Coke 600 entry list

[Jonesi]

Same 49 cars, Mark Martin in 01, Bill Elliott in Wood Bros 21, Kevin Lepage in 37 (haven't figured out what happens between #34 & # 37 car entries)

[blakebeatty]

Funny, Charlotte usually brings out a few more guys to make an attempt, like Spencer, and Shelmerdine. I guess it's too hard to make a race now-a-days for these guys to waste their time

[Jonesi]

Still a few cars to qualify, but here's the DNQs. Bill Elliott's getting in on speed and will not use a CP.

15 PAUL MENARD
00 DAVID REUTIMANN
55 MICHAEL WALTRIP
4 WARD BURTON
49 MIKE BLISS
37 KEVIN LEPAGE

[harvick#1]

Funny, Charlotte usually brings out a few more guys to make an attempt, like Spencer, and Shelmerdine. I guess it's too hard to make a race now-a-days for these guys to waste their time

just about all the teams are located in North Carolina, so travel isn't bad for some of the underfunded teams

[Jonesi]

Coke 600 Grid:
1 12 RYAN NEWMAN
2 2 KURT BUSCH
3 19 ELLIOTT SADLER
4 8 DALE EARNHARDT JR
5 17 MATT KENSETH
6 11 DENNY HAMLIN
7 88 RICKY RUDD
8 22 DAVE BLANEY
9 43 BOBBY LABONTE
10 40 DAVID STREMME
11 01 MARK MARTIN
12 18 J.J. YELEY
13 6 DAVID RAGAN
14 20 TONY STEWART
15 10 SCOTT RIGGS
16 25 CASEY MEARS
17 5 KYLE BUSCH
18 9 KASEY KAHNE
19 38 DAVID GILLILAND
20 42 JUAN MONTOYA
21 48 JIMMY JOHNSON
22 21 BILL ELLIOTT
23 44 DALE JARRETT
24 36 JEREMY MAYFIELD
25 31 JEFF BURTON
26 83 BRIAN VICKERS
27 29 KEVIN HARVICK
28 26 JAMIE McMURRAY
29 84 AJ ALLMENDINGER
30 14 STERLING MARLIN
31 1 MARTIN TRUEX JR
32 24 JEFF GORDON
33 13 JOE NEMECHEK
34 41 REED SORENSON
35 7 ROBBY GORDON
36 45 KYLE PETTY
37 96 TONY RAINES
38 16 GREG BIFFLE
39 99 CARL EDWARDS
40 70 JOHNNY SAUTER
41 07 CLINT BOWYER
42 66 JEFF GREEN
43 78 KENNY WALLACE

[RaceFanStan]

Michael Waltrip Racing
Michael Waltrip spun and wrecked on his 2nd qualifying lap ...
David Reutimann spun and wrecked on his 1st qualifying lap ...
both went home AGAIN. :s
Dale Jarrett was able to make it on speed & will be the ONLY one to represent the struggling MWR effort.

Red Bull got both of their Toyotas into the race as did both of Bill Davis' Toyotas.

[BobbyC]

But once again the controversy over the Top 35 rule struck again.

This is a byproduct of the 2004 Bass Pro Shops / MBNA 500 when two Top 30 teams, both full-time, missed the race -- Bill Davis Racing and MBV (now Ginn Racing). Five teams -- four in the top 25 -- took provisionals (top 4 and Champions Provisional, but if not needed, next provisional). Ten part-time teams made the race on speed.

Under the old Top 38 format:

In: 15-Menard, 55-Waltrip (with the second or third time he would have made the race as the 38th qualifier)

Here is how the "top five" would have gone:

39. 07-Bowyer (10th)
40. 99-Edwards (11th)
41. 16-Biffle (16th)
42. 96-Raines (24th)
43. 45-Petty (31st)

Who would have missed the race?
4-W. Burton (44th)
37-Lepage (48th)
70-Sauter (33rd)
49-Bliss (45th)
66-Green (34th)
00-Reutimann (43rd)

Sauter and Green were spared by the current Top 35 rule. But remember it was the 2004 Atlanta race where the NASCAR teams complained about having so many part-time teams race while full-time teams went home, and that was the catalyst for NASCAR making the current rule in effect.