NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE No. 15

BATMAN BEGINS 400

MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

 

Brooklyn, Mich. – June 19, 2005

2 Mile Banked Paved Oval

400 M – 200 L – Purse: $4,955,273

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                Bonus          Money

Fin       St          Car#        Driver                         Team                                                              Laps                   Pts           Pts               Won          Status

 1         25          16            Greg Biffle                   Charter-National Guard Ford                             200                    185           *      5         $171,075      Running

 2           3          20            Tony Stewart              The Home Depot Chevrolet                               200                    180           *    10           174,461      Running

 3         15            6            Mark Martin                  Batman Begins/Pfizer Ford                               200                    170           *      5           116,125      Running

 4         21          17            Matt Kenseth               Carhartt/DeWalt Ford                                        200                    160                               138,261      Running

 5         23          99            Carl Edwards              AAA/Office Depot Ford                                    200                    155                                 98,650      Running

 6         11          01            Joe Nemechek             U.S. Army Chevrolet                                         200                    155           *      5           110,148      Running

 7         30          15            Michael Waltrip            NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet                              200                    151           *      5           116,454      Running

 8         18          38            Elliott Sadler                 M&M’s Ford                                                       200                    142                               126,106      Running

 9         17            5    #      Kyle Busch                  Kellogg’s Chevrolet                                           200                    138                                 89,265      Running

10        12            2            Rusty Wallace             Miller Lite Dodge                                                200                    134                               110,548      Running

11        33          31            Jeff Burton                  Beneficial/Cingular Chevrolet                            200                    130                               106,825      Running

12        13          97            Kurt Busch                  Sharpie Ford                                                     200                    132           *      5           125,665      Running

13        24          42            Jamie McMurray          Home123/Havoline Dodge                                 200                    129           *      5             87,390      Running

14          6          18            Bobby Labonte            Interstate Batteries Chevrolet                           200                    121                               110,915      Running

15          1          12            Ryan Newman            Alltel Dodge                                                       200                    123           *      5           122,781      Running

16        22          22            Scott Wimmer              Caterpillar Dodge                                               200                    115                               101,798      Running

17        41            8            Dale Earnhardt Jr.       Budweiser Chevrolet                                        200                    112                               118,448      Running

18          4            9            Kasey Kahne              Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge                              200                    109                               106,965      Running

19        16          48            Jimmie Johnson           Lowe’s Chevrolet                                              200                    111           *      5           118,881      Running

20        26          11            Jason Leffler               FedEx Kinko’s Chevrolet                                   200                    103                                 75,890      Running

21          2          41            Casey Mears               Target Dodge                                                    199                    105           *      5           107,248      Running

22          5          19            Jeremy Mayfield          Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge                              199                      97                                 99,535      Running

23        29          10            Scott Riggs                  Valvoline Chevrolet                                           199                      94                                 93,448      Running

24        14          88            Dale Jarrett                  UPS Ford                                                           199                      91                               106,698      Running

25        28          29            Kevin Harvick              GM Goodwrench Chevrolet                              199                      88                               116,351      Running

26        37          77    #      Travis Kvapil               Kodak/Jasper Eng. & Trans. Dodge                  199                      85                                 79,965      Running

27        20            0            Mike Bliss                    Net Zero Best Buy Chevrolet                            198                      82                                 71,680      Running

28        38          49            Ken Schrader              Schwan’s Home Service Dodge                       198                      79                                 71,425      Running

29        36          07            Dave Blaney                Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktail Chevrolet          198                      76                                 79,215      Running

30        32          45            Kyle Petty                    Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge                        198                      73                                 80,687      Running

31        27          32            Bobby Hamilton Jr.      Tide Chevrolet                                                   198                      70                                 67,990      Running

32          9          24            Jeff Gordon                 DuPont Chevrolet                                              197                      67                               116,651      Running

33        34          21            Ricky Rudd                  Rent-A-Center/Motorcraft Ford                         197                      64                                 96,004      Running

34        31          23            Mike Skinner                History Channel/AutoManiac Dodge                 197                      61                                 67,735      Running

35        10          91            Bill Elliott                       McDonald’s Dodge                                            196                      58                                 67,595      Running

36        35          66            Mike Garvey                Jani-King/Peak Fitness Ford                              196                      55                                 67,545      Running

37        39          37            Kevin Lepage              Patron Tequila Dodge                                        195                      52                                 67,495      Running

38        19          43            Jeff Green                   Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge                         184                      49                                 96,331      Running

39          8            7            Robby Gordon             Menard’s Chevrolet                                           182                      51           *      5             67,350      Running

40        40          40            Sterling Marlin              Coors Light Dodge                                            167                      43                                 95,223      Engine

41          7          25            Brian Vickers              GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolet                             154                      40                                 75,280      Running

42        43          51            Stuart Kirby                 Marathon Multipower-3 HD Motor Oil Chev         91                      37                                 67,240      Accident

43        42            4            Mike Wallace               Lucas Oil Chevrolet                                             50                      34                                 66,671      Engine

# Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contender.   * Includes race leader/most laps led bonus.

