The 2006 season was the first for Ford's all-new Fusion, which replaced the Taurus both in NASCAR and in showrooms. Also, a new version of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, called the Monte Carlo Super Sport (SS for short) debuted on the circuit. Additionally, 2006 was the first Cup Series season since 1979 without Rusty Wallace and 1974 without Ricky Rudd, although Rudd made one appearance in relief and would return for one final year in 2007 before retiring. It was also the last season before Toyota joins the NASCAR Cup Series as a manufacturer.
Several new drivers were in their first stint as regulars on the Nextel Cup circuit in 2006. After winning back-to-back Busch Series championships in 2004 and 2005, Martin Truex Jr. drove the No. 1 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). Vacated by Michael Waltrip, their No. 15 car was driven by rookie Paul Menard and ran a part-time schedule of only seven races.
Waltrip left DEI to drive Bill Davis Racing's new No. 55 car, but ownership was transferred to the newly merged (with the old No. 77 team) Waltrip-Jasper Racing to ensure that Waltrip would compete in the first five races. Despite the change, the No. 55 still received most of its equipment and crew from BDR. On January 23 in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of the annual Media Tour, NASCAR announced that the Toyota Camry would be added to the series in 2007, meaning that Toyota would become the first non-American car manufacturer to run in the premier series since Jaguar in the mid-1950s. Waltrip-Jasper Racing and BDR became two of the first Toyota teams, although they raced Dodges. They did so without Dodge's support because BDR had raced Toyotas in the Craftsman Truck Series. The team hired Dave Blaney to take the wheel of the No. 22 Dodge. A third Toyota team, carrying the No. 83, was owned by Red Bull Energy Drink, with Brian Vickers as the driver. It was believed that they would also buy the No. 7 Jim Smith-owned team driven by Robby Gordon. 1988 series champion Bill Elliott attempted three races for Red Bull in a Dodge, as the 2006 Camry was not approved for racing. He didn't make any starts in the ride, nor did former Champ Car driver A. J. Allmendinger. With Blaney's departure, the No. 07 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing was driven by Clint Bowyer.
Hall of Fame Racing started operations in 2006. Two-time Cup series champion Terry Labonte drove their No. 96 car for the first five races utilizing the past champions provisional rule, and Tony Raines took over at Martinsville. Labonte wound down his career "Texas Style" in the No. 44 Hendrick Motorsports second car following the Dickies 500 race in November in his home state at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished 34th.
Brent Sherman took over for Ken Schrader in the No. 49 Dodge for BAM Racing, only to be replaced by Kevin Lepage, who started the season in the No. 61 (formerly No. 66) car for Peak Fitness Racing. Bliss replaced Sherman in the No. 49 as well. Front Row Motorsports hired Chad Chaffin to run for Rookie of the Year and Randy LaJoie (who was replaced by Chad Blount) to run full-time in their No. 34/92 car as well as buying Peak Fitness Racing's No. 61, suspending the 92's operations. Schrader replaced Ricky Rudd in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford. Starting this season, Wood Brothers made a partnership with JTG Racing (a Busch Series and Truck Series at that time) to field the No. 21 entry and the team was renamed to Wood Brothers/JTG Racing.[2]
Neighborhood Excellence 400 presented by Bank of America
Ryan Newman
Jamie McMurray
Matt Kenseth
Ford
14
Pocono 500
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
Chevrolet
15
3M Performance 400 presented by Post-It Picture Paper
Kasey Kahne
Jeff Gordon
Kasey Kahne
Dodge
16
Dodge/Save Mart 350
Kurt Busch
Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Chevrolet
17
Pepsi 400
Boris Said
Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Chevrolet
18
USG Sheetrock 400
Jeff Burton
Matt Kenseth
Jeff Gordon
Chevrolet
19
Lenox Industrial Tools 300
Ryan Newman
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Chevrolet
20
Pennsylvania 500
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
Chevrolet
21
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton
Jimmie Johnson
Chevrolet
22
AMD at the Glen
Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch
Kevin Harvick
Chevrolet
23
GFS Marketplace 400
Jeff Burton
Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth
Ford
24
Sharpie 500
Kurt Busch
Jeff Burton
Matt Kenseth
Ford
25
Sony HD 500
Kurt Busch
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne
Dodge
26
Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Chevrolet
27
Sylvania 300
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Chevrolet
28
Dover 400
Jeff Gordon
Matt Kenseth
Jeff Burton
Chevrolet
29
Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods
Kasey Kahne
Jimmie Johnson
Tony Stewart
Chevrolet
30
UAW-Ford 500
David Gilliland
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Brian Vickers
Chevrolet
31
Bank of America 500
Scott Riggs
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne
Dodge
32
Subway 500
Kurt Busch
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Chevrolet
33
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500
Matt Kenseth
Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Chevrolet
34
Dickies 500
Brian Vickers
Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Chevrolet
35
Checker Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil
Jeff Gordon
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Chevrolet
36
Ford 400
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne
Greg Biffle
Ford
NOTE: An asterisk (*) in each Top Ten finish denotes a rookie driver.
