With Dale, Jr., On The "Bubble" For The Chase, The Budweiser Team Has No Place For Error
Fingerprint, Inc., For Budweiser Racing, Press Release
On the unpredictability of Bristol:
“When you’re running for the Chase, you’re always looking at the races coming up on the schedule and how you typically do at each of them. Some races you feel confident about, some you don’t. Bristol you don’t really know what to think because even good cars can finish bad there. With the exception of the road courses, this is the race that probably makes all the race teams the most nervous. It’s just so unpredictable. You know you’ve got to be lucky and good. We’re a team that is on the bubble right now, and we don’t really have room for error. I do my best not to worry about it.”
What is better to have at Bristol – patience or aggressiveness?
“Depends if it’s the last 10 laps or not (laughing). You try your best to be patient and keep the fenders clean during the race, because 500 laps is a long time at that place. But it’s hard, man. It doesn’t take much to lose your cool. I’ve lost it many times there. I’ve been the wrecker, the wreckee, and the innocent victim in other people’s wrecks at Bristol, and your tolerance gets tapped out in all those situations. I think the only person that leaves Bristol happy is the winner. But then I think back to when Daddy wrecked Terry Labonte as Terry crossed the finish line to win the race, and he probably wasn’t too happy either.”
On your craziest Bristol moment:
“I don’t know, they all seem crazy to me. Obviously my favorite moment was when we won there (2004). My first time there in the Cup Series was kind of crazy. I was in a wreck on the very first lap, and then wrecked again later in the race. I couldn’t buy a break that day. It was really frustrating. But some of the craziest moments don’t involve me, but I get just as much enjoyment as the fans do watching them unfold. Bristol is just a crazy place.”
Your mindset leading into the final three races of the “regular season”:
“We maintained our ground at Michigan this past weekend. We gave up a few points, but nothing spectacular. We’ll go into this weekend the same as any other weekend – run as hard as we can, get the car as good as it can possibly be, and have a good time doing it. We want to be in the Chase worse than anybody, and we’re going to do our best to get in. We know we’ve got a lot to work on.”
The No. 8 Bud Team at Bristol:
Previous Starts: 13
Best Start: 2nd (Aug. 24, 2002)
Best Finish: 1st (Aug. 28, 2004)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 41st / FN: 9th
Last Time at Bristol: ST: 19th / FN: 11th
This Week’s Bud Car: #06 (Bristol winner in 2004)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the #8 Budweiser team enter the Bristol race weekend 10th in the Nextel Cup point standings after a sixth-place finish at Michigan on Sunday. With three races to go before the Chase begins, Dale Jr. is in 10th place and in Chase contention by 49 points over 11th-place Kasey Kahne. Only 50 points separate him from sixth-place Jeff Gordon. In 23 races, Dale Jr. has one win (Richmond), six top-fives, and 10 top-10s.
Bristol Weekend Notebook:
In 13 career races at Bristol, Dale Jr. has one win, four top-fives and six top-10s.
The Brew Crew finished ninth in this race last year and 11th in March, extending their streak of six straight finishes of 11th or better at BMS.
Junior has led four races at Bristol for a total of 707 laps. On Aug. 28, 2004, he led a career-high 295 en route to his first and only Bristol win. The 295 laps led were by far the most laps Dale Jr. has led in a race, beating the 195 he led at Martinsville in 2003.
Dale Jr. was the first driver to ever complete a Bristol weekend sweep, as he won both the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Nextel Cup races in August, 2004.
Dale Jr. has been running at the finish in all but his first race at Bristol.
Junior has a 13.230 average finish at “Thunder Valley.”
The Bud team has led in 10 races this year for 168 laps. Dale Jr.’s 40 laps led at Michigan on Sunday were the second-most this season, bested only by his 47 laps led in the Richmond victory.
Race Details:
Sharpie 500
Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, Tenn.
.5-mile oval / 500 laps / 250 miles
Saturday, August 26, 2006
TV: TNT, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: Performance Racing Network, XM Radio.
Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED Channel / Friday, August 25 / 7 p.m. ET
2005 winner: Matt Kenseth
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NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS – NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES
Reed Sorenson was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the August 20 GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Sorenson finished eighth and took top rookie honors for the fifth time this season. He scored his fifth top-10 finish of the season at Michigan and first since he placed seventh at Chicagoland (race No. 18).
Denny Hamlin placed ninth at Michigan, his 11th top-10 finish of the 2006 season. Hamlin leads Clint Bowyer by 47 points (237-190) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the August 26 Sharpie 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
Hamlin is eighth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, two points behind seventh-place Kyle Busch. He is four points ahead of ninth-place Jeff Burton and 39 in front of 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.
WIX Filters is an associate sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing. WIX Filters and Raybestos® brand brakes are members of the Affinia family of brands.
THE STREAK STAYS ALIVE: A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top 15 in all 23 races this season.
DID YOU KNOW? Hamlin is the first Raybestos® Rookie since Jimmie Johnson in 2002 to post a multiple-win season in the NEXTEL Cup Series. A Raybestos® Rookie has now posted multiple victories SEVEN times in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series history. The others: Davey Allison (two wins in 1987), Tony Stewart (three wins in 1999), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two wins in 2000), Kevin Harvick (two wins in 2001), Jimmie Johnson (three wins in 2002), and Kyle Busch (two wins in 2005).
DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish in the top-10 this season is THREE in the July 9 USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland (Joliet, Ill.) Speedway: Reed Sorenson (seventh), Bowyer (ninth) and J.J. Yeley (10th).
