NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE No. 2

AUTO CLUB 500

CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

 

Fontana, Calif. – Feb. 26, 2006

2-Mile Paved Oval

500 M – 250 L – Purse: $5,934,504

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                Bonus          Money

Fin       St      Car#            Driver                         Team                                                             Laps                    Pts         Pts                Won          Status

 1         31          17            Matt Kenseth               DeWalt Power Tools Ford                                 251                    185           *      5         $324,991      Running

 2           3          48            Jimmie Johnson           Lowe's Chevrolet                                              251                    170                               235,936      Running

 3         22          99            Carl Edwards              Office Depot Ford                                             251                    165                               165,550      Running

 4         13            9            Kasey Kahne              Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge                              251                    165           *      5           166,239      Running

 5           6          31            Jeff Burton                  Cingular Wireless Chevrolet                              251                    155                               158,970      Running

 6         25          26            Jamie McMurray          Crown Royal Ford                                             251                    150                               142,375      Running

 7         20          42            Casey Mears               Texaco/Havoline Dodge                                    251                    146                               140,858      Running

 8           4          18    #      J.J. Yeley                    Interstate Batteries Chevrolet                           251                    147           *      5           140,075      Running

 9         10            6            Mark Martin                  AAA Ford                                                          251                    143           *      5           104,800      Running

10          7            5            Kyle Busch                  Kellogg's Chevrolet                                           251                    134                               105,225      Running

11        18            8            Dale Earnhardt Jr.       Budweiser Chevrolet                                        251                    135           *      5           132,366      Running

12          5          11    #      Denny Hamlin              FedEx Kinkos Chevrolet                                    251                    127                               104,575      Running

13          9          24            Jeff Gordon                 DuPont Hot Hues Chevrolet                               251                    129           *      5           127,261      Running

14        32          07    #      Clint Bowyer               Jack Daniels Chevrolet                                      251                    121                               100,425      Running

15        23            1    #      Martin Truex Jr.           Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet        251                    118                               114,383      Running

16          1            2            Kurt Busch                  Miller Lite Dodge                                                251                    120           *      5           144,558      Running

17        19          88            Dale Jarrett                  UPS Ford                                                           251                    112                               133,050      Running

18        28          25            Brian Vickers              GMAC Chevrolet                                               250                    109                                 97,625      Running

19        14          10            Scott Riggs                  Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge                         250                    106                                 88,925      Running

20        11          12            Ryan Newman            Mobil 1/Alltel Dodge                                           250                    103                               132,683      Running

21        29          41    #      Reed Sorenson           Energizer® e(2)® Lithium Dodge                      250                    100                                 97,875      Running

22        21          19            Jeremy Mayfield          Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge                              250                      97                               116,916      Running

23        16          38            Elliott Sadler                 Pedigree/M&Ms Ford                                         250                      94                               115,083      Running

24        26          66            Jeff Green                   Best Buy Chevrolet                                           250                      91                               121,058      Running

25        39          45            Kyle Petty                    Wells Fargo Dodge                                            250                      88                               107,333      Running

26        34            7            Robby Gordon             Jim Beam Chevrolet                                           249                      85                                 95,075      Running

27          8          01            Joe Nemechek             U.S. Army Chevrolet                                         249                      82                               109,820      Running

28        41          21            Ken Schrader              Little Debbie/Motorcraft/USAF Ford                  249                      79                               109,589      Running

29        15          29            Kevin Harvick              Ice Breakers/GM Goodwrench Chevrolet         249                      76                               116,611      Running

30        24          22            Dave Blaney                Caterpillar Dodge                                               249                      73                                 91,583      Running

31        27          43            Bobby Labonte            Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge                         249                      70                               116,186      Running

32        17          14            Sterling Marlin              CENTRIX Auto Finance Chevrolet                     249                      67                                 88,592      Running

33        40          40    #      David Stremme            Coors Light Dodge                                            248                      64                                 87,775      Running

34        43          96            Terry Labonte             DLP® HDTV/Tweeter Chevrolet                        248                      61                                 78,625      Running

35        37          61            Kevin Lepage              RoadLoans Ford                                               248                      58                                 78,425      Running

36        33          55            Michael Waltrip            NAPA Dodge                                                     247                      55                                 78,275      Running

37        42          49    #      Brent Sherman            Serta Dodge                                                      247                      52                                 78,050      Running