Budweiser Shootout
This non-points race, which involved the previous season's pole winners and past Shootout winners, was held February 12, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway after a postponement of one day due to rain, and in a major upset, rookie Denny Hamlin won the event. Even though he was classified as a rookie, Hamlin had qualified by winning the pole position for the Checker Auto Parts 500 held November 13, 2005 in Phoenix. Hamlin drove in only 7 Nextel Cup races in 2005.
Jeff Burton won the pole for the race with a speed of over 189mph, and would start alongside Jeff Gordon in an all-Chevy front row. Gordon would win the second Gatorade Duel (his third career victory in a Daytona qualifying race) after Elliott Sadler won in race 1, which was delayed by showers.
The race
The weather dawned cloudy and cold for the 48th running of the "Great American Race", when Jeff Burton led the field to the green at 2:45pm, which at the time was the latest scheduled start in the history of the race (the reason for this was that NBC chose it as its lead-in program to the primetime portion of its day's coverage of the Winter Olympic Games from Turin). There were several lead changes in the early part of the race going, with a race record of 32. The first caution flew on lap 18 when Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall. During this caution, Burton was passed by Elliott Sadler for the lead a lap later. The race restarted on lap 20 and 4 laps later, Jeff Gordon took the led away from Sadler. Carl Edwards, a popular "dark horse candidate" for the Nextel Cup championship, had his day end early, as he was involved in a five-car pileup on lap 80 that collected Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Jeff Green, J. J. Yeley and Joe Nemechek. This was the biggest crash of the day, since the "Big One" never occurred. This would also bring out the third caution flag. Because of this, Edwards finished 43rd. Tony Stewart was a "magnet for controversy", tangling with Jeff Gordon on lap 48 and Matt Kenseth on lap 106. The first incident (which left debris on the track) brought out the second caution, which ended when the race restarted four laps later, and the second one would bring out the fifth caution. Stewart was penalized for aggressive driving after the incident with Kenseth, in which he blocked the No.17 car into the grass, causing it to spin and hit the wall in turn 3. Kenseth took matters into his own hands and was black-flagged for hitting Stewart's car in retaliation on pit road. The three drivers involved in these two incidents would repair their cars and get back into contention. Kenseth at first failed to answer the black flag, which resulted in NASCAR no longer continuing to score the 17 car for 1 lap. Kenseth would make up the lost lap and catch up to lead lap traffic.
Jimmie Johnson had one of the strongest cars all day. He took the lead with 10 laps to go just as the ninth caution flag came out for an crash involving Gordon, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, and Sterling Marlin. This set up a 10-lap battle for the win. The race was extended into "overtime" when McMurray and Burton collided on lap 197, bringing out yet the 10th caution. The green-white-checkered finish ended when Casey Mears and Ryan Newman battled for second, leaving Johnson to take the victory. The race ended under caution when Greg Biffle crashed in turn 4, just before Johnson crossed the line. The 48th running of the Daytona 500 was the first win for the No. 48 car on a restrictor plate track. This was also Johnson's 19th career win and his first during his streak of five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships from 2006 to 2010.