Hamlin is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in a race this season, capturing the WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race award in both events at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.
Hamlin has led 24 times in eight races for a total of 337 laps, 726.608 miles, best among the Raybestos® Rookie class.
DID YOU KNOW? FOUR Raybestos® Rookies led a lap in the July 1 Pepsi 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (race No. 17), the most to lead a race this season:
---Martin Truex Jr., once for three laps
---David Stremme, twice for two laps
---Sorenson, once for one lap
---Yeley, once for one lap
Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the March 26 Food City 500 at Bristol, grabbing a 14th-place finish.
Travis Kvapil was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2005 Sharpie 500 at Bristol, logging a 19th-place finish.
DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol is second by Kevin Harvick in 2001.
DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only one Raybestos® Rookie has won the pole position for the August race at Bristol: Tony Stewart. Stewart grabbed the top starting spot for the 1999 Sharpie 500.
Stewart is also the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in the August race at Bristol. Stewart led once for 225 laps in the 1999 race on his way to a fifth-place finish. Since 1975, no Raybestos® Rookie has led more laps than Stewart in the night race at Bristol.
DID YOU KNOW? Stewart is the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the Sharpie 500. No first-year driver has led a lap in any of the past six night races at Bristol.
Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second
2003: Jamie McMurray, third
Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1975: Bruce Hill, 10th
1977: Janet Guthrie, sixth
1978: Roger Hamby, 10th
1979: Joe Millikan, sixth
1979: Terry Labonte, eighth
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
1981: Tim Richmond, eighth
1982: Geoffrey Bodine, 10th
1984: Greg Sacks, ninth
1986: Alan Kulwicki, 10th
1989: Jimmy Spencer, eighth
1992: Jimmy Hensley, seventh
1993: Kenny Wallace, ninth
1998: Kevin Lepage, 10th
1999: Tony Stewart, fifth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second
Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1979: Harry Gant (once for 16 laps)
1981: Morgan Shepherd (once for 104 laps)
1986: Alan Kulwicki (twice for two laps)
1994: Joe Nemechek (once for 14 laps)
1995: Ricky Craven (once for one lap)
1999: Tony Stewart (once for 225 laps)
RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY
The way to the NASCAR NEXTEL championship is to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. Since 1979, SIX Raybestos® Rookie of the Year drivers have gone on to win a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup title: Dale Earnhardt (1979), Rusty Wallace (1984), Alan Kulwicki (1986), Jeff Gordon (1993), Tony Stewart (1999, 2005) and Kenseth (2000).
At least one Raybestos® Rookie has won a Bud Pole in each of the last 11 years (1996-2006).
Newman holds the all-time Raybestos® Rookie record for most poles (6), most top-fives (14) and most top-10s (22).
Kasey Kahne holds the record for most earnings by a Raybestos® Rookie ($5.4 million in 2004).
The record for most wins by a Raybestos® Rookie is three, shared by Stewart (1999) and Johnson (2002).
Johnson also holds the best ever points finish by a Raybestos® Rookie, placing fifth in the championship standings in 2002.
More than one Raybestos® Rookie has posted victories in their rookie season only three times: Morgan Shepherd and Ron Bouchard (one each in 1981), Earnhardt Jr. (two) and Kenseth (2000), Johnson (three) and Newman (2002).
RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Denny Hamlin 237
Clint Bowyer 190
Reed Sorenson 181
Martin Truex Jr. 161
J.J. Yeley 157
David Stremme 136
Brent Sherman 41
HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500 Bowyer, sixth
Auto Club 500 Yeley, eighth
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Hamlin, 10th
Golden Corral 500 Sorenson, 10th
Food City 500 Hamlin, 14th
DIRECTV 500 Sorenson, 12th
Samsung/RadioShack 500 Hamlin, fourth
Subway Fresh 500 Bowyer, fifth
Aaron’s 499 Yeley, 11th
Crown Royal 400 Hamlin, second
Dodge Charger 500 Hamlin, 10th
Coca-Cola 600 Hamlin, ninth
Neighborhood Excellence 400 Hamlin, 11th
Pocono 500 Hamlin, FIRST
3M Performance 400 Sorenson, fifth
Dodge/Save Mart 350 Hamlin, 12th
Pepsi 400 Bowyer, 10th
USG Sheetrock 400 Sorenson, seventh
Lenox Industrial Tools 300 Hamlin, sixth
Pennsylvania 500 Hamlin, FIRST
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Bowyer, fourth
AMD at the Glen Hamlin, 10th
GFS Marketplace 400 Sorenson, eighth
®Raybestos is a registered trademark licensed to Brake Parts Inc. by Raybestos Products Company
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BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Also known as the “World’s Fastest Half Mile”, Bristol might be one of the shortest track on the Winston Cup circuit, but it certainly has the highest banking. The Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee opened its track back in 1961, which was originally in asphalt but was resurfaced into a concrete one in 1992, and boasts of some of the fastest action on its 36-degree banked, half-mile layout The fact that mountains were moved two years ago in order to add nearly 50,000 seats, taking its total seating capacity to 135,000, points to the appeal it holds for spectators as well as the racers.. After a stupendous, though gradual rise in its popularity as a NASCAR racing track, Bristol recorded tremendous increase in its attendance from a comparatively insignificant number of 18,000 to an enviable 160,000.
