THE RACE: 2007 DOLLAR GENERAL 300 – LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Busch Series Race #31 of 35 for the 2007 season
- Race: 8:00pm/et, Friday, October 12, 2007 in Concord, NC
- Length: 200 Laps, 300 miles
- TV: ESPN2 – 7:30pm/et
- Radio: PRN
- Purse: $1,268,191
- Announcers: Jerry Punch, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree
- Pit Reporters: Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro
Practice Dates/Times
- Practice: Thursday, October 11, 1:00-2:00pm/et and 6:00-7:00pm/et. Rookie practice: 2:20-2:50pm/et
Qualifying Info
- Qualifying Draw: Thursday, October 11, 12:00pm/et
- Qualifying Time: Friday, October 12, 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.
Goodyear Tire Notes
NASCAR Busch Series — Race No. 31 — Dollar General 300
Lowe’s Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) — Concord, N.C.
Fast Facts for October 11-13, 2007
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials
Number of Tires: Busch Series: Left-side — 600, Right-side – 600
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-4074; Right-side — D-4022
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 87.4 in.; Right-side — 88.7 in.
Technical Inspection Inflation: Left Front — 30 psi; Left Rear — 30 psi; Right Front — 55 psi; Right Rear — 50 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 30 psi; Left Rear — 30 psi; Right Front — 54 psi; Right Rear — 50 psi
Notes: This is the same specific combination of left- and right-side tires that Goodyear brought for teams in the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series to run at Charlotte in October 2006 . . . this is the fourth straight Charlotte race weekend that teams in these two series have run this right-side tire code (D-4022), dating back to May ’06 . . . in addition to Charlotte, Cup and Busch teams ran this right-side code at Las Vegas earlier this season . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Charlotte . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
ENTRY, PRACTICE, QUALIFYING, AND RACE INFORMATION
- Jeff Burton wins at Lowes: The final restart saw Jeff Burton take a commanding lead to pick up the win in the Dollar General 300 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Burton led the final 61 laps of the race. It was Burton’s fourth win of the 2007 season; his third victory and 12th top-10 finish in 28 races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. #5-Kyle Busch managed to get by Dale Earnhardt Jr. late in the race to pick up the number two position. Rounding out the top ten were #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #18-Aric Almirola, #20-Denny Hamlin, #6-David Ragan, #55-Robby Gordon, #2-Clint Bowyer, #47-Kelly Bires, #33-Kevin Harvick. Points leader Carl Edwards lost an opportunity to sew up the Championship when he was involved in a multi-car melee on lap 133. There were 11 lead changes among five drivers; 10 caution flags for 44 laps.(10-12-2007)
NASCAR Race Number 31
Unofficial Race Results for the Dollar General “300” – Friday, October 12, 2007
Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, NC – 1.5 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 300 Miles – Purse: $1,268,191Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Total Award Status Times Laps 1 13 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 200 195 10 $74,350 Running 1 61 2 24 5 Kyle Busch Sta-Green Winterizer/Lowe’s 200 170 $53,350 Running 3 26 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Menards / Super Clean Chevy 200 165 $35,900 Running 4 7 18 Aric Almirola Slim Jim Monster Chevy 200 160 $39,300 Running 5 6 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 200 155 $34,125 Running 6 10 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 200 150 $25,450 Running 7 29 55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford 200 146 $22,485 Running 8 16 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 200 147 5 $21,395 Running 1 10 9 30 47 Kelly Bires AutoZone / Armor All Ford 200 138 $30,000 Running 10 25 33 Kevin Harvick Dollar General Chevy 200 134 $27,275 Running 11 35 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 200 130 $29,163 Running 12 8 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 200 127 $27,997 Running 13 19 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 200 124 $31,872 Running 14 20 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 200 121 $22,575 Running 15 32 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 200 118 $25,647 Running 16 23 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 200 115 $23,172 Running 17 12 9 Kasey Kahne Klondike Dodge 200 117 5 $21,925 Running 1 16 18 9 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 200 109 $22,797 Running 19 27 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips / Meet the Robinsons 200 106 $22,997 Running 20 14 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 200 103 $18,875 Running 21 38 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 200 100 $22,297 Running 22 42 27 Casey Atwood Kleenex / Breast Cancer Research 199 97 $17,650 Running 23 34 36 Jeremy Clements Saxon Group Chevy 198 94 $22,472 Running 24 17 30 Stanton Barrett Smith & Wesson Chevy 196 91 $15,750 Running 25 15 66 Reed Sorenson HomeLife Communities Dodge 181 88 $22,047 Accident 26 28 42 AJ Allmendinger Memorex Dodge 179 85 $22,775 Running 27 21 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 173 82 $17,150 Running 28 22 37 Brad Baker Kick Butt Energy Ballz Ford 168 79 $17,075 Running 29 11 