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Week of 8/20/06
Quickcap - Bristol - Kenseth wins
RACE RECAP | BRISTOL
10 Jimmie Johnson clinches a spot in 'The Chase'
9 Jeff Burton led 263 laps but couldn't seal the deal
8 Ryan Newman
7 Carl Edwards
6 Denny Hamlin
5 Jeff Gordon
4 Scott Riggs
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. came from a 42nd place start to 3rd
2 Kyle Busch
VICTORY LANE
1 Matt Kenseth completes the weekend sweep, picks up his second Cup win in a row, second night Bristol race in a row, and clinches his spot in 'The Chase'
OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY
-Kurt Busch was knocked out of 'The Chase' with transmission problems, and Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle virtually have no shot with Kasey Kahne 90 points out of 10th.
-Tony Stewart finished 2 laps down
-Kevin Harvick pancaked his 29 machine after a flat tire, but rallied to an 11th place finish. August 26, 2006
Official: 2007 Nextel Cup Schedule
There are no changes from the 2006 schedule, in terms of sites. There are, however, several adjustments to the schedule’s order.
* In July, the schedule will go from New Hampshire (July 1), to Daytona (July 7) and then Chicagoland Speedway (July 15). Previously, the order was Daytona-Chicago-New Hampshire.
* Also, Indianapolis’ event will close out July (July 29), followed the next week (Aug. 5) by Pocono Raceway. Previously, Pocono preceded Indianapolis. Those two races will follow the season’s final open week.
2007 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
Feb 10 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona – Daytona
Feb 18 Daytona International Speedway
Feb 25 California Speedway
Mar 11 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Mar 18 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Mar 25 Bristol Motor Speedway
Apr 1 Martinsville Speedway
Apr 15 Texas Motor Speedway
Apr 21 Phoenix International Raceway
Apr 29 Talladega Superspeedway
May 5 Richmond International Raceway
May 12 Darlington Raceway
May 19 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge – Lowe’s
May 27 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Jun 3 Dover International Speedway
Jun 10 Pocono Raceway
Jun 17 Michigan International Speedway
Jun 24 Infineon Raceway
Jul 1 New Hampshire International Speedway
Jul 7 Daytona International Speedway
Jul 15 Chicagoland Speedway
Jul 29 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug 5 Pocono Raceway
Aug 12 Watkins Glen International
Aug 19 Michigan International Speedway
Aug 25 Bristol Motor Speedway
Sep 2 California Speedway
Sep 8 Richmond International Raceway
Sep 16 New Hampshire International Speedway
Sep 23 Dover International Speedway
Sep 30 Kansas Speedway
Oct 7 Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 13 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct 21 Martinsville Speedway
Oct 28 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Nov 4 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov 11 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov 18 Homestead-Miami Speedway
August 24, 2006
RACE RECAP | TRUCK SERIES
5 David Starr
4 Johnny Benson
3 Ted Musgrave
2 Todd Bodnine
1 Mark Martin makes it his 4th CTS win of the season at his first time at Bristol in a truck August 24, 2006
HOF keeps Raines for 2007
Hall of Fame Racing announced that Tony Raines will be back as the driver of the #96 DLP Chevy for the 2007 season. He will compete in every race next year, unlike this year where they used Terry Labonte at some tracks for a guaranteed champions provisional starting spot. August 24, 2006
Wally's World inks new deal
Driver and TV Analyst Wally Dallenbach has signed a new multi-year contract to stay on with TNT's coverage of NASCAR. He'll join Bill Weber up in the booth for the networks 6 races in the middle of the season from Pocono to Chicagoland. August 24, 2006
TV Schedule - Bristol
ON TV
CUP SERIES QUALIFYING @ 3:30pm Friday on Speed
BUSCH SERIES QUALIFYING @ 5pm Friday on Speed
BUSCH SERIES RACING @ 7:45pm Friday on TNT
CUP SERIES RACING Under the lights at Bristol 7pm Saturday on TNT
All times are eastern August 24, 2006
Edwards gets probation, $20k fine, no points
Carl Edwards received a $20,000 fine and probation until the end of the year and no points were taken. This comes from his post race contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s winning 8 car in Saturday's Busch race at Michigan. So what do you think, was this penalty fair? Go to http://www.finallapradio.com and cast your vote (right side of the page).
