THE RACE: 2007 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS 300 – LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Busch Series Race #13 of 35 for the 2007 season
- Race: 8:00pm/et, Saturday, May 26, 2007 in Concord, NC
- Length: 200 Laps, 300 miles
- TV: ESPN2 – 7:30pm/et
- Radio: PRN
- Purse: $1,249,138
- Announcers: Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
- Pit Reporters: Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro
Practice Dates/Times
- Practice: Thursday, May 24, 1:00-2:00pm/et & 6:00-7:00pm/et. Rookie Practice, 2:20-2:50pm/et
Qualifying Info
- Qualifying Draw: Thursday, May 24, 12:00pm/et
- Qualifying Time: Saturday, May 26, 4:05pm/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
- Kahne Wins at Lowes: #9-Kasey Kahne took the lead late in the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and pulled away over the last dozen laps to win. #24-Casey Mears finished second, #2-Clint Bowyer third, #29-Jeff Burton fourth, and #4-Regan Smith fifth. The remainder of the top 10 were #48-Jimmie Johnson, #17-Matt Kenseth, #5-Kyle Busch, #21-Scott Wimmer, and #90 Stephen Leicht. There were 7 cautions for 28 laps and 10 leaders with 14 lead changes.(5-26-2007)
NASCAR Race Number 13
Unofficial Race Results for the Carquest Auto Parts “300 – Saturday, May 26, 2007
Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, NC – 1.5 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 300 Miles – Purse: $1,249,138Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Total Award Status Times Laps 1 32 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 200 190 5 $66,050 Running 2 43 2 22 24 Casey Mears National Guard/30th Heavy Brigade 200 170 $44,525 Running 3 9 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 200 165 $42,100 Running 4 4 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 200 165 5 $35,175 Running 1 26 5 6 4 Regan Smith U.S. Army Chevy 200 155 $37,359 Running 6 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevy 200 155 5 $23,525 Running 1 16 7 1 17 Matt Kenseth Arby’s Ford 200 151 5 $29,675 Running 3 39 8 16 5 Kyle Busch Sta Green Extended Feed/Lowe’s 200 147 5 $20,875 Running 1 4 9 2 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 200 143 5 $37,131 Running 1 3 10 12 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 200 134 $30,731 Running 11 27 10 Dave Blaney ABF U Pack Moving Toyota 200 130 $28,231 Running 12 25 33 Kevin Harvick RoadLoans.com Chevy 200 127 $24,725 Running 13 35 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 200 124 $24,106 Running 14 38 18 Aric Almirola Joe Gibbs Driven/Hunts Chevy 200 121 $19,250 Running 15 13 26 Todd Kluever Dish Network Ford 200 118 $22,781 Running 16 20 22 David Stremme Supercuts Dodge 200 115 $17,025 Running 17 10 60 Carl Edwards Scotts/Ortho Home Defense Max Ford 199 117 5 $21,975 Running 1 2 18 15 37 Jamie McMurray Troybilt Ford 199 109 $16,325 Running 19 40 27 Ward Burton Kleenex/Cottonelle Ford 199 106 $21,706 Running 20 17 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 199 103 $23,956 Running 21 3 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Coast Guard Ford 199 105 5 $21,625 Running 1 14 22 33 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 199 97 $15,925 Running 23 26 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 199 94 $22,106 Running 24 23 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevy 199 91 $21,391 Running 25 7 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 199 88 $16,000 Running 26 29 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 199 90 5 $15,765 Running 1 1 27 14 25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 199 82 $15,730 Running 28 43 91 David Green YRT2.net Toyota 199 79 $17,695 Running 29 19 30 Stanton Barrett 4CARING.org Chevy 198 76 $17,650 Running 30 31 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 198 73 $20,231 Running 31 28 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 198 70 $20,146 Running 32 18 55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford 198 67 $15,525 Running 33 39 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 197 64 $19,871 Running 34 11 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 197 61 $20,965 Running 35 42 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 196 58 $19,821 Running 36 41 28 Johnny Sauter U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 196 55 $15,425 Running 37 34 23 Brad Keselowski # MACtac Chevy 189 52 $17,400 Running 38 36 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 180 49 $19,756 Accident 39 21 44 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 153 46 $19,736 Overheating 40 37 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 148 43 $20,815 Accident 41 5 12 Kurt Busch Penske Truck Rental Dodge 148 50 10 $15,365 Accident 3 52 42 30 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 53 37 $15,265 Accident 43 24 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 4 34 $19,581 Engine Race Comments: Before and estimated crowd of 95,000 – Kasey Kahne won the Carquest Auto Parts 300, his sixth NASCAR Busch Series victory. Prior to the green flag the following drivers dropped to the rear: #28 (engine change); #36 and 38 (back up). Failed to Qualify: (4) #0 Eric McClure, #72 Kevin Lepage, #32 Bill Elliott, #95 Blake Feese. Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 16 Mins, 07 Secs. Average Speed: 132.24 MPH Margin of Victory: 2.448 Seconds Caution Flags: 7 for 28 laps: Laps: 10-12 (Debris); 28-30 (#41 accident turn 2); 114-117 (#60 spun turn 4); 131-134 (#6 accident turn 4); 145-148 (#48 spun backstretch); 151-155 (#12,44,48 accident frontstretch); 185-189 (#14 accident turn 1). Lead Changes: 14 among 10 drivers: M. Kenseth 1-28; Ku. Busch 29-32; M. Kenseth 33-42; Ku. Busch 43-53; M. Kenseth 54; Ku. Busch 55-91; K. Kahne 92; C. Edwards 93-94; S. Wimmer 95-97; J. Yeley 98; J. Johnson 99-114; Ky. Busch 115-118; J. Burton 119-144; G. Biffle 145-158; K. Kahne 159-200. Top 10 Driver Points: (1) C. Edwards 2,075;(2) K. Harvick 1,652;(3) D. Blaney 1,483;(4) M. Kenseth 1,431;(5) D. Reutimann 1,393;(6) R. Smith 1,393;(7) D. Ragan # 1,358;(8) C. Bowyer 1,349;(9) J. Burton 1,340;(10) G. Biffle 1,320. Sunoco Diamond Performance Kasey Kahne, #9 Busch Pole Award Matt Kenseth, #17 (179.462 mph) Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Stephen Leicht, #90 (175.850 seconds) Raybestos “Rookie of the Race Marcos Ambrose, #59 Featherlite “Most Improved Driver Dave Blaney, #10 (20 Places)
- Edwards Point Lead at 423: Carl Edwards 17th place finish didn’t hurt him much in the points standings, as his point lead only fell by 10 points. Kevin Harvick remains in second, Dave Blaney moved up to third, Matt Kenseth jumped to fourth and David Reutimann fell 2 spots to fifth.(5-26-2007)
Points Report
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Carquest Auto Parts 300
UNOFFICAL
Provided by NASCAR Statistics- Saturday, 5/26/2007 @ 11:01 PM EasternPos Driver BPts Points Ldr 1 Carl Edwards 55 2075 0 2 Kevin Harvick 20 1652 -423 3 Dave Blaney 10 1483 -592 4 Matt Kenseth 45 1431 -644 5 David Reutimann 10 1393 -682 6 Regan Smith 20 1393 -682 7 David Ragan # 15 1358 -717 8 Clint Bowyer 30 1349 -726 9 Jeff Burton 40 1340 -735 10 Greg Biffle 20 1320 -755 11 Kyle Busch 60 1318 -757 12 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 5 1316 -759 13 Marcos Ambrose # 5 1303 -772 14 Casey Mears 15 1302 -773 15 Juan Pablo Montoya 20 1270 -805 16 Stephen Leicht 5 1255 -820 17 Mike Wallace 35 1242 -833 18 J.J. Yeley 10 1222 -853 19 Denny Hamlin 25 1218 -857 20 Jason Leffler 15 1187 -888 21 Shane Huffman 5 1186 -889 22 Jon Wood 0 1154 -921 23 Ward Burton 0 1067 -1008 24 Steve Wallace 10 1064 -1011 25 Kyle Krisiloff # 0 1058 -1017 26 Brent Sherman 20 1044 -1031 27 David Stremme 5 971 -1104 28 Tony Stewart 10 897 -1178 29 Bobby Labonte 5 863 -1212 30 David Gilliland 5 859 -1216 31 Jamie Mcmurray 5 851 -1224 32 Scott Wimmer 10 824 -1251 33 Todd Kluever 5 802 -1273 34 Kasey Kahne 25 760 -1315 35 Mike Bliss 0 726 -1349 36 Eric Mcclure 5 720 -1355 37 Aric Almirola 5 664 -1411 38 Reed Sorenson 0 657 -1418 39 Brad Keselowski # 0 605 -1470 40 Brad Coleman 5 565 -1510 41 Paul Menard 0 563 -1512 42 Mark Martin 0 452 -1623 43 Timothy Peters 0 431 -1644 44 Johnny Sauter 0 423 -1652 45 Justin Diercks 0 401 -1674 46 Dale Earnhardt, Jr 10 382 -1693 47 Jay Sauter 0 376 -1699 48 Sam Hornish, Jr 0 368 -1707 49 Kurt Busch 15 357 -1718 50 Ryan Newman 10 355 -1720 51 Scott Riggs 0 339 -1736 52 Stanton Barrett 0 332 -1743 53 Robby Gordon 0 324 -1751 54 Danny O’quinn, Jr 0 324 -1751 55 Joe Nemechek 0 300 -1775 56 Robert Richardson 0 255 -1820 57 Boris Said 0 241 -1834 58 Tony Raines 0 225 -1850 59 Jeff Green 0 200 -1875 60 Martin Truex, Jr 5 195 -1880 61 Kertus Davis 0 195 -1880 62 Jason Keller 0 185 -1890 63 Brett Rowe 0 183 -1892 64 Derrike Cope 0 164 -1911 65 Scott Pruett 5 160 -1915 66 Jimmie Johnson 5 155 -1920 67 Jorge Goeters 5 151 -1924 68 Morgan Shepherd 0 151 -1924 69 Ron Young 0 143 -1932 70 Adrian Fernandez 0 138 -1937 71 D J Kennington 0 128 -1947 72 Elliott Sadler 0 121 -1954 73 Kevin Lepage 0 120 -1955 74 Kevin Hamlin 0 109 -1966 75 Brian Simo 0 97 -1978 76 Justin Ashburn 0 97 -1978 77 Todd Souza 0 94 -1981 78 P J Jones 0 91 -1984 79 Brad Teague 0 89 -1986 80 Steve Grissom 0 88 -1987 81 Michel Jourdain 0 88 -1987 82 Kenny Wallace 0 85 -1990 83 Kevin Conway 0 85 -1990 84 German Quiroga 5 84 -1991 85 Mike Harmon 0 83 -1992 86 Cale Gale 0 82 -1993 87 David Green 0 79 -1996 88 Roger Lopez 0 76 -1999 89 Bobby Santos 0 73 -2002 90 Ron Fellows 0 67 -2008 91 J R Fitzpatrick 0 64 -2011 92 Carlos Contreras 5 63 -2012 93 Alex Garcia 0 61 -2014 94 Richard Johns 0 61 -2014 95 Donnie Neuenberger 0 49 -2026 96 Dange Hanniford 0 49 -2026 97 John Andretti 0 46 -2029 98 John Young 0 46 -2029 99 Jerick Johnson 0 40 -2035 100 Caleb Holman 0 37 -2038 101 Michael Waltrip 0 34 -2041 102 Ruben Pardo 0 0 -2075 103 Tono Perez 0 0 -2075
Owner Points Following Race # 13
