Five months ago when Carl Edwards (#60 Scotts Ford) won his first race of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway, he set sail for what has since become a stout lead in the NASCAR Busch Series driver standings.

The same went for Roush Fenway Racing in the series owner standings. For the 18 races following the Bristol spring event, the #60 team was solidly in first place, with no reason to look back.

Of course, that’s why the races are run.

Although still enjoying a hefty lead in the driver rankings, the #60 team is looking up in the owner standings as the #29 Holiday Inn Chevy team of Richard Childress Racing – with driving shared by Jeff Burton and Scott Wimmer – has re-claimed the top spot.

The #29 team was more than 300 points behind the #60 following the second race at Nashville Superspeedway in June. Burton – who will drive the #29 at Bristol while Wimmer pilots the #21 AutoZone Chevy – registered his second top five in succession at Michigan International Speedway last week, while Edwards slumped to his third finish outside the top 25 in a row – allowing the team to erase a 41-point deficit and hold a 40-point advantage.

Despite the recent rash of bad vibes, Edwards and Roush Fenway should be positive heading to Bristol. Edwards’ win in March was the first of his current season sweep of concrete-surfaced tracks. And added in is teammate Matt Kenseth’s (#17 Army’s Ford) win at this event last year.

Only once before has the driver and owner title in the NASCAR Busch Series been shared – and RCR was also part of that formula.

In 2003, Brian Vickers won the driver championship while the duo of Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter drove the #21 PayDay Chevy to the owner crown for Childress.

“Regular” Guys Have Solid Footing In Series Top 10 Point Standings

As the season moves toward its conclusion, the top 10 drivers in the point standings have a very “regular” feel.

Of the drivers ranked in the top 10 heading to Bristol, eight are NASCAR Busch Series regulars – those who have competed in each of the 25 races to date on the schedule.

Only former series champions Kevin Harvick (#33 RoadLoans.com Chevy – 18) and Greg Biffle (#37 Cub Cadette Ford – 22) have not started every race.

Veterans like Jason Leffler (#38 Great Clips Toyota – fourth); Bobby Hamilton Jr. (#35 McDonald’s Ford – sixth) and Mike Wallace (#7 GEICO Chevy – 10th) are solidly ranked.

For Hamilton and Wallace, it’s been a long time coming; Hamilton was last in the top 10 in 2004 prior to departing before season’s end to compete in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, and Wallace hasn’t been in the top 10 since 2003 when he was ranked for two of the season’s 34 race weeks. He did miss two races that year, however.

Stephen Leicht (#90 CitiFinancial Ford) has been in the top 10 for the last nine weeks, a career-best seventh for the past three, while rookie Marcos Ambrose (#59 Kingsford Ford – eighth) has been ranked for 19 weeks this season, the last 10 in succession.
 
In The Loop:  The Rocket Man Rocks At Bristol Motor Speedway

In both 2005 and ‘06, Ryan Newman (#12 Alltel Dodge) raced only one of the two NASCAR Busch Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

This season, he’s racing both. And it’s easy to see why he’s making the change.

Newman always performs well at Bristol in a NASCAR Busch Series car.

In five career races there, his worst finish is eighth. Since 2005, Newman has enjoyed finishes of first (‘05), sixth (‘06) and fourth (‘07). He also sits atop practically every key Loop Data category at Bristol.

Newman is first in Driver Rating (128.9), first in Average Running Position (4.6), first in Green Flag Speed and has spent 94.4% of his laps in the top 15, which is best of any other driver. Additionally, Newman is sixth in Fastest Laps Run with 50.

Kevin Harvick also navigates the high-banked terrain of Bristol well. Harvick, a Bristol winner in 2005, has a Bristol Driver Rating of 114.7, which is best of any driver who has raced each of the five races since that season. In those five races, which include a win and four top fives, Harvick has an Average Running Position of 8.9 and series-high numbers in Fastest Laps Run (100) and Quality Passes (68). He also ranks third in Laps in the Top 15 with 1,126.

Driver standings leader Carl Edwards won this past March at Bristol, his first win of the season. He has currently hit a rough patch though, going 10 races without a win and suffering finishes of 30th (Montreal), 32nd (Watkins Glen) and 28th (Michigan) in his last three races. Edwards’ fortune should change at the .533-mile short track. In the past five Bristol races, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 107.5, an Average Running Position of 9.3 and 56 Fastest Laps Run.

NBS ETC.

• Bristol Notes: Dale Jarrett (#44 UPS Toyota) returns to the NASCAR Busch Series at Bristol. A charter member of the series (329 starts, 11 wins – one at Bristol), he’s back for the first time since 2005 and will drive for Michael Waltrip, teaming with David Reutimann (#99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota). … Travis Kvapil goes from his Roush Fenway truck to the #16 3M Ford Friday night; while Johnny Sauter returns to the #27 Kleenex Ford (then Chevy/Pontiac) for the first time since 2004 when he ran full-time for Brewco. … Kevin Harvick will drive his own #33 Chevy at Bristol, where he’s tied with Morgan Shepherd (#89 Victory in Jesus Racing Dodge) for the most series wins at the track (four) and has 10 top fives in 15 starts at the track. … Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer (#2 BB&T Chevy – Richmond) and Jason Leffler (ORP) have claimed the first three short-track wins of the season.

• Bristol the Beginning for Keselowski:  Brad Keselowski (#88 U.S. NAVY Chevy) first met JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the NASCAR Busch Series race at Bristol this past March. Despite driving for an under-funded organization, Keselowski – set up in the pit stall next to the two-time series champion, who was also running in the race – posted a career-best 12th-place starting position. Keselowski apparently made quite an impression that weekend, because when Earnhardt started searching for a new driver for the #88 last month, he called the 23-year-old to see if the rookie driver was interested in the position. In his four starts since for JRM, Keselowski has captured one top 10 and three top 15s. He also led five laps at Gateway International Raceway, the first laps led of his series career. His average finish in the #88 is 15.75.

• Chase Austin Set for Series Debut: Rusty Wallace Inc. has announced that Chase Austin, the team’s 17-year-old developmental driver, is scheduled to make his NASCAR Busch Series debut Oct. 28 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Austin’s 18th birthday is 25 days before the event. If he qualifies the #64 Dodge, he would become the first African-American driver to start a NASCAR Busch Series race on an oval. In 1999, Bill Lester started 21st and finished 24th at Watkins Glen. Austin will team with Steve Wallace (#66 HomeLife Communities Dodge), who also made his series debut at Memphis in 2005. Austin currently drives the #66 Dodge in the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series where he has posted six top-15 finishes in eight starts. “The decision to enter Chase was made in preparation for next season,” team owner Rusty Wallace said. “We’re planning on Chase driving in 15 races for our new team … a development schedule in 2008 that looks like the one we ran with Steve last year (with) both limited Busch Series and ARCA schedules.”

COUNTDOWN TO 417

Jason Keller has 412 career starts; the series record is 417. He must qualify on time for all but one of his remaining races (Calif. – Brewco). Keller is tied with Morgan Shepherd for the most poles at Bristol (3).

Schedule (Team)             Projected Start
8/25 – Bristol (CJM)            413  
9/1 – California (Brewco)      414
9/8 – Richmond (CJM)         415
9/22 – Dover (CJM)              416
9/29 – Kansas (CJM)           417 – TIE
10/13 – LMS (CJM)              418 – BREAK
 
The Director’s Take: Bristol

INSIGHT FROM JOE BALASH,
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES DIRECTOR

“It used to be that teams would take their oldest car to Bristol because of the amount of contact on the tough half-mile track.  Now, teams build cars made specifically for Bristol.

“Teams are given an additional clearance on the rear quarter panels to account for the extreme force the cars are exposed to.

“We’ll see if the new banking helps develop a second groove of racing. The high banking coupled with a new surface brings a different look to the track. It will be interesting to see how the drivers and teams work with those new aspects since they had limited time on the track during last month’s test due to six rain delays. 

“In the end, it will be a battle of getting off Turns Two and Four and protecting position entering One and Three.
    
Rookie Spotlight: Ragan Feeling Season-Ending Pressure From Hard-Charging Ambrose 

• Runaway No More:  Four races ago, David Ragan (#6 Discount Tire Ford) had a comfortable 25-point lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. But that was before Marcos Ambrose had solid outings on the Montreal and Watkins Glen road courses along with his finish last week at Michigan that was two places better than Ragan. Heading to Bristol, Ambrose is within 18 points of the lead with 10 races to go, however Ragan had an impressive 13th-place finish at Bristol in March while Ambrose struggled to a 28th-place finish.

• Keselowski Wows the Home Crowd: Brad Keselowski was hoping for a solid finish in front on his home track last week at Michigan. What he got was unexpected and heartwarming at the same time. The Rochester Hills native – about an hour and a half from the track – was contending for a top-10 spot in an event that featured 23 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series double-duty drivers when he ran out of fuel on the last lap. As winner Denny Hamlin was spinning through his victory doughnuts, Keselowski sputtered across the finish line in 13th place to a standing ovation. He’s been the top rookie finisher in three of his four races with JR Motorsports.

2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

 Driver                               Points
 1. David Ragan                  200
 2. Marcos Ambrose           182
 3. Kyle Krisiloff                  165
 4. Juan Pablo Montoya       165
 5. Brad Coleman                141
 6. Brad Keselowski            126
 7. Robert Richardson Jr.       84
 8. Justin Diercks                  51

ESPN/ABC

ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live, prime-time coverage from Bristol Motor Speedway. The telecast begins at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday with NASCAR Countdown.

The half-mile, concrete surface has been a fixture on the NASCAR Busch Series schedule since the inception of the series in 1982 and events on the unique bowl-shaped track are always unpredictable.

Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Bristol, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro, while two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown – joined by analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in NASCAR’s Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – in the ESPN Pit Studio.

2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 25 Of 35 Races:

Traditional Statistics:
Driver points – Edwards (3613)
Victories – Harvick (5)
Races led – Edwards (17)
Laps led – Edwards (682)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (13)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (17)
Owner points – Childress (#29) - (3653)
Money Won – Edwards ($945,560)
Miles led – Ky. Busch (1015.53)
Busch Poles – Hamlin (4)
Closest to 10th – M. Wallace 10th (2419 pts) Kenseth, 11th (-158)
Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Edwards, Harvick (25)

Loop Data Statistics:
Driver Rating – Edwards (109.6)
Average Running Position – Edwards (9.3)
Fastest Laps Run – Edwards (451 fastest laps)
Quality Passes – Edwards (860)
Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (3,806 of a possible 4,448)

Chevy Has Outside Shot At Record But Ford Has Inside Track Lately At Bristol

With 10 races to go and 14 wins thus far in 2007, Bill France Performance Cup standings leader Chevy has a last chance opportunity to match the all-time NASCAR Busch Series wins mark of 24 it set in 1999.

Chevy’s overall performance at Bristol (26 wins) would seem to give it an edge to keep its record-matching quest alive; however, the manufacturer hasn’t registered a victory in the fall event since Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in 2004.

Ford, in second place in the standings, has won the last two races at the .533-mile track. Matt Kenseth won this race last year while Carl Edwards took the win this past spring. And third-place Dodge broke Chevy’s 16-race winning streak at Bristol, capturing this event two years ago.

Toyota comes to Bristol just seven points behind Dodge and has some momentum having posted a win, four top-fives and eight top-10 finishes in its last three races on ovals.
 
Manufacturers' Championship
2007 Point Standings
Chevy     188
Ford        151
Dodge     109
Toyota    102

Up Next: Camping World 300 Presented By RVs.com

A cross-country trip is up next for the NASCAR Busch Series when teams depart Bristol for the west coast and a Sept. 1 date at California Speedway for the Camping World 300 presented by Rvs.com. The race will be televised by ESPN2 beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Roush Fenway Racing has dominated the event with eight wins in the last nine races, most recently last February when Matt Kenseth registered the victory. The lone dent in that streak came courtesy of Kasey Kahne, who took Ray Evernham’s #9 Dodge to the win at this event one year ago. Clint Bowyer won the Busch Pole for this race last year.

Kenseth’s win was his third overall in series competition at California, tying him with teammate Greg Biffle for most wins at the track. Bowyer holds the record with two poles at the 2-mile track where Dave Blaney made history for Toyota by posting the manufacturer’s first NASCAR Busch Series pole back in February.
 
FAST FACTS

The Race: Food City 250
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
The Date:  Aug. 24, 20071
The Time: 8:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: .533-mile oval
Race Purse: $1,399,759
2006 Winner: Matt Kenseth
2006 Pole: Ryan Newman

2007 Point Standings
  
No. Driver              Points
1  Edwards             3,613
2  Harvick               2,913
3  Reutimann          2,883
4  Leffler                  2,741
5  Ragan                 2,691
6  Hamilton Jr.         2,577
7  Leicht                 2,512
8  Ambrose             2,501
9  Biffle                   2,464
10 M. Wallace        2,419
 
Pre-Race Schedule: Thursday–Open Practice, 1–5 p.m. Friday–Practice, 9–9:50 a.m. and 10:15–11:15 a.m. Qualifying, 4:35 p.m.