THE RACE: 2007 AARON’S 312 – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Busch Series Race #10 of 35 for the 2007 season
- Race: 3:00pm/et, Saturday, April 28, 2007 in Talladega, AL
- Length: 117 Laps, 311.22 miles
- TV: ABC – 2:30pm/et
- Radio: MRN
- Announcers: Jerry Punch, Andy Petree
- Pit Reporters: Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro
Practice Dates/Times
- Practice: Thursday, April 26, 4:00-5:20pm/et and 6:30-7:30pm/et. Rookie practice, 5:40-6:10pm/et
Qualifying Info
- Qualifying Draw: Thursday, April 26, 3:00pm/et.
- Qualifying Time: Friday, April 27, 5:05pm/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). TheHotLap.com has free qualifying coverage.
ENTRY, PRACTICE, QUALIFYING, AND RACE INFORMATION
- Labonte wins at Talladega: #77-Bobby Labonte won the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway for his 1st win of the 2007 season, first since Darlington in 1998 and the 10th of his Busch Series career. Labonte beat KHI teammate #33-Tony Stewart at the finish line by a few feet. #24-Mears finished 3rd with the rest of the top 10 as follows: #6-Ragan, #14-Kyle Krisiloff, #21-Harvick, #42-Montoya, #27-Ward Burton, #18-Brad Coleman [pole sitter] and points leader #60-Carl Edwards. Edwards points lead is now 433 points over Kevin Harvick. #5-Kyle Busch, while running 2nd, got tapped by Stewart, immediatedly flipped over off turn 4 and slid on his roof a few feet, hit the grass and barrell-rolled about 7 times. Busch got out of the car fast and was not injured, but didn’t have kind words for Stewart. There were 8 cautions for 20 laps, one red flag and 20 drivers lead the race with 36 lead changes.(4-28-2007)
NASCAR Race Number 10
Unofficial Race Results for the Aaron’s “312 – Saturday, April 28, 2007
Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, AL – 2.66 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 120 Laps – 319.2 Miles – Purse: $1,341,763
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Total Award Status 1 34 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevrolet 120 190 $52,725 Running 2 37 33 Tony Stewart Old Spice Chevrolet 120 175 $44,175 Running 3 4 24 Casey Mears National Guard/155th Armored Brigade 120 175 $33,775 Running 4 7 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 120 165 $29,075 Running 5 23 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 120 155 $40,125 Running 6 25 21 Kevin Harvick AutoZone Chevrolet 120 155 $30,200 Running 7 20 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 120 151 $28,000 Running 8 5 27 Ward Burton Cottonelle Ford 120 142 $31,580 Running 9 1 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevrolet 120 143 $28,875 Running 10 9 60 Carl Edwards Sharp Aquos Ford 120 139 $27,825 Running 11 8 17 Danny OQuinn Dish Network Ford 120 130 $22,975 Running 12 22 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 120 132 $29,155 Running 13 6 2 Clint Bowyer Camping World Chevrolet 120 129 $26,750 Running 14 31 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 120 121 $22,575 Running 15 36 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevrolet 120 118 $29,480 Running 16 35 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevrolet 120 120 $26,480 Running 17 33 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet 120 112 $20,700 Running 18 39 0 Eric McClure Hefty/RACEGIRL Chevrolet 120 114 $26,155 Running 19 38 28 Robert Richardson Checkers Chevrolet 120 106 $21,925 Running 20 19 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automation Chevrolet 120 108 $28,275 Running 21 24 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 119 105 $25,125 Running 22 41 05 Justin Ashburn FIKES Automotive/31W Insulation 118 97 $21,775 Running 23 11 4 Regan Smith Ginn Resorts Chevrolet 116 94 $25,405 Running 24 15 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 110 96 $24,905 Accident 25 32 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 109 88 $24,905 Accident 26 28 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 109 90 $24,605 Accident 27 14 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 109 82 $18,775 Accident 28 27 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 109 79 $23,175 Accident 29 26 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Menards/vertis Chevrolet 94 81 $18,525 Transmission 30 17 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 89 78 $24,050 Accident 31 18 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 89 70 $22,975 Accident 32 2 10 Dave Blaney Haas Avocados Toyota 87 67 $25,250 Running 33 30 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevrolet 74 69 $22,660 Engine 34 21 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevrolet 71 61 $28,125 Running 35 3 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 71 58 $22,940 Running 36 10 37 Jamie McMurray Yardman by MTD Ford 59 55 $18,005 Overheating 37 16 25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 55 57 $17,970 Accident 38 42 52 Donnie Neuenberger Ford 34 49 $19,935 Overheating 39 12 5 Kyle Busch Delphi Chevrolet 26 46 $17,900 Accident 40 29 70 Justin Diercks # Foretravel Motorcoach Chevrolet 17 43 $19,840 Overheating 41 13 11 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet 9 40 $17,805 Accident 42 40 01 Morgan Shepherd RACEGIRL Chevrolet 2 37 $19,770 Handling Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 75,000 Bobby Labonte won the Aaron’s 312, his 10th career NASCAR Busch Series victory and his first since Darlington in March 1998. Prior to the green flag the following driver dropped to the rear for the reason indicated: # 22 Bliss (unapproved impound adjustment). The 36 lead changes set a new series record. The 20 different leaders set the record for the most leaders in a NASCAR Busch Series race at Talladega. Failed to Qualify: N/A Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 23 Mins, 46 Secs. Average Speed: 133.216 MPH Margin of Victory: 0.052 Seconds Caution Flags: 8 for 30 laps: Laps: 5-7 (#38 backstretch); 10-14 (#00,11,27.29,59,99 accident frontstretch); 28-31 (#5,24 accident backstretch); 57-60 (#25 accident turn 1); 91-94 (#16,47 accident turn 3); 103-105 (#20 accident turn 3); 111-114 (#9,22,41,59,66,90,99 accident backstretch [Red 16:09-112]); 116-118 (Debris). Lead Changes: 36 among 20 drivers: B. Coleman # 1-14; D. Ragan # 15; J. Montoya # 16-18; C. Edwards 19-20; C. Mears 21-22; T. Stewart 23-24; C. Mears 25-27; K. Kahne 28-32; D. Earnhardt Jr. 33; D. Gilliland 34; C. Bowyer 35-37; D. Reutimann 38-39; C. Edwards 40-42; C. Bowyer 43-46; C. Mears 47; M. Wallace 48-52; C. Mears 53-56; B. Hamilton Jr. 57; B. Labonte 58; C. Mears 59-63; S. Wallace 64; C. Mears 65-67; G. Biffle 68; C. Mears 69-74; D. Earnhardt Jr. 75; C. Mears 76-81; J. Montoya # 82-83; C. Edwards 84; K. Harvick 85; A. Almirola 86-87; K. Harvick 88-90; B. Sherman 91; E. McClure 92; K. Harvick 93-96; C. Mears 97-118; T. Stewart 119; B. Labonte 120; Top 10 Driver Points: (1) C. Edwards 1,664;(2) K. Harvick 1,231;(3) D. Blaney 1,168;(4) D. Reutimann 1,130;(5) B. Hamilton Jr. 1,052;(6) M. Kenseth 1,048;(7) D. Ragan # 1,025;(8) Ky. Busch 1,016;(9) M. Ambrose # 1,009;(10) M. Wallace 994. Busch Pole Award Brad Coleman, #18 (184.299 mph) Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Kyle Krisiloff, #14 (258.798 seconds) Featherlite “Most Improved Driver Shane Huffman, #88 (28 Places) Raybestos “Rookie of the Race David Ragan, #6 Sunoco Diamond Performance Bobby Labonte, #77 WIX Filters “Lap Leader Brad Coleman, #18 (14 Laps) Mobil 1Oil Command Performance Kyle Krisiloff, #14
Drivers Points Report
Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 312
