2012 New Hampshire Sylvania 300 Driver Notes & Quotes

Newman a contender this week using winning chassis from 2011 (Getty)

RYAN NEWMAN ON LOUDON: “I think the track is the key when it comes to being aggressive and patient all at the same time. There is a different style of driving that you have to have there. You can’t really be overaggressive at that racetrack. It’s kind of a combination of patience and aggressiveness. You want to take what the car will give you because the track is flat. With banking, the faster you go, the more it pushes the car down into the racetrack. We don’t have that there, so it’s just a matter of feeling that razor-blade-edge of grip and getting everything you can and I’ve been successful at it there. It’s kind of clicked with me since the beginning. I really like the racetrack and obviously know how to drive it, which is a big part of it. It’s a good place to start up front because it’s a short race, and it’s not the easiest place to pass.”

NEWMAN CHASSIS CHOICE: With one start already this season, Chassis No. 39-645 is no stranger to victory lane. In its first start in 2012, Newman drove this chassis to the winner’s circle at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Newman won despite falling one lap down early in the race after receiving a penalty for speeding on pit road. And, once he got back on the lead lap, Newman took advantage of every spot in front of him. He took his first – and only – lead of the day on lap 504 of 515, when he dove under the leaders after they collided in turn one. He held off another driver on the final restart in a tough duel before pulling away on the last lap to win. The chassis also earned a 10th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway in Loudon in July. The chassis made four starts last year – two at Martinsville and two at New Hampshire.

This chassis was also the race winner for Newman last July in Loudon, when Newman started on the pole and led 119 of 301 laps en route to his third victory at the track. In five total starts, chassis No. 39-645 has two victories, two poles (both at New Hampshire last year) and three top-10 finishes.

TONY STEWART ON LOUDON: “It just has long, sweeping corners. The corners in comparison to where we normally race, we’re used to having a lot of banking, but New Hampshire is pretty flat. It’s one of those tracks where you’re either fighting entry-loose, entry-exit and nice in the center, or you’re fighting tight in the center and you’re good on entry and good on exit. It’s a juggling act trying to get the car balanced for all three sections of the corner.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON LOUDON: “It’s tough because the balance when you have clean air and the whole race track to yourself you need a racecar to drive a certain way. When you get in traffic you need the car to turn a lot stronger to run a tighter radius and inside of someone. It’s tough to blend those two worlds. That is the thing we fight so much is we work in practice running by ourselves. You get in the race you are rarely by yourself then trying to find a way to make your car work in traffic.”

KASEY KAHNE ON LOUDON: “It feels really good to go back to New Hampshire during the Chase. The win in July was a big turning point for the team and should give everyone some more confidence this weekend. I think we found a good setup for thecar last time, so we should have a good place to start from when we unload.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR. ON LOUDON: “New Hampshire kind of lends itself to the short track mentality and that style of racing. I enjoy racing at short tracks, have a great track record at all the short tracks we run at. I feel like that’s a bit in my wheelhouse, and this place sort of fits toward that.”

JEFF GORDON ON LOUDON: “It was a disappointing result (in Chicago), but we had a fast race car. We had a great run from 19th to inside the top five, and I would have liked to have seen if we had anything for them at the end, but we’ll put that event behind us and focus on trying to win Loudon this weekend. There is still a long way to go.”

“I really enjoy racing here. It’s not an easy place to get around, though, with the long straightaways, flat corners and hard braking. Recently, we have led laps, run well and been in position to win. We just need to put ourselves in that position again and capitalize on it.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 51 PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION CHEVROLET – 26th IN STANDINGS:
“New Hampshire is a track that has been pretty good to me since I started racing in the top series of this sport. I raced there for the first time in the Truck Series and won that race. Then it’s a track where I have three wins in the Cup cars and, when you’re able to go to a track where you’ve had that kind of success, it just gives you that confidence. Because of the wins and everything, it’s a place we go to where I feel like I especially know what it takes from the car and the driver to be successful.”

KEVIN HARVICK ON KEY TO LOUDON: “The hardest thing is just making your car turn in the middle of the corner and being able to have enough forward drive off the corners. It always seems like the New Hampshire race comes down to a track position strategy call on two tires or four tires toward the end of the race. Track position will play a big part, but getting your car to handle right will probably play an equal part.”

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No.400 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s SYLVANIA 300. Built new for competition during the 2012 season, this RCR Chevrolet will make its first competitive laps this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

JEFF BURTON ON LOUDON: “New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a very challenging track. It’s one of those places where if you are off a little bit, it shows a lot on the leaderboard. There is a fine line between being really good and not very good. It’s definitely a tough race track. The car must turn in the middle of the corners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Rear grip has become less of an issue since we first started racing there. When we first started going there, rear grip was everything. If you could accelerate off the corner before your competitor, you were in good shape. Throughout the years, that has really changed. You must rotate in the middle of the corners. If it doesn’t rotate, your lap times will suffer. To me, rotation in the middle of the corners is the most important key to being strong.”

BURTON CHASSIS CHOICE: Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 382 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized in February at Phoenix International Raceway where engine issues thwarted Burton’s top-five run and relegated him to a 33rd-place finish. This was car also raced at Richmond International Raceway in May where an on-track incident knocked Burton and the No. 31 team out of contention, forcing them to settle for a 31st-place finish. Most recently, Burton piloted this machine to a 21st-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July and he notched a top-10 finish at RIR two weeks ago, finishing sixth.

PAUL MENARD ON LOUDON: “We had our best race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when we were there in July of this year, and we still weren’t where we needed to be. At New Hampshire you need to find the right package. You’re hard on the brakes there. The track is flat with tight corners and long straightaways. You need to have the right setup on the car in order to get down the straightaways and through the corners.”