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar / CancerCare Dodge 142 76 $20,392 Accident 30 1 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 140 78 5 $28,625 Accident 6 53 31 2 17 Matt Kenseth iLevel Structurwood Ford 133 70 $15,220 Accident 32 31 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevy 132 67 $14,885 Accident 33 5 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Winterguard Ford 132 69 5 $20,425 Accident 3 60 34 36 11 Jason Keller Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce 130 61 $20,182 Accident 35 40 28 Blake Bjorklund Pup-Peroni/Milkbone/9 Lives/Kibbles 122 58 $14,985 Engine 36 4 10 Dave Blaney HASS Avocados from Mexico Toyota 121 55 $16,850 Engine 37 41 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 118 52 $14,715 Engine 38 3 26 Jamie McMurray Dish Network Ford 106 49 $14,810 Accident 39 33 92 Bobby Santos Bill Davis Racing Toyota 95 46 $16,610 Accident 40 18 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Charcoal / Bush’s Baked 27 43 $16,590 Accident 41 39 54 Carl Long Fridell-Carter Motorsports Dodge 27 40 $16,565 Ignition 42 37 1 Kertus Davis RACEGIRL Chevy 16 37 $16,525 Transmission 43 43 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 14 34 $14,492 /TD> Handling Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 95,000 – Jeff Burton won the Dollar General 300, his 26th career NASCAR Busch Series victory. Prior to the green flag the following driver(s) dropped to the rear for the reason(s) indicated: #01 Davis, #29 Burton, #92 Santos (engine change); #1 Yeley, #27 Atwood, #28 Bjorklund, #42 Allmendinger (backup); #54 Long (missed drivers meeting). Failed to Qualify: (3) 0 Eric McClure, 72 D.J. Kennington, 61 Travis Kittleson. Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 29 Mins, 40 Secs. Average Speed: 120.267 MPH Margin of Victory: 1.598 Seconds Caution Flags: 10 for 44 laps: Laps: 28-31 (#59 accident turn 4); 34-36 (#25 accident turn 2); 87-90 (Debris); 97-99 (#92 accident backstretch); 107-110 (#26 accident turn 2); 127-132 (Oil on track); 134-137 (#11,171,48,60 accident backstretch); 140-145 (#2,16,22,36,90 accident frontstretch); 148-150 (#38 accident turn 4); 183-189 (#66 accident turn 4). Lead Changes: 11 among 5 drivers: G. Biffle 1-28; K. Kahne 29-44; G. Biffle 45-58; C. Edwards 59-86; G. Biffle 87; C. Edwards 88-91; G. Biffle 92-99; C. Edwards 100-127; G. Biffle 128; C. Bowyer 129-138; G. Biffle 139; J. Burton 140-200. Top 10 Driver Points: (1) C. Edwards 4,276;(2) D. Reutimann 3,638;(3) K. Harvick 3,523;(4) J. Leffler 3,451;(5) D. Ragan # 3,299;(6) B. Hamilton Jr. 3,264;(7) G. Biffle 3,136;(8) S. Leicht 3,046;(9) M. Ambrose # 2,987;(10) M. Kenseth 2,981. Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Kelly Bires, #47 (131.927 Seconds) Featherlite “Most Improved Driver Kelly Bires, #47 (31 Places) Raybestos “Rookie of the Race David Ragan, #6 Sunoco Diamond Performance Jeff Burton, #29
- Edwards points lead now 638: Carl Edwards now holds a 638 point lead with 4276 following race #31 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Rounding out the top ten are #99-David Reutimann, #33-Kevin Harvick, #38-Jason Leffler, #35-Bobby Hamilton Jr., #16-Greg Biffle, #90-Stephen Leicht, #59-Marcos Ambrose, #17-Matt Kenseth.(10-12-2007)
Points Report
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Dollar General 300
UNOFFICAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Friday, 10/12/2007 @ 11:39 PM Eastern UNOFFICALPos Driver BPts Points Ldr 1 Carl Edwards 125 4276 0 2 David Reutimann 20 3638 -638 3 Kevin Harvick 60 3523 -753 4 Jason Leffler 30 3451 -825 5 David Ragan # 20 3299 -977 6 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 5 3264 -1012 7 Greg Biffle 55 3136 -1140 8 Stephen Leicht 15 3046 -1230 9 Marcos Ambrose # 15 2987 -1289 10 Matt Kenseth 80 2981 -1295 11 Mike Wallace 60 2959 -1317 12 Denny Hamlin 70 2841 -1435 13 Clint Bowyer 50 2801 -1475 14 Scott Wimmer 25 2757 -1519 15 Jeff Burton 75 2665 -1611 16 Kyle Busch 105 2573 -1703 17 J.J. Yeley 10 2522 -1754 18 Kyle Krisiloff # 0 2515 -1761 19 Steve Wallace 15 2487 -1789 20 Casey Mears 20 2418 -1858 21 Dave Blaney 15 2401 -1875 22 Brent Sherman 20 2273 -2003 23 Mike Bliss 10 2238 -2038 24 Kasey Kahne 35 1956 -2320 25 Jamie McMurray 5 1941 -2335 26 Reed Sorenson 15 1881 -2395 27 Bobby Labonte 10 1853 -2423 28 Aric Almirola 20 1850 -2426 29 Jason Keller 10 1825 -2451 30 Regan Smith 25 1820 -2456 31 Brad Keselowski # 5 1792 -2484 32 Shane Huffman 5 1727 -2549 33 Juan Pablo Montoya 20 1689 -2587 34 Todd Kluever 15 1687 -2589 35 Brad Coleman 10 1616 -2660 36 David Gilliland 5 1597 -2679 37 Tony Stewart 15 1567 -2709 38 Ward Burton 0 1555 -2721 39 David Stremme 10 1554 -2722 40 Eric McClure 5 1517 -2759 41 Kelly Bires 10 1393 -2883 42 Paul Menard 0 1208 -3068 43 Jon Wood 0 1154 -3122 44 Stanton Barrett 0 1057 -3219 45 Robert Richardson 5 954 -3322 46 Robby Gordon 0 903 -3373 47 Richard Johns 0 902 -3374 48 Ryan Newman 20 851 -3425 49 Danny O’quinn, Jr 0 834 -3442 50 Kevin Hamlin 5 748 -3528 51 Morgan Shepherd 0 738 -3538 52 Brian Vickers 15 714 -3562 53 Bobby East 5 679 -3597 54 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10 668 -3608 55 Todd Bodine 5 655 -3621 56 D J Kennington 0 651 -3625 57 Timothy Peters 0 646 -3630 58 Johnny Sauter 0 587 -3689 59 Cale Gale 0 582 -3694 60 Mark Green 0 577 -3699 61 Mark Martin 0 573 -3703 62 Chase Miller 0 551 -3725 63 Kurt Busch 20 527 -3749 64 Kevin Conway 0 523 -3753 65 Justin Diercks 0 505 -3771 66 Kertus Davis 0 504 -3772 67 Tony Raines 0 500 -3776 68 Timothy McCreadie 0 485 -3791 69 Ron Hornaday, Jr 5 481 -3795 