One surprise of this race was Kirk Shelmerdine, who finished 20th. He had barely qualified for the Daytona 500 and his independently owned No. 27 was fielded with a car that had a borrowed engine and donated tires, as well as a team with a volunteer pit crew.
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 203 laps/507.5 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)
Clint Bowyer scored a top-10 finish in his first full-time Nextel Cup race.
As of 2022, this was the final Daytona 500 televised by NBC. The NASCAR TV deal for 2001 through 2006 allowed for FOX and NBC to rotate the Daytona 500 and the Pepsi 400 every year. FOX would broadcast the Daytona 500 on odd-numbered years, and NBC would broadcast the race on even-numbered years. FOX would televise every Daytona 500 after the new broadcast rights deal went into effect in 2007.
As of 2023, 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Martin Truex Jr. has made every start at this point.
On race day, Greg Biffle dominated, leading 168 of the first 218 laps. Biffle won the previous year's spring race at California, finished second in the fall, and had won the Busch race the day before. Tony Stewart was the fastest Chevy in the early going. He overcame the car falling off the jack on a pit stop and an unscheduled stop for a flat tire to claw his way back among the leaders only to have an engine failure at lap 215, ending a string of 30 straight races without a DNF. Biffle continued up front until lap 226. He reported to the crew that his engine had lost a cylinder and a few laps later, he retired to the garage. This left Matt Kenseth to take the lead and only a late-race caution kept him from pulling away. Smoke and oil from the No. 4 car of Scott Wimmer brought out a yellow with three laps to go. Kenseth easily held off Jimmie Johnson in the green-white-checkered finish to earn his 11th career win.
Top ten results: (Race distance extended to 502 miles/251 laps due to green-white checkered rule.)
After a week off, the Nextel Cup series returned to action at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2006, for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Greg Biffle clocked the fastest lap in qualifying at 172.403mph.
In the third consecutive race to require a green-white-checkered finish, Jimmie Johnson blew past Matt Kenseth on the last corner of the day to get his 20th career victory and second of the season. Kenseth looked like a good bet to cruise to victory before Denny Hamlin and Kenny Wallace wrecked three laps from the end, bunching the field and leading to the overtime finish. Before the lap 268 restart, Kenseth told his crew that his engine felt weak, but he was able to protect the lead until the last corner, where Johnson, who had not led all day, overtook the 17 car on the high side to take the win by a half a car length. This was the first time that a green-white-checkered finish occurred in the first three races of the season.
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 270 laps/405 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)
There were no extra laps in race four of the Nextel Cup season, the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but there was an extra day, as rain showers forced the green flag to be moved to Monday, March 20 at 11am Television coverage moved to cable's FX channel for the race (with some exceptions).
Kasey Kahne sat on the pole with a speed of 192.553mph, edging Ryan Newman by .002 seconds. Bill Lester qualified 19th in the No. 23 Dodge Charger, becoming the first African-American to start a NASCAR Nextel Cup race since 1986. He finished 38th, six laps down. Last year's Atlanta winner, Carl Edwards eliminated himself from contention early. He damaged the front end of the 99 car after hitting Dave Blaney on pit road on lap 45 during a caution to address the stopped car of Kyle Busch. Bobby Labonte ran in the top 10 for the first 50 laps before his engine failed on lap 55. Another scary incident took place on pit road during the sixth caution of the day (laps 189–197), when Reed Sorenson hit John Slusher, catch can man for Robby Gordon's crew, as he pulled out of his pit stall. Slusher was attached to a backboard but was treated at the infield care center.
Several rookies had good days at Atlanta. Paul Menard and Reed Sorenson finished in the top ten, and Denny Hamlin led 16 laps. He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop because of a loose condition, and finished 31st.
On the track, the 9 car was near the front all day. Kahne took the lead from Greg Biffle with 79 laps to go. Despite a charge from Mark Martin, Kahne was not seriously challenged down the stretch and visited victory lane for the second time in his career. Kahne was the first driver to win from the pole since Matt Kenseth in the 2005 Sharpie 500.
