 | | Greg Biffle was one of four Roush Racing drivers to finish in the top five. Credit: Autostock |
June 19, 2005
05:32 PM EDT (21:32 GMT)
Greg Biffle wins the Batman Begins 400. Tony Stewart finishes second followed by Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. ... This is Biffle's series-leading fifth victory in 15 races this year.  |
| Chase for the Cup |
| Drivers eligible for the Chase |
| No. |
Driver |
Pts. |
Behind |
| 1. |
J. Johnson |
2,173 |
-- |
| 2. |
G. Biffle |
2,124 |
-49 |
| 3. |
E. Sadler |
1,923 |
-250 |
| 4. |
C. Edwards |
1,914 |
-259 |
| 5. |
M. Martin |
1,904 |
-269 |
| 6. |
T. Stewart |
1,862 |
-311 |
| 7. |
R. Newman |
1,856 |
-317 |
| 8. |
R. Wallace |
1,848 |
-325 |
| 9. |
K. Busch |
1,813 |
-360 |
| 10. |
K. Harvick |
1,803 |
-370 |
| 11. |
J. McMurray |
1,799 |
-374 |
|
 | BATMAN BEGINS 400 | |
 |
• Lap 198 -- Tony Stewart passes Matt Kenseth for second place. • Lap 195 -- Greg Biffle is 10 miles away from his second consecutive victory at Michigan. He is 1.540 seconds ahead of Matt Kenseth. • Lap 190 -- Roush Racing's Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth are running 1-2, with Tony Stewart third. Rounding out the top five are Roush's Carl Edwards and Mark Martin. ... And Kurt Busch is sixth in a Roush ride. • Lap 180 -- Greg Biffle continues to lead, with Stewart -- up to third place -- making a charge. • Lap 174 -- On the restart, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler -- all driving Fords -- are in the top five. The rest of the top 10: Joe Nemechek, Michael Waltrip -- both who made two-tire stops -- Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson. • Lap 171 -- Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and several others pit -- but Greg Biffle remains on the track. • Lap 168 -- Sterling Marlin in a fiery spin exiting Turn 3 to bring out the fourth caution. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. receives the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 162 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Joe Nemechek, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth in the top five. • Lap 158 -- Leaders come to pit road. Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle win the race off pit road. • Lap 156 -- Caution is out for the third time: debris. • Lap 150 -- Three cars are off the track: Robby Gordon, Stuart Kirby and Mike Wallace. • Lap 145 -- The top five: Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Joe Nemechek. • Lap 141 -- Greg Biffle returns to the lead after the pit-stop cycle is completed. • Lap 139 -- Front-runners Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart make their pit stops. • Lap 136 -- Mark Martin makes a green-flag pit stop. • Lap 133 -- Greg Biffle passes Tony Stewart for the lead. • Lap 127 -- Jeremy Mayfield pits under green, the first green-flag stop in this pit window. • Lap 125 -- Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle continue to run 1-2, while Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch round out the top five. The rest of the top 10: Mark Martin, Joe Nemechek, Casey Mears, Michael Waltrip and Ryan Newman. • Lap 116 -- Jeff Gordon falls one lap down. • Lap 110 -- Tony Stewart has about a 3-second lead over Greg Biffle. • Lap 100 -- After pit stops have cycled through, Tony Stewart again is the race leader followed by the Roush stable: Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin and Carl Edwards. Nos. 7-10: Joe Nemechek, Casey Mears, Michael Waltrip and Ryan Newman. • Lap 97 -- Points leader Jimmie Johnson assumes the lead to pick up the five-point bonus. • Lap 94 -- Greg Biffle yields the lead to make his pit stop. • Lap 92 -- Green-flag pit stops begin in earnest with Jeremy Mayfield and Mark Martin on pit road along with Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth. • Lap 89 -- Greg Biffle passes Tony Stewart for the lead. • Lap 88 -- Jeff Gordon pits. • Lap 85 -- Brian Vickers returns to the track -- 42 laps down. • Lap 80 -- The chase is on: Roush cars are running 2-6 -- Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Carl Edwards. • Lap 80 -- The chase is on: Roush cars are running 2-6 -- Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Carl Edwards. • Lap 75 -- Tony Stewart remains at the front of the field followed by Roush Racing's Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch. ... And Carl Edwards -- Roush's fifth driver -- is eighth. • Lap 70 -- Jeff Green returns to the track. • Lap 67 -- Tony Stewart moves past Kurt Busch to resume the lead. • Lap 61 -- Kurt Busch is back on point with Tony Stewart moving past Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth. • Lap 60 -- Mark Martin and Kurt Busch lead the field to the green flag on the restart. The rest of the top five: Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte. ... Three cars are off the track: Jeff Green, Mike Wallace and Brian Vickers. • Lap 54 -- Several cars (18 total) make pit stops, including Elliott Sadler, but the leaders stay on the track. • Lap 52 -- Caution is out for the second time; Mike Wallace has pulled the No. 4 car into the garage. • Lap 50 -- Mark Martin passes Kurt Busch for the lead at the stripe to pick up five bonus points. • Lap 48 -- Green-flag racing resumes with Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle in the top five. The rest of the top 10: Matt Kenseth, Jeremy Mayfield, Rusty Wallace, Jamie McMurray and Sterling Marlin. • Lap 43 -- Race leader Ryan Newman brings the field to pit road. ... Casey Mears, who had pitted earlier, gets the "lucky dog" pass. • Lap 42 -- Leaders come to pit road -- and Brian Vickers crashes coming onto pit lane. Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart roll through pit road, while Kurt Busch opts to stop in his pit. • Lap 41 -- Roush Racing -- which had all five cars finish in the top 10 at Michigan in August 2004 -- is strong again: Greg Biffle (first), Kurt Busch (fourth), Mark Martin (seventh), Matt Kenseth (eighth) and Carl Edwards (10th). • Lap 31 -- Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Ken Schrader are the first to make green-flag pit stops. • Lap 30 -- The top five: Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle. |
| Inside the Numbers |
| Ryan Newman's career poles |
| Year |
Track |
Start |
Finish |
| 2001 |
Charlotte |
1 |
43 |
| 2002 |
Fontana |
1 |
14 |
| |
Chicago |
1 |
5 |
| |
Loudon |
1 |
1 |
| |
Martinsville |
1 |
15 |
| |
Rockingham |
1 |
23 |
| |
Phoenix |
1 |
18 |
| 2003 |
Atlanta |
1 |
10 |
| |
Bristol |
1 |
22 |
| |
Charlotte |
1 |
5 |
| |
Dover |
1 |
1 |
| |
Pocono |
1 |
1 |
| |
Darlington |
1 |
23 |
| |
Loudon |
1 |
9 |
| |
Charlotte |
1 |
2 |
| |
Atlanta |
1 |
29 |
| |
Phoenix |
1 |
3 |
| |
Rockingham |
1 |
5 |
| 2004 |
Rockingham |
1 |
6 |
| |
Atlanta |
1 |
5 |
| |
Bristol |
1 |
7 |
| |
Loudon |
1 |
3 |
| |
Richmond |
1 |
20 |
| |
Charlotte |
1 |
14 |
| |
Martinsville |
1 |
3 |
| |
Atlanta |
1 |
17 |
| |
Phoenix |
1 |
2 |
| 2005 |
Las Vegas |
1 |
9 |
| |
Atlanta |
1 |
14 |
| |
Texas |
1 |
16 |
| |
Charlotte |
1 |
5 |
| |
Michigan |
1 |
15 |
| Total |
32 poles |
|
10.8 |
|
|
• Lap 25 -- Tony Stewart continues to show the way on this green-flag run. • Lap 20 -- Greg Biffle now is in the top 10 -- running ninth -- up 16 spots from his 25th-place starting position. • Lap 15 -- Tony Stewart, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch are in the top five. Rounding out the top 10: Robby Gordon, Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Rusty Wallace. • Lap 8 -- Tony Stewart passes Casey Mears for the point. • Lap 5 -- Casey Mears continues to lead with Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne and Robby Gordon in the top five. • Lap 1 -- Casey Mears and Tony Stewart power past pole-sitter Ryan Newman. • 2:17 p.m. -- Green flag flies! • 2:07 p.m. -- Grand marshal Batman -- what, you were expecting Bruce Wayne? -- gives the command: "Gentlemen, start your engines." • 2 p.m. -- Karen Newman sings the national anthem. We give it a strong 7. • 1:54 p.m. -- Nicholas Cage as Kurt Busch? Well, that's who the defending Cup champ would choose in the Kurt Busch biopic. ... As for boogity, boogity, boogity: "Horrible," he says. We couldn't agree more. • 1:44 p.m. -- Jeff Gordon (55 percent) defeated Elliott Sadler in FOX's Sexiest Driver poll. ... So who didn't see this coming: Gordon vs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mercifully, voting concludes this week and the winner will be announced before the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. ... Gonna go out on a limb here, but the poll will be Junior's first win of 2005. • TrackPass | Live Point Standings | Chat Room | 