70 Scott Riggs 0 460 -3816 71 Sam Hornish, Jr 0 456 -3820 72 Boris Said 5 452 -3824 73 AJ Allmendinger 0 449 -3827 74 Derrike Cope 0 440 -3836 75 Brett Rowe 0 427 -3849 76 Scott Pruett 10 395 -3881 77 Jimmie Johnson 10 387 -3889 78 Jay Sauter 0 376 -3900 79 Martin Truex, Jr 10 370 -3906 80 Landon Cassill 0 346 -3930 81 Ron Fellows 10 328 -3948 82 Casey Atwood 0 327 -3949 83 Kevin Lepage 0 306 -3970 84 Mike Harmon 0 301 -3975 85 Joe Nemechek 0 300 -3976 86 Jorge Goeters 5 297 -3979 87 Brad Teague 0 295 -3981 88 David Green 0 294 -3982 89 Patrick Carpentier 5 256 -4020 90 Bryan Clauson 0 255 -4021 91 Jeff Green 0 255 -4021 92 Andy Pilgrim 0 236 -4040 93 Bobby Santos 0 235 -4041 94 Donnie Neuenberger 5 228 -4048 95 Andy Lally 0 210 -4066 96 Alex Garcia 0 210 -4066 97 Max Papis 0 205 -4071 98 John Graham 0 204 -4072 99 Michel Jourdain 0 203 -4073 100 Frank Kreyer 0 189 -4087 101 Chris Horn 0 174 -4102 102 Travis Kvapil 0 170 -4106 103 Brian Keselowski 0 158 -4118 104 Jerick Johnson 0 157 -4119 105 Marc Mitchell 0 155 -4121 106 Kenny Wallace 0 146 -4130 107 Ron Young 0 143 -4133 108 Adrian Fernandez 0 138 -4138 109 Johnny Benson 0 138 -4138 110 Shelby Howard 0 137 -4139 111 Justin Ashburn 0 134 -4142 112 Trevor Boys 0 134 -4142 113 Niclas Jonsson 5 132 -4144 114 Danny Efland 0 132 -4144 115 Blake Bjorklund 0 131 -4145 116 Elliott Sadler 0 121 -4155 117 Scott Lagasse 0 119 -4157 118 Sterling Marlin 0 118 -4158 119 Travis Kittleson 0 112 -4164 120 Josh Wise 0 106 -4170 121 Carl Long 0 104 -4172 122 J R Fitzpatrick 0 98 -4178 123 Brian Simo 0 97 -4179 124 Carlos Contreras 5 97 -4179 125 Jeremy Clements 0 94 -4182 126 Todd Souza 0 94 -4182 127 Dale Jarrett 0 94 -4182 128 P J Jones 0 91 -4185 129 Scott Gaylord 0 89 -4187 130 Steve Grissom 0 88 -4188 131 Kerry Earnhardt 0 88 -4188 132 German Quiroga 5 84 -4192 133 Brad Baker 0 79 -4197 134 Rogelio Lopez 0 76 -4200 135 Mike MacKenzie 0 64 -4212 136 Deac McCaskill 5 63 -4213 137 Michael Valiante 0 61 -4215 138 A J Frank 0 52 -4224 139 Ian Henderson 0 52 -4224 140 Dange Hanniford 0 49 -4227 141 Larry Foyt 0 49 -4227 142 Jeff Fuller 0 49 -4227 143 John Andretti 0 46 -4230 144 John Young 0 46 -4230 145 Jamie Mosley 0 43 -4233 146 Joe Fox 0 40 -4236 147 Eddie MacDonald 0 40 -4236 148 Caleb Holman 0 37 -4239 149 Mike Potter 0 37 -4239 150 John Borneman 0 37 -4239 151 Randy MacDonald 0 34 -4242 152 Michael Waltrip 0 34 -4242 153 Jason White 0 0 -4276 154 Ruben Pardo 0 0 -4276 155 Tono Perez 0 0 -4276
- Owner point standings: Richard Childress [#29] retained the lead in the car owner championship, leading Joe Gibbs [#20] by 116 points and Jack Roush [#60].(Unofficial)(10-12-2007)
Owner Points Following Race # 31
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Dollar General 300
UNOFFICIAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Friday, 10/12/2007 @ 10:52 PM Eastern UNOFFICIALPos Owner Car # Points Ldr 1 Richard Childress 29 4,456 0 2 Joe Gibbs 20 4,340 -116 3 Jack Roush 60 4,276 -180 4 Richard Childress 21 4,131 -325 5 Michael Waltrip 99 3,638 -818 6 Ray Evernham 9 3,603 -853 7 Delana Harvick 33 3,588 -868 8 Armando Fitz 22 3,457 -999 9 Todd Braun 38 3,451 -1,005 10 Delana Harvick 77 3,364 -1,092 11 Jack Roush 17 3,363 -1,093 12 Gregory Pollex 10 3,319 -1,137 13 Jack Roush 6 3,299 -1,157 14 Jack Roush 16 3,269 -1,187 15 Gary Weisbaum 35 3,264 -1,192 16 Rick Hendrick 5 3,253 -1,203 17 Chip Ganassi 41 3,186 -1,270 18 Dale Earnhardt, Jr 88 3,137 -1,319 19 Floyd Ganassi 42 3,065 -1,391 20 Robert Yates 90 3,046 -1,410 21 Tammy Brewer 27 3,041 -1,415 22 Joe Gibbs 18 3,031 -1,425 23 Clarence Brewer 37 3,029 -1,427 24 James Finch 1 3,005 -1,451 25 Tad Geschickter 59 2,987 -1,469 26 James Finch 7 2,959 -1,497 27 Jodi Geschickter 47 2,827 -1,629 28 Richard Childress 2 2,707 -1,749 29 Edward Rensi 25 2,584 -1,872 30 Rusty Wallace 66 2,575 -1,881 31 Rick Hendrick 24 2,544 -1,912 32 Gregory Pollex 14 2,515 -1,941 33 John McGill 36 2,367 -2,089 34 Joe Custer 28 2,317 -2,139 35 Bobby Ginn 4 1,820 -2,636 36 Keith Duesenberg 0 1,815 -2,641 37 Roger Penske 12 1,664 -2,792 38 Jack Roush 26 1,461 -2,995 39 Bryan Mullet 11 1,291 -3,165 40 Teresa Earnhardt 15 1,208 -3,248 41 Mary Louise Miller 170 1,107 -3,349 42 Stanton Barrett 30 1,084 -3,372 43 Jimmy Means 252 890 -3,566 44 John McNelly 156 800 -3,656 45 Johnny Davis 1 798 -3,658 46 Pat MacDonald 72 793 -3,663 47 Keith Coleman 23 758 -3,698 48 Teresa Earnhardt 8 722 -3,734 49 Robby Gordon 55 695 -3,761 50 Cindy Shepherd 89 692 -3,764 51 Frank Cicci 34 592 -3,864 52 Steve Germain 103 505 -3,951 53 Wayne Day 105 434 -4,022 54 Bill Riley 91 431 -4,025 55 Donnie Richardson 244 397 -4,059 56 Rick Hendrick 48 387 -4,069 57 Todd Braun 32 353 -4,103 58 Andrea Nemechek 87 300 -4,156 59 Jack Roush 106 282 -4,174 60 Alex Garcia 298 235 -4,221 61 Fred Horn 158 205 -4,251 62 Teresa Earnhardt 111 195 -4,261 63 James Rowe 273 186 -4,270 64 Jerry Young 171 174 -4,282 65 Gina MacDonald 271 174 -4,282 66 Roger Penske 139 170 -4,286 67 Dusty Whitney 249 158 -4,298 68 Jack Johnson 176 157 -4,299 69 Susan Spraker 163 152 -4,304 70 Jay Robinson 149 139 -4,317 71 Charles Fridell, Jr 54 104 -4,352 72 Eddie D’hondt 92 98 -4,358 73 Kelly Souza 113 94 -4,362 74 Michael Waltrip 344 94 -4,362 75 Armando Fitz 144 80 -4,376 76 Tom Eriksen 167 76 -4,380 77 Chris Lencheski 130 70 -4,386 78 Lori Morgan 200 68 -4,388 79 Stanton Barrett 231 49 -4,407 80 John Young 146 46 -4,410 81 Charles Henderson 175 37 -4,419 82 Robert Richardson 180 31 -4,425 83 Jeff Barrister 250 31 -4,425 84 Jim Braddock 254 31 -4,425 85 J L Pennington 208 25 -4,431 86 Brian Carter 61 25 -4,431 87 Earl Sadler 195 22 -4,434
