NASCAR BCS (DAYTONA) - SERIES NOTES

NASCAR Busch Series News And Notes - Lowe's

Bittersweet: Keller Aims For All-Time Starts Mark Held By His Idol Tommy Houston Chance To Be Champ: Edwards Can Clinch Driver Title Friday JGR No. 20 Team Now In Owner Championship Mix In The Loop: Friday Night “Leichts” At LMS? Champion’s Week Activities Set for Dec. 6-7 In Orlando

“Iron Man” Indeed: Keller Can Break Houston’s Series Starts Mark Friday

Jason Keller (No. 11 Sweet Baby Ray’s Chevrolet) knew this day would come.

He’s been looking forward to becoming the NASCAR Busch Series’ all-time leader in starts, a feat he can accomplish Friday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when it’s expected the 37-year-old native of Greenville, S.C., will make the 418th start in a career that has spanned 17 seasons.

But his newest record – he also is the only driver to surpass $11 million in winnings – comes with a bit of melancholy.

Keller must qualify on time in order to break the mark held by Tommy Houston, who last raced in the series in 1996. Houston had 417 starts, 24 wins, 18 poles, settimg the series standard with 123 top fives and 198 top 10s – marks that still stand.

And that’s where the bittersweet taste comes in: Houston is one of Keller’s idols.

“It’s definitely an honor to be part of the Busch Series as long as I have been,” Keller said. “And to have Tommy there (at LMS) … when I first came into the series, I raced against Tommy a lot.

“I’ve definitely respected what he did for the series, and now that it's grown so much, it's really because of people like him and some of the guys that originally started.

“So I’m very honored and very proud and hope that we have a good night on Friday.”

Edwards Can Clinch Driver Title; Three Teams Now Vie For Owner Crown

Let the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship scenarios begin.

Driver standings leader Carl Edwards (No. 60 Scotts Wiinterguard Ford) has his first opportunity Friday night to reach the main goal he set for the 2007 season.

If Edwards – who has led the standings since the third race of the season at Mexico City – leaves Charlotte with a lead of 781 or more points, he will have clinched the title.

He currently leads second-place David Reutimann (No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) by 696 points.

Reigning series champion Kevin Harvick (No. 33 Dollar General Chevrolet) – who clinched the 2006 championship at this event last year – is in third place, 818 points behind Edwards.

And don’t look now, but there are three teams in the running for the NASCAR Busch Series owner championship.

The No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet of Richard Childress Racing – shared this year by Jeff Burton (who will drive the car at LMS) and Scott WImmer (in the No. 21 AutoZone Chevy for RCR this week) – leads the owner standings by 54 points over the Roush Fenway Racing No. 60 Ford.

But the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet of Joe Gibbs Racing is in third place, only 76 points behind the No. 29. Denny Hamlin will be behind the wheel of the No. 20 Friday night at LMS.

In The Loop: Leicht Could Shine In Charlotte; Hamlin Hopes To Leave LMS Woes Behind

If the remainder of the season is an open audition for Stephen Leicht, Lowe’s Motor Speedway might be the perfect place to take center stage.

Leicht, currently with Robert Yates Racing, will look for a new employer at season’s end. And in two races at LMS, Leicht has impressed. Standing out among a field peppered with double-duty drivers, Leicht has finished 14th and 10th while collecting impressive statistics in the process.

At LMS, Leicht has a Driver Rating of 82.6 (16th-best), an Average Running Position of 13.8 (11th-best) and has spent 67.7% of the total laps run in the top 15 (seventh-best).

Another storyline sure to take shape this week is the three-way battle for the owner championship.

The No. 29 Chevrolet, the No. 60 Ford, and the No. 20 Chevrolet are separated by 76 points. Previously, it was a two-team race between the No. 60 and the No. 29. Now the combo of Denny Hamlin (18 starts), Aric Almirola (10 starts), Travis Kittleson (one start) and Tony Stewart (one start) have joined the fray.

Friday night, Edwards, Burton and Hamlin will be in their respective rides.

While Edwards and Burton have solid statistics at LMS, Hamlin has struggled there. In five starts at the 1.5-mile track, he has only one top 10 and an average finish of 24.2. Hamlin’s Driver Rating at LMS is a 25th-best 75.6 and his Average Running Position is 17.3 (18th-best).