MENARD CHASSIS CHOICE: Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 349 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s SYLVANIA 300. This Chevrolet was raced earlier this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July) where Menard finished 17th and Martinsville Speedway in April where he finished 26th.

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON LOUDON: “New Hampshire will be an exciting weekend for us. We will have LiftMaster on board as the primary sponsor for the No. 1 car this weekend. It seems like forever ago that we announced in January at media day that LiftMaster would be on the car for this race. We will look to improve on our 20th-place finish from the race in July. We had a decent car, but with some long green-flag runs in that first race it made it difficult to make any major adjustments without losing too much time on pit road. I enjoy racing on flat tracks like New Hampshire, so hopefully we can have a good result for LiftMaster and all our partners.”

McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No. 1 LiftMaster® team will use Chassis #1008 for Loudon. Chassis #1008 has been used previously this season at Richmond finishing 22nd.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON LOUDON: “To tell you the truth, New Hampshire was terrible for the Target team earlier this year. It was a tough race; we never had a decent car to balance. If you have a good car to start out with you’ll have a good car all weekend. It’s a matter of how well prepared you are when you get there. We’ve done a little bit of testing before we go there so hopefully we found some new things to help us run better this time around.”

MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Chris “Shine” Heroy and the No. 42 Energizer team will travel to Loudon with Chassis #1110. This chassis was used during several tests, but will make its race debut this weekend in Loudon.

MARCOS AMBROSE CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 728 for this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire. This Stanley Ford has only been used as a backup car and has not seen primary race action this season.

GREG BIFFLE ON LOUDON: “I’m looking forward to Loudon; it’s been a good track for us. I have a win there and I feel like it’s a track where we can get back into the hunt. We certainly aren’t out of it, but a good run will help. Hopefully we can get a good top-five finish or a win in our 3M Ford this weekend.”

BIFFLE CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-822 Last ran Richmond – finished 9th; Backup: RK-778 Last ran New Hampshire – finished 9th

MATT KENSETH ON LOUDON: “New Hampshire is a really challenging track because it’s a one-mile track that drives like a flat short track. It seems like you’re always fighting for position there because the track is so narrow that it’s difficult to pass, so we really rely on good pit stops to help gain positions. Loudon has been a place that I’ve struggled at but our goal is to get a good clean run on Sunday in order to make up some of our position in the point standings that we lost last weekend at Chicago.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-806 (last run at Richmond)

CARL EDWARDS ON LOUDON: “This track is big for us because it’s the home of the Red Sox and our partnership with Fenway Sports Group so it would be a huge honor to be able to win there for them. Qualifying is very important. Everyone is going to be pulling out all the stops, doing every strategy trick they can and I think having a good pit stall will be important, starting up front and having clean air. If there’s a long green-flag run, you don’t want to be mired in the back going a lap down. All of that stuff comes from a good qualifying effort.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 99 Aflac team will be bringing RK-815 this weekend to New Hampshire. This carpreviously ran both Pocono races finishing 11th and seventh, and Darlington where Edwards finished seventh.

BRAD KESELOWSKI ON LEADING IN POINTS: “The points lead is nice. It means we won the first race in a 10-race playoff format. But that’s really about all. I refuse to let it sink in because there is so much work left to be done. We need to keep our eyes looking forward. I’m going to focus on the next nine races and I know everyone on the Miller Lite Dodge team is going to do the same. It would be a disservice to Sunday’s win if we allow our focus to get away from tomorrow’s workload.”

KESELOWSKI ON LOUDON: “It’s always a lot of fun when we go up to Loudon to race. The fans really love what we do and they show it by filling the stands. It’s one of those tracks we can go to and almost guarantee that it will be sold out. The racingthat we put on at New Hampshire sometimes gets a bad rap, but I think it has produced some of the most exciting finishes over the last few years. It’s a one-mile track, but it races like a short track. There is a lot of beating and banging going on and the fans love to watch it unfold. Loudon has been an underrated track for us over the last couple of years. I think we can run well there again and keep the points lead.”

KESELOWSKI CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Chargerteam will race chassis PRS-829 during Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

SAM HORNISH JR ON LOUDON: “In the first Loudon race, we really didn’t know what we wanted or needed in the car going into the race. It was really my first full-blown opportunity back in a Cup car in quite a while. The Nationwide cars and the Cup carsare different and I had not had the opportunity yet to get a good grasp on the transition. During that race, we struggled with the car being really free on entry and that plagued us the whole race.

CLINT BOWYER ON LOUDON: ”I look at the short tracks and think the best opportunity to win races is on those short tracks. We did okay in Chicago, not great, but just okay. New Hampshire — we have a pretty damn good roll going to New Hampshire. I think we can win at New Hampshire and get things started off right. If we can do that and keep this buzz going at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing), I think we can compete. The 1.5 mile tracks, I’ve never won on one of those, I know that and everybody else does. I have to pick up my game on the 1.5 mile tracks — but we’ve been running better than I ever have with these MWR cars on that type of track. I think if I ever could win on those, it would be in the Chase in the last 10 races. If I can do that with the success I have on the short tracks, again we can be a force to be reckoned with.”

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary chassis No. 718 won and was pushed to victory lane in Richmond on Sept. 8. The same car also started fifth, finished third and led a lap at New Hampshire in the Spring. Backup chassis No. 712 raced earlier this season in Phoenix and Richmond.