Failed to qualify: (4) Eric McClure #92; Derrike Cope #79; P.J. Jones #34; Morgan Shepherd #89.

Race comments: Before an estimated crowd of 140,000, Greg Biffle won the Batman Begins 400, posting his eighth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory. Prior to the green flag, the following drivers, under penalty, dropped to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #51 Stuart Kirby (engine change); #66 Mike Garvey (transmission change); #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (unapproved impound adjustment); #37 Kevin Lepage (unapproved impound adjustment).

 

TIME OF RACE:  2 hours, 39 minutes, 22 seconds                        AVERAGE SPEED: 150.596 mph                         MARGIN OF VICTORY:  1.675 seconds

BUDWEISER POLE AWARD:  Ryan Newman, Alltel Dodge (194.232 mph, 37.069 secs.) Track Record

COMMIT LOZENGES COMMIT TO WIN AWARD:  Casey Mears, Target Dodge

CHECKERS/RALLY’S DOUBLE DRIVE-THRU CHALLENGE AWARD: Elliott Sadler, M&M’s Ford

EA SPORTS MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD:  Greg Biffle, Charter-National Guard Ford

GOODYEAR GATORBACK FASTEST LAP AWARD:  Casey Mears, Target Dodge

MBNA MID-RACE LEADER AWARD:  Tony Stewart, The Home Depot Chevrolet (No winner of MBNA Bonus for winning race; rolls to $25,000 at Sonoma.)

MOBIL 1 COMMAND PERFORMANCE DRIVER OF THE RACE AWARD:  Michael Waltrip, NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP LEADER BONUS: No winner; rolls over to $40,000 at Infineon Raceway.

RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD:  Kyle Busch, Kellogg’s Chevrolet

SUNOCO DIAMOND PERFORMANCE AWARD:  Greg Biffle, Charter-National Guard Ford

U.S.G. IMPROVING THE FINISH AWARD:  Greg Biffle, Charter-National Guard Ford

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD:  Tony Stewart, The Home Depot Chevrolet (97 laps)

CAUTION FLAGS: 4 cautions for 23 laps. 43-47 (Car #25-Accident, Pit Road); 52-59 (Oil on Track); 157-161 (Debris); 169-173 (Car #40-Accident, Turn 3).

LAP LEADERS: 20 lead changes among 11 drivers. Ryan Newman-pole, Casey Mears 1-7, Tony Stewart 8-39, Greg Biffle 40, Newman 41-43, Kurt Busch 44-49, Mark Martin 50-59, Kurt Busch 60-65, Stewart 66-87, Biffle 88-92, Michael Waltrip 93, Joe Nemechek 94, Jimmie Johnson 95-96, Robby Gordon 97, Stewart 98-129, Biffle 130-137, Waltrip 138-139, Biffle 140-157, Jamie McMurray 158, Stewart 159-169, Biffle 170-200.

 

TOP 10 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP POINTS  (Wins)

 1 –Jimmie Johnson                      2173      (2)

 2 –Greg Biffle                               2124      (5)

 3 –Elliott Sadler                           1923      (0)

 4 –Carl Edwards                            1914      (2)

 5 –Mark Martin                              1904      (0)

 6 –Tony Stewart                           1862      (0)

 7 –Ryan Newman                         1856      (0)

 8 –Rusty Wallace                          1848      (0)

 9 –Kurt Busch                               1813      (1)

10-Kevin Harvick                            1803      (1)

 

MANUFACTURERS' CHAMPIONSHIP

                                        Pts      Wins

Ford                                 108        8

Chevrolet                         106        6

Dodge                                71        1

 

CHECKERS/RALLY’S DOUBLE DRIVE-THRU CHALLENGE AWARD

                                      Car #        Pts.

