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Week of 9/3/06
Harvick continues to steam-roll Busch Series
NASCAR Busch Series points pace-setter Kevin Harvick came from behind to score the sixth win of his million-dollar season in the series Friday night at Richmond International Raceway. The U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Chevrolet driver led the Emerson Radio 250 early and often – more than 150 laps in all.
Harvick restarted 11th on Lap 180 after caution flag pit stops, then marched back to the front for a trip to victory lane. The win brought Harvick’s season race winnings to more than a million dollars.
After the race’s record-tying 14th caution flag and final restart with 20 laps remaining, Harvick cruised to his sixth NASCAR Busch Series win of the season, and widened his points lead to 619 over second-place Carl Edwards who finished ninth.
Greg Biffle finished second in the Weyerhaeuser iLevel Ford, followed by Matt Kenseth in the Ameriquest Ford, Paul Menard in the Menard’s/Sylvania Chevrolet, and Reed Sorenson in the Discount Tire Dodge.
Completing he top 10 finishers were Denny Hamlin, Dave Blaney, Scott Wimmer, Edwards and Scott Riggs.
Harvick became only the second driver in history score three consecutive Richmond wins matching Harry Gant’s performance in 1991-92. He also became the fourth NASCAR Busch Series driver to sweep both Richmond events in a single season. The occasion marked Harvick’s 23rd career NASCAR Busch Series win, ranking him fourth on the all-time list.
The pieces of Harvick’s “big picture” for 2006 continue to come into focus. He has a substantial lead in NASCAR Busch Series points, and Saturday, he’s poised to claim a place in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. He’s third in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points and starts fifth in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. No driver has ever accomplished winning the dual series titles in the same season. Harvick himself came closest when he won the 2001 NASCAR Busch Series championship and finished ninth in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points.
Harvick's assault on the NASCAR Busch Series title takes a break next week as the series is off and picks action back up again Sept. 23 at Dover International Raceway.
September 8, 2006
Stewart forced to backup car
HENRICO COUNTY, Va., (Sept. 8, 2006) - NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Tony Stewart crashed his primary No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet in the opening laps of this morning's practice session at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. He spun in turn two, impacting the SAFER barrier on the outside retaining wall with the left side of the car. Stewart was unhurt in the incident. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Team will now race Chassis No. 103 in Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400.
This is just the third time in its seven-and-three-quarter-year existence the No. 20 team has had to use its backup race car following a crash in practice. The only other times where its backup race car was used due to a crash in practice was at Chicagoland in 2004 and 2005.
During the morning practice session at Chicagoland in 2004, Stewart hit oil in turn three, spun, and impacted the SAFER barrier with the left side of the race car. Stewart went on to win the race in his backup.
In 2005, again during the morning practice, Stewart cut a right front tire upon entering turn four of the 1.5-mile oval, making a right side impact with the SAFER barrier along the turn four retaining wall. Stewart went on to finish fifth. September 8, 2006
It all comes down to this!
It all comes down to this weekend, with 8 Chase spots up for grabs anything could happen. Only 65 points separate drivers 5-10, and to give you an idea of how a driver can clinch regardless of what everyone else does. Third place Kevin Harvick only needs to finish 39th or better, however 10th place Jeff Burton needs to finish 3rd or better to clinch his spot....this should be a very interesting race! September 8, 2006
WHO'S HOT GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND?
Kasey Kahne has won 5 races this year, the most of any driver and it's crunch time for his team this weekend.
Denny Hamlin has 7 top 10's in a row
Jeff Gordon has gone from 9th to 4th in points in the last 3 races September 8, 2006
TRACK STATS | RICHMOND
Distance: .750-mile oval
Banking up to: 14 º
Length/Frontstretch: 1,290 ft.
Length/Backstretch: 860 ft.
Miles/laps: 300 miles, 400 laps
Last year's poll sitter: Kevin Harvick
Last year's winner: Kurt Busch
Up for grabs: $4.9 million and a spot in The Chase for the Championship! September 8, 2006
Chase Scenarios - Richmond
* Only 117 points separate positions three through 10 in the current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series standings. Only 147 points separate positions three through 11. A driver can gain a maximum of 156 points over another competitor in each event.
* The 11th-place driver, Kasey Kahne, can move as high as third in the standings following Saturday’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at California Speedway. He is currently just 30 points behind 10th place driver Jeff Burton.
* Any driver in positions three through 10 can fall from the top 10 following Saturday’s event.
* Only standings leader Matt Kenseth and second-place Jimmie Johnson have clinched Chase berths.
* The current drivers in positions three through 10 in the standings will clinch a Chase berth with the following finishes Saturday, regardless of how other competitors finish:
Kevin Harvick – 40th
Jeff Gordon – 25th
Kyle Busch – 22nd
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 16th
Denny Hamlin – 16th
Tony Stewart – seventh
Mark Martin – fourth
Jeff Burton – fourth
* Also important: Top-10 drivers are racing for the highest finish in the standings before the Chase begins. Although the point separation to start the Chase is five points per position, the 2004 series title was decided by eight points. The 2005 title margin was 35 points.
* Examples from 2004 and 2005 illustrate how every position has championship implications:
o Kurt Busch began the 2004 Chase in seventh place. Had he started in 10th, with 10 fewer points, he would’ve lost the title by two points that season to Johnson.
* Johnson, who finished second to Busch in the final 2004 standings, relinquished the standings lead to Jeff Gordon following that season’s cutoff event at Richmond, costing him five points. The final margin between Busch and Johnson? Eight points.
* Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart scored identical point totals during the 2005 Chase, but Edwards began 35 points behind Stewart. He ended the season still trailing Stewart by just 35.