MARTIN TRUEX JR ON LOUDON: “New Hampshire hasn’t been one of my best tracks since joining Michael Waltrip Racing. I don’t know why. We’ve struggled a little bit. In the spring race, we had a decent run and showed some gains. It is a tough track to get a hold of. It’s almost impossible to get your car to turn in the corners and the tires chatter. It’s the same for everyone, it is just a matter of being smarter. I feel like we are taking some new stuff back there and our NAPAToyota should be a whole lot better. Hopefully, we can go there and continue to run up front like we have been doing lately. It’s a place that has always been special for me. I enjoy going there so I hope I can keep our momentum going and have a strong run.”

- FROM TEAM PRESS RELEASES, MORE TO COME 

Hamlin and New Hampshire Get Along Well Together

Darian Grubb has had the No. 11 set-up perfect on these type of tracks  

By Micah Roberts
The Linemakers on Sporting News

Coming into New Hampshire this week, we have four races of data from comparable tracks to sort through to help narrow the list of top candidates who should do well in in the second race of the Chase.

The Richmond race two weeks ago, won by Clint Bowyer, offers some of the most relevant information, since it’s the most-recent race on a similar track. We also have the first New Hampshire race of the season, won by Kasey Kahne in July. Then there’s the year's first Richmond race, run in April and won by Kyle Busch, and the Phoenix race in March won by Denny Hamlin.

When looking at those four races, along with the three tracks over his career, no one stands out more than Hamlin, which is why he is the 5-1 co-favorite this week (see Sylvania 300 odds below). He‘s finished fourth or better in three of the four races on comparable tracks this season. Over his career, he has a track-best 8.5 average finish at New Hampshire, a 10.9 average at Phoenix and an 8.1 average at Richmond; and four of his 21 career victories have come at the three tracks.

READ MORE HERE...

LVH Super Book Odds to Win 2012 New Hampshire Sylvania 300

Kasey Kahne won at New Hampshire in July, 8-to-1 this week (Getty)

SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

JIMMIE JOHNSON 5
TONY STEWART 7
MATT KENSETH 25
GREG BIFFLE 25
DENNY HAMLIN 5
KYLE BUSCH 10
KASEY KAHNE 8
JEFF GORDON 10
DALE EARNHARDT JR 10
CARL EDWARDS 25
BRAD KESELOWSKI 7
KEVIN HARVICK 15
BRIAN VICKERS 75
MARTIN TRUEX JR 15
CLINT BOWYER 12
RYAN NEWMAN 25
JOEY LOGANO 60
JEFF BURTON 100
JUAN MONTOYA 200
PAUL MENARD 100
JAMIE McMURRAY 200
KURT BUSCH 200
MARCOS AMBROSE 200
SAM HORNISH JR 100
ARIC ALMIROLA 300
REGAN SMITH 500
BOBBY LABONTE 1000
DAVID RAGAN 3000
DAVID GILLILAND 5000
FIELD 500


UPDATED 2012 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

JIMMIE JOHNSON 2
MATT KENSETH 30
JEFF GORDON 50
KASEY KAHNE 10
TONY STEWART 6
KEVIN HARVICK 25
DENNY HAMLIN 9-2
GREG BIFFLE 25
BRAD KESELOWSKI 4
CLINT BOWYER 15
DALE EARNHARDT JR 12
MARTIN TRUEX JR 25

New Hampshire Storylines

Keselowski took win at Chicago away from Johnson (Getty) 

Call Brad Keselowski’s victory in the first round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ unexpected. But don’t call it surprising. How the No. 4 seed scored his first Chase victory – and grabbed his initial NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings lead – was the bigger story.

He faced down five-time champion Jimmie Johnson when it counted, passing the Coors Light Pole winner and leader of the most laps of the GEICO 400 in a final, green-flag, pit-stop exchange.

Keselowski’s lead is three points over Johnson while 15 is the difference between first and sixth place as the Chase moves to Sunday’s SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

New Hampshire figures to be another slugfest: Chase qualifiers, led by resurgent Kasey Kahne, took the first nine and 12 of the 13 spots in July’s Loudon race. Kahne, the No. 1 Wild Card qualifier for this year’s chase, advanced six spots from his seeding of 11th with a third-place finish in Chicago.

Four of the last five New Hampshire races have been won by drivers in this year’s Chase: Kahne, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Johnson.

This week’s non-Chase "spoiler" alert: Ryan Newman, last year’s July Loudon winner, who swept both Coors Light Poles and seeks his 50th pole. Newman finished 10th earlier this summer.

The points leader changed in all three national series on the same weekend for the first time in 2012. Keselowski replaced Denny Hamlin in NASCAR Sprint Cup; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. passed Elliott Sadler in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Ty Dillon ousted Timothy Peters in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

While the Chase continues in New Hampshire, Nationwide and truck teams share a doubleheader weekend at Kentucky Speedway. Each series saw action at the 1.5-mile track in mid-summer with Austin Dillon scoring his first Nationwide victory and James Buescher annexing one of three truck wins to date.

Stenhouse carries a nine-point lead over Sadler into the Saturday afternoon’s Kentucky 300, but that’s not the only hot battle in the Bluegrass State.

The Nationwide Series owners championship remains very much in play with Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota holding a four-point advantage over Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ second trip of the season to Iowa Speedway saw Ryan Blaney become the division’s youngest race winner (18 years eight months) and hand Brad Keselowski Racing its first victory. Dillon finished second to surge past Peters, who was involved in an early accident and finished 19th. Dillon’s lead is eight points over Peters, 11 over Buescher.