Provided by NASCAR Statistics- Saturday, 4/28/2007 @ 6:56 PM EasternPos Driver BPts Points Ldr 1 Carl Edwards 45 1664 0 2 Kevin Harvick 20 1231 -433 3 Dave Blaney 10 1168 -496 4 David Reutimann 10 1130 -534 5 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 5 1052 -612 6 Matt Kenseth 30 1048 -616 7 David Ragan # 15 1025 -639 8 Kyle Busch 55 1016 -648 9 Marcos Ambrose # 5 1009 -655 10 Mike Wallace 30 994 -670 11 Regan Smith 15 988 -676 12 Juan Pablo Montoya 20 979 -685 13 Stephen Leicht 5 945 -719 14 Greg Biffle 10 918 -746 15 Denny Hamlin 10 917 -747 16 Jason Leffler 10 910 -754 17 Shane Huffman 5 904 -760 18 J.J. Yeley 5 890 -774 19 Steve Wallace 10 878 -786 20 Kyle Krisiloff # 0 869 -795 21 Jon Wood 0 863 -801 22 Brent Sherman 20 858 -806 23 Casey Mears 15 848 -816 24 Jeff Burton 25 840 -824 25 Clint Bowyer 25 839 -825 26 David Stremme 5 783 -881 27 Ward Burton 0 773 -891 28 Tony Stewart 10 751 -913 29 Bobby Labonte 5 705 -959 30 Eric Mcclure 5 677 -987 31 Jamie Mcmurray 5 636 -1028 32 Todd Kluever 5 635 -1029 33 David Gilliland 5 610 -1054 34 Kasey Kahne 20 570 -1094 35 Scott Wimmer 5 547 -1117 36 Mike Bliss 0 507 -1157 37 Aric Almirola 5 503 -1161 38 Brad Coleman # 5 483 -1181 39 Reed Sorenson 0 478 -1186 40 Paul Menard 0 466 -1198 41 Brad Keselowski 0 440 -1224 42 Timothy Peters 0 431 -1233 43 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10 382 -1282 44 Jay Sauter 0 376 -1288 45 Johnny Sauter 0 368 -1296 46 Sam Hornish, Jr 0 334 -1330 47 Danny Oquinn 0 324 -1340 48 Justin Diercks # 0 322 -1342 49 Kurt Busch 5 307 -1357 50 Joe Nemechek 0 300 -1364 51 Mark Martin 0 282 -1382 52 Robby Gordon 0 257 -1407 53 Robert Richardson 0 255 -1409 54 Boris Said 0 241 -1423 55 Ryan Newman 10 225 -1439 56 Stanton Barrett 0 219 -1445 57 Jeff Green 0 200 -1464 58 Martin Truex Jr. 5 195 -1469 59 Kertus Davis 0 195 -1469 60 Scott Pruett 5 160 -1504 61 Jorge Goeters 5 151 -1513 62 Brett Rowe 0 140 -1524 63 Adrian Fernandez 0 138 -1526 64 Tony Raines 0 131 -1533 65 Elliott Sadler 0 121 -1543 66 Morgan Shepherd 0 117 -1547 67 Scott Riggs 0 115 -1549 68 Kevin Hamlin 0 109 -1555 69 Justin Ashburn 97 -1567 70 Brian Simo 0 97 -1567 71 Todd Souza 0 94 -1570 72 P J Jones 0 91 -1573 73 Brad Teague 0 89 -1575 74 Steve Grissom 0 88 -1576 75 Michel Jourdain 0 88 -1576 76 Kenny Wallace 0 85 -1579 77 Kevin Conway 0 85 -1579 78 German Quiroga 5 84 -1580 79 Kevin Lepage 0 83 -1581 80 Mike Harmon 0 83 -1581 81 Cale Gale 0 82 -1582 82 D J Kennington 0 82 -1582 83 Roger Lopez 0 76 -1588 84 Ron Fellows 0 67 -1597 85 Ron Young 0 67 -1597 86 J R Fitzpatrick 0 64 -1600 87 Jason Keller 0 64 -1600 88 Carlos Contreras 5 63 -1601 89 Alex Garcia 0 61 -1603 90 Richard Johns 0 61 -1603 91 Donnie Neuenberger 0 49 -1615 92 John Andretti 0 46 -1618 93 John Young 0 46 -1618 94 Jerick Johnson 0 40 -1624 95 Caleb Holman 0 37 -1627 96 Michael Waltrip 0 34 -1630 97 Ruben Pardo 0 0 -1664 98 Tono Perez 0 0 -1664
Owner Points Following Race # 10
Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 312
UNOFFICIAL
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Saturday, 4/28/2007 @ 6:57 PM Eastern UNOFFICIALPos Owner Car # Points Ldr 1 Jack Roush 60 1,664 — 2 Richard Childress 29 1,387 -277 3 Joe Gibbs 20 1,332 -332 4 Jack Roush 17 1,266 -398 5 Delana Harvick 33 1,194 -470 6 Richard Childress 21 1,188 -476 7 Rick Hendrick 5 1,154 -510 8 Michael Waltrip 99 1,130 -534 9 Armando Fitz 22 1,116 -548 10 Floyd Ganassi 42 1,088 -576 11 Gary Weisbaum 35 1,052 -612 12 Ray Evernham 9 1,047 -617 13 Gregory Pollex 10 1,044 -620 14 Delana Harvick 77 1,038 -626 15 Jack Roush 6 1,025 -639 16 Tad Geschickter 59 1,009 -655 17 James Finch 7 994 -670 18 Bobby Ginn 04 988 -676 19 Tammy Brewer 27 988 -676 20 Jack Roush 16 972 -692 21 Robert Yates 90 945 -719 22 Joe Gibbs 18 920 -744 23 James Finch 1 912 -752 24 Todd Braun 38 910 -754 25 Dale Earnhardt, Jr 88 904 -760 26 Chip Ganassi 41 903 -761 27 Clarence Brewer 37 903 -761 28 Rick Hendrick 24 879 -785 29 Rusty Wallace 66 878 -786 30 Gregory Pollex 14 869 -795 31 Roger Penske 12 866 -798 32 Jodi Geschickter 47 863 -801 33 John McGill 36 858 -806 34 Gene Haas 28 849 -815 35 Richard Childress 2 839 -825 36 Edward Rensi 25 756 -908 37 Keith Duesenberg 0 741 -923 38 Frank Cicci 34 592 -1,072 39 Teresa Earnhardt 15 466 -1,198 40 Keith Coleman 23 459 -1,205 41 Teresa Earnhardt 8 382 -1,282 42 Jack Roush 26 372 -1,292 43 Mary Louise Miller 70 347 -1,317 44 Andrea Nemechek 87 300 -1,364 45 Jack Roush 06 282 -1,382 46 Jimmy Means 52 268 -1,396 47 Robby Gordon 55 257 -1,407 48 Stanton Barrett 30 219 -1,445 49 Todd Braun 32 204 -1,460 50 Teresa Earnhardt 11 195 -1,469 51 John McNelly 56 194 -1,470 52 Wayne Day 05 140 -1,524 53 Johnny Davis 01 117 -1,547 54 James Rowe 73 97 -1,567 55 Kelly Souza 13 94 -1,570 56 Donnie Richardson 44 83 -1,581 57 Pat Macdonald 72 82 -1,582 58 Tom Eriksen 67 76 -1,588 59 Jerry Young 71 67 -1,597 60 Alex Garcia 98 61 -1,603 61 John Young 46 46 -1,618 62 Jack Johnson 76 40 -1,624 63 Charles Henderson 75 37 -1,627 64 Robert Richardson 80 31 -1,633 65 Jeff Barrister 50 31 -1,633