Ryan Newman               (#12)          3

Elliott Sadler                 (#38)          3

Rusty Wallace                (#  2)          3

 

RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Kyle Busch                                      208

Travis Kvapil                                   165

Stanton Barrett                                  51

Eric McClure                                     19

 

BUD POLE AWARD STANDINGS

Ryan Newman                                   5

Kasey Kahne                                     2

Kyle Busch                                         1

Jeff Gordon                                        1

Kevin Harvick                                     1

Dale Jarrett                                        1

Scott Riggs                                        1

Elliott Sadler                                     1

Michael Waltrip                                 1

 

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD

                                      Car #        Pts.

Greg Biffle                     (#16)          4

Tony Stewart                 (#20)          3

Brian Vickers                  (#25)          2

 

MOBIL 1 COMMAND PERF. AWARD

                                      Car #        Pts.

Michael Waltrip             (#15)          6

Ryan Newman               (#12)          4

Kevin Harvick                 (#29)          3

 

USG IMPROVING THE FINISH AWARD

                                      Car #         Pts.

Elliott Sadler                 (#38)          3

Kyle Busch                     (#  5)          2

Bobby Labonte              (#18)          2

 

MBNA MID-RACE LEADER AWARD

                                      Car #        Pts.

Greg Biffle                     (#16)          8

Tony Stewart                 (#20)          6

Kurt Busch                     (#97)          5

 

CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER AWARD

                                      Car #        Pts.

Hendrick                         (#48)      110

Roush Yates                   (#16)      103

Hendrick                         (#24)        84

 

GOODYEAR GATORBACK FASTEST LAP

AWARD                          Car #        Pts.

Greg Biffle                     (#16)          4

Jimmie Johnson            (#48)          2

Casey Mears                  (#41)          1

 

COMMIT LOZENGES COMMIT TO WIN AWARD

                                      Car #        Pts.

Jimmie Johnson            (#48)          3

Kasey Kahne                 (#  9)          3

Jeremy Mayfield            (#19)          2

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UNOFFICAL RESULTS posted after the race

OFFICAL RESULTS WILL be posted sometime Monday

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Race Number 15 Unofficial Race Results for the Batman Begins 400 - Sunday, June 19, 2005 Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, Mich. - 2 Mile Banked Asphalt Total Race Length - 200 Laps - 400.000 Miles

Provided by NASCAR Statistical Services - Sunday, June 19, 2005 @ 05:23 PM Eastern

Fin	Str	Car	Driver	Team	Laps	Pts	Bns	Award	Status	Ti. Led	Lps Led
1	25	16	Greg Biffle	Charter-National Guard Ford	200	185	5	$171,075	Running	5	63
2	3	20	Tony Stewart	The Home Depot Chevrolet	200	180	10	$174,461	Running	4	97
3	15	6	Mark Martin	Batman Begins/Pfizer Ford	200	170	5	$116,125	Running	1	10
4	21	17	Matt Kenseth	Carhartt/DeWalt Ford	200	160		$138,261	Running
5	23	99	Carl Edwards	AAA/Office Depot Ford	200	155		$98,650	Running
6	11	01	Joe Nemechek	U.S. Army Chevrolet	200	155	5	$110,148	Running	1	1
7	30	15	Michael Waltrip	NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet	200	151	5	$116,454	Running	2	3
8	18	38	Elliott Sadler	M&M's Ford	200	142		$126,106	Running
9	17	5	Kyle Busch #	Kellogg's Chevrolet	200	138		$89,265	Running
10	12	2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Lite Dodge	200	134		$110,548	Running
11	33	31	Jeff Burton	Beneficial/cingular Chevrolet	200	130		$106,825	Running
12	13	97	Kurt Busch	Sharpie Ford	200	132	5	$125,665	Running	2	12
13	24	42	Jamie McMurray	Home123/Havoline Dodge	200	129	5	$87,390	Running	1	1
14	6	18	Bobby Labonte	Interstate Batteries Chevrolet	200	121		$110,915	Running
15	1	12	Ryan Newman	alltel Dodge	200	123	5	$122,781	Running	1	3
16	22	22	Scott Wimmer	Caterpillar Dodge	200	115		$101,798	Running
17	41	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Budweiser Chevrolet	200	112		$118,448	Running
18	4	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge	200	109		$106,965	Running
19	16	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet	200	111	5	$118,881	Running	1	2
20	26	11	Jason Leffler	FedEx Kinko's Chevrolet	200	103		$75,890	Running
21	2	41	Casey Mears	Target Dodge	199	105	5	$107,248	Running	1	7
22	5	19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge	199	97		$99,535	Running
23	29	10	Scott Riggs	Valvoline Chevrolet	199	94		$93,448	Running
24	14	88	Dale Jarrett	UPS Ford	199	91		$106,698	Running
25	28	29	Kevin Harvick	GM Goodwrench Chevrolet	199	88		$116,351	Running
26	37	77	Travis Kvapil #	Kodak/Jasper Eng. & Trans. Dodge	199	85		$79,965	Running
27	20	0	Mike Bliss	Net Zero Best Buy Chevrolet	198	82		$71,680	Running
28	38	49	Ken Schrader	Schwan's Home Service Dodge	198	79		$71,425	Running
29	36	07	Dave Blaney	Jack Daniel's Country Cocktail Chevrolet	198	76		$79,215	Running
30	32	45	Kyle Petty	Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge	198	73		$80,687	Running
31	27	32	Bobby Hamilton Jr.	Tide Chevrolet	198	70		$67,990	Running
32	9	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet	197	67		$116,651	Running
33	34	21	Ricky Rudd	Rent-A-Center/Motorcraft Ford	197	64		$96,004	Running
34	31	23	Mike Skinner	History Channel/AutoManiac Dodge	197	61		$67,735	Running
35	10	91	Bill Elliott	McDonald’s Dodge	196	58		$67,595	Running
36	35	66	Mike Garvey	Jani-King/Peak Fitness Ford	196	55		$67,545	Running
37	39	37	Kevin Lepage	Patron Tequila Dodge	195	52		$67,495	Running
38	19	43	Jeff Green	Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge	184	49		$96,331	Running
39	8	7	Robby Gordon	Menard's Chevrolet	182	51	5	$67,350	Running	1	1
40	40	40	Sterling Marlin	Coors Light Dodge	167	43		$95,223	Engine
41	7	25	Brian Vickers	GMAC/ditech.com Chevrolet	154	40		$75,280	Running
42	43	51	Stuart Kirby	Marathon Multipower-3 HD Motor Oil Chevro	91	37		$67,240	Accident
43	42	4	Mike Wallace	Lucas Oil Chevrolet	50	34		$66,671	Engine

