THE RACE: 2006 O’Reilly 300 – Texas Motor Speedway

Busch Series Race #7 of 35 for the 2006 season


  • Race: Saturday, April 8, 2006 in Ft. Worth, TX
  • Length: 200 Laps, 300 miles
  • TV: FOX – 3:00pm/et
  • Radio: PRN
  • Announcers: Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip
  • Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Jeanne Zelasko

    Practice Dates/Times

  • O’Reilly 300 practice: Thursday, April 6, 12:00pm – 1:00pm/et and 2:00pm-3:00pm/et. Rookie practice 1:30pm – 2:00pm/et

    Qualifying Info

  • Qualifying Draw: Thursday, April 6, 11:00am/et
  • Qualifying Time: Thursday, April 6, 7:05pm/et
  • Qualifying: 2 laps for all positions, cars will be impounded.
  • NASCAR Online will have live lap-by-lap coverage of Busch qualifying via the web (NOTE: this is a paid subscription service). BGNRacing.com has free qualifying coverage.

    ENTRY, PRACTICE, QUALIFYING, AND RACE INFORMATION

  • Kurt Busch Wins the O’Reilly 300: #39-Kurt Busch won in his first ever Busch Series race, dominating the second half of the O’Reilly 300. He was followed by #16-Greg Biffle, #42-Casey Mears, #42-Kyle Busch, and #17-Matt Kenseth.(4-8-2006)
    NASCAR Busch Series Race Number 7
    Unofficial Race Results for the O’Reilly 300 – Saturday, April 8, 2006
    Texas Motor Speedway – Ft. Worth, Texas – 1.5 Mile Banked Paved
    Total Race Length – 206 Laps – 309.000 Miles
    Provided by NASCAR Statistical Services – Saturday, April 8, 2006 @ 06:27 PM Eastern
    Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Award Status Ti.
    Led    		 Lps
    Led
    1 7 39 Kurt Busch Penske Truck Leasing Dodge 206 190 10 $61,150 Running 1 70
    2 6 16 Greg Biffle Ameriquest Mortgage Ford 206 170 $61,250 Running
    3 10 42 Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge 206 165 $45,975 Running
    4 33 5 Kyle Busch Lowe’s/Spectracide Fire Ant Killer Chevro 206 160 $37,775 Running
    5 3 17 Matt Kenseth Ameriquest Mortgage/Soaring Dreams Ford 206 160 5 $33,000 Running 1 26
    6 14 21 Jeff Burton U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet 206 155 5 $29,525 Running 1 43
    7 20 11 Paul Menard Menards/Johns Manville Chevrolet 206 146 $37,995 Running
    8 21 33 Kevin Harvick Dollar General Chevrolet 206 147 5 $25,025 Running 2 36
    9 31 66 Scott Wimmer Duraflame Ford 206 138 $28,760 Running
    10 1 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevrolet 206 139 5 $29,100 Running 3 31
    11 8 9 Kasey Kahne Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Dodge 206 130 $23,900 Running
    12 12 34 Mike Bliss Sport Clips Chevrolet 206 127 $27,350 Running
    13 2 41 Reed Sorenson Discount Tire Co. Dodge 206 124 $23,750 Running
    14 36 00 Johnny Sauter Yellow/Fleet Pride Chevrolet 206 121 $38,740 Running
    15 9 64 Jamie McMurray Top Flite Dodge 206 118 $23,155 Running
    16 5 27 David Green Scott Towel/Brookshire’s Ford 206 115 $35,595 Running
    17 27 32 Jason Leffler ABF U-Pack Chevrolet 206 112 $30,460 Running
    18 37 2 Clint Bowyer ACDelco Chevrolet 206 109 $22,875 Running
    19 16 10 John Andretti # Freedom Roads/Camping World Ford 206 106 $27,965 Running
    20 17 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 206 103 $24,355 Running
    21 38 06 Todd Kluever # 3M Ford 206 100 $26,745 Running
    22 40 59 Stacy Compton Kingsford/Bush’s/Brookshire’s Ford 206 97 $26,835 Running
    23 23 88 Mark McFarland # NAVY Chevrolet 204 94 $26,825 Running
    24 4 6 Mark Martin Pennzoil Ford 204 91 $21,165 Running
    25 39 99 Michael Waltrip UT National Champions/Aaron’s Dodge 204 88 $21,130 Running
    26 19 47 Jon Wood Clorox/American Red Cross Ford 204 85 $26,120 Running
    27 25 22 Kenny Wallace AutoZone Ford 204 82 $26,010 Running
    28 13 1 Jason Keller Miccosukee Resorts Dodge 204 79 $30,215 Running
    29 11 84 David Gilliland # Hype Manufacuturing Chevrolet 204 76 $20,540 Running
    30 28 14 Tracy Hines # Jani-King Dodge 204 73 $24,900 Running
    31 22 43 Aaron Fike RFMS Dodge 203 70 $24,340 Running
    32 26 50 Danny O’Quinn Jr. # Stonebridge Life Ford 203 67 $24,230 Running
    33 41 4 Mark Green GEICO/BryMak Dodge 203 64 $29,620 Running
    34 29 35 Regan Smith McDonald’s Premium Chicken Ford 203 61 $24,015 Running
    35 18 12 Joel Kauffman # Supercuts/LPGA Dodge 202 58 $21,885 Running
    36 43 05 Chad Chaffin FMI Fireplaces/CertainTeed Chevrolet 202 55 $19,775 Running
    37 32 36 Tim Sauter Lester Buildings Chevrolet 201 52 $23,685 Running
    38 24 25 Ashton Lewis Jr. United States Marines Ford 201 49 $23,650 Running
    39 15 77 Burney Lamar # Dollar General Chevrolet 199 46 $29,115 Accident
    40 30 01 Jay Sauter Western Union Chevrolet 176 43 $23,580 Accident
    41 34 38 A.J. Foyt IV # Great Clips Dodge 175 40 $27,025 Accident
    42 35 18 J.J. Yeley Vigoro/The Home Depot Chevrolet 163 37 $19,470 Accident
    43 42 60 Carl Edwards Henkel Ford 75 34 $19,415 Engine
    Race Comments Before an estimated crowd of 107,000, Kurt Busch won the O’Reilly 300, posting his first NASCAR Busch Series victory. Busch became the fifth driver to win in his first NASCAR Busch Series start. He also became the 16th driver to win in the each of the premier NASCAR Series. Prior to the green flag, the following driver, under penalty, dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: #60 Edwards (backup car).
    Failed to Qualify (3) Kertus Davis, #0; Jorge Goeters #, #49; Chris Wimmer #, #23.
    Time of Race 2 hours, 22 minutes, 38 seconds
    Average Speed 129.984 mph
    Margin of Victory 0.266 Seconds
    Caution Flags 8 for 37 laps: Laps 84-87 (#47 spun tri-oval); 136-139 (#84 spun turn 2); 152-159 (Debris); 164-166 (#12,18 accident turn 2); 170-172 (#1 spun turn 4); 180-186 (#01,38 accident backstretch); 189-191 (#35 spun turn 2); 200-204 (#77 accident backstretch).
    Lead Changes 7 among 5 drivers: D. Hamlin 1-20; M. Kenseth 21-46; K. Harvick 47-61; D. Hamlin 62-63; K. Harvick 64-84; D. Hamlin 85-93; J. Burton 94-136; K. Busch 137-206.
    Top 10 Driver Points (1) K. Harvick 1,099; (2) D. Hamlin 953; (3) C. Bowyer 900; (4) J. Yeley 868; (5) G. Biffle 849; (6) Ky. Busch 832; (7) Jo. Sauter 832; (8) P. Menard 819; (9) J. Leffler 818; (10) J. McMurray 816.
    Busch Pole Award Denny Hamlin (187.905 mph)
    Raybestos Rookie of the Race John Andretti #
    Sunoco Diamond Performance Award Kurt Busch
    Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Award Johnny Sauter
    WIX Filters Lap Leader Award Not Awarded
    Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award Mike Bliss, #34 (24 Places)
    Bank of America Card Service Mid-Race Leader Award Jason Leffler
    Goody’s Headache Powder Extra Strength Award Paul Menard
    Mobil 1 Oil Command Performance Driver of the Race Scott Wimmer