HISTORY OF BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Bristol enthusiasts would find it interesting to note that the land on which the Bristol Speedway is standing today used to be a dairy farm in Eastern Tennessee. The credit for what it is today goes to three men- Larry Carrier, Carl Moore and R.G. Pope, who were inspired to lay the foundation for the Speedway after they had watched a race, taking place on the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The men each invested $600,000 and purchased an area of 100 acres, which finally materialized into racing’s fastest half-mile ever. When they had witnessed the race in Charlottesville, it had a 1.5-mile track, however, the three partners aimed for a more intimate setting and settled on the half-mile, which as one can plainly see now, was, a good idea. Construction began in 1960, with the Motorway’s name intended to be Bristol International Speedway, and carried on for nearly a year.
Interestingly enough, the original site proposed to build the speedway was in Piney Flats, but Carl Moore himself says that the idea did not sit well with the local residents. Thus finally the site that met everyone’s approval was situated five miles down the road on Highway 11-E, in Bristol. It is a matter of considerable pride for these three men that eventually but surely, the popularity of the race track grew and the tickets sold like hot cakes with the Speedway proving to be one of the most happening NASCAR track as well as the largest sporting arena in the state.
Source: Bristol Motor Speedway Official Website, NASCAR Online, 2003
The BMS made its debut as an official NASCAR track on July 30th, 1961 as a perfect half-mile oval with 22-degree banked turns. The first driver, who came onto the track for practice on July 27, was Tiny Lund in his Pontiac. The next to follow was David Pearson. As far as actual races are concerned Fred Lorenzen won the pole for the introductory Volunteer 500 with a speed of 79.225 mph. The seating capacity for this inaugural race was 18,000. While the names and even track configurations have been changed many times through the years, the racing action at Thunder Valley continues to thrill its spectators the same way. It continues to hold its place as the race of attrition in the Winston Cup as well as the Busch Series; it has been recorded that while 42 cars started in the first event, only 19 remained at the end of the last event.
After the 1976 season, Lanny Hester and Gary Baker became the new owners of the Speedway. And merely two years later, in 1978 they changed its name to Bristol International Raceway. In 1982, Lanny Hester sold his share of the track to a man called Warner Hodgdon. Within a year, on July 6, 1983, Hodgdon managed to acquire the track 100% and brought another track as well: the Nashville Speedway, through a buy-sell agreement with Baker, and appointed Larry carrier as the track manager. But as things turned out, Warner Hodgdon had to file for bankruptcy and this gave Larry Carrier to take charge by covering all Hodgdon’s outstanding debts. But the Speedway was not destined to stay in one pair of hands, and on January 22, 1996, Bruton Smith bought the Speedway from Larry Carrier for $26 million. On May 28, 1996, the name of the track officially became what it is even today- Bristol Motor Speedway.
While Bristol was built as half-mile track with 22-degree banking, measuring 60 feet wide on the straight away’s and a width of 75 feet in the turns, it underwent multiple, gradual changes to take the shape of the famous 36-degree banking that it has today. The track acquired its present configuration in the fall of 1969, when it was remodeled and re-measured and given the 36-degree banking and the .533-mile length. Besides the track reconfigurations, the track-owners have always kept the fans in mind; the overall layout for BMS is spread over100 acres and the parking space can accommodate more than 12,000 cars.
Jam packed crowd of 135,000 wild NASCAR fans around a half-mile track and you get the loudest, most raucous racing anywhere in the world. Whether it's the fall afternoon race or the summer night race, nothing in racing compares to Bristol Motor Speedway.
Interesting Facts
Ryan Newman became the first driver to record a sub-15 second lap at BMS during March 2003. Newman grabbed the Food City 500 pole with a 14.908-sec./128.709 mph lap.
WCS track qualifying record
Ryan Newman, 128.709 mph, 14.908 sec., 3/21/03
NBS track qualifying record
Green, 126.495 mph, 15.169 sec., 3/21/03
Most Bristol poles (driver):
Cale Yarborough (9)
Track Information
Features
Opened
1961
Shape
Oval
Banking Turns
36°
Distances traveled
0.533miles
Degree of banking in straights
16°
Straightaways
650feet long
Concrete Racing surface
40ft wide
Seating Capacity
160,000
Distances
Winston Cup Series events:
500 laps (266.5miles)
Craftsman Truck Series events:
200 laps (106.6miles)
NASCAR Winston Cup events
Fastest 36 cars through time trials, plus up to seven provisional
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· Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel “Fastap” Dodge Charger, will make his 10th NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday and his 176th in the NASCAR Cup Series.
· Only one of Newman’s nine starts has been from outside the top-10 – a 14th-place start in the August 2002 race. He has earned two poles at the 0.553-mile track; both coming during the spring race in 2003 and 2004. Out of his seven top-10 starts, four of them have been from the top five. Newman’s average start at the short track is 5.89.
· Being that Bristol is a short track, finishing a race can be quite tricky at times. In nine races, Newman has four top-10 finishes, including a career-best second during the Sharpie 500 in August 2004. Four of his finishes, though, have been from the 30th position or worse. He has one finish in-between that occurred during March 2003 when he finished 22nd. The average finish for Newman at BMS is 21.
· Newman has led two races at BMS for 55 laps. He has completed 4,120 laps of a possible 4,500, giving him a 91.5 percent finishing rate.
· Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel “Fastap” Dodge Charger, and the Alltel team will take chassis PRS-082 to this weekend’s Sharpie 500. This chassis was built in 2004 and was run twice during that season -- Atlanta in October 2004 where Newman finished 17th and at Homestead-Miami where Newman ended up 30th after losing a right-front tire and crashing. In March 2005, Newman drove this car at Atlanta and struggled all day but eventually finished 14th. Earlier this year, Newman drove this car at Bristol and was having a good run until he spun. However, Newman was still able to earn a top-10 finish when he came home ninth.