Race Comments	Before an estimated crowd of 140,000, Greg Biffle won the Batman Begins 400, posting his eighth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory. Prior to the green flag, the following drivers, under penalty, dropped to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #51 Kirby (engine change); #66 Garvey (transmission change); #8 Earnhardt Jr. (unapproved impound adjustment); #37 (unapproved impound adjustment).
Failed to Qualify	(4) Eric McClure #, #92; Derrike Cope, #79; P.J. Jones, #34; Morgan Shepherd, #89.
Time of Race 2 hours, 39 minutes, 22 seconds Average Speed 150.596 mph Margin of Victory 1.675 Seconds
Caution Flags	4 for 23 laps: Laps 43-47 (#25 accident pit road); 52-59 (Oil on track); 157-161 (Debris); 169-173 (#40 accident turn 3).
Lead Changes	20 among 11 drivers: R. Newman (Pole); C. Mears 1-7; T. Stewart 8-39; G. Biffle 40; R. Newman 41-43; K. Busch 44-49; M. Martin 50-59; K. Busch 60-65; T. Stewart 66-87; G. Biffle 88-92; M. Waltrip 93; J. Nemechek 94; J. Johnson 95-96; R. Gordon 97; T. Stewart 98-129; G. Biffle 130-137; M. Waltrip 138-139; G. Biffle 140-157; J. McMurray 158; T. Stewart 159-169; G. Biffle 170-200.
Top 10 Driver Points	(1) J. Johnson 2,173; (2) G. Biffle 2,124; (3) E. Sadler 1,923; (4) C. Edwards 1,914; (5) M. Martin 1,904; (6) T. Stewart 1,862; (7) R. Newman 1,856; (8) R. Wallace 1,848; (9) K. Busch 1,813; (10) K. Harvick 1,803.
Top 5 Rookie Points	(1) Kyle Busch 208; (2) Travis Kvapil 165; (3) Stanton Barrett 51; (4) Eric McClure 19.

Bud Pole Award	Ryan Newman (194.232 mph)
Commit to Win Award	Casey Mears
Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap Award	Casey Mears,#41 (188.862 mph, Lap 2)
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Award	Tony Stewart
WIX Lap-Leader Award	Tony Stewart, #20 (97 Laps)
USG Improving the Finish Award	Greg Biffle, #16 (24 Places)
Mobil Oil Command Performance Driver of the Race	Michael Waltrip
EA Sports Move of the Race Award	Greg Biffle
Sunoco Diamond Performance Award	Greg Biffle
Raybestos Rookie of the Race	Kyle Busch #