THE RACE: 2007 KROGER 200 – O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK
Busch Series Race #22 of 35 for the 2007 season
- Race: 8:00pm/et, Saturday, July 28, 2007 in Clermont, IN
- Length: 200 Laps, 137.2 miles
- TV: ESPN2 – 7:30pm/et
- Radio: MRN
- Purse: $1,027,504
- Announcers: Marty Reid, Randy Lajoie
- Pit Reporters: Jack Arute, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch
Practice Dates/Times
- Practice: Saturday, July 28, 9:00-10:10am/et & 11:00am-12:00pm/et. Rookie practice, 10:20-10:50am/et.
Qualifying Info
- Qualifying Draw: Saturday, July 28, 8:00am/et
- Qualifying Time: Saturday, July 28, 4:35pm/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
Busch Series — Race No. 22 — Kroger 200
O’Reilly Raceway Park (0.686-mile oval) — Clermont, Ind.
Fast Facts for July 28, 2007
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Intermediate Radials (Busch Series); Number of Tires: Left-side — 500, Right-side — 500;
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-4104; Right-side — D-4106
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 87.4 in.; Right-side — 88.6 in.
Technical Inspection Inflation: Left Front — 25 psi; Left Rear — 25 psi; Right Front — 25 psi; Right Rear — 25 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 12 psi; Left Rear — 12 psi; Right Front — 23 psi; Right Rear — 21 psi
Estimated Pit Window: Every 125-135 laps, based on fuel mileage
Notes: Both the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series will run the same tire codes this weekend, though the Busch Series tires will be branded “Goodyear Eagle,” while the Craftsman Truck tires will be branded “Goodyear Wrangler” . . . this is Goodyear’s intermediate/flat track tire setup and has already been run at many major NASCAR tracks in 2007, including Gateway, Milwaukee, New Hampshire, Phoenix and Richmond . . . as on most NASCAR ovals less than one-mile in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at ORP.
ENTRY, PRACTICE, QUALIFYING, AND RACE INFORMATION
- Leffler gives Toyota their first win! Great side-by-side racing saw #38-Jason Leffler emerge the winner in the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park. In a tough battle with Reutimann to take over second place, Leffler went on to challenge then race leader, #16-Greg Biffle, and with just three laps remaining took over the top spot to give Toyota their first win in the Busch Series. #16-Greg Biffle finished second, #99-David Reutimann third, #60-Carl Edwards fourth, #77-Ron Hornaday fifth. Rounding out the top ten were #20-Aric Almirola, #29-Scott Wimmer, #42-Kevin Hamlin, #10-Mike Bliss, and #88-Brad Keselowski. Biffle led the most laps with 94; pole-sitter, Aric Almirola, 87 laps. There were 10 lead changes among 8 drivers, and 8 cautions for 36 laps.(7-28-2007)
NASCAR Race Number 22
Unofficial Race Results for the Kroger “200” – Saturday, July 28, 2007
O’Reilly Raceway Park – Clermont, IN – .69 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 137.2 Miles – Purse: $1,027,504Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Total Award Status Times Laps 1 5 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 200 190 5 $61,266 Running 1 3 2 10 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 200 180 10 $37,425 Running 2 94 3 6 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 200 165 $33,937 Running 4 8 60 Carl Edwards Dish Network/TheWeatherChannel 200 165 5 $24,825 Running 1 1 5 3 77 Ron Hornaday Dollar General Chevy 200 160 5 $25,400 Running 2 5 6 1 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automotive Chevy 200 155 5 $34,287 Running 2 87 7 16 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 200 146 $27,412 Running 8 30 42 Kevin Hamlin Texaco/Havoline Dodge 200 142 $21,700 Running 9 22 10 Mike Bliss Fan1st.com Toyota 200 138 $20,887 Running 10 15 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 200 134 $19,850 Running 11 13 27 Jason Keller Marsh/Huggies Ford 200 130 $16,500 Running 12 17 21 Tim McCreadie Camping World Chevy 200 127 $21,100 Running 13 28 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Eckrich/Kroger Ford 200 124 $20,187 Running 14 18 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 200 121 $23,075 Running 15 27 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 200 118 $16,200 Running 16 14 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 200 115 $13,775 Running 17 25 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 200 112 $19,612 Running 18 2 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 200 109 $13,260 Running 19 29 22 Josh Wise Family Dollar Dodge 200 106 $19,512 Running 20 19 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 200 103 $20,752 Running 21 32 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 200 100 $19,437 Running 22 31 30 Danny OQuinn Brandeis Chevy 200 97 $13,100 Running 23 26 19 Brian Keselowski Holloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 200 94 $13,425 Running 24 7 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 200 91 $18,082 Running 25 34 72 D.J. Kennington HotJackets.com/Northern Provincial 199 88 $13,080 Running 26 43 8 Jason White GunBroker.com Dodge 197 0 $12,880 Running 27 40 28 Robert Richardson Jr. # U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 196 82 $12,825 Running 28 36 56 Frank Kreyer Culver’s Chevy 195 79 $12,795 Running 29 35 0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 193 76 $12,775 Running 30 23 24 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 192 73 $15,205 Running 31 9 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 190 70 $14,710 Running 32 24 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Aussie Vineyards Ford 174 67 $17,797 Running 33 21 