2006 AMD at The Glen
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 36 in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season | |||
| Date | August 13, 2006 | ||
| Official name | AMD at The Glen | ||
| Location | Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, New York | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.45 mi (3.942 km) | ||
| Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 71.8 °F (22.1 °C); wind speeds up to 10.2 miles per hour (16.4 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 76.718 miles per hour (123.466 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | |
| Laps | 38 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Benny Parsons | ||
The 2006 AMD at The Glen was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race that was held on August 13, 2006 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 90 laps on the 2.45 mile (3.942 km) road course, it was the 22nd race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing won the race.
There were only five drivers eliminated from the race; all due to racing accidents.[2]
Background
Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.
Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after a fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.
Race
Kurt Busch had the pole position for this race, in Penske Racing's #2 Miller Lite-sponsored Dodge. Busch was seeking his first road course win of his Cup career, following numerous near-misses and his Busch win the previous day. Busch controlled the race early before being penalized for coming onto pit road when it closed due to an untimely caution. Busch was sent to the rear of the field and the race then got controlled by Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick who passed Tony during the final 3 laps to win the race. It was Harvick's first road course win of his career and the top-ten also ended with some road course aces finishing in the top ten; Robby Gordon finished fourth in his own car and Scott Pruett, a non-regular, finished in the top-ten substituting for David Stremme in Chip Ganassi's #40 Coors Light-sponsored Dodge.
Top 10 results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 4 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 40 | Scott Pruett | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 7 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge |
| 9 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
Race Statistics
- Time of race: 2:52:27
- Average Speed: 76.718 miles per hour (123.466 km/h)
- Pole Speed: 122.966 miles per hour (197.895 km/h)
- Cautions: 10 for 22 laps
- Margin of Victory: 0.892 sec
- Lead changes: 14
- Percent of race run under caution: 24.4%
- Average green flag run: 6.2 laps
References
- ^ Weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b Race statistics at Racing Reference