With a win there last season, Edwards has an LMS Driver Rating of 97.2, an Average Running Position of 12.9 and 67 Fastest Laps Run.

Burton, who finished fourth at LMS in May, has a Driver Rating of 100.4 and an Average Running Position of 14.5 in his three races at LMS since 2005.

NBS, Etc.

• Crew Chief Changes: Tony Eury Jr. and Bruce Cook will be new faces atop pit boxes at LMS this week. Last week Eury, the Director of Competition for JR Motorsports, was named interim crew chief for the No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet of Brad Keselowski for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Bruce Cook, the former car chief on Stephen Leicht’s No. 90 CitiFinancial Ford, will officially take over as Leicht’s crew chief at LMS. Cook will replace Cully Barraclough, who moved over to oversee the efforts of the No. 88 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series entry. • Of Note: David Reutimann has registered a series-best 1,601 points over the last 12 races. … Two-time series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Menards Chevrolet) is entered in what may be his last NASCAR Busch Series race for DEI. It will be the first time Earnhardt will race against Brad Keselowski since the youngster has been driving for JR Motorsports. … Reed Sorenson will drive the No. 66 HomeLife Communities Dodge in place of Steve Wallace this week. The one-time- only developmental switch has been made by team owner Rusty Wallace to afford Steve the opportunity to sit out and observe. … Media can download a high-resolution copy of the Jason Keller graphic at right at www.NASCARMedia.com. • 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Champions’ Week: NASCAR Busch Series Champions’ Week media activities with the series driver champion (and owner champion if different from the driver champion) along with the top 10 drivers in the final standings will be held Dec. 6-7 in Orlando, Fla. On Thursday, Dec. 6, media are invited to attend a luncheon featuring the champion and top 10 drivers at the ESPN Club on Disney’s BoardWalk beginning at 10:30 a.m. From 1 – 3:00 p.m. the champion and top 10 drivers will drive hot laps for the media at the 1.5-mile Walt Disney World Speedway. The NASCAR Busch Series Awards Banquet will take place at the Portofino Bay Hotel on Friday, Dec. 7. For further information, please contact Tracey Judd at tjudd@nascar.com or at 386-947-6733.

The Director’s Take: LMS

“The track has now had some time to age from the new repaving. Teams will be working on getting the most amount of grip they can.

“The two areas they will work in is mechanical grip – how the car keeps the most amount of tire contact area – and aerodynamic grip, or the use of the air pushing the car into the track.

“Corner entry will be the area to watch to see who is mastering the grip puzzle. Drivers who can give the team the right information to keep the car right on the edge will be fast.

“Drivers getting the car too loose trying to be fast and spinning out on corner entry may find out why Lowe’s Motor Speedway has a new nickname – “the Beast of the Southeast.”

“All the usual factors will come into play with shocks, springs and sway bars to keep the car as low as possible (coil bind). Also holding the attitude of the car in order to keep the air flowing over the car and not under will be a factor.

Rookie Spotlight: Slumping Ragan Attempts To Reverse Fortunes With Reverse Paint Scheme

• Ragan Rocked, But Still Solid: Despite finishes of 39th, 32nd and 34th in his last three races, David Ragan (No. 6 Discount Tire Ford) continues to hold a solid 24-point lead over second-place Marcos Ambrose (No. 59 Kingsford Ford) in the Raybestos Rookie standings with five races to go. He’s on a quest to become the first driver to win the award in both the NASCAR Busch Series and in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Ragan trails Juan Pablo Montoya in the premier series rookie standings by 14 points with six races remaining. To help reverse his NASCAR Busch Series slump, his team will run a reverse paint scheme at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this week. It will be the first time in the four-year sponsorship history of Discount Tire that a reverse scheme has been used. “We never leave the shop without thinking we have a legitimate chance to win,” crew chief Mike Kelley said, “(but) if this new look gives us some extra luck this weekend, I am all for it.” • Making Their Way: Future faces of the series will be on display in Charlotte this week. Eighteen-year-old Bryan Clauson (No. 41 Dodge) and a pair of 22-year-olds – Blake Bjorklund No. 28 Pupperoni/MilkBone/NineLives/Kibbles & Bits Chevrolet) and Jeremy Clements (No. 36 McGill Motorsports Chevrolet). Clauson is the “veteran” of the group with recent starts at Richmond International Raceway and Kansas Speedway while Bjorklund made his debut at California last month. Clements debuted in 2003 at age 19 at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

ESPN2

ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with a live, prime time race from Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. The telecast of the Dollar General 300 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. Allen Bestwick will serve as host of the pre-race show.

Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Charlotte, with analysis by two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree and 1989 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Rusty Wallace. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, while two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

In addition to coverage of the race, ESPN2 will have a live telecast of NASCAR Busch Series qualifying from Charlotte at 4 p.m. Friday. Coverage of final practice airs at 6 p.m. Thursday.

2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 30 Of 35 Races:

Traditional Statistics: Driver points – Edwards (4207) Victories – Harvick (5) Races led – Edwards (19) Laps led – Ky. Busch (958) Top-five finishes – Edwards (14) Top-10 finishes – Edwards (19) Owner points – Richard Childress Racing (No. 29) - (4,261) Money Won – Edwards ($1,092,685) Miles led – Ky. Busch (1286.08) Busch Poles – Hamlin (5) Closest to 10th – Kenseth 10th (2911 pts); 11th – M. Wallace -70 Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Edwards, Harvick (30)

Loop Data Statistics: Driver Rating – Edwards (107.0) Average Running Position – Edwards (9.7) Fastest Laps Run – Edwards (491 fastest laps) Quality Passes – Edwards (933) Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (4,470 of a possible 5,500)

Toyota In Final-Opportunity Stretch To Surpass Dodge

Toyota, which has had a strong second half of the season starting off with its first series win by Jason Leffler on July 28 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, has five races left in order to catch third-place Dodge and escape the manufacturer standings cellar in its first year of series competition.

Chevrolet clinched its 14th Bill France Performance Cup last month while Ford’s second-place advantage over Dodge stands at 41 points at this stage of the year.

Although Ford (15) and Chevy (14) have the most manufacturer wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Dodge has won two of the last four races, including this event last year. Dave Blaney captured his first series win in that race and this season, he drives for upstart Toyota. He finished 10th in this year’s spring race at LMS while Kasey Kahne took Dodge to Victory Lane in that event.

Manufacturers' Championship 2007 Point Standings Chevrolet 228 Ford 176 Dodge 135 Toyota 121

Up Next: Sam’s Town 250 At Memphis Motorsports Park

Next week is the final open week of the 2007 season for the NASCAR Busch Series which will be followed by the last stand-alone event of the year.

The Sam’s Town 250 will run Saturday, Oct. 28 at Memphis Motorsports Park. ESPN2 will carry the race live beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET

Reigning series champion Kevin Harvick won the race last year and clinched the owner championship for Richard Childress in the process. The victory was Harvick’s second at the .75-mile track – the last short track on the schedule. He’s the only driver with multiple wins there. Four series champions have won this race over its eight-year history: Harvick, Jeff Green, Randy LaJoie and Martin Truex Jr.

Johnny Sauter captured the Busch Pole last year. Green and Truex are the only drivers to win more than one pole at Memphis.

FAST FACTS

The Race: Dollar General 300 The Place: Lowe’s Motor Speedway The Date: Oct. 12, 20071 The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET) TV: ESPN2, 8:00 p.m. (ET) Track Layout: 1.5-mile oval Race Purse: $1,268,191 2006 Winner: Dave Blaney 2006 Pole: Carl Edwards

2007 Point Standings: Pos. Driver Pts 1 Edwards 4,207 2 Reutimann 3,511 3 Harvick 3,389 4 Leffler 3,345 5 Ragan 3,149 6 Hamilton Jr. 3,149 7 Biffle 3,058 8 Ambrose 2,944 9 Leicht 2,937 10 Kenseth 2,911

Pre-Race Schedule: Thursday: Practice, 1-2:00 p.m.; Rookie Practice, 2:20-2:50 p.m.; Final Practice, 6-7:00 p.m. Qualifying, 4:05 p.m. (impound).