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 22, 2006) – NASCAR announced today that Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Ford in the NASCAR Busch Series, has been fined and placed on probation due to a rule violation at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 19.
Edwards was fined $20,000 for violating Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing: hitting another competitor’s car after the completion of the race) of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Rule Book.
He was also placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2006. August 22, 2006
TESTING | MEMPHIS
To prepare for Richmond next month, the final race to get into 'The Chase' both Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch were at the track checking their setups. According to Biffle ""We look for racetracks that have similar corners and a track that we are familiar with." August 22, 2006
POINT STANDINGS | BUSCH SERIES
10 Kenny Wallace
9 Johnny Sauter
8 Kyle Busch
7 Greg Biffle
6 Paul Menard
5 J.J. Yeley
4 Clint Bowyer
3 Carl Edwards only 2 points between him and...
2 Denny Hamlin
1 Kevin Harvick is up by 484! August 22, 2006
COT tests at Michigan on Monday
Some 'Car of Tomorrow' testing went down yesterday at Michigan in preparation for the coming years as they phase the car in. On hand at the track were: Joe Nemechek, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, David Stremme, Scott Riggs, J.J. Yeley, Jeff Green and Matt Kenseth.
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BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 21, 2006) – As NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow project nears its developmental completion, Monday’s latest test at Michigan International Speedway represented an important barometer – final tweaks before the car’s March 2007 introduction.
Teams from Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon), Michael Waltrip Racing (Michael Waltrip), Roush Racing (Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth), Penske Racing (Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman), Haas Racing (Jeff Green), Bill Davis Racing (Dave Blaney), Evernham Motorsports (Scott Riggs), Joe Gibbs Racing (Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley), Chip Ganassi (David Stremme), Team Red Bull (Bill Elliott) and MB2 Motorsports (Joe Nemechek) participated in Monday’s test, which began with on-track activity at noon EDT and was scheduled to end at approximately 6 p.m.
“The more we run the car, the more we know, and that’s exactly why NASCAR has us here today,” said 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Kurt Busch.
Monday represented the first time Busch and two other former series champions – Kenseth and Gordon – had participated in a Car of Tomorrow test. Fourteen drivers from 11 teams unloaded cars Monday morning. All participated in single-car runs from noon until 3 p.m., followed by group runs during the afternoon session.
“It’s about as good as could be expected,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition. “We’ve got a lot of new teams here this time around, or new drivers anyway, just getting their single-car runs in and trying to shake it down.”
Also significant: The first participation by Toyota, which will make its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup debut in 2007. Three Toyota teams – Michael Waltrip Racing, Bill Davis Racing and Team Red Bull – participated Monday, representing the first on-track milestone for the sport’s newest manufacturer.
“To be a part of the process of helping develop this car and contribute to the future of NASCAR is pretty exciting to me personally,” said Lee White, senior vice president and general manager of Toyota Racing Development. “And I think very exciting for our company and the teams that are here and the drivers. I think everybody is really enjoying it.”
Monday’s session focused on honing aerodynamics and other balancing and handling components – setting up cars for maximum individual performance, then transferring knowledge and feedback to the afternoon group runs.
“All the rules and regulations are out there,” Pemberton said of the Car of Tomorrow’s final design. “We’re just fine-tuning on some of the smaller details now, taking the feedback from the teams and trying to make them easier to build. You know, we’re ready to go.”
Both Busch and Gordon were encouraged by what they experienced in Monday’s individual session. The Car of Tomorrow features two obvious changes on its body – a rear wing instead of a traditional spoiler and a “splitter” just under the front air dam that catches air.
“It doesn’t drive bad,” Gordon said. “This is my first time with the car and I think this is the first time it’s been on a track this big, as far as an unrestricted track. By itself, the car drives pretty good.”
“It’s fairly comparable to what we have now,” Busch said. “It’s not anything like a night-and-day difference. It’s real close. It’s just a matter, again, of working with the front end to try to get that splitter real close to the ground.”
Gordon also noted a positive about the Car of Tomorrow’s future reaction in traffic.
“You’re going to get in behind another car and you’re going to push, and it’s going to draft good,” he added. “The thing should suck up really good down the straightaways, but we’ll see. My car is a little bit too tight right now because it’s the first time for us. We’re being a little bit conservative and creeping up a little bit, but we probably need a little more time. We’re going to make some adjustments and hopefully, we got it where it needs to be.”
