2006 Subway 500

2006 Subway 500.
The 2006 Subway 500 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the sixth in the ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on October 22, 2006, before a crowd of 65,000, at Martinsville Speedway (pictured) in Martinsville, Virginia, one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The 500-lap race was won by Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports; Denny Hamlin finished second, and Bobby Labonte came in third. Kurt Busch won the pole position with the fastest time in qualifying; Johnson started from ninth position. There were 18 cautions and 16 lead changes by five different drivers during the race. Johnson's win was his fifth of the 2006 season, and the 23rd of his career. The result advanced him to third in the Drivers' Championship, 41 points behind Matt Kenseth, who took over the championship lead after Jeff Burton retired from the race. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship with four races left in the season.