2006 Subway 500

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The '''2006 Subway 500''' was the 32nd [[Stock car racing|stock car race]] of the [[2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series]] and the sixth in the ten-race [[NASCAR playoffs|Chase for the Nextel Cup]]. It was held on October 22, 2006, before a crowd of 65,000, at [[Martinsville Speedway]] in [[Ridgeway, Virginia]], United States. [[Hendrick Motorsports]] driver [[Jimmie Johnson]] won the 500‑lap race starting from the ninth position; [[Denny Hamlin]] of [[Joe Gibbs Racing]] finished second, and [[Bobby Labonte]] of [[Petty Enterprises]] was third.

The '''2006 Subway 500''' was the 32nd [[Stock car racing|stock car race]] of the [[2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series]] and the sixth in the ten-race [[NASCAR playoffs|Chase for the Nextel Cup]]. It was held on October 22, 2006, before a crowd of 65,000, at [[Martinsville Speedway]] in [[Ridgeway, Virginia]], United States. [[Hendrick Motorsports]] driver [[Jimmie Johnson]] won the 500‑[[Glossary of motorsport terms#L|lap]] race starting from the ninth position; [[Denny Hamlin]] of [[Joe Gibbs Racing]] finished second, and [[Bobby Labonte]] of [[Petty Enterprises]] was third.

[[Jeff Burton]] was the driver who led the [[List of NASCAR Cup Series champions|Drivers' Championship]] going into the race with a 45-[[List of NASCAR points scoring systems#1975–2010|point]] margin over [[Matt Kenseth]] in second. [[Kurt Busch]] won the [[pole position]] with the fastest lap time in qualifying. He was immediately passed by [[Jeff Gordon]] at the start of the race. Gordon held the lead for 143 laps, until Johnson took the lead for one lap. Gordon regained the lead on the next lap, only to lose it to Johnson again on the 153rd lap. Labonte moved into the lead on lap 406 and held it with 55 laps remaining when he was passed by Johnson. At the race's final restart on lap 495, Hamlin challenged Johnson for the lead, but the latter held off Hamlin's passing maneuver and won the race. There were 18 [[Racing flags#Yellow flag|cautions]] and 16 lead changes by five different drivers during the race.

[[Jeff Burton]] was the driver who led the [[List of NASCAR Cup Series champions|Drivers' Championship]] going into the race with a 45-[[List of NASCAR points scoring systems#1975–2010|point]] margin over [[Matt Kenseth]] in second. [[Kurt Busch]] won the [[pole position]] with the fastest lap time in qualifying. He was immediately passed by [[Jeff Gordon]] at the start of the race. Gordon held the lead for 143 laps, until Johnson took the lead for one lap. Gordon regained the lead on the next lap, only to lose it to Johnson again on the 153rd lap. Labonte moved into the lead on lap 406 and held it with 55 laps remaining when he was passed by Johnson. At the race's final restart on lap 495, Hamlin challenged Johnson for the lead, but the latter held off Hamlin's passing maneuver and won the race. There were 18 [[Racing flags#Yellow flag|cautions]] and 16 lead changes by five different drivers during the race.

[[File:Martinsville Speedway, September 2011 overview.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of the Martinsville Speedway in 2011|[[Martinsville Speedway]]]]

[[File:Martinsville Speedway, September 2011 overview.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of the Martinsville Speedway in 2011|[[Martinsville Speedway]]]]

The Subway 500 was the 32nd of 36 scheduled [[Stock car racing|stock car races]] of the [[2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series]] and the sixth in the ten-race season-ending [[NASCAR playoffs|Chase for the Nextel Cup]]. On October 22, 2006, it was held at [[Martinsville Speedway]] in [[Ridgeway, Virginia]], a [[Oval track racing|short track]] that holds [[NASCAR]] races,{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/|title=NASCAR Race Tracks|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive|access-date=October 22, 2010|work=NASCAR|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012082703/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/|archive-date=October 12, 2010}} and ran for a total of 500 laps over a distance of {{Convert|263|mi|km|abbr=on}}.{{Cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Nate |last2=Perez |first2=A. J. |date=October 22, 2006 |title=Nextel Cup; A frank discussion on Martinsville |page=7D |work=[[Mansfield News Journal]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97923934/2006-subway-500-track-info-mansfield/ |access-date=March 19, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}} The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn, paperclip-shaped {{convert|0.526|mi|km|adj=on}} [[Oval track racing|oval]]. Its turns are [[Banked turn|banked]] at eleven [[Degree (angle)|degrees]], and neither the [[Straight (racing)|front stretch]] (the location of the finish line) nor the backstretch is banked.{{cite web|author=ESPN SportsTravel|title=Martinsville Speedway|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/thelife/news/story?id=2346800|work=ESPN|date=October 26, 2011|access-date=January 11, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104081426/http://espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?id=2346800|archive-date=January 4, 2012}}