Newman on Bristol Motor Speedway:
“Bristol is one of those tracks where you can have a great car and just get caught up in someone else’s mess and ruin your whole day. Short tracks are fun to drive at because you never know what’s going to happen and I know the fans enjoy watching those races, but if you’re the team that has a bad day, then it’s not so fun anymore.”
“When you go to Bristol at this time of year, it’s always interesting to see what’s going to happen. Bristol can make or break a driver’s Chase hopes. We’ve had our share of problems at Bristol just like every other team, so there’s really no telling how your team is going to do there.”
Quick Stats:
Bristol Motor Speedway: 9
Races Led/Laps Led: 2/55
Best Starting Position: 1 (twice)
Best Finishing Position: 2 (August 2004)
August 2005 Start: 6
August 2005 Finish: 39
NBS Notes:
· Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Alltel “Fastap” Dodge Charger, will make his fourth NASCAR Busch Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night and his 30th in the series.
· In three previous starts at the short track, Newman has two starts from the third position and one from the 15th position, giving him an average start of 7.
· After starting third in last year’s race, Newman went on to win the rain interrupted Food City 250 in August 2005. His other two finishes at the 0.553-mile track have also been in the top 10. He finished sixth in March 2001 and eighth that following August. His average finish at BMS is fifth.
· In NASCAR Busch Series events at Bristol, Newman has completed every lap – 752 laps of a possible 752. He has led one race for 114 laps, which occurred en route to last year’s victory.
· Matt Gimbel, crew chief of the No. 39 Alltel “Fastap” Dodge Charger, will take chassis PBC-007 to this weekend’s Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway. This car was raced in California earlier this year and finished second. The car was tested at Richmond in March and then raced at RIR in May where Newman finished fifth. At Darlington in May, the car was running well, but a loose fuel line caused the car to have problems and finish 30th.
Newman on Bristol:
“I’m real excited to get back to Bristol for the Busch race. Obviously, we had great success here last year with a win in August and we’re looking forward to accomplishing the same thing this year.”
“This team has done so well this year with two wins with Kurt (Busch) in the car. At the moment, this is our last scheduled Busch race for the year, so we’d like to take some of the momentum from the past couple of weeks and finish big with another victory for Penske Racing and the whole 39 team.”
Quick Stats:
Bristol Motor Speedway: 3
Races Led/Laps Led: 1/114
Best Starting Position: 3 (twice)
Best Finishing Position: 1 (8/26/05)
August 2005 Start: 3
August 2005 Finish: 1
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MILLER LITE DRIVER KURT BUSCH READY FOR BRISTOL HOMECOMING
-“Rusty” Returning To Action In This Weekend’s Sharpie 500 On Bristol High Banks-
BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 22, 2006) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch recorded his first win behind the wheel of his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in only his fifth start for Penske Racing back in the March Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He’s returning to NASCAR’s most popular track hoping to win Saturday night’s Sharpie 500 and make it a Bristol sweep for 2006.
Busch arrived at Bristol the last time around with big shoes to fill. After all, the man he replaced behind the wheel of the “Blue Deuce,” Rusty Wallace, had won nine times on the high-banked .533-mile oval. Wallace had long declared Bristol as his favorite track. Fans and competitors alike acknowledged “R.W.” as the man to beat every time the top NASCAR racing circuit visited the Northeast Tennessee speed plant.
Busch was quick to admit that following Wallace’s footsteps was a big undertaking, but he was determined to prove he was worthy of his new ride and eager to show that he could continue the winning ways that had made Wallace the “King” of Bristol.
After all, Busch, the 2004 NASCAR champ, certainly shared a lot in common with Wallace, the 1989 points titlist and 55-race winner who hung up his Cup racing helmet at the end of the 2005 season. Busch, like Wallace, had recorded the first Cup win of his career at Bristol. Wallace had honed his racing skills on the small “bullring” short tracks, behind the wheel of a full-bodied late model stock car. Busch came from the same background. Wallace and Busch both had claimed a championship during their fourth season as a full-time Cup competitor.
But perhaps the biggest common denominator between the two great racers is their professed love for the Bristol track.
“It’s my favorite track of them all, there’s no doubt about that,” Busch said. “I’m asked that question several times a week, especially when we’re doing autograph signings and sponsor appearances. I know how much Rusty loved Bristol. I can identify with that. There’s no other place like it. There’s a level of electricity in the air, particularly in the night race there, which is second to none. It’s like a homecoming every time we go there.”
Inasmuch as Busch is quick to nod to his affection for the Bristol track, the relationship certainly must be considered mutual.
Brandishing a career record of five wins and eight top-10 finishes in only 11 races, Busch carries statistics worthy of being considered the next “Bristol King.” With Wallace now retired, only Jeff Gordon, also with five victories, has displayed equal Bristol prowess among active drivers. However, Gordon has won only once since 1998.
“I guess I just got lucky a couple of times out there,” Busch said, perhaps too humbly about his impressive Bristol record. “Regardless of how the wins came about, I really do love the place and we can’t wait to get back there this weekend.”
Busch’s soft spot for the Bristol track certainly had to undertake a learning curve before coming to fruition.
“Oh, there was a learning curve -- a learning curve indeed,” Busch recently recalled with a chuckle “All you have to do is go back and look at my first Cup race at Bristol back in 2001.”
The official race report for the March 25, 2001, edition of the Food City 500 shows that Busch started 39th and finished 42nd. He completed only 118 of the 500 laps and exited the race due to an accident.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Busch said, now laughing. “As a matter of fact, it was downright ugly. The first time I crashed that day, it was on my on. The second time I wrecked, I was in a big pileup. I guess you could say that the third time was the charm, in that we punctured the radiator in that crash.
