Kyle Busch – Shake Rattle and Roll with 8 Extra To Go

Posted on July 16, 2006

By Mike Finnegan

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Today’s Lenox Industrial Tools 300 came down to fuel mileage and pit stop strategy as Kyle Busch who started 4^th had enough gas to last 8 extra laps past the 300 scheduled laps as we had a GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED finish with two to go to win the race.

The clean up from the incident of Clint Bowyer and 3^rd place starter Brian Vickers tangled in the back straight. The clean up crew had to come out with sweepers to clean up the mess and put us to lap 303. As the cars lined up to go to the green flag, Robby Gordon checked up and Michael Waltrip rear-ended him causing Waltrip to blow his radiator. This added several more laps to the fuel starved cars and we finally went green on lap 306.

Elliott Sadler was running second place when this happened, but ran out of fuel and had to pit, leaving Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards to fight for the lead. This coming from a hard fought day where many of the leaders including Busch hitting the outside turn two and turn four wall and many each other.

Vickers had lead many of the laps today but with pit strategy came back out in the mid-pack in the late laps of the race. Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked to be odds on favorites to be in the top five at the end but both drivers had trouble with Stewart being involved in an accident and more than 20 laps down and Earnhardt Jr. blowing a motor more than halfway though the race. 

Kyle Busch also had damage along the way but was able to come back into the lead pack and into the lead near the end of the race. Busch stayed that way until the end. The number 5 team as well as many other teams were not sure that they would be able to go the distance for fuel, but they did, even with the extra laps. 

WELCOME RACE FANS! 

Here we are in the East Coast Town of Loudon, New Hampshire. New Hampshire International Speedway is one of the most unusual tracks on the Nextel Cup Series. How unusual? The track has been described as "Martinsville on steroids." 

It’s 90 degrees and clear skies for the race today. The track is mostly a one-lane track and you will see most of the drivers next to the apron for a majority of the race. You will see most of the racing at the beginning of a fuel run when a driver has new tires, which will start to burn off after about twenty laps. 

Today, our drivers are racing for awards of 5.2 million dollars. 300 laps are scheduled for the race today. New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058 mile oval and flat on the whole track with the back straight at 2-degrees, the front straight is 2-degrees and 12-degrees in the turns. 

PRE RACE NOTES 

Starting Up Front NOT Important at New Hampshire International Speedway. Three of the last four races at New Hampshire have been won from outside the top-10 starting positions. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all drivers, each with three Bud Poles at New Hampshire. However, neither driver has won a Bud Pole there in the last three races. Newman’s last Bud Pole came in this race in 2004 while Gordon has not had a Bud Pole at New Hampshire since this race in 2001. 

Jimmie Johnson has posted six straight top-15 starts at New Hampshire International Speedway, the longest current streak. Matt Kenseth has posted seven straight top-10 finishes at New Hampshire International Speedway, the longest current streak. Jack Roush has six victories at New Hampshire International Speedway, the most of all car owners. 

Jeff Gordon has competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. He has led 1,069 laps those races, the most of all drivers. Tony Stewart has led 736 laps in 14 races there and ranks second. Eleven drivers have competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. Six of those drivers have accounted for 11 of the 22 victories. 

Ryan Newman has competed in eight races at New Hampshire. Newman is the only driver that has led in every race that he has competed in at New Hampshire. Jeff Gordon has competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. He has led the most laps in six of those races (27 percent). Jeff Burton leads all drivers with four victories at New Hampshire International Speedway. 

Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with nine top-five finishes at New Hampshire International Speedway. Dale Jarrett is one of just 11 drivers that has competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jarrett scored 14 top-10 finishes in those 22 races, the most among all drivers. 

Ryan Newman leads all drivers with a 6.625 starting average in eight races at New Hampshire. Ryan Newman has a 7.875 finishing average in his eight races at New Hampshire International Speedway, the best of all drivers with more than one start there. Jimmie Johnson, who also has competed in eight races at New Hampshire International Speedway, is second with an 8.625 finishing average there. 