Both Blaney and Dillon, age 20 and hopeful of becoming the NCWTS’ youngest and first rookie champion, will go head-to-head again in Friday night’s Kentucky 201.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Keselowski’s First Time Atop Standings Really No Surprise
Brad Keselowski is the points leader following the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. That’s hardly a surprise considering Keselowski came into the Chase with three regular season victories and scored the most points over the previous 10 races. It’s the first time in the 28-year-old Penske Racing driver’s career that Keselowski has headed the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. His previous best ranking was third twice, the last following 2011’s Chase race at Talladega Superspeedway. Keselowski admits it’s just round one of 10 in what’s certain to be a bruising heavyweight battle. The winner of the Chase’s first race has gone on to become champion just twice – Kurt Busch in 2004 and Tony Stewart a year ago.

Chicagoland Chase Opener Shakes Up The Seedings
Seedings are just a starting point, although the top four entering the Chase remain there – just not in the same order. No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin dropped to fourth, 15 points behind Keselowski, when his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota ran short of fuel on the final lap of Chicagoland’s GEICO 400. Second-place finisher Jimmie Johnson retained the No. 2 spot three points out of the lead while No. 3 seed Tony Stewart is third, eight points back.

Wild Card qualifier Kasey Kahne made the biggest gain – six positions from 11th to fifth, tied with Hamlin and Clint Bowyer 15 points behind Keselowski. Where there are gainers there also are losers. Greg Biffle dropped three spots to eighth; Matt Kenseth three positions to 11th and Kevin Harvick a single position to 10th. Wild Card qualifier Jeff Gordon lost the most in terms of points. A mid-race accident dropped the four-time champion 47 points out of the lead in 12th.

Junior Continues To Focus On Victories As Well As Consistency
Considering he started shotgun on the field – the result of a post-qualifying engine change – Dale Earnhardt Jr. was pleased with an eighth-place finish in the Chase opener. But Junior doesn’t see that performance as being good enough to contend for the championship through the coming nine races. Wins were big in the regular season and, according to Earnhardt, will be what it takes to prevail in 2012. Consistency still is a key component of any title run. Earnhardt is one of two Chase qualifiers with no DNFs (Greg Biffle is the other). He and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson share the most top 10s (18).

Chase Qualifiers Ran The Table At New Hampshire In July
July’s LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a perfect gauge of driver strength entering the Chase’s second round. Chase qualifiers, led by Kasey Kahne, finished in the top nine positions. July’s top five was Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski. This year’s Chase drivers have won four of the last five races in Loudon (Kahne, Stewart, Bowyer and Johnson) with Ryan Newman the sole outlier (July 2010). Newman could be this week’s non-Chase "spoiler." He swept last year’s Coors Light Poles at the 1.058-mile track and continues to seek his 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.

Eight Chase drivers have New Hampshire victories led by Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart with three wins apiece. The other winners are Clint Bowyer (two), Kahne, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.

- NASCAR Media Services

Gordon Fighting Uphill Battle Again Heading into New Hampshire

Jeff Gordon's Chase got off to rocky start in Chicago (Getty)

LOUDON, N.H. - It is like déjà vu all over again for the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger team.

Two months ago, Jeff Gordon arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 191 points out of the lead – the largest deficit he has faced this campaign. But six top-six finishes in the next eight races allowed him to cut 54 points off that margin, so why panic ahead of Sunday’s Sylvania 300 when the deficit Gordon now faces is “only” 47?

“It was a disappointing result (in Chicago), but we had a fast race car,” said Gordon, who finished 35th in that event after a ‘stuck’ throttle resulted in contact with the turn 1 wall. “We had a great run from 19th to inside the top five, and I would have liked to have seen if we had anything for them at the end.

“But we’ll put that event behind us and focus on trying to win Loudon this weekend. There is still a long way to go.”

Gordon’s crew chief also believes the 2012 version of the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” is in its infancy.

“It’s way too early to panic,” said Alan Gustafson. “We still have nine races to go, so we won’t change our strategy.

“The plan is to continue to fight and ‘stay the course.’”

In 35 starts at the 1.058-mile track, Gordon has three wins (1995, 1997 and 1998) and three poles, while his 15 top-fives and 20 top-10′s are tops at “The Granite State” track. Another first for the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is running first. Gordon’s 1,309 laps out front here leads all drivers.

“I really enjoy racing here,” said Gordon, who trails Darrell Waltrip (23,130) by 108 for sixth in career laps led. “It’s not an easy place to get around, though, with the long straightaways, flat corners and hard braking.

“Recently, we have led laps, run well and been in position to win. We just need to put ourselves in that position again.

“And capitalize on it.”

- Performance PR Plus

New Hampshire Odds & Ends: 2012 Sylvania 300

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 first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993.

·         Renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.

Notebook

·         There have been 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.

·         Four drivers have competed in all 35 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.

·         Mark Martin won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.

·         Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         There have been 18 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (six).

·         21 different drivers have won, led by Jeff Burton (four).

·         Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) are the only drivers that have posted season sweeps. Those are also the only back-to-back winners.

·         Hendrick Motorsports has won nine races, more than any other organization.

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

·         There have been five winners who started from the pole. The last race winner to win from the pole was Ryan Newman last season (7-17-11).

·         Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.

·         Four drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at New Hampshire: Joe Nemechek (1999), Ryan Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Joey Logano (2009).

·         Two drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole at New Hampshire: Patrick Carpentier(2008) and Brad Keselowski (2010).

·         Denny Hamlin (8.4) and Jimmie Johnson (9.9) are the only two active drivers with an average finish at NHMS in the top 10.

·         Jeff Gordon has led the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series laps all-time at New Hampshire at 1,309.

·         Last season’s fall event (9/25/11) at NHMS tied the records for most all-time leaders (15), and fewest laps led by the winner (2) – Tony Stewart won the race.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner: Joey Logano (06/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).

·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner: Mark Martin (09/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).

NASCAR in New Hampshire

·         There have been 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

·         14 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) are listed as New Hampshire natives.