“That put us out for good,” Busch continued, still chuckling. “They just kept on fixing it and putting me back out there to get track time. When we were finally done for the day, I looked up on the board and there were still about 400 laps of racing left. They didn’t have the tunnel down in the third turn at the time, so I was forced to sit there and watch all the others go at it for another three hours.
“I promised myself that day a situation like that would never happen again. It became a necessity in my mind to become a good racer at Bristol. You also have to consider the fact that they announced that very weekend that my car sponsor (Sharpie) was going to also start sponsoring the August race there.
“Seriously, I think that good racing luck has had a little to do with it, too,” offered Busch, who went on to claim his first career win the following spring at Bristol and then posted three consecutive Bristol wins in 2003-2004. “I was able to develop a real positive attitude about racing at Bristol and I enter the Bristol race week really looking forward to racing there.
“I looked at guys like Darrell and Rusty and saw just how much they genuinely enjoyed each and every time the circuit raced at Bristol,” said Busch. “Having a positive attitude about racing there is so important at Bristol and we always have that going for us when we get there.
“As far as the strategy behind my success, I learned from the very first race that you have to be around at the finish to do well at Bristol. It really is a situation of surviving the first 400 laps – keeping the fenders on the thing and staying out of the wall. Then, if you’re in good shape after four-fifths of the race, it’s time to really get down to business during the final 100 laps.”
Busch’s win in the spring race certainly didn’t come easy. Busch and his Roy McCauley-led Miller Lite Dodge team had plenty of obstacles to overcome.
Here is a race “recap” of the March 28 Food City 500:
* * *
“It was a monumental win, to say the least,” Busch said of his 15th career Cup win and fifth at Bristol. “Yes, it was the first win for us in the Miller Lite Dodge – my first win for Penske Racing. But, the way we won it will always stand out in my mind. It’s unbelievable when you think of overcoming those obstacles at Bristol to take that first win.
"We started off the race where I wasn't able to communicate with the team,” explained Busch. “I could hear them, but they couldn’t hear anything I said. That didn’t get our team down like it could have most teams at a place like Bristol.
“We went through a quick little practice run and devised a signal system where if I touched the A pillar the car was a little tight. If I touched the door it was a little loose. We ran with that all the way up to the red flag. Then during the red flag, that's when I was able to get the second radio out and talk into it on the mike, and that was the only way they could hear me. We had a rough day with that.
“If that wasn’t bad enough, we got a flat tire early in the day,” Busch said of the flat right rear tire he encountered on Lap 61 after taking the lead from Greg Biffle, who had experienced a similar setback. “That put us one lap down. We came down pit road under the green and Roy (McCauley, crew chief) saw that the lefts were okay. He made the call to go with rights only and that saved us from going two laps down. We were able to race our way back and get the Lucky Dog and work our way through the pack, sometimes on the high side, sometimes on the low side.”
It was only 11 laps after Busch’s tire problems that the second yellow flag of the race flew, this caution for a multi-car crash in Turn 1. Busch was all the way back in the 38th spot, running one lap down to leader Tony Stewart, for the Lap 78 restart.
Busch was patient in getting around the other lapped cars and into the “Lucky Dog” spot during the next 10 laps, getting great help from spotter Jeremy Brickhouse and coaching from Roger Penske’s “Lieutenant” Walt Czarnecki.
When another multi-car crash occurred in Turn 4 brought out the third caution period of the race, Busch got the free pass to rejoin the lead lap racers.
Busch, McCauley and crew continuously massage their Dodge into top competitive form – using their hand signal system and without the driver being able to communicate via a working two-way radio. It was a true spectacle in itself to witness.
Busch was back up to 18th when Jeff Burton’s spin on Lap 159 brought out eh sixth caution period of the race and he’d cracked the top 15 when another massive pileup forced red flag conditions on Lap 193.
Under the red, Busch was able to pull the backup radio from its harness and communicate directly through its face speaker. The team then pinpointed the radio problem being in Busch’s helmet microphone. Busch and crew were able to remedy the situation to where they had limited, yet workable, two-way radio communication for the remainder of the race.
With several cars pitting prior to the Lap 200 restart, Busch was all the way back up to 10th when the green flag flew once again. Busch made steady progress through the field after that. He was ninth after a caution on Lap 206 for debris and eighth on a Lap 223 restart after another yellow flag caused by debris on the track.
When rookie Brent Sherman spun on the backstretch on Lap 249 to bring out the ninth yellow of the race, all the leaders hit pit road. A 12.824-second pit stop had Busch and the Miller Lite Dodge back up to third.
Busch was up to second, behind leader Stewart, on the Lap 294 restart after the 11th caution period of the day. He scooted around Stewart to reclaim the lead on Lap 386 and held the point until the 13th yellow of the day flew on Lap 407 when Kevin Lepage stalled against the Turn 4 wall.
Even thought McCauley’s lightning-fast Miller Lite Dodge team gave Busch a 12.692-second stop, Matt Kenseth’s crew got him out first. Busch was second, a hard-charging Kevin Harvick was third, Jeff Gordon fourth and Stewart fifth.
Through three additional cautions, Busch threatened to reclaim the lead from ex-teammate Kenseth. He finally got his opportunity to pass Kenseth with only four laps remaining in the race.