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Carquest Auto Parts 300
UNOFFICIAL
Provided by NASCAR Statistics -Saturday, 5/26/2007 @ 11:02 PM EasternPos Owner Car # Points Ldr 1 Jack Roush 60 2,075 — 2 Richard Childress 29 1,887 -188 3 Jack Roush 17 1,649 -426 4 Joe Gibbs 20 1,633 -442 5 Rick Hendrick 5 1,626 -449 6 Richard Childress 21 1,599 -476 7 Delana Harvick 33 1,561 -514 8 Ray Evernham 9 1,461 -614 9 Armando Fitz 22 1,404 -671 10 Michael Waltrip 99 1,393 -682 11 Bobby Ginn 4 1,393 -682 12 Floyd Ganassi 42 1,379 -696 13 Gregory Pollex 10 1,359 -716 14 Jack Roush 6 1,358 -717 15 Delana Harvick 77 1,356 -719 16 Richard Childress 2 1,349 -726 17 Rick Hendrick 24 1,333 -742 18 Gary Weisbaum 35 1,316 -759 19 Tad Geschickter 59 1,303 -772 20 Tammy Brewer 27 1,282 -793 21 Jack Roush 16 1,276 -799 22 Clarence Brewer 37 1,265 -810 23 Robert Yates 90 1,255 -820 24 James Finch 1 1,244 -831 25 James Finch 7 1,242 -833 26 Todd Braun 38 1,187 -888 27 Dale Earnhardt, Jr 88 1,186 -889 28 Joe Gibbs 18 1,163 -912 29 Chip Ganassi 41 1,155 -920 30 Jodi Geschickter 47 1,154 -921 31 Roger Penske 12 1,080 -995 32 Gene Haas 28 1,068 -1,007 33 Rusty Wallace 66 1,064 -1,011 34 Gregory Pollex 14 1,058 -1,017 35 John McGill 36 1,044 -1,031 36 Edward Rensi 25 1,005 -1,070 37 Keith Duesenberg 0 846 -1,229 38 Keith Coleman 23 624 -1,451 39 Frank Cicci 34 592 -1,483 40 Teresa Earnhardt 15 563 -1,512 41 Jack Roush 26 490 -1,585 42 Mary Louise Miller 170 426 -1,649 43 Teresa Earnhardt 8 382 -1,693 44 Jimmy Means 252 336 -1,739 45 Stanton Barrett 30 332 -1,743 46 Robby Gordon 55 324 -1,751 47 Andrea Nemechek 87 300 -1,775 48 Jack Roush 106 282 -1,793 49 John McNelly 156 243 -1,832 50 Todd Braun 32 229 -1,846 51 Teresa Earnhardt 111 195 -1,880 52 Pat Macdonald 72 156 -1,919 53 Rick Hendrick 48 155 -1,920 54 Bill Riley 91 152 -1,923 55 Johnny Davis 01 151 -1,924 56 Jerry Young 171 143 -1,932 57 Wayne Day 105 140 -1,935 58 James Rowe 273 140 -1,935 59 Bryan Mullet 211 121 -1,954 60 Kelly Souza 113 94 -1,981 61 Donnie Richardson 244 83 -1,992 62 Tom Eriksen 167 76 -1,999 63 Alex Garcia 298 61 -2,014 64 Armando Fitz 44 46 -2,029 65 John Young 146 46 -2,029 66 Jack Johnson 176 40 -2,035 67 Charles Henderson 175 37 -2,038 68 Robert Richardson 180 31 -2,044 69 Jeff Barrister 250 31 -2,044 70 Earl Sadler 95 22 -2,053
- Kenseth on Pole for CARQUEST Auto Parts 300: #17-Matt Kenseth grabbed the Busch pole for tonight’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. His top speed was 179.462mph. #21-Scott Wimmer will start second (ties is career best Busch start). #16-Greg Biffle will start third, #29-Jeff Burton fourth, and #12-Kurt Busch fifth. There were three incidents during the session: #38-Jason Leffler pancaked the side of the car coming out of turn 4 on his second lap, #23-Brad Keselowski spun off turn 2 but didn’t hit anything, and #36-Brent Sherman spun out in turn 2 and backed into the wall. The team will go to a backup. #91-David Green took the Past Champion’s Provisional in his return to the series. DNQs were #0-Eric McClure, #72-Kevin Lepage, #32-Bill Elliott and #95-Blake Feese (the #95 team withdrew after Blake’s wreck at the end of Happy Hour Thursday. The team did not have a backup car.)(5-26-2007)
Starting Line Up by Row
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Carquest Auto Parts 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, May 26, 2007 @ 05:34 PM Eastern
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed 1 17 Matt Kenseth Arby’s Ford 30.090 179.462 2 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 30.119 179.289 3 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Coast Guard Ford 30.230 178.630 4 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 30.247 178.530 5 12 Kurt Busch Penske Truck Rental Dodge 30.260 178.453 6 4 Regan Smith U.S. Army Chevy 30.306 178.183 7 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 30.307 178.177 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevy 30.376 177.772 9 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 30.387 177.708 10 60 Carl Edwards Scotts/Ortho Home Defense Max Ford 30.394 177.667 11 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 30.394 177.667 12 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 30.503 177.032 13 26 Todd Kluever Dish Network Ford 30.505 177.020 14 25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 30.512 176.980 15 37 Jamie McMurray Troybilt Ford 30.527 176.893 16 5 Kyle Busch Sta Green Extended Feed/Lowe’s Chevy 30.542 176.806 17 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 30.583 176.569 18 55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford 30.609 176.419 19 30 Stanton Barrett 4CARING.org Chevy 30.615 176.384 20 22 David Stremme Supercuts Dodge 30.644 176.217 21 44 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 30.666 176.091 22 24 Casey Mears National Guard/30th Heavy Brigade Combat 30.702 175.884 23 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevy 30.716 175.804 24 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 30.732 175.713 25 33 Kevin Harvick RoadLoans.com Chevy 30.744 175.644 26 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 30.755 175.581 27 10 Dave Blaney ABF U Pack Moving Toyota 30.773 175.479 28 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 30.810 175.268 29 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 30.813 175.251 30 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 30.820 175.211 31 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 30.910 174.701 32 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 30.949 174.481 33 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 30.997 174.210 34 23 Brad Keselowski # MACtac Chevy 31.028 174.036 35 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 31.117 173.539 36 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 31.144 173.388 37 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 31.178 173.199 38 18 Aric Almirola Joe Gibbs Driven/Hunts Chevy 31.180 173.188 39 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 31.208 173.033 40 27 Ward Burton Kleenex/Cottonelle Ford Owner Points 41 28 Johnny Sauter U.S. Border Patrol Chevy Owner Points 42 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy Owner Points 43 91 David Green YRT2.net Toyota Past Champion Did Not Qualify: #0 Eric McClure; #72 Kevin Lepage; #32 Bill Elliott; #95 Blake Feese.
- Kahne Paces Happy Hour: #9-Kasey Kahne was tops among all competitors during Busch Series Happy Hour. His top speed was 180.80mph. The rest of the top were Roush-Fenway drivers: #6-David Ragan, #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Matt Kenseth, and #60-Carl Edwards. #5-Kyle Busch smacked the wall early in the session and will go to a backup car. #95-Blake Feese spun late in the session and hit the wall. He was the slowest car during happy hour.(5-24-2007)
NBS Final Practice (HAPPY HOUR)
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Carquest Auto Parts 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, May 24, 2007 @ 07:00 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 29.866 180.808 25 2 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 29.905 180.572 29 3 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Coast Guard Ford 30.089 179.468 30 4 *17 Matt Kenseth Arby’s Ford 30.102 179.390 13 5 60 Carl Edwards Scotts/Ortho Home Defense Max Ford 30.140 179.164 22 6 *12 Kurt Busch Penske Truck Rental Dodge 30.256 178.477 15 7 37 Jamie McMurray Troybilt Ford 30.270 178.394 31 8 *2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 30.291 178.271 25 9 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 30.335 178.012 46 10 33 Kevin Harvick RoadLoans.com Chevy 30.364 177.842 21 11 4 Regan Smith U.S. Army Chevy 30.372 177.795 23 12 *24 Casey Mears National Guard/30th Heavy Brigade 30.375 177.778 21 13 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 30.390 177.690 23 14 *26 Todd Kluever Dish Network Ford 30.391 177.684 19 15 10 Dave Blaney ABF U Pack Moving Toyota 30.411 177.567 14 16 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 30.422 177.503 27 17 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 30.438 177.410 22 18 *55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford 30.450 177.340 21 19 *5 Kyle Busch Sta Green Extended Feed/Lowe’s 30.491 177.101 18 20 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 30.497 177.067 25 21 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 30.498 177.061 31 22 *30 Stanton Barrett 4CARING.org Chevy 30.533 176.858 13 23 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 30.548 176.771 25 24 18 Aric Almirola Joe Gibbs Driven/Hunts Chevy 30.556 176.725 19 25 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 30.578 176.598 32 26 22 David Stremme Supercuts Dodge 30.591 176.523 28 27 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 30.620 176.355 29 28 *44 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 30.641 176.234 18 29 *72 Kevin Lepage Vector Security Dodge 30.645 176.211 4 30 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 30.651 176.177 17 31 *48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevy 30.670 176.068 30 32 *25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 30.687 175.970 19 33 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 30.728 175.735 12 34 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 30.758 175.564 24 35 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 30.789 175.387 33 36 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 30.843 175.080 25 37 27 Ward Burton Kleenex/Cottonelle Ford 30.853 175.023 17 38 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 30.868 174.938 31 39 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 30.875 174.899 32 40 *32 Bill Elliott SEYMOUR/Braun Seating Inc. Toyota 30.946 174.498 16 41 *23 Brad Keselowski # MACtac Chevy 31.025 174.053 14 42 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevy 31.095 173.661 25 43 *91 David Green YRT2.net Toyota 31.122 173.511 13 44 28 Johnny Sauter U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 31.396 171.996 15 45 *95 Blake Feese Scottish Rite/FPC Dodge 31.509 171.380 27 *Required to qualify on time
