LVH Odds to Win Smith's 350 Truck Race at Las Vegas

James Buescher is 5/1 to win Saturday night in Las Vegas 

SMITH'S 350
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

TY DILLON 7-2
JAMES BUESCHER 5
RYAN BLANEY 5
MATT CRAFTON 7
JEB BURTON 7
MIGUEL PALUDO 10
ROSS CHASTAIN 12
TIMOTHY PETERS 12
BRENDAN GAUGHAN 12
JOHNNY SAUTER 12
DARRELL WALLACE JR 20
JOEY COUTLER 20
GERMAN QUIROGA 25
JUSTIN LOFTON 40
JOHN WES TOWNLEY 50
RON HORNADAY JR 50
DAKODA ARMSTRONG 60
CHAD HACKENBRACHT 100
RYAN SIEG 100
FIELD 100

RACE MATCHUPS

TY DILLON -155
JAMES BUESCHER +135

JAMES BUESCHER -110
RYAN BLANEY -110

MATT CRAFTON -120
JEB BURTON EVEN

TIMOTHY PETERS -110
BRENDAN GAUGHAN -110

ROSS CHASTAIN -110
JOHNNY SAUTER -110

JOEY COULTER -110
DARRELL WALLACE JR -110

Updated LVH Sprint Cup Odds heading into Dover

Monster Mile to have an impact on Chase? 

2013 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP 

JIMMIE JOHNSON 2
KYLE BUSCH 2
KASEY KAHNE 50
MATT KENSETH 6-5
JEFF GORDON 40
CLINT BOWYER 50
GREG BIFFLE 40
CARL EDWARDS 25
DALE EARNHARDT JR 50
KEVIN HARVICK 40

JOEY LOGANO 75
RYAN NEWMAN 75
KURT BUSCH 40

LVH Odds to win 2013 AAA 400 at Dover

No Tony Stewart this week, but Mark Martin isn't bad here

AAA 400
DOVER INT'L SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013
JIMMIE JOHNSON 7-2
MATT KENSETH 9-2
KYLE BUSCH 9-2
KASEY KAHNE 7
DENNY HAMLIN 20
JEFF GORDON 12
KEVIN HARVICK 18
BRAD KESELOWSKI 12
KURT BUSCH 18
MARTIN TRUEX JR 18
CLINT BOWYER 18
DALE EARNHARDT JR 25
CARL EDWARDS 15
JOEY LOGANO 25
GREG BIFFLE 25
BRIAN VICKERS 25
RYAN NEWMAN 50
JAMIE McMURRAY 60
JUAN MONTOYA 75
MARK MARTIN 75
PAUL MENARD 100
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 100
ARIC ALMIROLA 200
JEFF BURTON 75
MARCOS AMBROSE 300
AJ ALLMENDINGER 500
DANICA PATRICK 1000
FIELD 500

Kenseth wins at New Hampshire for his seventh win of season

Matt Kenseth grabs first career win at New Hampshire

Matt Kenseth was almost speechless and a bit emotional again Sunday as he stood in victory lane for the seventh time this season.

Kenseth won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his 500th career start to send his strongest message yet that he intends to contend for the Sprint Cup championship. His seven wins are a series-high this season and a career-high for Kenseth, who has won the first two races of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The last driver to win the first two Chase races — Tony Stewart in 2011 — went on to win the Cup title.

"I don’t know what to say except, praise the Lord, man," Kenseth said. "This is just an unbelievable opportunity. For me to win at Loudon is more than a stretch and more than a dream. It’s probably one of my worst places. That just shows how good this whole team is. "

Crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who is in his first season with Kenseth, says his driver deserves much of the credit.

"He doesn’t take enough credit," Ratcliff said. "You don’t just come out here and win on any given Sunday. This guy has done an incredible job. It’s been an incredible season for us."

Incredible for all of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Kenseth, who had never won at New Hampshire, took the lead from Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 153 and then regained it on a restart on Lap 208 and held on to beat teammate Kyle Busch for the second straight week.

"It has been a great start for JGR," Kenseth said. "All three teams are working real close together. I just feel like the luckiest guy in the world standing here."

"There is a reason why we think we are the best, and we showed it these first two weeks," Busch said.

The win allowed Kenseth to pad his lead in the Chase standings. He started the Chase with a three-point lead, but now leads Busch by 14 points and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson by 18 in what is quickly becoming a three-driver race for the championship.