- Coleman on Pole at Talladega: #18-Brad Coleman grabbed his first career Busch pole at Talladega in just his 7th series start. His top speed was 184.299mph. Braun Racing team mates #10-Dave Blaney and #38-Jason Leffler will start second and third, #24-Casey Mears fourth, and #27-Ward Burton fifth. There were no incidents during the session and, with only 42 cars at the track, no one didn’t qualify.(4-27-2007)
Starting Line Up by Row
Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 312
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, April 27, 2007 @ 07:34 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed 1 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 51.959 184.299 2 10 Dave Blaney Haas Avocados Toyota 52.026 184.062 3 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 52.062 183.935 4 24 Casey Mears National Guard/155th Armored Brigade 52.131 183.691 5 27 Ward Burton Cottonelle Ford 52.204 183.434 6 2 Clint Bowyer Camping World Chevy 52.233 183.332 7 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 52.283 183.157 8 17 Danny OQuinn Dish Network Ford 52.284 183.154 9 60 Carl Edwards Sharp Aquos Ford 52.307 183.073 10 37 Jamie McMurray Yardman by MTD Ford 52.325 183.010 11 4 Regan Smith Ginn Resorts Chevy 52.336 182.972 12 5 Kyle Busch Delphi Chevy 52.348 182.930 13 11 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy 52.369 182.856 14 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 52.392 182.776 15 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 52.402 182.741 16 25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 52.430 182.644 17 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 52.449 182.577 18 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 52.459 182.543 19 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automation Chevy 52.464 182.525 20 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 52.497 182.410 21 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 52.505 182.383 22 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 52.509 182.369 23 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 52.539 182.265 24 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 52.551 182.223 25 21 Kevin Harvick AutoZone Chevy 52.566 182.171 26 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Menards/vertis Chevy 52.585 182.105 27 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 52.628 181.956 28 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 52.658 181.853 29 70 Justin Diercks # Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy 52.665 181.829 30 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 52.673 181.801 31 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 52.748 181.542 32 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 52.798 181.371 33 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 52.844 181.213 34 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 52.900 181.021 35 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 52.900 181.021 36 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevy 52.999 180.683 37 33 Tony Stewart Old Spice Chevy 53.111 180.302 38 28 Robert Richardson Checkers Chevy 53.141 180.200 39 0 Eric McClure Hefty/RACEGIRL Chevy 53.450 179.158 40 01 Morgan Shepherd RACEGIRL Chevy 53.557 178.800 41 05 Justin Ashburn FIKES Automotive/31W Insulation Chevy 53.803 177.983 42 52 Donnie Neuenberger Ford 54.576 175.462 Did Not Qualify: None.