  • Hamlin on the Pole at Texas: #20-Denny Hamlin’s qualifying speed of 187.905mph was good enough to grab the Busch Pole for Saturday’s race. The rest of the top 5 are #41-Reed Sorenson, #17-Matt Kenseth, #6-Mark Martin, and #27 David Green. Carl Edwards hit the wall before taking a lap and will have to go to a backup. That was the only accident of the session. There is no on-track activity for the Busch Series on Friday.(4-6-2006)
    NASCAR Busch Series
    O’Reilly 300
    Starting Line-Up by Row
    Texas Motor Speedway – Ft. Worth, Texas
    Provided by NASCAR Statistical Services – Thursday, April 6, 2006 @ 8:32 PM Eastern
    Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
    1 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevrolet 28.738 187.905
    2 41 Reed Sorenson Discount Tire Co. Dodge 28.848 187.188
    3 17 Matt Kenseth Ameriquest Mortgage/Soaring Dreams Ford 28.858 187.123
    4 6 Mark Martin Pennzoil Ford 28.876 187.007
    5 27 David Green Scott Towel/Brookshire’s Ford 28.879 186.987
    6 16 Greg Biffle Ameriquest Mortgage Ford 28.886 186.942
    7 39 Kurt Busch Penske Truck Leasing Dodge 28.909 186.793
    8 9 Kasey Kahne Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Dodge 28.917 186.741
    9 64 Jamie McMurray Top Flite Dodge 28.992 186.258
    10 42 Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge 29.003 186.188
    11 84 David Gilliland # Hype Manufacuturing Chevrolet 29.004 186.181
    12 34 Mike Bliss Sport Clips Chevrolet 29.015 186.111
    13 1 Jason Keller Miccosukee Resorts Dodge 29.018 186.091
    14 21 Jeff Burton U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet 29.023 186.059
    15 77 Burney Lamar # Dollar General Chevrolet 29.024 186.053
    16 10 John Andretti # Freedom Roads/Camping World Ford 29.025 186.047
    17 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 29.043 185.931
    18 12 Joel Kauffman # Supercuts/LPGA Dodge 29.076 185.720
    19 47 Jon Wood Clorox/American Red Cross Ford 29.088 185.644
    20 11 Paul Menard Menards/Johns Manville Chevrolet 29.088 185.644
    21 33 Kevin Harvick Dollar General Chevrolet 29.094 185.605
    22 43 Aaron Fike RFMS Dodge 29.110 185.503
    23 88 Mark McFarland # NAVY Chevrolet 29.117 185.459
    24 25 Ashton Lewis Jr. United States Marines Ford 29.118 185.452
    25 22 Kenny Wallace AutoZone Ford 29.131 185.370
    26 50 Danny O’Quinn Jr. # Stonebridge Life Ford 29.132 185.363
    27 32 Jason Leffler ABF U-Pack Chevrolet 29.142 185.300
    28 14 Tracy Hines # Jani-King Dodge 29.143 185.293
    29 35 Regan Smith McDonald’s Premium Chicken Ford 29.186 185.020
    30 01 Jay Sauter Western Union Chevrolet 29.194 184.970
    31 66 Scott Wimmer Duraflame Ford 29.203 184.913
    32 36 Tim Sauter Lester Buildings Chevrolet 29.236 184.704
    33 5 Kyle Busch Lowe’s/Spectracide Fire Ant Killer Chevro 29.262 184.540
    34 38 A.J. Foyt IV # Great Clips Dodge 29.331 184.106
    35 18 J.J. Yeley Vigoro/The Home Depot Chevrolet 29.378 183.811
    36 00 Johnny Sauter Yellow/Fleet Pride Chevrolet 29.382 183.786
    37 2 Clint Bowyer ACDelco Chevrolet 29.426 183.511
    38 06 Todd Kluever # 3M Ford 29.437 183.443
    39 99 Michael Waltrip UT National Champions/Aaron’s Dodge 29.473 183.219
    40 59 Stacy Compton Kingsford/Bush’s/Brookshire’s Ford 29.548 182.753
    41 4 Mark Green GEICO/BryMak Dodge 29.605 182.402
    42 60 Carl Edwards Henkel Ford Did Not Finish
    43 05 Chad Chaffin FMI Fireplaces/CertainTeed Chevrolet 29.550 182.741

