After 17 events into the 35-event 2006 NASCAR
Busch Series schedule, some of the rookies have begun to
establish themselves while other have yet to show their talents.
Burney Lamar finished 32nd this weekend at The Milwaukee Mile
after being involved in a grinding crash, but has recorded 3
top-10 finishes in 17 starts. Todd Kluever finished 23rd at
Milwaukee and hold 2 top-10 finishes for the season. Danny
O’Quinn spent most of Saturday night running near the 15th
position. He managed to dodge the carnage of the last 15 laps
and recorded a 7th place finish to give him 2 top-10 finishes in
17 starts. Mark McFarland finished 33rd. He has 1 top-10 finish
in 17 starts. Stephen Leicht in his 6th start of the year
finished 13th. Leicht has 1 top-10 finish. Auggie Vidovich
finished 15th in his 4th start of his Busch career. Stephen
Wallace finished 25th in his 7th start of the season and has yet
to finish in the top-10. Erin Crocker finished 28th in her
second outing.Of all the Busch Series rookies, David
Gilliland surprised everyone with a win at Kentucky in only his
7th Busch Series starts, his 5th start for 2006. Gilliland was
absent from the field at Milwaukee, but he probably had the most
popular cell phone of all the Busch Series rookies over the past
week.
Burney Lamar continues to impress with his 3 top-10s in 17
starts including an amazing second place finish in the season
opener at Daytona.
Lamar sits 14th in the Busch Series points behind ex-Cup
Series driver John Andretti who is in the Busch Series Rookie of
the Year competition but has yet to post a top-10 finish.
Danny O’Quinn who made his entry into the Busch Series from
late models and is tied with his teammate Todd Kluever with 2
top-10s this season after Kluever competed last year in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Of all of the Roush Busch drivers
this season, many expected to see Kluever to be head and
shoulders above the other Roush rookies, but Kluever has not
made much headway over O’Quinn.
The remaining 18 races in the Busch Series schedule will
determine the winner of the Rookie of the Year title. We know
the Rookie of the Year will not be David Gilliland due to his
infrequent starts, but he has certainly made his way into the
Busch Series record books. As we enter the second half of the
season, all eyes are on the rookies.