Mark Martin won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole at New Hampshire International Speedway in July 1993. Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at New Hampshire, the 1993 Slick 50 300.

1997 was the first year for twice-a-year NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at New Hampshire. The 2001 New Hampshire 300 - the season finale – was run in November, after being rescheduled following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 Dura-Lube 300, only the third time in the modern era that a driver has led all of the laps in a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. 

There have been 11 Bud Pole winners in 22 races at New Hampshire. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman both have won three Bud Poles while Ricky Craven, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader and Rusty Wallace all have two. Bill Elliott, Ernie Irvan, Bobby Labonte, Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart all have one. Qualifying has been canceled three times due to weather – all in the last nine races. 

There has been only two sweeps of both races at New Hampshire International Speedway since the track went to twice-a-year races in 1997: Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004). Jeff Gordon has led 1,069 laps at New Hampshire, leading in 14 of the 22 races and leading the most laps in six races – all more than any other driver. Tony Stewart is second with 736 laps, leading in just seven of his 14 races. Jeff Burton is third with 605 laps led in eight races, including all 300 laps raced in September 2000. Ryan Newman is fourth with 499 laps led in just eight races – leading in all of his New Hampshire appearances. 

There have been 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at New Hampshire since the inaugural race there on July 11, 1993. There was one race per year prior to 1997 and twice-a-year races since. Eleven different drivers have scored Bud Poles at New Hampshire. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all other drivers, each with three. Qualifying has been canceled three times. 

Brian Vickers is the defending Bud Pole winner of the Lenox Industrial Tools 300. Ken Schrader (1997) is the only driver to sweep both Bud Poles in a season at New Hampshire. Only two of the 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from the Bud Pole. Both wins from the pole were scored in the second race of the season: Jeff Gordon (1998 CMT 300) and Ryan Newman (2002 New Hampshire 300). 

There have been 13 different race winners in the 22 races at New Hampshire. Jeff Burton (four), Jeff Gordon (three), Jimmie Johnson (two), Kurt Busch (two), Tony Stewart (two) and Ryan Newman (two) are the repeat race winners at the New England track. 

Tony Stewart is the defending champion of the Lenox Industrial Tools 300. The race winner started in the top 10 in 11 of the 22 races at New Hampshire, including four of the past seven. The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 38th by Jeff Burton in July 1999. The 2000 Thatlook.com 300 was shortened to 273 laps due to rain, the only shortened race at New Hampshire. 

The driver that led the most laps has won the race at New Hampshire in nine of the 22 races. However only two of the last nine races at New Hampshire was won by the driver who led the most laps: Ryan Newman (2002 New Hampshire 300) and Tony Stewart (2005 New England 300). Jeff Gordon is the only driver that has led in 14 of the 22 New Hampshire races. He led the most laps in six of those races. 

Jeff Burton led the most laps en route to victory in the 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 and again in the 1998 Jiffy Lube 300. He scored his third straight Jiffy Lube 300 victory in July 1999, but did not lead the most laps. He then led all 300 laps in posting his fourth victory at New Hampshire in the 2000 Dura-Lube 300. 

Ryan Newman won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, lapping New Hampshire International Speedway in 29.370 seconds at 129.683 mph. Newman holds the track-qualifying record of 28.561 seconds, 133.357 mph - set Sept. 12, 2003. This is Newman’s 37th career Bud Pole in 171 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races. This is Newman’s second Bud Pole and seventh top-10 start in 2006. Newman became the fifth repeat Bud Pole winner in 2006. Kasey Kahne (four), Greg Biffle (two), Kurt Busch (two) and Jeff Burton (two) are the other multiple Bud Pole winners this season. 

This is Newman’s fourth Bud Pole and seventh top-10 start in nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway. Qualifying was canceled in two of his nine races – giving him four Bud Pole sin seven qualifying attempts here. 