- Bliss Fastest in Happy Hour: #22-Mike Bliss’ speed of 193.162mph was fastest of all competitors in Happy Hour at Talladega. #27-Ward Burton was second, #36-Brent Sherman third, #11-Martin Truex, Jr. fourth, and #16-Greg Biffle fifth. #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the only driver not to practice.(4-26-2007)
NBS Final Practice (HAPPY HOUR)
Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 312
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, April 26, 2007 @ 07:32 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # 1 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 49.575 193.162 3 2 27 Ward Burton Cottonelle Ford 49.698 192.684 4 3 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 49.796 192.305 10 4 *11 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy 49.856 192.073 8 5 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 49.947 191.723 10 6 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 49.976 191.612 3 7 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 49.998 191.528 11 8 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 50.013 191.470 14 9 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 50.098 191.145 10 10 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 50.144 190.970 16 11 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 50.219 190.685 8 12 *17 Danny OQuinn Dish Network Ford 50.237 190.616 9 13 33 Tony Stewart Old Spice Chevy 50.250 190.567 10 14 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automation Chevy 50.261 190.525 9 15 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 50.269 190.495 12 16 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 50.279 190.457 13 17 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 50.293 190.404 12 18 4 Regan Smith Ginn Resorts Chevy 50.304 190.363 8 19 21 Kevin Harvick AutoZone Chevy 50.309 190.344 3 20 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 50.328 190.272 5 21 *24 Casey Mears National Guard/155th Armored Brigade 50.343 190.215 14 22 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 50.345 190.208 16 23 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 50.374 190.098 20 24 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 50.399 190.004 12 25 *5 Kyle Busch Delphi Chevy 50.416 189.940 12 26 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 50.469 189.740 25 27 60 Carl Edwards Sharp Aquos Ford 50.519 189.552 8 28 *70 Justin Diercks # Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy 50.540 189.474 16 29 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevy 50.567 189.373 12 30 37 Jamie McMurray Yardman by MTD Ford 50.567 189.373 9 31 *2 Clint Bowyer Camping World Chevy 50.616 189.189 3 32 10 Dave Blaney Haas Avocados Toyota 50.631 189.133 12 33 *25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 50.721 188.798 4 34 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 50.761 188.649 3 35 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 50.938 187.993 3 36 28 Robert Richardson Checkers Chevy 51.719 185.154 6 37 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 51.929 184.406 11 38 *0 Eric McClure Hefty/RACEGIRL Chevy 53.399 179.329 3 39 *01 Morgan Shepherd RACEGIRL Chevy 53.446 179.172 3 40 *05 Justin Ashburn FIKES Automotive/31W Insulation 53.799 177.996 9 41 *52 Donnie Neuenberger Ford 54.609 175.356 3 *Required to qualify on time
- Mike Wallace Fastest in Practice: #7-Mike Wallace topped the speed charts in Thursday’s opening practice session in Talladega. His top speed was 197.342mph. The rest of the top five were #33-Tony Stewart, #1-J.J. Yeley, #47-Jon Wood, and #59-Marcos Ambrose. #11-Martin Truex, Jr. ran over something during the session and cut down a tire and then made contact with #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. Truex suffered some damage to the nose of his car, but they fixed without going to a back-up. #01-Morgan Shepherd did not practice.(4-26-2007)
NBS Practice 1
Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 312