- Biffle on pole at Lowes: Greg Biffle will start from the pole for the Dollar General 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway after posting a top speed of 183.511. Rounding out the top ten were #17-Matt Kenseth, #26-Jamie McMurray, #10-Dave Blaney, #60-Carl Edwards, #20-Denny Hamlin, #18-Aric Almirola, #99-David Reutimann, #90-Stephen Leicht, #6-David Ragan. Four incidents during qualifying; all got loose coming off turn four making contact with the wall; #42-AJ Allmendinger; #28-Blake Bjorklund, #1-J.J. Yeley; #28-Casey Atwood. DNQ; #0-Eric McClure#72-D.J. Kennington, #61-Travis Kittleson.(10-12-2007)
Starting Line Up by Row UPDATED
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Dollar General 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, October 12, 2007 @ 06:12 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed 1 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 29.426 183.511 2 17 Matt Kenseth iLevel Structurwood Ford 29.519 182.933 3 26 Jamie McMurray Dish Network Ford 29.535 182.834 4 10 Dave Blaney HASS Avocados from Mexico Toyota 29.558 182.692 5 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Winterguard Ford 29.603 182.414 6 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 29.631 182.242 7 18 Aric Almirola Slim Jim Monster Chevy 29.674 181.977 8 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 29.679 181.947 9 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 29.712 181.745 10 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 29.752 181.500 11 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar / CancerCare Dodge 29.766 181.415 12 9 Kasey Kahne Klondike Dodge 29.784 181.305 13 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 29.795 181.238 14 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 29.796 181.232 15 66 Reed Sorenson HomeLife Communities Dodge 29.823 181.068 16 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 29.827 181.044 17 30 Stanton Barrett Smith & Wesson Chevy 29.837 180.983 18 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Charcoal / Bush’s Baked Beans 29.853 180.886 19 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 29.913 180.524 20 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 29.920 180.481 21 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 29.938 180.373 22 37 Brad Baker Kick Butt Energy Ballz Ford 29.945 180.331 23 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 29.964 180.216 24 5 Kyle Busch Sta-Green Winterizer/Lowe’s Chevy 29.982 180.108 25 33 Kevin Harvick Dollar General Chevy 30.021 179.874 26 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Menards / Super Clean Chevy 30.039 179.766 27 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips / Meet the Robinsons Toyota 30.085 179.491 28 42 AJ Allmendinger Memorex Dodge 30.139 179.170 29 55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford 30.143 179.146 30 47 Kelly Bires AutoZone / Armor All Ford 30.146 179.128 31 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevy 30.187 178.885 32 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 30.195 178.838 33 92 Bobby Santos Bill Davis Racing Toyota 30.248 178.524 34 36 Jeremy Clements Saxon Group Chevy 30.336 178.006 35 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 30.372 177.795 36 11 Jason Keller Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce 30.614 176.390 37 1 Kertus Davis RACEGIRL Chevy 30.676 176.033 38 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 30.756 175.575 39 54 Carl Long Fridell-Carter Motorsports Dodge 31.139 173.416 40 28 Blake Bjorklund Puperoni/Milkbone/9 Lives/Kibbles & Bits Owner Points 41 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy Owner Points 42 27 Casey Atwood Kleenex / Breast Cancer Research Owner Points 43 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 31.140 173.410 DNQ;#0-Eric McClure; #72-D.J. Kennington; #61-Travis Kittleson UPDATED
- Biffle paces Happy Hour at Lowes: #16-Greg Biffle was the fastest in the final practice session with a speed of 183.623 followed by #21-Scott Wimmer second, #99-David Reutimann third, #5-Kyle Bush fourth, #2-Clint Bowyer fifth, #17-Matt Kenseth sixth, #22-Mike Bliss seventh, #6-David Ragan eighth, #59-Marcos Ambrose ninth, #38-Jason Leffler tenth; two slowest cars; #0-Eric McClure; #46-Travis Kittleson. Two incidents brought out the red-flag; #20-Denny Hamlin brushed the wall in Turn 1; #72-D.J. Kennington got into the wall coming off Turn 4. There were 46 cars on track for the final practice session.(10-11-2007)
NBS Final Practice (HAPPY HOUR)
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Dollar General 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, October 11, 2007 @ 07:01 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 29.408 183.624 29 2 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 29.455 183.331 27 3 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 29.467 183.256 18 4 *5 Kyle Busch Sta-Green Winterizer/Lowe’s Chevy 29.480 183.175 21 5 *2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 29.504 183.026 27 6 *17 Matt Kenseth iLevel Structurwood Ford 29.511 182.983 25 7 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar / CancerCare Dodge 29.565 182.648 28 8 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 29.592 182.482 22 9 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Charcoal / Bush’s Baked Beans 29.627 182.266 28 10 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips / Meet the Robinsons Toyota 29.643 182.168 26 11 