Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and 2001 Busch Series champion and current Nextel Cup driver Kevin Harvick will run in the NASCAR 250 Busch Series race July 29 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison.
They join a field led by 2005 Nextel Cup runner-up Carl Edwards, a Columbia, Mo., native.
During his 18-year career, Waltrip has been a star on the Nextel Cup scene, winning four times, including NASCAR's crown jewel the Daytona 500 in 2001 and 2003.
He also is an 11-time winner in the NASCAR Busch Series and has won the pole at 15 Busch events. In 2005, he ran in just 17 Busch races and notched four top-five finishes.
Harvick returns to Gateway to race for the first time since his second of back-to-back wins in the 2000 and 2001 Busch Series races.
In 2001, he went on to win his only Busch Series championship. Harvick has five career Nextel Cup wins, including his only one in 2005 when he also won the Busch race at Bristol to sweep the weekend.
Harvick has 14 career Busch Series wins.-
The 2006 Busch Series Race at Gateway, sponsored by Shop 'n Save, once again falls on an unencumbered Nextel Cup weekend date.
The field includes 2005 Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch, St. Louis native Kenny Wallace, 2005 Gateway Busch race winner Reed Sorenson and others.
A fireworks show will follow the race along with a concert by country music singer Travis Tritt. The Shop 'n Save 150 ARCA Re/Max Series will kick-off the program at 8 p.m. July 28 following a Busch Series practice.
Oval season tickets are on sale now for $125 for adults and $65 for children 12 and younger. Individual race tickets are also on sale for the entire 2006 major event schedule.
They can be purchased by calling (866) 35-SPEED from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by logging on to the Web site: http://www.gatewayraceway.com.