NBS Rookie Practice
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Carquest Auto Parts 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, May 24, 2007 @ 02:55 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 30.816 175.234 11 2 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 30.818 175.222 13 3 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 30.835 175.126 11 4 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 30.845 175.069 9 5 *25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 31.185 173.160 19 6 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 31.212 173.010 7 7 *23 Brad Keselowski # MACtac Chevy 31.246 172.822 6 8 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 31.503 171.412 6 *Required to qualify on time
- Biffle Fastest in Lowe’s Opening Practice: #16-Greg Biffle was fastest in practice at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Thursday afternoon. His top speed was 178.136mph. #20-Clint Bowyer was second, #5-Kyle Busch third, #60-Carl Edwards fourth, and #26-Todd Kluever fifth. #95-Blake Feese was the only driver to not take a lap. There were a couple incidents during the session: #27-Ward Burton scraped the wall but only suffered minor damage. #47-Jon Wood spun 15 minutes into the session and hit the wall in turn 4. He will go to a backup car.(5-24-2007)
NBS Practice 1
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Carquest Auto Parts 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, May 24, 2007 @ 02:06 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Coast Guard Ford 30.314 178.136 9 2 *2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 30.334 178.018 28 3 *5 Kyle Busch Sta Green Extended Feed/Lowe’s 30.346 177.948 14 4 60 Carl Edwards Scotts/Ortho Home Defense Max Ford 30.421 177.509 10 5 *26 Todd Kluever Dish Network Ford 30.474 177.200 27 6 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 30.524 176.910 34 7 *48 Jimme Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevy 30.550 176.759 15 8 9 Kasey Kahne Country Crock Dodge 30.576 176.609 21 9 33 Kevin Harvick RoadLoans.com Chevy 30.604 176.448 14 10 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 30.606 176.436 15 11 22 David Stremme Supercuts Dodge 30.645 176.211 19 12 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 30.649 176.188 22 13 *12 Kurt Busch Penske Truck Rental Dodge 30.661 176.120 50 14 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 30.673 176.051 13 15 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 30.713 175.821 27 16 37 Jamie McMurray Troybilt Ford 30.716 175.804 3 17 *17 Matt Kenseth Arby’s Ford 30.743 175.650 11 18 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 30.758 175.564 40 19 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 30.772 175.484 31 20 10 Dave Blaney ABF U Pack Moving Toyota 30.798 175.336 24 21 42 Juan Pablo Montoya # Texaco/Havoline Dodge 30.807 175.285 39 22 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 30.820 175.211 22 23 *24 Casey Mears National Guard/30th Heavy Brigade 30.824 175.188 24 24 *44 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge 30.832 175.143 20 25 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 30.890 174.814 22 26 18 Aric Almirola Joe Gibbs Driven/Hunts Chevy 30.890 174.814 45 27 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Ford 30.893 174.797 32 28 *25 David Gilliland freecreditreport.com Ford 30.895 174.786 41 29 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 30.933 174.571 38 30 4 Regan Smith U.S. Army Chevy 30.963 174.402 36 31 *32 Bill Elliott SEYMOUR/Braun Seating Inc. Toyota 30.992 174.239 23 32 *55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford 31.015 174.109 18 33 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 31.050 173.913 28 34 41 Reed Sorenson Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 31.055 173.885 29 35 *30 Stanton Barrett 4CARING.org Chevy 31.152 173.344 14 36 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Clabber Girl Ford 31.197 173.094 17 37 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford 31.204 173.055 9 38 27 Ward Burton Kleenex/Cottonelle Ford 31.266 172.712 24 39 *91 David Green YRT2.net Toyota 31.288 172.590 22 40 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 31.326 172.381 29 41 *72 Kevin Lepage Vector Security Dodge 31.364 172.172 10 42 *23 Brad Keselowski # MACtac Chevy 31.418 171.876 16 43 88 Shane Huffman U.S. NAVY Chevy 31.434 171.789 40 44 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 31.693 170.385 11 45 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 31.729 170.191 27 46 28 Johnny Sauter U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 31.842 169.587 8 No. 95 Blake Feese did not practice.