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 29.648 182.137 28 12 10 Dave Blaney HASS Avocados from Mexico Toyota 29.698 181.830 31 13 42 AJ Allmendinger Memorex Dodge 29.715 181.726 27 14 *55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford 29.782 181.318 26 15 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 29.791 181.263 29 16 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Winterguard Ford 29.819 181.093 19 17 27 Casey Atwood Kleenex / Breast Cancer Research 29.820 181.087 31 18 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 29.856 180.868 30 19 *48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevy 29.857 180.862 24 20 37 Brad Baker Kick Butt Energy Ballz Ford 29.865 180.814 30 21 18 Aric Almirola Slim Jim Monster Chevy 29.876 180.747 20 22 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 29.887 180.681 39 23 9 Kasey Kahne Klondike Dodge 29.914 180.517 34 24 47 Kelly Bires AutoZone / Armor All Ford 29.931 180.415 39 25 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 29.987 180.078 26 26 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 29.995 180.030 24 27 *8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Menards / Super Clean Chevy 30.007 179.958 28 28 33 Kevin Harvick Dollar General Chevy 30.035 179.790 24 29 *26 Jamie McMurray Dish Network Ford 30.070 179.581 13 30 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 30.154 179.081 19 31 36 Jeremy Clements Saxon Group Chevy 30.270 178.394 26 32 *30 Stanton Barrett Smith & Wesson Chevy 30.280 178.336 24 33 *11 Jason Keller Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce 30.327 178.059 21 34 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 30.363 177.848 34 35 *54 Carl Long Fridell-Carter Motorsports Dodge 30.365 177.836 9 36 28 Blake Bjorklund Pup-Peroni/Milkbone/9 Lives/Kibbles & Bits 30.379 177.754 23 37 66 Reed Sorenson HomeLife Communities Dodge 30.479 177.171 24 38 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 30.507 177.009 23 39 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 30.595 176.499 20 40 *92 Bobby Santos Bill Davis Racing Toyota 30.621 176.350 23 41 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 30.627 176.315 24 42 *01 Kertus Davis RACEGIRL Chevy 31.231 172.905 12 43 *89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 31.256 172.767 10 44 *72 D.J. Kennington Vector Security Dodge 31.395 172.002 8 45 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 31.797 169.827 15 46 *61 Travis Kittleson Red Clay Industries/Concrete Supply 31.833 169.635 22 *Required to qualify on time
NBS Rookie Practice
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Dollar General 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, October 11, 2007 @ 02:31 PM CentralPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 30.282 178.324 12 2 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Charcoal/Bush’s Baked Beans 30.334 178.018 8 3 36 Jeremy Clements Saxon Group Chevy 30.414 177.55 5 4 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 30.431 177.451 16 5 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 30.437 177.416 13 6 47 Kelly Bires AutoZone / Armor All Ford 30.488 177.119 17 7 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 30.547 176.777 14 8 *92 Bobby Santos Bill Davis Racing Toyota 30.674 176.045 17 9 28 Blake Bjorklund Puperoni/Milkbone/9 Lives/Kibbles & Bits 30.824 175.188 9 10 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 30.848 175.052 17 11 *72 D.J. Kennington Vector Security Dodge 31.437 171.772 11 12 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 32.009 168.703 6 *Required to qualify on time
- Edwards quickest in first practice: #60-Carl Edwards was the fastest on track at Lowes Motor Speedway with a speed of 179.790 followed by #21-Scott Wimmer second, #16-Greg Biffle third, #2-Clint Bowyer fourth, #10-Dave Blaney fifth, #99-David Reutimann sixth, #27-Casey Atwood seventh, #18-Aric Almirola eighth, #33-Kevin Harvick ninth, #77-Bobby Labonte tenth. Two slowest on track; #89-Morgan Shepherd; #61-Travis Kittleson. Practice red-flagged for a spin across the grass by #61-Travis Kittleson; no damage of note. There were 46 cars on track for the first practice session.(10-11-2007)
NBS Practice 1
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Dollar General 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, October 11, 2007 @ 02:30 PM CentralPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Winterguard Ford 30.035 179.790 15 2 21 Scott Wimmer AutoZone Chevy 30.151 179.099 24 3 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 30.168 178.998 21 4 *2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 30.199 178.814 30 5 10 Dave Blaney HASS Avocados from Mexico Toyota 30.204 178.784 15 6 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 30.256 178.477 17 7 27 Casey Atwood Kleenex / Breast Cancer Research 30.285 178.306 19 8 18 Aric Almirola Slim Jim Monster Chevy 30.309 178.165 29 9 33 Kevin Harvick Dollar General Chevy 30.309 178.165 15 10 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy 30.316 178.124 20 11 *26 Jamie McMurray Dish Network Ford 30.338 177.995 25 12 9 Kasey Kahne Klondike Dodge 30.343 177.965 11 13 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 30.379 177.754 21 14 42 AJ Allmendinger Memorex Dodge 30.388 177.702 26 15 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 30.396 177.655 31 16 *55 Robby Gordon Verzion Wireless Ford 30.396 177.655 17 17 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford Charcoal / Bush’s Baked Beans 30.415 177.544 33 18 