2006 Bank of America 500

2006 Bank of America 500

Race details[1][2]
Race 31 of 36 in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2006 Bank of America 500 program cover, with artwork made by NASCAR artist Sam Bass. The painting is called "For Those About to Rock!"
Date	October 14, 2006 (2006-10-14)
Location	Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance	334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km)
Weather	Temperatures up to 64.4 °F (18.0 °C); wind speeds up to 10.24 mph (16.48 km/h)[3]
Average speed	132.142 mph (212.662 km/h)
Attendance	170,000
Pole position
Driver	Scott Riggs	Evernham Motorsports
Time	28.203
Most laps led
Driver	Kasey Kahne	Evernham Motorsports
Laps	134
Winner
No. 9	Kasey Kahne	Evernham Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Bill Weber, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen Ratings	4.7/8 (Final) 4.1/7 (Overnight)[4]
Radio in the United States
Radio	Performance Racing Network
Booth Announcers	Mark Garrow, Doug Rice
Turn Announcers	Chuck Carland, Rob Albright

The 2006 Bank of America 500 was the 31st stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the fifth in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on October 14, 2006, before a crowd of 175,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The circuit is an intermediate that holds NASCAR races. The 334-lap race was won by Kasey Kahne of the Evernham Motorsports team, who started from second position. Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson finished second and Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton was third.

Burton led the Drivers' Championship by six points over Matt Kenseth going into the race. Although Scott Riggs won the pole position by setting the fastest lap time in the qualifying session, he was immediately passed by teammate Kahne at the start of the race. Riggs regained first place twelve laps later, only to lose it to Tony Raines on the 19th lap. Riggs retook the lead on lap 31 and maintained it for the following 16 laps until he was passed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. who led for the next 31 laps. Kahne moved back into the first position on lap 96, with Raines reclaiming the lead on the 123rd lap. Kahne passed Raines to move back into the lead 15 laps later. Johnson moved into the lead on lap 168 and held the position for a total of 72 laps. At the race's final restart on lap 307, Johnson led until he was passed two laps later by Kahne who maintained it to win the race. There were ten cautions and 34 lead changes by thirteen different drivers.

The victory was Kahne's sixth of the season, and the seventh of his career since he debuted in 2004. After the race, Burton maintained his lead in the Drivers' Championship, which increased to 45 points over Kenseth in second position. Kahne's victory moved him from ninth to eighth, while Jeff Gordon dropped from seventh to tenth because he failed to score enough points due to an engine failure in the race's closing laps. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, 48 points in front of Dodge and 54 ahead of Ford with five races left in the season.