*Required to qualify on time
Preliminary Entry List
Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Carquest Auto Parts 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Mon, May 21, 2007 @ 07:18 PM EasternEnt. Car Driver Team Name Owner 1. 0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy Keith Duesenberg 2. 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resort Chevy James Finch 3. 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy Richard Childress 4. 4 Regan Smith TBA Chevy Bobby Ginn 5. 5 Kyle Busch Spectracide/Lowe’s Chevy Rick Hendrick 6. 6 David Ragan Discount Tire Ford Jack Roush 7. 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy James Finch 8. 9 Kasey Kahne Lawry’s Dodge Ray Evernham 9. 10 Dave Blaney Camping World Toyota Greg Pollex 10. 12 Kurt Busch Mobil 1 Dodge Roger Penske 11. 14 Kyle Krisiloff Clabber Girl Baking Powder Ford Greg Pollex 12. 16 Greg Biffle 3M/Coast Guard Ford Jack Roush 13. 17 Matt Kenseth Arby’s Ford Jack Roush 14. 18 Aric Almirola Joe Gibbs Driven Chevy Joe Gibbs 15. 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy Joe Gibbs 16. 21 Scott Wimmer Auto Zone Chevy Richard Childress 17. 22 David Stremme Supercuts Dodge Armando Fitz 18. 23 Brad Keselowski MACtac Chevy Keith Coleman 19. 24 Casey Mears National Guard Chevy Rick Hendrick 20. 25 David Gilliland FreeCreditReport.com Ford Ed Rensi 21. 26 Todd Kluever Dish Network Ford Jack Roush 22. 27 Ward Burton Kleenex Ford Tammy Brewer 23. 28 Johnny Sauter U.S. Border Patrol Chevy Gene Haas 24. 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy Richard Childress 25. 30 Stanton Barrett TBA Chevy Stanton Barrett 26. 32 Bill Elliott Seymour of Sycamore Toyota Todd Braun 27. 33 Kevin Harvick RoadLoans Chevy Delana Harvick 28. 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr McDonald’s Ford Gary Weisbaum 29. 36 Brent Sherman Big Lots! Chevy John McGill 30. 37 Jamie McMurray Troybilt Ford Clarence Brewer 31. 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota Todd Braun 32. 41 Reed Sorenson Wriglery’s Juicy Fruit Dodge Chip Ganassi 33. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Texaco / Havoline Dodge Floyd Ganassi 34. 44 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge Armando Fitz 35. 47 Jon Wood Armor All Ford Jodi Geschickter 36. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevy Rick Hendrick 37. 55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford Robby Gordon 38. 59 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford Ford Tad Geschickter 39. 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Ford Jack Roush 40. 66 Steve Wallace Homelife Communities Dodge Rusty Wallace 41. 72 Kevin Lepage Vector Security Dodge Pat MacDonald 42. 77 Kertus Davis Dollar General Chevy Delana Harvick 43. 88 Shane Huffman U.S. Navy Chevy Dale Earnhardt Jr. 44. 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Dodge Cindy Shepherd 45. 90 Stephen Leicht Citifinancial Ford Robert Yates 46. 91 David Green YRT2.net Toyota Bill Riley 47. 92 TBA Riley-D’Hondt Motorsports Toyota Eddie D’Hondt 48. 95 Blake Feese Scottish Rite/FPC Dodge Earl Sadler 49. 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Michael Waltrip Drivers in RED are required to qualify on time.
NASCAR Busch Series News and Notes – CARQUEST Auto Parts 300
The NASCAR Busch Series not only is a proving ground for young drivers aspiring to make the jump to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, but it is fast becoming an opportunity for drivers in open-wheel racing to prove themselves in a stock car.
On this Memorial Day holiday weekend, Charlotte has become the place for some fomer open-wheelers who seek new challenges to conquer, starting with Saturday night-s NASCAR Busch Series event – The
CARQUEST Auto Parts 300.Juan Pablo Montoya (#42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge), a former Indy 500 champion who last March also became a NASCAR Busch Series winner with his victory in Mexico City, is firmly planted in the series top 10 and is only two points out of the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings lead.
J.J. Yeley (#1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevy) finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie in 1998. He-s one of five drivers pulling -double-duty- this year, running full-time in the NASCAR Busch Series and in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
Dave Blaney (#10 ABF U-Pack Moving Toyota) is fourth in the points and captured his first national series win when he won the NASCAR Busch Series race at LMS last fall. He began his career in sprint cars.
Kasey Kahne (#9 Country Crock Dodge) is another open-wheel alum who worked his way through the NASCAR Busch Series to gain a ride in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Ditto with Casey Mears (#24 National Guard Ford) who, like Montoya and Blaney, claims a NASCAR win in NASCAR Busch Series competition.
Robby Gordon (#55 Verizon Wireless Ford) pulled the Indy 500-Coca Cola 600 -double- in 2002-03 and now owns teams in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and in the NASCAR Busch Series. He looks to help develop other drivers – open-wheeler Ryan Hunter Reay for starters – for NASCAR competition.Defending Race Winner Edwards Also Fastest At Last Week-s LMS Test
NASCAR Busch Series points leader Carl Edwards (#60 Scotts/Ortho Ford) has to feel good about his chances to build on his lead and capture his second consecutive win at Lowe-s Motor Speedway.
His competitors, on the other hand, must feel like they-re getting hit with a double-whammy.
Edwards is tied for the series lead with two wins and owns a series-high eight top fives to go with 11 top-10 finishes in the season-s first 12 races.
Not only is he the defending race winner at LMS, but he led each of the four test sessions over a two-day period last Monday and Tuesday at the track including a fast lap of 29.565 seconds (182.648 mph) during the Monday evening session – similar conditions to those on Saturday night-s race.
Edwards also paces three of the top five categories in Loop Data. He-s first in Average Running Position (6.987), in Quality Passes (573) and in Laps in the Top 15 (2.053).