Newman is the only repeat Bud Pole winner and one of only three different Bud Pole winners in the last eight races at New Hampshire. Newman has four of those Bud Poles while Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers have one each. Qualifying was canceled twice. 

Jeff Burton posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 29.377 seconds, 129.651 mph – and will join Newman on the front row for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300. Burton posted his sixth top-10 start in 23 races at New Hampshire, and tied his career-best set in September 2000. This is the ninth Bud Pole for Dodge in 2006. Chevrolet has five Bud Poles and Ford has four. Qualifying was canceled at Bristol. 

Brian Vickers (third) has started from the top 10 in two of his five New Hampshire races. Kyle Busch (fourth) started seventh and 30th in his previous two races at New Hampshire. Tony Stewart (fifth) has posted 10 top-10 starts in 15 races at New Hampshire. Four drivers failed to qualify for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300: Ted Christopher, Joey McCarthy, Derrike Cope and Morgan Shepherd. Jamie McMurray will go to the back for an engine change. 

NOW – ONTO THE RACE ! 

Pre-Race ceremonies have completed in front of the 101,000 fans and the drivers start their engines. The come out onto the track for the pace laps. The pace vehicle comes onto pit road leaving Newman and Burton to lead the 43 drivers to the… 

GREEN FLAG as Newman has a great jump on the field and is way wide in turns one and two but Burton gives him room to recover. At the end of lap 2 the first 10 cars string out single file but at the end of lap 3 Vickers and Stewart move around Kyle Busch into 3^rd and 4^th place. 

Lap 6 Stewart passes Vickers for 3^rd place as we see most of the field go back to single file. Lap 8 Kurt Busch is on the inside of Martin Truex Jr. for 6^th place and takes it. Lap 9 Vickers retakes 3^rd place back from Stewart. Lap 10 the field has stretched out from the middle of turn three back to the middle of turn one. 

Lap 11 into lap 12 Vickers is on the move as he takes the lead from Newman. Lap 15 Dale Earnhardt Jr. passes Greg Biffle for 19^th as Jeff Gordon passes Truex Jr. for 7^th place then Truex falls back to 9^th as Jimmy Johnson passes him for 8^th place. 

Lap 18 Vickers is looking very good as he is 2.7 seconds in the lead in front of Newman. Burton looks tight. 

YELLOW Flag lap 20 as Travis Kvapil spins out by himself in turn four and hits the wall and drives away with some damage. Half the field comes into pit road. Newman, Burton, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip stay out. Kyle Busch, Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kahne and Hamlin are the first five back to the track. 

GREEN Flag lap 23 with Newman and Burton leading the field into turns one and two. Lap 25 Challenge for 1^st as Burton tried to take it and by the back straight is your new leader. Your top ten drivers are; Burton, Newman, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Stewart, Blaney, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Kahne. 

Lap 30 Stewart has moved up to 4^th place. Lap 33 Johnson battles Earnhardt Jr. for 5^th place and takes it. Lap 34 Burton is to a 2 second lead over Newman and by lap 36 has increased it to 2.5 seconds. Over these past few laps Earnhardt Jr. retook the position when Johnson was way loose coming out of turn two. 

Lap 37 Kyle Busch passed Johnson and then passed Earnhardt Jr. and slid into 5^th place. Lap 40 Newman is sliding back as Kurt and Kyle Busch pass him putting him back to 5^th place. Lap 42 Stewart in 2^nd place has moved closer to Burton and is less than 2 seconds behind him. 

Lap 45 Jeff Gordon has passed Earnhardt Jr. and Newman to get up to 5^th place. Lap 47 Burton leads Stewart by 1.5 seconds now and 3.4 seconds in front of 3^rd place Kyle Busch and 6 seconds in front of Kurt Busch. 