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips / Meet the Robinsons Toyota 30.426 177.480 21 19 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 30.432 177.445 39 20 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar / CancerCare Dodge 30.443 177.381 30 21 *8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Menards / Super Clean Chevy 30.444 177.375 19 22 *5 Kyle Busch Sta-Green Winterizer/Lowe’s Chevy 30.458 177.293 21 23 *48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevy 30.475 177.194 22 24 *17 Matt Kenseth iLevel Structurwood Ford 30.479 177.171 8 25 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 30.519 176.939 32 26 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 30.554 176.736 28 27 66 Reed Sorenson HomeLife Communities Dodge 30.576 176.609 24 28 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy 30.623 176.338 21 29 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 30.629 176.304 22 30 37 Brad Baker Kick Butt Energy Ballz Ford 30.634 176.275 39 31 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 30.650 176.183 23 32 47 Kelly Bires AutoZone / Armor All Ford 30.651 176.177 19 33 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 30.689 175.959 41 34 36 Jeremy Clements Saxon Group Chevy 30.700 175.896 28 35 *11 Jason Keller Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbeque Sauce 30.734 175.701 23 36 *30 Stanton Barrett Smith & Wesson Chevy 30.751 175.604 23 37 28 Blake Bjorklund Puperoni/Milkbone/9 Lives/Kibbles & Bits 30.86 174.984 22 38 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 30.885 174.842 27 39 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 30.923 174.627 31 40 *92 Bobby Santos Bill Davis Racing Toyota 31.064 173.835 34 41 *54 Carl Long Fridell-Carter Motorsports Dodge 31.250 172.800 8 42 *89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 31.395 172.002 5 43 *72 D.J. Kennington Vector Security Dodge 31.607 170.848 26 44 *01 Kertus Davis RACEGIRL Chevy 31.806 169.779 6 45 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 32.033 168.576 17 46 *61 Travis Kittleson Red Clay Industries/Concrete Supply 0 0 0 *Required to qualify on time
- Charlotte Entry List: There are 46 drivers on the preliminary entry list for Friday’s Dollar General 300. Casey Atwood is back in the #27 and Brad Baker is in the #37.(10-9-2007)
Entry List
Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Charlotte
Dollar General 300
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Thu, October 11, 2007 @ 02:27 PM CentralEnt Car Driver Team Name Owner 1. 0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy Keith Duesenberg 2. 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resort Chevy James Finch 3. 01 Kertus Davis TBA Chevy Johnny Davis 4. 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy Richard Childress 5. 5 Kyle Busch Sta-Green Winterizer/Lowe’s Chevy Rick Hendrick 6. 6 David Ragan Discount Tire Ford Jack Roush 7. 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy James Finch 8. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr Menards Chevy Teresa Earnhardt 9. 9 Kasey Kahne Klondike Dodge Ray Evernham 10. 10 Dave Blaney Hass Avocados from Mexico Toyota Greg Pollex 11. 11 Jason Keller Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce Bryan Mullet 12. 14 Kyle Krisiloff Lilly/Walgreens Ford Greg Pollex 13. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford Jack Roush 14. 17 Matt Kenseth I Level Ford Jack Roush 15. 18 Aric Almirola Slim Jim Chevy Joe Gibbs 16. 20 Denny Hamlin Rockwell Automation Chevy Joe Gibbs 17. 21 Scott Wimmer Auto Zone Chevy Richard Childress 18. 22 Mike Bliss Family Dollar Dodge Armando Fitz 19. 25 Richard Johns FreeCreditReport.com Ford Ed Rensi 20. 26 Jamie McMurray Dish Network Ford Jack Roush 21. 27 Casey Atwood Kleenex Ford Tammy Brewer 22. 28 Blake Bjorklund Puperoni/Mikbone/9 Lives/Kibbles & Bits Joe Custer 23. 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy Richard Childress 24. 30 Stanton Barrett Smith & Wesson Chevy Stanton Barrett 25. 33 Kevin Harvick Dollar General Chevy Delana Harvick 26. 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr McDonald’s Ford Gary Weisbaum 27. 36 Jeremy Clements TBA Chevy John McGill 28. 37 Brad Baker Kick Buttz Energy Drink Ford Clarence Brewer 29. 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota Todd Braun 30. 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge Chip Ganassi 31. 42 AJ Allmendinger Memorex Dodge Floyd Ganassi 32. 47 Kelly Bires Clorox / American Red Cross Ford Jodi Geschickter 33. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevy Rick Hendrick 34. 54 Carl Long TBA Dodge Charles Fridell 35. 55 Robby Gordon Verizon Wireless Ford Robby Gordon 36. 59 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford Charcoal Ford Tad Geschickter 37. 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Winterguard Ford Jack Roush 38. 61 Travis Kittleson Red Clay Ind/Concrete Supply Chevy Brian Carter 39. 66 Reed Sorenson Homelife Communities Dodge Rusty Wallace 40. 72 D.J. Kennington Vector Security Dodge Pat MacDonald 41. 77 Bobby Labonte Dollar General Chevy Delana Harvick 42. 88 Brad Keselowski U.S. Navy Chevy Dale Earnhardt Jr. 43. 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Dodge Cindy Shepherd 44. 90 Stephen Leicht Citifinancial Ford Robert Yates 45. 92 Bobby Santos Bill Davis Racing Toyota Eddie D’Hondt 46. 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Michael Waltrip Drivers in Red are required to qualify on time. #8-Earhhardt Jr is eligible for the past champion’s provisional.