Read More Here.......Sporting News

Sylvania 300 Final Results

Updated LVH odds to win 2013 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire

Hendrick teammates talking over strategy at New Hampshire

SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

JIMMIE JOHNSON 5
MATT KENSETH 7
KYLE BUSCH 7
KASEY KAHNE 7
DENNY HAMLIN 12
JEFF GORDON 7
KEVIN HARVICK 15
BRAD KESELOWSKI 12
KURT BUSCH 8
MARTIN TRUEX JR 20
CLINT BOWYER 12
DALE EARNHARDT JR 20
CARL EDWARDS 25
JOEY LOGANO 18
GREG BIFFLE 30
BRIAN VICKERS 40
RYAN NEWMAN 20
JAMIE McMURRAY 75
JUAN MONTOYA 60
MARK MARTIN 100
PAUL MENARD 75
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 200
ARIC ALMIROLA 100
JEFF BURTON 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 300
BOBBY LABONTE 1000
DANICA PATRICK 1000
FIELD 500

New Hampshire Practice Notes: Is that Earnhardt Jr. knocking on a wins' door?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a fantastic pair of practice sessions Saturday

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had two sensational practice sessions Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that give an indication that he may be the driver to beat in Sunday’s Sylvania 300. It’s pretty bold to say a driver may the one to beat when he’s only won two races in seven seasons, and has never won on New Hampshire’s 1-mile flat layout, but that’s a testament to just how good he was during practices.

He didn’t do anything special in Friday’s practice session (13th), which was used primarily for a mock-qualifying set-up, and only qualified with the 17th fastest time, but when the race trim package was strapped on Saturday, he was blazing fast. In the early session, he had the second fastest lap (132.406 mph) showing he’s got speed on the short haul, and he also had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average, which shows he should be good on long runs.

During happy hour, Earnhardt Jr. laid down the fastest lap of the day at 133.059 mph, and was also the only driver to top 133 mph.

Usually when a driver doesn’t have much history at a track or is in the middle of a long winless streak, they’ll get notched down a bit in the ratings department here. But practices matters at New Hampshire, and it counts for a lot, even enough to alter a normal rating process. Last season in this race, Denny Hamlin had a similar stout day of Saturday practices and rolled to his second career win there.

Earnhardt Jr. might even take his game as a driver up a notch because of this being a Chase race and knowing he’s got the car to beat. I still find it hard to believe that every driver who comes through Hendrick finds themselves winning immediately, while Junior languishes with solid finishes, but few wins.

The rooting gallery for Junior this week might come from NASCAR and Michael Waltrip Racing, just because a huge moment by Junior in the Chase would surely be a big enough story to make the fans and media forget about the Richmond Chase fiasco.

The top drivers that could beat Junior to finish line are Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Bowyer loves flat tracks and has two wins at New Hampshire. Johnson is a three-time winner and has that ugly stretch of four straight finishes in his rear-view mirror after a quality run at Chicago last week. Kenseth has never won at New Hampshire, but was right up there with Earnhardt Jr. and Bowyer as the most impressive.

Read More Here......Final Driver Ratings

Ryan Newman on Sylvania 300 pole

Ryan Newman sets at rack record at 136.497 mph 

Ryan Newman won the pole for the second race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Newman's speed of 136.497 mph set a track record and edged Kasey Kahne (136.082) for his second pole of the season. The last time Newman won the pole, he won the Brickyard 400 at Indy.

Jeff Gordon qualified third, followed by Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle as eight of the 13 Chase drivers qualified in the top 10.

Among the other Chase drivers, Jimmie Johnson qualified 11th, Kyle Busch 12th, Clint Bowyer 16th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 17th and Carl Edwards 26th.

Read More Here....Sporting News

Sylvania 300 Starting Lineup

Sylvania 300 Practice 1 Speeds - Kurt Busch Fastest

Kyle Busch is relaxed and poised in 2013 Chase

Kyle Busch kicks a hold from Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski Thursday

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Kyle Busch was quite proud of himself Thursday when he kicked what a simulator said was a 56-yard field goal inside The Hall at Patriot Place, the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

He could only laugh when he tried to kick field goals on the actual Gillette Stadium turf. He wasn’t nearly as successful, lacking height, distance and accuracy on his kick.

His kicking ability was not something to get frustrated over. But that’s not the only area of his life where Busch appears more relaxed than in the past.