“The last restart, Matt got a great restart,” Busch explained of the final portion of the 500-lap battle. “It looked like I was sleeping. I chased him down lap after lap. We wore our tires out. We were out there for about a hundred laps. We wore our tires out with running too hard of a pace. When he got the lapped cars they wouldn’t yield to him, yet he couldn’t pass them because he wore out his tires. I was in the same boat.
“When I caught up to him he was real tight in the center of one and two,” Busch said of the closing laps of the race. “He got loose. I bumped into him a little bit and that was our window to go for the lead. It was a big victory for us. The Bristol atmosphere is all about bumping and grinding. I’ve seen Jeff Gordon win many races that way, and take a few races away from Rusty for that matter.
Busch had a special cell phone call while celebrating his big win in Victory Lane – from Rusty Wallace – former driver of the Miller Lite Dodge and a true legend in this sport. He couldn’t wait to tell his friend and driving champion-now-turned-broadcaster what he had done to pay tribute.
“To have Rusty call me in Victory Lane, it’s very emotional to drive his car and to drive for Roger Penske and Miller Lite and Dodge and all of our great sponsors,” an emotional Busch explained. “For him to congratulate me, and that one was for the team. That’s what he had said. When I mentioned for him it’s a tradition and he said ‘of course.’ And I said, ‘I’m going to name this car Rusty.’ You could almost see he had a tear in his eye.”
Busch’s victory came at an official 0.179-second advantage over runner-up Harvick. Kenseth finished third, with Carl Edwards fourth and Bobby Labonte fifth. Mark Martin, Biffle, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top 10 finishers.
* * *
The car that Busch raced and won with in the spring Bristol race was the PRS-090. Wallace debuted the car in the 2005 Food City 500, starting third and dominating the race (leading four times for 157 – the most – laps) before a flat right front tire relegated him to a 13th-place finish. Wallace drove the car one additional time, in the August Bristol race last year. He started 20th and drove to the front, but had to come back from a costly speeding penalty to lead laps and post a fifth-place finish.
The spring Bristol battle is the only race Busch has used the car. After winning and naming the car “Rusty,” Busch and crew stored the victorious Miller Lite Dodge away, anticipating this weekend’s return to Bristol.
Thus, one could say that “Rusty” is returning to action in this weekend’s Sharpie 500 on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway.
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McMurray Back In Sharpie Ford Fusion For Sharpie 500
McMurray and the No. 26 team prepare for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Roush Racing, Press Release
CONCORD, N.C. (August 22, 2006) - Entering this weekend's Sharpie 500, NASCAR star Jamie McMurray knows the good luck that a Sharpie paint scheme can bring to a team. In the last five years the Sharpie team has won four times at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway. This weekend, for the second time in 2006, McMurray will be piloting the No. 26 Sharpie Ford Fusion.
"There is a lot of good luck behind the Sharpie paint scheme at Bristol," said McMurray. "Bristol is such a fun race for both the drivers and the fans. I hope our 26 team can go out there and show how strong this team really is."
In his seven starts at the .533-mile "bullring," McMurray has racked up three top-10 finishes, and has an average finish of 16.3. McMurray's average finish ranks 14th among all active drivers in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
Coming off a 17th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway, McMurray prepares for the short track of Bristol. "Bristol is one of those tracks where anything can happen to you throughout the race. It is so easy to get caught up in someone else's wreck. If you can keep the car in one piece and have good pit stops, you can have a good run at Bristol," said McMurray.
Prior to taking the green flag on Saturday evening, McMurray will participate in the Sharpie "MINI" 500, where he will go head-to-head racing remote-controlled cars with NASCAR drivers' children. The event will support Sharpie's "Autographs for Education" program. The annual program challenges individuals to collect one million autographs in exchange for $1 million in funds and supplies for schools nationwide.
"It's really cool to be a part of Sharpie's 'Autographs for Education.' Sharpie is helping students cross their own finish line and get a good start towards the best education possible. This is going to be a great weekend for the entire Sharpie team, I am really looking forward to it," said McMurray.
Coverage of this weekend's Sharpie 500 will begin at 7:00 p.m. on TNT. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 7:40 p.m.
About Sanford®, Maker of Sharpie®
For more than 40 years, Sharpie has been the popular brand of permanent markers long-associated with the autograph experience. Sanford, maker of Sharpie, is a division of Newell Rubbermaid Inc., a worldwide leader in the manufacturing and marketing of writing instruments, art products and office organization, including such well known brands as Paper Mate(r), Sharpie(r), DYMO(r), Parker(r), Waterman(r), EXPO(r), Foohy(r), uni-ball(r), and Rolodex(r), among others. Sanford makes more than 6,000 products, ranging from markers, pens and pencils to professional art products, fine writing instruments and office organization products. Visit www.sharpie.com for more information.
About Roush Racing
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motorsports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain, Jr. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Robin Johnson, Roush Racing, (704) 720-4645. For more information on any of the Roush Racing teams, log onto www.roushracing.com
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True Speed Communication For Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release
ATLANTA (Aug. 22, 2006) - In the past five NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, Tony Stewart has gained six point positions, rising from 11th after the July 16 race at New Hampshire to fifth entering Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
With back-to-back finishes of 30th or worse at Chicagoland and then New Hampshire, Stewart was out of the ever-important top-10 with only seven races before the onset of the chase for the championship - where only the top-10 drivers are eligible to compete for the series' title.
But while pundits fretted as to whether Stewart would return to the top-10, the two-time and reigning Nextel Cup champion set the speculation aside and focused on what he does best - driving fast.
As a result, Stewart is back to being a fixture among the top-10 in points. Thanks to four straight top-10 finishes, including consecutive top-three results via a second-place finish at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) and a third-place effort last Sunday at Michigan, Stewart has earned a healthy 127-point margin over 11th place Kasey Kahne.