In The Loop: Kurt Busch Picks His Spot In Charlotte But Watch For Mears and Kluever
Kurt Busch (#12 Penske Truck Rental Dodge) chooses his NASCAR Busch Series races wisely.
The Las Vegas native has run two of the 12 events thus far in 2007 and has finishes of fourth and eighth, respectively.
He-ll run his third NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday night at Lowe-s Motor Speedway and a little analysis shows why he-s picked this race.
In his first career series race at LMS last year, Busch finished second behind Carl Edwards. Busch had a Driver Rating of 123.8, an Average Running Position of 4.165 and turned the fastest lap 14 times. Additionally, of the 200 laps run last year, Busch spent 194 of them in the Top 15.
Look for Casey Mears (#24 National Guard Chevy) to also continue his 2007 NASCAR Busch Series success. In his eight races this year, Mears has scored seven top 10s and four top fives. If his past history at the 1.5-mile track continues, he should improve on this year-s average finish of 9.9.
Mears finished fourth in this race last year and led 12 laps in the fall race before an accident on Lap 198 took him out of a probable win.
Of drivers competing this weekend, Mears has the second-best Driver Rating (111.4), the second-best Average Running Position (6.747), the second-most Fastest Laps Run (51) and the second-fastest Green Flag Speed.
Then there-s the standings leader, Edwards, who won this race last year and led a race-high 123 laps in the fall before the accident on Lap 198 that claimed three drivers going for the win. He has the eighth-best Average Running Position (12.632), the eighth-best Driver Rating (97.7) and has 64 Fastest Laps Run, more than any other driver racing this weekend.
Of the series regulars, Todd Kluever (#26 Dish Network Ford) could shine Saturday night. He has an impressive Driver Rating of 87.3 in two races at LMS and his Average Running Position of 12.449 is seventh-best. Kluever also has 50 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the Top 15 under green), which is tied for eighth-most at LMS.
NBS ETC.
- Former Champ Returns: David Green (#91 YRT2.Net Toyota) is set to make his return to the NASCAR Busch Series this weekend while assisting the new Riley-D-Hondt Motorsports team with its start-up. Green, the 1994 champion, hasn-t driven since leaving Brewco Motorsports last September. He joined the Riley-D-Hondt organization soon thereafter and has been awaiting his return. The native of Owensboro, Ky., turned his first laps in the #91 Toyota at last week-s test session at Lowe-s Motor Speedway. Toyota will be the fourth manufacturer Green has competed for during his 17-year career and he-s won in the previous three (Chevy, Pontiac and Ford). In his new position, Green will help another new face, Bobby Santos, who will serve as his teammate via the Bill Davis Racing driver development program. He also stayed busy since last fall in assisting Hendrick Motorsports in its Car of Tomorrow success, serving as a test driver for the team. He also spotted for good friend and former series champion Brian Vickers in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, as well as for Stephen Leicht (#90 CitiFinancial Ford) in the NASCAR Busch Series.
- Cameo Appearances: Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe-s Chevy), the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion, is entered in Saturday night-s field. The event is the first Johnson will attempt in the series this year and his first since last fall at LMS where he finished 42nd due to an early accident. Johnson competed in two full-time NASCAR Busch Series seasons in 200-01 and has one win and two poles. He holds the qualifying record at LMS (187.735 in 2005). Bill Elliott (#32 Seymour of Sycamore Toyota) also is entered and will attempt to make his first series start since 2005.
- Memorial Day Tributes: Four cars will carry paint schemes as part of the American Heroes Memorial Day Salute to the Armed Forces, kicking off a nationwide effort to raise funds for military families in need. Shane Huffman (#88 U.S. NAVY Chevy), Johnny Sauter (#28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy) and the Roush Fenway duo of Greg Biffle (#16 3M/Coast Guard Ford) and Casey Mears (#24 National Guard Ford) are carrying the special schemes in the NASCAR Busch Series this weekend. Biffle is the top threat among the group with two wins, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 12 races at Lowe-s Motor Speedway.
The Director-s Take: LMS
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AT LMS:
THOUGHTS FROM JOE BALASH, NASCAR BUSCH SERIES DIRECTOR-Teams will look to get their cars set up so as to get all the mechanical grip that they can at Lowe-s Motor Speedway.
-Based upon the resurfacing of the track, the tire compound is harder. That makes grip very important.
-Pit strategy for track position is also really important at LMS. Teams that find it difficult to pass on the racetrack can make up valuable positions with good pit strategy and great teamwork during those crucial stops.
-The test last week was a huge help specific to this event. Teams that were on top of the leader board during the two days of testing should, in turn, fare well during the event.-
Rookie Spotlight: Krisiloff Makes A Quiet Charge
- Krisiloff Becoming A Player: Kyle Krisiloff (#14 Clabber Girl Ford) heads to Charlotte only 10 points behind Marcos Ambrose (#59 Kingsford Ford) in the Raybestos Rookie standings. Krisiloff, who ran his first three series races in 2005 as a developmental driver for Hendrick Motorsports, found a home with the new Haas-Carter entry this season and plans to compete full-time in 2007. The native of Carmel, Ind., posted his career-best finish (fifth) at Talladega Superspeedway last month. He has six other top-20 finishes this season.