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, April 26, 2007 @ 05:24 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 48.525 197.342 42 2 33 Tony Stewart Old Spice Chevy 48.561 197.195 21 3 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 48.749 196.435 32 4 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 48.906 195.804 25 5 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 49.025 195.329 27 6 10 Dave Blaney Haas Avocados Toyota 49.106 195.007 25 7 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 49.216 194.571 29 8 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 49.221 194.551 30 9 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 49.241 194.472 31 10 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 49.321 194.157 29 11 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 49.344 194.066 34 12 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 49.348 194.050 18 13 60 Carl Edwards Sharp Aquos Ford 49.420 193.768 31 14 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 49.432 193.721 51 15 37 Jamie McMurray Yardman by MTD Ford 49.482 193.525 24 16 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 49.507 193.427 39 17 *24 Casey Mears National Guard/155th Armored Brigade 49.524 193.361 47 18 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 49.536 193.314 20 19 27 Ward Burton Cottonelle Ford 49.543 193.287 22 20 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 49.610 193.026 24 21 *2 Clint Bowyer Camping World Chevy 49.695 192.695 14 22 4 Regan Smith Ginn Resorts Chevy 49.701 192.672 13 23 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 49.736 192.537 24 24 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automation Chevy 49.772 192.397 33 25 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevy 49.782 192.359 21 26 21 Kevin Harvick AutoZone Chevy 49.783 192.355 5 27 *5 Kyle Busch Delphi Chevy 49.804 192.274 20 28 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 49.812 192.243 24 29 28 Robert Richardson Checkers Chevy 49.832 192.166 19 30 *11 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy 49.887 191.954 11 31 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 49.904 191.888 23 32 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 49.939 191.754 20 33 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 49.988 191.566 13 34 *17 Danny OQuinn Dish Network Ford 49.999 191.524 24 35 *25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 50.031 191.401 22 36 *8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Menards/vertis Chevy 50.137 190.997 12 37 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 51.588 185.625 19 38 *70 Justin Diercks # Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy 51.612 185.538 19 39 *0 Eric McClure Hefty/RACEGIRL Chevy 52.589 182.091 3 40 *05 Justin Ashburn FIKES Automotive/31W Insulation 53.008 180.652 15 41 *52 Donnie Neuenberger Ford 53.493 179.014 4 *Required to qualify on time
- Talladega Entry List: There are just 42 cars on the preliminary entry list for Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway.(4-23-2007)
Preliminary Entry List
Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 312
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Mon, April 23, 2007 @ 08:46 PM EasternEnt. Car Driver Driver’s Hometown Team Name Owner 1. 0 Eric McClure Chilhowie, VA Hefty Chevy Keith Duesenberg 2. 01 Morgan Shepherd Conover, NC Race Girl Chevy Johnny Davis 3. 1 J.J. Yeley Phoenix, AZ Miccosukee Resort Chevy James Finch 4. 2 Clint Bowyer Emporia, KS Camping World Chevy Richard Childress 5. 4 Regan Smith Cato, NY Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevy Bobby Ginn 6. 5 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, NV Delphi Chevy Rick Hendrick 7. 6 David Ragan Kannapolis, NC Discount Tire Ford Jack Roush 8. 7 Mike Wallace St. Louis, MO GEICO Chevy James Finch 9. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr Kannapolis, NC Menards Chevy Teresa Earnhardt 10. 9 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, WA Country Crock Spread Dodge Ray Evernham 11. 10 Dave Blaney Hartford, OH Haas Avocados from Mexico Toyota Greg Pollex 12. 11 Martin Truex Jr Mayetta, NJ Bass Pro Shops Chevy Teresa Earnhardt 13. 14 Kyle Krisiloff Carmel, IN Clabber Girl Baking Powder Ford Greg Pollex 14. 16 Greg Biffle Vancouver, WA 3M Ford Jack Roush 15. 17 Danny O’Quinn Jr Coeburn, VA Dish Network Ford Jack Roush 16. 18 Brad Coleman Houston, TX Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy Joe Gibbs 17. 20 Aric Almirola Tampa, FL Rockwell Automation Chevy Joe Gibbs 18. 21 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Auto Zone Chevy Richard Childress 19. 22 Mike Bliss Milwaukie, OR Family Dollar Dodge Armando Fitz 20. 23 Brad Keselowski Rochester Hills, MI Oklahome Centinnial Chevy Keith Coleman 21. 24 Casey Mears Bakersfield, CA National Guard Chevy Rick Hendrick 22. 25 David Gilliland Riverside, CA FreeCreditReport.com Ford Ed Rensi 23. 27 Ward Burton South Boston, VA Cottonelle Ford Tammy Brewer 24. 28 Robert Richardson McKinney, TX Checkers / Rally’s Chevy Gene Haas 25. 29 Scott Wimmer Wausau, WI Holiday Inn Chevy Richard Childress 26. 33 Tony Stewart Columbus, IN Old Spice Chevy Delana Harvick 27. 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr Nashville, TN McDonald’s Ford Gary Weisbaum 28. 