NASCAR Busch Series News And Notes – Lowe’s
Jason Keller (#11 Sweet Baby Ray’s Chevy) knew this day would come.He’s been looking forward to becoming the NASCAR Busch Series’ all-time leader in starts, a feat he can accomplish Friday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when it’s expected the 37-year-old native of Greenville, S.C., will make the 418th start in a career that has spanned 17 seasons.
But his newest record – he also is the only driver to surpass $11 million in winnings – comes with a bit of melancholy.
Keller must qualify on time in order to break the mark held by Tommy Houston, who last raced in the series in 1996. Houston had 417 starts, 24 wins, 18 poles, settimg the series standard with 123 top fives and 198 top 10s – marks that still stand.
And that’s where the bittersweet taste comes in: Houston is one of Keller’s idols.
“It’s definitely an honor to be part of the Busch Series as long as I have been,” Keller said. “And to have Tommy there (at LMS) … when I first came into the series, I raced against Tommy a lot.
“I’ve definitely respected what he did for the series, and now that it’s grown so much, it’s really because of people like him and some of the guys that originally started.
“So I’m very honored and very proud and hope that we have a good night on Friday.”
Edwards Can Clinch Driver Title; Three Teams Now Vie For Owner Crown
Let the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship scenarios begin.
Driver standings leader Carl Edwards (#60 Scotts Wiinterguard Ford) has his first opportunity Friday night to reach the main goal he set for the 2007 season.
If Edwards – who has led the standings since the third race of the season at Mexico City – leaves Charlotte with a lead of 781 or more points, he will have clinched the title.
He currently leads second-place David Reutimann (#99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) by 696 points.
Reigning series champion Kevin Harvick (#33 Dollar General Chevy) – who clinched the 2006 championship at this event last year – is in third place, 818 points behind Edwards.
And don’t look now, but there are three teams in the running for the NASCAR Busch Series owner championship.
The #29 Holiday Inn Chevy of Richard Childress Racing – shared this year by Jeff Burton (who will drive the car at LMS) and Scott WImmer (in the #21 AutoZone Chevy for RCR this week) – leads the owner standings by 54 points over the Roush Fenway Racing #60 Ford.
But the #20 Rockwell Automation Chevy of Joe Gibbs Racing is in third place, only 76 points behind the #29. Denny Hamlin will be behind the wheel of the #20 Friday night at LMS.
In The Loop: Leicht Could Shine In Charlotte; Hamlin Hopes To Leave LMS Woes Behind
If the remainder of the season is an open audition for Stephen Leicht, Lowe’s Motor Speedway might be the perfect place to take center stage.
Leicht, currently with Robert Yates Racing, will look for a new employer at season’s end. And in two races at LMS, Leicht has impressed. Standing out among a field peppered with double-duty drivers, Leicht has finished 14th and 10th while collecting impressive statistics in the process.
At LMS, Leicht has a Driver Rating of 82.6 (16th-best), an Average Running Position of 13.8 (11th-best) and has spent 67.7% of the total laps run in the top 15 (seventh-best).
Another storyline sure to take shape this week is the three-way battle for the owner championship.
The #29 Chevy, the #60 Ford, and the #20 Chevy are separated by 76 points. Previously, it was a two-team race between the #60 and the #29. Now the combo of Denny Hamlin (18 starts), Aric Almirola (10 starts), Travis Kittleson (one start) and Tony Stewart (one start) have joined the fray.
Friday night, Edwards, Burton and Hamlin will be in their respective rides.
While Edwards and Burton have solid statistics at LMS, Hamlin has struggled there. In five starts at the 1.5-mile track, he has only one top 10 and an average finish of 24.2. Hamlin’s Driver Rating at LMS is a 25th-best 75.6 and his Average Running Position is 17.3 (18th-best).
With a win there last season, Edwards has an LMS Driver Rating of 97.2, an Average Running Position of 12.9 and 67 Fastest Laps Run.
Burton, who finished fourth at LMS in May, has a Driver Rating of 100.4 and an Average Running Position of 14.5 in his three races at LMS since 2005.
NBS, Etc.
• Crew Chief Changes: Tony Eury Jr. and Bruce Cook will be new faces atop pit boxes at LMS this week. Last week Eury, the Director of Competition for JR Motorsports, was named interim crew chief for the #88 U.S. NAVY Chevy of Brad Keselowski for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Bruce Cook, the former car chief on Stephen Leicht’s #90 CitiFinancial Ford, will officially take over as Leicht’s crew chief at LMS. Cook will replace Cully Barraclough, who moved over to oversee the efforts of the #88 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series entry.
• Of Note: David Reutimann has registered a series-best 1,601 points over the last 12 races. … Two-time series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#8 Menards Chevy) is entered in what may be his last NASCAR Busch Series race for DEI. It will be the first time Earnhardt will race against Brad Keselowski since the youngster has been driving for JR Motorsports. … Reed Sorenson will drive the #66 HomeLife Communities Dodge in place of Steve Wallace this week. The one-time- only developmental switch has been made by team owner Rusty Wallace to afford Steve the opportunity to sit out and observe.
The Director’s Take: LMS
“The track has now had some time to age from the new repaving. Teams will be working on getting the most amount of grip they can.