Lap 50 your top twenty drivers are; Burton, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Vickers, Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Newman, Blaney, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Reed Sorenson, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Joe Nemechek, Carl Edwards, Truex Jr. and David Stremme. 

Lap 60 the field circles the track with Burton just about to start lapping slower drivers as Stanton Barrett and Bill Elliott will be the first two to go a lap down. Lap 63 Stewart has caught up to Burton and takes the lead on the outside. Lap 67 Kurt Busch and Hamlin battle for 7^th place. Kurt Busch has it for a moment but Hamlin does a cross over move and retakes the position. 

Lap 69 Kurt Busch pushed the car to hard and this allowed Johnson to take 8^th place. Lap 70 fight for 20^th place Between Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth. Bowyer takes 20^th away from him. Lap 73 Stewart has put McMurray and Kevin Lepage a lap down and Kvapil and Kyle Petty will be the next two to go a lap down with Scott Wimmer in Stewart’s sights. 

Lap 75 Waltrip comes into pit road, Waltrip thinks the engine may be blowing up. Your top ten of the race are; Stewart, Kyle Busch, Vickers, Burton, Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Hamlin, Johnson, Kahne and Sorenson. Lap 77 Kurt Busch is in to pit road. Lap 78 Burton is in for his stop. 

Lap 81 as Newman is heading in for his stop, the speeding police busted Burton and he will have to make a drive through penalty. Lap 83 Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson are in for their stops. At the moment there are 24 cars on the lead lap. 

Lap 89 Stewart is 1.3 seconds in front of Vickers. 

YELLOW Flag lap 91 as Stewart spins out after making contact with Newman as they enter turn three. Newman pushed the car too hard and got loose and took Stewart out spinning him into the wall. Stewart has pretty good damage to his car and takes it to the garage. 

Everyone comes into pit who has not been in yet Earnhardt Jr., Burton, Johnson, Blaney, Kurt Busch are at the end of the lead lap. Six lap down cars start on the inside of them. This puts Vickers starting 13^th even though he is in the lead. 

GREEN Flag lap 95 as Vickers and Kyle Busch bring the field into turns one and two with... 

YELLOW Flag lap 96 as Newman is tapped from behind by Waltrip. Newman goes spinning around and Kenny Schrader taps him on the drivers side then is hit bit Kahne and Jeff Gordon is involved with some damage with hitting Kahne from behind. Bobby Labonte is the lucky dog. 

The cars that were on the tail end of the lead lap are back in the correct location in the lineup. 

GREEN Flag lap 100 with Vickers and Kyle Busch leading the field into turns one and two again.  

YELLOW Flag lap 101 as Labonte solo spins in turn two but does not hit anything. Jeremy Mayfield is the lucky dog this time. 

Your top twenty drivers are; Vickers, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Sorenson, Harvick, Biffle, Bowyer, Nemechek, Martin, Edwards, Kenseth, Truex Jr., Scott Riggs, J.J. Yeley, Robby Gordon, Jeff Green, Elliott Sadler, Casey Mears, Kenny Wallace and David Stremme. So far there have been 4 cautions and 7 lead changes among 5 leaders. 

GREEN Flag lap 106 as Vickers and Kyle Busch bring the drivers past the start finish line. Lap 108 Kyle Busch passes Vickers for the lead. We also see that Johnson has damage to the left front of his car with smoke coming from a tire rub. 

Lap 110 Vickers is back in the lead. As they are teammates it may have been that Vickers let Kyle Busch by to get five bonus points for leading. We see on the replay monitor that Johnson hit Stremme from behind which caused the damage. 

YELLOW Flag lap 115 for debris in turn two. Vickers come into pit but most of the leaders stay out which puts Kyle Busch into the lead, Sorenson 2^nd, Biffle 3^rd, Harvick 4^th and Bowyer 5^th. Tony Raines is the lucky dog this time. 