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 170 64 $15,777 Running 34 12 41 Scott Lagasse Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 160 61 $14,650 Running 35 42 9 Deac McCaskill Puryear Tank Lines Dodge 153 63 5 $20,130 Accident 1 5 36 11 01 Shelby Howard Blacks Tire Chevy 143 55 $12,610 Suspension 37 38 05 Brett Rowe Fmi Fireplaces/31W Insulation 94 52 $12,585 Suspension 38 4 47 Kelly Bires ArmorAll Ford 82 54 5 $14,540 Engine 1 1 39 20 37 Bobby East Cub Cadet/Kleenex Ford 74 51 5 $14,520 Accident 1 4 40 33 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 34 43 $12,490 Engine 41 37 49 Derrike Cope Checkers/Rally’s Chevy 30 40 $12,450 Over Heating 42 39 52 Brad Teague Bennett Classics Museum Ford 23 37 $12,415 Transmission 43 41 44 Mike Harmon Grand Victoria/Omni Hotel Chevy 6 34 $12,367 Brakes Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 40,000 – Jason Leffler won the Kroger 200, his second NASCAR Busch Series victory and first at O’Reilly Raceway Park. This is Toyota’s first victory in the NASCAR Busch Series. Prior to the green flag the following driver(s) dropped to the rear: #1 Yeley,#6 Ragan,#29 Wimmer,#60 Edwards,#99 Reutimann (driver change); #05 Ashburn (missing drivers meeting);#89 Shepherd (engine change);#42 Hamlin (unapproved adjustments). Failed to Qualify: (1) 00 Mike Potter. Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 42 Mins, 43 Secs. Average Speed: 80.143 MPH Margin of Victory: 1.009 Seconds Caution Flags: 8 for 36 laps: Laps: 15-18 (#24 accident turn 1); 45-50 (#6 accident turn 4); 70-73 (#18,41 accident frontstretch); 97-101 (#05 accident turn 3); 141-144 (#25 spun turn 2); 147-149 (#9 accident turn 4); 157-163 (#9 accident turn 3); 193-195 (#22 spun frontstretch). Lead Changes: 10 among 8 drivers: A. Almirola 1-45; K. Bires 46; B. East 47-50; R. Hornaday 51-54; A. Almirola 55-96; R. Hornaday 97; D. McCaskill 98-102; T. Kluever 103-167; T. Kvapil 168; T. Kluever 169-197; J. Leffler 198-200. Top 10 Driver Points: (1) C. Edwards 3,394;(2) D. Reutimann 2,542;(3) J. Leffler 2,447;(4) Mi. Bliss 2,390;(5) D. Ragan # 2,380;(6) K. Harvick 2,358;(7) B. Hamilton Jr. 2,307;(8) S. Leicht 2,185;(9) M. Wallace 2,158;(10) M. Ambrose # 2,115. Busch Pole Award: Aric Almirola, #20 (109.853 mph) Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge: Cale Gale, #33 96.950 sec. Featherlite “Most Improved Driver: Brad Keselowski, #88 (16 Places) Raybestos “Rookie of the Race: Brad Keselowski, #88 Sunoco Diamond Performance: Jason Leffler, #38 WIX Filters “Lap Leader Aric Almirola, #20 (94 Laps)
- Driver point standings following ORP: Carl Edwards leads with 3394, followed by David Reutimann second, Jason Leffler third, Mike Bliss fourth, David Ragan fifth, Kevin Harvick sixth, Bobby Hamilton Jr. seventh, Stephen Leicht, eighth, Mike Wallace, ninth and Marcos Ambrose in tenth.(7-28-2007)
Pos Driver Pts Ldr 1 Carl Edwards 3394 Leader 2 David Reutimann 2542 -852 3 Jason Leffler 2447 -947 4 David Ragan* 2380 -1014 5 Kevin Harvick 2358 -1036 6 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 2307 -1087 7 Dave Blaney 2252 -1142 8 Stephen Leicht 2185 -1209 9 Mike Wallace 2158 -1236 10 Marcos Ambrose* 2115 -1279 11 J.J. Yeley 2081 -1313 12 Greg Biffle 2071 -1323 13 Scott Wimmer 2015 -1379 14 Clint Bowyer 1999 -1395 15 Matt Kenseth 1936 -1458 16 Steve Wallace 1894 -1500 17 Casey Mears 1862 -1532 18 Regan Smith 1820 -1574 19 Kyle Krisiloff* 1811 -1583 20 Shane Huffman 1727 -1667 21 Brent Sherman 1716 -1678 22 Denny Hamlin 1704 -1690 23 Kyle Busch 1678 -1716 24 Mike Bliss 1648 -1746 25 Juan Montoya* 1625 -1769 26 Jeff Burton 1616 -1778 27 Ward Burton 1497 -1897 28 Todd Kluever 1484 -1910 29 Aric Almirola 1426 -1968 30 Tony Stewart 1364 -2030 31 David Stremme 1345 -2049 32 Reed Sorenson 1336 -2058 33 Eric McClure 1269 -2125 34 David Gilliland 1257 -2137 35 Kasey Kahne 1164 -2230 36 Jamie McMurray 1157 -2237 37 Jon Wood 1154 -2240 38 Bobby Labonte 1148 -2246 39 Brad Keselowski* 1084 -2310 40 Jason Keller 1073 -2321 41 Brad Coleman* 1052 -2342 42 Robert Richardson, II* 823 -2571 43 Kelly Bires 784 -2610 44 Paul Menard 713 -2681 45 Kevin Hamlin 711 -2683 46 Timothy Peters 646 -2748 47 Danny O’Quinn Jr. 643 -2751 48 Stanton Barrett 636 -2758 49 Cale Gale 582 -2812 50 Justin Diercks* 505 -2889 51 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 503 -2891 52 Richard Johns 495 -2899 53 Tony Raines 467 -2927 54 Scott Riggs 460 -2934 55 Mark Martin 452 -2942 56 Morgan Shepherd 440 -2954 57 Chase Miller 436 -2958 58 Brett Rowe 427 -2967 59 Johnny Sauter 423 -2971 60 Ryan Newman 389 -3005 61 Robby Gordon 385 -3009 62 Jay Sauter 376 -3018 63 Sam Hornish Jr.* 368 -3026 64 Kurt Busch 357 -3037 65 Ron Hornaday 357 -3037 66 Bobby East 354 -3040 67 Kertus Davis 335 -3059 68 Derrike Cope 330 -3064 69 Kevin Conway 328 -3066 70 D J Kennington 307 -3087 71 Joe Nemechek 300 -3094 72 David Green 294 -3100 73 Todd Bodine 289 -3105 74 Mark Green 273 -3121 75 Mike Harmon 255 -3139 76 Brad Teague 252 -3142 77 Boris Said 241 -3153 78 Kevin Lepage 227 -3167 79 Timothy Mccreadie 200 -3194 80 Jeff Green 200 -3194 81 Martin Truex Jr. 195 -3199 82 Frank Kreyer 189 -3205 83 Bobby Santos* 189 -3205 84 Scott Pruett 160 -3234 85 Jimmie Johnson 155 -3239 86 Jorge Goeters 151 -3243 87 Kenny Wallace 146 -3248 88 Ron Young 143 -3251 89 Landon Cassill 140 -3254 90 Donnie Neuenberger 140 -3254 91 Adrian Fernandez 138 -3256 92 Johnny Benson 138 -3256 93 Shelby Howard 137 -3257 94 Justin Ashburn 134 -3260 95 Tim McCreadie 127 -3267 96 Brian Vickers 124 -3270 97 Elliott Sadler 121 -3273 98 Jerick Johnson 120 -3274 99 Scott Lagasse Jr. 119 -3275 100 Travis Kittleson 112 -3282 101 Josh Wise 106 -3288 102 Marc Mitchell 103 -3291 103 Chris Horn 101 -3293 