38        35          51            Mike Garvey                Marathon American Spirit Chevrolet                 247                      49                                 77,800      Running

39        38            4            Scott Wimmer              AERO Exhaust Chevrolet                                  246                      46                                 77,680      Engine

40        30          95            Stanton Barrett            Hairofdog.com Chevrolet                                  242                      43                                 77,525      Running

41        36          78            Kenny Wallace            Furniture Row Chevrolet                                   237                      40                                 77,400      Engine

42          2          16            Greg Biffle                   National Guard/Jackson Hewitt Ford                229                      47           *    10           106,005      Engine

43        12          20            Tony Stewart              The Home Depot Chevrolet                               214                      39           *      5           119,453      Engine

*Prize money includes race winnings from the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.

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

Failed to qualify: (5) Travis Kvapil #32; Hermie Sadler #00; Derrike Cope #74; Randy LaJoie #34; Morgan Shepherd #89.

Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 85,000, Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500, posting his 11th 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: #49 Brent Sherman (back-up car).

 

TIME OF RACE:  3 hours, 23 minutes, 43 seconds                         AVERAGE SPEED: 147.852 mph                      MARGIN OF VICTORY: .338 second

BUDWEISER POLE AWARD:  Kurt Busch (187.086 mph, 38.485 secs.)

BANK OF AMERICA CARD SERVICES MID-RACE LEADER AWARD:  Greg Biffle⁺⁺

COMMIT LOZENGES ‘COMMIT TO WIN’ AWARD:  Greg Biffle

CHECKERS/RALLY’S DOUBLE DRIVE-THRU CHALLENGE AWARD: Jimmie Johnson

EA SPORTS “MOVE OF THE RACE” AWARD:  Matt Kenseth

GOODYEAR GATORBACK FASTEST LAP AWARD: Matt Kenseth

MOBIL 1 COMMAND PERFORMANCE DRIVER OF THE RACE AWARD:  Jeff Burton

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP LEADER BONUS: No winner; rolls over to $20,000 at Las Vegas⁺⁺

RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: J.J. Yeley

SUNOCO DIAMOND PERFORMANCE AWARD: Matt Kenseth

U.S.G. IMPROVING THE FINISH AWARD: Matt Kenseth

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD:  Greg Biffle

CAUTION FLAGS: 7 cautions for 26 laps. 32-35 (Debris); 89-92 (Debris); 197-200 (Debris); 215-218 (Debris); 220-223 (Car #95-Spin, Turn 4); 226-228 (Car #2-Spin, Turn 4); 247-249 (Oil on track).

LAP LEADERS: 18 lead changes among 9 drivers. Kurt Busch 1-5, Greg Biffle 6-35, Kurt Busch 36, Biffle 37-59, Tony Stewart 60-79, Matt Kenseth 80-81, Stewart 82-89, Kenseth 90-92, Kurt Busch 93, Kenseth 94-95, Biffle 96-135, Mark Martin 136, J.J. Yeley 137-138, Biffle 139-182, Kasey Kahne 183, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 184, Biffle 185-215, Jeff Gordon 216-218, Kenseth 219-251.

⁺⁺Money awarded at year’s end; amount not included in race winnings.

 

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES TOP 10

                                                           (Wins)

 1 –Jimmie Johnson                 355         (1)

 2 –Casey Mears                     316         (0)

 3 –Matt Kenseth                     308         (1)

 4 –Kasey Kahne                    295         (0)

 5 –Dale Earnhardt Jr.             287         (0)

 6 –Mark Martin                        275         (0)

 7 –Ryan Newman                  273         (0)

 8 –Clint Bowyer                     271         (0)

 9 –Brian Vickers                    260         (0)

10–Elliott Sadler                       259         (0)

 

RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Clint Bowyer                                     21

J.J. Yeley                                          19

Martin Truex Jr.                                18

Denny Hamlin                                    16

Brent Sherman                                 14

Reed Sorenson                                14

David Stremme                                 14

 

BUDWEISER POLE AWARD STANDINGS

Jeff Burton                                        1

Kurt Busch                                        1

 

 WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD

                                      Car #       Pts.

Greg Biffle                     (#16)         1

Dale Earnhardt Jr.         (#  8)         1

 

MOBIL 1 COMMAND PERF. AWARD

                                      Car #       Pts.