If he’s letting the pressure of having never won a Chase race while competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup get to him, then he’s a pretty darn good actor. Busch, who has been known to wear his emotions on his sleeve, said he is more relaxed this year during what he believes is his best chance win the Sprint Cup championship.

He laughs often during media sessions. His outbursts on the radio have dwindled. The sour looks are not as common.

“You guys are getting a small dose of really what’s going on,” crew chief Dave Rogers said. “He’s really relaxed. He’s really poised. He’s making a lot of smart decisions. He’s putting effort into it.

“We talk about the will to prepare to win and the desire to win. He’s not talking the talk this year. He’s actually doing it. I see a lot of great things behind the scenes.”

Read More Here....Sporting News

Friday comments from Kyle Busch at New Hampshire

Kyle Busch has 7/1 odds placed on him by Vegas to win Sunday; 

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Peanut Butter Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Do you feel good about your start to the Chase? “Certainly, it’s a lot better to start off — you know, wins, top-fives, top-10s than further on back. We know last week was a second-place, but as far as points are concerned and everything else it’s not the time to look at any of that or worry about any of that. So, for ourselves, I don’t know where I am and I don’t want to know where I am. But I think it will all take care of itself when it comes down to crunch time and the better you can perform and do on Sundays, then it’s going to take care of itself a lot easier.”

What are your thoughts on NAPA Auto Parts’ decision to leave Michael Waltrip Racing? “I think it’s a little disappointing I think on behalf of all the drivers, teams, race fans and in general because as far as we’re all concerned right now, it’s a tough economy or a tough sport to try to pick up sponsors and bring them on in and we know how important all of them are and especially for me with M&M’s support. Obviously, I’ve got a huge following there with the family and the representatives from Mars, Incorporated and whatnot. S o, it’s a lot of fun to have those guys on my side and to have the support that I do from them, which makes my job a lot easier. Even through the tough times we’ve had, they still stand behind me and we’ve done a lot of great things on and off the race track together since. But it’s frustrating — there’s a lot of race fans that sometimes voice their opinion about there not being enough competitive cars each and every week and whatnot, but yet they’ll send in their comments to sponsors that they shouldn’t sponsor that team or shouldn’t sponsor that driver because of some of the things that happen on the race track and all of that does is drive sponsors away from our sport. So, it’s not a good thing to be doing those sorts of things.”

Is Joe Gibbs Racing the top organization in the garage today? “I don’t know. That’s a tough question to ask. I think this sport goes in circles all the time. You see a lot of teams that prosper and do really well and then they sort of go back on their down swing and sometimes you see them, they hit bottom or whatnot or if it’s a circle graph or if it’s a line graph you can always see it going up and down like a rollercoaster. I think it happens to every team and whether or not we’re on top, I don’t think that’s an answer that can be written until after Homestead (Miami-Speedway).”

Do you still think Jimmie Johnson can flip a switch and get it going? “Yeah, last week they ran fine and in my eyes they had a really, really fast race car there at the start of the race. They took off and I was running second to them and then they left me. So, they certainly had speed an d then we had the rain delay and we came back at night and it seemed like our car got better at night, which obviously too Jimmie (Johnson), I think , had some pit road issues a couple times and he got back in traffic, but then was able to drive back up through and I think got as high as third again. If that’s not good enough for you, then I don’t know what is. But I thought that was pretty impressive to be able to do that when all of us keep talking about how tough it is to pass out there sometimes.”

Did the restart procedure changes affect the racing and will it be more difficult at New Hampshire? “I think we saw that last week it was the first restart where I had the opportunity to beat Jimmie (Johnson) and I thought it was fine. It really didn’t change the outcome of who the leader was through turn 1 just because Jimmie got a side draft on me and got alongside of me through (turn) 1 and 2. Later in the race, however, I feel like nothing really changed. I beat (Matt) Kenseth to the line there on that last restart and then he just got a push from (Kevin) Harvick to get by me. That could probably happen here at Loudon. You can have guys that are lined up side-by-side and one row push somebody harder than the other row and that row taking advantage getting into turn 1. So it can be certainly important to who’s behind you and what all is going on in your rearview mirror rather than exactly what lane choice you need or want. I think now as soon as the flag drops the guy in the second row can push. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to wait until after the line to push. You can push right away and get that line moving and get an advantage.”