The fifth race of the season, the Food City 500, was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 26, 2006. Qualifying was cancelled on March 24 due to snow, sleet and rain, and the field was set with top 35 owners points from 2005, the Champion's Provisional (for Terry Labonte) and seven others, based on qualifying attempts in 2006. As a result, 2005 champion Tony Stewart sat on pole.
The race featured 18 cautions, and over 100 of the 500 laps were run under the yellow flag. Points leader Jimmie Johnson made contact with the car of Reed Sorenson which caused a flat tire and put the 48 car multiple laps down. He finished 30th. Lap 188 saw the most notable wreck of the first half of the race, as Clint Bowyer spun Dave Blaney, causing a chain reaction that collected David Stremme, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip and brought out a red flag to clean up.
Jeff Gordon spun Martin Truex Jr. out on lap 415 in an incident that collected Jeff Burton, Robby Gordon and J. J. Yeley. Kurt Busch, who had made up two laps lost earlier in the day due to tire problems, used the "bump-and-run" to nudge Matt Kenseth out of the lead with four laps to go. Jeff Gordon used the same tactic to take third, but on the final lap, Kenseth used the bump and run to spin Gordon out as Busch raced to victory. Gordon finished 21st and was involved in a shoving match with Kenseth.
The win was Busch's fifth in 11 career races at the Tennessee track and the fifteenth in his career. It was Dodge's first win at Bristol since Richard Petty in 1975.
The ninth race of the season, the Aaron's 499, was scheduled to be held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 30, 2006. However, due to rain starting one lap prior to the green flag, the event was postponed until the following day. Television coverage was moved from Fox to FX except for several Fox stations which elected to carry the race. Elliott Sadler won the pole. The Aaron's 499 was one of five impound races this year in the Nextel Cup Series.
The Crown Royal 400, NASCAR's tenth race of the season was held at Richmond International Raceway on May 6, 2006. Greg Biffle won the pole. This was the second impound race of the 2006 season.
The first of two non-points doubleheader races was held May 20, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Scott Riggs won the pole, and would go on to win after having led every single lap.
The second non-points race was held May 20, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne won the pole in the unique three-lap qualifier that included a required four-tire pit stop.
The twelfth points-paying race, the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race in terms of distance, was run on May 28, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Scott Riggs won the pole.
Jimmie Johnson would come up one spot short on his quest to win 5 straight races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He would also fail to break out of a 3-way tie with Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. by trying to win 5 straight superspeedway races at one track.
The Pocono 500, the fourteenth race of the season was held at Pocono Raceway on June 11, 2006. Denny Hamlin sat on pole and led 49 of the first 50 laps before crashing and coming back from 40th place to become the first rookie to win in 2006.
Race number sixteen on the 2006 schedule was the Dodge/Save Mart 350, the 100th road race in Cup history. The race was held at Infineon Raceway on June 25, 2006. Kurt Busch won the pole.
Tom Hubert in this race, had his third-consecutive 43rd-place finish at Sonoma going back to 2003.
Terry Labonte running a part-time schedule for Hendrick Motorsports and Hall of Fame Racing, finished an amazing third-place finish in the #96 DLP HD TV Chevrolet, after leading the race with less than 20 laps to go.
The Pepsi 400, the traditional "halfway point" of the season, and the seventeenth race of the season, was held at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2006. Veteran driver Boris Said won the pole, his first on an oval. He had a great run as he ran in the top ten nearly the entire race. Because of a strategy call by his crew chief with three laps to go Said led the race but Tony Stewart got by Said for the win just before the white flag waved. Said ended up fourth and emotionally said after the race that his performance was the highlight of his career. This race was the third impound race of the season.
The USG Sheetrock 400, the Nextel Cup Series' eighteenth race of the season, was held at Chicagoland Speedway on July 9, 2006. Jeff Burton won the pole. Jeff Gordon won his second race of the year after the race was extended to 270 laps due to a green-white-checkered finish after spinning out leader Matt Kenseth with three laps remaining.
