Qualifying at Talladega:
Driver Date Speed Time
2005 Race: Paul Menard (C) 184.023 mph 52.037 sec.
Track Record: Joe Nemechek (C) 1997 193.517 mph 49.484 sec.
Aaron’s 312 Race Speeds:
2005 Race: Martin Truex Jr. (C) 122.117 mph 2hr.36min.50sec.*
Race Record: Mark Martin (F) 1997 168.937 mph 1hr.50min.32sec.
*Race - 120 laps (G-W-C)

Restrictor Plate Fact:
DEI cars have won seven of the last 10 restrictor plate races - - Dale Earnhardt Jr – 4; Martin Truex Jr – 2. The other three races were won by Tony Stewart (2) amd Mike Wallace.

Manufacturer Wins at Talladega: (Last time)
Ford - three (04/02, Jason Keller)
Chevrolet - 10 (04/05, Martin Truex Jr.)
Pontiac - one (04/01, Mike McLaughlin)

Milestones at Talladega: (all-time)
First NASCAR Busch Series Win:
Driver Date (#Start)
Greg Sacks 7/96 (14)

First NASCAR Busch Series Start:
Driver Date (Finish)
Kim Crosby 04/04 (20th)
Red Farmer 07/92 (22nd)
Dale Fischlein 07/94 (14th)
Coy Gibbs 04/02 (41st)
Larry Hollenbeck 04/03 (15th)
David Starr 04/00 (42nd)

First NASCAR Busch Series Pole:
Driver Date (# of races)
Clint Bowyer 04/04 (3)
Bill Elliott 07/93 (29)
Jeff Purvis 07/94 (17)
Johnny Sauter 04/02 (13)

First NASCAR Busch Series Top Ten:
Driver Date (Finish)
Kertus Davis 04/05 (10th)
Tina Gordon 04/03 (10th)
Matt Kenseth 04/97 (7th)
Andy Kirby 04/02 (6th)
Jimmy Kitchens 04/02 (7th)
Casey Mears 04/02 (5th)
Jeff Purvis 07/92 (7th)
Brent Sherman 04/05 (9th)

Win From the Pole at Talladega:
Driver Date
Joe Nemechek 04/98

Weekend Sweeps at Talladega: Most sweeps at one track
Driver Dates
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 4/5/03 & 4/6/03
Mark Martin 4/26/97 & 5/10/97*
Dale Earnhardt 7/23/93 & 7/24/93
Ernie Irvan 7/25/92 & 7/25/93
*Run 5/10 due to rain on originally scheduled date of 4/27/97.

Best NBS Finish in 2005 was at Talladega (excludes win):
Driver Finish
Justin Ashburn 14th
Kertus Davis 10th
Kerry Earnhardt 5th
Mark Green 11th
Steve Grissom 16th
Justin Labonte 7th
Randy LaJoie 6th
Ashton Lewis 4th
David Stremme 3rd
Jon Wood 2nd

Birthdays:
Danny O’Quinn, 21 - 5/7
Kyle Busch, 21 - 5/2
Tracy Hines, 34 - 5/1
Johnny Sauter, 28 - 5/1
Elliott Sadler, 31 - 4/30
Michael Waltrip, 43 - 4/30
Dale Earnhardt - born on 4/21/51

Never Led at Talladega (selected drivers)
Driver Races Best Finish
David Green 11 9th, 04/04

Talladega Fast Facts:

Miscellaneous Talladega Stats: (all-time)
1. Most Cars Starting a Race: - 7/94, 4/98 - 4/05 - 43
2. Most DNFs in a Race: 4/98 - 25
3. Fewest DNFs in a Race: 4/97 - eight
4. Most Laps Led by a Winner: 4/97 - Mark Martin - 62
5. Most Laps Led by a Non-Winner: 7/94 - Sterling Marlin - 58
6. Fewest Laps Led by a Winner: 7/94 - Ken Schrader - two
7. Race Top Five All Same Make: 7/94; 4/99; 4/04 - Chevy
8. Driver With Most DNFs: Mark Martin - six times
9. Most Starts in Top Five: Joe Nemechek - nine times
10. Average Lead Changes per Race: 17.4
11. Average Leaders Per Race: 9.07
12. Average Cautions Per Race: 4.86

2006 Busch Series Points Race:

1st place Kevin Harvick won his second consecutive race of the 2006 season at Phoenix. Harvick is the only driver to win more than one race this season. He won at Nashville, finished eighth at Texas, second at Bristol and 11th at Atlanta, his only 2006 finish outside the top 10. He has six top fives and eight top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 4.6 vs. 2.1 in 2005 (six races). He has not cracked the top 15 in three Talladega NBS races. Harvick finished 18th at the track in 2005.
Kevin Harvick’s lead over second place of 289 points is the biggest points lead in the Busch Series since 2001. After race #27 at Dover, Kevin Harvick led second place Jason Keller by 307 points.

2nd place (-289) Clint Bowyer finished 21st at Phoenix and gained a position in the standings. He was second at Nashville, ending a streak of three races without a top 10 finish. He was 18th at Texas, 12th at Bristol and 14th at Atlanta. Bowyer has one top five and two top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 12.3 vs. 10.0 in 2005. He has one pole at Talladega (2004). Bowyer finished 19th at Talladega in 2005, his best finish in two races at the track.

3rd place (-295) Denny Hamlin finished 39th (accident) at Phoenix, his first DNF of 2006, and dropped a position in the standings. Hamlin won the pole and finished third at Nashville. He won the pole and finished 10th at Texas, gaining a position in the standings. He finished fourth at Bristol and 38th at Atlanta, his first 2006 finish outside the top 20. He has one win (Mexico), two poles, three top fives and four top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 13.8 vs. 15.2 in 2005. Hamlin started third and finished 28th (accident) in the 2005 NBS Talladega, his first race at the track.

4th place (-311) J.J. Yeley finished 11th at Phoenix. He was fourth at Nashville and 42nd (accident) at Texas, his worst finish of 2006, dropping two positions in the standings. Yeley finished ninth at Bristol and eighth at Atlanta. He has one pole (Daytona), three top fives and six top 10s. Average 2006 finish, 13.1 vs. 25.3 in 2005. He started sixth and finished 38th (accident) in the 2005 Talladega race, his only NBS event at the track.

5th place (-321) Carl Edwards finished third at Phoenix. He was fifth at Nashville. He has one pole, five top fives, and six top 10s in 2006. His best 2006 finish is third, two times, at Phoenix and California. Average 2006 finish, 15.0 vs. 5.5 in 2005. He finished 33rd in the 2005 Talladega race, his only NBS event at the track.

No top five driver has finished in the top 10 at Talladega in NBS competition.

Busch Series Milestones:

Talladega Rookies:

2006 Season Statistics: