, 23.6.
2005 Busch Series Points Race: The Top Three Raybestos Rookie of the Year
candidates are in the Top Five.
1st place Martin Truex Jr. finished 9th at Kansas, adding 23 points to his lead. It was his
first top 10 in four races. Truex finished 12th at Dover, losing 43 points. He was 27th at
Richmond, losing 48 points (plus 25 due to penalty). Truex was 15th at California,
ending a streak of top six finishes at four and lost 52 points. Truex has won at: Mexico,
Talladega, Dover, Daytona 2, Loudon and IRP. 18 races ago, he was 318 behind first, in
fourth place. Average 2005 finish, 10.9. He has two top fives in his four NBS Lowe’s:
seventh this spring and sixth last fall.
2nd place (-49) Clint Bowyer finished 16th at Kansas and lost 23 points to first place.
He was second at Dover, gaining 43 points on first place. Bower finished 11th at
Richmond, gaining 48 points on first place, plus 25 due to Truex’s penalty. He finished
third from the pole and gained 52 points on first place at California. He was fourth at
Bristol, 30th at Michigan, and 15th at Watkins Glen, ending a streak of consecutive top
10 finishes at three. He has nine top fives and 17 top 10s in 2005. Average 2005 finish,
10.4. He finished 32nd in the first Lowe’s race of 2005. He was 10th last fall at Lowe’s,
his first race at the track.
Head to Head
First vs. Second Place
Truex Bowyer
Top fives 14 10
Top 10s 19 18
Wins 6 1
Poles 2 2
Races Led 17 11
Laps Led 650 428
Average Finish 10.9 10.4
Lead Lap Fin. 21 27
Bonus Points 110 70
Run at End 27 29
Points Race Tightening:
In the last five races Martin Truex Jr.’s lead over second place Clint Bowyer has
gone from 204 after Michigan to just 49 now:
Bristol – lost 10 points
California – lost 52 points
Richmond – lost 73 points (includes 25 point penalty for Truex Jr.)
Dover - lost 43 points
Kansas - gained 23 points
3rd place (-251) Rookie Reed Sorenson finished sixth at Kansas, his third consecutive
top 10 finish. He was fourth at Dover and seventh at Richmond, gaining a position in the
standings. He was 12th at California and lost a position. He was 11th at Bristol after
starting 42nd due to being designated a DNS in qualifying. Sorenson finished 36th
(engine) at Michigan, his second consecutive finish worse than 35th and his fifth finish
worse than 30th this season. He has 17 top 10 finishes in 2005 and 20 top 10 finishes in
35 career races. Average 2005 finish, 12.2. He started sixth and finished fifth this
spring at Lowe’s, his first race at the track.
4th place (-386) Rookie Carl Edwards finished 27th at Kansas. He was ninth at Dover,
his 17th top 10 of 2005. Edwards was 28th at Richmond and lost a position in the
standings. He won his fourth race of the season at California. It was his 11th top five of
2005. He finished 29th at Bristol, third at Michigan, 11th at Watkins Glen, 20th at IRP
and third at Gateway. Edwards did not compete at Nashville and lost the lead in the
standings. He has two poles and four wins in 2005 (Atlanta, Richmond, Kentucky,
California 2). Average 2005 finish, 13.2. He started third and finished 35th in the first
Lowe’s race of 2005. Edwards finished third in his only Lowe’s NC start in May. He
finished second and 12th in two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the track.
5th place (-583) Denny Hamlin finished 12th at Kansas. He was sixth at Dover and
gained a position. He was 34th (engine) at Richmond and lost a position. He was 20th at
California and 13th at Bristol, gaining a position to his best NBS ranking. Hamlin has
one top five (third, Loudon) and nine top 10s. Average finish, 14.9. He finished 20th in
the May Lowe’s race. Hamlin qualified seventh fastest for his first Nextel Cup race at
Kansas.
2005 Point Leaders:
Driver # Led (After)
Kevin Harvick 4 (Daytona 1 - Las Vegas)
Carl Edwards 10 (Atlanta – Dover 1)
Reed Sorenson 2 (Nashville 2 - Kentucky)
Martin Truex Jr. 14 (Milwaukee – Kansas)
Changes in Top 10 at Dover:
Two of the top 10 changed position after Kansas, 10th place Jason Keller and
ninth place Greg Biffle.
Top 10 Turnover:
Five of this season’s Top 10 were in the Top 10 at this point last season.
Martin Truex – At a Championship Pace:
After 30 races
2005 2004
Races: 30 30
Wins: 6 6
Poles: 2 7
Top Fives: 14 15
Top 10s: 19 22
Laps Lead: 650 881
Races Led: 17 18
Finish in Lead Lap: 21 27
Running at Finish: 27 30
Average Finish: 10.9 7.7
*He had his third DNF and worst season finish of 2005 at Richmond in the 12th
race of the season.
Championship Race With five Races Remaining:
The difference between first place and second place with five races remaining is
49 points. Point races statistics in the prior 23 seasons of the NASCAR Busch
Series with five races to go:
