* Series rookies making strides heading to Talladega
* Loop Data: Is a Truex--Harvick showdown in the works?
NEWS & NOTES
Harvick "rolls" into 'Bama ... NASCAR Busch Series points leader Kevin Harvick
(No. 21 U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet) hopes his strong start to the season can
continue at Talladega, a track where he's experienced some struggles in
limited series starts. The 2001 series champion is on a two-race winning
streak, and also registered the second weekend sweep of his career last
weekend in Phoenix after capturing the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event as
well. The wins are the first of the consecutive variety in Harvick's NASCAR
Busch Series career, and pushed his lead to 289 points over second-place
Clint Bowyer (No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet), his Richard Childress Racing
teammate. The last driver to win three series races in a row was Ryan Newman
last year. Despite posting top-10 numbers at Talladega in last season's race
according to NASCAR's Loop Data Statistics -- Driver Rating (sixth -- 94.4),
Average Running Position (first -- 9.408) and Closers (tied for sixth -- two
positions improved over last 10% of race) -- Harvick hasn't fared well in
three previous NASCAR Busch Series races there. Although his three starts
have been inside the top 10, Harvick's finishes haven't matched. He was 16th
in 2000, 40th in '01 and 18th last year.
Rookie class gaining confidence ... Members of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series
Raybestos Rookie class are showing steady improvement over the first third
of the season, a key element as they approach Talladega. Burney Lamar (No.
77 Dollar General Chevrolet) has been ranked in the top 10 driver point
standings for eight of the season's nine weeks; he's currently ninth. He
finished second to open the year at Daytona International Speedway, the
other restrictor-plate track on the schedule. Danny O'Quinn (No. 50
Stonebridge Life Ford -- 14th), Mark McFarland (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet --
16th) and Lamar (19th) finished inside the top 20 last week at Phoenix; five
rookies are solidly ranked in the top 25 in driver points heading to
Talladega. History also shows series rookies have held their own at the
2.66-mile superspeedway, where a rookie has posted a top-10 finish in each
of the last six races -- Mike Borkowski (10th in 2000), Greg Biffle (sixth in
'01), Casey Mears (fifth in '02), Coy Gibbs (10th in '03), Kyle Busch
(fourth in '04) and Jon Wood (second in '05).
Former champion Grissom returns home ... The 2006 season is the 25th
anniversary of the NASCAR Busch Series' association with series sponsor
Anheuser-Busch, and a former champion returns to his home track for his
second appearance of the season. Steve Grissom (No. 49 Xtreme Gel/Advil
Ford), a Gadsden native who won the title in 1993, is entered in the Aaron's
312, his first opportunity to drive in the NASCAR Busch Series this year
since finishing 21st at the season-opener at Daytona. He is one of only 11
drivers to have more than 300 career series starts (305); six of those have
come at Talladega where last season, he started 43rd and posted a 16th-place
finish, his best result of the year and his highest finish since 2004. In
his championship season, Grissom was consistent, registering a series-high
11 top fives and 18 top-10 finishes to go along with two wins resulting in a
253-point spread over runner-up Ricky Craven. Grissom has 11 career series
wins and four Busch Poles.
Crew chiefs Holly, Frazier also in familiar territory ... In addition to
Grissom's homecoming, two of the NASCAR Busch Series' most successful crew
chiefs are also coming home this weekend. Harold Holly, who oversees the No.
00 Yellow Transportation Chevrolet driven by Johnny Sauter, is from Pell
City, Ala. Frazier, who calls the shots for the No. 64 Dodges of Rusty
Wallace Inc. and drivers Jamie McMurray and Steve Wallace, joins Grissom as
a native of Gadsden. Frazier has led RWI to its current fifth-place ranking
in the NASCAR Busch Series owner standings, while Holly, who led Jeff Green
to the 2000 title in perhaps the most dominant performance in series history
-- Green won the championship by 616 points -- brings over 20 years of
experience to Haas CNC Racing and Sauter, who after a slow start to the
season has been in the top 10 of the driver standings this year for four out
of the last five weeks. "Aside from racing, I always enjoy going home and
seeing family and friends," Holly said. "That part of it is great but the
bottom line is we need to be on our A-game so we can get Team Yellow back up
in the points." Sauter, who is scheduled to make his 150th career series
start, comes to Talladega 13th in points.
IN THE LOOP: Truex--Harvick battle at Talladega? ... Comparing Loop Data
Statistics for the top drivers at Talladega last year and through the 2006
season-to-date, Saturday's race could be a showdown between two-time race
winner Martin Truex Jr. and 2006 points leader Kevin Harvick. The former
NASCAR Busch Series champions are at the top of the chart in many key
categories. Last year Truex had the best Driver Rating (109.6) and was
second to Harvick in Average Running Position (9.475) throughout the event.
Truex led the field in Fastest Laps (eight) and was tied for third with 82
Laps in the Top 15. This year, Harvick leads the series in the Driver Rating
(113.8), Percentage of Laps Run on Lead Lap (100% -- 1,688 of 1,688), Quality
Passes (330) and Mile Leaders (384.44) categories. He's second in Average
Running Position (7.863), and is in the top 10 in four other categories.
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Martin Truex Jr.'s two wins at Talladega are the most among drivers entered
in Saturday's field. ... David Green (No. 27 Kleenex Ford) has 11 starts at
Talladega, fifth all-time. ... Three other Busch Pole winners join Paul Menard
in the field -- Ken Schrader (No. 66 Yard-Man Ford), Johnny Sauter and Clint
Bowyer; the poles were the first of their career for Sauter and Bowyer. ...
Michael Waltrip (No. 99 Aaron's Dream Machine Dodge) is tied for second with
five top 10s at Talladega. Waltrip is also second in races led (seven) and
laps led (114) after 10 races there.
ETC.
Kevin Harvick's back-to-back wins have stretched Chevrolet's lead in the
Bill France Performance Cup standings to 12 points over second-place Dodge.
Chevrolet -- the manufacturer leader in NASCAR Busch Series wins at Talladega
with 10 -- has six victories this season and totals 66 points in the
standings. Dodge, seeking its first series win at Talladega, has two wins
and 54 points, while Ford, with three series wins at Talladega, has one win
and 51 points this year. Harvick is the first driver to record multiple wins
in the NASCAR Busch Series this year. ... Randy Armstrong, the front tire
changer for Mark Green's No. 4 GEICO Chevrolet, is from Mobile, Ala. ...
Speaking of Green, who secured his best finish (15th) of the season last
year at Talladega, his 17-year-old son, Tyler, has four wins this year in
Legends Pro Division competition. ... Mark McFarland's No. 88 Chevrolet will
feature the Dale Earnhardt Legacy logo on the decklid this weekend in honor
of the 10-time Talladega Superspeedway winner. His JR Motorsports team is
owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast
Series is scheduled to begin its 2006 season Saturday night at
Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway, and Steve Wallace will be in the field.
Wallace -- the youngest son of 1989 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Rusty Wallace
-- is entered in the race while teammate Jamie McMurray (No. 64 Top Flite
Dodge) competes at Talladega. ... Six-year-old Benee Calderon of Buena Park,
Calif., won a nationwide "Color your Way" to Talladega Sweepstakes and will
be at the track to watch Michael Waltrip run in the paint scheme designed by
the youngster.
QUOTEBOOK
"It's a lot easier to lose the points than it is to gain the points. This
NASCAR Busch Series is tough and there will be somebody who will make a run
at me sooner or later." -- Kevin Harvick.
"I have never been to Talladega before so you better believe that for the
next three days I am going to be racing the Talladega track on my X-Box and
trying to learn as much as I can." -- Stephen Leicht (No. 90 CitiFinancial
Ford).
"You hear about drivers who dread restrictor plate racing, but I absolutely
love it. I'm excited to go to Talladega and try to get some redemption from
earlier this year. I thought we had a really good car at Daytona and just
never got to show it. Getting the penalty near the end of the race and then
involved in the last lap wreck, I just left feeling empty." -- Denny Hamlin
(No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet).
FROM THE NASCAR BUSCH SERIES "25 SEASONS RUNNING" ARCHIVES
Ken Schrader has always been known as one of the busiest drivers in all of
auto racing, winning in all forms of motorsports competition. And he shows
no sign of slowing down. One of Schrader's wins came in the 1994 NASCAR
Busch Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway.
Schrader came from 17th starting position in his self-owned Chevrolet,
staying near the front of the field for most of the race. He took the lead
from Sterling Marlin with two laps to go and held off a charge by Terry
Labonte to win by .008 second -- one of the series' closest margins of
victory.
The win was no easy matter. It was a hard-fought victory in an event that
saw a record 30 lead changes among 14 drivers. Schrader's winning speed of
167.473 mph still ranks as the second-fastest average speed in the history
of the event, which was slowed by caution periods only twice for 10 laps.
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES "25 SEASONS RUNNING" QUOTEABLES
"The competition was great, the people were great. That's what made the
NASCAR Busch Series good for me." -- Tommy Ellis, 1998 NASCAR Busch Series
champion.
Note: A NASCAR Busch Series "25 Seasons Running" Media Kit CD is available
at-track each race weekend and also on-line at nascarmedia.com. A CD can
also be obtained by contacting NASCAR PR.
ON DECK: RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Richmond International Raceway is the next stop for the NASCAR Busch Series
on May 5, where the Circuit City 250 will be held under the lights. Mark
Martin, the series all-time leader in wins (47) also has the most wins at
Richmond (five), while Kenny Wallace (No. 22 AutoZone Ford) is third
all-time with three victories. Michael Waltrip has captured five Busch
Poles, tied for first with 1998 series champion and Richmond native Tommy
Ellis. Virginia native Jeff Burton is scheduled to make his 250th series
start at his "home" track. Richmond is one of seven tracks to have hosted
NASCAR Busch Series races since the series' inception in 1982.
Fast Facts
What: Aaron's 312 (Race No. 10 of 35 in the NASCAR Busch Series).
Where: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.
When: 3 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 29.
Track Layout: 2.66-mile tri-oval.
Race Length: 311.22 miles/117 laps.
Posted Awards: $1,317,243.
TV: FOX, 3:10 p.m., ET.
Radio: MRN, XM Satellite.
2005 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
2005 Polesitter: Paul Menard.
2006 NASCAR Busch Series Top 10: 1. Kevin Harvick 1,469. 2. Clint Bowyer
1,180. 3. Denny Hamlin 1,174. 4. J.J. Yeley 1,158. 5. Carl Edwards 1,128. 6.
Paul Menard 1,074. 7. Jon Wood 1,037. 8. Kyle Busch 1,032. 9. Burney Lamar
1,007. 10. Greg Biffle 999.
Pre-race schedule (all times local): Thur., April 27 -- Practice, 2:45 - 3:45
p.m.; "Rookie Practice," 4:15 - 4:45 p.m.; Final Practice 4:45 -5:45 p.m.
Fri., April 28 -- Qualifying 4:05 p.m. (Impound).
-nascar