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 270 laps/405 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)
The nineteenth race of the season, the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, was held at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 16, 2006. Ryan Newman won his second pole of the season. Kyle Busch got his first win of 2006 in a race extended by the green-white-checkered finish rule in which a caution setting up the green-white-checkered finish was extended due to another crash under caution involving Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon just before the green flag was to have flown on lap 304.
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 308 laps/308 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)
The twentieth race of the season, the Pennsylvania 500, was held at Pocono Raceway on July 23, 2006. Denny Hamlin took the pole in qualifying and went on to win the race, earning his second career win and sweeping both races at Pocono. Hamlin led 151 of the race's 200 laps.
‡– Chad Chaffin originally qualified in the No. 61 car, but his time was disqualified due to failing a post-qualifying inspection. Spencer took his place in the grid as he was the fastest of the four who failed to qualify on time.
The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the twenty-first race of the season and the second richest race on the Nextel Cup circuit, was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 6, 2006. Jeff Burton won the pole. Jimmie Johnson came back from 38th place to become the second driver to win both the Daytona 500 and the Allstate 400 in the same season, first accomplished by Dale Jarrett in 1996.
The AMD at The Glen, NASCAR's second and final road course race of the season and the twenty-second race on the season, was held at Watkins Glen International on August 13, 2006. Kurt Busch won the pole.
The GFS Marketplace 400, the twenty-third race of the season was held at Michigan International Speedway August 20, 2006. Jeff Burton won his fourth pole of the year. Matt Kenseth held off Jeff Gordon in the closing laps to earn his third victory of the season.
One of the most popular races on the circuit, the Sharpie 500, NASCAR's twenty-fourth race of the season was held on August 26, 2006, under the lights on the 0.533-mile Bristol International Speedway. Kurt Busch won the pole for this event. Matt Kenseth won his second straight Nextel Cup race and, along with points leader Jimmie Johnson, clinched a berth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Failed to qualify: Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Mike Wallace (No. 09), Mike Skinner (No. 37). NOTE: Morgan Shepard (No. 89) and Stanton Barrett (No. 30) withdrew from qualifying.
+– Clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
The twenty-fifth race, and the penultimate race prior to the Chase for the Nextel Cup was the Sony HD 500, held at California Speedway on September 3, 2006. Kurt Busch won the pole.
The twenty-sixth and final race prior to the Chase, the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 was held at Richmond International Raceway on September 9, 2006. Following this race, the top ten drivers in point qualified for the ten-race Chase. Richmond-area native Denny Hamlin won the pole in front of his hometown fans, and clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. This was the season's fourth impound race.
The Sylvania 300, the first race in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup, was held September 17 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Kevin Harvick won the pole and the race, becoming the overall points leader for the first time in his career.
The Dover 400, the second race of the 2006 Chase, was held September 24 at Dover International Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the pole. Jeff Burton broke a 175-race winless streak after getting alongside Matt Kenseth several times between Laps 385–395. Kenseth ran out of fuel at the white flag.
The third race of the 2006 Chase, the Banquet 400, was held October 1 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Kasey Kahne won the pole. Tony Stewart captured his third win of the year despite running the last half of the final lap with no fuel.
This marked the first time that NBC broadcast in 1080i (HDTV) provided by Sony as the official HDTV sponsor of NASCAR on NBC in the next 8 races of the chase until the 2006 Ford 400, which was the last race of NASCAR on NBC broadcast until 2015.
Considered the wild card track of the Chase, the fourth race on the 2006 Chase, the UAW-Ford 500 was held on the newly repaved Talladega Superspeedway Sunday, October 8, 2006. The repaving was the first on the 2.66-mile trioval since 1979. David Gilliland won his first career pole. This race was the fifth and final impound race of the season. Brian Vickers won his first Nextel Cup race when he was declared the winner after he, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. made contact on the final lap.