- Ragan Continues Hold On Lead: David Ragan (#6 Discount Tire Ford) remains in first place in the standings, two points in front of Juan Pablo Montroya. Ambrose, who held the lead after Talladega, has had tough luck lately, posting finishes of 26th or worse in three of his last four races. Those results also have cost him a top-10 spot in the standings, where he had been for nine consecutive weeks before falling to his current 11th-place ranking after Richmond.
- Rookie Success At LMS: Kyle Busch (#5 Sta Green-Lowe-s Chevy) won this race during his rookie season in 2004 and in the process re-captured the standings lead. He had become the first rookie in series history to lead the standings two weeks before.
2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGSDriver Points
1. David Ragan 122
2. Juan Pablo Montoya 120
3. Marcos Ambrose 112
4. Kyle Krisiloff 102
5. Brad Keselowski 64
6. Brad Coleman 50
7. Justin Diercks 39
8. Sam Hornish Jr. 35
9. Robert Richardson Jr. 23
10. Alex Garcia 7
11. Bobby Santos 6ESPN/ABC
ESPN2 will feature NASCAR Busch Series racing live in prime time Saturday night. The telecast will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program, with the race to start at 8 p.m.Dale Jarret will join two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree in the booth for analysis during the telecast. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play duties. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will serve as pit reporters.
Allen Bestwick, whose multiple roles in ESPN-s NASCAR coverage this season include play-by-play announcer, studio host and pit reporter, will host NASCAR Countdown. He will be in the anchor position for next month-s NASCAR Busch Series race at Milwaukee. Bestwick will be joined in ESPN-s pit studio for NASCAR Countdown by analyst Brad Daugherty; Tim Brewer will be at the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car.
In addition to the telecast on ESPN2, ESPN-s signature broadband service, ESPN360.com, will deliver a live online simulcast of the event, and a Spanish-language version of the race will be televised on ESPN Deportes, ESPN-s domestic Spanish-language network.
2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 12 Of 35 Races:
Traditional Statistics:
Driver points – Edwards (1958)
Victories – Bowyer, J. Burton, Edwards, Kenseth (2)
Races led – Edwards (8)
Laps led – Ky. Busch (532)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (9)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (11)
Owner points – Roush Fenway (#60) – (1958)
Money Won – Edwards ($527,650)
Miles led – Ky. Busch (760.03)
Busch Poles – Ky. Busch, Hamlin (2)
Closing in on Top 10 – Biffle 10th (1215 pts), Ambrose (-15), Bowyer (-31), J. Burton (-40), Ky. Busch (-44)
Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Blaney, Edwards, Harvick (12)Loop Data Statistics:
Driver Rating – Ky. Busch (114.9)
Average Running Position – Edwards (6.987)
Fastest Laps Run – Ky. Busch (237 fastest laps)
Quality Passes – Edwards (573)
Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (2,053 of a possible 2,189)Three Different Manufacturer Winners In Last Three Races At LMS
- Chevy retains its comfortable lead in the Bill France Performance Cup standings heading to Lowe-s Motor Speedway, but Saturday night-s race is a golden opportunity for any manufacturer to capture a victory there.
- Three different manufacturers have been to Victory Lane in the last three NASCAR Busch Series races at LMS, while two different manufacturers have won the last two CARQUEST Auto Parts events.
Carl Edwards and Ford won this event last year and Edwards was fastest in each of the four sessions over two days of testing at the track last week. Kevin Harvick won at LMS last fall in his #33 Dollar General Chevy, the car he will drive Saturday night. Harvick also clinched the series title in that event. Ryan Newman took Dodge to victory in the fall race in 2005. - Since 1991, Ford has won 15 races at LMS while Chevy has 14 victories. Dodge has one win while Toyota makes its series debut Saturday at the track.
NASCAR Busch Series Manufacturers’ Standings
Chevy 91
Ford 78
Dodge 49
Toyota 46Up Next: Dover 200 At Dover International Speedway
June kicks off in -monster- fashion as the NASCAR Busch Series heads to Dover International Speedway for the Dover 200 on June 2.
Jeff Burton joined the list of 46 winners last year with his victory. The starting lineup was set by owner points as inclement weather canceled qualifying.
Todd Bodine is the all-time series winner at Dover with three. Harry Gant totaled five Busch Poles, still the standard at the one-mile track nicknamed the -Monster Mile.-
FAST FACTSThe Race: CARQUEST Auto Parts 300
The Place: Lowe-s Motor Speedway
The Date: May 26, 20071
The Time: 8:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: 1.5-mile oval
Race Purse: $1,249,138
2006 Winner: Carl Edwards
2006 Pole: Matt Kenseth2007 Point Standings
No. Driver Points
1 Edwards 1958
2 Harvick 1525
3 Reutimann 1359
4 Blaney 1353
5 Kenseth 1280
6 Ragan 1270
7 Hamilton Jr. 1252
8 Smith 1238
9 Montoya 1227
10 Biffle 1215Schedule:
Thur., May 24 – 1 – 2:00 p.m., Practice; 2:20 – 2:50 p.m. – Rookie Practice; 6 – 7:00 p.m., Final Practice. Sat., May 26 – Qualifying 4:05 p.m. (Impound).
- Additional Lowe’s Busch Race Info at:
lowesmotorspeedway.com
ESPN.com Busch page
TheHotLap.com
Catchfence.com Busch site
NASCAR.com