Are you more prepared for the Chase than in the past? “Yeah, a little bit. I think that last year was a big learning year for us. We obviously missed the Chase, so had a pretty devastating August and September. And then when we missed the Chase we came in with the mentality to run the rest of the year hard and to try to prepare ourselves and put ourselves in our own little Chase to see if we could compete and we did that. We competed well. We ran upfront in Chicago last year — I think we finished third or fourth — and then here we ran well and had an engine problem. Throughout the Chase, we had a lot of really good runs. So that all put us in the sense that we can do this. It’s not rocket science. We know how to race, we know how to run upfront and when the pressure is on the line obviously that situation is going to be a little different. But we need to act as though the pressure isn’t on the line or to just be able to do what we’ve done all year long that’s got us to this point in the first 26 races. That’s where we’re at right now. It’s not time to turn up the heat quite yet I don’t feel and that’s just because — it’s like you read a lot into what other drivers have to say as well too and I think Jimmie Johnson is one of the best because he’s done it five times, but he’s a very good predictor when it comes to figuring out where everybody’s at after Talladega and then the final races there after you pretty much eliminate a guy each week and it comes down to two or three in Homestead.”

What does Matt Kenseth bring to Joe Gibbs Racing? “His (Matt Kenseth) has a lot to do with cheese. Just kidding. I tried to be cheesy there but it didn’t quite work. Kenseth — we all do have our own different mentality about how to describe what’s going on with our car and our feel and everything. Kenseth is very knowledgeable. I mean, he’s a great race car driver. We’ve known that. I think that’s why we went to him and talked to him and asked him to come over and join our team. He’s had a good sense this year of being able to — adding to our program and knowing what to add. Whether it’s been the engine stuff or chassis stuff or what he’s felt with his cars in years past and what our cars do differently better or wrong. It’s like when I came over from Hendrick (Motorsports), I had the same thing. I was like, ‘Well, we did it this way. We did it this way. We did it this way.’ So we learned from some of those and some of the others we threw away and the same thing we’re doing with Matt. I think it just adds to the volume of our team just knowing some of the principles that other race teams have and what they do to make themselves better. As far as being able to exactly tell you what all he brings, it’s tough to do because it’s just about communication, talking and working through our meetings. That’s the biggest time where you get the biggest sense of what people bring.”

- Toyota Racing

Carl Edwards' Phoenix and Richmond wins correlate well to New Hampshire

Edwards in stands after Phoenix win in March; he's 20/1 to win on Sunday 

Carl Edwards – Sylvania 300
Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Primary Chassis: RK- 866 new chassis
Backup Chassis: RK – 857 last ran at Richmond

ADVANCE NOTES

Edwards at Loudon
In 18 NSCS starts at NHMS, Edwards has achieved two top-five and four top-10 finishes. Edwards’ best finish at Loudon is second place, captured in July of 2006.

In the Loop
Edwards has completed (99.9%) of the laps he has attempted at Loudon and has led 70 laps. He has an average start of 14.7 and an average finish of 14.1.

The Car
The No. 99 team will run RK- 866 which is a new chassis.

Primary Sponsor Note
Aflac returns to as the primary for this weekend. This will be Aflac’s fourth time on the car this season.

QUOTE WORTHY

Edwards quotes on the Sylvania 300
“We battled through Chicago, it wasn’t pretty but we’re fifth in points. We feel that New Hampshire is an opportunity for us to showcase our short track strength that we’ve shown at Phoenix and at Richmond this year. It’s a true home track for our team because of our Fenway partnership, and I feel like it’s going to be a very intense race. As always, track position is very important, the restarts are extremely tough at New Hampshire, and there’s door to door racing as close as any track that we race on. I think it’s an opportunity for us to separate ourselves from some more guys in the Chase and hopefully have the same success that we’ve had at Phoenix and Richmond.”

- Roush Fenway Racing

Kurt Busch 2004 New Hampshire win kicked off a Championship season

Kurt Busch has three wins at New Hampshire, he's 12/1 to win this week

Fact: Since the Sonoma, Calif. road race on June 23, Kurt Busch has accumulated more points than any other Chase driver. During this 12-racestretch, he has earned 418 points. Second is Busch’s brother Kyle with 402 points and third is Matt Kenseth with 399.

DENVER (Sept. 18, 2013) – Though Chase driver Kurt Busch is enjoying a successful season with the single-car Furniture Row Racing team, the former NASCAR champion says there’s still a void with nine races remaining in the 2013 Sprint Cup Series schedule.

