Hamlin tops final New Hampshire Driver Ratings following all practice sessions

Hamlin should be strong enough Sunday to get third New Hampshire win

We're going to look for Denny Hamlin to win Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Hamlin has been reeling with some poor finishes of late, but this is the type of track that always does him well. He didn't have the greatest practices on Saturday after looking stellar in qualifying trim on Friday, but there wasn't a driver that stood out Saturday which gives Hamlin an edge.

What we like most of all out of Hamlin this week is his swagger. He hasn't guaranteed a win like he did last fall when he won, but he knows he's better on these types of tracks than everyone else. The short flat tracks are Hamlin's main game, and with a good starting position, he should find himself in a similar situation as last year when he led the most laps between both events.

Hamlin comes to the forefront even more considering no driver really stood out in Saturday's final practices. Brian Vickers had the best 10-consecutive lap average in the final practice session with two-time New Hampshire winner Clint Bowyer right behind him. Like Hamlin, Bowyer also excels on these types of tracks.

We have to consider the winners from races at Phoenix and Richmond this season just because the set-up requirements are similar. If a driver did well on those tracks, they're likely to do well Sunday at New Hampshire. Carl Edwards won at Phoenix and Kevin Harvick won at Richmond. Harvick is using the same chassis this week he won with at Richmond. Because it looks to be a wide open race, we're going to ride with a driver starting up front like Hamlin (7th), who knows better than most how to get around the flat one-mile track.

Read More Here.......Top-10 Final Driver Ratings

Keselowski on pole at New Hampshire

Slumping Brad Keselowski could use a top-5 finish this week 

Brad Keselowski, who has struggled for weeks and fallen outside the top 10 in points, may have started a comeback Friday by winning the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The defending Sprint Cup champion has not won a race this season and has slumped to 13th in the Cup standings. He has just one top-10 finish in his last 10 races.

But Keselowski paced the field during qualifying for the Camping World 301.

His average speed of 135.922 around the 1-mile oval edged Jimmie Johnson (135.902) for the top spot as the top 10 drivers all broke the track record.

Kurt Busch was third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Burton.

Read More Here....Sporting News
 

New Hampshire Starting Lineup

Keselowski Fastest in Friday's First Practice Session at New Hampshire

Brad Keselowski finished second at Loudon in 2011 

Brad Keselowski came out strong with a lap speed of 135.491 mph in Friday's first practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in preparation for Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 301. He laid down the fast lap on the final of 17 laps run during the 90-minute session while in qualifying trim.

A few teams tinkered around with race set-ups early during the practice, but the majority felt qualifying and getting great starting position for Sunday's race was a major key to having success. No driver ran 10 consecutive laps and Kurt Busch total the most with 29.

Teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin had identical speeds of 134.439 mph, and were tied for second fastest. Jamie McMurray (134.387) was fourth fastest, followed by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (134.259) to round out the top-five.

Hamlin guaranteed a win at New Hampshire last fall, and came through with the called shot. He'll be looking for his third win on the 1-mile flat track.

The teams will return later this afternoon at 3:40 p.m. (ET) for qualifying to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s event.

New Hampshire Practice 1 Speeds


Driver Quotes prior to Friday's practice

KURT BUSCH TALKING ABOUT RCR SUCCESS AND HOW IT TRANSLATES TO HIS TEAM: “The way that the relationship has worked with (Kevin) Harvick, the No. 29 and the No. 78 let’s just go that way is that you have a crew chief like Gil Martin with his experience level. Todd (Berrier) is very experienced as well for me, but the two of them Gill and Harvick have been together longer. So they are able to sometimes just end up in the right position because they are on that page together more often. So Todd and I will sit there and scratch our heads sometimes on ‘how did Harvick do that?’ But at the same time we are happy for them to do well because we are sharing information. Anytime they do well we understand exactly what they had. It’s been a matter of us, Todd and myself, filtering through their success to simulate that and to be able to copy that to the best of our abilities. We are routing for them they are routing for us. If we can get two of us in the Chase that is going to make it better I think.”

KEVIN HARVICK ON HOW EXCITED HE IS THAT BUDWEISER IS GOING TO FOLLOW HIM TO STEWART-HAAS RACING:
“Obviously, it’s nice to officially end all the speculation about numbers and teams and as far as the sponsorship, obviously we’ve had three years with Budweiser and looking forward to moving forward with them as a sponsor. It’s been an interesting process just from the fact that we really haven’t been involved in much of anything on the sponsorship side of it just for the fact that when we did the deal with SHR we were knowing that we were having to move forward for a year here and we wanted to make sure that we did a good job with RCR so it’s nice to be in a position to not have to go out and be a part of that whole process and be able to focus on racing a car and getting the performance and doing the things that we need to do at RCR. It’s worked out well and those guys at SHR took full responsibility to have the car funded and that made my life a lot easier.”

KEVIN HARVICK ON WHY HE CHOSE THE NUMBER 4 FOR NEXT YEAR:
“I think the 4 is just something that’s with the 14. The number was something that I don’t want to say didn’t really matter to me, but it’s something that you want to see consistent with the team and the things that they have going on. That was a number that was available and seemed like it was a pretty common tie to the 14.”

TONY STEWART ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “I’m excited to be here this is a track that’s definitely been good to us for sure. We used the third of our four tests that we are allotted to come up here a couple of weeks ago and see if we could get our cars a little better for here. I’m looking forward to seeing how it pans out this weekend.”