GREEN Flag lap 120 as Kyle Busch and Sorenson lead the 32 lead lap and the rest of the lap down cars into turns one and two. Stewart is back on the track. Newman is in the garage. Lap 121 Sorenson takes the lead as they came out of turn four, almost hitting Kyle Busch but Busch gave him room. 

Lap 124 Newman has returned back to the track. Lap 125 your top ten drivers are; Sorenson, Kyle Busch, Biffle, Harvick, Bowyer, Edwards, Martin, Nemechek, Riggs and Truex Jr. 

Lap 128 your movers since the start of the race are; Riggs from 42^nd up to 9^th, Mayfield from 37^th up to 25^th, Green from 35^th up to 11^th, Robby Gordon from 34^th up to 13^th, Bowyer from 31^st up to 5^th and Biffle from 26^th up to 2^nd. 

Lap 133 your shakers of the race are; Newman from 1^st down to 43^rd, Vickers from 3^rd down to 20^th, Stewart from 5^th down to 42^nd, Johnson from 6^th down to 25^th and Raines from 15^th down to 30^th. 

Lap 135 Earnhardt Jr. is on pit road and they lift the hood on the car. The engine looks like it let go and they take it to the garage. Jr.’s day is done. 

Lap 140 Sorenson leads by almost one second. A few laps ago Biffle passed Kyle Busch for 2^nd place. Lap 143 Biffle and Kyle Busch have closed back in on Sorenson and they are almost nose to tail. The top three are 5 seconds in front of the rest of the pack. 

Lap 150 your top twenty drivers are; Sorenson, Biffle, Kurt Busch, Harvick, Bowyer, Edwards, Martin, Nemechek, Burton, Jeff Gordon, Riggs, Truex Jr., Green, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch, Vickers, Yeley, Kahne, Hamlin and Labonte. Lap 153 Biffle takes the lead from Sorenson in turn two. 

Lap 157 there are 31 drivers on the lead lap, but Biffle is closing in on Mayfield, Schrader and Raines. Earnhardt Jr. is the only driver out of the race. 

Lap 164 Biffle still leads Kyle Busch by half a second. Most of the field is strung out and no battles at the moment except Biffle and the leaders lapping slower drivers as Kenny Wallace and Sadler will be the next two drivers to go a lap down. 

Lap 171 we are getting near the time for pit stops. Biffle and Kyle Busch lead the field by 3 seconds. Lap 174 battle for the lead as Kyle Busch takes the lead from Biffle as they are stuck behind the lapped car of Waltrip. 

Lap 175 your top ten drivers are; Kyle Busch, Biffle, Sorenson, Edwards, Harvick, Bowyer, Martin, Truex Jr., Burton and Riggs. 

Lap 178 Bowyer, Sorenson, Riggs, Robby Gordon and Truex Jr. are in for pit stops. Lap 180 Harvick and Jeff Gordon are in. Lap 182 Nemechek, Burton, McMurray, Green and Yeley are in. Lap 183 Kurt Busch is in for his stop. Lap 184 Dale Jarrett is in for his stop. Lap 185 Kahne, Kyle Busch, Biffle, Edwards and Martin are in. Lap 186 Sterling Marlin and Stanton Barrett are in for their stops. Lap 187 Kyle Petty is in for his stop.  

YELLOW Flag lap 187 as Kenny Wallace is into the wall in turn two. Vickers, Johnson, Labonte, Hamlin, Kenseth, Mears, Stremme, Raines, Sadler, Blaney, Schrader and Mayfield are into pit road.  Vickers, Hamlin, Johnson, Kenseth and Labonte are the first five back out. Schrader is the lucky dog. Riggs, Martin, Burton, Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch, Truex Jr., Green, Kahne, Yeley and Marlin are at the tail end of the lead lap and will start in front of your leader Kyle Busch. The last time this happened we had a caution as the drivers entered the first turn. Kyle Busch will have 24 cars starting in front of him. 

GREEN Flag lap 194 as the field passes the start finish line. Lap 198 Kyle Busch is moving through the field.  