The upcoming race at Bristol marks the third to last race before the chase for the championship begins, and it's a venue where Stewart can further solidify his top-10 status.
With his familiar No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet, Stewart has led 828 laps around the .533-mile, high-banked oval. He has scored four top-fives and five top-10s, including a win in August 2001. He also has a pole to his Bristol resume, setting fast time as a rookie in just his second Nextel Cup start at the track in August 1999.
But it's 2006. How good is Stewart at Bristol now?
In the Nextel Cup Series' first trip to Bristol on March 26, Stewart led eight times for a race-high 245 laps. Handling issues in the last 25 laps sent him to an undeserved 12th place finish, but Stewart's time up front served notice that he still had a knack for getting around the track some have likened to flying fighter jets inside a gymnasium.
With the same car that dominated Bristol five months ago, Stewart returns to Bristol intent on winning - the race and the championship.
After dominating this year's spring race at Bristol, you ended up 12th. What happened?
"We had an awesome car all day. I felt like I ran the most patient race I had ever run at Bristol. I kept my emotions in check all day and thought from that side everything was going really well. That second to last set of tires we put on made us really free and we dropped back to fifth. Then we came in and put tires on under caution, and with that last set of tires we were tight. I couldn't turn it through the center of the corner at all. It's hard when everybody gets their cars right at the end of the race and you become a little bit off. It was hard to hold those guys back. So we just tried to race smart there and bring our car home in one piece."
With the pressure upon some drivers to make the cut for the chase for the championship, will it make Bristol an even more aggressive race?
"I don't think it'll be any different. I still think when it comes to racing, guys are simply just racing. I think at the end of the day they look at the point standings, but for the most part, the whole time you're out there you're worried about winning the race or doing as well as you can. I really don't think people's mindsets will change."
Now that the chase for the championship seems to be taking shape, have you thought about a strategy to use during the final 10-race stretch to the finish?
"If you win races the points take care of themselves. Every week when we go to the track we're going to try to win the race, and if we can't win we'll finish as high as we can and get as many points as we can. Once we do that, the points will just have to be what they are."
Are you looking to see who's ahead of you in points and who's behind you? Is there any concern about staying in the top-10 for the last three races before the chase for the championship begins Sept. 17 at New Hampshire?
"We'll take it one day at a time. I mean, we're not worried about anything because we just have to go and do our job every week. Typically, we've been in the top-10 in points every year since we've been in the Cup series. We're not reinventing the wheel here. We just don't need to have any bad luck. That's what it really boils down to. We're not doing anything differently. You just can't afford to have a bad day. You don't have to have a great day, but you just can't afford to have a bad day."
Because things happen so quickly at Bristol, are your senses heightened more so than they are at other tracks?
"You just don't have time to relax. Everything happens so fast. At the end of the day when the race is done and your adrenaline wears off, you're worn out. But when you're in the car and the adrenaline's pumping, you don't get in that smooth, calm rhythm that you do at a place like Michigan or California where you've got big, sweeping corners and long straightaways. There's no time to relax. You don't get that luxury at Bristol. It's standard short track racing."
Do you go into Bristol knowing that a little more give-and-take will be needed to ensure a strong finish?
"You've got to make sure that you keep the fenders on your car all day and that you're not beating up your race car. If that means a guy gets underneath you and you've got to let him go, then that's what you do. But at the same time, you still have to race hard and not give up track position and lap times because it doesn't take long before you're in lapped traffic. It's a track where you need to be really aggressive, but at the same time, taking care of your equipment all day is key."
There always seems to be a ton of contact at Bristol. How do you balance patience with aggressiveness?
"I think the contact you see at Bristol is more from being so close to one another while going so fast. All it takes is a small bobble on someone's part to cause a chain reaction of guys bumping into each other. It doesn't necessarily cause a wreck, but it gets guys beating and banging on one another. It's not out of necessity. It's just the set of circumstances you have there. Bristol is a place where you have to really be careful. You have to be very patient. We all run so fast there as a group that you really have to take your time when you go to pass somebody. If somebody gets someone else hung out on the outside, it's easy to just tuck in behind the guy on the inside and follow him on by. That's the easiest way to pass cars at Bristol. If you have a good handling car, you've got to take care of it. Taking care of your fenders is the biggest variable in the equation."
You've said in the past that Bristol is your favorite track, but your four top-fives are offset by nine finishes of 15th or worse, two of which were DNFs (Did Not Finish). That being said, is Bristol still your favorite track?
"It's one of my favorites, but Bristol is a track that's feast or famine. If you have a really good day, it's a lot of fun. But if you have one little problem, it normally makes for a very long day. We've had more long days than good days. But last year we finished third in the spring race to finally get a good finish there, and we backed it up in the night race with a top-10. And then this year we led a bunch of laps before the handling went away there at the end. Hopefully, it's a sign of better things to come."
The Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 are crown jewel races, but winning at Bristol is also pretty special. How so?
"It's awesome. The coolest thing about Bristol is that you have 160,000 fans that you can see all day long or all night long. I can remember races where I passed Jeff Gordon for the lead and I could see the people cheering. It's one of the coolest tracks I've ever been to in my life. The grandstands are right on top of you. I mean, when you get out of the car after practice or qualifying, you can see what the fans are eating and what they're drinking. You're that close. And as hard as it is to win a race there - because you've got to have a perfect day to do it - really makes you cherish a win there. The one win that I have there is one of the best wins of my career. Anybody who wins at Bristol appreciates it."