Driver Chassis Selections: 2013 Camping World RV 301 at New Hampshire

Kasey Kahne is using his winning Bristol chassis at Loudon Sunday

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis: PRS-845. Last Raced: All-Star Race (finished 22nd). Backup Chassis: PRS-847. Last Raced: Backup at several tracks (not raced)

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-769 for the New Hampshire race. Kahne has raced this car four times this season, notably reaching Victory Lane at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on March 17. During those four starts, he has averaged a 4.75 starting spot on the strength of outside pole positions at Phoenix and Bristol and a fourth-place start at Richmond, Va. Kahne also lined up 11th in this car on June 2 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The No. 9 team will bring chassis No. 728 to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. The team competed with chassis No. 728 at Martinsville Speedway where Ambrose started from the outside pole and posted an eight-place finish.

#10-Danica Patrick: Chassis No. 10-791: Chassis No. 10-791 made its debut in April at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, where Patrick started 30th and finished 29th. She and the GoDaddy team then tested the car June 25 and 26 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-792: This car made its debut in April at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. It started 21st but Stewart wheeled it into the top-five prior to a green-white-checkered finish. There, Stewart was bumped out of the way in the two-lap scramble and instead of finishing fifth, he wound up a disappointing 18th. Chassis No. 14-792 gets another crack at a strong run when it rolls out of the transporter for this weekend's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary Chassis No. 761 raced to a runner-up finish at Martinsville in April. The No. 15 team also used the chassis for their May 14-15 Goodyear Tire Test at Loudon

#16-Greg Biffle: Primary Chassis: RK-856 Brand new chassis was tested by Biffle and the team a few weeks ago at Loudon. Backup Chassis: RK-822 Last ran Martinsville finished 9th.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Primary Chassis: RK- 858- new chassis. The team brought this machine to the Loudon test last month to get it dialed in for Sunday's Camping World RV 301. Backup Chassis: RK-801 - chassis raced numerous times by No. 99 in 2012.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis: PRS-855. Last Raced: All-Star Race (finished 2nd). Backup Chassis: PRS-844. Last Raced: Backup and several tracks (not raced)

#27-Paul Menard: will pilot chassis No. 419 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was previously run this season at Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.

#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot chassis No. 420 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Camping World RV Sales 301 on Sunday afternoon. Harvick most recently drove this Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway in April.

#31-Jeff Burton: will race chassis No. 421 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Martinsville Speedway in March.

#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-783: Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-783 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. This chassis debuted at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, where Newman had a strong run going but was relegated to a 31st-place finish after suffering a pair of flat tires. Since then, Chassis No. 39-783 has been outfitted with body updates and was utilized for a test session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month.

#43-Aric Almirola:: The No. 43 team will race the chassis No. 736 this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 806, a new chassis, at New Hampshire. Chassis No. 778 serves as the backup.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-721 this weekend at New Hampshire. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to a 10th-place finish at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on April 27.

#99-Carl Edwards: RK - 857: last ran at Loudon test in June. RK - 819: last ran in Martinsville

- compiled by Jayski.com

Kurt Busch hoping for some more winning magic on Loudon's Magic Mile

Kurt Busch had three Cup wins at Loudon

DENVER, Colo. (July 9, 2013) – Every four years presidential candidates would love to enter the vital New Hampshire primary with the kind of momentum that Kurt Busch will take to the Granite State for this weekend’s Sprint Cup Series race.

Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet SS, has pocketed three straight top-10 finishes, vaulting him from 20th to ninth in the driver point standings during the three-race stretch. The three consecutive top-10s included finishes of fourth in Sonoma and sixth in both Kentucky and Daytona.

The sixth-place finish in last Saturday night’s restrictor-plate race at Daytona International Speedway resulted in Busch gaining five positions in the standings as he reached the coveted top-10 in points for the first time this season.

“We’re not putting the cart before the horse, we still have a long ways to go with a lot of hard work ahead of us,” said Busch in advance of Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “You can go down as quickly as you can go up in the point standings. Look at us, we were 20th in points just four races ago.”

After a slow start to the 2013 season that saw numerous adversities sprinkled in with a few strong finishes, the Furniture Row Racing team started its recent surge during the month of May in Charlotte where Busch ran strong in the Sprint All-Star Race before capping it off with a third-place result in the Coca-Cola 600.

The Coke 600 result was the first of five top-10 finishes in the last seven races for the Denver, Colo. single-car team.

“We always felt the potential was there but the costly combination of mistakes and bad luck kept us from advancing,” noted Busch, the 2004 NASCAR champion. “We kept plugging away and the positive work effort is paying off with a consistent run of top-10 finishes. As it always does, it will come down to consistency to make the Chase.”

Busch couldn’t ask for a better track to continue his momentum than New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he has won three times along with seven top-fives, 11 top-10s and 438 laps led.

“New Hampshire is a fun track,” said Busch. “It’s been good to me in the past. I won there three times in Cup and also won a truck race there. It’s a track with a delicate balance, but the race is usually won on how well you can roll the center of the corners. Some years turns one and two are more of a struggle and turn three is always the bumpier corner entry. But it seems like if you can get rolling through the middle it tends to give you a better shot at winning.”

Busch also feels the New England track provides an entertaining race from start to finish.

“Because of the shortness of the race (300 miles) it seems like guys don’t yield positions as easily and drivers do run side-by-side more often and race each other harder for those spots,” explained Busch. “New Hampshire is a track when you top off with fuel you can run a full fuel run and not really lose a lot of speed with the tires.”