YELLOW Flag lap 199 as Vickers and Nemechek tangle coming out of turn four as Vickers taps Nemechek from behind. Nemechek slide backwards into the outside wall and flattens the rear end of his car. Vickers has damage on the front of his car. Vickers said that Hamlin pushed him into Nemechek’s car. This helped the cars in front of Kyle Busch. 

Lap 200 your top twenty drivers are; Kyle Busch, Biffle, Sorenson, Edwards, Harvick, Hamlin, Johnson, Stremme, Mears, Raines, Blaney, Burton, Kenseth, Mayfield, Labonte, Martin, Bowyer, Sadler, Schrader and Riggs. So far we have had 7 cautions and 17 lead changes among 9 leaders. 

GREEN Flag lap 204 as Kyle Busch and Biffle lead the 29 lead lap and 12 lap down cars to the start finish line. 

YELLOW Flag lap 210 as Green thought he had room to get in front of Truex Jr. on the front straight but did not and crushed him into the wall. They both have damage on their cars. The leaders come into pit road. Kyle Busch, Biffle, Hamlin, Kenseth and Martin are the first five back to the track. Bowyer, Mayfield, Sadler, Riggs, Jeff Gordon and Marlin stay out. 

GREEN Flag lap 214 as Bowyer and Mayfield lead the cars into turns one and two. As the cars were coming out of turn two Kurt Busch hits the outside wall and keeps going. Lap 218 Bowyer has pulled away from Sadler by 1.7 seconds. Lap 220 Mayfield and Riggs fight for 3^rd place as Mayfield slide back and Riggs has it for a moment and the next lap Mayfield takes it back. 

Lap 225 your top ten drivers are; Bowyer, Sadler, Mayfield, Riggs, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Biffle, Hamlin, Martin and Marlin. Lap 226 Kyle Busch made some contact with Jeff Gordon but both keep going. Lap 229 Bowyer is ahead by 2.6 seconds in front of Sadler.

Lap 230 Riggs and Mayfield are still going back and forth and Riggs is back in 3^rd. Lap 231 it looks like Riggs pushed it too hard and slides back to 5^th as Kyle Busch passes Jeff Gordon, Mayfield and Riggs to 3^rd. Jeff Gordon slides back to 8^th place. 

YELLOW Flag lap 233 as Kurt Busch hits the outside turn four wall after Stremme made contact with the left rear of his car. Bowyer gives up the lead as he comes into pit as well as Jeff Gordon, Riggs, Marlin, Blaney, Schrader, Yeley, Edwards, Kenseth, Raines, Stremme and Truex Jr. 

GREEN Flag lap 238 as Sadler and Kyle Busch lead the 29 lead lap and 7 lap down cars to the start finish line. Lap 240 Kyle Busch is back in the lead. Kurt Busch parks his car in the garage. 

Your movers since the start of the race are; Riggs from 42^nd up to 15^th, Mayfield from 37^th up to 7^th, Robby Gordon from 34^th up to 13^th, Bowyer from 31^st up to 19^th, Biffle from 26^th up to 4^th and Sadler from 18^th up to 2^nd. 

Your shakers are; Newman from 1^st down to 30^th, Burton from 2^nd down to 15^th, Stewart from 5^th down to 38^th, Jeff Gordon from 7^th down to 16^th. Truex Jr. from 8^th down to 25^th and Kurt Busch from 10^th down to 37^th. 

Lap 250 (50 to go) your top twenty drivers are; Kyle Busch, Sadler, Hamlin, Biffle, Sorenson, Martin, Johnson, Mayfield, Edwards, Vickers, Harvick, Kahne, Robby Gordon, Riggs, Burton, Jeff Gordon, Mears, Bowyer, Stremme and Yeley. 

Lap 257 Kyle Busch leads Sadler by 1.2 seconds and 3^rd place Hamlin by 3.1 seconds. Lap 260 (40 to go) Kyle Busch still ahead by 1.6 seconds.  