Race number five on the 2006 Chase, and the halfway point of the playoff, the Bank of America 500, was held on Saturday, October 14, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event was the only Saturday night race in the Chase. Scott Riggs won the pole, and Kurt Busch had his 3rd-place run disqualified due to an unapproved right rear shock absorber. It cost him 50 points (along with a similar deduction for Penske Racing) and $25,000 (US) in fines as well as a four race suspension for his crew chief.
The sixth event on the Chase, the Subway 500, was held on October 22, 2006, at Martinsville Speedway outside Martinsville, Virginia. The .526-mile track is the shortest in the Nextel Cup series and the Chase as well. Kurt Busch won his sixth pole of the season. Ward Burton, the 2002 Daytona 500 champion, returned to the circuit to drive the Morgan-McClure No. 4 Chevy after a two-year absence.
The seventh Chase event, the Bass Pro Shops 500 was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway, located in Hampton, Georgia, on October 29. Qualifying was rained out, and the starting order was set by owner points, with Matt Kenseth sitting on the pole. Tony Stewart captured his second race win in a 2006 Chase race.
In a video replay shown by NBC after the race, it was determined that Robby Gordon deliberately and willfully caused a late-race caution by throwing out his rollbar padding (for which he got the free pass to the lead lap). For that, he was docked 50 owner and driver points, fined $15,000 and placed on probation until December 31.
Following this race, Craig Curione, the front tire carrier for the No. 10 Evernham Dodge driven by Scott Riggs, shoved Kevin Harvick, his wife Delana and NASCAR official John Sacco to the pavement after Harvick was blamed for a late-race incident that led to the green-white-checkered finish. Curione was suspended indefinitely and fined $10,000 by NASCAR and fired from Evernham, while Sacco suffered a sprained ankle.
The final race of the season, and the last race in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup, the Ford 400, was run on November 19, 2006, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Kasey Kahne won the pole, and won the Bud Pole Award overall championship for 2006, while for the second straight week, Bill Elliott used the Championship Provisional. Juan Pablo Montoya, making his Nextel Cup debut, qualified 29th, but finished 34th after his car hit the wall after being clipped by Ryan Newman and caught fire on lap 251. This would be the final year that Kyle Petty ran every race in a season. Jimmie Johnson clinched his first Nextel Cup Championship, winning the title by 56 points over Matt Kenseth. This was the final race to be broadcast by NBC until the 2015 Coke Zero 400, as well as the final race to be commentated by Benny Parsons who died less than 2 months after this event in early 2007.
Top ten results:(Race extended to 268 laps/402 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)
The battle for ROTY was not expected to be fierce, as many predicted that two time Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. would handily win the award, and possibly be a Chase contender. However, this was not to be as Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin shocked the NASCAR world the previous year by winning his first career pole at Phoenix while driving a part-time schedule. Hamlin again got everyone's attention by not only having won the Bud Shootout in his first attempt, but became the first rookie to sweep a racetrack (Pocono Raceway) since Jimmie Johnson accomplished that same feat at Dover. As Hamlin ran away with ROTY, his other competitors had up and down years. Although Clint Bowyer scored a surprising Top 10 finish at Daytona, he was not a factor. Hamlin's teammate, J. J. Yeley struggled mightily. Ganassi rookie Reed Sorenson had an up and down year, scoring his first top five at Michigan but was plagued by bad breaks. David Stremme was constantly fighting to stay within the top 35 in owners points throughout the year, and Brent Sherman was released from his ride with BAM Racing 1/3 into the year. So Denny Hamlin won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award.
The 2006 season marked the final year of television contracts with Fox / FX / Speed and NBC / TNT. NBC aired the Daytona 500 to officially start the season on February 19, with Fox/FX picking up coverage the following week in California up to the Pepsi 400 July 1. For 2007, Fox and TNT began new eight-year contracts while ESPN / ABC joined in, taking over for NBC.
The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 57th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 34th modern-era Cup series. The season began on Saturday, February 12. The ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400.
The 2005 NASCAR Busch Series began with the Hershey's Take 5 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. of Chance 2 Motorsports was crowned champion for the second consecutive year.
The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch, who drove a Ford for Roush Racing, was the Nextel Cup champion. It would be the last time until 2012 that the championship would be won by someone other than Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.
