2006 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RACE #12 of 35 - Diamond Hill Plywood 200
DARLINGTON RACEWAY - “The Track Too Tough to Tame”
Event: 46th Busch Series Race at Darlington.
Date: May 12th, 2006
Race Time: 8:30 PM
Television: FX
Radio: MRN
Track Size: 1.366 miles
Race Distance: 200 miles, 147 laps
Track: Banking: Turns 1/2: 25 degrees Turns 3/4: 23 degrees
Lengths: Frontstretch: 1,229 feet Backstretch: 1,229 feet
2005 Darlington WINNER: Matt Kenseth
Last Darlington NBS Race Won From the Pole: 3/02, Jeff Burton
Worst Starting Position of all Darlington Winners: 36th, Larry Pearson, 3/95
Average Starting Position of Darlington NBS Winners: 8.56
Most Wins at Darlington: Mark Martin – eight
Most Poles at Darlington: Mark Martin - eight
Most Top Fives at Darlington: Mark Martin - 12
Most Laps Led at Darlington: Mark Martin - 972
Qualifying at Darlington:
Driver (Make) Date Speed Time
2005: Jimmie Johnson (C)* 168.186 mph 29.239 sec.
Track Record: Ryan Newman (F) 3/01 170.301 mph 28.876 sec.
*First NBS pole in 75th start.
Darlington Race Speeds:
2005: Matt Kenseth (F) 116.238 mph 1hr.43min.39sec.
Track Record: Michael Waltrip (P) 09/92 138.140 mph 1hr.27min.13sec.
Top Finishers in the 2005 Darlington Race: Four started in the top 10
POS DRIVER START MAKE LAPS LED
1st Matt Kenseth 24 F 50
2nd Kenny Wallace 6 F 12
3rd Martin Truex Jr. 10 C 1
4th Greg Biffle 13 F 27
5th Jeff Burton 8 C 21
6th David Stremme 7 D -
7th Denny Hamlin 17 C -
8th Jeremy Mayfield 29 D -
9th Tony Raines 20 C -
10th Clint Bowyer 11 C -
Pole Winner Jimmie Johnson finished 23rd
Leader of the Most Laps: Matt Kenseth
Last Place: Brian Vickers, one lap, accident
Last Driver on Lead Lap: Dale Jarrett, 21st
Most Positions Improved: +23, Matt Kenseth, 24th to 1st
Most Positions Lost: -41, Brian Vickers, 2nd to 41st
DNFs: 4 (accident - 3, brakes - 1)
Best 2005 Finish was at Darlington: (except win)
Driver Finish
Kevin Conway 29th
Never Led at Darlington (Five or more races): selected drivers
Driver Races
Jeff Fuller 12
Mark Green 11
Shane Hall 11
Bobby Hamilton Jr. 11
Ron Hornaday Jr. 9
Hank Parker Jr. 10
Manufacturer Wins at Darlington: (Last time)
Ford - 15 (05/05, Matt Kenseth)
Chevrolet - 13 (08/03, Brian Vickers)
Pontiac - 10 (03/98, Bobby Labonte)
Buick - 4 (03/90, Harry Gant)
Oldsmobile - 2 (03/92, Robert Pressley)
Dodge - 1 (11/04, Jamie McMurray)
Last Darlington the Same Manufacturer the Top Three:
08/03: Chevrolet, Brian Vickers (1st), Kyle Busch (2nd), Michael Waltrip (3rd)
Season Sweeps at Darlington: four times by three drivers
Driver Season
Ron Bouchard 1984
Mark Martin 1994, 2000
Jeff Burton 2002
Starting Position of Darlington Race Winners:
Last year’s Darlington winner
started 24th.
Start 1st Race 2nd Race Total
Pole - 6 2 8
2nd - 3 6 9
Front Row - 9 8 17 - 38%
3rd - 5th - 4 5 9
Top Five - 13 13 26 - 58%
6th - 10th - 4 2 6
Top Ten - 17 15 32 - 71%
11th - 20th - 4 3 7
21st + - 2 4 6
Total 23 22 45
Six of the 13 Darlington races won from outside the top 10 have occurred in the
last nine races.
Wins From the Pole at Darlington: eight times by four drivers
Driver Date
Ron Bouchard 04/84
Ron Bouchard 09/84
Geoffrey Bodine 03/88
Geoffrey Bodine 04/89
Mark Martin 03/94
Mark Martin 03/00
Mark Martin 09/00
Jeff Burton 03/02
Birthdays:
Danny O'Quinn, 21 - 5/07
Scott Lynch, 26 - 5/14
Miscellaneous Darlington Stats: (all-time)
1. Most Cars Starting a Race: - 43 cars, 8/96, 3/98 - 9/00, 9/01 - 5/05
2. Most DNFs in a Race: 9/84 - 22
3. Fewest DNFs in a Race: 9/92 - three
4. Most Laps Led by Winner: 3/02 - Jeff Burton – all 147 laps
5. Most Laps Led by a Non-Winner: 9/89 - Dale Earnhardt - 105 laps
6. Fewest Laps Led by a Winner: 4/85 - Jack Ingram - four laps
7. Race Top Five All the Same Make: 9/98 - Chevrolet
8. Driver With Most DNFs: Ed Berrier - 12 times
9. Most Starts in Top Five: Mark Martin - 18 times
10. Average Lead Changes per Race: 8.51
11. Average Leaders Per Race: 5.56
12. Average Cautions Per Race: 5.11
Busch and Nextel Weekend Sweeps at Darlington: two times by two drivers
Mark Martin (9/4/93 & 9/5/93)
Dale Earnhardt (3/28/87 & 3/29/87)
Darlington FastFact:
2005 Darlington winner Matt Kenseth gained the most positions of any driver in
the race, +23, after starting 24th. Six Darlington winners have started 24th or
worse. The worst starting position of a Darlington winner: 36th by Larry Pearson,
3/95.
Darlington Rookies:
- Kyle Busch is the only Raybestos Rookie to win a Busch Pole at Darlington,
3/04.
- Only three top five finishes have been recorded by Raybestos Rookies at
Darlington: Todd Bodine - fifth in the spring 1991 race and third in the fall;
Johnny Benson - fourth in the 1994 fall race.
