2006 Movistar Open – Singles
Gastón Gaudio was the defending champion, but lost in the second round this year.


2006 Movistar Open – Singles
José Acasuso won the title, defeating Nicolás Massú 6–4, 6–3 in the final.


2006 Movistar Open – Singles
This was the first ATP tournament in which future Grand Slam champion Juan Martín del Potro entered.


2006 Mozambique earthquake
The 2006 Mozambique earthquake occurred at 22:19 UTC on 22 February. It had a magnitude of 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale and caused 4 deaths and 36 injuries. The epicenter was near Machaze in Manica Province of southern Mozambique, just north of the Save River. It was the largest historical earthquake in Mozambique and the first earthquake in southern Africa to have an identified surface rupture.


2006 Mozambique earthquake, Tectonic setting
Southern Mozambique is at the southern end of the East Africa Rift system, where the African Plate appears to be breaking into several smaller plates. The Somali Plate is moving westward relative to the Nubian Plate at a rate of several millimetres a year at the latitude of this earthquake. Most earthquakes in this zone are a result of either normal or strike-slip faulting.


2006 Mozambique earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake was felt throughout Mozambique and over a wide area of eastern southern Africa, including South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Close to the epicentre the shaking reached VIII in intensity on the Mercalli intensity scale. In the cities of Beira, Inhambane and Maputo the intensity reached V.


2006 Mozambique earthquake, Earthquake
The focal mechanism of the earthquake is consistent with normal faulting on a westerly dipping fault plane. Field investigations identified 15 km of surface rupture in the form of a west-facing scarp, with up to 2.05 m of vertical displacement, although it was not possible to prove the full extent of surface faulting due to lack of time and the presence of minefields. Investigations using Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), combined with field and seismological observations, have identified two fault segments with slightly differing strikes, with the hypocenter and most of the displacement being on the more southerly of the segments.


2006 Mozambique earthquake, Damage
Little damage was recorded, with only 294 buildings reported as damaged in the area between Espungabera, Beira and Chimoio. A total of four deaths were recorded, one in Espungabera, one in Machaze and two in Beira, with a further thirty-six injured.


2006 Mr. Olympia
The 2006 Mr. Olympia contest was an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition and the feature event of Joe Weider's 2006 Olympia Weekend held September 29–30, 2006 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.


2006 Mr. Olympia, Results
The total prize money for the Mr. Olympia contest was increased from $480,000 to $546,000.


2006 Ms. Olympia
The 2006 Ms. Olympia contest is an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition and part of Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend 2006 was held on September 29, 2006, at the South Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada and in the Orleans Arena at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. It was the 27th Ms. Olympia competition held. Other events at the exhibition include the Mr. Olympia, Fitness Olympia, and Figure Olympia contests.


2006 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards were held on June 18, 2006 and featured performances by Fall Out Boy, Hedley, Rihanna, City and Colour, Simple Plan and others. The most nominated artists were Billy Talent, Kardinal Offishall f. Ray Robinson and Massari with 5 nominations each.


2006 Mumbai sweet seawater incident
The 2006 Mumbai "sweet" seawater incident was a strange phenomenon during which residents of Mumbai claimed that the water at Mahim Creek had suddenly turned sweet. Within hours, residents of Gujarat claimed that seawater at Teethal beach had turned sweet as well. This caused a mass hysteria among people who started coming in large numbers to drink the sea water.


2006 Mumbai sweet seawater incident, Reactions
In the aftermath of the incidents, local authorities feared the possibility of a severe outbreak of water-borne diseases, such as gastroenteritis. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board had warned people not to drink the water, but despite this many people had collected it in bottles, even as plastic and rubbish had drifted by on the current. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had ordered a bacteriological report into the "sweet" water, but suspected that "contamination in the water might have been reduced due to the waters from Mithi river flowing into the mouth of Mahim Bay".


2006 Mumbai sweet seawater incident, Possible explanations
Geologists at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay offered the explanation that water turning sweet is a natural phenomenon. Continuous rainfall over the preceding few days had caused a large pool of fresh water to accrue in an underground rock formation near to the coast, which then discharged into the sea as a large "plume" as fractures in the rocks widened. Because of the differences in density, the discharged fresh water floated on top of the salt water of the sea and spread along the coast. Over time, the two would mix to become normal sea water once more.


2006 Mumbai sweet seawater incident, Possible explanations
According to Valsad District Collector D Rawal the reason for the water in Gujarat tasting less salty than usual was that because of the monsoon, two rivers Auranga and Banki were in spate and were flowing into the sea in the region.


2006 Mumbai sweet seawater incident, Possible explanations
Similar natural phenomenon is also observed in the case of halocline.


2006 Mumbai train bombings
The 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts on 11 July. They took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the nation's financial capital. The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains plying on the Western Line Suburban Section of the Mumbai Division of Western Railway. The blasts killed 209 people and injured over 700 more.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Blasts
Pressure cooker bombs were placed on trains on the Western Line of the suburban ("local") train network, which forms the backbone of the city's transport network. Pressure cookers were used in this bombing and other recent explosions to increase the afterburn in a thermobaric reaction, more powerful than conventional high explosives. The first blast reportedly took place at 18:24 IST (12:54 UTC), and the explosions continued for approximately eleven minutes, until 18:35, during the after-work rush hour.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Blasts
All the bombs had been placed in the first-class "general" compartments of several trains running from Churchgate, the city-centre end of the western railway line, to the western suburbs of the city. They exploded at or in the near vicinity of the suburban railway stations of Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar and Borivali. Home Minister Shivraj Patil told reporters that authorities had "some" information an attack was coming, "but place and time was not known".


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Blasts
The bomb attacks in Mumbai came hours after a series of grenade attacks in Srinagar, the largest city in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Home Secretary V K Duggal said there was no link between the Srinagar and Mumbai bomb blasts.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Injuries and fatalities
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R. R. Patil confirmed that a total of 200 people were killed and another 714 others have been injured. Additionally, various news organisations have reported that at least 200 people have died and that more than 700 others have been injured. A week after the blasts in Mumbai the confirmed death toll rose to 207. In September 2006 it was confirmed that the death toll had risen to 209.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Response
A state of high alert was declared in India's major cities. Both the airports in Mumbai were placed on high alert. The western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network was at first shut down, although some trains resumed service later, and stringent security arrangements, including frisking and searching of commuters, were instituted on the other lines of the network. The city's bus service, the BEST, pressed extra buses into service to transport stranded commuters home.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Response
The Prime Minister also held a security meeting at his residence attended by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, and Home Secretary V K Duggal.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Response, Resumption of services and return to normality
Western Railway services were restored on 11 July by 10.45 pm. As a show of investor confidence, the Bombay Stock Exchange rebounded, starting the day with the BSE Sensex Index up by nearly 1% in morning trade. Foreign investors also retained confidence, with the Sensex up almost 3% at 10,930.09 at the end of the day's trade.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Response, Rescue and relief operations
However a study commissioned by former MP Kirit Somaiya noted that only 174 of the 1,077 victims had received compensation through the Railway Claims Tribunal. For the handicapped victims, only 15 out of 235 eligible cases had been taken care of. Regarding the Prime Minister's promise to India concerning the rehabilitation of the victims, L. K. Advani noted that "none of the above mentioned assurances has been fulfilled to any degree of satisfaction"


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Response, Sources of information
Due to the mobile phone networks being jammed, news channels ran tickertapes with information of injured individuals as well as SMS messages from those who wished to contact their families. Reports indicated that at around 18:00 UTC on 11 July (midnight in Mumbai), the phone networks were restoring service; telephone service was completely restored during the night.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Response, Sources of information
Mumbai Help, a blog run by around thirty bloggers, was a useful source of information, especially for those outside India.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation
Some 350 people were detained 36 hours after the incident in Maharashtra — police claim that these are people rounded up for investigations. On 14 July, Lashkar-e-Qahhar, a terrorist organisation possibly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the bombings. In an e-mail to an Indian TV channel, the outfit says it organised the bombings using 16 people who are all "safe". According to the e-mail, the main motive seems to have been a retaliation to the situation in the Gujarat and Kashmir regions, possibly referring to the alleged oppression of Muslim minorities in certain parts of the region.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation
It also says that the blasts were part of a series of attacks aimed at other sites such as the Mumbai international airport, Gateway of India, the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Red Fort in New Delhi. The authorities are investigating this claim and are trying to track the location of the e-mail sender. However, on 17 July, the forensic science laboratory Mumbai has confirmed the use of a mixture of the highly explosive RDX and Ammonium Nitrate for the bombings.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation
The presence of these explosives in the post explosive debris was confirmed by modern techniques such as Liquid Chromatography with mass detector (LCMS), Gas Chromatography with mass detector (GCMS) and Ion Scan Chromatography. They have indicated a strong possibility of all explosives being planted at the Churchgate railway station, which was the starting point for all affected trains.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation
Initially, religious extremists from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India terrorist groups, and Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI were the prime suspects. Both Lashkar and SIMI denied responsibility for the bombings. There was also evidence about the involvement of the international Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda following a phone call from a man claiming to be a spokesperson for the group on 13 July. The alleged al-Qaeda spokesman had said the blasts were a "consequence of Indian oppression and suppression of minorities, particularly Muslims."


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation
On 30 September 2006, CNN reported that "The Indian government accused Pakistan's military spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, of planning 11 July Mumbai train bombings that killed 209 people".


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation
The New York City Police Department was intensely concerned about the attacks, citing their simplicity and lethality. To address these worries, the department deployed Brandon del Pozo, a Jordanian-based intelligence officer, to Mumbai to collect information on the attacks and report on ways they reflected similar vulnerabilities in the New York City's extensive commuter rail system.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Arrests
On 21 July 2006, police arrested three people suspected to be involved in the bombings. Police have detained more than 300 suspects since 18 July but these are the first arrests in the case. Two of the men were detained on Thursday in the northern state of Bihar and the third later in Mumbai. All three are said to belong to the banned SIMI organisation.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Arrests
On the same day, Abdul Karim Tunda was thought to be arrested in Mombasa, Kenya on suspicions of involvement in the train bombings. but it was the wrong person. He was one of India's most wanted men and also a suspected organiser for the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was arrested in 2013 near the Nepal border.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Arrests
In late 2006, all the seven key accused in the Mumbai train blasts in July retracted their alleged confession to the police, saying they were illegally forced to sign blank papers, an Indian TV channel reported.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Continuing investigation
M K Narayanan, the Indian National Security Advisor, has said that India doesn't have "clinching" evidence of the involvement of ISI in the Mumbai train blasts of 11 July.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Continuing investigation
"I would hesitate to say we have clinching evidence but we have pretty good evidence," he was quoted as saying on CNN-IBN.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Continuing investigation
Following Narayanan's remarks, the Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal on Monday characterised the evidence as "very good [...] it is fairly solid evidence,". 5On 25 September 2008, Hindustan Times reported that "the Crime branch also learnt that the men [behind 2008 Delhi bombings] are those very operatives who had introduced themselves as Pakistanis to perpetrators of 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Continuing investigation
Jemaah Islamiyah is known to use pressure cooker bombs with RDX and like explosives with taggants. Note that Jemaah Islamiyah had operatives in the Pakistan areas active in religious indoctrination and that were working with Egyptian Islamic Jihad through al-Zawahiri who taught on the use of pressure cooker bombs. As such it is quite possible that Jemaah Islamiyah was involved in the attack possibly through Indian Mujahideen which it also forms part of.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Involvement of Indian Mujahideen
On 27 February 2009, Sadiq Sheikh, an arrested leader of the Indian Mujahideen confessed to his alleged role in the bombings in a news channel broadcast. He claimed to have engineered the pressure cooker bombs with his associates in a flat in central Mumbai. If verified, these allegations could invalidate the previous claims by the ATS that the ISI or the SIMI were involved. Sadiq states in his confession, ‘'All five of us arranged local first class train passes beforehand.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Involvement of Indian Mujahideen
We also had the local train time table with us so that we could choose a train as per our convenience. We purchased bags and pressure cookers in Bombay. '’ He also claimed to have misled investigators by blaming the attacks on the Al-Qaeda. On 6 April 2013, IM co-founder Sadiq Sheikh declared hostile witness by defence advocates.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Convictions
In September 2015, 12 people were convicted in this case. On 30 September 2015, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court sentenced to death Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Sidduqui and Naveed Khan who planted the bombs in various trains.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Investigation, Convictions
The other seven convicts—Mohammed Sajid Ansari, who prepared the electrical circuits for the bombs, Mohammed Ali, who provided his Govandi residence to make the bombs, Dr Tanveer Ansari, one of the conspirators, and Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh and Zamir Shaikh who provided logistical support – were sentenced to life.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Impact, Heightened security measures
In wake of the blasts, the Indian government tightened security in railway stations. Under new restrictions passed by the Ministry of Railways, non-passengers would no longer be allowed on the railway platforms after July 2006. Other major security steps include installation of close circuit televisions inside the stations for round-the-clock vigil and installation of metal detectors.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Impact, Statements in response
Various senior political figures from India and around the world condemned the attacks. In India, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was quick to call for calm in Mumbai, while President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, and president of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi also issued statements regarding the bombings in Mumbai. Officials from other nations offered their condolences to those affected by the bombings. Officials, from Pakistan which has long feuded with India, and the United Kingdom, which was the target of similar attacks the previous July, were among those who denounced the attacks in Mumbai as well as terrorism as a whole.


2006 Mumbai train bombings, Impact, Memorial service
A memorial service was held in Mumbai on 18 July at 6:25 pm local time— exactly one week after the blasts. President Abdul Kalam, his hand raised to his forehead in salute, led the two-minute silence as people lit candles and placed wreaths at Mahim station, one of the seven places on the suburban rail network hit by bombs. Sirens sounded across Mumbai marking the memorial service. People gathered at the site of the blasts, in railway stations on the city's Western Line, traffic came to a halt, It interrupted films and observed a moment of silence to pay homage to the victims.


2006 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 2006 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final (sponsored by Guinness) was a hurling match played on Sunday 25 June 2006 at Semple Stadium, Thurles, County Tipperary,. It was contested by Cork and Tipperary. Cork captained by Pat Mulcahy claimed the title beating Tipperary on a scoreline of 2-14 to 1-14. The match was shown live in Ireland as part of the Sunday Game live on RTÉ Two.


2006 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final
Tipperary forward Lar Corbett got the opening goal of the game when he shot low to beat Cork goalkeeper Donal Óg Cusack in the fourth minute. Cusack went on to make two saves in the first half as the teams were level at half time.


2006 Music City Bowl
The 2006 Music City Bowl featured the Clemson Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats. Clemson entered the game with a record of 8–4 after having been ranked in the AP poll for most weeks of the season, as high as No. 10; Kentucky was 7–5 and unranked. Clemson was favored by 10 points. Sponsored by Gaylord Hotels and Bridgestone, it was officially named the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl presented by Bridgestone.


2006 Music City Bowl, Recap of game
Micah Johnson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give Kentucky a 7–0 lead over Clemson. Clemson quarterback Will Proctor then fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Durrell Barry, but the extra point missed, and Kentucky still led 7–6. Kentucky quarterback André Woodson found wide receiver DeMoreo Ford for a 70-yard touchdown pass with 2:14 left in the half to take a 14–6 lead.


2006 Music City Bowl, Recap of game
In the third quarter, Woodson found Dicky Lyons, Jr. for a 24-yard touchdown pass and a 21–6 lead. In the fourth quarter, Woodson threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme for a 28–6 lead. Will Proctor threw a 17-yard touchdown pass with 7:25 left, to get within 28–12. The 2-point conversion attempt failed. With 44 seconds left, Will Proctor threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aaron Kelly. The 2-point conversion attempt to Michael Palmer was good, and Clemson trailed 28–20. The onside kick was recovered by Kentucky, who ran out the clock.


2006 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid
The 2006 Madrid Masters (also known as the Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid for sponsorship reasons) was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is the 5th edition of the Madrid Masters, and is part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2006 ATP Tour. It took place at the Madrid Arena in Madrid, Spain, from October 16 through October 23, 2006. First-seeded Roger Federer won the singles title.


2006 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid
The singles field was led by World No. 1,  Australian Open, Wimbledon and  U.S. Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Toronto Masters champion Roger Federer, ATP No. 2, French Open, Madrid defending champion, Monte Carlo and Rome winner Rafael Nadal, and Chennai, Zagreb and Vienna titlist  Ivan Ljubičić. Other top seeds were Estoril champion and 2005 Masters Cup winner David Nalbandian, New Haven and Kremlin Cup titlist Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick, Tommy Robredo and James Blake.


2006 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid, Finals, Doubles
Bob Bryan /  Mike Bryan defeated  Mark Knowles /  Daniel Nestor 7–5, 6–4


2006 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid – Doubles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


2006 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid – Singles
Roger Federer defeated Fernando González in the final, 7–5, 6–1, 6–0 to win the Singles title at the 2006 Madrid Open.


2006 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid – Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Tomáš Berdych.


2006 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. All sixteen seeds received a bye into the second round.


2006 Myanmar Premier League
The 2006 Myanmar Premier League season saw 16 teams in competition. Finance and Revenue FC won the championship.


2006 NAB Cup
The 2006 NAB Cup was held across Australia between 24 February and 18 March. The NAB Cup was won by Geelong who defeated Adelaide by 8 points in the Grand Final of the knock-out pre-season competition.


2006 NAB Cup, Prize money
A$220,000 was awarded to the winning club (by comparison, the prize money for the winner of the AFL Grand Final in 2005 was only nominally larger at $250,000). Smaller amounts were awarded to clubs based on participation and progression through the competition.


2006 NAB Cup, Prize money
Runner-up: $110,000Losing semi-finalists: $55,000Week 2 losers: $27,000Week 1 losers: $16,500


2006 NAB Cup, Final Placings
1. Geelong 2. Adelaide 3. Fremantle 4. Melbourne 5. Brisbane 6. Collingwood  7. Hawthorn 8. North Melbourne 9. St Kilda 10. Essendon 11. Western Bulldogs 12. Richmond 13. Carlton 14. Sydney 15. West Coast 16. Port Adelaide


2006 NACAC Combined Events Championships
The 2006 NACAC Combined Events Championships were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the Estadio Sixto Escobar on August 25–26, 2006. A detailed report on the event and an appraisal of the results was given.


2006 NACAC Combined Events Championships, Participation
An unofficial count yields the participation of 15 athletes from 6 countries.


2006 NACAC Cross Country Championships
The 2006 NACAC Cross Country Championships took place on March 11, 2006. The races were held at the United States Triathlon National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, United States. A detailed report of the event was given.


2006 NACAC Cross Country Championships, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 122 athletes from 14 countries participated.


2006 NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics
The 4th NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on July 7–9, 2006. A detailedreport on the results was given.


2006 NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Medal winners are published. Complete results can be found on the Athletics Canada, the AtletismoCR, the CACAC and the USA Track & Field website.


2006 NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics, Participation
The participation of 373 athletes from all 32 NACAC member federations was reported.


2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics – Results
These are the full results of the 2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics which took place between July 7 and July 9, 2006, at Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.


2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics – Results, Men's results, 100 meters
HeatsWind: Heat 1: -1.3 m/s, Heat 2: -0.7 m/s, Heat 3: -0.1 m/s, Heat 4:  0.0 m/s


2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics – Results, Men's results, 200 meters
HeatsWind: Heat 1: +1.3 m/s, Heat 2: +1.3 m/s, Heat 3: +1.0 m/s, Heat 4: +1.7 m/s


2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics – Results, Women's results, Discus throw
†: Lizandra Rodríguez is listed 2nd in the result lists. However, she does not appear as medallist in Athletics Weekly. She might have been disqualified. Further details could not be retrieved.


2006 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2006 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I  Basketball Tournament was held from March 15 to 21 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the 69th annual NAIA Division I basketball tournament and featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.


2006 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
The unranked Texas Wesleyan University Rams defeated the Oklahoma City University Stars by a score of 67 to 65. 2006 marked the second year in a row an unranked team won the National Championship. Undeterred by this loss, the Stars went on to win the next two National Championship titles. The other teams that made it to the NAIA National Semifinals were Oklahoma Baptist University and Robert Morris (IL).


2006 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 15th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.


2006 NAIA Football National Championship
The 2006 NAIA Football Championship Series concluded on December 16, 2006, with the championship game played at Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah, Tennessee. In a battle between two unbeaten USF Cougar teams, the game was won by the Sioux Falls Cougars over the Saint Francis Cougars by a score of 23–19.


2006 NAIA football rankings
One human poll made up the 2006 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football rankings, sometimes called the NAIA Coaches' Poll or the football ratings. Once the regular season was complete, the NAIA sponsored a 16-team playoff to determine the year's national champion. A final poll was then taken after completion of the 2006 NAIA Football National Championship.


2006 NAIA football rankings, Leading vote-getters
Since the inception of the Coaches' Poll in 1999, the #1 ranking in the various weekly polls has been held by only a select group of teams. Through the postseason poll of the 2006 season, the teams and the number of times they have held the #1 weekly ranking are shown below. The number of times a team has been ranked #1 in the postseason poll (the national champion) is shown in parentheses.


2006 NAIA football rankings, Leading vote-getters
In 1999, the results of a postseason poll, if one was conducted, are not known. Therefore, an additional poll has been presumed, and the #1 postseason ranking has been credited to the postseason tournament champion, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series
The 2006 NASCAR Busch Series opened on February 18, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway, and  concluded on November 18, 2006, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kevin Harvick, driving for his own team, Kevin Harvick, Inc., as well as for Richard Childress Racing, was declared champion.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series
This was the last year that Fox Sports/FX, TNT, and NBC covered the Busch Series. Starting in 2007, as part of a new TV contract with the television networks of The Walt Disney Company, ESPN2 televised the entire Busch season with select races on ABC.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Invasion of the "Busch Whackers"
There has been some controversy of the use of NEXTEL Cup teams with their drivers in Busch Series races, most notably at NEXTEL Cup tracks where there are Busch Series support races. This has been dubbed by Fox Sports announcer Mike Joy as "Busch Whacking", and many underfunded (or one-car) teams have failed to qualify for these races because of this.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Invasion of the "Busch Whackers"
The 2006 season has been notable for those "double duty" drivers even traveling to sites where there are stand-alone races at Nashville Superspeedway, Kentucky Speedway, Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez and The Milwaukee Mile just to name a few, even on the rare weeks where there are no NEXTEL Cup races. Kentucky was the big upset where one of the underfunded one-car teams took advantage and pulled off the big upset.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Invasion of the "Busch Whackers"
In the end, Kevin Harvick, who at the time drove for Richard Childress Racing in the Cup series, won the 2006 championship on October 13, the second of his career having previously won in 2001. After Harvick won the title, talk began about limiting the number of "Busch Whackers" (Cup drivers) in each race or capping the double-dippers appearances for the entire season or even having a "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" playoff system in place for the 2007 season since Harvick was so dominant during 2006 as NEXTEL Cup drivers won every race but two in the season.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Invasion of the "Busch Whackers"
Ultimately, no changes were made until 2011, where NASCAR announced that Cup drivers could only run for points in one series. A limit over the number of races Cup drivers could run was not put into effect until over a decade later in 2017. The Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity Series did not have a playoffs ("Chase") until 2016, ten years later.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Hershey's Kissables 300
The Hershey's Kissables 300 race was held on February 18, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway. J. J. Yeley won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Hershey's Kissables 300
Failed to qualify: Kertus Davis (#0), Jay Sauter (#01), Kevin Lepage (#56), Chad Chaffin (#05), Larry Hollenbeck (#62), Chris Wimmer (#23).


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Stater Brothers 300
On February 25, 2006, the Busch Series took to California Speedway for this 300-mile race. Carl Edwards was the polesitter. Matt Kenseth suffered a 25-point penalty for an unapproved adjustment found in his car during opening day inspection.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Stater Brothers 300
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (#49), David Gilliland (#84), Chris Wimmer (#23).


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Telcel-Motorola 200
This road-course race took place on March 5, 2006 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico. Boris Said won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Telcel-Motorola 200
Failed to qualify: Eduardo Goeters (#49), Stan Silva Jr. (#65), and Chris Wimmer (#23).


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Sam's Town 300
On March 11, 2006, the Busch Series raced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth started from the pole position.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Sam's Town 300
Failed to qualify: Jorge Goeters (#49), Kertus Davis (#0), Chris Wimmer (#23).


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Sam's Town 300
This race was the only NASCAR Busch Series race for Spencer Clark. He would pass away two months later.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Nicorette 300
The Nicorette 300 was held on March 18 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch was the polesitter.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Nicorette 300
Failed to qualify: Jorge Goeters (#49), Steadman Marlin (#95), Chris Wimmer (#23)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Sharpie Mini 300
This race was held on March 25 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Qualifying was snowed out and the field was set by current owner points. As a result, Kevin Harvick started from pole. The race was also halted by snow and drivers, crews, and fans amused themselves by throwing snowballs and building a snowman. The race was restarted after a 90-minute delay and run full-distance.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Sharpie Mini 300
Failed to qualify: Caleb Holman (#75), Brad Teague (#05), Jerry Robertson (#72), Shane Hall (#28)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, O'Reilly 300
This race was held on April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway. Denny Hamlin won the pole, the first of his Busch series career. The race finished under a green-white-checker finish and was won by Kurt Busch in his first Busch Series start. Matt Kenseth suffered a 25-point penalty for an unapproved adjustment to his car found in post-race inspection.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, O'Reilly 300
Failed to qualify: Kertus Davis (#0), Jorge Goeters (#49), Chris Wimmer (#23)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Pepsi 300
This race was on held April 15 at Nashville Superspeedway. Denny Hamlin won his second pole in a row.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Bashas' Supermarkets 200
This race was held April 21 at Phoenix International Raceway. Jason Leffler won the pole. The race finished under a green-white-checker finish as Kevin Harvick won his second race in a row.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Bashas' Supermarkets 200
Failed to qualify: Jay Sauter (#01), Marc Mitchell (#23), Jorge Goeters (#49), Chris Cook (#56)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Aaron's 312
This race was held April 29 at Talladega Superspeedway. J. J. Yeley won the pole. Kevin Harvick, Burney Lamar, who finished 20th, and Tony Stewart, who finished 39th, all suffered 25 point penalties for unapproved adjustments to their cars.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Aaron's 312
As there were the maximum of forty-three cars to race, there were no drivers or teams that failed to qualify.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Circuit City 250
This race was held May 5 and May 6 at Richmond International Raceway. Jason Leffler won the pole. The race start was delayed approximately 1 hour for rain, after 13 laps rain fell again and the race was stopped for approximately another 43 minutes. The race eventually finished after midnight local time, resulting in the race occurring over two days. Kevin Harvick won his third Busch race of the year.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Circuit City 250
Failed to qualify: Jason Keller (#34), Jorge Goeters (#28), Shane Hall (#49), Kevin Conway (#40), Joel Kauffman (#12), Kertus Davis (#0), A. J. Foyt IV (#14)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Diamond Hill Plywood 200
This race was held May 12 at Darlington Raceway. Denny Hamlin won from the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Diamond Hill Plywood 200
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (#49), Morgan Shepherd (#0), Shane Hall (#28)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Carquest Auto Parts 300
This race was held May 27 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Carquest Auto Parts 300
Failed to qualify: Aaron Fike (#43), David Gilliland (#84), Stanton Barrett (#72), Joel Kauffman (#12), Eric McClure (#04), Kertus Davis (#34), Kevin Conway (#40)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Stonebridgeracing.com 200
This race was held June 3 at Dover International Speedway. Qualifying was rained out, and the field was set by the rulebook, with the top 30 teams taking the first fifteen rows. Because of that, Kevin Harvick was awarded the pole position.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Stonebridgeracing.com 200
As there were the maximum of forty-three cars needed to race, no drivers or teams failed to qualify.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Federated Auto Parts 300
This race was held June 10 at Nashville Superspeedway. Todd Kluever won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Meijer 300
This race was held June 17 at Kentucky Speedway. Denny Hamlin won the pole. In a stunning upset, David Gilliland became the first winner in the 2006 season that was not on a team with a Nextel Cup driver. Jeff Fuller was involved in a severe crash where, trying to avoid the spinning car of Jason Leffler, Fuller hit the inside wall at full speed, and the car practically imploded on impact. Fuller suffered a broken wrist and thumb.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Meijer 300
Failed to qualify: John Hayden (#85), David Odell (#07), Stan Boyd (#23)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, AT&T 250
This race was held June 24 at The Milwaukee Mile. Aric Almirola won the pole in the car normally driven by Denny Hamlin who actually drove the race in the car and started from the back. As a result, Paul Menard started the race from the pole position. He then went on to capture his first Busch series victory. This race was strange for the fact that only 41 cars started the race, instead of the usual 43.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Winn-Dixie 250
The Winn-Dixie 250 was held June 30 at Daytona International Speedway. J. J. Yeley won the pole. Kevin Harvick and Burney Lamar, who finished 22nd, suffered 50 point penalties for unapproved adjustments found on their cars during post-race inspection. This was the final race to be broadcast on FOX until the 2015 Alert Florida 300.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Winn-Dixie 250
As there were the maximum of forty-three cars needed to race, no drivers or teams failed to qualify.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, USG Durock 300
This race was held on July 8 at Chicagoland Speedway. Carl Edwards won the pole. Casey Mears captured his first NASCAR victory using an alternate fuel strategy.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, USG Durock 300
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (#49), Justin Diercks (#70), Carl Long (#23)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, New England 200
The New England 200 was held July 15 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Kyle Busch won the pole. Clint Bowyer dominated early in the race but Carl Edwards captured the victory.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, New England 200
As there were the maximum of forty-three cars needed to race, no drivers or teams failed to qualify.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Goody's 250
The Goody's 250 was held July 22 at Martinsville Speedway. Clint Bowyer won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Busch Silver Celebration 250
The Busch Silver Celebration 250 was held July 29 at Gateway International Raceway. Denny Hamlin won the pole. Tim Sauter, who finished 22nd, suffered a 50-point penalty for illegal shocks found on his car during post-race inspection.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Busch Silver Celebration 250
Failed to qualify: Brad Teague (#05), Shane Hall (#49), Kevin Hamlin (#12)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Kroger 200
The Kroger 200 was held August 5 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Denny Hamlin won his second pole in a row for the second time in 2006.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Zippo 200
This race was held August 12 at Watkins Glen International. Kurt Busch won the race from the pole. Kurt Busch and Robby Gordon cut off track several times to duel on the final lap.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Zippo 200
Top ten results: 202.45 miles/83 laps due to green-white-checkered rule.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Zippo 200
Failed to qualify: Stan Silva Jr. (#65), Eduardo Troconis (#23), John Finger (#49)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Carfax 250
This race was held August 19 at Michigan International Speedway. Mark Martin won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Carfax 250
Top ten results: 128 laps/256 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Food City 250
This race was held August 25 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ryan Newman won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Food City 250
Failed to qualify: Carl Long (#89), Caleb Holman (#75), D. J. Kennington (#72), Brad Keselowski (#23)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Ameriquest 300
This race was held September 2 at California Speedway. Clint Bowyer won the pole. Brad Keselowski made his NASCAR debut in this race.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Emerson Radio 250
This race was held September 8 at Richmond International Raceway. Jeff Burton won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Emerson Radio 250
Failed to qualify: Chris Cook (#43), Hermie Sadler (#28), Justin Diercks (#70), Josh Krug (#37), Shane Hall (#49)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Dover 200
This race was held September 23 at Dover International Speedway. Scott Riggs won the pole. Clint Bowyer held off Matt Kenseth in a green-white-checker finish.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Dover 200
As there were the maximum of forty-three cars needed to race, no drivers or teams failed to qualify.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Yellow Transportation 300
The Yellow Transportation 300 was held September 30 at Kansas Speedway. Matt Kenseth won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Dollar General 300
This race was held October 13 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards started from the pole. Dave Blaney would earn his first career Busch Series win, and Kevin Harvick, despite failing to finish on the lead lap for the only time in the 2006 season, clinched the Busch Series Championship following a wreck involving second-place driver Carl Edwards and Casey Mears on lap 199 (at the start-finish line from lap 198 to lap 199) of a scheduled 200-lap race.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Dollar General 300
Top ten results: 203 laps/304.5 miles due to the green-white-checker rule


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Dollar General 300
Failed to qualify: Tim Sauter (#36), Kertus Davis (#0), Robert Richardson Jr. (#80), Eric McClure (#04), Derrike Cope (#49)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Sam's Town 250
This race was held October 28 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Johnny Sauter won the pole. Juan Pablo Montoya made his NASCAR debut in this race.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Sam's Town 250
Failed to qualify: Ron Young (#71), Stanton Barrett (#95), Chris Wimmer (#0), Shane Hall (#49), Richard Landreth (#89), Chuck Barnes Jr. (#07)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, O'Reilly Challenge
This race was held on November 4 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mark Martin won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, O'Reilly Challenge
Failed to qualify: Justin Diercks (#70), Robert Richardson Jr. (#80), Jerry Robertson (#78), Derrike Cope (#49), Jorge Goeters (#63)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Arizona.Travel 200
The Arizona. Travel 200 was held November 11 at Phoenix International Raceway. Sam Hornish Jr., the 2006 IRL champion, made his NASCAR debut here. Matt Kenseth won race from the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Arizona.Travel 200
Top ten results: 203 miles/203 laps due to green-white-checkered rule.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Arizona.Travel 200
Failed to qualify: Mike Skinner (#12), D. J. Kennington (#72), Shane Hall (#49), Josh Krug (#37)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Ford 300
The Ford 300 was held November 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kevin Harvick won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Races, Ford 300
Failed to qualify: Robert Richardson Jr. (#80), Justin Diercks (#70), D. J. Kennington (#72), Kertus Davis (#0), Kraig Kinser (#04), Dawayne Bryan (#68), Morgan Shepherd (#49), Trevor Boys (#08), Brett Rowe (#05)


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Final standings, Full Drivers' Championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Final standings, Declaring for points in one series: Rules change for 2011
This was the fifth-to-last season where Cup Series drivers could run for points in another series. NASCAR implemented this change after Cup drivers were winning the Busch/Nationwide championships over the series regulars for 5 years straight (2006-2010). If the change had been implemented for the 2006 season, Menard would have been the champion. The rest of the top 10 in the standings would have been Johnny Sauter in 2nd, Kenny Wallace (who finished 11th in points), John Andretti (12th), Jason Leffler (13th), Jon Wood (14th), Ashton Lewis (15th), Stacy Compton (16th), Todd Kluever (17th), and Danny O'Quinn Jr. (19th).


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Rookies
Also, John Andretti was officially considered a Busch Series rookie of the year contender for 2006, even though he is a Winston/Nextel Cup veteran.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Rookies
ROTY favorite Lamar was released early from his ride at KHI while leading the standings. Eventually, the ROTY came down to a fight between NEXTEL Cup veteran John Andretti and former USAR Pro Cup driver Danny O'Quinn Jr. Eventually, O'Quinn Jr., despite being pulled from his ride for two races in favor of David Ragan to prepare him for his full time Cup season in 2007, still managed to hold off Andretti to win the award by only a single point.


2006 NASCAR Busch Series, Rookies
Another preseason favorite and 2005 NCTS Rookie of the Year, Tood Kluever, struggled in his transition to the Busch Series. Another USAR driver, Mark McFarland, had an up and down year and was replaced by Shane Huffman. Joel Kauffman and Chris Wimmer made bids for ROTY, but were released from their rides. A. J. Foyt IV, in his transition to stock cars, was released due to a Dodge development deal.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was the twelfth season of the Craftsman Truck Series, the third highest stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. It was contested over twenty-five races, beginning with the GM Flex Fuel 250 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Todd Bodine of Germain Racing won the drivers' championship.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 2006 teams and drivers, Part-time teams
Note: If under "team", the owner's name is listed and in italics, that means the name of the race team that fielded the truck is unknown.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Schedule
Speed Channel, an entity of Fox, was the exclusive broadcaster of the series for the 2006 season. (Starting in 2007, two of the 25 races, the spring race at Martinsville and Mansfield, would be aired on Fox with the remainder on Speed). All races were held in the United States and carried live on Speed, except for the race at Dover, which started at 4 pm EST but was aired on tape delay at 8 pm EST.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, GM Flex Fuel 250
The GM Flex Fuel 250 was held on February 17 at Daytona International Speedway. Mark Martin won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, GM Flex Fuel 250
Failed to qualify: Chad McCumbee (#06), Chad Chaffin (#40), J. R. Patton (#63), Carl Long (#28), Wayne Edwards (#24), Norm Benning (#89)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, racetickets.com 200
This race was held February 24 at California Speedway. The polesitter was David Reutimann. Chad McCumbee, who finished 25th, suffered a 25-point penalty for an illegal modification of the carburetor's main body.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, John Deere 200
The John Deere 200 was held March 17 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Todd Bodine sat on pole and the race win was determined by a green-white-checker finish for the third consecutive race. This race was the final career start for Bobby Hamilton, who retired after being diagnosed with neck cancer and died in January 2007.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, John Deere 200
Failed to qualify: Chad Chaffin (#40), Chase Montgomery (#8), Carl Long (#28)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 250
This race was held April 1 at Martinsville Speedway. Bobby Hamilton Jr. won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 250
Failed to qualify: Tam Topham (#70), Chad Chaffin (#40), Justin Martz (#63).


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Dodge Ram Tough 200
April 29 at Gateway International Raceway. Qualifying was rained out and the field was set by owner's points. As a result, David Ragan sat on the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Dodge Ram Tough 200
Failed to qualify: J. R. Patton (#63), J. C. Stout (#91), Nick Tucker (#31)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Quaker Steak & Lube 200
The Quaker Steak & Lube 200 was held May 19 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Quaker Steak & Lube 200
Failed to qualify: Robert Richardson Jr. (#1), Chad Chaffin (#40), J. R. Patton (#63), Nick Tucker (#31), Bill Lester (#22)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, City of Mansfield 250
The City of Mansfield 250 was held May 27 at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway. Todd Bodine won the pole. Qualifying for this event was rained out. A series record of 18 caution flags was set during this running of the City of Mansfield 250.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, City of Mansfield 250
Failed to qualify: Michel Jourdain Jr. (#50), Todd Shafer (#91)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, AAA Insurance 200
The AAA Insurance 200 was held June 2 at Dover International Speedway. David Reutimann won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, AAA Insurance 200
Failed to qualify: Robert Richardson Jr. (#1), Ryan Moore (#40)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Sam's Town 400
The Sam's Town 400 was held June 9 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Sam's Town 400
Failed to qualify: J. R. Patton (#63), Blake Mallory (#76)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Con-way Freight 200
This race was held June 17 at Michigan International Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole. Johnny Benson captured his first Truck Series win and first NASCAR win in his home state.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200
The Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 was held June 23 at The Milwaukee Mile. Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200
Failed to qualify: Mike Wallace (#31), Michel Jourdain Jr. (#50)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
This race was held July 1 at Kansas Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Built Ford Tough 225
This race was held July 8 at Kentucky Speedway. Marcos Ambrose won his first career pole. Unsponsored Ron Hornaday Jr. captured his second win of the year.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Built Ford Tough 225
Failed to qualify: Robert Richardson Jr. (#1), Todd Shafer (#291)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, O'Reilly 200
The O'Reilly 200 was held July 15 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Jack Sprague won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Power Stroke Diesel 200
The Power Stroke Diesel 200 was held August 4 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. David Ragan won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Toyota Tundra 200
This race was held August 12 at Nashville Superspeedway. Erik Darnell won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, O'Reilly Auto Parts 200 presented by Valvoline
This race was held on August 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mark Martin won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, New Hampshire 200
The New Hampshire 200 was held September 16 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Las Vegas 350
The Las Vegas 350 was held September 23 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, John Deere 250
The John Deere 250 was held October 7 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mark Martin won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 200
The Kroger 200 was held October 21 at Martinsville Speedway. Jack Sprague won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Kroger 200
Failed to qualify: Bradley Riethmeyer (#49), Casey Kingsland (#7), Todd Shafer (#91), Jimmy Simpson (#64)


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, EasyCare 200
The EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 was held October 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Silverado 350K
This race was held November 3 at Texas Motor Speedway. Clint Bowyer won the race from the pole.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Casino Arizona 150
The Casino Arizona 150 was held November 10 at Phoenix International Raceway. Johnny Benson won the pole. This race was unusual in that there was a short field starting this race (only 35 trucks started the race instead of the normal 36).


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Races, Ford 200
This race will be held on November 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole. Todd Bodine won the championship, and Erik Darnell won the Rookie of the Year.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Full Drivers' Championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.


2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Rookie of the Year
Erik Darnell of Roush Racing took home ROTY honors. Despite missing the season opener at Daytona and switching teams after Dover, Chad McCumbee was runner up in the ROTY fight. Finishing a surprising 3rd in ROTY was former V8 Supercars driver Marcos Ambrose, who missed the first three races of the season. Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Aric Almirola was fourth and rounding out the top five was Bobby East. Third generation driver Kerry Earnhardt and female driver Erin Crocker were expected to make runs for the title, but did not perform to expectation. Rookies such as Boston Reid, Joey Miller and Timothy Peters all attempted ROTY but were released from their rides.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
The 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 58th season of professional Stock car racing in the United States and the 35th modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. It was started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on Monday, November 20, with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the Nextel Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17, at New Hampshire International Speedway. This was the last full-time season with the Gen 4 car.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, was the defending series champion, but lost out in defending his championship this year, having finished outside of the top 10 in the points standings after the Chevy Rock and Roll 400. He did, however, claim a $1 million (US) bonus as the best finisher outside the Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers, winning three of the ten Chase races. By the end of the season Chevrolet had captured 23 victories, and 270 points to win the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship over Ford.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
The 2006 season was the first for Ford's all-new Fusion, which replaced the Taurus both in NASCAR and in showrooms. Also, a new version of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, called the Monte Carlo Super Sport (SS for short) debuted on the circuit. Additionally, 2006 was the first Cup Series season since 1979 without Rusty Wallace and 1974 without Ricky Rudd, although Rudd made one appearance in relief and would return for one final year in 2007 before retiring. It was also the last season before Toyota joins the NASCAR Cup Series as a manufacturer.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
Several new drivers were in their first stint as regulars on the Nextel Cup circuit in 2006. After winning back-to-back Busch Series championships in 2004 and 2005, Martin Truex Jr. drove the No. 1 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). Vacated by Michael Waltrip, their No. 15 car was driven by rookie Paul Menard and ran a part-time schedule of only seven races.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
Waltrip left DEI to drive Bill Davis Racing's new No. 55 car, but ownership was transferred to the newly merged (with the old No. 77 team) Waltrip-Jasper Racing to ensure that Waltrip would compete in the first five races. Despite the change, the No. 55 still received most of its equipment and crew from BDR.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
On January 23 in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of the annual Media Tour, NASCAR announced that the Toyota Camry would be added to the series in 2007, meaning that Toyota would become the first non-American car manufacturer to run in the premier series since Jaguar in the mid-1950s. Waltrip-Jasper Racing and BDR became two of the first Toyota teams, although they raced Dodges. They did so without Dodge's support because BDR had raced Toyotas in the Craftsman Truck Series. The team hired Dave Blaney to take the wheel of the No. 22 Dodge.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
A third Toyota team, carrying the No. 83, was owned by Red Bull Energy Drink, with Brian Vickers as the driver. It was believed that they would also buy the No. 7 Jim Smith-owned team driven by Robby Gordon. 1988 series champion Bill Elliott attempted three races for Red Bull in a Dodge, as the 2006 Camry was not approved for racing. He didn't make any starts in the ride, nor did former Champ Car driver A. J. Allmendinger. With Blaney's departure, the No. 07 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing was driven by Clint Bowyer.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
2004 Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch, who was taken over by in Roush Racing's, replaced a retired Rusty Wallace in the No. 2 Dodge for Penske Racing. 2003 Rookie of the Year Jamie McMurray replaced Busch to drive Roush's No.26 (formerly 97) Ford. In addition, Mark Martin continued his "Salute to You" tour for their No.6 car.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
With the egressing of both McMurray and Sterling Marlin from Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Casey Mears became the senior driver and moved to No. 42 Dodge and Reed Sorenson took over his ride in the No. 41. David Stremme replaced Marlin in the No. 40 car. Sold to resort magnate Bob Ginn during the season and formerly numbered 10, Marlin drove the No. 14 car for MB2 Motorsports and Scott Riggs took the No. 10 car to Evernham Motorsports just as they switched from Chevy to Dodge. Jeremy Mayfield and Elliott Sadler were released from Evernham Motorsports and Robert Yates Racing. Sadler drove Evernham's No. 19, and David Gilliland replaced him in RYR No. 38 car; that change took effect for the GFS Marketplace 400.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
Jeff Green replaced Mike Bliss in the No. 66 (formerly No. 0) car, which left Petty Enterprises' No. 43 Dodge open for former Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte to step in. His new teammate/team owner Kyle Petty brought sponsorships from Wells Fargo, NTB, and Schwan's to the No. 45 car, with Schwan's moving from the No. 49. Competitive Edge Motorsports ceased operations, and Marathon Petroleum Company sponsored Kyle Petty. J. J. Yeley took over for Labonte in JGR No. 18 Chevrolet.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
Denny Hamlin, after scoring three Top 10 finishes at the end of the previous season, raced full-time in their newly entered No. 11 car, and he claimed rookie of the year honors, two checkered flags (both at Pocono Raceway, the first rookie to sweep both races in a single season) and third in the Championship standings.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
Hall of Fame Racing started operations in 2006. Two-time Cup series champion Terry Labonte drove their No. 96 car for the first five races utilizing the past champions provisional rule, and Tony Raines took over at Martinsville. Labonte wound down his career "Texas Style" in the No. 44 Hendrick Motorsports second car following the Dickies 500 race in November in his home state at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished 34th.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
Brent Sherman took over for Ken Schrader in the No. 49 Dodge for BAM Racing, only to be replaced by Kevin Lepage, who started the season in the No. 61 (formerly No. 66) car for Peak Fitness Racing. Bliss replaced Sherman in the No. 49 as well. Front Row Motorsports hired Chad Chaffin to run for Rookie of the Year and Randy LaJoie (who was replaced by Chad Blount) to run full-time in their No. 34/92 car as well as buying Peak Fitness Racing's No. 61, suspending the 92's operations. Schrader replaced Ricky Rudd in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford. Starting this season, Wood Brothers made a partnership with JTG Racing (a Busch Series and Truck Series at that time) to field the No. 21 entry and the team was renamed to Wood Brothers/JTG Racing.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes for 2006
Scott Wimmer took Mike Wallace's place in Morgan-McClure Motorsports's No. 4 Chevrolet but departed when 2002 Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton took over for him late in the season after sitting on the sidelines. Travis Kvapil moved from the Jasper team to Chevrolet for PPI Motorsports. Furniture Row Racing announced it would run full-time with Kenny Wallace driving their No. 78 Chevrolet.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races
NOTE: An asterisk (*) in each Top Ten finish denotes a rookie driver.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Budweiser Shootout
This non-points race, which involved the previous season's pole winners and past Shootout winners, was held February 12, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway after a postponement of one day due to rain, and in a major upset, rookie Denny Hamlin won the event. Even though he was classified as a rookie, Hamlin had qualified by winning the pole position for the Checker Auto Parts 500 held November 13, 2005 in Phoenix. Hamlin drove in only 7 Nextel Cup races in 2005.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, Qualifying and Gatorade Duels
Jeff Burton won the pole for the race with a speed of over 189 mph, and would start alongside Jeff Gordon in an all-Chevy front row. Gordon would win the second Gatorade Duel (his third career victory in a Daytona qualifying race) after Elliott Sadler won in race 1, which was delayed by showers.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
The weather dawned cloudy and cold for the 48th running of the "Great American Race", when Jeff Burton led the field to the green at 2:45 pm, which at the time was the latest scheduled start in the history of the race (the reason for this was that NBC chose it as its lead-in program to the primetime portion of its day's coverage of the Winter Olympic Games from Turin). There were several lead changes in the early part of the race going, with a race record of 32.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
The first caution flew on lap 18 when Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall. During this caution, Burton was passed by Elliott Sadler for the lead a lap later. The race restarted on lap 20 and 4 laps later, Jeff Gordon took the led away from Sadler. Carl Edwards, a popular "dark horse candidate" for the Nextel Cup championship, had his day end early, as he was involved in a five-car pileup on lap 80 that collected Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Jeff Green, J. J. Yeley and Joe Nemechek.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
This was the biggest crash of the day, since the "Big One" never occurred. This would also bring out the third caution flag. Because of this, Edwards finished 43rd. Tony Stewart was a "magnet for controversy", tangling with Jeff Gordon on lap 48 and Matt Kenseth on lap 106. The first incident (which left debris on the track) brought out the second caution, which ended when the race restarted four laps later, and the second one would bring out the fifth caution.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
Stewart was penalized for aggressive driving after the incident with Kenseth, in which he blocked the No.17 car into the grass, causing it to spin and hit the wall in turn 3. Kenseth took matters into his own hands and was black-flagged for hitting Stewart's car in retaliation on pit road. The three drivers involved in these two incidents would repair their cars and get back into contention. Kenseth at first failed to answer the black flag, which resulted in NASCAR no longer continuing to score the 17 car for 1 lap. Kenseth would make up the lost lap and catch up to lead lap traffic.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
Jimmie Johnson had one of the strongest cars all day. He took the lead with 10 laps to go just as the ninth caution flag came out for an crash involving Gordon, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, and Sterling Marlin. This set up a 10-lap battle for the win. The race was extended into "overtime" when McMurray and Burton collided on lap 197, bringing out yet the 10th caution. The green-white-checkered finish ended when Casey Mears and Ryan Newman battled for second, leaving Johnson to take the victory.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
The race ended under caution when Greg Biffle crashed in turn 4, just before Johnson crossed the line. The 48th running of the Daytona 500 was the first win for the No. 48 car on a restrictor plate track. This was also Johnson's 19th career win and his first during his streak of five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships from 2006 to 2010.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
One surprise of this race was Kirk Shelmerdine, who finished 20th. He had barely qualified for the Daytona 500 and his independently owned No. 27 was fielded with a car that had a borrowed engine and donated tires, as well as a team with a volunteer pit crew.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 203 laps/507.5 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Daytona 500, The race
Failed to qualify: Scott Riggs (No. 10), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Scott Wimmer (No. 4), Mike Skinner (No. 23), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Larry Gunselman (No. 52), Chad Blount (No. 37), Larry Foyt (No. 50), Andy Belmont (No. 59), Randy LaJoie (No. 64), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Chad Chaffin (No. 92), Carl Long (No. 80), Paul Menard (No. 15), Stanton Barrett (No. 95)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Auto Club 500
Body styles and engines were the story for the second race of the Nextel Cup season, the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway on February 26. Kurt Busch won the pole (187.086 mph) using a 2004 Dodge Intrepid-styled body, as opposed to the new Dodge Charger, which his Penske Racing team believed was aerodynamically superior. Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 team drove the Intrepid as well. Others, including Evernham Motorsports drivers Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne, drove the Charger.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Auto Club 500
On race day, Greg Biffle dominated, leading 168 of the first 218 laps. Biffle won the previous year's spring race at California, finished second in the fall, and had won the Busch race the day before. Tony Stewart was the fastest Chevy in the early going. He overcame the car falling off the jack on a pit stop and an unscheduled stop for a flat tire to claw his way back among the leaders only to have an engine failure at lap 215, ending a string of 30 straight races without a DNF. Biffle continued up front until lap 226.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Auto Club 500
He reported to the crew that his engine had lost a cylinder and a few laps later, he retired to the garage. This left Matt Kenseth to take the lead and only a late-race caution kept him from pulling away. Smoke and oil from the No. 4 car of Scott Wimmer brought out a yellow with three laps to go. Kenseth easily held off Jimmie Johnson in the green-white-checkered finish to earn his 11th career win.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Auto Club 500
Top ten results: (Race distance extended to 502 miles/251 laps due to green-white checkered rule.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Auto Club 500
Failed to qualify: Travis Kvapil (No. 32), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Randy LaJoie (No. 34), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
After a week off, the Nextel Cup series returned to action at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2006 for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Greg Biffle clocked the fastest lap in qualifying at 172.403 mph.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
In the third consecutive race to require a green-white-checkered finish, Jimmie Johnson blew past Matt Kenseth on the last corner of the day to get his 20th career victory and second of the season. Kenseth looked like a good bet to cruise to victory before Denny Hamlin and Kenny Wallace wrecked three laps from the end, bunching the field and leading to the overtime finish.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Before the lap 268 restart, Kenseth told his crew that his engine felt weak, but he was able to protect the lead until the last corner, where Johnson, who had not led all day, overtook the 17 car on the high side to take the win by a half a car length. This was the first time that a green-white-checkered finish occurred in the first three races of the season.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 270 laps/405 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Failed to qualify: Stanton Barrett (No. 95), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Brandon Ash (No. 02), Mike Skinner (No. 37), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Randy LaJoie (No. 92)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Golden Corral 500
There were no extra laps in race four of the Nextel Cup season, the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but there was an extra day, as rain showers forced the green flag to be moved to Monday, March 20 at 11 am Television coverage moved to cable's FX channel for the race (with some exceptions).


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Golden Corral 500
Kasey Kahne sat on the pole with a speed of 192.553 mph, edging Ryan Newman by .002 seconds. Bill Lester qualified 19th in the No. 23 Dodge Charger, becoming the first African-American to start a NASCAR Nextel Cup race since 1986. He finished 38th, six laps down. Last year's Atlanta winner, Carl Edwards eliminated himself from contention early. He damaged the front end of the 99 car after hitting Dave Blaney on pit road on lap 45 during a caution to address the stopped car of Kyle Busch.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Golden Corral 500
Bobby Labonte ran in the top 10 for the first 50 laps before his engine failed on lap 55. Another scary incident took place on pit road during the sixth caution of the day (laps 189–197), when Reed Sorenson hit John Slusher, catch can man for Robby Gordon's crew, as he pulled out of his pit stall. Slusher was attached to a backboard but was treated at the infield care center.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Golden Corral 500
Several rookies had good days at Atlanta. Paul Menard and Reed Sorenson finished in the top ten, and Denny Hamlin led 16 laps. He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop because of a loose condition, and finished 31st.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Golden Corral 500
On the track, the 9 car was near the front all day. Kahne took the lead from Greg Biffle with 79 laps to go. Despite a charge from Mark Martin, Kahne was not seriously challenged down the stretch and visited victory lane for the second time in his career. Kahne was the first driver to win from the pole since Matt Kenseth in the 2005 Sharpie 500.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Golden Corral 500
Failed to qualify: Mike Garvey (No. 51), Stanton Barrett (No. 95), Chad Chaffin (No. 34), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Travis Kvapil (No. 32), Mike Skinner (No. 37), Greg Sacks (No. 13), Chad Blount (No. 92)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Food City 500
The fifth race of the season, the Food City 500, was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 26, 2006. Qualifying was cancelled on March 24 due to snow, sleet and rain, and the field was set with top 35 owners points from 2005, the Champion's Provisional (for Terry Labonte) and seven others, based on qualifying attempts in 2006. As a result, 2005 champion Tony Stewart sat on pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Food City 500
The race featured 18 cautions, and over 100 of the 500 laps were run under the yellow flag. Points leader Jimmie Johnson made contact with the car of Reed Sorenson which caused a flat tire and put the 48 car multiple laps down. He finished 30th. Lap 188 saw the most notable wreck of the first half of the race, as Clint Bowyer spun Dave Blaney, causing a chain reaction that collected David Stremme, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip and brought out a red flag to clean up.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Food City 500
Jeff Gordon spun Martin Truex Jr. out on lap 415 in an incident that collected Jeff Burton, Robby Gordon and J. J. Yeley. Kurt Busch, who had made up two laps lost earlier in the day due to tire problems, used the "bump-and-run" to nudge Matt Kenseth out of the lead with four laps to go. Jeff Gordon used the same tactic to take third, but on the final lap, Kenseth used the bump and run to spin Gordon out as Busch raced to victory. Gordon finished 21st and was involved in a shoving match with Kenseth.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Food City 500
The win was Busch's fifth in 11 career races at the Tennessee track and the fifteenth in his career. It was Dodge's first win at Bristol since Richard Petty in 1975.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Food City 500
Failed to qualify: Chad Chaffin (No. 34), Mike Skinner (No. 37), Mike Garvey (No. 51), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Chad Blount (No. 92).


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, DirecTV 500
The sixth race of the season, the DirecTV 500, was held at Martinsville Speedway on April 2, 2006. Jimmie Johnson won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, DirecTV 500
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 74), Kevin Lepage (No. 61), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Jimmy Spencer (No. 49), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Hermie Sadler (No. 00).


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Samsung/Radio Shack 500
The Samsung/Radio Shack 500, the seventh race of the season was held at Texas Motor Speedway on April 9, 2006. Kasey Kahne won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Samsung/Radio Shack 500
Failed to qualify: Brent Sherman (No. 49), Chad Blount (No. 92), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Chad Chaffin (No. 34), Stanton Barrett (No. 95).


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Subway Fresh 500
The Subway Fresh 500, the eighth race of the season was held at Phoenix International Raceway on April 22, 2006. Kyle Busch won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Subway Fresh 500
Failed to qualify: Chad Chaffin (No. 34), Mike Garvey (No. 51), Chad Blount (No. 92), Kevin Lepage (No. 61), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Steve Portenga (No. 52)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Aaron's 499
The ninth race of the season, the Aaron's 499, was scheduled to be held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 30, 2006. However, due to rain starting one lap prior to the green flag, the event was postponed until the following day. Television coverage was moved from Fox to FX except for several Fox stations which elected to carry the race. Elliott Sadler won the pole. The Aaron's 499 was one of five impound races this year in the Nextel Cup Series.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Aaron's 499
Failed to qualify: Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Stanton Barrett (No. 95), Mike Wallace (No. 09), Chad Blount (No. 92), Brent Sherman (No. 49), Kenny Wallace (No. 78)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Crown Royal 400
The Crown Royal 400, NASCAR's tenth race of the season was held at Richmond International Raceway on May 6, 2006. Greg Biffle won the pole. This was the second impound race of the 2006 season.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Crown Royal 400
Failed to qualify: Kertus Davis (No. 89), Chad Chaffin (No. 34), Stanton Barrett (No. 95), Hermie Sadler (No. 00)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Dodge Charger 500
The Dodge Charger 500, the eleventh race of the season was held at Darlington Raceway on May 13, 2006. Kasey Kahne won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Dodge Charger 500
Failed to qualify: Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Carl Long (No. 37), Chad Blount (No. 34)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Nextel Open
The first of two non-points doubleheader races was held May 20, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Scott Riggs won the pole, and would go on to win after having led every single lap.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Nextel All-Star Challenge
The second non-points race was held May 20, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne won the pole in the unique three-lap qualifier that included a required four-tire pit stop.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Nextel All-Star Challenge
+ – Was selected by fans in a poll to participate following Nextel Open.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Coca-Cola 600
The twelfth points-paying race, the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race in terms of distance, was run on May 28, 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Scott Riggs won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Coca-Cola 600
Failed to qualify: Kevin Lepage (No. 49), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Michael Waltrip (No. 55)+, Stanton Barrett (No. 95), Mike Garvey (No. 51), Chad Blount (No. 34), Carl Long (No. 37), Kirk Shelmerdine (No. 27), and Kertus Davis (No. 72).


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Coca-Cola 600
+ Michael Waltrip failed to qualify, but he bought Derrike Cope's 43rd starting spot (No. 74).


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Neighborhood Excellence 400 presented by Bank of America
The thirteenth race of the season, the Neighborhood Excellence 400 presented by Bank of America, was held at Dover International Speedway on June 4, 2006. Ryan Newman won the pole for this race.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Neighborhood Excellence 400 presented by Bank of America
Failed to qualify: Carl Long (No. 34), Donnie Neuenberger (No. 52), Chad Chaffin (No. 61), and Stanton Barrett (No. 95).


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Neighborhood Excellence 400 presented by Bank of America
Note: Tony Stewart was injured at Charlotte and needed relief from Ricky Rudd, who was taking a year off from racing.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Pocono 500
The Pocono 500, the fourteenth race of the season was held at Pocono Raceway on June 11, 2006. Denny Hamlin sat on pole and led 49 of the first 50 laps before crashing and coming back from 40th place to become the first rookie to win in 2006.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Pocono 500
Failed to qualify: Scott Wimmer (No. 4), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Stanton Barrett (No. 95), Greg Sacks (No. 34), Brent Sherman (No. 72)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, 3M Performance 400
The fifteenth race of the season, the 3M Performance 400, was held at Michigan International Speedway on June 18, 2006. Kasey Kahne won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, 3M Performance 400
Top Ten Results: (Race called after 129 laps/258 miles because of rain.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, 3M Performance 400
Failed to qualify: Carl Long (No. 37), Mike Garvey (No. 51), Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Jimmy Spencer (No. 78)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Dodge/Save Mart 350
Race number sixteen on the 2006 schedule was the Dodge/Save Mart 350, the 100th road race in Cup history. The race was held at Infineon Raceway on June 25, 2006. Kurt Busch won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Dodge/Save Mart 350
Failed to qualify: Johnny Miller (No. 34), Chris Cook (No. 49), Travis Kvapil (No. 78), Stanton Barrett (No. 95), Brian Simo (No. 61)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Pepsi 400
The Pepsi 400, the traditional "halfway point" of the season, and the seventeenth race of the season, was held at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2006. Veteran driver Boris Said won the pole, his first on an oval. He had a great run as he ran in the top ten nearly the entire race. Because of a strategy call by his crew chief with three laps to go Said led the race but Tony Stewart got by Said for the win just before the white flag waved. Said ended up fourth and emotionally said after the race that his performance was the highlight of his career. This race was the third impound race of the season.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Pepsi 400
Failed to qualify: Scott Wimmer (No. 4), Kevin Lepage (No. 49), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Chad Blount (No. 34), Kertus Davis (No. 72)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, USG Sheetrock 400
The USG Sheetrock 400, the Nextel Cup Series' eighteenth race of the season, was held at Chicagoland Speedway on July 9, 2006. Jeff Burton won the pole. Jeff Gordon won his second race of the year after the race was extended to 270 laps due to a green-white-checkered finish after spinning out leader Matt Kenseth with three laps remaining.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, USG Sheetrock 400
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 270 laps/405 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, USG Sheetrock 400
Failed to qualify: Paul Menard (No. 15), Kevin Lepage (No. 61), Chad Blount (No. 61), Brent Sherman (No. 04), Mike Garvey (No. 51), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Carl Long (No. 34)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Lenox Industrial Tools 300
The nineteenth race of the season, the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, was held at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 16, 2006. Ryan Newman won his second pole of the season. Kyle Busch got his first win of 2006 in a race extended by the green-white-checkered finish rule in which a caution setting up the green-white-checkered finish was extended due to another crash under caution involving Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon just before the green flag was to have flown on lap 304.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Lenox Industrial Tools 300
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 308 laps/308 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Lenox Industrial Tools 300
Failed to qualify: Ted Christopher (No. 61), Joey McCarthy (No. 34), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Pennsylvania 500
The twentieth race of the season, the Pennsylvania 500, was held at Pocono Raceway on July 23, 2006. Denny Hamlin took the pole in qualifying and went on to win the race, earning his second career win and sweeping both races at Pocono. Hamlin led 151 of the race's 200 laps.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Pennsylvania 500
Failed to qualify: Greg Sacks (No. 34), Stanton Barrett (No. 52), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Jimmy Spencer (No. 78)‡


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the twenty-first race of the season and the second richest race on the Nextel Cup circuit, was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 6, 2006. Jeff Burton won the pole. Jimmie Johnson came back from 38th place to become the second driver to win both the Daytona 500 and the Allstate 400 in the same season, first accomplished by Dale Jarrett in 1996.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Failed to qualify: Paul Menard (No. 15), Michael Waltrip (No. 55), Johnny Sauter (No. 70), Kevin Lepage (No. 49), Stephen Leicht (No. 90), Bobby Hamilton Jr. (No. 04), Derrike Cope (No. 61)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, AMD at The Glen
The AMD at The Glen, NASCAR's second and final road course race of the season and the twenty-second race on the season, was held at Watkins Glen International on August 13, 2006. Kurt Busch won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, AMD at The Glen
Failed to qualify: Chris Cook (No. 49), Max Papis (No. 78), Tom Hubert (No. 27), David Murry (No. 37), Dale Quarterley (No. 72), Johnny Miller (No. 92), Brandon Ash (No. 02)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, GFS Marketplace 400
The GFS Marketplace 400, the twenty-third race of the season was held at Michigan International Speedway August 20, 2006. Jeff Burton won his fourth pole of the year. Matt Kenseth held off Jeff Gordon in the closing laps to earn his third victory of the season.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, GFS Marketplace 400
Failed to qualify: Scott Wimmer (No. 4), Mike Skinner (No. 34), Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Kenny Wallace (No. 78)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Sharpie 500
One of the most popular races on the circuit, the Sharpie 500, NASCAR's twenty-fourth race of the season was held on August 26, 2006 under the lights on the 0.533-mile Bristol International Speedway. Kurt Busch won the pole for this event. Matt Kenseth won his second straight Nextel Cup race and, along with points leader Jimmie Johnson, clinched a berth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Sharpie 500
Failed to qualify: Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Mike Wallace (No. 09), Mike Skinner (No. 37). NOTE: Morgan Shepard (No. 89) and Stanton Barrett (No. 30) withdrew from qualifying.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Sony HD 500
The twenty-fifth race, and the penultimate race prior to the Chase for the Nextel Cup was the Sony HD 500, held at California Speedway on September 3, 2006. Kurt Busch won the pole.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Sony HD 500
Failed to qualify: Todd Kluever (No. 06), Kertus Davis (No. 34), Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Bill Lester (No. 23)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Chevy Rock and Roll 400
The twenty-sixth and final race prior to the Chase, the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 was held at Richmond International Raceway on September 9, 2006. Following this race, the top ten drivers in point qualified for the ten-race Chase. Richmond-area native Denny Hamlin won the pole in front of his hometown fans, and clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. This was the season's fourth impound race.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Chevy Rock and Roll 400
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 74), Mike Wallace (No. 09), Michael Waltrip (No. 55), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Ted Christopher (No. 27)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Chevy Rock and Roll 400
+ – Clinched spots in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Races, Chevy Rock and Roll 400
Making The Chase - The following 10 drivers made the Chase for the Cup field in 2006:


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup
With the top ten positions all locked in, the playoff began.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup
In the top ten results, a • indicates one of the 10 drivers who made the Chase for the Nextel Cup.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Sylvania 300
The Sylvania 300, the first race in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup, was held September 17 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Kevin Harvick won the pole and the race, becoming the overall points leader for the first time in his career.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Sylvania 300
Failed to qualify: Stanton Barrett (No. 30), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Carl Long (No. 46), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Chad Blount (No. 34)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Dover 400
The Dover 400, the second race of the 2006 Chase, was held September 24 at Dover International Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the pole. Jeff Burton broke a 175-race winless streak after getting alongside Matt Kenseth several times between Laps 385–395. Kenseth ran out of fuel at the white flag.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Dover 400
Failed to qualify: Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Chad Blount (No. 34), Donnie Neuenberger (No. 52)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods
The third race of the 2006 Chase, the Banquet 400, was held October 1 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Kasey Kahne won the pole. Tony Stewart captured his third win of the year despite running the last half of the final lap with no fuel.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods
Failed to qualify: Scott Wimmer (No. 4), Kevin Lepage (No. 49), Chad Blount (No. 92), Carl Long (No. 46)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, UAW-Ford 500
Considered the wild card track of the Chase, the fourth race on the 2006 Chase, the UAW-Ford 500 was held on the newly repaved Talladega Superspeedway Sunday, October 8, 2006. The repaving was the first on the 2.66-mile trioval since 1979. David Gilliland won his first career pole. This race was the fifth and final impound race of the season. Brian Vickers won his first Nextel Cup race when he was declared the winner after he, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. made contact on the final lap.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, UAW-Ford 500
Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Todd Bodine (No. 4), Kirk Shelmerdine (No. 27), Travis Kvapil (No. 32), Kevin Lepage (No. 34), Chad Chaffin (No. 61)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Bank of America 500
Race number five on the 2006 Chase, and the halfway point of the playoff, the Bank of America 500, was held on Saturday, October 14, 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event was the only Saturday night race in the Chase. Scott Riggs won the pole, and Kurt Busch had his 3rd-place run disqualified due to an unapproved right rear shock absorber. It cost him 50 points (along with a similar deduction for Penske Racing) and $25,000 (US) in fines as well as a four race suspension for his crew chief.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Bank of America 500
Failed to qualify: Bill Elliott (No. 83), Kevin Lepage (No. 34), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Kirk Shelmerdine (No. 27), Carl Long (No. 46), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Subway 500
The sixth event on the Chase, the Subway 500, was held on October 22, 2006 at Martinsville Speedway outside Martinsville, Virginia. The .526-mile track is the shortest in the Nextel Cup series and the Chase as well. Kurt Busch won his sixth pole of the season. Ward Burton, the 2002 Daytona 500 champion, returned to the circuit to drive the Morgan-McClure No. 4 Chevy after a two-year absence.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Subway 500
Failed to qualify: Mike Bliss (No. 49), Hermie Sadler (No. 00), Chad Chaffin (No. 61), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Ted Christopher (No. 27), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Stanton Barrett (No. 30)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Bass Pro Shops 500
The seventh Chase event, the Bass Pro Shops 500 was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway, located in Hampton, Georgia, on October 29. Qualifying was rained out, and the starting order was set by owner points, with Matt Kenseth sitting on the pole. Tony Stewart captured his second race win in a 2006 Chase race.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Bass Pro Shops 500
Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 74), Kirk Shelmerdine (No. 27), Mike Skinner (No. 72), A. J. Allmendinger (No. 84)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Dickies 500
The eighth Chase race, the Dickies 500, was run on November 5, 2006 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Brian Vickers won the pole for this race. Tony Stewart won his third race of the chase.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Dickies 500
Top Ten Results: (Race distance extended to 339 laps/508.5 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Dickies 500
Failed to qualify: Chad Chaffin (No. 34), Bill Elliott (No. 37), David Ragan (No. 60), Kevin Lepage (No. 61), Mike Skinner (No. 72), Derrike Cope (No. 74), A. J. Allmendinger (No. 84)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Checker Auto Parts 500
The ninth race on the Chase for the Nextel Cup, the Checker Auto Parts 500, was held at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona on November 12, 2006. Kevin Harvick won the race.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Checker Auto Parts 500
Failed to qualify: Jason Leffler (No. 71), Todd Kluever (No. 06), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Brandon Ash (No. 02), Kevin Lepage (No. 34), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Jeremy Mayfield (No. 09)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Ford 400
The final race of the season, and the last race in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup, the Ford 400, was run on November 19, 2006, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Kasey Kahne won the pole, and won the Bud Pole Award overall championship for 2006, while for the second straight week, Bill Elliott used the Championship Provisional. Juan Pablo Montoya, making his Nextel Cup debut, qualified 29th, but finished 34th after his car hit the wall after being clipped by Ryan Newman and caught fire on lap 251.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Ford 400
This would be the final year that Kyle Petty ran every race in a season. Jimmie Johnson clinched his first Nextel Cup Championship, winning the title by 56 points over Matt Kenseth. This was the final race to be broadcast by NBC until the 2015 Coke Zero 400, as well as the final race to be commentated by Benny Parsons who died less than 2 months after this event in early 2007.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Ford 400
Top ten results: (Race extended to 268 laps/402 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Chase for the Nextel Cup, Ford 400
Failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip (No. 55), Todd Kluever (No. 06), Ward Burton (No. 4), Brandon Whitt (No. 72), Kenny Wallace (No. 78), Mike Skinner (No. 27), Derrike Cope (No. 74), Kevin Lepage (No. 61), Carl Long (No. 46), Chad Chaffin (No. 34), Casey Atwood (No. 95), David Ragan (No. 60) Note: Morgan Shepherd (No. 89) withdrew after his only car crashed during practice.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Championship standings, Non-chase participants
11. Tony Stewart12. Carl Edwards13. Greg Biffle14. Casey Mears15. Brian Vickers16. Kurt Busch17. Clint Bowyer*18. Ryan Newman19. Martin Truex Jr.*20. Scott Riggs21. Bobby Labonte22. Elliott Sadler23. Dale Jarrett24. Reed Sorenson*25. Jamie McMurray26. Dave Blaney27. Joe Nemechek28. Jeff Green29. J. J. Yeley*30. Robby Gordon31. Ken Schrader32. Kyle Petty33. David Stremme*34. Sterling Marlin35. Tony Raines36. Travis Kvapil37. Michael Waltrip38. Scott Wimmer39. Jeremy Mayfield40. Kevin Lepage41. Terry Labonte42. David Gilliland*43. Kenny Wallace44. Bill Elliott45. Paul Menard46. Chad Chaffin*47. Boris Said48. Mike Bliss49. Brent Sherman*50. Derrike Cope51. Mike Wallace52. Stanton Barrett53. Hermie Sadler54. Ward Burton55. Scott Pruett56. Todd Kluever57. Mike Skinner58. Mike Garvey59. Kirk Shelmerdine60. Todd Bodine61. David Ragan62. Jimmy Spencer63. Ron Fellows64. Bill Lester65. Johnny Sauter66. Brandon Ash67. Chad Blount68. Morgan Shepherd69. Eric McClure70. Stephen Leicht71. Juan Pablo Montoya72. P. J. Jones73. Brian Simo74. Carl Long75. Ted Christopher76. Marc Goossens77. Tom Hubert78. Brandon Whitt


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Rookies
The battle for ROTY was not expected to be fierce, as many predicted that two time Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. would handily win the award, and possibly be a Chase contender. However, this was not to be as Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin shocked the NASCAR world the previous year by winning his first career pole at Phoenix while driving a part-time schedule.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Rookies
Hamlin again got everyone's attention by not only having won the Bud Shootout in his first attempt, but became the first rookie to sweep a racetrack (Pocono Raceway) since Jimmie Johnson accomplished that same feat at Dover. As Hamlin ran away with ROTY, his other competitors had up and down years. Although Clint Bowyer scored a surprising Top 10 finish at Daytona, he was not a factor. Hamlin's teammate, J. J. Yeley struggled mightily. Ganassi rookie Reed Sorenson had an up and down year, scoring his first top five at Michigan but was plagued by bad breaks. David Stremme was constantly fighting to stay within the top 35 in owners points throughout the year, and Brent Sherman was released from his ride with BAM Racing 1/3 into the year.


2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, NASCAR Hall of Fame
Until March 6, 2006, NASCAR was without a recognized Hall of Fame. Charlotte, North Carolina, where most NASCAR teams are based near, was chosen as the location over six other candidates, which included Atlanta, Georgia; Talladega, Alabama; Kansas City, Kansas; Detroit, Michigan; Richmond, Virginia and Daytona Beach, Florida. The NASCAR Hall of Fame opened in 2010.