“We haven’t won yet,” noted Busch. “We’ve been close and let some races slip away.”

The one race that rightfully sticks in the craw of the Denver-based team is the July event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where Busch was dominant. He qualified second and led a race high 102 laps. But an accident on Lap 226 of 302 ruined his day with a 31st-place finish.

“No doubt, we had the car to beat at New Hampshire,” said Busch. “We led the most laps and it appeared we were going to have a strong showing and a real good shot at winning. But I got tangled with some other cars and the incident sent our Furniture Row Chevy to the garage for repairs. Instead of the possibility of winning the race we ended up somewhere in the 30s.”

Busch, who finished fourth in the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway and vaulted four spots to sixth in the point standings, is looking to resume his strong New Hampshire performance in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at the 1.058-mile New England facility.

“We have good notes about how to set up our car for this weekend’s race,” stated Busch, a 24-time Cup winner. “We have momentum heading into New Hampshire with top-fives in the last three races. You need to have top-fives to compete in the Chase. We got off to a good start in Chicago and it’s one down and nine to go.”

One of Busch’s victories at New Hampshire’s Magic Mile was in the fall of 2004, which was the first race under the newly-created Chase playoff format. That win triggered Busch’s charge to the Cup championship.

“I’ve always enjoyed racing at New Hampshire,” said Busch. “I won three times there in Cup and once in the trucks. The key to New Hampshire is usually how well you can roll the center of the corners.”

While a win at New Hampshire would check off another objective, the focus will continue to be on consistency, which Busch has accomplished with nine top-fives and 14 top-10s in the first 27 races of the season.

“We just have to keep knocking off those top-fives and hopefully we can eventually seal the deal with a win,” stated Busch. “We’re 95-percent strong and searching for the other five percent. We’re not giving up until we find that five percent.”

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing

Mike Helton dons classic look in another splendid Mike Smith StockCartoon

Mike Smith is one of the most talented cartoonists on the planet!

JOLIET, Ill. — It was the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and some drivers experienced frustration and others elation during the opening weekend of NASCAR’s playoffs.

Here is a look at some of the chatter — on in-car radios and on Twitter — from the race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway:

Team owner Michael Waltrip to Clint Bowyer’s team prerace: “Proud of you boys. Let’s run off 10 good ones. Thank you for all you do.”

Clint Bowyer, when he is 19th: “Help me be patient here.”

Crew chief Chad Knaus when a NASCAR official was saying the team had a missing lugnut: “Go back to the right rear, go back to the right rear, go back to the right rear. … Tight the (expletive) lugnut!”

But then Knaus realized the official was wrong and waving off the violation: “Alright, man. We’re going to be fine. NASCAR kind of (expletive) us on that deal there. We’ll be OK. We’ve just got to get back in this thing.”

Read More Here.......Sporting News

Solid Richmond run should help Newman do well at flat New Hampshire layout

Ryan Newman immediately after Richmond, when he thought he was out

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Sept. 18, 2013) – If there truly are races Ryan Newman circles on his calendar at the beginning of each season as races where he and his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team should be the class of the field, there’s no doubt one of those is this weekend.

After all, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon has been the site of three of Newman’s 17 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins – September 2002 and 2005 and July 2010 – and six of the Quicken Loans driver’s 50 career poles.

In fact, New Hampshire was the site of Newman’s first points-paying Sprint Cup victory during his rookie season in 2002. On that September afternoon, the South Bend, Ind., native started from the pole and dominated the rain-shortened race, leading 143 of 207 laps.

The second victory came three years later in September 2005. Newman, who had narrowly squeaked into the inaugural Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, used pit strategy to gain the lead late in the race after starting 13th. In the closing laps, he dueled for the lead with now-team owner and teammate Tony Stewart. Newman passed Stewart with two laps remaining and held on to take the win, renewing Newman’s hopes for a run at the championship.

The July 2011 win was a wire-to-wire effort as Newman drove from his No. 1 starting spot to victory lane. Newman led six times for 119 laps in winning from the pole position for just the fourth time in his career.

And that win was all part of a banner weekend for SHR. Newman and Stewart started 1-2 and finished 1-2 as teammate and team owner. The last time a team started 1-2 and finished 1-2 was Hendrick Motorsports in the 1989 Daytona 500. However, the last time a team started 1-2 and finished 1-2 with the same drivers in the same order was back on April 7, 1957, at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, where DePaolo Engineering’s Fireball Roberts won from the pole while teammate Paul Goldsmith started and finished second.