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing

Gordon hoping for another consistent run at New hampshire

Gordon sat on the pole last fall at Loudon

LOUDON, N.H. (July 8, 2013) - With 15 consecutive top-15 finishes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, no wonder Jeff Gordon is looking to make gains in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings this Sunday in the Camping World RV Sales 301.

Since 2005, Gordon has posted seven top-five finishes at “The Magic Mile” with no finish worse than 15th. He enters the 301-lap event 14th in the point standings – a position that leaves few options.

“We don’t have any choice but to go out there and race hard and be aggressive,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet. “I feel like we have so much more potential.

“If we live up to our potential, we can earn a Chase spot.”

Last year at this juncture, Gordon was 17th in the standings with 485 championship points. With a win and five top-five finishes in the eight races leading up to the 2012 “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup,” he earned one of the 12 spots to battle for the title. In 2013, the 87-time race winner is in nearly an identical position. Gordon is currently 14th in the standings with 487 markers.

“We’ve had such an inconsistent year,” said the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. “We need to make sure we do well at some of the tracks coming up like New Hampshire.

In 36 starts at the 1.058-mile track, Gordon has three wins and four poles, while his 16 top-fives, 21 top-10′s and 1,316 laps led are tops at the New Hampshire track.“We’ve had some great runs recently. We need to make sure we have the good finishes to go along with them.”

“This track is very flat but it has long straightaways, so you carry a lot of speed into the corners,” said Gordon. “It’s hard to maintain a lot of speed for such a long, flat corner.

“Even though flat tracks weren’t my favorite types of tracks growing up, I’ve always enjoyed racing here. We’ve run well the last couple years, and we just did the tire test here a few weeks back. We’re definitely excited about the race this weekend.

“And optimistic about how we can do.”

- Performance PR Plus

Denny Hamlin on New Hampshire: 'Obviously, it's a race that we think we can win'

Hamlin called his shot the last time visiting New Hampshire

Event: Camping World RV Sales 301
Date/Time: July 14/1 p.m. ET
2012 winner: Kasey Kahne
2011 polesitter: Kyle Busch
Distance: 301 laps/318.4 miles
Track Length: 1 mile
Banking: 7 degrees
Track Shape: Oval

EXPRESS NOTES:

Daytona Recap: Denny Hamlin led 20 laps in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway but was involved in a pair of late-race, multi-car incidents to finish 36th in the 161-lap event won by Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin qualified 24th in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota but quickly moved into the top-10 on Daytona’s high-banked oval. During the first series of pit stops, however, Hamlin was blocked in after a two-tire stop, and elected to take left-side rubber and return in 34th. Proving to be one of the strongest cars on the track, Hamlin drove through the field to take the lead on Lap 73 and paced the field until Lap 92. Seven laps later, Hamlin tangled with Martin Truex Jr. on the front straightaway and sustained damage to the right side of the #11 machine. The FedEx crew repaired the car on the pit road and returned to the track one lap down. Hamlin received the ‘Lucky Dog’ during a caution on Lap 128, and was right back in the mix to compete for the win. Unfortunately, Hamlin was again involved in a multi-car accident on the fronstretch and suffered heavy damage to the car, ending the team’s night early. The finish dropped Hamlin one spot to 26th in the NASCAR standings following Daytona.

New Hampshire Preview: The Series heads north to New Hampshire Motor Speedway and one of the FedEx Racing Team’s best tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Hamlin was victorious the last time he raced at the one-mile track, leading 193 of 300 laps in the Chase race last September en route to victory lane. In that race, Hamlin qualified 32nd but drove to the lead by Lap 91 and never looked back. In the July race at New Hampshire, Hamlin’s car was just as dominant, leading nearly half (150 of 301) the laps. However, a miscommunication on pit road saw Hamlin take four tires while the majority of lead lap cars took just two, putting Hamlin in 13th for the final restart. He drove on a mission, picking off cars to the front, but ran out of time to chase down eventual winner Kasey Kahne. The FedEx team settled for second. Hamlin has 10 top-10 finishes in 14 career starts at New Hampshire, including a pair of wins (July 2007 and September 2012). He has completed all but two laps (4,166 of 4,168), leading 417.

FedEx Office – Closest to New Hampshire Motor Speedway: 10 Ft. Eddy Rd., Concord, NH 03301, (603) 226-0565

Rochester, N.Y. Along for the Ride in Loudon: The FedEx Freight service center in Rochester, N.Y., will be recognized for outstanding performance with its ‘ROC’ code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. ROC provides both FedEx Freight® Priority and FedEx Freight® Economy services throughout western New York and to and from Canada.

FEDEX RACING CONVERSATION — DENNY HAMLIN:

How will the FedEx team approach this weekend’s race in New Hampshire?
“Obviously, it’s a race that we think we can win and our approach now is to go out and win as many races as we can. We were probably the strongest car at both New Hampshire races last year, but we didn’t make it easy on ourselves. Winning these races is so hard because of so many great teams, that we have to make sure we’re on our game from practice to qualifying and the race. It’ll be interesting to see how these new cars will be this weekend, but I’m confident we’ll have a fast FedEx Freight Camry and hopefully we can compete for the win.”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing

Kevin Harvick using winning Richmond chassis at New Hampshire this week

Kevin Harvick (12/1) won his second race of 2013 at Richmond

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet SS at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 420 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Camping World RV Sales 301 on Sunday afternoon. Harvick most recently drove this Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway in April.

Just the Stats … Since 2001, Harvick has made 24 starts at the 1.058-mile oval, collecting one win (September 2006), one pole award (September 2006), five top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. The California native holds a 14.1 average starting position, coupled with a 13.7 average finishing position, has completed 99.2 percent (7,021 of 7,075) of the laps contested and is credited with 319 laps led.

