Race 2 Win: Food City 250

NASCAR Busch Series

Food City 250 - Race Notes

2006 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RACE #26 of 35 - FOOD CITY 250
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Event: 49th Busch Series race at Bristol, 33rd at 250 laps; spring, 2006 at 300 laps.
Date: August 25, 2006
Race Time: 7:55 p.m., ET
Television: TNT
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
2006 Spring Bristol WINNER: Kyle Busch (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 - 18
Most Laps Led at Bristol: Kevin Harvick - 922
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 2006: - No Time Trials Due to Weather, second straight spring No Time Trials -
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 2006: Kyle Busch (C) 71.606 mph 2hr.13min.59sec.
Fall 2005: Ryan Newman (D) 58.810 mph 2hr.17min.02sec.

Top Ten Finishers in the April 2006 Bristol Race: Five started in the top 10.
POS DRIVER START MAKE LAPS LED
1st Kyle Busch 20 C 12
2nd Kevin Harvick 1 C 120
3rd Matt Kenseth 22 F -
4th Denny Hamlin 7 C 29
5th Carl Edwards 9 F 65
6th Scott Riggs 5 D -
7th Ron Hornaday Jr. 6 C -
8th Kenny Wallace 23 F -
9th John Andretti 28 F -
10th Johnny Sauter 13 C -
Leader of the Most Laps: Kevin Harvick, 120 laps
Last Place: Kevin Conway, 6 laps (accident)
Last Driver on Lead Lap: Mark Green 22nd
Most Positions Improved: +24, Kevin Lepage, 43rd to 19th
Most Positions Lost: -30, Steve Wallace, third to 33rd
DNFs: 7 (accident - 5, engine - 1, other - 1)

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 -
Race extended to 252 laps, G-W-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, 42nd to 11th*
Most Positions Lost: -37, Kyle Busch, first to 38th
DNFs: 6 (accident - 3, other - 3)
Winner Ryan Newman led the final 113 laps.
Race had two rain delays, total of two hours.
*Sorenson not allowed to time-trial - illegal tires.

Bristol Concrete Winners (28 Races beginning 8/92): 21 drivers
Driver Wins
Kevin Harvick 4
Todd Bodine 2
Steve Grissom 2
Matt Kenseth 2
Michael Waltrip 2
Sixteen 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)
Matt McCall 03/05 (24th)
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)

Milestones at Bristol: (all-time) continued
First NASCAR Busch Series Top Ten: last ten seasons or current driver
Driver Date (Finish)
John Andretti 03/06 (9th)
Derrike Cope 04/94 (8th)
Hermie Sadler 04/93 (6th)
Brad Teague 03/82 (5th)
Martin Truex Jr. 08/03 (6th)

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 finished second in the first Bristol race of 2006, his seventh consecutive top five finish at Bristol, his ninth top five in 13 Bristol races. He won in April 2005 and finished third in August, 2005. He has nine top five starts at Bristol. He has led 10 of 13 races for a total of 922 laps, a Bristol record in both categories.

Manufacturer Wins at Bristol: (Last time)
Ford - 4 (04/97, Jeff Burton) Buick - 5 (08/92, Todd Bodine) Chevrolet - 26 (03/06, Kyle Busch) Oldsmobile - 6 (04/91, Bobby Labonte) Dodge - 1 (08/05, Ryan Newman) Pontiac - 6 (04/93, Michael Waltrip)

Starting Position of Bristol Winners:
Six of the last 12 Bristol races have been won by a front row starter, eight from the first two rows. Thirteen of the 48 Bristol races have been won from the front row, first (7), second (6). Only five of the last 21 Bristol races have been won from outside the top 10, including Kyle Busch’s March 2006 win from 20th and 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

Starting Position of Bristol Race Winners: Last Year’s Fall Winner started third.
Start 1st Race 2nd Race Total
Pole - 2 5 7
2nd - 4 2 6
Front Row - 6 7 13 - 27%
3rd - 5th - 4 6 10
Top Five - 10 13 23 - 48%
6th - 10th - 4 5 9
Top Ten - 14 18 32 - 67%
11th - 20th - 8 5 13
21st + - 2 1 3
Total 24 24 48

Miscellaneous Bristol Stats: (all-time)
1. Most Cars Starting a Race: 3/98 - 3/06 - 43 cars
2. Most DNFs in a Race: 8/98 - 23 cars
3. Fewest DNFs in a Race: 4/92 and 8/05 - 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 - 14
9. Most Starts in Top Five: David Green, Kevin Harvick - nine
10. Average Lead Changes per Race: 5.29
11. Average Leaders Per Race: 4.67
12. Average Cautions Per Race: 9.06

Birthdays:
Burney Lamar will be 25 on 8/21.
Paul Menard will be 26 on 8/21.
Steve Park will be 39 on 8/23.
Kenny Wallace will be 43 on 8/23.
Casey Atwood will be 26 on 8/25.
Shane Hall will be 37 on 8/25.
Randy LaJoie will be 45 on 8/28.
Brandon Miller will be 25 on 8/28.

