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Week of 4/2/06
17 Cup regulars to race on Saturday
Mark Martin will make his first Busch Series start of the year at Texas this weekend, in fact at least 17 Cup regulars will join Mark and run on Saturday as well as Sunday. If you're one of those complaining about Cup guys invading the Busch Series think about this for next year...Car of Tomorrow. April 6, 2006
Who's hot going into this weekend?
Gotta go with last weeks winner Tony Stewart, he's also led a lap in every race so far this year
Jimmie Johnson has 4 top 5's, and 5 top 10's this season
Carl Edwards has shot up from 43rd to 19th in points since Daytona April 6, 2006
TRACK STATS | TEXAS
Distance: 1.5 Mile Oval
Banking up to: 24
Length/Frontstretch: 2,250 ft.
Length/Backstretch:1,330 ft.
Miles/Laps: 501 mi. = 334 laps
Last years poll sitter: Ryan Newman
Last years winner: Greg Biffle
Up for grabs: $ 7 million April 6, 2006
Hall of Fame Racing goes home
Tony Raines will drive in front of his team's hometown crowd this weekend. He drives for new Cup owners Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach both former Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks and their team name is Hall of Fame Racing. This will be Tony's second start, his first was at Martinsville where he finished 21st. April 6, 2006
Odds 'n Ends
As if appearing on the hit TV show 24 wasn't enough, now Carl Edwards will be a guest host on Speed's 'inside Nextel Cup' next week.
Mark Martin will make his first Busch Series start of the year at Texas this weekend, in fact at least 17 Cup regulars will join Mark and run on Saturday as well as Sunday. April 5, 2006
Better LMS Goodyear tests
Goodyear held another tire test at Lowes Motor Speedway this week and things went a little better than last week, when Jimmie Johnson wrecked with a blown tire. Dale Jarrett and Kevin Harvick offered up their driving skills for the test. They used a harder tire and there were no issues this time. April 5, 2006
PAINT SCHEMES | TEXAS
A few different ones to be on the look out, Denny Hamlin will drive the FedEx Express #11 for the third time this year. Robby Gordon will be in a Black and Red #7 car, and Greg Biffle's #16 will carry a Subway/Little League Baseball scheme this weekend. April 5, 2006
Will it be the Sprint Cup Series?
Looks like it'll be midseason before we will know whether there will be a name change for the Nextel Cup Series. As you probably know, Sprint and Nextel merged back in December of 2004 with Sprint being the primary namesake now. NASCAR will also be heavily involved in a change should it happen. April 4, 2006
Kurt Busch a rookie this weekend?
Believe it or not, Kurt Busch will be a rookie this weekend in Texas as he runs in his first ever Busch Series race. He skipped right over the series going from the Craftsman Truck Series right into Cup. So the Nextel Cup Series Champion will take the wheel of the Penske #39 Dodge with some yellow rookie stripes on his bumper.
--Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch will be a rookie this weekend at Texas
Motor Speedway. "Believe it or not, when practice begins on Thursday
morning out at Texas Motor Speedway, that will be the first time I've ever
even sat in a Grand National car," said KB, who will be behind the wheel of
the No. 39 Penske Truck Rental/Miller Lite Dodge for Saturday's race. "I
really don't know what to expect, but I'm really looking forward to it. I've
been told that the way those cars drive falls somewhere in between a Cup car
and an IROC car. I guess we'll see if that holds true this weekend." April 4, 2006
Ince out, Putnam in at 32
Crew Chief James Ince is out and Gary Putnam is in for the #32 Tide ride and Travis Kvapil starting this weekend. The team sits 41st in points and still has to time their way into each race. April 4, 2006
POINT STANDINGS | BUSCH,TRUCK SERIES
BUSCH SERIES
Heading into Texas
5 Carl Edwards
4 Clint Bowyer
3 Denny Hamlin
2 J.J. Yeley
1 Kevin Harvick leads by 121 points
TRUCK SERIES
After Martinsville
5 David Starr jumps 8 spots with his win
4 David Reutimann
3 Todd Bodine
2 Ted Musgrave
1 Mark Martin leads by 55 April 4, 2006
Truck Series | Martinsville
A record 16 cautions, so here are the top 5 survivors of this wreck-fest
5 Mike Bliss
4 Mark Martin
3 Matt Crafton
2 Ted Musgrave
1 David Starr takes home his 4th career Craftsman Truck Series win