104 Brian Simo 97 -3297 105 Carlos Contreras 97 -3297 106 Todd Souza 94 -3300 107 Brian Keselowski 94 -3300 108 P.J. Jones 91 -3303 109 D.J. Kennington 88 -3306 110 Michel Jourdain Jr. 88 -3306 111 Steve Grissom 88 -3306 112 Kerry Earnhardt 88 -3306 113 German Quiroga 84 -3310 114 Danny Efland 77 -3317 115 Trevor Boys 76 -3318 116 Rogelio Lopez 76 -3318 117 Travis Kvapil 70 -3324 118 Ron Fellows 67 -3327 119 J R Fitzpatrick 64 -3330 120 Deac McCaskill 63 -3331 121 Alex Garcia* 61 -3333 122 Ian Henderson 52 -3342 123 A J Frank 52 -3342 124 Larry Foyt 49 -3345 125 Dange Hanniford 49 -3345 126 John Andretti 46 -3348 127 John Young 46 -3348 128 Jamie Mosley 43 -3351 129 Eddie MacDonald 40 -3354 130 Mike Potter 37 -3357 131 Caleb Holman 37 -3357 132 Michael Waltrip 34 -3360 133 Randy MacDonald 34 -3360 134 Jason White 0 -3394 135 Ruben Pardo 0 -3394 136 Antonio Perez 0 -3394
Owner Points Following Race # 22
O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
KROGER 200
UNOFFICIAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Saturday, 7/28/2007 @ 10:35 PM Eastern UNOFFICIALPos Owner Car # Points Ldr 1 Jack Roush 60 3,394 — 2 Richard Childress 29 3,189 -205 3 Joe Gibbs 20 2,939 -455 4 Richard Childress 21 2,866 -528 5 Delana Harvick 33 2,605 -789 6 Michael Waltrip 99 2,542 -852 7 Ray Evernham 9 2,485 -909 8 Todd Braun 38 2,447 -947 9 Gregory Pollex 10 2,416 -978 10 Armando Fitz 22 2,382 -1,012 11 Jack Roush 6 2,380 -1,014 12 Floyd Ganassi 42 2,336 -1,058 13 Gary Weisbaum 35 2,307 -1,087 14 Delana Harvick 77 2,284 -1,110 15 Tammy Brewer 27 2,264 -1,130 16 Jack Roush 16 2,260 -1,134 17 James Finch 1 2,241 -1,153 18 Chip Ganassi 41 2,239 -1,155 19 Jack Roush 17 2,203 -1,191 20 Dale Earnhardt, Jr 88 2,193 -1,201 21 Clarence Brewer 37 2,193 -1,201 22 Robert Yates 90 2,185 -1,209 23 James Finch 7 2,158 -1,236 24 Tad Geschickter 59 2,115 -1,279 25 Joe Gibbs 18 2,112 -1,282 26 Richard Childress 2 2,060 -1,334 27 Rick Hendrick 24 2,033 -1,361 28 Jodi Geschickter 47 2,008 -1,386 29 Rick Hendrick 5 1,986 -1,408 30 Rusty Wallace 66 1,894 -1,500 31 Edward Rensi 25 1,837 -1,557 32 Bobby Ginn 4 1,820 -1,574 33 Gregory Pollex 14 1,811 -1,583 34 John McGill 36 1,716 -1,678 35 Gene Haas 28 1,691 -1,703 36 Keith Duesenberg 0 1,395 -1,999 37 Roger Penske 12 1,114 -2,280 38 Mary Louise Miller 170 803 -2,591 39 Keith Coleman 23 758 -2,636 40 Teresa Earnhardt 15 713 -2,681 41 Jack Roush 126 677 -2,717 42 Jimmy Means 52 670 -2,724 43 Stanton Barrett 30 663 -2,731 44 Bryan Mullet 211 651 -2,743 45 John McNelly 56 609 -2,785 46 Frank Cicci 34 592 -2,802 47 Johnny Davis 1 503 -2,891 48 Pat MacDonald 72 457 -2,937 49 Wayne Day 5 434 -2,960 50 Bill Riley 91 431 -2,963 51 Robby Gordon 155 385 -3,009 52 Teresa Earnhardt 8 382 -3,012 53 Todd Braun 32 353 -3,041 54 Cindy Shepherd 89 335 -3,059 55 Andrea Nemechek 87 300 -3,094 56 Donnie Richardson 44 286 -3,108 57 Jack Roush 106 282 -3,112 58 Teresa Earnhardt 111 195 -3,199 59 James Rowe 273 186 -3,208 60 Rick Hendrick 148 155 -3,239 61 Jerry Young 171 143 -3,251 62 Steve Germain 103 139 -3,255 63 Fred Horn 158 132 -3,262 64 Jack Johnson 176 120 -3,274 65 Gina MacDonald 271 116 -3,278 66 Jay Robinson 49 111 -3,283 67 Dusty Whitney 19 94 -3,300 68 Kelly Souza 113 94 -3,300 69 Susan Spraker 163 88 -3,306 70 Armando Fitz 144 80 -3,314 71 Tom Eriksen 167 76 -3,318 72 Chris Lencheski 130 70 -3,324 73 Lori Morgan 0 68 -3,326 74 Alex Garcia 298 61 -3,333 75 Eddie D’hondt 192 52 -3,342 76 John Young 146 46 -3,348 77 Charles Henderson 175 37 -3,357 78 Robert Richardson 180 31 -3,363 79 Jeff Barrister 250 31 -3,363 80 Earl Sadler 195 22 -3,372 - Almirola wins the pole at ORP: #20-Aric Almirola won the pole for the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park with a speed of 108.473 followed by #6-Erik Darnell [for Ragan] second, #77-Ron Hornaday Jr. third, #47-Kelly Bires fourth, and #38-Jason Leffler in fifth. Rounding out the top ten were #99-Mark Green [for Reutimann], #90-Stephen Leicht, #60-Travis Kvapil [for Edwards], #18-Brad Coleman, #16-Greg Biffle. Ragan, Reutimann & Edwards will have to start from the rear as they did not qualify the cars; also #29-Scott Wimmer [qualified 16th by Brandon Miller]. Not sure of the status with #1-J.J. Yeley. Kertus Davis qualified the car 13th; unclear whether he will start the race. #9-Deac McCaskill spun out on his first lap flat-spotting his tires; will have to start from the rear of the field. DNQ-#00-Mike Potter. (7-28-2007)
Starting Line Up by Row
O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
KROGER 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, July 28, 2007 @ 05:54 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed 1 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automotive Chevy 22.481 109.853 2 6 Erik Darnell Discount Tire Ford 22.576 109.391 3 77 Ron Hornaday Dollar General Chevy 22.582 109.361 4 47 Kelly Bires ArmorAll Ford 22.641 109.076 5 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 22.726 108.668 6 99 Mark Green Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 22.745 108.578 7 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 22.795 108.340 8 60 Travis Kvapil Dish Network/TheWeatherChannel Ford 22.797 108.330 9 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 22.805 108.292 10 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 22.815 108.245 11 01 Shelby Howard Blacks Tire Chevy 22.823 108.207 12 41 Scott Lagasse Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 22.834 108.155 13 27 Jason Keller Marsh/Huggies Ford 22.854 108.060 14 1 Kertus Davis Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 22.854 108.060 15 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 22.868 107.994 16 29 Brandon Miller