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Kroger 200 Preview

Jul 28, 2007 - 10:32 AM

July 28, 2007 
O'Reilly Raceway Park 
Indianapolis, Indiana 
Race 21 of 34 on Busch series circuit

TV: ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. EDT

Laps: 200 Track length: .686-mile Race length: 137 miles

Qualifying record: David Green, Chevrolet, 113.461 mph, 1994
Race record: Jimmy Hensley, Oldsmobile, 96.923 mph, 1985

DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Dave Blaney 
Team: Braun Racing 
Car: No. 10 Toyota Camry 
2007 Earnings: $627,989

Finished 35th at Gateway last week and dropped two spots to
sixth in the standings after getting as high as second last
month; also posted a 35th-place finish at New Hampshire four
races ago; has scored three top five and six top-10 finishes in
2007; won the first Busch Pole for Toyota at California;  still
seeking his first win of the season; did not race here last
year.


Carl Edwards 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 60 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $839,985

Finished sixth last week at Gateway despite being involved in an
accident with 22 laps to go; it was his series-best 16th top-10
of the season and boosted his lead to 852 points in the
standings; has led in the standings for 19 consecutive weeks,
and has has been in the top five following the last 49 Busch
races; in 20 starts this season, he has a series-best four wins;
has posted 12 top-five finishes; has two Busch series starts
here, with a best finish of 10th last year.


Jason Leffler 
Team: Braun Racing 
Car: No. 38 Toyota Camry 
2007 Earnings: $674,872

Finished fourth at Gateway, moving up one spot to fifth in the
standings; started the season with four DNFs in the first six
races, but has none since, jumping from 23rd to fifth in the
standings; recent stretch includes a pair of third-place
finishes; has been inconsistent with eight finishes of 30th or
worse in 19 races this year; won the pole here in 2005, and
finished 19th in this race last year.


David Ragan 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 6 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $459,912

Moved up to fourth in the standings after finishing fifth at
Gateway; scored three top-five and five top-10 finishes in 2007;
best finish this year was third at Talladega; won the pole and
finished fifth at Texas; leads the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year
standings by 23 points over Marcos Ambrose; has not made a Busch
series start here, but won his only NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series pole at ORP last year and finished ninth.


David Reutimann 
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing 
Car: No. 99 Toyota Camry 
2007 Earnings: $617,631

Placed third at Gateway last week and moved up to second in the
standings, 852 points behind Edwards; has seven top-10 finishes
in 2007 including his career-best finish of second place at the
first Nashville race; prior to a 40th at Daytona, had posted
back-to-back top-10 finishes with an eighth at New Hampshire and
a seventh at Milwaukee; has also finished 30th or worse four
times this season; finished 36th at this race last year.


2006 Top 10
-----------
1.  Kevin Harvick (21), Chevrolet 
2.  Reed Sorenson (41), Dodge 
3.  J.J. Yeley (18), Chevrolet 
4.  Greg Biffle (16), Ford 
5.  Jeff Burton (29), Chevrolet 
6.  Danny O'Quinn Jr. (50), Ford 
7.  Jay Sauter (01), Chevrolet 
8.  Denny Hamlin (20), Chevrolet 
9.  Paul Menard (11), Chevrolet 
10. Carl Edwards (60), Ford


Past Champions
--------------
2006  Kevin Harvick 
2005  Martin Truex Jr. 
2004  Kyle Busch 
2003  Brian Vickers 
2002  Greg Biffle 
2001  Kevin Harvick 
2000  Ron Hornaday 
1999  Jason Keller 
1998  Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
1997  Randy LaJoie 
1996  Randy LaJoie 
1995  Jason Keller 
1994  Mike Wallace
1993  Tracy Leslie 
1992  Joe Nemechek 
1991  Bobby Labonte 
1990  Steve Grissom 
1989  Michael Waltrip 
1988  Morgan Shepherd 
1987  Larry Pearson 
1986  Butch Miller 
1985  Jimmy Hensley 
1984  Morgan Shepherd 
1983  Tommy Houston 
1982  Morgan Shepherd