Sign Here Please … Fans can meet Harvick and select Sprint Cup Series drivers during a NASCAR autograph session on Friday, July 12 from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. ET in the track display lot across from the SPEED stage outside of turns one and two of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Two hundred wristbands will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 4 p.m.

Race Rewind … After starting from the 12th position, Harvick and the No. 29 team finished eighth while battling handling issues throughout the 2012 LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

Share your thoughts on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the Gen-6 car.
“I enjoy racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, we haven’t run as well as we would have liked the last few years. Obviously, everything is new with this particular car and hopefully we can start off on the right foot this weekend. We have a race at New Hampshire during the Chase (for the NASCAR Sprint Cup), so I’m hoping we can get a solid result and collect some good notes to build off of and have a good run during the second race there this season. It’s really another one of those places we will have to go to first, before we will really know how this new car is going to perform.”

Is there any other track on the circuit that you can compare to New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“Not really, I guess you could kind of compare it to Phoenix (International Raceway) now with the new asphalt in turns three and four, but that’s about it. New Hampshire Motor Speedway has some wider seams that have started to separate and the track is starting to age a bit. You have some forward grip issues that you usually fight. But we have been fighting a lot more forward grip issues with this new car than we have in the past because they take off so fast early in a run. It will be interesting to see what the left-rear tire wear will look like during runs.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Jeff Burton not a bad look at 75-to-1 odds to win at New Hampshire

Jeff Burton once led all 300 laps during a 2000 New Hampshire race

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Weekend’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 421 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Martinsville Speedway in March.

Career New Hampshire Stats … This race marks Burton’s 37th start in “The Granite State” and 674th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. He has amassed four wins, eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the 1.058-mile facility and led 940 laps.

Mr. New Hampshire … Burton is no stranger to Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, bringing home race-winning trophies in four-consecutive seasons (1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000). During his memorable victory in the 2000 event, the South Boston, Va. native paced the field for all 300 circuits, marking the last time a Sprint Cup Series driver led 100 percent of the laps completed.

Featured Cat Dealers … Milton CAT will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Milton CAT is the Northeast Dealer for Caterpillar machinery, engines and generators as well as a range of top name brands that complement the Caterpillar product offering – Metso mobile crushing and screening plants, Genie aerial lifts and Sullair compressors. Milton CAT serves light to heavy construction, forestry, agriculture, governmental, paving, scrap, demolition and waste as well as marine, prime and stand-by power generation industries. Milton CAT maintains a huge fleet of machines and generators available for rent – and through rentmachines.com, daily and weekly machine rentals are available through Milton CAT Rental Alliances, a network of independent rental stores throughout the northeast. To learn more visit www.miltoncat.com.

2012 Race Rewind … An early pit road incident, untimely caution-flag periods and long green-flag runs relegated Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team to a 21st-place finish in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series July event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:

How hard is it to pass at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“I am one of the few drivers that think it is harder to pass at New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) than before. It used to be when you had position, the spot was yours. Now you gain that track position and the fight for the spot has just begun. I think it is much harder to pass now than it was with the old track. I do enjoy going to New Hampshire, though. I feel really comfortable there.”

What kind of track do you consider New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“It’s a NASCAR short track, but not a late model-style short track. The corners are long and flat, so handling is everything. You have corner-entry, middle of the corner and exit issues you have to worry about. When you are off a little bit at this track, it’s really magnified because the corners are so long.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Jimmie Johnson on New Hampshire: 'It starts with qualifying....it's tough to pass'

Jimmie Johnson (5/1) last won at Loudon in 2010

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (July 9, 2013) – “There goes my hero. Watch him as he goes. There goes my hero. He’s ordinary.” The lyrics to the Foo Fighters song “My Hero” fit the people who will be recognized at this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Those heroes aren’t the ones driving racecars. They are the people who risk their lives every day when called upon to help when a disaster or emergency occurs. They are our country’s first responders.

The NASCAR community comes together this weekend to host those in the New England area who were first on the scene when called upon last April during the Boston Marathon bombing. Jimmie Johnson met several of the survivors from that day at a special luncheon two weeks ago that included bombing survivors and several other champions from Boston’s famed sports teams. At the luncheon, Johnson noted that, in tough times, sports often serve as a diversion, something to take our minds off of our day-to-day problems.

The five-time champion and the rest of the NASCAR circuit will serve as that diversion this weekend when they travel to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Johnson has three wins at the mile oval, his most recent coming in the July race in 2010. He also is coming off an historic sweep of the season’s Sprint Cup events at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and is also leading the driver point standings. His four wins this season currently make him the top seed for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Matt Kenseth also has four wins but Johnson wins the tiebreaker with a next-best finish of second to Kenseth’s next-best finish of sixth.

So while Johnson tries to be a hero on the racetrack, attempting to make it to victory lane two consecutive weeks, the sport remembers and honors those who are the real heroes – ordinary people who do extraordinary things when disaster strikes.

Johnson’s New Hampshire Quick Stats:
Three wins (July and September 2003, July 2010).
Eight top-five finishes (36.4 percent) and 15 top-10s (68.2 percent) in 22 starts.
Average start of 11.1 and average finish of 9.5.
Completed 6,407 of 6,475 laps (98.9 percent) and led 321.
Sprint Cup’s third-best driver rating (105.8 average of a possible 150 points).
Sprint Cup’s second-best in fastest laps run (405).
Sprint Cup’s second-best in most laps in the top-15 with 3,936 (82.6 percent).
Sprint Cup’s second-best in quality passes with 536.

JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES:

What do you need to do to run well at New Hampshire?
“It starts with qualifying. Getting a good starting spot is really important and not just because of pit-stall selection. It’s tough to pass there and starting in the back just makes your day that much tougher. Track position is key. And the car drives differently depending on where you are. Once you get up front, it’s a whole different ball game than when you’re in traffic. You need the car to turn a specific way when you are back there. So, really, having a good race strategy and staying up front are important for a good finish.”

How big is it to get this win and tie Matt Kenseth for four wins on the season?
“Yeah, every point counts, without a doubt. Clearly locking in, I think three wins locked us into the Chase. Clearly we’ve got nothing to worry about from that standpoint. Now, it’s trying to get each and every point we can to carry in. Happy to get four wins and, hopefully, we can get a couple more and get ahead of him (Matt Kenseth).”

- True Speed Communication for Team Lowe’s Racing

New Hampshire NASCAR Notes

Points Pandemonium At Season’s Midpoint
Seven down; one to go.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway, host to Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 301 (1 p.m. ET on TNT, Performance Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio), is the eighth and final stop during the regular season at a track that also hosts a race in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.
Advantage? So far, no one.

Seven different drivers have taken the new, Gen-6 car to Victory Lane on Chase tracks. All but surprise Talladega winner David Ragan rank among the current top 10. The box score shows three wins by Chevrolet and two each by Ford and Toyota.

Parity or pandemonium – whatever you want to call it – is reflected across the board and especially in the ongoing struggle to qualify for the post season.

Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth, both four-time winners, have established themselves as the championship favorites. The race to determine their 10 rivals is unsettled to say the least.

Just 44 points cover drivers ranked ninth through 21st. Jeff Burton, 21st and currently ineligible even for a Chase Wild Card, is 42 points out of the top 10 – a ranking that would give him automatic entry into the post season. Burton is the track’s most prolific winner with four victories including a season sweep in 1998.
One year ago, after the season’s first 18 races, the difference between 10th and 12th places was 56 points. Juan Pablo Montoya, then the 21st place driver, was 139 points outside the top 10.

The importance of the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway can’t be understated. In 2012, seven of July’s top-10 finishers earned a Chase berth on points. Each member of the top 10 in points after the season’s 19th race also moved into NASCAR’s post season.

New Hampshire’s summer event has seen eight consecutive different winners with the Granite State track minting 10 straight different winners overall. Last year’s winners – Kasey Kahne in July; Denny Hamlin in September – are outside the championship top 10. Kahne holds a potential Chase Wild Card. Hamlin is 122 points outside Wild Card eligibility.

Four drivers – Johnson (2010), Tony Stewart (2005), Kurt Busch (2004) and Jeff Gordon (1995) – have won New Hampshire’s July race and the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in the same season. The quartet has won 12 of the track’s 36 races.

Over the past 16 races, Stewart ranks No. 1 in Driver Rating (111.7) and has led the most laps (887). Gordon owns the track record for top–five (16) and top-10 (21) finishes.

Busch’s Charge Elevates Furniture Row’s Profile
Furniture Row Racing, a single-car organization headquartered in Denver, Colo., is racing in unfamiliar territory. Barney Visser’s team, which enjoys a technical relationship with Richard Childress Racing, has put a driver into the top 10 for the first time this late in the season since fielding its first NASCAR Sprint Cup entry in 2005.

Proving the volatility of this year’s championship battle, Kurt Busch has gone from 20th to ninth in just three races – fueled by a trio of top 10s capped by last weekend’s sixth-place finish at Daytona.

An unlikely pick to qualify for this year’s Chase, Visser and Busch are proving the experts wrong although the driver cautions about reading too much long term into the recent surge.

“We’re not putting the cart before the horse; we still have a long ways to go with a lot of hard work ahead of us,” said Busch. “You can go down as quickly as you can go up in the point standings.

“Look at us. We were 20th in points just four races ago.”

Busch’s future appeared cloudy after being released by Penske Racing after the 2011 season. Visser effectively got the 2004 champion off the “waiver wire” running Busch in last year’s final six events. Busch responded by ending the year with three consecutive top-10 performances.

The early season showed promise. Busch was spectacular at times but the finishes were uneven. Things began to click at Charlotte Motor Speedway where Busch finished third in May’s Coca-Cola 600 to kick off a run of five top 10s in seven races.

“We always felt the potential was there but the costly combination of mistakes and bad luck kept us from advancing,” said Busch, a 24-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner. “We kept plugging away and the positive work effort is paying off.”

Crossed Flags: High Speeds, Broken Records Highlight First Half
Eighteen up, 18 to go. And if the second half resembles the first, expect high speeds and passing – lots of passing.

A number of race tracks have seen their record books rewritten during the first half. A sampling…
- At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, there were 31 green flag passes for the lead, a new track best since the inception of Loop Data in 2005.
- At Auto Club Speedway, there were 41 green flag passes for the lead, which tied a track record.
- The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway saw 35 passes for the lead, which tied a race best.
- Dover featured 25 passes for the lead, which set a track Loop Data record
- During last week’s Daytona night race, there were 9,574 green flag passes – a new track record.

Those figures, as well as qualifying speeds, underlined the Gen-6 race car’s 2013 debut. In all, eight qualifying records have been set this season. The list: Bristol, Martinsville, Texas, Kansas, Richmond, Darlington, Charlotte and Kentucky.

