2006 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 33 of 36 in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season | |||
| Date | October 29, 2006 | ||
| Location | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.540 mi (2.478 km) | ||
| Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.476 km) | ||
| Average speed | 143.421 mph (230.814 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Roush Racing | ||
| Time | no time trials | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 146 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Bill Weber, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
The 2006 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race held on October 29, 2006 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Contested over 325 laps, the race was the 33rd of the 36-race 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing won the pole, while Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race.
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 25 miles (40 km) south of Atlanta.[1] It is a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) quad-oval track.[1] It opened in 1960 as a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) standard oval.[1] In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track.[1] In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5 miles (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt.[1] The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval.[1] The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Summary
The 7th race of the Chase, qualifying was rained out, and the starting order was set by owner points, with Matt Kenseth sitting on the pole. A. J. Allmendinger was to have made his Nextel Cup debut here but failed to qualify. In the race, the first few laps involving Kyle Busch, putting a driver on the bubble of championship hopes. Meanwhile, another chaser, Kasey Kahne, who earned six wins of the season, just made some damage with David Stremme, sending two drivers into the garage. Less than 20 laps to go, Mark Martin, the veteran drivers just wreck, ending the championship hopes. Those three drivers putted on the dangerous spot of championship hopes. Tony Stewart captured his second race win in a 2006 chase race.
Top 10 results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 5 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet |
Race Statistics
- Time of race: 3:29:23
- Average Speed: 143.421 miles per hour (230.814 km/h)
- Pole Speed: no time trials
- Cautions: 9 for 39 laps
- Margin of Victory: 1.195 sec
- Lead changes: 24
- Percent of race run under caution: 12.6%
- Average green flag run: 28.4 laps
References
| Previous race: 2006 Subway 500 |
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series 2006 season |
Next race: 2006 Dickies 500 |