* The sports statistics experts at STATS LLC have calculated 725,760 different possibilities for the order of the top 11 drivers following Saturday’s event.
* Last week, STATS LLC calculated 574,560 different possibilities for the order of the top 11 drivers following last Sunday’s event at California Speedway. This week’s increase is due to the fact that Harvick – currently in third place – can fall from Chase contention. September 6, 2006
D. Green out, Atwood in Busch #27
David Green has been released from the #27 Brewco Motorsports Ford and Casey Atwood is back behind the wheel for the first time in quite a while. Atwood has 2 wins, 7 top 5's, 30 top 10's and 6 polls in the Busch Series. September 6, 2006
Labbe to chief Marlin for a while
Richard 'Slugger' Labbe will take over as crew chief of the #14 of Sterling Marlin (drop) at least on a temporary basis. He takes over for Scott Eggelston who leaves MB2 Motorsports. September 6, 2006
NASCAR tweaks 'Chase' rule
NASCAR has made a rule change to The Chase for the Championship one week before we start the 10 race playoff system. That rule is if two drivers are tied for 10th place, both make it in regardless of being with the 400 point mark. Previously if there was a tie, the driver with the most wins would break the tie, in this case Kasey Kahne with 5 wins, would bump Jeff Burton with 0 wins. September 6, 2006
Veteran teammate, teaches lesson
I'm not sure if you noticed early in the race on Sunday when Jeff Gordon got his teammate Kyle Busch wicked loose going into turn 1. Jeff came on the radio and said "I'm racing him the same way he's racing everybody else out here, that was a lesson is what that was. He needs to learn from it." I wonder what Mr. Hendrick told the guys after the race. September 6, 2006
POINT STANDINGS | CUP SERIES
1. Matt Kenseth Leader*
2. Jimmie Johnson -9*
3. Kevin Harvick -342
4. Jeff Gordon -387
5. Kyle Busch -394
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -412
7. Denny Hamlin -413
8. Tony Stewart -444
9. Mark Martin -457
10. Jeff Burton -459
11. Kasey Kahne -489
after California
*Clinched a Chase Spot September 6, 2006
California - Top 10 Quick Cap
RACE RECAP | CALIFORNIA
10 Dale Jarrett
9 Tony Stewart
8 Kyle Busch
7 Matt Kenseth
6 Denny Hamlin scores his 7th top 10 in a row
5 Jeff Gordon came back from a lug nut problem in the pits
4 Carl Edwards
3 Clint Bowyer
2 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
VICTORY LANE
1 Kasey Kahne completes the weekend sweep for his 5th win of the season (the most of any driver) leading the most laps and now sits just 30 points outside the top 10.
Full finishing order: http://www.finallapradio.com/newsfiles/stats.shtml
OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY
-The 41 of Reed Sorenson gambled on fuel mileage to try for the win, but came up short and finished 21st.
-Jimmie Johnson loses the points lead to Matt Kenseth, but both are locked in anyway.
-Mark Martin and Jeff Burton are on the brink of falling out of the Chase with finishes outside the top 10 --Martin 12th & Burton 16th September 4, 2006
Race Recap: Kahne wins California
Race Recap: Kahne Sweeps California; Gains Much Needed Momentum Heading Into Richmond
FONTANA, CA. -- Kasey Kahne did what he needed to do Saturday night at California Speedway.
He won the race.
The victory put him in position to become one of the drivers to make NASCAR's Chase for the NEXTEL Cup championship next Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, the 26th race of the season and the last race to determine which drivers will have a shot at becoming the 2006 champion.
Kahne's win was his fifth of the season, but the youthful driver suffered numerous setbacks throughout the summer which kept him out of the top 10.
He was not to be denied Saturday night as he led the most laps, 129, and raced his way to the front on several occasions before the last one.
Twenty-year-old Reed Sorenson added some extra excitement to the finish when, leading, ran out of gas less than four miles from the finish at the two-mile track.
Sorenson stayed on the track when most of field pitted for gas some 60 laps from the end but the gamble failed and Kahne made it an all-Kahne weekend. He won Friday night's NASCAR Busch Series race by gambling on fuel, the same way Sorenson lost Saturday night.
Kahne is only 32 points out of 10th , which belongs to veteran Mark Martin, who did not have a good night in California. He finished out of the top 10 and left the door open for Kahne next weekend.
Trailing Kahne across the finish line was Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards and four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who had to restart the race way back in the field following the seventh and final caution of the race.
Rounding out the top 10 were rookie Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, who took over the points lead from Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, who drove an outstanding race, Tony Stewart, who fought an ill-handling car through the event, and Dale Jarrett.
Robby Gordon brought out the first caution of the race after only nine laps when a left rear tire went flat. At that point, Kurt Busch was leading but after the leaders all pitted, Kahne charged from the fifth spot to the front.
Another caution a few laps later for debris shuffled the field and pole sitter Busch lost the handle on his car and went backwards as rookie Denny Hamlin took over the lead.
Jeff Gordon passed Hamlin on lap 55 for the top spot as the California Speedway's searing, 130-degree track twilight temperatures began favoring those drivers with the best chassis setups at the time.
Brian Vickers' Chevrolet was apparently not one of the machines handling well and ruptured a left front tire on lap 111 to bring out the fourth caution. Cleanup crews picked up pieces of the tire and pieces of the fractured fender.
Martin went to the pits to repair front fender damage on his Ford resulting from contact with another car. Martin's bad luck put the veteran driver way back in the field, which possibly set the stage for Martin to miss The Chase in his last season of NEXTEL Cup competition. Martin confirmed over the weekend he did not plan to race in NASCAR's top division next year. September 4, 2006
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