Kahne holds off Kenseth for Busch win at Vegas
By Tom Gardner, The Associated Press
March 11, 2006
11:04 PM EST (04:04 GMT)
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Kasey Kahne held off Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick for 20 laps, then survived a two-lap shootout with Kenseth Saturday to win the Sam's Town 300 for his fourth Busch Series victory.
"It was just a great race. Matt and Kevin were both very good all day," Kahne said.
Kenseth, who started from the pole, was gradually closing in on Kahne when David Gilliland's car went up in smoke with two laps to go, bringing out the caution and setting up the green-white-checker finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Kahne got a good jump on the restart and held on to edge Kenseth by 0.316 seconds, about three car lengths. Harvick finished 1.333 seconds behind the winner.
"I got a little bit of a run on Kasey. He was just so good off [Turn 2], I couldn't get enough of a run on him," Kenseth said. "The end of the run, before the last caution came out, we were catching him a little bit. I don't think I could have passed him. I was too tight."
Harvick also said he was plagued by a tight car.
"I think it had a lot to do with the sun going down. Those guys were really hooked up," he said.
Greg Biffle, the pole-sitter for Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Nextel Cup race, finished fourth, followed by Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, J.J. Yeley, Clint Bowyer and Reed Sorenson. All of the top-10 finishers are regulars on the Nextel Cup series.
Kahne started 10th on the grid and first took the lead on Lap 72. He retook the top spot for good on Lap 178.
"The car was not working on the outside earlier in the race. Matt got by us until we made the right adjustments and I was able to get by Matt right away on the outside," Kahne said.
He also was concerned by his water temperature late in the race.
"The temperature kept rising on the final 25 laps -- up to 255. The caution was good and we cooled down to 220," he said.
Kahne finished second here in 2004 and previously won Busch Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway.
The race was run in unusual cold for Las Vegas, even in late winter. Temperatures were in the mid-40s with a threat of snow. A few sprinkles of rain fell during the race.
The most serious incident occurred on the 160th of 200 laps when Jamie McMurray tapped John Andretti on the backstretch, sending him ricocheting off the wall and into the path of Tim Sauter. Both drivers walked away from the wreck.
Harvick retained his lead in the points standings after two races with 642, followed by Hamlin, who won last week in Mexico with 600, Yeley, McMurray, Bowyer, Edwards and Jason Leffler, the highest driver in the standings who races only in the Busch Series.
Sam's Town 300 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 11, 2006 | Race 4 of 35
Fin St Car Driver Make Sponsor Pts/Bonus Laps Status
1 10 #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Ragu 185/5 206 Running
2 1 #17 Matt Kenseth Ford Pennzoil Platinum 175/5 206 Running
3 4 #21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet U.S. Coast Guard 175/10 206 Running
4 3 #16 Greg Biffle Ford Ameriquest Mortgage 160/0 206 Running
5 6 #60 Carl Edwards Ford Ameriquest / FreeCreditReport.com 160/5 206 Running
6 2 #20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Rockwell Automation 155/5 206 Running
7 5 #64 Jamie McMurray Dodge Top-Flite Golf 151/5 206 Running
8 19 #18 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet Vigoro Ultra Turf/Home Depot 142/0 206 Running
9 8 #2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet ACDelco 138/0 206 Running
10 27 #41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Discount Tire 134/0 206 Running
11 37 #32 Jason Leffler Chevrolet Lucas Oil Products 130/0 206 Running
12 26 #33 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Old Spice 127/0 206 Running
13 34 #25 Ashton Lewis Ford U.S. Marines 129/5 206 Running
14 11 #47 Jon Wood Ford Clorox/American Red Cross 121/0 206 Running
15 20 #00 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Yellow Transportation 118/0 206 Running
16 9 #1 Jason Keller Dodge Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts 115/0 206 Running
17 21 #66 Ken Schrader Ford Yard-Man 112/0 205 Running
18 7 #90 Stephen Leicht Ford CitiFinancial 109/0 205 Running
19 13 #5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Lowe's/Spectrum Spectracide 106/0 204 Running
20 15 #11 Paul Menard Chevrolet Menards/Quaker State 103/0 204 Running
21 18 #06 Todd Kluever* Ford 3M 100/0 204 Running
22 16 #35 Regan Smith Ford McDonald's 97/0 204 Running
23 17 #50 Danny O'Quinn Jr.* Ford World Financial Group 94/0 204 Running
24 14 #156 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet Solar Bat 91/0 204 Running
25 23 #99 Michael Waltrip Dodge Cottman Transmission 88/0 204 Running
26 25 #77 Burney Lamar* Chevrolet Dollar General 85/0 203 Running
27 31 #88 Mark McFarland* Chevrolet U.S. Navy 82/0 203 Running
28 42 #58 Kevin Conway Dodge Carver Racing 79/0 203 Running
29 12 #27 David Green Ford Kleenex/Smith's Food & Drugs 76/0 203 Running
30 28 #131 Steve Park Chevrolet Whelen Engineering 73/0 203 Running
31 40 #4 Mark Green Dodge GEICO/Brymak 70/0 203 Running
32 39 #22 Kenny Wallace Ford AutoZone 67/0 203 Running
33 36 #59 Stacy Compton Ford Kingsford/Bush's Beans 64/0 202 Running
34 30 #01 Jay Sauter Chevrolet Western Union 61/0 202 Running
35 33 #165 Spencer Clark Ford Allegiant Air 58/0 201 Running
36 32 #34 Paul Tracy Chevrolet Sport Clips/American Crew 55/0 200 Running
37 24 #38 Anthony Foyt* Dodge Great Clips 52/0 200 Out of Race
38 38 #14 Tracy Hines* Dodge Take Me On Vacation 49/0 199 Running
39 43 #184 David Gilliland Chevrolet Ranchwood Homes 46/0 192 Out of Race
40 41 #43 Aaron Fike Dodge Jerry's Nugget/Eureka/RFMS 43/0 173 Out of Race
41 22 #36 Tim Sauter Chevrolet Lester Building Systems 40/0 158 Out of Race
42 29 #10 John Andretti* Ford Freedom Rds/Campng Wld/RVs.com 37/0 154 Out of Race
43 35 #12 Joel Kauffman* Dodge Supercuts 34/0 70 Out of Race
Unofficial Race Results
Sharpie Mini 300
Bristol Motor Speedway
March 25, 2006
Race 6 of 35
Fin St Car Driver Make Sponsor Pts/Bonus Laps Status
1 20 #5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Lowe's/Shop-Vac 185/5 300 Running
2 1 #21 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet U.S. Coast Guard 180/10 300 Running
3 22 #17 Matt Kenseth Ford Ameriquest Mortgage 165/0 300 Running
4 7 #20 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet Rockwell Automation 165/5 300 Running
5 9 #60 Carl Edwards Ford Ameriquest Mortgage/Soaring Dreams 160/5 300 Running
6 5 #9 Scott Riggs Dodge Lawry's 150/0 300 Running
7 6 #33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet Outdoor Channel 146/0 300 Running
8 23 #22 Kenny Wallace Ford AutoZone 142/0 300 Running
9 28 #10 John Andretti* Ford Freedom Rds/Campng Wld/RVs.com 138/0 300 Running
10 13 #00 Johnny Sauter Chevrolet Blue Ox 134/0 300 Running
11 26 #50 Danny O'Quinn Jr.* Ford Barr-Nunn Transportation & Logistics 130/0 300 Running
12 4 #2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet ACDelco 127/0 300 Running
13 29 #14 Tracy Hines* Dodge Turbines Inc. 124/0 300 Running
14 32 #59 Stacy Compton Ford Kingsford Sure Fire/Bush's Beans 121/0 300 Running
15 15 #1 Jason Keller Dodge Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts 118/0 300 Running
16 16 #11 Paul Menard Chevrolet Menards/Moen 115/0 300 Running
17 11 #47 Jon Wood Ford Clorox/Am. Red Cross/Food City 112/0 300 Running
18 38 #43 Aaron Fike Dodge Smith Transport/RFMS, Inc. 109/0 300 Running
19 43 #156 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet SunCom Wireless 106/0 300 Running
20 10 #77 Burney Lamar* Chevrolet Dollar General 103/0 300 Running
21 30 #36 Tim Sauter Chevrolet Lester Building Systems 100/0 300 Running
22 31 #4 Mark Green Dodge GEICO/Brymak 97/0 300 Running
23 37 #01 Jay Sauter Chevrolet Western Union 94/0 299 Running
24 21 #90 Matt McCall Ford CitiFinancial 91/0 299 Running
25 34 #27 David Green Ford Kleenex/Cottonelle/Food City 88/0 299 Running
26 27 #99 Michael Waltrip Dodge Aaron's 90/5 299 Running
27 18 #41 Reed Sorenson Dodge NicoDerm CQ 82/0 298 Running
28 12 #16 Greg Biffle Ford FreeCreditReport.com 84/5 298 Running
29 2 #18 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet Vigoro/The Home Depot 76/0 298 Running
30 14 #25 Ashton Lewis Ford U.S. Marines 73/0 296 Running
31 19 #88 Mark McFarland* Chevrolet U.S. Navy 70/0 290 Running
32 8 #32 Jason Leffler Chevrolet Lucas Oil Products 67/0 289 Running
33 3 #64 Steve Wallace Dodge Jackson Roscoe Foundation 69/5 288 Running
34 17 #06 Todd Kluever* Ford 3M 61/0 262 Out of Race
35 36 #38 A.J. Foyt IV* Dodge Great Clips 58/0 257 Running
36 39 #34 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Cicci Racing w/Jim Kelly 55/0 237 Running
37 24 #66 Ken Schrader Ford Yard-Man 52/0 237 Running
38 25 #35 Regan Smith Ford McDonald's Prem. Roast Coffee 49/0 233 Out of Race
39 42 #23 Chris Wimmer* Chevrolet Hotel Preston 46/0 195 Out of Race
40 41 #0 Kertus Davis Chevrolet RaceGirl 43/0 175 Out of Race
41 40 #49 Jorge Goeters Ford Kraft 40/0 167 Out of Race
42 35 #12 Joel Kauffman* Dodge Take Me On Vacation/Supercuts Beach Bash 37/0 127 Out of Race
43 33 #58 Kevin Conway Dodge Carver Racing 34/0 5 Out of Race
I read on Nascar.com that after the race in Victory lane, some lady grabbed Kaseys butt, and that a bunch of his fans crashed the media center trying to get to him. Lol, Kasey fans rock!
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Busch wins at Texas in his Busch Series debut
By Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
April 8, 2006
07:40 PM EDT (23:40 GMT)
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Add a Busch Series victory to Kurt Busch's already impressive championship resume.
Already with a season title and 15 victories in the Cup Series, Busch stepped down and drove in his first Busch Series race Saturday. He led the final 70 laps -- including an extra six after a flurry of late cautions at Texas Motor Speedway.
Cup regulars have won all seven Busch races and led all but 55 laps this season. Busch, making his debut in the No. 39 Penske Dodge that Ryan Newman also drives, is the seventh different Busch winner this season.
Busch celebrated with the obligatory burnout along the frontstretch before getting out of his car. After an awkward headfirst dive into the infield grass, he rolled over and did "snow angels'' in the bright, warm sunshine. It was similar to his celebration on the finish line at Bristol two weekends ago when he won the Cup race at the track plagued by winter weather.
"Man, I had no idea what to expect,'' said Busch, who kissed the hood of his car before driving it to Victory Lane. "These guys are awesome. This is a farm team.''
Greg Biffle, in one of six Roush cars, had his third consecutive second-place Busch finish in Texas. He finished 0.266 seconds behind the winner, and couldn't pass on either of the last three restarts -- the last a green-white-checkered on Lap 205, the fifth extra lap in the O'Reilly 300.
"At the end, I'd get behind Kurt, I'd get close to him,'' Biffle said. "I tried everything. I pulled out the whole handbook, and I couldn't really do a lot with him.''
Casey Mears was third, and Kyle Busch -- the winner's 20-year-old brother -- finished fourth. Matt Kenseth was fifth, followed by Jeff Burton and Paul Menard, the highest-finishing non-Cup regular in seventh.
The last driver to win in his Busch Series debut was Terry Labonte at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1985. Ricky Rudd did it in 1983, and Joe Ruttman and Dale Earnhardt did it in the Busch Series' inaugural season in 1982, Earnhardt winning the first race.
Kurt Busch was the season runner-up and won four races in the Craftsman Truck Series for Jack Roush in 2000, when he also ran seven Cup races. He moved to the Cup series full-time the next year, and his season championship came in 2004. He moved to Penske's Cup team this season.
Busch said there was never a good opportunity with Roush for him to run more than a single Busch race, something the driver didn't want to do.
"I never really had the right approach from Roush,'' Busch said. "I wanted to be able to develop a team and go out there for at least seven races, and maybe 10. An offer never came together properly. Penske came to me with a great program, a great structure.''
Newman won six of his nine Busch starts last season. He and Kurt Busch will both drive more races in the No. 39 this season.
Kurt Busch took the lead Saturday on Lap 137 when he beat Burton off pit road during only the second caution of the race. There were six cautions after that, three of them after Lap 169.
There were 17 drivers in Saturday's race who also will be in the Nextel Cup Samsung/RadioShack 500 on Sunday. Nine of the top-10 starters in the Busch race were Cup regulars.
Burton led for 43 laps and Kevin Harvick, who's won two Busch races in Texas, led twice for 36 laps. Polesitter Denny Hamlin led three times for 31 laps and Kenseth led 26 laps.
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yet very uncomfortable. How freakin' funny was Kurts face plant in the grass at Texas? Cracked me right up, at the same time, the stupidity was just overwhelming. Like he needs something else for people to talk about!!
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Chris Wimmer out at Coleman Racing
From NASCAR.COM Reports
April 17, 2006
02:32 PM EDT (18:32 GMT)
After finishing no better than 37th in his three Busch Series starts with Keith Coleman Racing, Chris Wimmer has been released as the team's driver.
"I wish things would have worked out differently between Keith Colman Racing and me," Wimmer said in a statement posted on his Web site. "Sometimes, a fresh start is what both the driver and the team needs.
"I wish them the best of luck as they continue their season and I am looking forward to see what other opportunities that may arise for me."
Wimmer, 26, is the younger brother of Nextel Cup driver Scott Wimmer. A native of Wausau, Wis., Wimmer made 18 Craftsman Truck Series starts in 2004 and 2005.
He made his Busch debut at Phoenix last season for Coleman, finishing 37th. He was 39th and 40th in two starts this year, failing to finish because of accidents.
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