·         There has been one race winner from New Hampshire in NASCAR’s three national series: Jamie Aube. Aube, from Manchester, won a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Oxford Plains Speedway in 1987.

 

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data

Chase Race #: 2 of 10

Season Race #: 28 of 36 (09-23-12)

Track Size: 1.058-mile

Variable Banking/Turns: 2 & 7 degrees

Banking/Straights: 1 degree

Frontstretch Length: 1,500 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet

Race Length: 300 laps / 317.4 miles

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at NHMS

Stewart won last season and has the top driver rating at New Hampshire

Tony Stewart........................... 112.0

Jeff Gordon.............................. 109.3

Jimmie Johnson....................... 105.1

Denny Hamlin.......................... 101.4

Dale Earnhardt Jr...................... 97.8

Clint Bowyer............................. 96.0

Ryan Newman.......................... 94.8

Kevin Harvick............................ 92.4

Jeff Burton................................ 92.4

Kurt Busch............................... 91.7

Kasey Kahne........................... 90.3

Kyle Busch.............................. 89.3

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2012 races (15 total) at New Hampshire.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2011 pole winner:

Ryan Newman, Chevrolet (135.002 mph, 28.213 sec., 09-23-11)

 

2011 race winner:

Tony Stewart, Chevrolet (116.679 mph, 2:43:13, 09-25-11)

 

Track qualifying record:

Ryan Newman, Chevrolet (135.232 mph, 28.165 sec., 07-15-11)

 

Track race record:

Jeff Burton, Ford (117.134 mph, 2:42:35, 07-13-97)

Keselowski Starts Chase off with a Win at Chicago

USA Today

No. 2 team captured win No. 4 in 2012 at Chicago (Getty)

JOLIET, Ill. -- After firing the opening salvo in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Brad Keselowski said winning the Geico 400 felt like "Round 1 of a heavyweight title bout."

It's fitting because the Penske Racing driver is trying to outbox five-time champion Jimmie Johnson on the track while trading psychological haymakers with NASCAR's current version of Muhammad Ali.

"Yeah, that's part of it, for sure," Keselowski said. "We all know how good his team is. We all know how good he is. Look at the resume over the last 10 years. It's impeccable. To be racing him, whether for the lead or for 10th is an accomplishment."

Sunday, it was for the lead -- in what seems likely to become a recurring storyline.

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Geico 400 Results

Final 2012 Chicago Geico 400 Driver Ratings Following All Practice Sessions

Micah Roberts’ Top 10 Driver Ratings
Geico 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Sunday, September 16, 2012 -  10:16 a.m. (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds        Practice 1    Practice 2     Qualified     Kansas*

 1. Denny Hamlin 8/1                  5th              5th                8th             1st 
Should be very good on long runs; finished third or better on past four 1.5-mile tracks.
 2. Kyle Busch 10/1                   28th              1st               21st           10th 
2008 winner; set-up similar to Hamlin’s; had 2nd best 10-consecutive lap average in practice2.
 3. Kasey Kahne 12/1                24th             6th                6th              8th 
Best finish of third in 2008; using same car this week that won on fast 1.5-mile Charlotte track.
 4. Martin Truex Jr. 20/1             1st             25th              18th            2nd  
Has finished 12th or better on past five 1.5-mile tracks, including a dominating Kansas run.
 5. Jeff Gordon 12/1                  20th            10th              19th            21st 
2006 winner with a 10th-place average in 11 starts; only Hamlin is hotter coming into Chase.
 6. Jimmie Johnson 7/1             25th              7th               1st              3rd 
One of five Cup tracks to never win at; using chassis that has never lost a race (2 starts).
 7. Matt Kenseth 8/1                  32nd             8th                3rd             4th 
Two-time runner-up with 12.3 average; top-10 finishes on last five 1.5-mile tracks; using new car.
 8. Tony Stewart 8/1                  12th            14th               29th           13th 
Three-time winner, including last season; has track best 8.7 average; using new chassis.
 9. Brad Keselowski 12/1            3rd            16th               13th           11th 
Career best fifth-place last season; finished fifth or better on past three 1.5-mile tracks.
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1        2nd            31st                4th             7th 
2005 winner; only driver to finish in top-10 at all six 1.5-mile tracks in 2012; using Pocono car.

* Results from the April 22 race at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5-mile track with a layout and banking that is most similar to Chicagoland.

Odds courtesy of the LVH Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights on the race, go to The Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow on Twitter: MicahRoberts7. 

Betting Notes
It may sound like a broken record every week, but Denny Hamlin is the driver to beat. It’s not just because he’s won two of the past three races, I mean, it does have a little to do with it. No one is hotter than Hamlin coming into the Chase, but his top-5 practices in both sessions Friday elevate him to the top. Then we also have to consider that Hamlin has been dominant on the 1.5-mile tracks this season, in particular, finishing third or better in his past four starts on them. Oh yeah, he won two of them, including the track that is most similar to Chicago, Kansas.

Jeff Gordon should continue his hot run this week at Chicago (Getty)

Hamlin’s not only fast in single lap times, but also in average speeds. He was fourth fastest behind Kasey Kahne’s top time during the final practice session on 10-consecutive lap averages.

And that brings us to probably the second best candidate. Kyle Busch is rated No. 2 only because of his practices, but Kahne could probably be rated higher than Busch. I could see Kahne being one of the surprises of the Chase just because he’s so good on 1.5-mile tracks. He’s got the horses under the hood, a great crew chief and I think he can smell the trophy. His fate will rest with the other five tracks.

Jeff Gordon wasn’t spectacular in practice, but I think the momentum coming into the Chase is key here. He should be considered in match-up plays against most of the top drivers, other than Kahne, Busch and Hamlin.