Among some of the other impressive first-half stats generated by Gen-6 car:
- 10 different race winners, and 10 different Coors Light Pole winners
- Through 18 races, 52.3% of cars have finished on the lead lap versus 41.1% last year
- The average margin of victory has dropped to 1.403 seconds, the closest since 2010. Additionally, 10 races have ended with an MOV under one second, the most since 2010.
- 81.7% of cars are finishing the race through 15 races, versus 75.8% last season.

A Denny’s Last Stand: New Hampshire Could Be Just What Hamlin Needs
When Denny Hamlin returned in May from a four-race hiatus to heal his back, questions ran rampant regarding whether his time off created too large of a chasm for him to climb out of before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup reset the field for the postseason. With eight races remaining before that day arrives, the answer is that he must start winning races now. 

If Hamlin is going to climb into Chase Wild Card contention, his best shot at winning might be this Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In 14 starts at the 1.058-mile track, he’s won twice, most recently last September. He has seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, and has only finished outside the top 15 once. He could have – and maybe should have – swept last year, leading 150 of the 301 laps last July and finished second to Kasey Kahne.

Among active drivers at New Hampshire, Hamlin has the best average finish (7.9) and has led the third-most laps (417). His driver rating (104.8) ranks fourth among active drivers.

In order to win, he’ll need to overcome his recent four-race slump in which he’s finished 30th, 23rd, 35th and 36th. Even if he wins on Sunday, Hamlin still has his work cut out for him. He is in 26th place, 122 points behind Paul Menard in 20th place – the magic number for Chase Wild Card consideration. The two drivers from 11th-20th with the most wins will earn a Wild Card spot.

Consistent Bowyer Eyes Granite State Victory
Clint Bowyer has come full circle from his career-best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship finish of 2012.

Following last weekend’s fourth-place finish at Daytona, the driver of the No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota has moved to second in the standings, 49 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. That’s the same ranking Bowyer held when last year’s final checkered flag fell at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Bowyer has been a rock of consistency this year – especially over the past month and a half. He’s riding a streak of three top-five finishes with six top 10s in the past seven races. He’s one of three drivers in the current top 10 without a victory – seconds at Martinsville and Richmond are tops so far in 2012 – but history suggests that may change in New Hampshire.

Bowyer posted his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at the track in September 2007 and won again in 2010. Bowyer’s New Hampshire score card features a pole, four top fives and sixth top 10s. He finished top five in both of last year’s races on the 1.058-mile track – third in July and fourth in September.

In 14 races at the track, Bowyer ranks fifth in Driver Rating (97.2) and sixth in Average Running Position (12.0). He’s also led 475 laps, second only to Tony Stewart’s 887.

- NASCAR

Kyle Busch: 'Loudon is definitely a short track race. It's a lot like Phoenix'

Kyle Busch won at New Hampshire for Rick Hendrick in 2006 

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (July 9, 2013) – Native New Englander Dave Rogers has spent many special moments with his family at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, but two days in particular stick out for the crew chief who hails from nearby Marshfield, Vt.

Rogers and his father attended the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire in 1990 as fans, but a return trip in 1992 to see the late Dale Earnhardt and Joe Nemechek battle door-to-door over the final laps is something that has stuck with him to this day.

Fast-forward to June 2008, when Rogers wasn’t in the grandstands but atop the pit box as Nationwide Series crew chief for former Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver Tony Stewart. That day, Stewart delivered Rogers’ first win as a crew chief at the track just a two-hour drive from where he grew up. It was an emotional day for the New Englander. Rogers’ father Davis C. Rogers was able to experience NASCAR victory lane for the first time, and Stewart, knowing what it meant to Rogers and his family, gave him the firesuit he wore that day.

Along with that Nationwide Series win as a crew chief, Rogers also visited victory lane at New Hampshire as a NASCAR Sprint Cup crew member – winning with Stewart in 2000 as his lead engineer on JGR’s No. 20 team.

Now the 38-year-old Sprint Cup crew chief for Kyle Busch and the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota for JGR, is hoping Busch can deliver another special New Hampshire moment for him and many family and friends expected to be in attendance for Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 301. That’s something Rogers’ friends and family would welcome, particularly his father Davis, who remembers fondly the 1990 trip to New Hampshire with his son when the Nationwide Series made its first visit to the 1.058-mile oval.

Busch has also enjoyed plenty of success at the “Magic Mile” throughout his career, having scored a Sprint Cup Series win in July 2006 among his six top-10 finishes in 16 starts. He’s also scored three wins, one pole and four top-five results in seven Nationwide Series starts at Loudon to go along with three wins, one pole and six top-10 finishes in seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.

In keeping with the family theme this weekend, Busch and Rogers would like nothing more than to celebrate in victory lane with many families that are Interstate Batteries dealers and distributors from New England and across the country.

With the marathon-like 36-race Sprint Cup Series schedule, Busch and Rogers don’t have much time to attend many, if any, family reunions. But, they’ve had Sunday circled on their calendar in hopes of bringing the celebration to them in victory lane in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

What do you think about the upcoming New Hampshire race?
“Loudon is tricky for me. For some reason, I never figured it out with our last car. With the COY as I called it (car of yesteryear), we were pretty decent there, so I’m hoping that our 2013 Toyota Camry has some of the same characteristics there like that car did. I remember 2006, I think, one of the last races we ran with the COY – I won that one. So, it’s been one of those places that’s just kind of tricky, sometimes, to figure out for me – just the flatness of the corners, how hard do you get into the corner, how much brake do you use, how much do you let the car roll, how hard to get back on the gas – there’s so many different things you’ve got to work through at Loudon. I’ve got one of the best teammates in the business to help me with that with Denny (Hamlin). I definitely use him a lot when we go there on those weekends. We were fast there both races last year but had issues both times that kept us out of the running for the win. We’d certainly like to get up in the top-five and contend for better finishes at Loudon with our Interstate Batteries Camry. I know that place is pretty special to Dave (Rogers) and his family, so I’m hoping for we can deliver for him this weekend.”