Complete List: http://www.finallapradio.com/newsfiles/stats.shtml April 3, 2006
POINT STANDINGS | CUP SERIES
1. Jimmie Johnson Leader
2. Mark Martin -59
3. Matt Kenseth -60
4. Kasey Kahne -101
5. Kyle Busch -101
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -109
7. Jeff Gordon -119
8. Tony Stewart -142
9. Elliott Sadler -198
10. Casey Mears -209
after Martinsville April 3, 2006
COT: Martinsville
For the second week in a row the Car of Tomorrow was tested at a short track. This time it was Martinsville, and again it was a Richard Childress car with Kevin Harvick behind the wheel. “When you get in the driver’s seat, it feels like just another race car. We got a lot out of today’s test, because it helps us determine what kind of package we will need when we run the car next season. April 3, 2006
Top 10: Martinsville
RACE RECAP | MARTINSVILLE
10 Scott Riggs
9 Jamie McMurray
8 Brian Vickers
7 Kevin Harvick
6 Elliott Sadler
5 Kyle Busch
4 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3 Jimmie Johnson back in the points lead
2 Jeff Gordon came back from a flat tire early on
VICTORY LANE
Tony Stewart led the most laps, and takes home his 25th career win and more importantly that Grandfather Clock that is the trophy for a Martinsville win.
OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY
-The 8 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. was so mangled by the end of the race, it's amazing he even finished, much less 4th
-Kasey Kahne dropped an engine cylinder and eventually blew the motor on his #9 Dodge he also drops in the point standings
-Points leader going in Matt Kenseth lost the brakes on his 17 machine and slammed into the wall with just 7 laps to go
-All 4 Hendrick Motorsports cars finished top 10, and only 1 Roush car did. April 2, 2006
Race Recap: Martinsville
Stewart Wins Short Track Battle to Capture DIRECTV 500
MARTINSVILLE, Va-- It just doesn't get any better than it did Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway.
Defending NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Tony Stewart, with four-time champ Jeff Gordon nipping at his rear bumper, won a three-lap shootout at the beautiful half-mile track before a standing-room only, sun-baked crowd.
It was a typical 500-lapper at one of NASCAR's most exciting tracks, with 16 caution periods resulting from close, contact racing. Stewart, however, stayed imn front of the bumping and spinning throughout the race, leading 261 laps.
Runner-up Gordon cut a tire early in the race and had to grind his way back to the front. His performance was amazing, as was the driving of popular Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose No. 8 Chevrolet was minus most of its fenders by the end of the day.
Gordon passed teammate Jimmie Johnson just a few laps before the final caution, which was brought out by hard-luck Matt Kenseth, who lost the brakes on his Ford and slammed into the safer barrier of turn one. Kenseth had been running in the top 10 before his luck ran out.
Johnson, who regained the NEXTEL Cup points lead, finished third, ahead of the hard-charging Earnhardt, who passed Kyle Busch for fourth place on the final lap. Busch was fifth, giving car owner Rick Hendrick three of the top five finish positions.
Gordon, Johnson and Busch wanted to win this one for their car owner, whose son Ricky, brother John, two nieces, engine builder Randy Dorton and several others were killed a year and a half ago in a plane crash near the speedway.
Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers, Jamie McMurray and Scott Riggs.
NASCAR officials threw the red flag and stopped the cars when Kenseth wrecked with just seven laps remaining.
When racing was resumed, there was action all around the track with drivers trying to advance another position before the checkered flag waved.
At times, they raced three abreast down this short track's straightaways and the huge crowd stayed on its feet as Earnhardt, Busch and Sadler threw caution to the wind.
Kenseth's bad luck dropped him from first to third in the standings with his teammate Mark Martin jumping into second behind Johnson. Kasey Kahne lost several spots in the standings after running up front but having to park his Dodge with engine problems.
The series heads to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend. April 2, 2006
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