The big controversy in last season's NASCAR Busch Series was the Buschwackers, well financed Nextel Cup teams fielding Busch Series cars driven by Nextel Cup regulars. Independent Busch Series teams didn't have a chance. Kevin Harvick dominated and won the 2006 Busch Series championship by the largest margin ever. With the Car Of Tomorrow looming on the Nextel Cup horizon, there isn't much benefit for the Nextel Cup teams to run the Busch Series full time. Carl Edwards & David Reutimann may be the only guys doing that. But Nextel Cup teams will still field Busch Series cars sometimes shared between a Nextel Cup & developmental driver. There were 23 Nextel Cup drivers in Daytona's Orbitz 300 so the Buschwackers will remain. Kevin Harvick was in this race with a new sponsor, Auto Zone. He says he's not running the full Busch schedule. Joe Gibbs Racing developmental driver Aric Almirola won the pole in the #19 Banquet Foods Chevy.
First a quick comment about the broadcast. This was ESPN's 2007 NASCAR debut. The video was fine of course. I wasn't crazy about the announcers. It could take the first half of the season for them to build chemistry. Veteran ESPN broadcaster Dr. Jerry Punch did play by play. I'm used to him as a pit reporter. Allen Bestwick is in the pits and I could see them switching those two guys. I like Bestwick better in the booth. Rusty Wallace and former NASCAR car owner Andy Petree are doing colour. I didn't like Wallace last year doing IRL. He makes too many mistakes and is vapid. Petree is inexperienced and it shows. Brent Musberger, former NASCAR crew chief Tim Brewer & former NBA star and NASCAR car owner Brad Daugherty hosted the show. I like Brewer but the other two didn't add much. Put Brewer in the booth. Like Chris Myers on FOX, we don't need Musberger. They did a 90 minute pre show. That's a bit much. But I like reporter Shannon Spake and I wouldn't mind seeing her as a pit reporter. Marty Smith wasn't on the show but should be. The pit reporters were the usual crew; Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Matt Yocum, Mike Massaro and this girl Jamie Little. I didn't like her on IRL broadcasts either. I prefer Shannon Spake a lot better. They've got a lot of work to do.
Martin Truex Jr. is leading the race on lap 4 when Jon Wood spins and collects Dave Blaney, David Ragan & Stephen Leicht. Ragan is out but Blaney recovers and gets a good finish in the #32 Toyota. Kyle Busch's #5 Chevy takes the lead just in time for a big crash on lap 15. Reed Sorenson bumps Kasey Kahne and they collect John Andretti, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Steve Wallace, Jason Leffler, Ward Burton, Jamie MacMurray, Shane Huffman, Denny Hamlin, Regan Smith & Sam Hornish Jr. Kahne & MacMaurray are out.
Kyle Busch continues to lead. David Reutimann hits the wall and shreds a tire on lap 64. Everyone pits on the ensuing caution. It looks like everyone has enough fuel to finish the race. On lap 69, Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead with Kevin Harvick second. Mike Wallace is also in the mix. Things were going well for Busch untill he broke a fuel pump on lap 84 and is out. There are no more cautions and several guys take a run at Kevin Harvick but can't get to him. Dave Blaney finishes second followed by Carl Edwards, Mark Martin & Clint Bowyer. The highest finishing Busch only regular was Jon Wood in 15th place. But though Dave Blaney is a Nextel Cup regular, his Busch ride is with independent team Braun Racing. If this is any indication, you can expect the Buschwackers trend to continue in 2007.
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