The 2006 NASCAR Busch Series opened on February 18, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway, and concluded on November 18, 2006, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kevin Harvick, driving for his own team, Kevin Harvick, Inc., as well as for Richard Childress Racing, was declared champion.
The 2004 NASCAR Busch Series began on February 14 and ended on November 20. Martin Truex Jr. of Chance 2 Motorsports won the championship.
The 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup was a ten-race series that commenced with the Sylvania 300 on September 17, 2006, at New Hampshire International Speedway and concluded with the Ford 400 on November 19 of that same year at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The first ten drivers in the championship standings qualified after the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 on September 9, 2006, at Richmond International Raceway. The 2006 Chase had a strong Chevrolet presence, with seven of the ten teams making the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup fielding Chevrolets.
The 2007 NASCAR Busch Series was the 26th season of the NASCAR Busch Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. It began on February 17 with the Orbitz 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded on November 17 with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Carl Edwards clinched the series championship on November 3 during the O'Reilly Challenge with 2 races remaining. The 2007 season was the final season of the series under Anheuser-Busch's sponsorship. In 2008, the Busch Series became the Nationwide Series sponsored by insurance company Nationwide Insurance with a $70 million contract for 7 years.
The 2006 Food City 500 was an event held at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 26, 2006, as the fifth race in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.
The 2007 Nextel Open and Nextel All-Star Challenge was a professional auto race held on Saturday, May 19, 2007, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. North Carolina native and former NBA MVP Michael Jordan was the grand marshal of the event.
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 38th modern-era Cup series, and the last Cup season of the 21st century's first decade, the 2000s. The season included 36 races and two exhibition races with the regular season beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The final ten races were known as 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Rick Hendrick won the Owners' Championship, while Jimmie Johnson won the Drivers' Championship with a fifth-place finish at the final race of the season. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 248 points.
The 2010 Price Chopper 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on October 3, 2010 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The 300 lap race was the twenty-ninth in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The race was also the third event in the ten round Chase for the Sprint Cup competition, which would conclude the 2010 season. Greg Biffle, of the Roush Fenway Racing team, won the race, with Jimmie Johnson finishing second and Kevin Harvick third.
The 2006 Ford 400 was the thirty-sixth stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and the final round of the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on November 19, 2006, in Homestead, Florida, at Homestead–Miami Speedway, before a crowd of 80,000 people. The circuit is an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. Roush Racing's Greg Biffle won the 267-lap race from the 22nd position. Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s Martin Truex Jr. finished second and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin was third.
The 2012 Aaron's 499 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 6, 2012 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Contested over 194 laps, it was the tenth race of the 2012 season. Brad Keselowski of Penske Racing took his second win of the season, while Kyle Busch finished second and Matt Kenseth finished third.
The 2012 Coke Zero 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 7, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 160 laps, it was the eighteenth race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas Racing took his third win of the season, while Jeff Burton finished second and Matt Kenseth finished third.
The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 16, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 24. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17.
The 2012 Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on October 7, 2012 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, United States. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66-mile (4.3 km) asphalt tri-oval, it was the thirtieth race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the fourth race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season.
The 2012 Bank of America 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on October 13, 2012, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval, it was the thirty-first race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the fifth race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season.
The 2013 Quicken Loans 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on June 16, 2013, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, United States. Contested over 200 laps on the two–mile superspeedway, it was the fifteenth race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship. Greg Biffle of Roush Fenway Racing won the race, his first win of the 2013 season, while Kevin Harvick finished second. Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Tony Stewart rounded out the top five. It was also Biffle's 19th Cup Series win.
The 2006 Subway 500 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the sixth in the ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on October 22, 2006, before a crowd of 65,000, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, a short track that holds NASCAR races. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson won the 500‑lap race starting from the ninth position; Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing finished second, and Petty Enterprises' Bobby Labonte was third.
The 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was the 21st stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The 13th running of the event, it was held on August 6, 2006 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana before a crowd of 280,000 spectators. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the 160-lap race starting from the fourth position. Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth finished second and Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick was third.
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