TIP: Click on subject to list as thread! ANSI
echo: nascar
to: All
from: Mike Powell
date: 2006-06-18 10:42:00
subject: NBS: DAVID STUNS GOLIATH

DAVID STUNS GOLIATH KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY NASCAR BUSCH SERIES FIELD

Rookie Gilliland Scores "Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo" Win in
Front of 72,886
Fans

Eight NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series regulars weren't enough to stop rookie David
Gilliland from taking his first NASCAR Busch Series win in just his fifth
career start tonight in front of a Kentucky Speedway track-record crowd of
72,886.

"When they ask me about racing against these cup guys I tell them 'I love it'
because it makes me better," Gilliland said. "This is an awesome
racecar. We
came here having never seen this track before yesterday. Now we're here in
victory lane--I can't believe it--it's a dream come true."

He becomes the sixth different series winner in Kentucky Speedway history and
fourth claim a victory in his first series start at the track. He also is the
first NASCAR Busch Series regular to win a race since Clint Bowyer took an
Oct. 22, 2005 win at Memphis Motorsports Park. Gilliland charted his previous
best Busch Series performance on April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway where he
started 11th and finished 29th.

The former NASCAR Southwest Tour and Grand National West Series race winner
started tonight's race fourth and dropped back to the 19th position before
racing back to the front.

The Bakersfield, Calif., native then watched J.J. Yeley and his No. 18 Vigoro
Chevrolet open up a nearly five-second lead on Mike Wallace and the No. 1
Miccosukee Resorts Dodge before a caution closed the field on Lap 184 when
the No. 43 machine driven by Chris Cook spun into the infield on the
backstretch entering Turn 3.

Gilliland and his No. 84 Hype Manufacturing Chevrolet restarted second on Lap
188. He took his lone lead of the night two laps later with a low-line pass
of Yeley in Turn 1.

"We were fast all night and I was just able to pick guys off," Gilliland
said. "I followed him, found where I was better and was able to set him up
and make the pass."

He survived one final caution restart with seven laps remaining and held his
car to low line through the final laps before crossing the finish line 0.306
of a second ahead of Yeley. Denny Hamlin and his No. 20 Rockwell Automation
Chevrolet placed third, Mike Wallace and the No.1. Miccosukee Resorts Dodge
were fourth and Ashton Lewis Jr., and the No. 25 Marines Ford came home
fifth. Lewis now owns two top-five and four top-10 finishes through six
career Kentucky Speedway starts.

"I feel like we let one get away tonight, but you can't complain about
finishing second," Yeley said. "If the race had stayed green at the end, we
would've won. We had a four-and-a-half second lead and didn't want to risk
anything. With seven to go, we tried to go outside but (Gilliland's) car was
really good."

The "Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo" saw an average speed of 116.004 mph. The
race tied a series track record with 10 caution periods that consumed 47
competitive laps. The event sold out for the sixth consecutive season and
eclipsed the previous track record attendance of 72,312 set in 2004.

Kentucky Speedway's third of four race weekends will commence July 7-8 when
the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series joins the ARCA RE/MAX Series at the track.
Visit the tickets and schedule pages of www.kentuckyspeedway.com for complete
event information.

---
 * SLMR 2.1a * hAS ANYONE SEEN MY cAPSLOCK KEY?


--- GTMail 1.26 
* Origin: Kentucky's Capitol City Online * 502/875-8938 * cco.ath.cx (1:2320/105.0)
SEEN-BY: 633/267 270
@PATH: 2320/105 261/38 123/500 106/2000 633/267

SOURCE: echomail via fidonet.ozzmosis.com

Email questions or comments to sysop@ipingthereforeiam.com
All parts of this website painstakingly hand-crafted in the U.S.A.!
IPTIA BBS/MUD/Terminal/Game Server List, © 2025 IPTIA Consulting™.