Holiday Inn Chevy 22.873 107.970 17 21 Tim McCreadie Camping World Chevy 22.889 107.895 18 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 22.900 107.843 19 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 22.909 107.800 20 37 Bobby East Cub Cadet/Kleenex Ford 22.912 107.786 21 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 22.959 107.566 22 10 Mike Bliss Fan1st.com Toyota 22.969 107.519 23 24 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 22.976 107.486 24 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Aussie Vineyards Ford 22.979 107.472 25 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 22.991 107.416 26 19 Brian Keselowski Holloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 22.995 107.397 27 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 23.007 107.341 28 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Eckrich/Kroger Ford 23.015 107.304 29 22 Josh Wise Family Dollar Dodge 23.037 107.201 30 42 Kevin Hamlin Texaco/Havoline Dodge 23.053 107.127 31 30 Danny OQuinn Brandeis Chevy 23.081 106.997 32 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.178 106.549 33 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 23.272 106.119 34 72 D.J. Kennington HotJackets.com/Northern Provincial 23.414 105.475 35 0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 23.467 105.237 36 56 Frank Kreyer Culver’s Chevy 23.508 105.054 37 49 Derrick Cope Checkers/Rally’s Chevy 23.529 104.960 38 05 Brett Rowe Fmi Fireplaces/31W Insulation Chevy 23.729 104.075 39 52 Brad Teague Bennett Classics Museum Ford 23.848 103.556 40 28 Robert Richardson Jr. U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 23.858 103.512 41 44 Mike Harmon Grand Victoria/Omni Hotel Chevy 23.862 103.495 42 9 Deac McCaskill Puryear Tank Lines Dodge Owner Points 43 08 Jason White GunBroker.com Dodge 23.864 103.486 DNQ-#00 Mike Potter.
- Darnell quickest in final practice: There were 44 cars on track for the final session. Subbing for David Ragan, #6-Erik Darnell was the fastest in the final practice session at ORP with a speed of 109.410 followed by #20-Aric Almirola second, #33-Cale Gale third, #77-Ron Hornaday Jr. fourth, #88-Brad Keselowski fifth. Rounding out the top ten were 99-Mark Green, #16-Todd Kluever, #9-Deac McCaskill, and #38-Jason Leffler. Slowest on track were #00-Mike Potter; #0-Eric McClure.(7-28-2007)
NBS Final Practice (HAPPY HOUR)
O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
KROGER 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, July 28, 2007 @ 12:00 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 6 Erik Darnell Discount Tire Ford 22.572 109.410 21 2 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automotive Chevy 22.603 109.260 33 3 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 22.707 108.759 45 4 77 Ron Hornaday Dollar General Chevy 22.708 108.755 39 5 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 22.719 108.702 38 6 99 Mark Green Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 22.748 108.563 33 7 16 Todd Kluever 3M Ford 22.755 108.530 43 8 9 Deac McCaskill Puryear Tank Lines Dodge 22.771 108.454 53 9 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 22.789 108.368 41 10 10 Mike Bliss Fan1st.com Toyota 22.798 108.325 29 11 42 Kevin Hamlin Texaco/Havoline Dodge 22.836 108.145 8 12 29 Brandon Miller Holiday Inn Chevy 22.853 108.065 49 13 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 22.855 108.055 30 14 *01 Shelby Howard Blacks Tire Chevy 22.866 108.003 37 15 1 Kertus Davis Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 22.895 107.866 35 16 27 Jason Keller Marsh/Huggies Ford 22.905 107.819 48 17 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 22.909 107.800 35 18 37 Bobby East Cub Cadet/Kleenex Ford 22.936 107.674 32 19 21 Tim McCreadie Camping World Chevy 22.969 107.519 30 20 22 Josh Wise Family Dollar Dodge 22.969 107.519 33 21 47 Kelly Bires ArmorAll Ford 22.998 107.383 25 22 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 23.000 107.374 37 23 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Aussie Vineyards Ford 23.011 107.323 21 24 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Eckrich/Kroger Ford 23.013 107.313 19 25 *24 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 23.018 107.290 49 26 60 Travis Kvapil Dish Network/TheWeatherChannel Ford 23.039 107.192 42 27 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 23.074 107.030 32 28 *19 Brian Keselowski Holloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 23.075 107.025 29 29 *08 Jason White GunBrokers.com Dodge 23.093 106.941 29 30 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 23.129 106.775 29 31 *72 D.J. Kennington HotJackets.com/Northern Provincial 23.154 106.660 18 32 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.170 106.586 26 33 *89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 23.284 106.064 6 34 41 Scott Lagasse Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 23.320 105.901 31 35 *30 Danny OQuinn Brandeis Chevy 23.383 105.615 24 36 *05 Brett Rowe Fmi Fireplaces/31W Insulation Chevy 23.459 105.273 28 37 *49 Derrick Cope Checkers/Rally’s Chevy 23.535 104.933 11 38 *56 Frank Kreyer Culver’s Chevy 23.628 104.520 39 39 28 Robert Richardson Jr. U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 23.840 103.591 25 40 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.855 103.525 12 41 *52 Brad Teague Bennett Classics Museum Ford 23.897 103.344 7 42 *44 Mike Harmon Grand Victoria/Omni Hotel Chevy 23.917 103.257 3 43 *00 Mike Potter JD Motorsports Chevy 24.098 102.482 15 44 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 24.179 102.138 23 *Required to qualify on time
NBS Rookie Practice
