Kevin Harvick has been smoking the Busch Series field, but another driver may be a little hotter heading to Kentucky. Credit: Autostock

Three drivers planning on a repeat at Kentucky

Harvick, Edwards, Busch all one-time wonders at Bluegrass track

They called it The Punisher.

Carl Edwards has won two of the past three Busch races. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Comparing 2006 finishes for Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards Race Harvick Edwards Daytona 5 39 California 8 3 Mexico City 3 8 Las Vegas 3 5 Atlanta 11 24 Bristol 2 5 Texas 8 43 Nashville 1 5 Phoenix 1 3 Talladega 2 10 Richmond 1 6 Darlington 7 8 Charlotte 8 1 Dover 13 2 Nashville 3 1 Average 5.1 10.9 MEIJER 300 •   Entry List •   2006 Standings •   2006 Box Score •   TV Schedule •   Complete Coverage 2005 FlashbackCarl Edwards celebrates his dominant performance at Kentucky Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Kevin Harvick remembers arriving in Sparta, Ky., in June of 2001 and hearing the news that his primary car for Kentucky Speedway was garbage. That weekend the Cup Series -- Harvick's rookie year -- was in Pocono, and Harvick was one of the first to pull double duty racing both schedules.

So when he flew from Pocono to Kentucky to qualify his Busch car, substitute driver Mike Bliss had gotten into an accident during the first practice and the car was destroyed.

"When I arrived at Kentucky, they told me that my primary car was wrecked and I was going to have to qualify the backup car without any practice," Harvick said.

At a new track nobody had raced on, mind you. It was the inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway, but that didn't seem to bother Harvick. He qualified 11th. Then he won the race.

"That is where our favorite car got the name The Punisher," said Harvick, who will make his first start at Kentucky since the victory. "When they told me that my primary car was wrecked, I said that it didn't matter because we were going to punish them anyway."

Not a bad name, now, considering Harvick has given the rest of the Busch Series what seems like a never-ending penalty.

His lead on the field is 297 points heading into Saturday's Meijer 300 (7:30 p.m. ET, FX). But since Darlington more than a month ago, he's got more pressure on his lead than he's had all season in Carl Edwards.

Edwards won at Charlotte, finished second at Dover and then won again last week at Nashville, cutting nearly 100 points off the consistent Harvick's cushion. It's the closest anybody has been to the leader since Phoenix in April.

And he, too, won at Kentucky the last time he showed up.

Edwards' only race at the track was last year's victory. He led 150 of the 200 laps, fell out of the top 15 for just three laps and had an average running position of second. In NASCAR's loop data, he registered a perfect 150.0 driver's rating, which formulates a score based on track performance.

David Green's best finish at Kentucky is eighth in 2003. Credit: Autostock

GREEN'S OLD KENTUCKY HOME One time a year, David Green gets to put on a show for the home folks.  Green, who is from Owensboro, Ky., knows he will have a cheering section in the stands for Saturday's Busch Series race at Kentucky Speedway.  "This is the most anticipated race of the year for my team and me," Green said. "It's our home state track and home state crowd, so there will be a lot of friends and family at the speedway."  He is one of just three drivers to compete in all five races at the track. He has just one top-10 finish, but that hasn't dampened his attitude toward returning home.  "The race at Kentucky Speedway is the biggest and best stand-alone event we run all year long, making this, without a doubt, one of THE races to win in the Busch Series," he said.  Green, however, said he's not what draws the crowd of people to the stands.  "The reason this race is a sellout each year," he said, "is because the track is very racey, and it's the friendliest for the fans, drivers and crewmembers."  -- Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM

While Harvick isn't bringing The Punisher back, Edwards is bringing a car to Kentucky that is a proven winner.

"We are taking the car that we won at Charlotte with, so I feel real confident going there," Edwards said. "The team is on a roll. We have been gaining points on Harvick and it would be great to get Henkel into Victory Lane."

"We have been clicking the last few weeks for sure," said Pierre Kuettel, crew chief for Edwards' No. 60 Ford. "The packages and things we've been working on at the shop are paying off."

But will it pay a big enough check to swat off the series' leader in just about every category on Saturday?

Points aside, Harvick tops the series in races led (nine), miles led (531.08), victories (three), top-fives (nine), top-10s (13) and of course money ($548,660).

They will both, however, have to deal with Kyle Busch.

Like Harvick and Edwards, Busch won in his only trip to the track, in 2004. And almost exactly like Harvick, Busch won in a backup that had no practice laps on it.

Busch qualified his Chevy second before tearing it up in a practice before the race. It didn't matter, as Busch sliced his way to the front to lead just three laps and win.

"My team guys having the backup prepared the way they did was pretty impressive," said Busch, who is seventh in points. "Hopefully we can do the same thing this Saturday. Not wad one up, of course, but end up in Victory Lane again."

Kuettel points out that three's a crowd.

"Carl's excited about Kentucky," he said, "and there won't be any stopping him there."