Do you approach Loudon as a speedway or a short-track race?
“Loudon is definitely a short-track race. It’s a lot like Phoenix. You have some good speed down the straightaway, but definitely a lot of braking getting through the tight, paperclip-shaped corners.”

The New Hampshire race is one of the shortest on the circuit. How do you approach that race knowing you might have a little less time to get to the front at the end?
“Essentially, at Loudon, you’re looking at how good your fuel mileage is and you have to look at when you have to make your last pit stop since that’s what everyone looks at. You end up running it almost like a road-course race because you do want to be the first guy on the last round of pit stops to pit. You want to get in there, get your tires and fuel, and then stay out the rest of the race and keep your track position since it’s so important there. It’s just a challenging race because it is so hard to pass there. You can’t be two-tenths faster than a guy and be able to pass him because everyone typically runs the same speed. You’ll have it where the leader might be a tenth better than the second-place guy, but everyone is separated by so little that it takes a mistake on someone’s part in order to pass them there.”

When you make a mistake at Loudon, does it cost you a little bit more because you have less time to recover?
“You don’t because you’re always on edge there. You’re trying to go as fast as you can into the corners, as deep as you can into the corners while rolling as much speed, or just a bit higher than everyone else so you are able to get back to the gas sooner. You’re going harder than everyone else in order to make the straightaway a little bit longer and get your momentum built back up. It’s definitely a challenging racetrack – not one of my best racetracks, I’ll admit that. I have won there in the past so, if we get a good car, I guess I’ll need to have a really good car, apparently. Then we might have a shot to win there.”

DAVE ROGERS, Crew Chief of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

As a native New Englander, New Hampshire has always been a homecoming race for you and a track where you won in the Nationwide Series in 2008. What does New Hampshire Motor Speedway mean to you?
“There are a lot of memories there. I love going back to the Northeast, but I also like to go back there and race. It’s very exciting for my entire family. My boys are old enough to where they can fly up on the JGR plane with me and hang out with my family and friends from up there, so it’s just a really neat experience all around when we get to race at New Hampshire and I’m hoping we can get our Interstate Batteries Toyota to victory lane to make things even better.”

When was your first trip to New Hampshire? Was it as a fan?
“I was there for the inaugural Nationwide Series race (in 1990). The first four years that the Nationwide Series raced at New Hampshire, we were there. I was also there for the inaugural Cup Series race at the track. The one race I remember like it was yesterday was when Joe Nemechek and Dale Earnhardt Sr., raced door-to-door for the last few laps and put on a great show for the fans. I don’t remember exactly what year that was (1992) but it was a long time ago.”

You won the 2008 Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire as a crew chief for Tony Stewart. What did that mean to you to go to victory lane that day?
“We went to inaugural Nationwide Series race there and we sat in the stands as fans and had a great time as a family. Then you go to 2008 and you go there as a crewmember and my father was there and you get to go to victory lane and share that experience with him. That was special. I think it was the first time my Dad had ever been to victory lane for a NASCAR race. It was really exciting and very emotional. We got that win with Tony Stewart, who is a good friend of mine. Tony made it really special for me. He gave me the firesuit after the race and congratulated my whole family, so it meant quite a bit to me and to my entire family.”

When was your first trip to New Hampshire working on a NASCAR team?
“The 1999 Cup Series race with the 20 car was my first race back to Loudon as part of a team. It was Tony’s (Stewart) first Cup race there, as well. That was the first time I worked on a car as part of a team at Loudon.”

Was there anyone back home in Marshfield, Vt., who helped you become who you are today?
“I’ve been blessed enough to be surrounded by great people my whole life. I look up to my dad more than anybody. He wasn’t really big into racing, but I see a lot of his personality in me. He taught me to never quit or give up, to never be satisfied with second. That motivates me. He’ll be at the race with us again this weekend and that will be a lot of fun. I had some great teachers at Twinfield High School (in Plainfield, Vt.) – some great people who just really taught me and my classmates about what the books say, but also how to be a respectful person. I had some really great leadership from up that way and, hopefully, they’ll be watching.”

- True Speed Communication for Interstate Batteries/Joe Gibbs Racing

New Hampshire track facts: 2013 Camping World RV Sales 301

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	22	0	3	8	15	0	9.5	105.8
2	Clint Bowyer	14	1	2	4	6	1	15.1	97.2
3	Carl Edwards	17	0	0	2	3	0	14.5	86.3
4	Kevin Harvick	24	1	1	5	12	0	13.7	92.8
5	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	27	0	0	7	11	4	16.1	96.9
6	Matt Kenseth	26	0	0	5	12	1	14.0	78.6
7	Kyle Busch	16	1	1	4	6	0	16.7	89.6
8	Greg Biffle	21	0	1	5	8	2	16.3	87.5
9	Kurt Busch	24	0	3	7	11	1	14.8	89.6
10	Tony Stewart	28	1	3	14	17	2	11.4	111.7
11	Martin Truex Jr.	14	0	0	3	5	1	14.9	86.5
12	Kasey Kahne	18	0	1	3	8	3	16.2	91.8