O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
KROGER 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, July 28, 2007 @ 10:50 AM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 *24 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 22.746 108.573 14 2 6 Erik Darnell Discount Tire Ford 22.938 107.664 20 3 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 23.070 107.048 24 4 22 Josh Wise Family Dollar Dodge 23.104 106.891 13 5 41 Scott Lagasse Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 23.152 106.669 13 6 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 23.163 106.618 14 7 37 Bobby East Cub Cadet/Kleenex Ford 23.170 106.586 19 8 47 Kelly Bires ArmorAll Ford 23.200 106.448 8 9 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 23.225 106.334 17 10 *19 Brian Keselowski Holloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 23.254 106.201 16 11 *01 Shelby Howard Blacks Tire Chevy 23.257 106.187 9 12 21 Tim McCreadie Camping World Chevy 23.310 105.946 11 13 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 23.324 105.882 16 14 9 Deac McCaskill Puryear Tank Lines Dodge 23.325 105.878 25 15 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Aussie Vineyards Ford 23.346 105.783 6 16 *72 D.J. Kennington HotJackets.com/Northern Provincial 23.378 105.638 12 17 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.447 105.327 10 18 28 Robert Richardson Jr. U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 23.944 103.141 16 19 *05 Brett Rowe Fmi Fireplaces/31W Insulation Chevy 24.018 102.823 12 20 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 0.000 0.000 0 21 *56 Frank Kreyer Culver’s Chevy 0.000 0.000 0 22 77 Ron Hornaday Dollar General Chevy 0.000 0.000 0 *Required to qualify on time
- Miller leads first practice: There were 44 cars on track for the first practice session. #29-Brandon Miller [practicing for Wimmer] was the fastest with a speed of 108.297 followed by #47-Kelly Bires second, #6-Erik Darnell third, #27-Jason Keller fourth, and #90-Stephen Leicht fifth. Rounding out the top ten were #38-Jason Leffler, #99-Mark Green, #77-Ron Hornaday Jr., #33-Cale Gale, and #41-Scott Lagasse Jr. Slowest on track were #05-Brett Rowe and #08-Jason White. #56-Frank Kreyer did considerable damage to his car – more than likely going to back up car; both #90-Stephen Leicht and #41-Scott Lagasse Jr. had brushes with the wall. #24-Landon Cassill had some trouble but managed to save it and stay out of the wall.(7-28-2007)
NBS Practice 1
O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
KROGER 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, July 28, 2007 @ 10:10 AM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 29 Brandon Miller Holiday Inn Chevy 22.804 108.297 10 2 47 Kelly Bires ArmorAll Ford 22.847 108.093 31 3 6 Erik Darnell Discount Tire Ford 22.863 108.017 20 4 27 Jason Keller Marsh/Huggies Ford 22.870 107.984 25 5 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 22.877 107.951 8 6 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 22.913 107.782 32 7 99 Mark Green Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 22.919 107.753 32 8 77 Ron Hornaday Dollar General Chevy 22.961 107.556 41 9 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 22.967 107.528 43 10 41 Scott Lagasse Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge 22.977 107.481 34 11 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Eckrich/Kroger Ford 22.985 107.444 39 12 42 Kevin Hamlin Texaco/Havoline Dodge 22.995 107.397 47 13 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automotive Chevy 22.996 107.393 50 14 10 Mike Bliss Fan1st.com Toyota 23.010 107.327 29 15 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 23.044 107.169 34 16 60 Travis Kvapil Dish Network/TheWeatherChannel Ford 23.049 107.146 40 17 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 23.085 106.979 39 18 *24 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 23.102 106.900 61 19 *01 Shelby Howard Blacks Tire Chevy 23.147 106.692 39 20 21 Tim McCreadie Camping World Chevy 23.157 106.646 44 21 22 Josh Wise Family Dollar Dodge 23.159 106.637 34 22 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 23.165 106.609 28 23 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Aussie Vineyards Ford 23.180 106.540 35 24 16 Todd Kluever 3M Ford 23.197 106.462 23 25 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.204 106.430 28 26 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 23.219 106.361 49 27 1 Kertus Davis Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 23.239 106.270 40 28 37 Bobby East Cub Cadet/Kleenex Ford 23.276 106.101 40 29 *89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Dodge 23.353 105.751 4 30 *19 Brian Keselowski Holloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 23.355 105.742 10 31 *30 Danny OQuinn Brandeis Chevy 23.412 105.484 31 32 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.416 105.466 21 33 9 Deac McCaskill Puryear Tank Lines Dodge 23.429 105.408 46 34 36 Brent Sherman BIG LOTS Chevy 23.436 105.376 32 35 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 23.652 104.414 38 36 *72 D.J. Kennington HotJackets.com/Northern Provincial 23.654 104.405 36 37 *49 Derrick Cope Checkers/Rally’s Chevy 23.777 103.865 19 38 *44 Mike Harmon Grand Victoria/Omni Hotel Chevy 23.848 103.556 13 39 *56 Frank Kreyer Culver’s Chevy 23.855 103.525 39 40 *52 Brad Teague Bennett Classics Museum Ford 23.872 103.452 9 41 28 Robert Richardson Jr. U.S. Border Patrol Chevy 24.002 102.891 28 42 *00 Mike Potter JD Motorsports Chevy 24.165 102.197 20 43 *05 Brett Rowe Fmi Fireplaces/31W Insulation Chevy 24.241 101.877 15 44 *08 Jason White GunBrokers.com Dodge 25.661 96.239 2 *Required to qualify on time
