HARVICK AND DOLLAR GENERAL BACK FOR 2007
Kevin Harvick Inc., has made the announcement that his current sponsor Dollar General Corporation has resigned papers to continue sponsoring the number seventy-seven Chevrolet Monte Carlo for 2007 for all thirty-five Busch Series races in 2007. Harvick will be sharing the driving responsibilities with veteran Busch and Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte and Kertus Davis. The plan is to have Davis run thirteen events, Labonte in eighteen races and Harvick in the other four races. Dollar General will also be the primary sponsor for Harvick's number thirty-three at one event in 2007 as well. Also the thirty-three car will be entered in other races with various sponsors in 2007. All parties are looking forward to the 2007 season.

GORDON GETS MARRIED
Four time Nextel Cup Champion married model Ingrid Vandebosh who he has been dating since 2004 and had admitted that they were officially engaged back in June the day before the Dodge Save-Mart 350 and then the next day won it. The couple had a small private ceremony in Mexico after meeting on the set of the movie Taxi, where Vandebosh played a bank robber. Family members from Belgium of Vandebosh's side and Gordon's family were in attendance for the ceremony. The couple plans to honeymoon in Phoenix where the next race is and in Miami where the final race will take place and then attend the banquet in December. The couple's official honeymoon won't actually take place until after the banquet at the undisclosed location.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
SPINS AND WINS FOR BENSON

Johnny Benson started Friday night's Craftsman Truck Series Casino Arizona 150 from the pole position and spun out on the first lap, but came back to win the race, his fifth of 2006. On the first lap Benson was racing Mike Skinner when he lost control and went spinning across the track, even before the first lap was completed. Benson now sits second in points, one hundred twelve behind Todd Bodine who needs to finish twenty-eighth or better in the final race at Homestead to clinch the championship thanks to his fourth place finish in Friday's race.

After the spin Benson had to start from the back and was on a mission having what appeared to be the fastest truck out there. Eleven caution flags helped Benson and with thirty laps to go, he passed Mark Martin for the lead to win the race, with Martin finishing second, Mike Skinner in third and Matt Crafton in fifth. After the race Benson said, "I didn't think I could win it, I thought maybe we'd get to the top five, but that was it. But this truck was so good, it was so fun to drive. I know we don't have a shot for the championship, but it's a championship-caliber team.” We shall see what happens at Homestead, can Todd Bodine win the 2006 championship?


CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
TOP TEN FINISHERS
1. Johnny Benson
2. Mark Martin
3. Mike Skinner
4. Todd Bodine
5. Matt Crafton
6. David Starr
7. Jack Sprague
8. David Reutimann
9. Kyle Busch
10. Erik Darnell

TOP TEN IN POINTS
1. Todd Bodine – 3566
2. Johnny Benson – 3454
3. David Reutimann – 3383
4. Ted Musgrave – 3250
5. David Starr – 3209
6. Ron Hornaday Jr – 3192
7. Jack Sprague – 3173
8. Mike Skinner – 3156
9. Rick Crawford – 3134
10. Terry Cook – 3126

BUSCH SERIES
KENSETH TAKES WIN AT PHOENIX

Saturday's Busch Series Arizona Travel 200 had some potential history to be made by series champion Kevin Harvick who could have tied the record of wins in a year with ten that Sam Ard did in 1983, but it was not to be with Matt Kenseth spoiling it with the win. Kenseth played it cool on the final restart with a two lap shoot out held off Harvick who felt Kenseth jumped and said after the race, "If that had been us, we would have been sitting on pit road [under penalty]. That's pretty bad.” Kenseth said in his defense, "it's all whose shoes you are wearing, in the drivers meeting every week, they say start in a vicinity of the line, which is a couple of car lengths as I take it. I thought I was in a car length or two of the line.” Harvick had to settle for a second place finish, Denny Hamlin finished third after starting sixth, Clint Bowyer had a good run starting eighteenth finished fourth and Carl Edwards started on the outside of the pole with Kenseth on the pole finished fifth.

There were some other interesting activities that happened in Saturday's race; Juan Pablo Montoya who will be racing full-time in the Nextel Cup Series in 2007 for Chip Ganassi Racing had an OK day starting eleventh finished twentieth. Sam Hornish also made his debut in Roger Penske's car, started twenty-seventh, but was involved in an accident and finished thirty-sixth. Montoya will make his Nextel Cup debut in the final race at Miami-Homestead tentatively in the number thirty car.

BUSCH SERIES
TOP TEN FINISHERS
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Carl Edwards
6. J. J. Yeley
7. Reed Sorenson
8. Shane Huffman
9. Ron Hornaday Jr
10. Kyle Busch

TOP TEN IN POINTS
1. Kevin Harvick – 5493
2. Carl Edwards – 4649
3. Clint Bowyer – 4553
4. Denny Hamlin – 4507
5. J. J. Yeley – 4327
6. Paul Menard – 3905
7. Kyle Busch – 3881
8. Greg Biffle – 3740
9. Johnny Sauter – 3660
10. Reed Sorenson – 3633

NEXTEL CUP
HARVICK WINS AT PHOENIX, FIVE WILL BATTLE IN FINAL

Kevin Harvick knows what to do to win and he did it for the fifth time in 2006 in the Nextel Cup Series winning in dominant style leading two hundred fifty-two of the three hundred twelve lap event at Phoenix International Speedway that hosted the Checker Auto Parts 500. Harvick earlier this year won the race at the track to make it a sweep for 2006. With a three lap shoot out Harvick had to hold off Jimmie Johnson for the second time in the race and Johnson settled for a second place finish, and goes into the final race at Miami-Homestead with a sixty-three point lead over Matt Kenseth, who finished thirteenth. Harvick said after the race, "Jimmie got a good run on me, but I wasn't going to lose this race,” with the win Harvick now is tied with rookie Denny Hamlin in third place in the points race. Hamlin finished third in Sunday's race, four time champion Jeff Gordon finished fourth and Carl Edwards, who is not in the Chase for the Championship, finished fifth.

Johnson said after the race, "In order to get the win, I was really going to have to force the issue and I knew that I needed to be smart from that point on.” Matt Kenseth, second in points, said after the race, "I'm not to optimistic about it, obviously anything can happen, we're still within striking distance if they have a mechanical problem or some type of problem like that. But certainly we'd be fooling ourselves if we think we'd beat them on performance.” So get ready for the shoot out folks!!

NEXTEL CUP
TOP TEN FINISHERS
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Denny Hamlin*
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Carl Edwards
6. Mark Martin
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Kurt Busch
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr
10. Jeff Burton

TOP TEN IN POINTS
1. Jimmie Johnson – 6332
2. Matt Kenseth – 6269
3. Kevin Harvick – 6242
4. Denny Hamlin* - 6242
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr – 6217
6. Jeff Gordon – 6165
7. Jeff Burton – 6107
8. Mark Martin – 6059
9. Kasey Kahne – 6013
10. Kyle Busch - 5973