Sharpie Mini 300 - Race Notes

2006 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RACE #6 of 35 - Sharpie Mini 300
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Event #: 48th Busch Series race at Bristol, 33rd at 250 laps
Date: March 25th, 2006 Race Time: 3:10 P.M., E.T.
Television: FOX Radio: PRN
Track Size: .533 mile
Race Distance: 133.25 miles, 250 laps
Track: Banking: Corners: 36 degrees Straights: 16 degrees Straights: Frontstretch: 650 feet Backstretch: 650 feet
Concrete since 8/92

2005 Spring Bristol WINNER: Kevin Harvick(C)
2005 Fall Bristol WINNER: Ryan Newman (D)
Last Bristol NBS Race Won From the Pole: 8/04, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Worst Starting Position of a Bristol NBS Winner: 38th, Kevin Harvick, 04/05
Most Wins at Bristol: Morgan Shepherd and Kevin Harvick - four each
Most Top 10s at Bristol: Kenny Wallace - 17
Most Laps Led at Bristol: Mark Martin - 675
Most Poles at Bristol: Morgan Shepherd, Jason Keller - three

Qualifying at Bristol:
Driver Date Speed Time
Track Record: Greg Biffle (F) 03/04 127.132 mph 15.093 sec.
Spring 2005: - No Time Trials Due to Weather -
Fall 2005: Kyle Busch (C) 125.404 mph 15.301 sec.

Bristol Race Speeds:
Track Record: Harry Gant (B) 04/92 92.929 mph 1hr.26min.02sec.
Spring 2005: Kevin Harvick (C) 59.534 mph 2hr.17min.31sec.
Fall 2005: Ryan Newman (D) 58.810 mph 2hr.17min.02sec.

Top Ten Finishers in the April 2005 Bristol Race: Six started in the top 10.
POS DRIVER START MAKE LAPS LED
1st Kevin Harvick 38 C 76
2nd Jeff Burton 2 C 93
3rd Reed Sorenson 6 D -
4th Matt Kenseth 36 F 10
5th Sterling Marlin 31 D 14
6th Jeremy Mayfield 7 D -
7th Carl Edwards 1 F 16
8th Ashton Lewis Jr. 8 F -
9th Denny Hamlin 10 C -
10th Greg Biffle 14 F -

DNFs: 11 (accident - 9, engine - 2)
Last Place: Derrike Cope, 84 laps, engine

Last Driver on Lead Lap: Mark Green, 23rd
Most Positions Improved: +37, Kevin Harvick, 38th to 1st
Most Positions Lost: -27, Martin Truex Jr, 4th to 31st
Leader of the Most Laps: Jeff Burton
Kevin Harvick led only one time, the final 76 laps.

Top Ten Finishers in the August 2005 Bristol Race: Four started in the top 10.
POS DRIVER START MAKE LAPS LED
1st Ryan Newman 3 D 114
2nd Greg Biffle 4 F 1
3rd Kevin Harvick 20 C -
4th Clint Bowyer 14 C -
5th Johnny Sauter 15 D -
6th Martin Truex Jr. 2 C -
7th Dale Earnhardt Jr. 6 C -
8th Jamie McMurray 24 D -
9th Tony Raines 26 C -
10th Bobby Labonte 22 C -

Pole Winner Kyle Busch finished 38th (accident).
Leader of the Most Laps: Ryan Newman
Last Place: Clay Rogers, 20 laps (accident)
Last Driver on Lead Lap: J.J. Yeley, 30th
Most Positions Improved: +31, Reed Sorenson
Most Positions Lost: -37, Kyle Busch, first to 38th
DNFs: 6 (accident - 3, other - 3)
Ryan Newman led the final 113 laps.

Concrete Winners (27 Races beginning 8/92):
20 drivers
Driver Wins
Kevin Harvick 4
Todd Bodine 2
Steve Grissom 2
Matt Kenseth 2
Michael Waltrip 2
Fifteen drivers 1 each

Milestones at Bristol: (all-time)
First NASCAR Busch Series Win:
Driver Date (# Races)
Jeff Fuller 8/96 (46)
Bobby Labonte 4/91 (55)
Phil Parsons 3/82 (3)
Martin Truex Jr. 3/04 (20)
Rick Wilson 4/89 (9)

First NASCAR Busch Series Start: current drivers/last five years
Driver Date (Finish)
Stanton Barrett Jr. 08/92 (26th)
Kelly Denton 03/98 (33rd)
Stevie Hodgson 03/01 (16th)
Jay Summers 08/03 (28th)
Brad Teague 03/82 (5th)

First NASCAR Busch Series Pole:
Driver Date (# of races)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 03/98 (15)
Jeff Fuller 8/96 (46)
David Pearson 03/82 (1)
Stevie Reeves 08/95 (33)
Chad Little 03/96 (74)
Scott Riggs 03/02 (5)
Rick Wilson 04/89 (9)

First NASCAR Busch Series Top Ten: last ten seasons or current driver
Driver Date (Finish)
Derrike Cope 04/94 (8th)
Hermie Sadler 04/93 (6th)
Brad Teague 03/82 (5th)
Martin Truex Jr. 08/03 (6th)

Last Time Same Manufacturer Top Three at Bristol:
Chevrolet: 3/04, Martin Truex Jr., 1st; Kevin Harvick, 2nd; Kyle Busch, 3rd

Season Sweep at Bristol: one
Driver Year
Steve Grissom 1995

Busch and Nextel Cup Weekend Sweeps at Bristol: two, both the last two seasons
Kevin Harvick, 2005, Sharpie 250 (4/4)* and Food City 500 (4/3)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2004, Food City 250 (8/27) and Sharpie 500 (8/28)
*NBS race originally scheduled for 4/2, run on Monday.

