– At the season’s halfway mark, the NASCAR Busch Series has provided its usual blend of excitement and surprise – and leaves the door open for more.

Carl Edwards (#60 Aflac Ford) has laser-beam focus on his goal of claiming the 2007 series title. Having lost out on the opportunity to secure his first NASCAR national series crown over the past two seasons, his march will remain relentless.

Through the first 18 races, 11 different drivers have won. Edwards leads with four victories while three others have registered their first career series wins. Juan Pablo Montoya (#42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) made the successful crossover from open-wheel to stock cars with his March win in Mexico City and Stephen Leicht (#90 CitiFinancial Ford) last month continued the recent trend at Kentucky Speedway where an upset driver comes away a winner.

Leicht comes to Daytona International Speedway ranked 10th in the series point standings, one of eight series regulars in the top 10.

Regulars and newcomers have made solid contributions throughout the first half of the year. Steve Wallace (#66 Rapid Industrial Cleaning Dodge) won his first career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and followed by claiming the pole at Nashville Superspeedway last month. He was joined by fellow 19-year-old Brad Coleman, a Joe Gibbs Racing development driver who won his first pole at Talladega Superspeedway and has posted two top-five finishes – including a runner-up effort to Leicht – in his last two races.

David Ragan (#6 Discount Tire Ford) and Regan Smith (#4 Ginn Racing Chevy) also won their first career poles in the season’s first half.

The second half awaits begin next week at Chicagoland Speedway and will be highlighted by the NAPA Auto Parts 200 in Montreal on Aug. 4, the series’ inaugural event in Canada and its second race on international soil this season.
 
Toyota Puts Up Strong First Half; Vickers Teams With Braun Friday

Toyota’s inaugural season of NASCAR Busch Series competition has been successful through the first half of the year.

Three drivers representing the two full-time teams  come to Daytona ranked in the top 10 in the standings.

Jason Leffler (#38 Great Clips Toyota) and Dave Blaney (#10 Seymour of Sycamore Toyota) drive for Braun Racing are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the standings. Blaney finished second at Daytona in February, while Leffler qualified on the outside pole.

David Reutimann (#99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota), a native of Zephyrhills, Fla., who returns to his home track this weekend, is a career-best second in the standings.

Add to that mix the return of 2003 champion Brian Vickers to the NASCAR Busch Series this week. Vickers will drive the #32 Ft. McDowell Resort & Destination Toyota for Braun and hopes to make his 2007 series debut at Daytona, giving the team three strong entries for the series’ mid-summer event.

Vickers’ previous NASCAR Busch Series appearance was at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November.
 
In The Loop: Reigning Champion Harvick Returns To Daytona Seeking Series Season Sweep
 
When Kevin Harvick straps into a NASCAR Busch Series race car, he makes it count.

The reigning series champion won in his first race back from a three-week layoff last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. This week, he will race again in the NASCAR Busch Series and in the process, attempt to post consecutive wins at Daytona International Speedway.

Harvick opened the season with a win in February and has been brilliant at the “World Center of Racing” overall. In 10 starts there, he has yet to finish outside of the top 10 and has finished outside the top five only once – eighth in 2001.

Since 2005 – which includes finishes of second, fifth, third and first – Harvick has racked up some of the top stats on the circuit.

Among those drivers competing Friday night, Harvick has the top Driver Rating of 107.7, the second-best Average Running Position of 9.4, third-most Fastest Laps Run at 18 and the second-most Laps in the Top 15 with 469.

Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer (#2 BB&T Chevy) is another driver to watch. In five Daytona starts, Bowyer has an average finish of 6.0. He finished fourth there in February and since 2005 has run the most Laps in the Top 15 with 469. He has a Driver Rating of 107.7 (third-best among those driver competing Friday), an Average Running Position of 8.701 (second-best) and 497 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most.

As usual, series points leader Carl Edwards has solid numbers. After finishes of 10th, 36th and 39th at Daytona, Edwards has roared to fifth- and third-place finishes in his last two races there. Those results boosted his Loop Data statistics to some of the best in the series.

Since 2005, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 92.1 (eighth-best), has 37 Fastest Laps Run (best of any driver competing Friday) and 338 Laps in the Top 15 (sixth-most).

NBS ETC.

• Harvick Inches Closer: His first win at New Hampshire last Saturday moved reigning series champion Kevin Harvick closer to claiming the second spot on the all-time wins list. With his 28th career victory now secured – and his return to Daytona, where he won in February – Harvick is three wins behind Jack Ingram, who is second with 31 wins. Mark Martin is the all-time leader with 47.
• 10-Spot: Biffle’s Career A Study In The Standings: Although Greg Biffle (#16 3M Ford), the 2002 series champion, hasn’t run a full time season in the NASCAR Busch Series since 2004 – when he became the first true double-duty driver to compete full-time in both the NASCAR Busch Series and in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup – he’s been a constant in the top 10. In the four seasons Biffle has competed in 27 or more races, he’s finished in the top 10 in the final standings. Perhaps more impressive is over the last season and a half, Biffle has competed in 23 races and has either finished in, or is ranked among, the top 10 in the standings. Last year he ran 14 races and finished ninth. Heading to Daytona, he’s participated in nine races and stands in ninth place as he splits seat time between Roush Fenway Racing (sharing with Todd Kluever) and Brewco Motorsports.
• Kerry Earnhardt Entered In Friday’s Race: For only the second time since the inception of the summer NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona, Dale Earnahrdt Jr. isn’t entered. The leading winner with victories in 2003 and again last July, Earnhardt also deferred entry in that first summer race, won by Lakeland, Fla., native Joe Nemechek. The Earnhardts will be represented at Daytona in the NASCAR Busch Series race as older brother, Kerry Earnhardt will attempt to qualify the #63 Spraker Racing Chevy. Kerry Earnhardt has competed in three previous July races at Daytona, most recently in 2005.
• Huffman Honors Navy SEALs: During a week when Americans celebrate the independence of the United States, Shane Huffman and the JR Motorsports #88 U.S. NAVY Chevy team will honor a group that defends that freedom across the world every day. Huffman’s car will feature a special black paint scheme with the SEAL Trident on the hood in honor and recognition of the Navy’s maritime Special Forces, the Navy SEALs, in Friday’s race.

The Director’s Take: Daytona
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AT DAYTONA: INSIGHT FROM JOE BALASH, NASCAR BUSCH SERIES DIRECTOR

“Because of the size of Daytona, aerodynamics will play perhaps the biggest factor in the race.

“The teams will make their car bodies as slick as possible to reduce the drag which makes the cars run faster on Daytona’s long straightaways and high banks.

“Our series uses a unique wicker package on superpseedways. There’s a roof strip that runs across the top of the roof and a forward facing wicker bill that is added to the top spoiler. These two items help the cars race better in the draft.

“The teams work as hard as they can to lower the back of the car to take the rear spoiler out of the air to reduce the drag. Because of this, NASCAR regulates and controls the rear springs and shocks that the teams use. Before qualifying, as the cars roll through inspection, the springs and shocks are randomly issued to the teams.

“We do this to help control the competitive playing field at restrictor plate tracks.”

Rookie Spotlight: Can Ragan Duplicate February 500 Feat In Summer NBS Race At Daytona

• Role Reversal: David Ragan (#6 Discount Tire Ford) started his season in dismal fashion with a 43rd- place finish in the season-opening event at Daytona. But his Speedweeks ended on an up note with his surprising fifth-place finish in the Daytona 500. Ragan, one of five full-time double-duty drivers in both the NASCAR Busch Series and in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, has improved immensely over the past 16 NASCAR Busch Series races. He’s fourth in the points (after rising to a career-best third following the June 23 race at Milwaukee) and also leads the rookie rankings. He was 15th in Driver Rating (63.6) and 18th in Average Running Position (24.705) following the first nine races of the season. In the last eight events, Ragan has improved to seventh in both categories – a Driver Rating of 73.9 and Average Running Position of 19.678, both second-best among NASCAR Busch Series rookies behind Juan Pablo Montoya.

• Bires Continues Stout Runs: In his substitute role for Jon Wood, Kelly Bires (#47 Armor All Ford) has continued to provide his Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team with solid performances. In his first four NASCAR Busch Series starts, Bires has an average finish of 19th and has been running at the finish of each of those events. He had a career-best seventh-place finish at Nashville last month – the best result for the #47 Ford since Wood’s sixth-place at Nashville in April 2006. Bires also led five laps at Kentucky Speedway, the most laps lead for the #47 since Robert Pressley led 13 laps at Dover in 2004.

2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

      Driver                       Points
 1.  David Ragan               178
 2.  Marcos Ambrose        165
 3.  Kyle Krisiloff               145
 4.  Juan Pablo Montoya   144
 5.  Brad Coleman              88
 6.  Brad Keselowski          87
 7.  Robert Richardson Jr.   57
 8.  Justin Diercks              51
 9.  Sam Hornish Jr.           35
10.  Bobby Santos             21
11.  Alex Garcia                  7

ESPN/ABC

ESPN2 will carry the Winn Dixie 250 Friday night from Daytona as the series starts the second half of the 2007 season with a 250-mile race at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday; the race starts at 8 p.m. “The Deuce” will have live coverage of qualifying as well as the series’ final practice session. Practice coverage will air at 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, with the live qualifying show at 1 p.m. Friday. Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage of practice and qualifying, joined in the booth by analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will contribute to the telecasts.

Allen Bestwick will host the qualifying show, joined in the ESPN Pit Studio by analyst Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will be at the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.

Bestwick kicks off Friday’s coverage as host of NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN Pit Studio with Daugherty’s assistance; Brewer will report from the Cutaway Car. Wallace will work in the booth as analyst for the race telecast with Petree while Punch will handle play-by-play.  Burns, Little, Massaro and Spake will work pit road.

2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 18 Of 35 Races:

Traditional Statistics:
Driver points – Edwards (2861)
Victories –Edwards (4)
Races led -- Edwards (14)
Laps led – Edwards (648)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (12)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (15)
Owner points – Roush (#60) - (2861) 
Money Won – Edwards ($746,305)
Miles led – Ky. Busch (766.03) 
Busch Poles – Hamlin (3)
Closing in on Top 10 – Leicht 10th (1784 pts): Kenseth (-23); Smith (-40); Huffman (-57)
Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Blaney, Edwards, Harvick (18)

Loop Data Statistics:
Driver Rating – Edwards (117.9)
Average Running Position – Edwards (6.779)
Fastest Laps Run – Edwards (419 fastest laps)
Quality Passes – Edwards (683)
Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (3,153 of a possible 3,464)

Manufacturer Leader Chevy Brings Season, Track Winning Streak To Daytona

Chevy’s winning cycle seems to have started up again.

Kevin Harvick’s win at New Hampshire last Saturday was the second in succession for Chevy and helped pad its first-place standing over Ford by 14 points in the Bill France Performance Cup standings.
Dodge remains in third place while Toyota is in fourth – but brings a strong contingent to Daytona this weekend and is a serious challenger for its first series win.

Chevy has been on streaks of four and two wins since the start of the year, when Harvick won at Daytona. The manufacturer currently has a two-race victory string intact at Daytona’s summer race with the thrilling last-lap win by Mike Wallace in a Ford in 2004. Wallace returns for Saturday’s race in the #7 GEICO Chevy.
 
Manufacturer's Championship
2007 Point Standings
Chevy  133
Ford    119
Dodge   75
Toyota   69

Up Next: USG Durock  300 at Chicagoland Speedway

Like last week’s race at New Hampshire, next Saturday’s USG Durock 300 at Chicagoland Speedway has yet to produce a repeat winner.

Additionally, four of the previous six winners claimed their first career NASCAR Busch Series victory at the 1.5-mile track, including defending winner Casey Mears. Jimmie Johnson (2001), Johnny Sauter (’02) and Justin Labonte (’04) also claimed their first series win at Chicagoland.

Ryan Newman holds the series mark with two Busch Poles at the track. Series points leader Carl Edwards won the pole for this event one year ago.

Chevy has three wins at Chicagoland and Dodge is also a multiple winner at the track with two victories. Ford has one win thanks to Bobby Hamilton Jr. in 2003.
 
2007 Point Standings 
No. Driver       Points
1   Edwards     2861
2   Reutimann  2052
3   Harvick       1993
4   Ragan        1949
5   Leffler         1895
6   Blaney        1891
7   Hamilton Jr. 1856
8   Ambrose     1829
9   Biffle           1793
10 Leicht          1784
 

The Race:  Winn Dixie 250 presented by PepsiCo
The Place: Daytona International Speedway
The Date:  July 6, 20071
The Time: 8:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Race Purse: $1,552,701
2006 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2006 Pole: J.J. Yeley 

Schedule: Thur.: 2:30-3:30 p.m. – Practice; 3:50-4:20 p.m. – Rookie Practice; 5:30-6:25 – Final Practice. Fri.: 1:05 p.m. – Qualifying (Impound).