YELLOW Flag lap 266 as Schrader crashes in the outside turn four wall after Raines tapped the left rear of his car. Schrader keeps driving. Green is the lucky dog. The leaders stay out. 

GREEN Flag with 29 to go as Kyle Busch and Sadler bring the drivers into turns one and two. Kyle Busch has a good start and is 3 car lengths ahead of Sadler.  

25 to go and your top ten drivers are; Kyle Busch, Sadler, Hamlin, Biffle, Sorenson, Martin, Johnson, Edwards, Harvick and Mayfield.

20 to go Kyle Busch ahead of Sadler by one second, 3^rd place Hamlin by 1.4 seconds, 4^th place Sorenson by 2 seconds and 5^th place Biffle by 3.1 seconds. 

18 to go Hamlin and Sorenson pass Sadler putting him back to 4^th place. 

15 to go as Kyle Busch may be locked into the chase if he wins this race. Busch is ahead of the field by 2.3 seconds. Hamlin your 2^nd place car is half a second in front of Sorenson.  

10 to go Kyle Busch leads by 2.6 seconds in front of Hamlin and 3.3 seconds in front of 3^rd place Sorenson. Sadler is 4^th, Biffle 5^th, Edwards 6^th, Martin 7^th, Harvick 8^th, Johnson 9^th and Burton 10^th. 

8 to go Burton tries to take 9^th from Johnson and does by turn four. 

5 to go as Kyle Busch passes the start finish line and 28 cars on the lead lap. Busch is ahead by 2.7 seconds in front of Hamlin.

4 to go Busch crosses the start finish line as Mayfield has to pit for gas. Edwards and Biffle race each other for 5^th.  

3 to go Busch in front by 2.8 seconds. Edwards passes Sadler for 4^th place. 

YELLOW Flag with two to go. We will go to a GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED finish. Bowyer and Vickers get together on the back straight. Bowyer thought he had room and clipped the front of Vickers and they skid along the outside wall. As the cars checked up Kvapil spun out as well. Sorenson had to come to pit road for fuel, so he is out of the running. 

We hear that Sadler may run out of gas but we will see. It is lap 303 and we get the one to go signal from the starter. When this happens Robby Gordon checks up in front of Waltrip who plows the front end of the car into the rear of Robby Gordon’s car. Kvapil also has severe damage to the rear of his car from something. This adds extra laps which completes lap 305 with one to go and green flag on lap 306. We hear that Sadler has been cutting his engine off to save gas. Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Edwards, Sadler, Biffle, Martin, Harvick, Burton, Riggs and Johnson lead the field to the… 

GREEN Flag lap 306 Kyle Busch pulls away from the field as Sadler runs out of gas in turn one. 

WHITE FLAG lap 307 as Raines’ car spins out in turn four, but no yellow Edwards passes Hamlin on the back straight. Coming out of turn four… 

CHECKERED FLAG lap 308 for Kyle Busch who wins the race. Just behind him as the other drivers are coming out of turn four, Hamlin who is in 3^rd place runs out of gas as well and Biffle, Martin, Harvick get by him as he coasts past the start finish line.

Your finishing order is Kyle Busch, Edwards, Biffle, Martin, Harvick, Hamlin, Burton, Kahne, Johnson and Riggs. This will shake up the points standings with Stewart, Earnhardt Jr. and some of our other leaders have issues. 

The race lasted for 3 hours and 12 minutes. We had 11 cautions for 49 laps. We had 21 lead changes among 11 leaders. 25 cars finished on the lead lap. 

Kyle Busch led the most laps with 107, Burton led 37, Vickers led 34, Sorenson with 31, Stewart with 28, Biffle with 25, Bowyer with 23 and Newman with 16. Hamlin, Jeff Gordon and Sadler also lead during the race. 

Your unofficial points standings of this race are; 

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