Jeff Burton                    (#31)         1

Ryan Newman              (#12)         1

 

CHECKERS/RALLY’S DOUBLE DRIVE-THRU CHALLENGE AWARD

                                      Car #       Pts.

Jimmie Johnson             (#48)         2

 

MANUFACTURERS' CHAMPIONSHIP

                                        Pts     Wins

Chevrolet                         15        1

Ford                                 13        1

Dodge                              10        0

 

USG ‘IMPROVING THE FINISH’ AWARD

                                      Car #         Pts.

Clint Bowyer                 (#07)           1

Matt Kenseth                (#17)            1
BANK OF AMERICA CARD SERVICES

MID-RACE LEADER AWARD

                                      Car #       Pts.

Greg Biffle                     (#16)         2

Dale Earnhardt Jr.         (#  8)         2

 

CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER AWARD

                                      Car #       Pts.

Hendrick                        (#48)         30

E. Elliott                          (#42)         23

DEI                                 (#  8)         18

 

GOODYEAR GATORBACK FASTEST LAP

AWARD                         Car #      Pts.

Jeff Burton                    (#31)         1

Matt Kenseth                 (#17)         1

 

COMMIT LOZENGES ‘COMMIT TO WIN’ AWARD

                                      Car #       Pts.

Greg Biffle                     (#16)         1

Jeff Burton                    (#31)         1

 

SUNOCO DIAMOND PERF. AWARD

                                      Car #     Pts.

Jimmie Johnson             (#48)         1

Matt Kenseth                 (#17)         1

 

NEXT EVENT: March 12 – UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, Las Vegas, Nev. (400 M) (267 L)

NOTE:  The above figures are based on team winnings and include racing purse and cash contingency awards by participating manufacturers. (3/12/06) 

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UNOFFICAL RESULTS posted after the race

from NASCAR Statistical Services

OFFICAL RESULTS WILL be posted sometime Monday

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Race Number 2 Unofficial Race Results for the Auto Club 500 - Sunday, February 26, 2006 California Speedway - Fontana, Calif. - 2.0 Mile Paved Total Race Length - 251 Laps - 502.000 Miles

Provided by NASCAR Statistical Services - Sunday, February 26, 2006 @ 08:31 PM Eastern

Fin	Str	Car	Driver	Team	Laps	Pts	Bns	Award	Status	Ti. Led	Lps Led
1	31	17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt Power Tools Ford	251	185	5	$324,991	Running	4	40
2	3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet	251	170		$235,936	Running
3	22	99	Carl Edwards	Office Depot Ford	251	165		$165,550	Running
4	13	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge	251	165	5	$166,239	Running	1	1
5	6	31	Jeff Burton	Cingular Wireless Chevrolet	251	155		$158,970	Running
6	25	26	Jamie McMurray	Crown Royal Ford	251	150		$142,375	Running
7	20	42	Casey Mears	Texaco/Havoline Dodge	251	146		$140,858	Running
8	4	18	J.J. Yeley #	Interstate Batteries Chevrolet	251	147	5	$140,075	Running	1	2
9	10	6	Mark Martin	AAA Ford	251	143	5	$104,800	Running	1	1
10	7	5	Kyle Busch	Kellogg's Chevrolet	251	134		$105,225	Running
11	18	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Budweiser Chevrolet	251	135	5	$132,366	Running	1	1
12	5	11	Denny Hamlin #	FedEx Kinkos Chevrolet	251	127		$104,575	Running
13	9	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Hot Hues Chevrolet	251	129	5	$127,261	Running	1	3
14	32	07	Clint Bowyer #	Jack Daniels Chevrolet	251	121		$100,425	Running
15	23	1	Martin Truex Jr. #	Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet	251	118		$114,383	Running
16	1	2	Kurt Busch	Miller Lite Dodge	251	120	5	$144,558	Running	3	7
17	19	88	Dale Jarrett	UPS Ford	251	112		$133,050	Running
18	28	25	Brian Vickers	GMAC Chevrolet	250	109		$97,625	Running
19	14	10	Scott Riggs	Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge	250	106		$88,925	Running
20	11	12	Ryan Newman	Mobil 1/Alltel Dodge	250	103		$132,683	Running
21	29	41	Reed Sorenson #	Energizer® e(2)® Lithium Dodge	250	100		$97,875	Running
22	21	19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge	250	97		$116,916	Running
23	16	38	Elliott Sadler	Pedigree/M&Ms Ford	250	94		$115,083	Running
24	26	66	Jeff Green	Best Buy Chevrolet	250	91		$121,058	Running
25	39	45	Kyle Petty	Wells Fargo Dodge	250	88		$107,333	Running
26	34	7	Robby Gordon	Jim Beam Chevrolet	249	85		$95,075	Running
27	8	01	Joe Nemechek	U.S. Army Chevrolet	249	82		$109,820	Running
28	41	21	Ken Schrader	Little Debbie/Motorcraft/USAF Ford	249	79		$109,589	Running
29	15	29	Kevin Harvick	Ice Breakers/GM Goodwrench Chevrolet	249	76		$116,611	Running
30	24	22	Dave Blaney	Caterpillar Dodge	249	73		$91,583	Running
31	27	43	Bobby Labonte	Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge	249	70		$116,186	Running
32	17	14	Sterling Marlin	CENTRIX Auto Finance Chevrolet	249	67		$88,592	Running
33	40	40	David Stremme #	Coors Light Dodge	248	64		$87,775	Running
34	43	96	Terry Labonte	DLP® HDTV/Tweeter Chevrolet	248	61		$78,625	Running
35	37	61	Kevin Lepage	RoadLoans Ford	248	58		$78,425	Running
36	33	55	Michael Waltrip	NAPA Dodge	247	55		$78,275	Running
37	42	49	Brent Sherman #	Serta Dodge	247	52		$78,050	Running
38	35	51	Mike Garvey	Marathon American Spirit Chevrolet	247	49		$77,800	Running
39	38	4	Scott Wimmer	AERO Exhaust Chevrolet	246	46		$77,680	Engine
40	30	95	Stanton Barrett	Hairofdog.com Chevrolet	242	43		$77,525	Running
41	36	78	Kenny Wallace	Furniture Row Chevrolet	237	40		$77,400	Engine
42	2	16	Greg Biffle	National Guard/Jackson Hewitt Ford	229	47	10	$106,005	Engine	5	168
43	12	20	Tony Stewart	The Home Depot Chevrolet	214	39	5	$119,453	Engine	2	28