So, it makes sense Newman would circle New Hampshire on his calendar each year. The 1.058-mile flat track commonly known as “The Magic Mile” has been the site of some magical moments over Newman’s Sprint Cup career.

As part of the 2013 Chase field, Newman and the No. 39 team are peaking at the right time. Since winning the 20th annual Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, Newman has scored three top-five finishes and four top 10s, and his only finish worse than 14th came at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, where a late-race incident led him to finish three laps down with a badly damaged racecar. And, after opening the Chase with a 10th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., last weekend, Newman and his Matt Borland-led team advanced four positions to eighth in the standings, 28 points behind series leader Matt Kenseth.

With his four most recent race wins coming on flat tracks – Phoenix International Raceway in April 2010, New Hampshire in July 2011, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April 2012 and Indianapolis in July, Newman is looking forward to coming “home” to New Hampshire this weekend. It always brings back great memories thanks to his previous successes at the track with the ever-present potential to bring additional successes. This weekend, a trip to victory lane in the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS could go a long way in his quest to become the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:

Talk about racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a fun racetrack. It has long straightaways and hairpin corners. You really have to drive it into the corner and focus on rolling through the center. It’s one of the most symmetrical tracks we go to in that turns one and two are very similar to turns three and four. It’s really important to focus on the exit of the corners. The toughest part is track position – if you get behind, it is hard to make it up. Because track position is so important, hopefully we’ll be able to continue our record of solid qualifying efforts at New Hampshire this weekend. I got my first Sprint Cup win at New Hampshire, so it has always been a special track for me.”

You have six poles and three wins at New Hampshire. What makes you so good at New Hampshire?
“That’s actually kind of funny because I used to say New Hampshire was my least favorite racetrack. But it’s far from that, now. It’s still not my favorite racetrack, but I really look forward to going back there each year. New Hampshire has always been a good place for me. I’m not 100 percent sure why. It’s the place I got my first win and, when I hadn’t won in a long while, 70-some races, I won again there. For whatever reason, I still don’t know the answer to why I enjoy Loudon. I like the track because I think you have to feel the tires and be on the edge. New Hampshire kind of drives like that kind of track where your car is on top of the racetrack and you get everything you can. There is nothing to really make it go any faster. It’s not like you are pushing the car on the banking to make it grip better. There’s none of that really to speak of there, I think, other than just a little bit of our past, a little bit of our time, and a little bit of us as far as the way we drive racecars.”

It’s odd to hear someone who has done so well at a track say it was his least favorite. What do you mean?
“Loudon has just always been a difficult track to pass on. And, from a racecar driver’s standpoint, you want to go out there and say that, if I have a good car, I can go out there and start last and win this race. And you can’t always do that there. That’s just a rule of thumb and generic explanation for why it’s not perfect. Other than that, it’s short-track racing. It’s fun but it’s really difficult to pass there, at times. It all depends on the tire they bring and how good your car is. To me, personally, I feel like I’m competitive as a driver at all the tracks but, obviously, it takes a good crew that understands the car and the track and strategy and everything else. We’ve just done well there. It’s clicked.”

Talk about running not only the Sprint Cup Series race this weekend but the Modified race, as well.
“The Modified race is a little bit of an extracurricular activity for the weekend. I’ll get to go have a little bit of fun with Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion and his guys. I always look forward to racing the Modified. It’s a lot of fun to drive that racecar, especially at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. New Hampshire is sort of a “home” track for me because of the number of victories and poles I’ve had there. So, I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing

Mark Martin on New Hampshire fuel mileage game, 'I've lost more than I've won'

Mark Martin last won at New Hampshire in 2009

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Sept. 18, 2013) – “Money makes the world go ‘round.” It’s a notorious phrase used in speech and song that although cliché, warrants merit.

Swap out the word “fuel” with “money” and the expression applies to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, only there is no platitude to the revised phrase. Fuel powers the sport in more ways than one, making it only appropriate that the commodity is sometimes the difference between winning and losing. Nowhere has that circumstance been more inherent than at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, site of Sunday’s Sylvania 300.