Just because the odds are so long and also because he’s so good on the 1.5-mile tracks, it might be beneficial to try a few bones on Martin Truex Jr. If Hamlin sounds like a broken record weekly, then Truex Jr. must be getting overly repetitive. But I wouldn’t suggest him if I didn’t think it was possible. He’ll be fast in this race and should be there near the end contending for the win.  

Dale Earnhardt Jr. should also be considered for matchups due to his consistency. He's almost a guaranteed top-10 finisher for this race.  

Chicago Practice Notes: Kyle Busch Fastest in Final Session

By Micah Roberts

Hamlin ready to Chase a Championship (Getty)

Kyle Busch laid down the fastest lap during Friday’s final practice session at Chicagoland Speedway in preparation for Sunday’s Geico 400. Busch’s lap at 181.507 mph on the final of his 40 laps run was considerably faster than what he showed in the first session when posting the 28th fastest lap.

Busch may not be one of the 12 drivers running for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title that begins this week, but he can still try to salvage something with hopes of carrying momentum into next year. The best sign of all that Busch, who won at Chicago in 2008, may be a contender this week beyond his fast single lap time is that he had the second fastest 10-consecutive lap average.

Aric Almirola was second fastest in the final 90-minute session followed by 2009 Chicago winner Mark Martin, Carl Edwards and Chase leader Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin has all the signs of looking like a winner this week and his stellar practices emphasize the point even more. He’s finished third or better with two wins at the past four 1.5-mile tracks and during Friday’s practices, he finished within the top-5 of both sessions. He was also fourth or better in the 10-consecutive lap category during both sessions.

Martin Truex Jr. was fastest in the first 90-minute session, but fell to 25th fastest in the final session. Truex Jr. should be considered one of the top candidates to win this week just because of all his success in 1.5-mile tracks this season. At Kansas in April, probably the track most similar to Chicagoland, he finished runner-up in a race he thoroughly dominated.

Kasey Kahne was sixth fastest in the final session and had the top 10-consecutive lap average among the 24 drivers that attempted at least 10 straight laps. Kahne’s best performances on 1.5-tracks this season was a win at Charlotte and runner-up at Kentucky. The car he's using this week is the same one he won with at Charlotte.

Dale Earnhardt Jr struggled in the final session with the 31st fastest lap, but was second fastest in the first session while running in qualifying trim. Don‘t put too much into Junior’s final times because he was fast with average speeds, fifth fastest in 10-consecutive lap average. He's been good on these type of tracks all season and is the only driver to finish 10th or better on all six 1.5-mile tracks.

The other Hendrick drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, finished seventh and 10th respectively during the final session. Gordon is carrying a lot of momentum into this race and has a an average finish of 10th at Chicago including a 2006 win. Chicago remains one of the few tracks Johnson has never won at, but has performed well with a couple runner-up finishes. Johnson comes into this race with a chassis that has never lost. Two starts and two wins.

Tony Stewart is a three-time Chicago winner with the best average finish position (8.7) in track history. He has struggled on the 1.5-mile tracks since winning at Las Vegas in March, but showed some speed in both practices, being 12th quickest in the first session and 14th fastest in the final session.

Despite what we may perceive to be struggling with Stewart, he is one driver on the tour that poor practice times, or running poorly on a type of track, have to be taken with a grain of salt. He proved that last season when he didn’t win any of the first 26 races, and then won five in the final 10 which catapulted him to his third championship. Chicago is where he got it all started last season with a win. This week, he's in a brand new car that saw it's first track time on Friday.

Brad Keselowski had the 16th fastest lap in the final session and was third fastest in the earlier practice. He’s finished fifth or better at his last three 1.5-mile tracks, including a win at Kentucky in June.

Based on Friday’s practices, mixed in with other variables consisting of past history and performances on similar tracks, the top candidates to win Sunday look to be Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Busch.

Chicago Practice 1

Chicago Practice 2          

Driver Notes & Quotes: 2012 Geico 400 at Chicago

Jimmie Johnson's chassis this week has two wins in two starts (Getty)

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON CHICAGO: “I always like going to Chicago. I think the city is great and I know there are a lot of race fans in the area. We’ve never won there, which is kind of frustrating especially because we’ve been close so many times. It’s also Chad’s home track. We really want to give him a win there. We’ve won in California several times and it’s time he gets to experience winning at home. I feel like we owe him one and we’re going to do everything we can to give him that opportunity this weekend.”

JOHNSON CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis No. 728 serves as the primary for Johnson at Chicago. Johnson used this car to win at The Brickyard in August and also won at Dover last June. Two starts, two wins. Chassis No. 681 serves as the backup. This chassis won at Darlington this season and Kansas last fall.

TONY STEWART ON CHICAGO: “I think I’ve always been good there. You look at the past and we’ve had some weird events. On Fridays, I’ve had two events where I’ve crashed in practice. The first time (2004) Hermie Sadler blew a motor and, before the caution came out, I crashed in his oil and went to the hospital and I missed the rest of the day. And then, the very next year, I blew a tire in practice and J.J. Yeley had to qualify for me. It’s one of those places where, as long as I get through Friday, I feel like we’ve got a shot at it. But I don’t watch the stats very much. You just take it week to week. Technology in this sport changes so fast. What was good the last time you were there doesn’t mean it’s going to be good the second time around. You constantly have to work. You’ve got to keep pushing the envelope. It’s a place I like. This place is really getting racy as far as finally being able to move around and change lines and run anywhere from the bottom to the top. It’s a fun track because of that.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR. ON CHICAGO:  “I feel we’ve got a good shot at it. We’ve been consistent all year long, and I think our chances are as good as they have ever been for me. I had a pretty good shot at it back in ’04, but I think this year is a better opportunity. We’ve got the team, and we’re poised to make a run at it. You’ve got to put the guys that have won the championship at the top of the list as the favorites but we are in the conversation, and we’re going to work hard to still be in that conversation at Homestead (Fla.).”

