* NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series champion Peyton Sellers makes NASCAR Busch
Series debut

* Mark McFarland returns after two-week absence due to injury

NEWS & NOTES

Steady if "not spectacular" works for Harvick -- Kevin Harvick (No. 21 U.S.
Coast Guard Chevrolet) captured the 11th top five and 16th top-10 finish in
19 starts this season with his fourth-place effort at Chicago last week. He
leads the NASCAR Busch Series standings by 323 points over second-place Carl
Edwards (No. 60 Ameriquest Ford). "We don't have to be
spectacular," Harvick
said. This week's top 10 has its share of close battles, however. Edwards is
up by 59 points over Clint Bowyer (No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet), who is third.
Bowyer's position isn't safe -- just 38 points separate him from fourth-place
Denny Hamlin (No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet) while fifth-place J.J.
Yeley (No. 18 Vigoro/Home Depot Chevrolet), Hamlin's teammate, is just 46
points behind Bowyer. Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ameriquest Ford) is sixth, but Paul
Menard (No. 11 Menards Chevrolet) is 51 points behind Biffle. Kyle Busch (No.
5 Lowe's Chevrolet) is 73 points behind Biffle in the eighth spot. Johnny
Sauter (No. 00 Yellow Transportation Chevrolet) and Kenny Wallace join Menard
as NASCAR Busch Series regulars ranked in the top 10, and both have switched
slots over the last four weeks. Heading to New Hampshire, Sauter is ninth
with a slim 12-point advantage over the 10th-place Wallace.

Reigning NASCAR Dodge Weekly champ Sellers moves up the ladder -- Two weeks
after claiming his first NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series
victory in Roseburg, Ore., Peyton Sellers, the reigning NASCAR Dodge Weekly
Series national champion, will make his NASCAR Busch Series debut. Sellers
won the Weekly Series' national title after a stellar 2005 season at South
Boston (Va.) Speedway. The 22-year-old native of Danville, Va., was signed as
a development driver for Richard Childress Racing, which dispatched Sellers
to the West Coast, where he's competing full-time on the AutoZone West Series
for Bill McAnally Racing. Sellers has backed up his championship resume with
a solid performance in the AutoZone West Series, including the Roseburg win
and four top-five finishes in his first six starts. He'll take the next step
in his career at New Hampshire, where he'll attempt to make his first NASCAR
Busch Series start in the No. 31 Whelen Chevrolet owned by Ted Marsh. "It's
going to be a new challenge," said Sellers. "But I'm thankful to be here.
We've had a lot of success in other things we've done and this is just
another stepping stone to, hopefully, making it in NASCAR. Richard Childress
has given me the opportunity to come up here and drive for Marsh Racing. I'm
very thankful for that."

McFarland back after injury absence -- After missing the last two races
following a shoulder injury suffered in the late stages of the June 24 race
at The Milwaukee Mile, Mark McFarland (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) has been
cleared by doctors to resume racing this weekend at New Hampshire. Martin
Truex Jr. filled in for McFarland during his absence, posting finishes of
eighth at Daytona International Speedway and 16th at Chicago for the JR
Motorsports team. McFarland was on his way to his second series top-10 finish
prior to the accident."I can't wait to get back in the car this weekend,"
McFarland said. "It's been tough the last couple of weeks just hanging around
and not getting to race. Martin did a good job filling in and he gave the
team some good feedback that'll help us as we move through the rest of the
season."

From the local angle -- At least three NASCAR Busch Series teams have members
who call New Hampshire home. Marty Oddy, the front tire changer for Paul
Menard, is literally in his own back yard; he's from Loudon. Joe Claridge, a
mechanic and second gas can for Kyle Busch, and Jeff Melanson, a mechanic for
the No. 12 Supercuts Dodge of Tracy Hines, are from Barrington. Regionally,
driver Matt Kobyluck (No. 04 Mohegan Sun Chevrolet), from Uncasville, Conn.,
will attempt to qualify for a third NASCAR Busch Series start and his second
at New Hampshire. Kobyluck runs in the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch
East Series. Doug Riepe, rear tire carrier for Reed Sorenson's No. 41
Discount Tire team, is another Connecticut native, hailing from Danbury. The
2000 graduate of Immaculate High School was named the 0x086500 Connecticut
State Athlete of the Year. He attended Wake Forest University where he was a
four-year member of the Demon Deacons baseball team, graduating in 2004 with
a degree in communications. Dave Rogers, crew chief for Denny Hamlin, was
raised in Marshfield, Vt.

IN THE LOOP: Leffler pushing for position -- Since he fell out of the NASCAR
Busch Series top 10 after Nashville when he failed to complete a lap due to
an engine failure, Jason Leffler (No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet) slowly has
been working his way back into top-10 contention. Now 11th after ranking 16th
four races ago, Leffler's climb can be charted in NASCAR's season-to-date
Loop Data Statistics, where he's ranked in the top 10 in four key categories.
Leffler is 10th in the Driver Rating (78.6) and Fastest Drivers Early in a
Run (12.571) listings. He's made 588 Quality Passes on the season, eighth
among all drivers and best among series regulars. He also is ranked first in
the Passes by Straightaway -- Combined category with 554 passes -- 351 on the
frontstretch (first among drivers) and 201 on the backstretch (third among
drivers).

Series drivers among those testing at the Brickyard -- Seven NASCAR Busch
Series regulars are among the group of more than 50 teams scheduled to test
at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week. The test session, one of six
available on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series circuit, was scheduled Monday
through Wednesday and teams can choose two of the three days for testing.
Paul Menard, Kenny Wallace, Johnny Sauter, Jon Wood, Indianapolis native John
Andretti, Kertus Davis and Stephen Leicht were scheduled to test at the
Brickyard for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams. Leicht, a 19-year-old developmental
driver for Robert Yates Racing, was fifth-fastest in Monday's afternoon
session (175.398 mph).

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Kevin Harvick is tied for the most Busch Poles at New Hampshire with two, and
holds the qualifying record of 130.716 set in May 2001. He also is among the
leaders in top fives with three. -- David Green has the most top-10 finishes
among drivers entered in the New England 200 with six. -- Kenny Wallace has
led four times at New Hampshire, tied for second among all drivers. --
Harvick has led the most laps at New Hampshire (422), while Wallace is third
(238). Harvick is second all-time at New Hampshire with an average finish of
7.0.

ETC. Juan Pablo Montoya, the former CART champion, Indianapolis 500 winner
and Formula 1 star who over the weekend was tabbed to join Chip Ganassi
Racing with Felix Sabates in 2007 in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Busch
Series competition -- as well as in select NASCAR Busch Series races later
this year.

Casey Mears' first career NASCAR Busch Series win was also the first victory
for Dodge since Kurt Busch won at Texas back in April. Dodge is now tied with
Ford with three wins, although Ford remains second in the Bill France
Performance Cup standings with 113 points to 105 for Dodge. Chevrolet has a
commanding lead with 13 wins and 143 points. -- Carlos Contreras is scheduled
to run in select races for the remainder of the season in the No. 14 Family
Dollar Dodge for FitzBradshaw Racing. Tracy Hines, Mike Skinner and other
drivers to be named also are slated to run a nine-race schedule in the
organization's second entry beginning next week at Martinsville. -- In
Loudon, which isn't far from the Maine coast, there's one driver who would
prefer not to partake of the region's signature seafood -- Denny Hamlin isn't
fond of lobsters, whether they're alive or cooked.

QUOTEBOOK

"I am so happy to be entering the fastest-growing racing league in the world.
I've thought about this for quite some time but the opportunity had to be
right. I know the transition will not be easy but I can't wait to get behind
the wheel." -- Juan Pablo Montoya.

FROM THE NASCAR BUSCH SERIES "25 SEASONS RUNNING" ARCHIVES

The 2006 New England 200 will be the 20th NASCAR Busch Series event to be
held at New Hampshire International Speedway since 1990. The previous 19
races have produced 19 different winners.
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