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Kurt Busch will make just his third Busch Series start of the season at Mansfield.By the Numbers: Charlotte
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Kurt Busch doesn't drive in the Busch Series often, but when he does -- look out.
Busch will make his third Busch Series start of the season when the series returns from a one-week hiatus on Saturday for the Carquest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, SPEED) and expect to see his No. 12 Dodge up front as the race concludes.
In two Busch Series races this season, Busch has two top-10s with a fourth-place finish at Las Vegas and an eighth at Texas. Lowe's hasn't been very kind to Busch in the Cup Series with an average finish of 21.3, but in one Busch Series start at the track, he finished second to Carl Edwards in 2006.
"[Lowe's] hasn't been one of our favorite tracks through the years [in the Nextel Cup Series]," Busch said. "By that, I certainly don't mean that I dislike the track. I love racing there and it's like another home track for us."
In last year's Busch Series race at Charlotte, Busch led 32 laps, had the fastest car on the track in 14 laps and had an average running position of 4.165.
Interesting Fact
9The number of Busch Series races Kurt Busch has competed in and the number of lead lap finishes he's had in the Busch Series. Busch has two wins, six top-fives and eight top-10s in his NBS career and his last race at Texas was the first time he didn't lead lap in a Busch Series event.
Fun Fact
51This is the 51st Busch Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Harry Gant won the first race, the Mello Yello 300, in 1982 from the pole. Gant has four wins at Lowe's which is second all time behind Mark Martin who has six.
All the Facts
3Number of drivers who have an average running position of 10th or better in the last four races at Lowe's entered in Saturday's race: Kurt Busch (4.2), Casey Mears (6.7) and Matt Kenseth (9.7)
3Number of manufacturers who have won the last three Busch Series races at Lowe's. Ryan Newman won the 2005 fall race in a Dodge, Carl Edwards won this race in a Ford last year and in last year's fall race Dave Blaney earned the win in a Chevrolet.
4Number of drivers who are multiple winners at Lowe's in the Busch Series entered in Saturday's race: Greg Biffle (2), Kyle Busch (2), Matt Kenseth (2) and Jeff Burton (2).
4Number of drivers who will make their Busch Series debut this weekend. Jimmie Johnson will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet; Bill Elliott will race for the first time since 2005 in the No. 32 Toyota and 1994 Busch Series champion David Green will make his first start in the No. 92 Toyota. Blake Feese will also make his '07 debut in the No. 95 Dodge.
6.2Average finish of Mike Bliss in four Busch Series races at Lowe's. Bliss won in 2004 and finished both 2003 races in the top five.
8Number of winners who have started from the pole position in a Busch Series race at Lowe's, the most from any starting position.
10Number of races Jack Roush has won as a car owner at Lowe's in the Busch Series, the most for any owner. Next closest is Rick Hendrick with four.
12Number of leaders in last year's race, the most for any Busch Series race at Lowe's.
22.4Percent of laps Matt Kenseth held the lead at Lowe's in the past three Busch Series races yet his average finish is 22.3. Suspension woes in the fall of 2005 forced him to a 25th-place finish and engine problems led to a 38th-place finish in this race last year.
33.68Percent of passes on the frontstretch in the last four Busch Series races at Lowe's, the most on any part of the track. Turn 3 sees the fewest number of passes at just 8.88 percent.
64Number of laps both Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman had the fastest car on the track at Lowe's in the last four Busch Series races, the most among all drivers. Newman is not entered in this year's race.
88.1Percent of laps Casey Mears has been in the top-15 in the last two races at Lowe's. In 400 laps, Mears has been in the top-15 in 355 of them.
123.8Kurt Busch's Driver Rating for races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the highest among drivers entered in this year's race.
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Lowe's Motor Speedway
Busch Series spring race winners
| Year | Driver | Year | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Harry Gant | 1995 | Chad Little |
| 1983 | Dale Earnhardt | 1996 | Mark Martin |
| 1984 | Bobby Allison | 1997 | Joe Nemechek |
| 1985 | Tim Richmond | 1998 | Mark Martin |
| 1986 | Tim Richmond | 1999 | Mark Martin |
| 1987 | Harry Gant | 2000 | Jeff Burton |
| 1988 | Dale Jarrett | 2001 | Jeff Green |
| 1989 | Rob Moroso | 2002 | Jeff Green |
| 1990 | Dale Jarrett | 2003 | Matt Kenseth |
| 1991 | Dale Earnhardt | 2004 | Kyle Busch |
| 1992 | Jeff Gordon | 2005 | Kyle Busch |
| 1993 | Michael Waltrip | 2006 | Carl Edwards |
| 1994 | Phil Parsons |
Official Standings
Busch Series
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Carl Edwards | 1958 | Leader |
| 2. | Kevin Harvick | 1525 | -433 |
| 3. | David Reutimann | 1359 | -599 |
| 4. | Dave Blaney | 1353 | -605 |
| 5. | Matt Kenseth | 1280 | -678 |
| 6. | David Ragan | 1270 | -688 |
| 7. | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | 1252 | -706 |
| 8. | Regan Smith | 1238 | -720 |
| 9. | Juan Montoya | 1227 | -731 |
| 10. | Greg Biffle | 1215 | -743 |
• Complete Standings click here
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