KEVIN HARVICK ON CHICAGO: “Well I feel like even though the year hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, at the beginning we ran decent. We ran well at Dover (International Speedway) and decent at Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) and Charlotte (Motor Speedway). There are a lot of tracks in the Chase that we have a pretty good notebook for. Hopefully when we apply some of the things that we feel like we needed to do different over the last few weeks, everything will keep clicking and we’ll keep moving forward. Everybody’s confidence is up right now and we know that things are getting back to the way they need to be.”

KASEY KAHNE ON CHICAGO: “I enjoy going to Chicago. We haven’t always run our best there, but we’ve surprised ourselves with good finishes at some other tracks this year. It’s going to be important to come out of the gate strong in the first Chase race. We’re starting without bonus points, so we want to make up some ground this weekend.”

JEFF GORDON ON CHICAGO: “It was a great fight we had at Richmond and I am so pumped heading into Chicago and the rest of the Chase. There were a number of times this year when we had strong performances but didn’t have the results to go with it. We now have 10 races to pair good runs with good results.

“At Richmond, the determination that (crew chief) Alan Gustafson and this team showed was incredible. Anything is possible from this group, including a championship. We finally started putting together some results, but it still seemed like every time we had a great finish, something would happen that would break our momentum. We have three top-three finishes in a row that we’re hoping to build on in Chicago.

“You want to come out of the gate strong and get the best possible result you can. If that’s a win, great, if that’s fifth, great. A lot can happen during the Chase. To me, 10 weeks is a lot of racing. More than a lot of people think.”

RYAN NEWMAN ON CHICAGO: “Even though it’s a ‘cookie cutter’ racetrack, I look forward to it because of the 18-degree banking and the fact that it is kind of unique. Chicago is really a big circle. It’s always a track that has been rewarding if you are good in the corners because even the back straightaway has a kink in it. You have to carry a lot of momentum there. I always say I’m a fan of the banked racetracks and this is another track I have enjoyed racing, and it’s a track that has gotten better each year we’ve gone there. I’ve been fortunate enough to win there and, the past few years, we’ve had some solid top-10 runs there. This weekend, we need to have another one of those top-10 runs there. It’s really important for me and the team that we have a good run this weekend at Chicago so we can continue our momentum from a good run at Richmond and keep trying to make our way up in points so that we can finish 13th in the final standings.”

PAUL MENARD ON CHICAGO: “The groove at Chicagoland (Speedway) is a little wider right now than it has been in years past. It seems like it keeps getting wider. Kansas Speedway was recently repaved, so we don’t know how that will race now. The old Kansas and Chicagoland were very similar. There’s a little more banking and it’s a little faster at Chicagoland. The backstretch there is slightly curved, but it doesn’t affect the car a lot. You’re turning left, but you’re not turning left much. It’s still a straightaway.”

JEFF BURTON ON CHICAGO: “Chicagoland Speedway is an up and down track for us. We’ve run well there, but never great. We’ve struggled at 1.5-mile tracks throughout the season, but have made gains and had a good run at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). We are definitely headed in the right direction. While it isn’t our best track, we need to go in this weekend and work on improving our 1.5-mile program.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON CHICAGO: “Chicago is a big weekend for us. We get to do a lot with McDonald’s this weekend with this event being in their backyard. We have had good cars at Chicagoland Speedway in the past, so I hope we can continue that this weekend for all the McDonald’s folks that we will have at the track. We sat on the pole and had a top-five finish there in 2010. Last year we had a good car, but lost a motor with about 100 laps to go and didn’t make it to the finish. Hopefully we can build some momentum in these last ten races as we inch closer to the end of the 2012 season.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON CHICAGO: “Chicago is interesting because you can run the top, you can run the bottom. There are a lot of grooves and things you can work on. Which is good because you can find a groove that works for the handling of the car. It’s a cool place to go. The Target team should run pretty well there to be honest. We’ve done quite a bit of testing and I feel we’re making progress.”

KURT BUSCH ON CHICAGO: “Chicago is a fast, mile-and-a-half track I have always enjoyed racing since I started racing there in my rookie season. The track isn’t as smooth as it used to be – it has some bumps in it – but it’s a place I like. It is another one of those tracks, though, where I just haven’t had the best of luck. An example is the 2002 race. We had a really fast car for that race but, for some reason after the last pit stop, the car just wasn’t handling the same as it had been. We were just way too tight and really couldn’t figure out why. When we got back to the shop and started going over the car, we realized that the radiator pan had come off and that’s like 100 pounds of front downforce. We were going so fast that the car bottomed out and dragged the radiator pan out. It’s just weird stuff like that.”

DANICA PATRICK ON CHICAGO: “To be honest, I feel like the grip levels are sort of similar. At Chicago, you can definitely hustle around there, but it’s a slippery track. I feel like it will translate. Some of the tougher ones are the slippery ones for me, but that was the point. We didn’t pick places like Texas or Vegas where I enjoy hustling around those tracks, we picked the ones that are hard that have day to night transitions and things like that.”

DENNY HAMLIN ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM 2010 CHASE: “What took us out of the championship in 2010 really were a lot of different circumstances. I won’t treat it any differently about the way I drive. I think I’ll be a little bit more aggressive on restarts and not give up those one or two points when they really, really count. That will change, but for the most part I think I’ll just be a lot more relaxed this time around. Obviously, our stuff is really good right now — as good as it was in 2010. I’m going to race week-to-week, and not think about a championship until I get to Homestead (Miami Speedway).”

