| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 11 of 36 in the2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season | |||
2006 Dodge Charger 500 program cover | |||
| Date | May 13, 2006 (2006-05-13) | ||
| Official name | Dodge Charger 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway,Darlington County, South Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.366 miles (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 78.8 °F (26.0 °C); wind speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 135.127 miles per hour (217.466 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Evernham Motorsports | ||
| Time | 29.096 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 170 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy,Darrell Waltrip andLarry McReynolds | ||
The2006 Dodge Charger 500, the 57th running of the event, was held on May 13, 2006 atDarlington Raceway as the eleventh race of the2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.Kasey Kahne won the pole.
Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is arace track built forNASCAR racing located nearDarlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
The track,Darlington Raceway, is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval.[2] The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees.[2] The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch is banked at six degrees.[2] Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people.[2]
| Pos[3][4] | Car # | Driver | Make | Speed | Time | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | 169.013 | 29.096 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | 168.192 | 29.238 | -0.142 |
| 3 | 7 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | 168.071 | 29.259 | -0.163 |
| 4 | 40 | David Stremme | Dodge | 167.727 | 29.319 | -0.223 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chevrolet | 167.453 | 29.367 | -0.271 |
| 6 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Ford | 167.413 | 29.374 | -0.278 |
| 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 167.379 | 29.380 | -0.284 |
| 8 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Chevrolet | 167.362 | 29.383 | -0.287 |
| 9 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 167.231 | 29.406 | -0.310 |
| 10 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | 167.146 | 29.421 | -0.325 |
| 11 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Dodge | 167.146 | 29.421 | -0.325 |
| 12 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 167.078 | 29.433 | -0.337 |
| 13 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 166.908 | 29.463 | -0.367 |
| 14 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 166.902 | 29.464 | -0.368 |
| 15 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | 166.874 | 29.469 | -0.373 |
| 16 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | 166.851 | 29.473 | -0.377 |
| 17 | 6 | Mark Martin | Ford | 166.619 | 29.514 | -0.418 |
| 18 | 32 | Travis Kvapil | Chevrolet | 166.619 | 29.514 | -0.418 |
| 19 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Dodge | 166.495 | 29.536 | -0.440 |
| 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 166.467 | 29.541 | -0.445 |
| 21 | 42 | Casey Mears | Dodge | 166.231 | 29.583 | -0.487 |
| 22 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 166.174 | 29.593 | -0.497 |
| 23 | 21 | Ken Schrader | Ford | 166.090 | 29.608 | -0.512 |
| 24 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Chevrolet | 165.978 | 29.628 | -0.532 |
| 25 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 165.945 | 29.634 | -0.538 |
| 26 | 18 | J. J. Yeley | Chevrolet | 165.917 | 29.639 | -0.543 |
| 27 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Chevrolet | 165.900 | 29.642 | -0.546 |
| 28 | 66 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | 165.855 | 29.650 | -0.554 |
| 29 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | 165.838 | 29.653 | -0.557 |
| 30 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dodge | 165.827 | 29.655 | -0.559 |
| 31 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | 165.749 | 29.669 | -0.573 |
| 32 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Dodge | 165.242 | 29.760 | -0.664 |
| 33 | 74 | Derrike Cope | Dodge | 165.153 | 29.776 | -0.680 |
| 34 | 95 | Stanton Barrett | Chevrolet | 164.992 | 29.805 | -0.709 |
| 35 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 164.386 | 29.915 | -0.819 |
| 36 | 1 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 164.386 | 29.915 | -0.819 |
| 37 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Dodge | 164.270 | 29.936 | -0.840 |
| 38 | 4 | Scott Wimmer | Chevrolet | 164.117 | 29.964 | -0.868 |
| 39 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | 164.029 | 29.980 | -0.884 |
| 40 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | 163.942 | 29.996 | -0.900 |
| 41 | 49 | Kevin Lepage | Dodge | 163.615 | 30.056 | -0.960 |
| 42 | 96 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | 154.598 | 31.809 | -2.713 |
| 43 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 30.381 | ||
| Failed to qualify | ||||||
| 44 | 61 | Chad Chaffin | Ford | 30.108 | ||
| 45 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Chevrolet | 30.111 | ||
| 46 | 37 | Carl Long | Dodge | 30.127 | ||
| 47 | 34 | Chad Blount | Chevrolet | 30.442 | ||
Rookie of the year contenders denoted by *
| Fin | St | Car # | Driver | Make | Points | Bonus | Laps | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 190 | 10 | 367 | $290,175 |
| 2 | 12 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 175 | 5 | 367 | $223,161 |
| 3 | 31 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | 170 | 5 | 367 | $205,291 |
| 4 | 25 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 165 | 5 | 367 | $165,311 |
| 5 | 22 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 155 | 367 | $152,916 | |
| 6 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | 155 | 5 | 367 | $139,333 |
| 7 | 29 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | 151 | 5 | 367 | $120,625 |
| 8 | 17 | 6 | Mark Martin | Ford | 142 | 367 | $105,625 | |
| 9 | 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 138 | 367 | $115,320 | |
| 10 | 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin * | Chevrolet | 134 | 367 | $97,900 | |
| 11 | 16 | 41 | Reed Sorenson * | Dodge | 130 | 367 | $94,375 | |
| 12 | 13 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 127 | 367 | $133,386 | |
| 13 | 24 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Chevrolet | 129 | 5 | 367 | $85,225 |
| 14 | 39 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. * | Chevrolet | 121 | 367 | $108,408 | |
| 15 | 23 | 21 | Ken Schrader | Ford | 118 | 366 | $109,814 | |
| 16 | 36 | 1 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 115 | 366 | $106,995 | |
| 17 | 21 | 42 | Casey Mears | Dodge | 112 | 366 | $113,908 | |
| 18 | 40 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | 109 | 366 | $103,133 | |
| 19 | 10 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | 106 | 366 | $115,633 | |
| 20 | 42 | 96 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | 103 | 366 | $76,725 | |
| 21 | 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | 105 | 5 | 366 | $126,439 |
| 22 | 11 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Dodge | 97 | 366 | $113,136 | |
| 23 | 3 | 7 | Clint Bowyer * | Chevrolet | 94 | 365 | $84,400 | |
| 24 | 35 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 96 | 5 | 365 | $106,750 |
| 25 | 4 | 40 | David Stremme * | Dodge | 88 | 365 | $96,533 | |
| 26 | 26 | 18 | J. J. Yeley * | Chevrolet | 85 | 365 | $107,775 | |
| 27 | 32 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Dodge | 87 | 5 | 364 | $84,158 |
| 28 | 27 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Chevrolet | 79 | 364 | $81,322 | |
| 29 | 6 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Ford | 76 | 364 | $99,483 | |
| 30 | 18 | 32 | Travis Kvapil | Chevrolet | 73 | 364 | $71,400 | |
| 31 | 19 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Dodge | 70 | 363 | $68,150 | |
| 32 | 28 | 66 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | 67 | 363 | $75,975 | |
| 33 | 38 | 4 | Scott Wimmer | Chevrolet | 64 | 363 | $68,750 | |
| 34 | 43 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 61 | 361 | $67,675 | |
| 35 | 37 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Dodge | 58 | 359 | $67,450 | |
| 36 | 41 | 49 | Kevin Lepage | Dodge | 55 | 353 | $67,300 | |
| 37 | 14 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 52 | 350 | $104,036 | |
| 38 | 30 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dodge | 49 | 346 | $96,866 | |
| 39 | 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 46 | 281 | $86,550 | |
| 40 | 34 | 95 | Stanton Barrett | Chevrolet | 43 | 255 | $66,600 | |
| 41 | 8 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Chevrolet | 40 | 246 | $74,475 | |
| 42 | 15 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | 37 | 223 | $113,200 | |
| 43 | 33 | 74 | Derrike Cope | Dodge | 34 | 11 | $66,577 | |
| Source:[5] | ||||||||
Failed to qualify:Chad Chaffin (#61),Kenny Wallace (#78),Carl Long (#37),Chad Blount (#34)
| Previous race: 2006 Crown Royal 400 | Nextel Cup Series 2006 season | Next race: 2006 Coca-Cola 600 |