GREG ZIPADELLI, crew chief on the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet:
How important is it to work with Tony Stewart at a place like Bristol, where staying cool and keeping your calm is key when spins and crashes and beating and banging is just a part of the race?
"Bristol is just one of those places where it's so easy to put yourself over the edge, whether it be me in my position or Tony in his position. It's one of those places where being calm and cool will prevail throughout the day. You try not to put yourself in bad positions. You try to think ahead and look ahead. It's one of those places were you truly have to be there at the end, and it doesn't take much not to be there. But you've got to have a good race car. It doesn't matter how cool or calm you are if you don't have a good car. Your car has got to do everything you need it to do or you're off. Things happen so fast because that place is so quick and the groove is so limited. You've got to be on your game."
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With Bristol, Harvick Knows That The Outcome Could Be The Opposite Of What You Want It To Be
Keystone Marketing Co., Press Release
CATCH IT:
The Sharpie 500 will take the green flag Saturday, August 26th at 7 p.m. EST and will be telecast live on TNT. This event can also be heard on XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying will air live on SPEED Channel and XM Satellite Radio Friday, August 25th at 3:40 p.m. EST.
MICHIGAN RECAP:
Harvick started fifth in Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Early in the 200 lap race, Harvick tried to pass for the lead when he spun out and slid into the infield grass, damaging the left-front valence. The 29 crew worked enthusiastically to repair the damaged front. Harvick returned to the race on the lead lap, driving the wheels off of the No. 29 even when its handling wasn't the greatest. He fought to stay inside the top-20 throughout most of the race, picking off a number of positions in the closing laps to finish just outside of the top-10 for the first time since Sonoma where he finished 24th. Harvick's 11th place finish was good enough for him to hold onto third in the Nextel Cup Series points, 317 out of the top spot.
WELCOME BACK REESE’S:
Reese’s orange will don the hood this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Reese’s is one of five special paint schemes The Hershey Company will run throughout the 2006 season.
ONE LUCKY FAN:
The Hershey’s Company teamed up with Food City to present a win win situation for one lucky person. Fans registered at Food City locations for a chance to go to Bristol Motor Speedway. One winner was randomly chosen for a chance to win $100,000.00. If Kevin Harvick wins Saturday night’s Sharpie 500, he or she will win $100,000.00. Even if Harvick doesn’t win, the fan will still receive a $5,000 gift card from Food City.
BRISTOL STATS:
Kevin Harvick has 11 career NEXTEL Cup starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. Of those 11 starts, he has compiled eight top-10 finishes including a win in 2005.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CUP:
For NASCAR's biggest stars, it's all about the Cup. Now fans can chase the Cup as well. Reese’s, along with NASCAR.com have put together a fantasy racing game called “It’s All About The Cup.” More than 78,398 NASCAR fans are logging on each week for a chance to win great prizes presented by The Hershey Company. At the end of each weekly race ("Week", one (1) weekly prize ("Weekly Prize" will be awarded to the eligible participant whose roster scores the highest for that Week ("Weekly Winners". If there is a tie, the following methods will be used to determine the winners: Each week the participant will select from a drop down box what position Kevin Harvick will finish in that race. Participants will also select the number of different lap leaders in that race. If there is a tie for the Weekly Winners, the first tiebreaker will be who correctly predicted Kevin Harvick's exact finishing position.. If there is still a tie, the next level of tiebreaker will be the participants' selection for number of different lap leaders in that race. If there is a tie, the Weekly Prize will be divided evenly among tied participants. Please check out http://fantasy2.nascar.com/games/cbox/ for more information.
RUNNING IT:
The No. 29 Reese’s/GM Goodwrench transporter will unload chassis No. 139 this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. This chassis was run at Bristol earlier this year where Harvick finished second to winner Kurt Busch.
SEEING ORANGE:
Harvick has seven career starts in the famed Reese’s Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway. He has compiled six top-five finishes including two wins in 2003 and 2005.
REESE’S RACING WEBSITE:
Reesesracing.com has a whole new look in 2006. Now with updated stories and photos from each track, race fans can see and read what goes on with the No. 29 Reese’s racing team week in and week out. Also included are bios of driver Kevin Harvick and team owner Richard Childress, so be sure to check out: www.reesesracing.com
REESE’S PIT CREW WILL MAKE AN APPEARANCE:
The No. 29 Reese’s pit crew will make an appearance this Saturday from 2:30-3:00 p.m. at the No. 29 Reese’s/GM Goodwrench souvenir hauler. The team will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. A limited number of free posters will be handed out to fans as well.
PROMOTIONS:
Hershey’s WrapperCash Program:
Collect wrappers from HERSHEY'S products that feature the WrapperCash logo, bank your points and bid for cool stuff! There is a new auction every day! Hershey’s presents Tim McGraw & Faith Hill: HERSHEY'S presents Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, officially sponsoring their Soul 2 Soul Tour. Collect specially marked REESE'S products and redeem them for cool merchandise and free music downloads. Don't forget to enter the sweepstakes to win a trip for four to see Tim & Faith live in concert! Reese’s Racing Showroom: Racing fans can save their wrappers and get FREE REESE’S Racing Team merchandise! Collect HERSHEY’S Standard and King Size candy bar wrappers of participating brands to get free collectible merchandise.
Bristol Race Preview
Rookie Contenders Pre-Sharpie 500 Previews
Kurt Busch Ready For Bristol Homecoming
McMurray Back In Sharpie Ford Fusion For Sharpie 500
Tony Stewart - Looking Sharp Entering Sharpie 500
, one (1) weekly prize ("Weekly Prize"