The Car of Tomorrow is the culmination of a five-year design program by NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Its next test is tentatively scheduled for this fall at Talladega Superspeedway. The new car’s primary components are safety innovations, performance and competition and cost efficiency for teams. The new car will begin competition in 2007 at the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway and will race at 16 different events next season. The 2008 Car of Tomorrow implementation schedule includes 26 events. Teams will run the entire 2009 schedule with the Car of Tomorrow.
CREDIT: NASCAR August 22, 2006
POINT STANDINGS | CUP SERIES
10 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9 Jeff Burton the biggest loser of the weekend, dropping 5 spots
8 Denny Hamlin
7 Kyle Busch
6 Jeff Gordon up 3 spots
5 Tony Stewart also up 2
4 Mark Martin
3 Kevin Harvick
2 Matt Kenseth is only 58 behind leader
1 Jimmie Johnson August 22, 2006
Quick Cap - Michigan
RACE RECAP | MICHIGAN
10 Elliott Sadler in his new ride
9 Denny Hamlin
8 Reed Sorenson
7 Greg Biffle finally gets in a good run
6 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5 Mark Martin
4 Kasey Kahne
3 Tony Stewart from 33rd to 3
2 Jeff Gordon
VICTORY LANE
1 Matt Kenseth and his #17 car grabs their 3rd win, and 12th top 5 of 2006. Plus picked up 66 points on Jimmie Johnson.
OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY
-Jeff Burton's day ended early with engine problems he drops from 4th to 9th in points after a 42nd place finish
-Kurt Busch brought out cautions 7 and 8 with a heavily damaged blue deuce, he did not finish
-While battling for the lead, Kevin Harvick spun his 29 machine coming off turn 4, but finished 11th
-Points leader Jimmie Johnson finished 13th after brushing the wall on lap 2. August 20, 2006
Race Recap | Busch Series | Dale Jr. Wins
Race Recap: Junior Bumps Way to Wild Win at Michigan
In one of the wildest finishes of the NASCAR Busch Series season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped Carl Edwards aside on the white flag lap of a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday to capture the 22nd win of his series career.
Edwards, Earnhardt and Robby Gordon had staged a three-way battle for the lead over the final 15 laps of the 125-lap event, with Edwards taking the advantage with nine laps to go following a gusty crossover move. Gordon was driving the No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet for Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports team following the release earlier in the week of Mark McFarland.
Edwards’ lead came just as the seventh caution flag of the race came out, and his restart ahead of Gordon and Earnhardt was superb, allowing him to break away for what looked to be a sure victory. But with two laps remaining, Edwards’ Roush Racing teammate Todd Kluever had a transmission issue on the backstretch, bringing out the caution and the dramatic finish that ensued.
Gordon had been less than stellar on restarts throughout the day, but was up to the challenge, sticking to the bottom of the track. Edwards’ slim lead evaporated when he bobbled slightly, pushing him up the track in front of Earnhardt, who was taking his usual high line. What happened next depended upon who gave the explanation. Earnhardt did indeed get into the back of Edwards, pushing the No. 60 Henkel Ford away and taking the lead while Gordon was also able to escape. The caution flag ended the race and after a short video and scoring loop review, the win was awarded to Earnhardt.
Edwards claimed he was slammed out of the lead by Earnhardt. Earhnardt fired back that Edwards got loose on the restart and checked up in front of the No. 8 Menards Chevrolet, giving Earnhardt no choice but to drive through Edwards.
After video review, Casey Mears was awarded second place while Gordon was third. Matt Kenseth finished fourth and Busch Pole winner Mark Martin – who became the series all-time leader in poles with 29 – was fifth.
Earnhardt’s win was his second at Michigan – he also won in 1999 – and put him in a tie for fourth on the all-time NASCAR Busch Series win list with Tommy Ellis and Sam Ard.
Kevin Harvick finished ninth and continued his march toward the series championship, remaining solidly in first place in the point standings. Denny Hamlin moved into second while Edwards dropped to third. Clint Bowyer is fourth, followed by J.J. Yeley in fifth. Paul Menard, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter and Kenny Wallace stand sixth through 10th, respectively.
Another track known for its exciting finishes is up next as the NASCAR Busch Series travels to Bristol for the thrilling Food City 250 night race on August 25. August 20, 2006
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