- ORP Entry List: There are 43 entries on the preliminary list issued by NASCAR.(7-24-2007)
Preliminary Entry List
O’Reilly Raceway Park
Kroger 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Mon, July 23, 2007 @ 08:55 PM EasternEnt Car Driver Team Name Owner 1. 0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy Keith Duesenberg 2. 00 Danny Efland TBA Chevy Lori Morgan 3. 1 J.J. Yeley Miccosukee Resort Chevy James Finch 4. 01 Shelby Howard Blacks Tire Chevy Johnny Davis 5. 05 Justin Ashburn Certainteed/31-W Insulation Chevy Wayne Day 6. 6 David Ragan Discount Tire Ford Jack Roush 7. 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy James Finch 8. 9 Deac McCaskill Puryear Tank Lines Dodge Ray Evernham 9. 10 Dave Blaney Fan1st.com Toyota Greg Pollex 10. 14 Kyle Krisiloff Lily/Walgreens Ford Greg Pollex 11. 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford Jack Roush 12. 18 Brad Coleman Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy Joe Gibbs 13. 20 Aric Almirola Rockwell Automation Chevy Joe Gibbs 14. 21 Tim McCreadie Camping World Chevy Richard Childress 15. 22 Mike Bliss Supercuts Dodge Armando Fitz 16. 24 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy Rick Hendrick 17. 25 Richard Johns FreeCreditReport.com Ford Ed Rensi 18. 27 Jason Keller Huggies Ford Tammy Brewer 19. 28 Robert Richardson U.S. Border Patrol Chevy Gene Haas 20. 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy Richard Childress 21. 30 Danny O’Quinn Jr Brandeis Chevy Stanton Barrett 22. 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy Delana Harvick 23. 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr McDonald’s Ford Gary Weisbaum 24. 36 Brent Sherman Big Lots! Chevy John McGill 25. 37 Bobby East TBA Ford Clarence Brewer 26. 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota Todd Braun 27. 41 Scott Lagasse Jr Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Dodge Chip Ganassi 28. 42 Kevin Hamlin Texaco / Havoline Dodge Floyd Ganassi 29. 44 Mike Harmon TBA Chevy Donnie Richardson 30. 47 Kelly Bires Clorox Ford Jodi Geschickter 31. 49 Derrike Cope TBA Chevy Jay Robinson 32. 52 Brad Teague TBA Jimmy Means 33. 56 Frank Kreyer TBA Chevy John McNelly 34. 59 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford-Aussie Vineyards Ford Tad Geschickter 35. 60 Carl Edwards Dish Network/Weather Channel Ford Jack Roush 36. 66 Steve Wallace Homelife Communities Dodge Rusty Wallace 37. 72 D.J. Kennington Vector Security Dodge Pat MacDonald 38. 77 Ron Hornaday Jr Dollar General Chevy Delana Harvick 39. 88 Brad Keselowski U.S. Navy Chevy Dale Earnhardt Jr. 40. 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Dodge Cindy Shepherd 41. 90 Stephen Leicht Citifinancial Ford Robert Yates 42. 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Michael Waltrip 43. 249 Brian Keselowski TBA Dodge Dusty Whitney
NASCAR Busch Series News and Notes – ORP
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 24, 2007) – You’re 21 years old, you grew up only seven miles from Indianapolis, and you’re a rookie in the NASCAR Busch Series.
You’re coming off your best start of the season and your team is just beginning to gel at the mid-way point. You have a new sponsor on board and renewed enthusiasm as you progress toward 2008.
Oh yeah, and with all this momentum, your next race just happens to be in your backyard at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
No pressure.
But if you’re Kyle Krisiloff (#14 Lilly-Walgreens Ford), you really don’t feel any type of squeeze. Instead, you’re excited to be back home in front of family and friends. And you hope your performance at ORP is one of your best yet.
“It’s a good time to be going home,” Krisiloff said. “We had our best start of the season (18th) at Gateway. Our car is getting better. We have big things going on with our team in the next couple of months.”
Krisiloff is in his first full season in the series. He competed in his first three races in 2005 as a development driver for Hendrick Motorsports before running in 12 races for Billy Ballew in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2006.
He came on board with Haas-Carter Motorsports just before the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway this year and has had a solid overall season to date despite the late start.
His best finish was a surprising fifth at Talladega Superspeedway last April and he’s currently fourth in the Raybestos Rookie standings.
“There are only two tracks in Indianapolis,” Krisiloff said of ORP and the Brickyard. “Every time I go back I think of what it will be like to [eventually] run at the big track. It’s always been a goal of mine. This is an exciting time.”
Battle Beginning To Take Shape For Series Owner Championship
Carl Edwards (#60 Dish-Weather Channel Ford) has a tight grip on the NASCAR Busch Series driver standings lead, but it’s the battle for the owner championship that’s beginning to get a bit tighter.
Edwards has been able to maintain leads in both categories for owner Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing, but the pressure is mounting from the Richard Childress Racing duo of Scott Wimmer and Jeff Burton, who have shared time in the #29 Holiday Inn Chevy this season.
The second-place Wimmer-Burton team has moved to within 186 points of the #60 heading to ORP where Chevy has been dominant, having won 15 of the previous 25 races at the track including the last four in a row.
Different driver and owner champions have been crowned in the series only once before, in 2003 when Brian Vickers (Hendrick Motorsports) won the driver title and RCR won the owner championship with another duo of drivers – Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter.