36 Brent Sherman N. Barrington, IL Big Lots! Chevy John McGill 29. 37 Jamie McMurray Joplin, MO Yard-Man Ford Clarence Brewer 30. 38 Jason Leffler Long Beach, CA Great Clips Toyota Todd Braun 31. 41 Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, GA Wriglery’s Juicy Fruit Dodge Chip Ganassi 32. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Bogota, CO Texaco / Havoline Dodge Floyd Ganassi 33. 47 Jon Wood Stuart, VA Armor All Ford Jodi Geschickter 34. 52 Kevin Lepage Shelburne, VT TBA Ford Jimmy Means 35. 59 Marcos Ambrose Launceston, AU Kingsford Ford Tad Geschickter 36. 60 Carl Edwards Columbia, MO Sharp Ford Jack Roush 37. 66 Steve Wallace Charlotte, NC Homelife Communities Dodge Rusty Wallace 38. 70 Justin Diercks Davenport, IA Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy Mary Louise Miller 39. 77 Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, TX Dollar General Chevy Delana Harvick 40. 88 Shane Huffman Hickory, NC U.S. Navy Chevy Dale Earnhardt Jr. 41. 90 Stephen Leicht Asheville, NC Citifinancial Ford Robert Yates 42. 99 David Reutimann Zephyrhills, FL Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Michael Waltrip
NASCAR Busch Series News & Notes – Talladega
DEI Seeks Five Straight, Truex Jr. Seeks Four Straight
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 23, 2007) – Dale Earnhardt Inc. employees head to Alabama this week with a smile on their faces because in the past four Aaron’s 312 races at Talladega Superspeedway, no one but DEI drivers have tasted victory. The team heads into Talladega to see if it can make it five straight wins.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#8 Menards Chevy), a two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion, won the Aaron’s 312 event in 2003. Ever since no one has matched two-time series champion Martin Truex Jr. (#8 Bass Pro Shops Chevy) who has racked up three consecutive victories here. Currently Truex Jr. has a perfect score there, starting only three series races at Talladega, and winning all three.
The big question is can DEI and Martin Truex Jr. do it again? Truex Jr. has started only one series event this season, Daytona, where he finished sixth. Earnhardt Jr. has started two series events this season, finishing seventh at Daytona and sixth at Bristol. Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t raced at Talladega in the NASCAR Busch Series since 2004, where he finished second to Truex Jr.
No other team has gone for five consecutive wins at Talladega in NASCAR Busch Series competition. Truex Jr. will be going for four consecutive victories, and would be the first driver ever to do so in the series.
DEI has a total of 16 victories at restrictor-plate tracks in the NASCAR Busch Series, 11 at Daytona and five at Talladega. The experience DEI drivers have accumulated will help them this weekend.“When you finish a race at Talladega, you’re almost never physically tired like if you had just raced at Bristol or Martinsville,” Earnhardt said. “But the mental strain and the concentration needed will wear you out mentally and emotionally. It’s fun, but it’s tough.”
Two Juniors Looking To Make Fathers Proud
The last NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victories earned by 7-time series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton Sr. both were at Talladega Superspeedway. This weekend, sons Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Hamilton Jr. (#35 McDonald’s Ford) are entered in the Aaron’s 312, and look to make their fathers proud by taking home the checkered flag.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. won at Talladega in the fall of 2000 and holds the record for most wins there with 11 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and one in the NASCAR Busch Series. Bobby Hamilton Sr. followed up Earnhardt’s performance that next spring in 2001 with his final victory in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won at Talladega, once in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2004, and five times in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, four of which were consecutive (a track record). Earnhardt Jr. also has followed in his father’s footsteps in becoming a car owner in the series. He started JR Motorsports in 2005, which fields Shane Huffman (#88 U.S. NAVY Chevy) in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Bobby Hamilton Jr. has never won at Talladega, but has posted a top-five finish in 2000. Hamilton Jr. returned to NASCAR Busch Series competition this season and heads into Talladega ninth in the series standings, with a Driver Rating of 64.9, and an Average Running Position of 22.1.
NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 9 Of 35 Races:
Driver points – Edwards (1525)
Owner points – Roush Fenway (#60) (1525)
Victories – J. Burton, Edwards, and Kenseth (2)
Money won – Edwards ($447,950)
Races led – Ky Busch (7)
Miles led – Ky Busch (760.03)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (8)
Busch Poles – Ky Busch (2)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (9)
Season Driver Rating – Ky Busch (124.2)
Raybestos Rookie – Ambrose (+ 2 over Montoya)
Closing in on Top-10 – Hamlin 10th (917 pts.) – Smith (-23), Leicht (-51), Regan (-57)Chevy Continues Atop The Standings
Chevy won last week’s race at Phoenix International Raceway and gained momentum in the Bill France Performance Cup standings.
Clint Bowyer captured his first win this season in the NASCAR Busch Series, moving Chevy further ahead of second-place Ford by four points. Chevy leads all manufacturers in victories at Talladega with 11.
Toyota tightened the race for third place in the manufacturer’s standings this week with Dave Blaney finishing 10th at Phoenix, putting Toyota two points behind Dodge.
In The Loop: Truex A Talladega Terror
It can’t be this easy. Can it?
In those three consecutive Talladega victories, Truex Jr. has earned some impressive Loop Data stats at the restrictor-plate track and has positioned himself as the series king of the famed 2.66-mile superspeedway.
Of any driver competing in Saturday’s Aaron’s 312, Truex has the top pre-race Driver Rating (113.4), the top Average Running Position (7.336) and Laps in the Top 15 (191).
If Truex is not atop the leader board in any one category, he’s close to the top. For instance, Truex has eight Fastest Laps Run which is tied for third most over the last two years at Talladega. His 311 Green Flag Passes are eighth most.
As inconceivable as it may seem, Truex Jr. isn’t the only force at Talladega. With last year’s runner-up finish, Kevin Harvick has also proven stellar at the track. Harvick has the second-best Driver Rating of anyone in Saturday’s race at 102.8 and a second-best Average Running Position of 9.965. Harvick also is the top “Closer” at Talladega in the NASCAR Busch Series – he has improved 14 positions in the last 10% of the races at Talladega.
This weekend, Jason Leffler could open eyes. Leffler has an Average Running Position of 14.094 (13th-best) and a Driver Rating of 89.8 (13th-best). Jon Wood, who finished second in 2005, could also be one of the NASCAR Busch Series regulars to post a solid finish. He has eight Fastest Laps Run at the track, tied for third most.
NBS ETC.
ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of Saturday’s 312-mile race beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown, the fourth of six series events on ABC this year. Jerry Punch will anchor the telecast from Talladega, joined in the booth by current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Dale Jarrett, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree for analysis.
Juan Pablo Montoya (#42 Texaco Havoline Dodge) will be starting this weekend in the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega in his second NASCAR Busch Series restrictor-plate race. Montoya struggled in his first restrictor-plate event at Daytona, he finished 40th due to engine failure. He raced at Talladega in 2006 in the ARCA Series where he finished third.
Series Standings Leader Carl Edwards (#60 Scotts Ford) will be racing in the Aaron’s 312 this weekend. Edwards in his last three series starts at Talladega has posted three top 10s. Edwards leads the NASCAR Busch Series standings by 424 points over second-place Dave Blaney (#32 ABF U-PACK Toyota).
Top Rookie Marcos Ambrose (#59 Kingsford Ford) is listed as a rookie this season but has proven he has more experience than most. He leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings by two points over second-place Juan Pablo Montoya. This will be Ambrose’s second restrictor-plate start; he finished 16th at Daytona earlier this season.
Double Duty Restrictor-plate races attract a lot of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers who pull double duty and Talladega is no exception. Out of the 41 drivers entered to race on Saturday, 20 of them are participating in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series this season.
- Additional Talladega Busch Race Info at:
talladegasuperspeedway.com
ESPN.com Busch page
TheHotLap.com
Catchfence.com Busch site
NASCAR.com