    Did Not Qualify:
    #0-Kertus Davis – 182.229mph
    #49-Jorge Goeters – 181.586
    #23-Chris Wimmer – 180.433

    (NASCAR PR)(4-62006)

  • Sorenson Tops Happy Hour: #41-Reed Sorenson led Happy Hour with a speed of 184.799mph. #6-Mark Martin was second, #39-Kurt Busch third, #32-Jason Leffler fourth and #42-Casey Mears fifth. For complete results, visit BGNRacing.com.(4-6-2006)

  • Kyle Busch Fastest in First Texas Practice: #5-Kyle Busch led the first practice session at Texas with a speed of 186.175mph. He was followed by #18-J.J. Yeley, #9-Kasey Kahne, #60-Carl Edwards, and #16-Greg Biffle. For complete results, visit BGNRacing.com.(4-6-2006)

  • Texas Entry List: There are 47 entries for Saturday’s O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. For the complete list, visit BGNRacing.com.(4-3-2006)

    NASCAR NEWS & NOTES:

  • Johnny Sauter on the move since Daytona difficulty … Despite a disappointing 35th place finish at Daytona International Speedway, Johnny Sauter (#00 Yellow Transportation Chevrolet) has become one of the hottest drivers on the NASCAR Busch Series. In the five races since the season-opener, Sauter – now sixth in the standings – has finished no worse than 15th, including a season-best sixth-place finish in Mexico City in only his third career road-course start. “I really consider this to be the best opportunity of my career given the team resources, the guys I have supporting me and the fact that everyone at Yellow has put their confidence in me for another season,” Sauter said. “The NASCAR Busch Series has become so competitive and it’s ever-changing. [NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series] drivers have been racing in the NASCAR Busch Series for years but not to the extent that we see today. It’s a big challenge but we’re not going to concede. We’re here to win a championship and so far, we’ve proven that we can compete among the best.”
  • Gilliland working to “Master” his craft … David Gilliland (#84 Clay Andrews Racing Chevrolet) will attempt to make his fourth NASCAR Busch Series start and his first at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. The rookie driver is hoping someday to experience success in his chosen athletic field just like his high school varsity golf teammate Tiger Woods. As Gilliland races at Texas, Woods will attempt to defend his Masters title at Augusta. Gilliland went to school with Woods in California from sixth grade through his sophomore year at Western High School prior to his family moving. He played two years of varsity golf with Woods. “I was never his partner on the course,” Gilliland said. “I was playing golf for a different reason. I knew that playing golf would help me on the business side of racing. I wanted to be good enough to be on a course with potential sponsors. We’re (Gilliland and Woods) not on the same team anymore, but I know we’re both chasing success this weekend.”
  • “Shrub” is the veteran this time around … This time around, Kyle Busch (#5 Lowe’s Chevrolet) has one up on his older brother, Kurt. Kyle, who has 61 NASCAR Busch Series starts and seven wins – the most recent two weeks ago at Bristol – will be the more experienced driver this weekend at Texas as Kurt attempts to make his first NASCAR Busch Series start in the #39 Penske Truck Rental Dodge. Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman were slated to share a partial schedule in that car this season. Kurt, the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion, will have to qualify on time to make the field. Kyle’s Hendrick Motorsports entry is 16th in the series owner standings, guaranteeing him a starting spot on Saturday. He ranks 14th in the standings and is one of seven drivers attempting to run a full season in both the NASCAR Busch Series and in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
  • IN THE LOOP: Biffle heading to Texas with high hopes … Greg Biffle (#16 Ameriquest Ford) heads to Texas looking to rebound from a loose wheel that cost him a top finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 2002 NASCAR Busch Series champion was strong at Texas last season with two second place finishes and NASCAR’s new Loop Data statistics illustrate why. Biffle led the field in Average Running Position at 3.165 while defending race winner Kasey Kahne (6.643) was fifth and fall winner Kevin Harvick (3.300) was second. Contributing to Biffle’s strong Average Running Position statistic was his ability to compete in the top 15 for 399 of 400 laps in NASCAR Busch Series competition last season at Texas. The overall Driver Rating statistic is led by Harvick, the 2001 series champ, with a rating of 127.3. Biffle is a close second at 127.0 and Kahne stands fourth at 121.6. Reed Sorenson (#41 Discount Tire Co. Dodge) (68) leads the field in the Quality Passes statistic, which measures how many times a driver passes a car in the top 15. Matt Kenseth (#17 Ameriquest Ford) and Biffle his Roush Racing teammate, are tied at 66 for the second spot in the Quality Passes category.

