The 2006 Sharpie Mini 300 was a NASCAR Busch Series race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on March 25, 2006. The race was the 6th of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was once again dominated by Cup Series regulars. Kevin Harvick won the pole and led the most laps at 120 but it was Kyle Busch who would win his first ever Busch Series race at Bristol. But the race was most remembered when Snow fell onto the track during the race that caused a long red flag and would become one of the most remembered red flagged events and one of the craziest weather events in NASCAR history.
Background The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver #DriverTeamMake 00 Johnny Sauter Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 0 Kertus Davis Davis Motorsports Chevrolet 01 Jay Sauter Duesenberg & Leik Motorsports Chevrolet 1 Jason Keller Phoenix Racing Dodge 2 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Mark Green Biagi Brothers Racing Dodge 05 Brad Teague Day Enterprise Racing Chevrolet 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 06 Todd Kluever (R) Roush Racing Ford 9 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Dodge 10 John Andretti (R) ppc Racing Ford 11 Paul Menard Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 12 Joel Kauffman (R) FitzBradshaw Racing Dodge 14 Tracy Hines (R) FitzBradshaw Racing Dodge 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 18 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 20 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 21 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22 Kenny Wallace ppc Racing Ford 23 Chris Wimmer (R) Keith Coleman Racing Chevrolet 25 Ashton Lewis Jr. Team Rensi Motorsports Ford 27 David Green Brewco Motorsports Ford 28 Shane Hall Jay Robinson Racing Ford 32 Jason Leffler Braun-Akins Racing Chevrolet 33 Ron Hornaday Jr. Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 34 Mike Bliss Frank Cicci Racing Chevrolet 35 Regan Smith Team Rensi Motorsports Ford 36 Tim Sauter McGill Motorsports Chevrolet 38 A. J. Foyt IV (R) Braun-Akins Racing Dodge 41 Reed Sorenson Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 43 Aaron Fike Curb Agajanian Performance Group Dodge 47 Jon Wood Wood Brothers Racing/JTG Racing Ford 49 Jorge Goeters (R) Jay Robinson Racing Ford 50 Danny O'Quinn Jr. (R) Roush Racing Ford 56 Kevin Lepage Mac Hill Motorsports Chevrolet 58 Kevin Conway Carver Racing Dodge 59 Stacy Compton Wood Brothers Racing/JTG Racing Ford 60 Carl Edwards Roush Racing Ford 64 Steve Wallace (R) Rusty Wallace Inc. Dodge 66 Ken Schrader Brewco Motorsports Ford 72 Jerry Robertson MacDonald Motorsports Chevrolet 75 Caleb Holman Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet 77 Burney Lamar (R) Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 88 Mark McFarland (R) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 90 Matt McCall Robert Yates Racing Ford 99 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing DodgeOfficial Entry list
Qualifying Kevin Harvick won the pole after qualifying was cancelled due to snow falling. The starting grid would go by points standings. Grid Driver Team Manufacturer 1 21 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 2 18 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 3 64 Steve Wallace (R) Rusty Wallace Inc. Dodge 4 2 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 5 9 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Dodge 6 33 Ron Hornaday Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 7 20 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 8 32 Jason Leffler Braun-Akins Racing Chevrolet 9 60 Carl Edwards Roush Racing Ford 10 77 Burney Lamar (R) Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 11 47 Jon Wood Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford 12 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 13 00 Johnny Sauter Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 14 25 Ashton Lewis Team Rensi Motorsports Ford 15 1 Jason Keller Phoenix Racing Dodge 16 11 Paul Menard Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 17 06 Todd Kluever (R) Roush Racing Ford 18 41 Reed Sorenson Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 19 88 Mark McFarland (R) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 20 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21 90 Matt McCall Robert Yates Racing Ford 22 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 23 22 Kenny Wallace ppc Racing Ford 24 66 Ken Schrader Brewco Motorsports Ford 25 35 Regan Smith Team Rensi Motorsports Ford 26 50 Danny O'Quinn Jr. (R) Roush Racing Ford 27 99 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Dodge 28 10 John Andretti (R) ppc Racing Ford 29 14 Tracy Hines (R) FitzBradshaw Racing Dodge 30 36 Tim Sauter McGill Motorsports Chevrolet 31 4 Mark Green Biagi Brothers Racing Dodge 32 59 Stacy Compton Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford 33 58 Kevin Conway Carver Racing Dodge 34 27 David Green Brewco Motorsports Ford 35 12 Joel Kauffman (R) FitzBradshaw Racing Dodge 36 38 A. J. Foyt IV (R) Braun-Akins Racing Dodge 37 01 Jay Sauter Duesenberg & Leik Motorsports Chevrolet 38 43 Aaron Fike Curb Agajanian Performance Group Dodge 39 34 Mike Bliss Frank Cicci Racing Chevrolet 40 49 Jorge Goeters (R) Jay Robinson Racing Ford 41 0 Kertus Davis Davis Motorsports Chevrolet 42 23 Chris Wimmer (R) Keith Coleman Racing Chevrolet 43 56 Kevin Lepage Mac Hill Motorsports ChevroletFailed to Qualify, driver changes, or withdrew 44 75 Caleb Holman Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet 45 05 Brad Teague Day Enterprise Racing Chevrolet 46 72 Jerry Robertson MacDonald Motorsports Chevrolet 47 28 Shane Hall Jay Robinson Racing FordOfficial Starting grid