* – Based on last 16 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Wild Card Standings Following Daytona 

Pos	Driver	Wins	Pts Pos	Points	Pts From 10th	Starts	Poles	T5s	T10s	DNFs
1	Martin Truex Jr.	1	11	493	-6	18	0	4	8	2
2	Kasey Kahne	1	12	490	-9	18	0	5	7	3
3	Brad Keselowski	0	13	488	-11	18	0	5	8	1
4	Jeff Gordon	0	14	487	-12	18	0	4	6	5
5	Joey Logano	0	15	483	-16	18	0	5	8	2
6	Ryan Newman	0	16	482	-17	18	0	2	8	4
7	Jamie McMurray	0	17	475	-24	18	1	1	5	0
8	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #	0	18	466	-33	18	0	0	0	0
9	Aric Almirola	0	19	463	-36	18	0	0	4	3
10	Paul Menard	0	20	460	-39	18	0	0	4	1
11	David Ragan	1	28	317	-182	18	0	1	1	3

The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.

 

Denny Hamlin won at New Hampshire last fall 

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History

·        Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.

·        The 1.058-mile oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

·        Speedway Motorsports, Inc., agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on January 11, 2008 and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Notebook

·        There have been 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.

·        146 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; 120 in more than one.

·        Four drivers have competed in all 36 races at New Hampshire: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte andJoe Nemechek.

·        Mark Martin won the inaugural Coors Light pole at New Hampshire in 1993 with a speed of 126.871 mph.  

·        18 drivers have Coors Light poles at New Hampshire, led by Ryan Newman with six.

·        Five drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at New Hampshire: Ken Schrader (1997 sweep); Jeff Gordon (1998-1999); Rusty Wallace (1999-2000); Ryan Newman (twice – 2003-2004 and 2011 sweep); Juan Pablo Montoya (2009-2010).

·        Youngest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (7/17/2005 – 21 years, 8 months, 23 days).

·        Oldest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (7/21/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 13 days).

·        21 different drivers have won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Burton with four.

·        Two drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep) and Kurt Busch (2004 sweep).  

·        Youngest New Hampshire winner: Joey Logano (6/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).

·        Oldest New Hampshire winner: Mark Martin (9/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).

·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with nine; followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.

·        Five different manufacturers have won at New Hampshire; led by Chevrolet with 18 victories; followed by Fordwith 11.

·        Jeff Burton is the only driver to win the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three consecutive years in a row (1997, ’98 and ’99).

·        Five of the 36 (13.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Ryan Newman in 2011.

·        The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at New Hampshire.

·        Eight of the 36 (22.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from the front row: eight from the pole and seven from second-place.

·        19 of the 36 (52.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        Nine of the 36 (25.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at New Hampshire was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.

·        Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are tied for the series lead in runner-up finishes at New Hampshire with five each.

·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at New Hampshire with 16; followed by Tony Stewart with 14.

·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at New Hampshire with 21; followed by Tony Stewart with 17.

·        Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at New Hampshire with an 8.045.

·        Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with a 7.929.

·        All 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano won at New Hampshire in their second appearance.

·        Mark Martin competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 25 times before winning in 2009; the longest span of any the 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners.

·        Bobby Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire without visiting Victory Lane at 36.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the July 1, 2007 race won by Denny Hamlin over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.068 second.

·        Only one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup races have resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2006 (300/308).

·        Four of the 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was June 28, 2009 – the race was called on Lap 273, 28 circuits shy of the 301 scheduled laps.

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway four times: 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2009.

·        Three NASCAR Sprint Cup active drivers have made their first career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:Jeff Burton (9/14/93), Joe Nemechek (7/11/93), and Joey Logano (9/14/08).

·        Brad Keselowski (9/19/10) is the only active driver to post his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

·        Four active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have posted their first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:Joe Nemechek (9/19/99), Ryan Newman (9/15/02), Clint Bowyer (9/16/07) and Joey Logano (6/28/09).

·        Jeff Gordon leads all active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,316 in 36 starts.

·        Danica Patrick will attempt to become the first female driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Patrick does have one start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at NHMS; she started 18th and finished 14th (7/14/2012).

 

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data

Season Race #: 19 of 36 (07-14-13)

Track Size: 1.058-miles

Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 2 to 7 degrees

Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 2 to 7 degrees

Banking/Straights: 1 degree

Frontstretch Length: 1,500 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet

Race Length: 301 laps / 318.458 miles

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at New Hampshire
Tony Stewart	111.7
Jeff Gordon	109.9
Jimmie Johnson	105.8
Denny Hamlin	104.8
Clint Bowyer	97.2
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	96.9
Ryan Newman	94.9
Kevin Harvick	92.8
Kasey Kahne	91.8
Jeff Burton	91.6
Kurt Busch	89.6
Kyle Busch	89.6

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (16 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Kyle Busch, Toyota, 133.417 mph, 28.548 secs. 7-13-12

2012 race winner: Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 116.226 mph, (02:44:24), 7-15-12

Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 135.232 mph, 28.165 secs. 7-15-11

Track race record: Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134 mph, (02:42:35), 7-13-97

NASCAR in New Hampshire

·        There have been 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

Track Name	City	Total Races	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Loudon	78	36	26	16

·        15 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as New Hampshire; Jamie Aube is the only one of the 15 to record a victory in NASCAR national series competition.  Aube won July 12, 1987 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME; it was his only start that season.