Bristol Standouts:
- Kevin Harvick won in April and finished third in August, his sixth consecutive top five finish at Bristol, his eighth top five in 12 Bristol races. He has eight top five starts at Bristol. He has led nine of 12 races for a total of 802 laps, a Bristol record in both categories.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last four results at Bristol - 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 7th. He has started in the top seven (two poles) all seven of his Bristol races.

Starting Position of Bristol Winners:
Six of the last 11 Bristol races have been won by a front row starter eight from the first two rows. Thirteen of the 47 Bristol races have been won from the front row, first (7), second (6). Only four of the last 20 Bristol races have been won from outside the top 10, including Kevin Harvick’s April 2005 win from 38th place, the worst start of a Bristol race winner.

Wins From the Pole at Bristol: (seven times)
Driver Date
Morgan Shepherd 08/84
Brett Bodine 08/86
Rick Wilson 04/89
Jeff Fuller 08/96
Jason Keller 04/99
Kevin Harvick 08/00
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 08/04

Two Top Fives at Bristol in 2005: One driver Driver Spring ‘05 Race Fall ’05 Race
Kevin Harvick 1st 3rd

Two Top 10s at Bristol in 2005: Two drivers total Driver Spring ‘05 Race Fall ’05 Race
Greg Biffle 10th 2nd

Miscellaneous Bristol Stats: (all-time)
1. Most Cars Starting a Race: 3/98 - 4/05 - 43 cars
2. Most DNFs in a Race: 8/98 - 23 cars
3. Fewest DNFs in a Race: 4/92 - six cars
4. Most Laps Led by Winner: 8/00 - Kevin Harvick - 241 laps
5. Most Laps Led by a Non-Winner: 4/95 - Mark Martin - 196 laps
6. Fewest Laps Led by Winner: 4/94 - David Green - one lap
7. Race Top Five All Same Make: five races 8/97; 8/99; 3/00; 8/00; 3/01 - by Chevrolet
8. Driver With Most DNFs: Dale Jarrett - 13
9. Most Starts in Top Five: David Green - nine
10. Average Lead Changes per Race: 5.21
11. Average Leaders Per Race: 4.62
12. Average Cautions Per Race: 8.98

Bristol Fast Facts:
Kevin Harvick’s win from the 38th starting position in the April Bristol race was the biggest come-from-the-back win since Chad Little’s NASCAR Busch Series record 1995 Daytona win from 42nd. Ryan Newman’s 2005 win at Michigan matched Harvick’s feat. Both races’ starting fields were set by the rulebook when time trials were cancelled due to weather.
Before Ryan Newman’s August 2005 victory for Dodge, Chevrolet drivers had won 16 consecutive Bristol races (11 drivers, from 8/97 to 4/05).

2005 Short Track Standouts: Six Races
Wins: Kevin Harvick (Bristol, Richmond 2); Carl Edwards (Richmond 1); Martin Truex Jr. (IRP); Clint Bowyer (Memphis); Ryan Newman (Bristol 2)
Poles: Kasey Kahne (Richmond 1); Reed Sorenson (IRP); Kyle Busch (Bristol 2); Mark Martin (Richmond 2); Martin Truex Jr. (Memphis)
Top Fives: Clint Bowyer - 3
Top 10s: Clint Bowyer, Johnny Sauter, and Greg Biffle - 4
Races Led: Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr. - 3
Laps Led: Clint Bowyer - 243
Average Finish: Clint Bowyer - 6.7
Points: Clint Bowyer

2006 Busch Series Points Race:
1st place Kevin Harvick finished 11th at Atlanta; it was his first 2006 finish outside the top 10. He has three top fives and four top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 6.0 vs 2.5 in 2005 (four races). Harvick won the first Bristol race of 2005, third in the second one. He has two poles and three other wins at Bristol in the NASCAR Busch Series. 2nd place J.J. Yeley finished eighth at Atlanta. He has one pole (Daytona), two top fives and five top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 6.4 vs. 27.4 in 2005. Yeley finished 21st in the first Bristol race of 2005, 30th in the second one. 3rd place Jamie McMurrray finished ninth at Atlanta. He has one top five and four top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 9.4 vs. 16.3 in 2005 (three races). McMurray finished 23rd in the first Bristol race of 2005, eighth in the second one (his first top 10 in eight Bristol races). 4th place Clint Bowyer finished 14th at Atlanta. He has one top five and two top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 11.6 vs. 10.6 in 2005. Bowyer finished 13th in the first Bristol race of 2005, 4th in the second one (his first top 10 at Bristol in his second NBS race at the track). 5th place Denny Hamlin finished 38th at Atlanta, his first 2006 finish outside the top 20. He has one win (Mexico), one top five and three top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 13.8 vs. 18.8 in 2005. Hamlin finished 9th in the first Bristol race of 2005 (his only top 10 at the track in NASCAR Busch Series competition), 13th in the second one.

Top 10 Turnover:
Five of this season’s Top 10 were in the top 10 after five races in 2005. Two of the top 10 had not competed at this point in 2005 (Burney Lamar and Jason Leffler).

Busch Series Milestones:
Kasey Kahne’s next start will be the 110th of his NASCAR Busch Series career.
Matt Kenseth made the 180th start of his NASCAR Busch Series career at Atlanta. He finished fourth; it was his 78th top five and 118th top 10.
Kevin Harvick is $4,141 away from $6 million in career money won, a mark reached by only six drivers.

2006 Season Statistics: