The 2006 Aaron's 312 at Talladega was a Busch Series event that occured at Talladega on 4-29-2006. Martin Truex, Jr, running a Dale Earnhardt-themed paint scheme won in his first start of the year.
| 2006 Aaron's 312 (at Talladega) | |
 3-wide racing at Talladega | |
| General info | |
|---|---|
| Series | Busch Series |
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway |
| Date | April 29, 2006 |
| Qualifying | |
| Pole Sitter | J.J. Yeley |
| Pole Speed | 184.751 seconds |
| Race Data | |
| Winner | Martin Truex, Jr |
| Margin of Victory | .086 seconds |
| Average Speed | 149.785 mph |
| Cautions | 4 for 12 laps |
| Points Leader | Kevin Harvick (+274) |
Practice Notes[]
- Chad Chaffin was a late-race entry in the race, driving the #28 car. The team would use Jay Robinson Racing owner points, despite being a MacDonald Motorsports entry. However, it would matter not, as only 43 cars were entered for the forty-three slots. Randy MacDonald replaced Chaffin in the #28 for second practice and would stay in the car for the rest of the weekend.
- Practices at restrictor plate races are very tricky: The draft affects how fast the car will go. David Green paced the field in first practice, Danny O'Quinn took rookie practice and Jay Sauter was fastest in final practice.
Qualifying Events[]
In the second restrictor plate race of the year, J.J. Yeley won his second pole of his career, the other coming at Daytona. Clint Bowyer took the outside pole and points leader Kevin Harvick would start 19th.
As mentioned, with 43 cars entered in the event, no drivers would go home.
Race Rewind[]
Lap-by-Lap[]
No cars moved to the back prior to the start. The weather was cloudy and possibly rain was on the way.
Pole sitter J.J. Yeley led the first lap and afterwards, Bowyer would take the lead. As customary with restrictor plate events, lead changes were many. Tony Stewart took the lead first on lap twelve, and he would lead twenty-five laps.
By lap 40, cars were forced to pit for fuel and tires, as the Busch Series did not have the smaller fuel cells the Nextel Cup cars did. Kyle Busch maintained the lead through the stops.
The first caution of the event came out on lap 42. Derrike Cope and Donnie Neuenberger got together in the tri-oval and slid into Regan Smith. The leaders were far behind the crash.
The race restarted on lap 49. Jon Wood (#47), Ashton Lewis (#25) and Stephen Leicht (#90) had the first pit road penalties of the day.
The race would be fairly quiet after that, with Kyle Busch in control, until Tony Stewart made an agressive move on the frontstretch on lap 67. He slid into Kenny Wallace, slammed the wall and went airborne. After flipping on his roof, he collected Danny O'Quinn and both drivers' days were over. Martin Truex, Jr lead. Pit stops on lap 70 meant only one more pit stop would occur, with Busch leading.
Four-wide racing at times would be the normal until caution came out on lap 100 for debris. The last pit stops would be critical. Truex emerged from those with the lead. Brian Vickers would emerge at Truex's nemesis, trying to pass him multiple times after the restart. However, Truex fended off Vickers as Vickers got no support from the draft.
A crash on lap 111 involving J.J. Yeley and Michael Waltrip set up a late-race restart. However, Vickers last attempt failed, leaving Truex Jr to fend off Kevin Harvick.
Race Results[]
| Finish | Start | No. | Name | Sponsor | Make | Laps | Laps Lead | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 8 | Martin Truex, Jr | Bass Pro Shops | Chevy | 117 | 36 | running |
| 2 | 19 | 21 | Kevin Harvick | Coast Guard | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 3 | 9 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Lowe's | Chevy | 117 | 25 | running |
| 4 | 5 | 57 | Brian Vickers | Ore-Ida | Chevy | 117 | 15 | running |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | Clint Bowyer | AC Delco | Chevy | 117 | 4 | running |
| 6 | 18 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ameriquest | Ford | 117 | 4 | running |
| 7 | 27 | 88 | Mark McFarland | Navy | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 8 | 14 | 00 | Johnny Sauter | Yellow Transportation | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 9 | 25 | 11 | Paul Menard | Menards | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 10 | 7 | 60 | Carl Edwards | FreeCreditReport.com | Ford | 117 | 6 | running |
| 11 | 24 | 9 | Scott Riggs | Ragu | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running |
| 12 | 21 | 1 | Mike Wallace | Miccosukee | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running |
| 13 | 34 | 22 | Kenny Wallace | Auto Zone | Ford | 117 | 0 | running |
| 14 | 33 | 99 | Michael Waltrip | Aaron's | Dodge | 117 | 1 | running |
| 15 | 30 | 01 | Jay Sauter | Western Union | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 16 | 23 | 10 | John Andretti | Freedom Roads | Ford | 117 | 0 | running |
| 17 | 13 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Discount Tire | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running |
| 18 | 16 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Great Clips | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 19 | 26 | 47 | Jon Wood | Clorox | Ford | 117 | 0 | running |
| 20 | 22 | 77 | Burney Lamar | Dollar General | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 21 | 29 | 36 | Tim Sauter | Lester Buildings | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 22 | 20 | 66 | Ken Schrader | Yard-Man | Ford | 117 | 0 | running |
| 23 | 6 | 43 | Aaron Fike | Curb Records | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running |
| 24 | 11 | 27 | David Green | Kleenex | Ford | 117 | 0 | running |
| 25 | 28 | 12 | Tracy Hines | BlueGreen Vacations | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running |
| 26 | 32 | 59 | Stacy Compton | Kingsford | Ford | 117 | 0 | running |
| 27 | 15 | 06 | Todd Kluever | 3M | Ford | 117 | 0 | running |
| 28 | 39 | 4 | Mark Green | GEICO | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running |
| 29 | 31 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | FitzBradshaw Racing | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running |
| 30 | 3 | 20 | Denny Hamlin | Rockwell Automation | Chevy | 116 | 0 | running |
| 31 | 8 | 90 | Stephen Leicht | CitiFinancial | Ford | 115 | 0 | running |
| 32 | 10 | 0 | Kertus Davis | Race Girl | Chevy | 115 | 0 | running |
| 33 | 40 | 25 | Ashton Lewis | Marines | Ford | 115 | 0 | running |
| 34 | 1 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Vigoro | Chevy | 110 | 1 | crash |
| 35 | 37 | 34 | Paul Tracy | Sport Clips | Chevy | 98 | 0 | running |
| 36 | 35 | 64 | Jamie McMurray | Top-Flite | Dodge | 97 | 0 | engine |
| 37 | 38 | 35 | Regan Smith | McDonald's | Ford | 97 | 0 | running |
| 38 | 4 | 50 | Danny O'Quinn | Stonebridge | Ford | 68 | 0 | crash |
| 39 | 17 | 33 | Tony Stewart | Old Spice | Chevy | 68 | 25 | crash |
| 40 | 36 | 72 | Donnie Neuenberger | Cayman Islands | Chevy | 42 | 0 | crash |
| 41 | 41 | 49 | Derrike Cope | Xtreme Gel | Ford | 42 | 0 | crash |
| 42 | 42 | 05 | Justin Ashburn | Spectra Metals | Chevy | 36 | 0 | engine |
| 43 | 43 | 28 | Randy MacDonald | FMI Fireplaces | Chevy | 1 | 0 | engine |
Top Ten in Points[]
1) Kevin Harvick (2rd) +274 *
2) Clint Bowyer (5th)
3) Carl Edwards (10th)
4) Denny Hamlin (30th)
5) J.J. Yeley (34th)
6) Paul Menard (9th)
7) Kyle Busch (3rd)
8) Greg Biffle (6th)
9) Jon Wood (19th)
10) Johnny Sauter (#00)
- See post-race note
Post-Race[]
After the race, it was found that Kevin Harvick's right rear category was too low. Shane Wilson, Harvick's crew chief was fined and Harvick and Richard Childress lost 25 drivers and owners points. However, Harvick still had his massive lead.