  • This Week’s NASCAR Busch Series Leaders … Through six races of the 35-race season:

    • Points leader – Kevin Harvick (952)
    • Money won – Denny Hamlin ($326,119)
    • Laps led – Kevin Harvick (203)
    • Miles led – Kevin Harvick (285.46)
    • Victories – Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart (1)
    • Busch Poles – Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Boris Said, J.J. Yeley (1)
    • Top-five finishes – Kevin Harvick (4)
    • Top-10 finishes – Kevin Harvick, J.J. Yeley (5)
    • Raybestos Rookie Leader – Burney Lamar (+13 over Todd Kluever)
    • Races led – Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards (4)
    • Weeks in Top 10 – Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Burney Lamar, Jon Wood, J.J. Yeley (6)

    ON THE RIGHT TRACK

  • Mark Martin (#6 Pennzoil Platinum Ford) is the NASCAR Busch Series wins leader at Texas with three – he has run five series races at the track. Martin is the all-time wins leader in series history with 47. … Jason Keller (#1 Miccosukee Resort Dodge) is the only driver to have started the previous 10 races at Texas. … Matt Kenseth has had eight top 10s in nine races at Texas while Jeff Burton (#21 U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet) has finished in the top 10 in each of his seven races at Texas. … Kenseth has led the most laps (272) and the most races (five) at the 1.5-mile track. … Burton is tied with five other drivers – including Martin and Kenseth – for second at Texas with three top-five finishes. … Kevin Harvick (#33 Dollar General Chevrolet), the series points leader and two-time winner at Texas, leads all drivers in average finishes there (4.2). ETC.
  • Kyle Busch’s win at Bristol pushed Chevrolet’s lead to nine points over Dodge and Ford in the Bill France Performance Cup standings. Chevrolet has four wins and 44 points while Dodge and Ford are tied for second with one win and 35 points each. Chevrolet’s five wins are the most in NASCAR Busch Series competition at Texas. However Ford, Dodge and Chevy have won the last three races, respectively. … Only two races at Texas have been won by the driver that has also led the most laps – last year’s event by Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick in the 2001 spring race. … Mark Martin’s next Busch Pole will make him the all-time series leader with 29 – he is tied with Tommy Ellis. A top-five finish at Texas would be the 100th of Martin’s NASCAR Busch Series career. … Native Texan A.J. Foyt IV will lead a group of Raybestos Rookies to the Stockyards Championship Rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum in Ft. Worth on Friday at 8 p.m. Foyt will be joined by Danny O’Quinn (#50 Stonebridge Life Ford), FitzBradshaw Racing teammates Tracy Hines (#14 Jani-King Dodge) and Joel Kauffman (#12 Supercuts Dodge) and Chris Wimmer (#23 Keith Coleman Racing Chevrolet). The drivers will be shown around the facility, introduced to the rodeo participants and introduced prior to the event. … John Andretti’s (#10 FreedomRoads Ford) finish at Bristol marked his first top-10 in the NASCAR Busch Series in his brief seven-race career. … Two crew members with Todd Kluever’s #06 3M Ford team are from Texas – Kenny DeGuisto, a tire specialist, is from Garland and Chaz Meyer, fabricator/rear tire changer, is from Dallas. Kluever had a top-10 finish at
  • Texas last fall in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition. … There have been 10 different race winners in the last 10 races dating back to last October at Memphis; likewise, there have been six different Busch Pole winners in the last six events since last November at Homestead-Miami Speedway. … Three drivers can reach career milestones at Texas this weekend – Paul Menard (#11 Menard’s Chevrolet) can reach his 75th start, Jay Sauter (#01 Western Union Chevrolet) his 100th start and Greg Biffle his 150th. … Kevin Harvick surpassed the $6 million mark in winnings at Bristol two weeks ago, a mark reached by only seven other drivers. … Jason Keller’s streak of races competed in has reached 277. … Brewco Motorsports developmental driver Brad Coleman was sixth-fastest in ARCA testing last week at Nashville Superspeedway. The 18-year-old stock car, sports car and open-wheel driver is scheduled for seven NASCAR Busch Series races this season.

    QUOTEBOOK

  • “I feel like we really started to turn things around in Atlanta and we finally got our first top-10 finish in Bristol. I’m looking forward to the next few weeks because we’ve got some really good tracks coming up. We ran strong at Texas last year and we finished second twice last season at Nashville, so hopefully we are on the upswing.” – Kenny Wallace (#22 AutoZone Ford).
  • “I’m really happy here. It’s a blessing really to get hooked up with Todd Braun and Todd Lohse. I had a tough year last year and everything turned out good. To get hooked up with these guys and run good out of the box has really helped.” – Jason Leffler (#32 ABF U-Pack Chevrolet).

    FROM THE NASCAR BUSCH SERIES “25 SEASONS RUNNING” ARCHIVES

  • Kasey Kahne’s win at the 2005 O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway came from the 25th starting position, the deepest of any NASCAR Busch Series winner at Texas.
    It was Kahne’s second career series victory and the first series win for Dodge at the Texas facility. Kahne took Akins Motorsports to Victory Lane by a .304-second margin over 2002 series champion, Greg Biffle.
    Kahne first made his way to the front of the pack on Lap 53 and remained there for 40 laps. He led again on Lap 194 for the remaining six laps. The lead changed hands a record 17 times among 10 drivers with Kahne picking up the 10-point bonus for most laps led.

    NASCAR BUSCH SERIES “25 SEASONS RUNNING” QUOTEABLES

  • “I remember when I came in there [were drivers like] Tommy Houston. And I thought ‘I hope I can be somewhat like Tommy Houston.’ Hopefully I’ve got a little bit toward that direction. It’s still an awful lot of fun … to celebrate 25 years [with] them.” – David Green (#27 Kleenex Ford), 1994 NASCAR Busch Series champion.

    ON DECK: NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

  • The NASCAR Busch Series makes the first of two trips to Nashville Superspeedway this season on April 15 for the Pepsi 300. Reed Sorenson dominated the race last year en route to his first series win. Sorenson, then a Raybestos Rookie, became the first driver to win from the Busch Pole at Nashville – his first career pole. His win of more than 14 seconds over second-place Kenny Wallace (#22 AutoZone Ford) also included a track record 197 laps led.

  • Additional Texas Busch Race Info at:
    texasmotorspeedway.com (Official Track Site)
    ESPN.com NASCAR page
    BGNRacing.com
    Catchfence.com Busch site
    NASCAR.com