CLINT BOWYER ON WINNING A TITLE: To win a championship — it would be pretty big. Jimmie (Johnson) seems like he has a blast doing it. I promise you I could throw a better party than him. Just to be able to compete in this series, in this sport, at the premiere level of this sport is a dream come true. I’m thankful to have the opportunity with a new home, a new sponsor, and a new manufacturer with Toyota. With everything new, never would have dreamed in a million years all this would have happened this quickly. Obviously, it’s the goal to win races and be in the Chase. Realistically, I knew what we were up against.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR ON HOW HE MEASURES HIS CHASE ODDS: “I’m going to be honest with you, the way our cars are running and as fast as we’ve been the last six or seven weeks, we’re dangerous. We’ve got the speed to do it each and every week. Our mile-and-a-half program is really strong. Man, I feel good. I know we’re kind of an underdog and not a lot of people expect us to do much. It’s a good position to be in. We just need to be smart — make good decisions and our NAPA Toyotas are strong enough to do this thing. Looking forward to going out and having some fun and hopefully we’ll put together 10 good races and be in the hunt.”

- FROM TEAM PRESS RELEASES 

Why Hamlin Will Win the Chase, and Not Johnson

Denny Hamlin is 6-to-1 to win NASCAR Sprint Cup title (Getty)

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

When I look at the NASCAR Chase odds and see Jimmie Johnson as the 5-to-2 favorite, my first thought is, “Yes, he’s a five-time champion with 20 wins in 80 Chase starts, he should be the favorite.” But after that brief moment, reality sets in that those 20 wins from the past mean nothing now. He wasn’t a factor in last years Chase and it’s probable that he won’t be in this years, either.

The 2012 Chase is as wide open as ever. There is no doubt that Johnson has one of the best teams in NASCAR. They have the top crew chief, pit-crew, engine builders and entire organization surrounding him that make him the most respected driver coming into the Chase. Those five championship trophies carry a lot weight and are intimidating to some of the other upstarts that are trying to regain or make their mark in the sport.

Most everyone will agree that the key to wining the Chase is doing well on the type of track that there are more of. Of the 10 Chase races, five of them are on 1.5-mile tracks. When Johnson won his championships, there was no one better on those type of tracks. Last season, we started to see a demise in the first 26 races where his only win was at Talladega and it carried over into the Chase. Sure, he won at Kansas during the Chase last year, but it was Tony Stewart who won three of the five 1.5-mile races and five overall to win the championship.

This year we have the same type of thing with Johnson. Of the six 1.5-mile tracks run at this season, Johnson has failed to win at any of them. He finished runner-up at Las Vegas and Texas early on, third at Kansas, but then dipped to 11th at Charlotte and sixth at Kentucky. Three weeks ago at Atlanta he was involved in a wreck and finished 34th. He’s progressively getting worse at these tracks at the wrong time of the year. This is go-time and his team doesn’t appear to be the second or third best on these type of tracks, which kind of makes you wonder how he’s the favorite.

The biggest question is why Denny Hamlin isn’t favored.

Hamlin is the only driver this season to capture two wins on the 1.5-mile tracks this season and he’s done so recently. In the past four races on 1.5-mile tracks, Hamlin has finished third or better. He has more wins (4) overall than anyone this year and he comes in as one of the hottest drivers on tour.

So we’ve established that Hamlin is the best on the recent 1.5-mile tracks, and we expect him to continue the run through the five races, but what about the rest? Well, he’s one of the absolute best on flat tracks and he’ll have New Hampshire and Phoenix to show off his skills during the Chase. At New Hampshire he has an 8.5 average finish, the best among all drivers, that includes a 2007 win. At Phoenix his average finish is 10.9 that includes a win this year.

Then we have his favorite track on the circuit at Martinsville where the native Virginian has won four times over his career. We should expect a top-5 finish there considering he’s averaged a finish of 6.4 over 14 career starts.

The only wild cards for him during the Chase are Dover and Talladega. He’s got eight of the 10 races in the bag on paper and if he can finish 12th or better on the two wild card tracks for him, he’ll be hoisting the trophy in Miami.

I also love the angle of crew chief Darian Grubb taking Hamlin to the next level. For some strange reason, Grubb was let go by Tony Stewart following a championship season. The crew chief change on Stewart’s car was done behind the scenes before the Chase started last season, but Grubb put five winning cars together during the Chase and got it done. He’s now Hamlin’s crew chief and his expertise on the 1.5-mile tracks is what is making a champion. Before Stewart, Grubb was also the car chief under Chad Knaus for Johnson during those dominant years on the 1.5-mile tracks.

It all begins this week in Chicago, the first of five 1.5-mile tracks, and Hamlin should be considered the favorite to win because of his recent excellence. I like to group Chicago with Kansas and Kentucky because of similar banking. They all run differently, but the set-ups required are similar. Hamlin won at Kansas in April and was third at Kentucky in June.

Other drivers expected to run well this week include Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.

I've altered my thoughts on Tony Stewart this week. He has the best average finish (8.7) at Chicago since the track opened in 2001, and has won three times there -- including last season, but he hasn't done a thing on thing 1.5-mile tracks since winning at las Vegas in March. Oh yeah, he also doesn't have Darian Grubb to set his cars up.

Top-5 Chicago Finish Prediction:
1) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
2) #56 Martin Truex Jr. (20/1)
3) #29 Kevin Harvick (12/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (12/1)
5) #17 Matt Kenseth (8/1)

Video: Roberts on The Linemakers Talking Chase Odds

Chicago and Chase odds from Vegas