Bristol Fast Facts:

Kevin Harvick’s 2005 April win from the 38th starting position in the April Bristol race was the biggest come-from-the-back NBS 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.

Ryan Newman’s win last August was the third consecutive NBS race that Ryan Newman was victorious. It was the third of his six wins in 2005, in nine races.

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 Short Track Standouts: Four Races
Wins: Kevin Harvick (Richmond, Martinsville, ORP); Kyle Busch (Bristol)
Top fives: Kevin Harvick - 4
Top 10s: Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin - 4
Races led: Kevin Harvick - 4
Laps led: Kevin Harvick - 435
Average Finish: Kevin Harvick - 1.3

NASCAR Busch Series 2006 Race Winners: 14
Driver Number Race Career NBS Wins
Greg Biffle 1 California 18
Jeff Burton 2 Atlanta, Dover 22
Kurt Busch 2 *Texas, Watkins Glen 2
Kyle Busch 1 Bristol 1 7
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2 Daytona 2, Michigan 22
Carl Edwards 4 Lowe’s, Nashville 2, Loudon, 9 Gateway
David Gilliland 1 *Kentucky 1
Denny Hamlin 2 *Mexico, Darlington 2
Kevin Harvick 5 Nashville 1, Phoenix, Richmond 22 Martinsville, Raceway Park Kasey Kahne 1 Las Vegas 4
Casey Mears 1 *Chicagoland 1
Paul Menard 1 *Milwaukee 1
Tony Stewart 1 Daytona 1 2
Martin Truex Jr. 1 Talladega 13
*First NASCAR Busch Series victory (five drivers).

2006 Busch Series Points Race:

1st place Kevin Harvick finished eighth at Michigan. It was his eighth consecutive top 10 finish. He was seventh at Watkins Glen and won his fifth race of 2006 at Raceway Park, leading 117 laps. It was the 22nd victory of his NBS career, tying him for fourth place all-time with Tommy Ellis, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sam Ard, and Jeff Burton. Harvick has the most wins of any driver this season. [Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Michigan win was his 22nd NBS victory.] He finished fifth at Gateway and won his fourth race of 2006 at Martinsville. He was second at Loudon, fourth at Chicago and third at Daytona. 19th at Milwaukee was his worst finish of 2006. He has 15 top fives and 22 top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 5.3 vs. 7.6 (14 races) in 2005. He has four wins, two poles, nine top fives, and 10 top 10s in his 13 NBS races at Bristol. He finished second from the pole in March.

2nd place (-484) Denny Hamlin finished sixth at Michigan and gained a position in the standings. He was 12th at Watkins Glen and won his sixth pole of 2006 at Raceway Park (the most of any driver this season), finishing eighth. He led 83 laps and gained a position in the standings. Hamlin won his fifth pole at Gateway and finished third. He was 14th at Chicago and 30th at Daytona, losing two positions in the standings, ending a string of consecutive top fives at three. He was second at Milwaukee. Hamlin won his fourth pole and finished third at Kentucky. He has two wins (Mexico and Darlington), six poles, 10 top fives and 17 top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 11.6 vs. 14.4 in 2005. He has one top five, fourth this March, and one other top 10 in his four Bristol NBS races.

3rd place (-486) Carl Edwards finished 23rd at Michigan (accident) and lost a position in the standings. He was 27th at Watkins Glen. He was 10th at Raceway Park, and he won his fourth race of 2005 at Gateway. Edwards finished sixth at Martinsville and won his third race of 2006 at Loudon. He was second at Chicago, fifth at Daytona, 21st at Milwaukee, and 36th at Kentucky. He has two poles, four wins, 12 top fives, and 18 top 10s in 2006. Average 2006 finish, 11.8 vs. 12.0 (24 races) in 2005. He has one top five, fifth this March, and two top 10s in his four Bristol NBS races.

4th place (-585) Clint Bowyer finished 12th at Michigan, his second consecutive finish outside the top 10. He was 16th at Watkins Glen and 40th at Raceway Park, losing a position in the standings and ending a streak of top 10s at five. Bowyer was second at Gateway; he won his first pole of 2006 at Martinsville, finishing second. He was fifth at Loudon after leading 127 laps. Bowyer was seventh at Chicago and sixth at Daytona. Bowyer finished 18th at Milwaukee and 12th at Kentucky. Bowyer has eight top fives and 12 top 10s. Best 2006 finish, second (4X). Average 2006 finish, 12.1 vs. 11.0 in 2005. In three Bristol NBS races, he has one top 10, fourth (8/05). He finished 12th at Bristol in March.