The Subway 500 was the 32nd of 36 scheduled [[Stock car racing|stock car races]] of the [[2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series]] and the sixth in the ten-race season-ending [[NASCAR playoffs|Chase for the Nextel Cup]]. On October 22, 2006, it was held at [[Martinsville Speedway]] in [[Ridgeway, Virginia]], a [[Oval track racing|short track]] that holds [[NASCAR]] races,{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/|title=NASCAR Race Tracks|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive|access-date=October 22, 2010|work=NASCAR|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012082703/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/|archive-date=October 12, 2010}} and ran for a total of 500 [[Glossary of motorsport terms#L|laps]] over a distance of {{Convert|263|mi|km|abbr=on}}.{{Cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Nate |last2=Perez |first2=A. J. |date=October 22, 2006 |title=Nextel Cup; A frank discussion on Martinsville |page=7D |work=[[Mansfield News Journal]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97923934/2006-subway-500-track-info-mansfield/ |access-date=March 19, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}} The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn, paperclip-shaped {{convert|0.526|mi|km|adj=on}} [[Oval track racing|oval]]. Its turns are [[Banked turn|banked]] at eleven [[Degree (angle)|degrees]], and neither the [[Straight (racing)|front stretch]] (the location of the finish line) nor the backstretch is banked.{{cite web|author=ESPN SportsTravel|title=Martinsville Speedway|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/thelife/news/story?id=2346800|work=ESPN|date=October 26, 2011|access-date=January 11, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104081426/http://espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?id=2346800|archive-date=January 4, 2012}}

Before the race, [[Jeff Burton]] led the [[List of NASCAR Cup Series champions|Drivers' Championship]] with 5,763 [[List of NASCAR points scoring systems#1975–2010|points]], with [[Matt Kenseth]] second on 5,718 points and [[Kevin Harvick]] with 5,674 points in third. [[Mark Martin]] and [[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]] were fourth and fifth, and [[Denny Hamlin]], [[Jimmie Johnson]], [[Kasey Kahne]], [[Kyle Busch]] and [[Jeff Gordon]] rounded out the top ten drivers competing for the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup.{{Cite news |date=October 17, 2006 |title=The Chase |page=D1 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97924072/2006-subway-500-pre-race-chase/ |access-date=March 19, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}} In the [[List of NASCAR Manufacturers' champions|Manufacturers' Championship]], [[Chevrolet]] led with 237 points; [[Dodge]] was second with 179, followed by [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] with 173.{{cite web|title=Manufacturers' Championship Classification|url=http://www.jayski.com/stats/2006/manu2006.htm|work=Jayski's Silly Season Site|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|access-date=January 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212003239/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2006/manu2006.htm|archive-date=February 12, 2007}} Gordon was the race's defending champion.{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/altoona/altoona-mirror/2006/10-22/page-31?tag=2006+subway+500+defending+winner&rtserp=tags/2006-subway-500-defending-winner?ndt=bd&pd=14&pm=10&py=2006&pe=23&pem=10&pey=2006&pr=30|title=NASCAR Race Day – More than a sibling rivalry|last=Kurz Jr.|first=Hank|date=October 22, 2006|work=[[Altoona Mirror]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|page=C7|url-access=subscription|access-date=April 15, 2016|via=[[Newspaperarchive.com]]}}

Before the race, [[Jeff Burton]] led the [[List of NASCAR Cup Series champions|Drivers' Championship]] with 5,763 [[List of NASCAR points scoring systems#1975–2010|points]], with [[Matt Kenseth]] second on 5,718 points and [[Kevin Harvick]] with 5,674 points in third. [[Mark Martin]] and [[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]] were fourth and fifth, and [[Denny Hamlin]], [[Jimmie Johnson]], [[Kasey Kahne]], [[Kyle Busch]] and [[Jeff Gordon]] rounded out the top ten drivers competing for the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup.{{Cite news |date=October 17, 2006 |title=The Chase |page=D1 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97924072/2006-subway-500-pre-race-chase/ |access-date=March 19, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}} In the [[List of NASCAR Manufacturers' champions|Manufacturers' Championship]], [[Chevrolet]] led with 237 points; [[Dodge]] was second with 179, followed by [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] with 173.{{cite web|title=Manufacturers' Championship Classification|url=http://www.jayski.com/stats/2006/manu2006.htm|work=Jayski's Silly Season Site|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|access-date=January 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212003239/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2006/manu2006.htm|archive-date=February 12, 2007}} Gordon was the race's defending champion.{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/altoona/altoona-mirror/2006/10-22/page-31?tag=2006+subway+500+defending+winner&rtserp=tags/2006-subway-500-defending-winner?ndt=bd&pd=14&pm=10&py=2006&pe=23&pem=10&pey=2006&pr=30|title=NASCAR Race Day – More than a sibling rivalry|last=Kurz Jr.|first=Hank|date=October 22, 2006|work=[[Altoona Mirror]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|page=C7|url-access=subscription|access-date=April 15, 2016|via=[[Newspaperarchive.com]]}}