“The two areas they will work in is mechanical grip – how the car keeps the most amount of tire contact area – and aerodynamic grip, or the use of the air pushing the car into the track.
“Corner entry will be the area to watch to see who is mastering the grip puzzle. Drivers who can give the team the right information to keep the car right on the edge will be fast.
“Drivers getting the car too loose trying to be fast and spinning out on corner entry may find out why Lowe’s Motor Speedway has a new nickname – “the Beast of the Southeast.”
“All the usual factors will come into play with shocks, springs and sway bars to keep the car as low as possible (coil bind). Also holding the attitude of the car in order to keep the air flowing over the car and not under will be a factor.
Rookie Spotlight: Slumping Ragan Attempts To Reverse Fortunes With Reverse Paint Scheme
• Ragan Rocked, But Still Solid: Despite finishes of 39th, 32nd and 34th in his last three races, David Ragan (#6 Discount Tire Ford) continues to hold a solid 24-point lead over second-place Marcos Ambrose (#59 Kingsford Ford) in the Raybestos Rookie standings with five races to go. He’s on a quest to become the first driver to win the award in both the NASCAR Busch Series and in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Ragan trails Juan Pablo Montoya in the premier series rookie standings by 14 points with six races remaining. To help reverse his NASCAR Busch Series slump, his team will run a reverse paint scheme at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this week. It will be the first time in the four-year sponsorship history of Discount Tire that a reverse scheme has been used. “We never leave the shop without thinking we have a legitimate chance to win,” crew chief Mike Kelley said, “(but) if this new look gives us some extra luck this weekend, I am all for it.”
• Making Their Way: Future faces of the series will be on display in Charlotte this week. Eighteen-year-old Bryan Clauson (#41 Dodge) and a pair of 22-year-olds – Blake Bjorklund #28 Pupperoni/MilkBone/NineLives/Kibbles & Bits Chevy) and Jeremy Clements (#36 McGill Motorsports Chevy). Clauson is the “veteran” of the group with recent starts at Richmond International Raceway and Kansas Speedway while Bjorklund made his debut at California last month. Clements debuted in 2003 at age 19 at Pikes Peak International Raceway.ESPN2
ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with a live, prime time race from Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. The telecast of the Dollar General 300 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. Allen Bestwick will serve as host of the pre-race show.
Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Charlotte, with analysis by two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree and 1989 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Rusty Wallace. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, while two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.
In addition to coverage of the race, ESPN2 will have a live telecast of NASCAR Busch Series qualifying from Charlotte at 4 p.m. Friday. Coverage of final practice airs at 6 p.m. Thursday.
2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 30 Of 35 Races:
Traditional Statistics:
Driver points – Edwards (4207)
Victories – Harvick (5)
Races led – Edwards (19)
Laps led – Ky. Busch (958)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (14)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (19)
Owner points – Richard Childress Racing (#29) – (4,261)
Money Won – Edwards ($1,092,685)
Miles led – Ky. Busch (1286.08)
Busch Poles – Hamlin (5)
Closest to 10th – Kenseth 10th (2911 pts); 11th – M. Wallace -70
Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Edwards, Harvick (30)Loop Data Statistics:
Driver Rating – Edwards (107.0)
Average Running Position – Edwards (9.7)
Fastest Laps Run – Edwards (491 fastest laps)
Quality Passes – Edwards (933)
Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (4,470 of a possible 5,500)Toyota In Final-Opportunity Stretch To Surpass Dodge
Toyota, which has had a strong second half of the season starting off with its first series win by Jason Leffler on July 28 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, has five races left in order to catch third-place Dodge and escape the manufacturer standings cellar in its first year of series competition.
Chevy clinched its 14th Bill France Performance Cup last month while Ford’s second-place advantage over Dodge stands at 41 points at this stage of the year.
Although Ford (15) and Chevy (14) have the most manufacturer wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Dodge has won two of the last four races, including this event last year. Dave Blaney captured his first series win in that race and this season, he drives for upstart Toyota. He finished 10th in this year’s spring race at LMS while Kasey Kahne took Dodge to Victory Lane in that event.
Manufacturers’ Championship 2007 Point Standings
Chevy 228
Ford 176
Dodge 135
Toyota 121Up Next: Sam’s Town 250 At Memphis Motorsports Park
Next week is the final open week of the 2007 season for the NASCAR Busch Series which will be followed by the last stand-alone event of the year.
The Sam’s Town 250 will run Saturday, Oct. 28 at Memphis Motorsports Park. ESPN2 will carry the race live beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET
Reigning series champion Kevin Harvick won the race last year and clinched the owner championship for Richard Childress in the process. The victory was Harvick’s second at the .75-mile track – the last short track on the schedule. He’s the only driver with multiple wins there. Four series champions have won this race over its eight-year history: Harvick, Jeff Green, Randy LaJoie and Martin Truex Jr.
Johnny Sauter captured the Busch Pole last year. Green and Truex are the only drivers to win more than one pole at Memphis.
FAST FACTS
The Race: Dollar General 300
The Place: Lowe’s Motor Speedway
The Date: Oct. 12, 20071
The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: 1.5-mile oval
Race Purse: $1,268,191
2006 Winner: Dave Blaney
2006 Pole: Carl Edwards2007 Point Standings:
Pos. Driver Pts
1 Edwards 4,207
2 Reutimann 3,511
3 Harvick 3,389
4 Leffler 3,345
5 Ragan 3,149
6 Hamilton Jr. 3,149
7 Biffle 3,058
8 Ambrose 2,944
9 Leicht 2,937
10 Kenseth 2,911Pre-Race Schedule:
Thursday: Practice, 1-2:00 p.m.; Rookie Practice, 2:20-2:50 p.m.; Final Practice, 6-7:00 p.m. Qualifying, 4:05 p.m. (impound).
- Additional California Busch Race Info at:
calforniaspeedway.com
ESPN.com Busch page
TheHotLap.com
Catchfence.com Busch site
NASCAR.com