“I work with Carl but for Jack,” said Edwards’ crew chief Pierre Kuettel. “At the end of the day, my job is to compete for both titles.”
In The Loop: Two-Time Winner Keller Surprisingly Strong In Recent Races At ORP, But “Biff”Lurks
With his start on Saturday night, Jason Keller (#27 Huggies Ford) will have made 14 starts at O’Reilly Raceway Park – one less than ORP record-holder Tommy Houston.
The track has treated Keller well over the past 13 years. He has won there twice, in 1995 and 1999. In the 1999 victory, he won from the pole, leading 130 of the 200 laps.
The success has continued for Keller in recent years. Since 2000, the first driver in series history to win $9, $10 and $11 million has finished in the top five in five of the last seven races at the .686-mile track, which include runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2003.
Over the last two years, the 37-year-old native of Greenville, S.C., racked up some of the best stats on the NASCAR Busch Series at ORP.
In the previous two ORP races, Keller had an average pre-race Driver Rating of 102.3, which is the second-best mark of any driver competing Saturday. Additionally, Keller has an Average Running Position of 9.0, 19 Fastest Laps Run and 338 Laps in the Top 15.
In two races at ORP, J.J. Yeley (#1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevy) has excelled. He finished third last season and 13th in 2005. In the last ORP race, Yeley had a Driver Rating of 116.2 and an Average Running Position of 5.6.
Through the last two races at the track, Yeley has an Average Running Position of 10.5, a Driver Rating of 100.1, 13 Fastest Laps Run, 314 Laps in the Top 15 and 37 Quality Passes – passes of cars in the top 15 under green – which is more than any other driver over the past two ORP races.
But 2002 series champion Greg Biffle (#16 3M Ford) might be the driver to beat. Thanks to a fourth-place finish last season, Biffle holds some of the best stats of any driver racing Saturday night. He has the top Driver Rating (110.5), the best Average Running Position (7.2), and ran all but five of his laps in the top 15 (195 total). He has never finished outside the top five in each of his four previous races there.
NBS ETC.
- Edwards OK For ORP: Despite dislocating his right thumb as a result of an accident during a Late Model race last Sunday at the I-80 Speedway dirt track in Greenwood, Neb., series standings leader Carl Edwards will be ready to participate in Saturday’s Kroger 200 at ORP according to Roush Fenway Racing officials. After an overnight stay in a West Omaha hospital on July 22, Edwards was released and consulted a physician in his hometown of Columbia, Mo., who confirmed the original diagnosis. Edwards had been participating in the race at I-80 on “Carl Edwards Night,” where he was running against his younger brother, Kenny, among others. Edwards finished sixth the night before at Gateway International Raceway in NASCAR Busch Series competition.
- McCaskill Debuts For Evernham: Deac McCaskill, the reigning Late Model Stock Division champion at Southern National Raceway Park in Lucama, N.C., is scheduled to make his NASCAR Busch Series debut for Evernham Motorsports at ORP in the #9 Puryear Tanklines Dodge. McCaskill, a 29-year-old native of Raleigh, N.C., has won two track tiles over the last three years in Late Models and finished fifth in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in 2006.
- Shepherd Returns To ORP: With the influx of new names into the NASCAR Busch Series, it’s easy to overlook some of the mainstays of the series, like Morgan Shepherd (#89 Victory in Jesus Racing Dodge). Shepherd, 65, has 15 wins in series competition with three of those coming at ORP where he is the all-time leader in victories.
- Leffler Back To Roots: Jason Leffler (#38 Great Clips Toyota) is not only the hottest driver in the NASCAR Busch Series over the last six races (775 points, two top-fives, three top-10s) and comes in on a four-race streak where he’s been no lower than sixth in the point standings, but he’s had great results at ORP. Leffler made his first career series start at the track in 1999, won his second career Busch Pole there (2000) and has two top-five finishes in his four races. Add to that he’s won seven times at the track from 1998-2003 in USAC Silver Crown and National Midget competition.
- Bires Has Found ORP Victory Lane, Too: Rookie Kelly Bires (#47 Clorox/American Red Cross Ford) hasn’t had the opportunity to gain much experience on NASCAR Busch Series tracks, but similar to Jason Leffler’s experiences, ORP is an exception. Bires won the 2006 American Speed Association (ASA) Late Model race at the track en route to the series national championship and has gained most of his experience to date on short tracks around the Midwest.
- Keselowski Connection: There will be a family reunion at ORP this weekend when the Keselowski brothers – Brad (#88 U.S. NAVY Chevy) and Brian (#19 Dodge) – will run against each other in NASCAR Busch Series competition for the first time. Brad will drive for his father, Bob Keselowski, a long-time owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Brian has one NASCAR Busch Series start to his credit, last November at Phoenix International Raceway where he subbed for Brad in order to maintain his brother’s Raybestos Rookie status for the 2007 season.
- ORP ETC: Reigning series champion and last year’s race winner Kevin Harvick is the only repeat winner in the last 10 at races ORP – in 2001 and 2006, which were his last two appearances at the track. … The winner of five of the last six events at ORP has gone on to win the NASCAR Busch Series championship while the winner of the other race, Kyle Busch (2004), went on to capture the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award that season. … The Kroger 200 is the only race on the NASCAR Busch Series schedule that has had the same sponsor for each of the series’ 26 seasons.
The Director’s Take: ORP
INSIGHT FROM JOE BALASH,
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES DIRECTOR“ORP is going to race a lot like The Milwaukee Mile. Teams will be using their flat-track setups with softer springs and will really be working hard on their coil bind setups, too.
ORP also has the potential to be a fuel strategy race.
A unique aspect of our series at this track is that we base pit selection for the top 30 cars on qualifying from last week’s race at Gateway because of the tight time frames we’re under there. The balance of cars will pick pits after qualifying at ORP.”
News From The NAPA Auto Parts 200
Road Course Specialists Lining Up For Montreal: Although a road-course “ringer” has yet to break through for a victory in the previous three international races the NASCAR Busch Series has held from 2005-07 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, many of those specialists are entered for the Aug. 4 inaugural race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to try their hand once again.
