2006 USG Sheetrock 400

The 2006 USG Sheetrock 400 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on July 9, 2006, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The race was the 18th of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Jeff Burton of Richard Childress Racing won the pole position with a lap speed of 181.647 mph (292.333 km/h),[3] his second pole of 2006 along with the Daytona 500,[4] marking the first time in his career that he won two poles in the same year.[5] Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth led the most laps, while Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race[5] on a green-white-checker finish, which extended the race from 267 laps to 270.[6]

2006 USG Sheetrock 400
Race details[1]
Race 18 of 36 in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
Layout of Chicagoland Speedway
Date July 9, 2006 (2006-07-09)
Location Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.5 km)
Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 87.8 °F (31.0 °C); wind speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Average speed 132.077 mph (212.557 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Richard Childress Racing
Most laps led
Driver Matt Kenseth Roush Racing
Laps 112
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network TNT
Announcers Bill Weber, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach, Jr.
Nielsen Ratings 5.2[2]

Race

Pole-sitter Jeff Burton led much of the early portion of the race, but Jeff Gordon then took the lead after a strong green-flag pit stop. On lap 68, the first caution flag was flown for debris on the track, shuffling the driver order and giving the lead to Kevin Harvick.[7] With three laps to go,[8] Gordon drove into a slowing[5] Matt Kenseth's rear bumper, spinning him. On the green-white-checker finish,[7] Gordon led the final laps to win his 75th career Cup Series victory and second of 2006[9] with a 0.461 second lead over Burton, followed by Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and defending race winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr.[10] Points leader Jimmie Johnson, Reed Sorenson, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and J. J. Yeley closed out the top ten.[6] Meanwhile, Kenseth was involved in a second wreck and ran out of fuel,[5] but managed to finish the race on the lead lap[6] and finished 22nd.[11]

After the race, the points standings saw Johnson pull away from Kenseth, with the eight-point margin[12] between them increasing to 51, with Johnson leading Kenseth 2,651 points to 2,600. Earnhardt, Jr. was third with 2,394 points, Burton had 2,327 points, and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five with 2,303.[13] Mark Martin (2,291), Tony Stewart (2,274), Kyle Busch (2,265), Harvick (2,253) and Gordon (2,219) completed the top ten points standings.[6]

Results
Jimmie Johnson led the points standings after the race.

Top ten finishers
Pos[6] Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Winnings
1 1324Jeff GordonChevrolet27020$327,761
2 131Jeff BurtonChevrolet27060$250,220
3 235Kyle BuschChevrolet2702$178,075
4 429Kevin HarvickChevrolet27040$184,586
5 258Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Chevrolet27027$164,591
6 548Jimmie JohnsonChevrolet2700$154,286
7 1841Reed SorensonDodge2706$11,525
8 192Kurt BuschDodge2700$138,958
9 3807Clint BowyerChevrolet2700$114,425
10 1018J.J. YeleyChevrolet2700$138,475

Standings after the race
Pos Driver Points
1 Jimmie Johnson 2651
2 Matt Kenseth 2600
3 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2394
4 Jeff Burton 2327
5 Kasey Kahne 2303
6 Mark Martin 2291
7 Tony Stewart 2274
8 Kyle Busch 2265
9 Kevin Harvick 2253
10 Jeff Gordon 2219

References
  1. Weather information for the 2006 USG Sheetrock 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac. Accessed 2013-07-10. Archived 2013-07-13.
  2. "TV RATINGS 2006". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  3. "Burton wins pole in Chicagoland qualifying". USA Today. Gannett Company. 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  4. Associated Press (2006-07-06). "Jeff Burton wins pole for USG Sheetrock 400". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  5. "The USG Sheetrock 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  6. "2006 USG Sheetrock 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  7. McCormick, Steve (2006-07-10). "Jeff Gordon Bumps Matt Kenseth To Steal 2006 Chicagoland Victory". About.com. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  8. "Racingone Rewind: Chicago". Motor Racing Network. 2006-07-09. Archived from the original on 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  9. "2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Recap". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  10. McCormick, Steve. "2006 USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway". About.com. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  11. Hinton, Ed (2006-07-10). "Tribune auto racing reporter Ed Hinton weighs in on the USG Sheetrock 400". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  12. "2006 Pepsi 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  13. "Jeff Gordon wins the Sheetrock 400". United Press International. 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
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