Kevin Harvick fell one victory short of the record 10 in a Busch season. Credit: Autostock

Busch '06: Top Stories

Buschwhackers dominate

Only in NASCAR do the elite mix and mingle with the up-and-comers, and the domination of Cup drivers in the Busch Series was never more glaring than in 2006. Eight of the top 10 drivers in the year-end point standings were full-time Cuppers, including champion Kevin Harvick.

Paul Menard was the only Busch regular to both win a race and finish in the top 10 in points (sixth). Credit: Autostock

Harvick's fifth-place finish in the season opener at Daytona was the only race after which he did not lead the driver standings. Led by Harvick's series-best nine victories, Cup drivers won 33 of 35 Busch races, the only exceptions being David Gilliland at Kentucky and Paul Menard at Michigan.

"I think the Busch Series is kind of in the middle of its midlife crisis. The sponsors and the drivers are all a lot of Cup drivers, and a lot of sponsors want that to put in their cars so they get the most bang for their buck," Harvick said.

"I mean, from another standpoint, I think it would be good for the [Busch] series to be able to have the guys that are racing week in and week out that aren't in the Cup Series be able to have a story behind them, to have something that everybody can talk about on TV and the sponsors are interested in. It's a little bit tough right now from a Busch team owner's standpoint to sell that to a sponsor and understand that completely."

Silver anniversary season

Mark Martin was ranked No. 1 among the "25 Greatest NASCAR Busch Series Drivers" in Internet polls on NASCAR.COM and NASCARMedia.com in conjunction with the season-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Busch Series and its association with series sponsor Anheuser-Busch.

Martin, the all-time series leader in wins (47) and Busch Poles (30) despite having run only one full season (1987) throughout his 220 starts, received the most votes in both polls, which allowed fans and media to rank their top 25 selections from a list of 41 nominees.

"We had a lot of fun racing in the Busch Series," Martin said. "There has been a lot of talent in that series over the years, both with the full-time Cup guys and some of the Busch regulars, so to be voted at the top of the top 25 really does mean a lot to me.

"I'd just like to say thanks to both the fans and the media. We've always gone out and given 100 percent to whatever we were doing and to be recognized for our effort means as much as any of the wins or any trophies."

Montreal, eh

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NASCAR released its 2007 Busch Series schedule on Oct. 5 and in addition to its annual south of the border race in Mexico City, a new international city appeared: Montreal. The series will race Aug. 4, 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"We know that this event is going to expand the footprint of NASCAR," NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said. "Another thing that we've been looking at for four or five years, we discovered long ago, that the audience in Canada that follows NASCAR is very big.

"We've been looking for a number of years for a way to satisfy them," France said. "We know we're at the right venue. We know that the fan interest in Canada will soon be rewarded with the live NASCAR-style side-by-side racing we're famous for."

Other notable headlines
• Gilliland stuns Buschwhackers at Kentucky
• Ol' D.W. 'unretires' for Martinsville Busch race
• Failed drug test earns Shane Hmiel 'lifetime ban'
• Casey Atwood back at Brewco, David Green out
• Former F1 star Juan Montoya debuts at Memphis
• Kevin Grubb suspended again for substance abuse
• Kevin Harvick won't run Busch Series full time in 2007