Patrick Carpentier (#22 Fitz Motorsports Dodge), Ron Fellows (#33 KHI Chevy), Robby Gordon (#55 Robby Gordon Motorsports Ford), Max Papis (#1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevy), Scott Pruett (#41 CGRFS Dodge) and Boris Said (#9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge) headline the road-racing group which has had some recent additions.
Michel Jourdain Jr. and Jorge Goeters, who like Fellows and Said, have participated in each of the three races in Mexico City, are entered for Roush Fenway Racing in the #17 Ford and Brewco Motorsports in the #27 Ford, respectively. Marc Goossens is scheduled to drive the #91 Toyota for Riley-D’Hondt Motorsports.
Additionally, Andy Pilgrim will drive the #88 JR Motorsports Chevy; Andy Lally has been announced as the driver of the #47 Wood Bros./JTG Racing Ford; Nic Johnssen is entered in the #28 Jay Robinson Racing Chevy and Canadian Michael Viliante has been named to drive the second CGRFS entry (#42 Dodge).
2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES
RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGSDriver Points
1. David Ragan 194
2. Marcos Ambrose 171
3. Juan Pablo Montoya 162
4. Kyle Krisiloff 152
5. Brad Keselowski 106
6. Brad Coleman 95
7. Robert Richardson Jr. 76
8. Justin Diercks 51ESPN/ABC
ESPN2 will feature NASCAR Busch Series racing live in prime time on Saturday night. The telecast presented by Hormel Compleats begins with NASCAR Countdown at 7:30 p.m. ET; the race starts at 8 p.m.
ORP holds a place in NASCAR history as the location for the first NASCAR-sanctioned race ever to be held in Indianapolis when the NASCAR Busch Series raced at the track in the series’ inaugural season of 1982. Since then, the race has always been a season highlight for the series, taking on even more importance when the NASCAR Cup Series began racing at nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994.
ESPN’s Marty Reid will anchor coverage from ORP, joined in the booth for expert analysis by two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie. Pit reporters will be Jack Arute, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch. Reid will also host NASCAR Countdown.
In addition to coverage of the race, ESPN2 also will televise NASCAR Busch Series practice from ORP at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and qualifying at 4:30 p.m.
2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 21 Of 35 Races:
Traditional Statistics:
Driver points – Edwards (3229)
Victories – Edwards (4)
Races led – Edwards (16)
Laps led – Edwards (681)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (12)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (16)
Owner points – Roush (#60) – (3229)
Money Won – Edwards ($839,985)
Miles led – Ky. Busch (1015.53)
Busch Poles – Hamlin (4)
Closing in on Top 10 – Ambrose10th (2048 pts): Bowyer (-50)
Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Blaney, Edwards, Harvick (21)Loop Data Statistics:
Driver Rating – Edwards (115.2)
Average Running Position – Edwards (7.0)
Fastest Laps Run – Edwards (444 fastest laps)
Quality Passes – Edwards (794)
Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (3,580 of a possible 3,966)Dodge Gains Third-Place Breathing Room; Chevy Is The One To Beat At ORP
Reed Sorenson’s win at Gateway International Raceway last Saturday was a run of lucky sevens for Dodge in this year’s Bill France Performance Cup standings.
The victory was the first for the manufacturer in seven races – and third overall on the season. The win increased third-place Dodge’s lead over fourth-place Toyota by seven points, its biggest margin since a seven-point advantage following Milwaukee four races ago.Dodge, Toyota and second-place Ford have their work cut out for them at ORP of Saturday. First-place Chevy has won 15 of the previous 25 races at the track, 14 of the last 15 and the last four in a row, including last year’s victory by reigning series champion Kevin Harvick.
Ford’s win in 2002 by Greg Biffle is the only dent in Chevy’s recent run of success.
Manufacturers’ Championship
2007 Point StandingsChevy 157
Ford 131
Dodge 91
Toyota 83Up Next: NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The NASCAR Busch Series competes on its second road course of the season at its second international venue of the year next Saturday afternoon with the inaugural NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge at the famous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. ESPN2 will carry the race live beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The race will be the first for the NASCAR Busch Series in Canada. Two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Terry Labonte turned NASCAR’s first laps at the 2.709-mile road course this past June 12.
The event will be a mix of NASCAR Busch Series regulars, double-duty drivers like Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle, road course specialists such as Robby Gordon, Boris Said and Marc Goosens and Canadian entries including Patrick Carpentier and Ron Fellows.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will also race at the track prior to the NAPA 200
FAST FACTS
The Race: Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children
The Place: O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
The Date: July 28, 20071
The Time: 8:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: .686-mile oval
Race Purse: $1,027,504
2006 Winner: Kevin Harvick
2006 Pole: Denny Hamlin2007 Point Standings
No. Driver Points
1 Edwards 3229
2 Reutimann 2377
3 Harvick 2358
4 Ragan 2271
5 Leffler 2257
6 Blaney 2252
7 Hamilton Jr. 2183
8 Leicht 2094
9 M Wallace 2055
10 Ambrose 2048Schedule: Sat.: 9 – 10:10 a.m. – Practice; 10:20-10:50 a.m. – Rookie Practice; 11:00 a.m. – Noon – Final Practice; 4:35 p.m. –Qualifying (Impound).
- Edwards OK For ORP: Despite dislocating his right thumb as a result of an accident during a Late Model race last Sunday at the I-80 Speedway dirt track in Greenwood, Neb., series standings leader Carl Edwards will be ready to participate in Saturday’s Kroger 200 at ORP according to Roush Fenway Racing officials. After an overnight stay in a West Omaha hospital on July 22, Edwards was released and consulted a physician in his hometown of Columbia, Mo., who confirmed the original diagnosis. Edwards had been participating in the race at I-80 on “Carl Edwards Night,” where he was running against his younger brother, Kenny, among others. Edwards finished sixth the night before at Gateway International Raceway in NASCAR Busch Series competition.
- Additional ORP Busch Race Info at:
oreillyracewaypark.com
ESPN.com Busch page
TheHotLap.com
Catchfence.com Busch site
NASCAR.com