Race Comments	Before an estimated crowd of 85,000, Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500, posting his 11th 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: #49 Sherman (backup car).
Failed to Qualify	(5) Travis Kvapil, #32; Hermie Sadler, #00; Derrike Cope, #74; Randy LaJoie, #34; Morgan Shepherd, #89.
Time of Race 3 hours, 23 minutes, 43 seconds Average Speed 147.852 mph Margin of Victory 0.338 Seconds
Caution Flags	7 for 26 laps: Laps 32-35 (Debris); 89-92 (Debris); 197-200 (Debris); 215-218 (Debris ); 220-223 (#95 spun turn 4); 226-228 (#2 spun turn 4); 247-249 (Oil on track).
Lead Changes	18 among 9 drivers: K. Busch 1-5; G. Biffle 6-35; K. Busch 36; G. Biffle 37-59; T. Stewart 60-79; M. Kenseth 80-81; T. Stewart 82-89; M. Kenseth 90-92; K. Busch 93; M. Kenseth 94-95; G. Biffle 96-135; M. Martin 136; J. Yeley 137-138; G. Biffle 139-182; K. Kahne 183; D. Earnhardt Jr. 184; G. Biffle 185-215; J. Gordon 216-218; M. Kenseth 219-251.
Top 10 Driver Points	(1) J. Johnson 355; (2) C. Mears 316; (3) M. Kenseth 308; (4) K. Kahne 295; (5) D. Earnhardt Jr. 287; (6) M. Martin 275; (7) R. Newman 273; (8) C. Bowyer 271; (9) B. Vickers 260; (10) E. Sadler 259.
Top 5 Rookie Points

Bud Pole Award	Kurt Busch (187.086 mph)
Bank of America Card Service Mid-Race Leader	Greg Biffle
Raybestos Rookie of the Race	J.J. Yeley #
Checker’s/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge	Jimmie Johnson
EA Sports Move of the Race	Matt Kenseth
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race	Jeff Burton
Commit Lozenges Commit to Win	Greg Biffle
Goodyear Gator back Fastest Lap	Matt Kenseth, #17 (181.497 mph, Lap 94)
Sunoco Diamond Performance	Matt Kenseth
USG Improving the Finish	Matt Kenseth, #117 (30 Places)
WIX Lap Leader	Greg Biffle, #16 (168 Laps)