Race Pole sitter Kevin Harvick led the first lap of the race. On lap 3, Steve Wallace, who was 18 years old and making his second career Busch Series start, took the lead from Harvick. But on lap 6, Harvick took the lead from the 18 year old Wallace. On lap 8, the first caution flew when Kevin Conway crashed in turns 3 and 4 after he got bumped from behind by David Green. The race restarted on lap 16. On lap 20, rookie Todd Kluever would be involved in his first of three incidents of the day in what would become a bad day for Kluever after Kluever tried to sneak under Jason Keller in turn 4 but slid up the track into Keller and both would lose momentum and lose positions while Kluever hit the wall on the frontstretch. On lap 21, the second caution flew when Steve Wallace spun off of turn 4 after contact with Scott Riggs. The race would restart on lap 28 with Kevin Harvick still as the leader.
Snow starts falling and red flag On around lap 29, snow started to fall onto the track. The snow would reduce the grip on the track causing cars to slide. Eventually, the third caution flew on lap 30 when Todd Kluever's bad day would continue as Kluever's car lost grip and spun all by itself off of turn four down the frontstretch on the slippery track. While Kluever spun, Ron Hornaday got bumped from behind by Clint Bowyer in almost the same area where Kluever spun causing Hornaday to spin down the frontstretch. Hornaday did a full 360 degree spin and got going again like nothing ever happened. On lap 33, the red flag was shown to dry the track and wait for the snow to stop. During the red flag, drivers, crews, and even the fans in the stands began to have fun in the snow as they made snow angels, had snowball fights, and built snowman. Kyle Busch and his crew began launching snowballs into the stands at the fans including Tony Stewart. Other crew members such as the crew guys of David Green, Stacy Compton, and Aaron Fike were seen chucking snowballs towards the stands from pit road. Reed Sorenson's crew began building a snowman during the red flag. Drivers also found the time to mess with the Fox reporters when Kevin Harvick tried to blind Matt Yocum with his umbrella before Yocum stopped him in the process. Next to Yocum and Harvick, the crew members of Mark McFarland and J. J. Yeley had a snowball fight against each other. One of Burney Lamar's crew guys began taunting the fans to hit him as fans threw snowballs on the track and one fan did hit him right at the top of his helmet and he pointed out the fan as if he's saying "good throw." The sound guys in the booth of Bristol also found some humor of their own. While Dick Berggren was interviewing Scott Riggs, the PA system was playing the Christmas song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Johnny Marks even though Christmas was exactly 4 months ago. While Michael Waltrip was about to get interviewed by Steve Byrnes, fans began throwing snowballs towards Waltrip's way. Waltrip defended the snowballs away with his umbrella like he was in a gladiator war while Byrnes was interviewing him with a few close calls as the snowballs almost hit Waltrip and Byrnes. A fan even found a small rock and threw it at Waltrip's way and it bounced off Waltrip's umbrella and Waltrip was surprised saying "golly that was a rock?!" at the end of his interview. Before Matt Yocum was about to interview Carl Edwards, Edwards drilled Yocum in the face with a snowball. Edwards apologized to Yocum during his interview saying he meant to get him in the shoulder. The crew guys of Mark Green even decided to play some baseball with the snowballs with one pitching and one hitting. While Edwards was getting interviewed by Yocum, the sun began to come out, the snow stopped, and track was starting to dry. Soon, drivers were ordered to get in their cars. While they were getting in their cars, Harvick decided to jokingly taunt Kenny Wallace, who was parked right next to Harvick, and Harvick said something to Wallace that made Wallace laugh hysterically at Harvick. The red flag was soon lifted after an 80-minute red flag. Before the cars started again, Fox decided to post a "Snow Delay Summary" that said "12 drivers interviewed, 1 Kenny Wallace interview (4:40; shortest time ever), 3 Snowball fights, 1 snowman built, 1 Director's text message, 1 bad Jamie McMurray "throw.""
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