5th place (-656) J.J. Yeley finished ninth at Michigan. He was 11th at Watkins Glen and third at Raceway Park, recovering from a 37th at Gateway. Yeley was ninth at Martinsville, eighth at Loudon, 10th at Chicago, fourth at Daytona, third at Milwaukee, and second at Kentucky. He has eight top fives and 17 top 10s. Best 2006 finish, second (Kentucky). Average 2006 finish, 12.6 vs. 19.2 in 2005. He has not cracked the top 10 in four Bristol NBS races. Yeley finished 29th at the track in March.

Races in the Top 10:

Third place Carl Edwards is just 2 points behind second place Denny Hamlin.

Fourth place Clint Bowyer is 99 points behind third place Carl Edwards.

Fifth place J.J. Yeley is 71 points behind fourth place Clint Bowyer.

Seventh place Greg Biffle is 29 points behind sixth place Paul Menard.

Eighth place Kyle Busch is 40 points behind seventh place Greg Biffle.

10th place Kenny Wallace is just 1 point behind ninth place Johnny Sauter. He is only 46 ahead of 11th, Reed Sorenson.

Most Races Led in 2006: Denny Hamlin - 14

Most Top Fives in 2006: Kevin Harvick - 15

Most Top 10s in 2006: Kevin Harvick - 22

Busch Series Milestones:

Casey Mears made the 70th of his NBS career at Michigan, finishing second.

Kyle Busch made the 80th of his NBS career at Michigan, finishing 14th.

Martin Truex Jr.’s next start will be the 90th of his NBS career.

Matt Kenseth’s next start will be the 190th of his NBS career.

Randy LaJoie’s next start will be the 350th of his NBS career.

Johnny Sauter is scheduled to make his 150th consecutive start, since 6/02 at Dover.

Current Busch Series Consecutives:
Category Driver Streak
Races Competed In Ashton Lewis Jr. 175 (started at Pikes Peak, 7/01)
Top Five Finish Robby Gordon two (started at Watkins Glen)
Top 10 Finish Kevin Harvick eight (started at Daytona)*
Running at Finish Kenny Wallace 50 (started at Darlington ’05)
Finish in Lead Lap Kevin Harvick 28 (started at Texas 2 ’05)

2006 Busch Series Rookie Watch:
20th place Danny O’Quinn Jr. was the top finisher among the four rookies competing at Michigan. It was his fifth race as top rookie.

Best Raybestos Rookie Finish of 2006:
David Gilliland’s win at Kentucky, in his seventh career start, is the best finish of a Raybestos Rookie in 2006.

2006 Season Statistics:

Average Starting Position of 2006 Race Winners 11.2 vs. 9.4 in 2005

26 Drivers Scored at Least One Top Five in 2006.

The Leader at Halfway Won five of the 25 races.

The Leader of the Most Laps Won 12 of the 25 races.

53 Drivers Led at Least One Lap in 2006.

Lead Changes per Race: 10.9; 2005 - 11.1. Most - 28 (Talladega)

Leaders per Race: 6.76; 2005 - 7.08. Most - 13 (Michigan)

Cautions per Race: 8.56; 2005 - 8.36. Most - 19 (Martinsville)

Number of Race Winners: 14; 2005 - 14.

Number of Pole Winners: 12; 2005 - 14.

Caution Laps: 964; 2005 - 984.

2006 Manufacturer Wins: Chevrolet - 16; Ford - 5; Dodge - 4

Best Average Start in 2006: Drivers in 10 or more races
Driver Avg. Start Top Five Top 10
Denny Hamlin 5.4 17 20
Matt Kenseth (12 races) 6.3 8 10
Clint Bowyer 10.7 11 13
Carl Edwards 11.4 8 15
Kevin Harvick 12.4 7 13

Best Average Finish in 2006: Drivers in 10 or more races
Driver Average Finish
Kevin Harvick 5.3
Jeff Burton (10 races) 8.1
Matt Kenseth (12 races) 8.8
Greg Biffle (21 races) 11.2
Denny Hamlin 11.6
Carl Edwards 11.8
Clint Bowyer 12.1
J.J. Yeley 12.6

Highest in Points with no Top Five: Kenny Wallace, 10th (eighth, three times)

Highest in Points with no Top 10: Tim Sauter, 25th (best 19th, Daytona, Martinsville)

Worst in Points having run in all 25 races: Regan Smith, 21st

Best in Points having run Fewer than 25 races: Greg Biffle, seventh (21 races)