The No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) is very familiar with the importance of fuel, having experienced both ends of the spectrum on the win/loss scale when it comes to racing at New Hampshire. With Mark Martin driving in place of the injured Tony Stewart this weekend, the team looks for some redemption after finding itself on the losing end of a fuel gamble during the series’ most recent visit to the 1.058-mile oval in July.

Less than 10 weeks ago at New Hampshire, the Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops team found its No. 14 Chevrolet SS out front in the closing laps of the race and in position to score their second win in six races.

After leading for 84 laps, Stewart relinquished the lead 16 laps short of the finish as he went into fuel conservation mode. In second place on the penultimate lap, Stewart was primed for another strong run at New Hampshire, or maybe a win if race-leader Brian Vickers bobbled. But just moments after the white flag waved, signaling the race’s final lap, Stewart’s machine sputtered off turn two. Forced to coast all the way down the backstretch and through turns three and four, Stewart crossed the finish line a gut-wrenching 26th.

That certainly was an episode of dealing with the bad, but there have also been instances of good, most notably the 2011 edition of the Sylvania 300. Two years ago the No. 14 team found itself in a nearly identical situation, only they were in position to take advantage of another competitor’s foiled fuel strategy. The No. 14 led the final two laps after previous leader Clint Bowyer ran out of gas just before taking the white flag of the 300-lap race. It was Stewart’s second consecutive win and it propelled him to the 2011 Sprint Cup championship.

At this year’s Sylvania 300, the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops team will be led by Martin. The ageless veteran will make his 31st career Sprint Cup start at the Magic Mile, but first since 2011.

While two years removed from his last New Hampshire race, Martin remains rock solid in the Granite State. He is a 40-time Sprint Cup winner, the most recent of which came at New Hampshire on Sept. 20, 2009. He has two poles and nine top-fives and 14 top-10s in his 30 starts dating back to 1993 when the track first hosted the Sprint Cup Series. Through the years, Martin has proven a model of consistency with an average start of 15.3 and an average finish of 12.5. And through two decades of racing in NASCAR’s elite division at New Hampshire, Martin has completed all but 23 of the 8,863 laps available for a lap completion rate of 99.7 percent.

Thos stats, combined with the racecar Martin will pilot at New Hampshire, make the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops team’s anticipation for the Sylvania 300 palpable. The same car that nearly won at New Hampshire 10 weeks ago is the same car Martin will wheel around the tight, flat confines of the Magic Mile.

With guile and experience unmatched in NASCAR, Martin knows how to win, even when winning means conserving. And if fuel again factors into the outcome at New Hampshire, Martin’s veteran poise could portend another victory for the No. 14 team.

MARK MARTIN, Interim Driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:

New Hampshire seems to have an inordinate amount of races that are decided by fuel mileage. Is that the case and if so, why?
“One of the biggest things at New Hampshire is track position, and how it’s so critical there. It’s a little more critical than a lot of places we go to in that you try to get in the window of not having to stop again, and you gamble on ‘X’ amount of cautions because new tires don’t really give you a big advantage. The tire seems to hold its speed really well, so you kind of back up that last pit stop to how far you think you can go and how many cautions you might get.”

How do you save fuel at New Hampshire?
“The easiest way to save fuel is to slow down, which is really hard to do if you’re trying to win because there’s always someone there trying to push you. The biggest challenge is, you can save a little bit of fuel and keep your speed, but if you need to save a lot, you’re going to have to lose some lap time doing it. Sometimes you can get caught in a difficult situation.”

Is fuel mileage racing like running two races in one – you’re competing against other drivers but you’re also competing with yourself in terms of how hard you can push?
“If you get caught in one of those situations where it’s real close, then it’s quite different than most races. It doesn’t always work out that way, and one caution can make the difference between you being able to run full out and having to conserve. There’s a lot of gambling going on, but it doesn’t always come down to that. Sometimes your pit stop falls right inside the window where everybody can make it. But fuel mileage races do happen quite a bit at New Hampshire where a caution will come out just in the right spot where it puts some people in a position where they might be able to gamble.”

How have you fared in fuel mileage races?
“I’ve lost more than I’ve won, but I have been more successful since ’09. I did win one years ago with Jack (Roush) on fuel mileage, but I’ve lost probably 10. In ’09 I won the Michigan race where the two cats in front of me both ran out. I knew I couldn’t race them, so I let them go and let them run on out there and they both ran out on the last lap and we made it. I’ve had some success at it in more recent times. It’s tough. You have to have a superior racecar to be in a position to save significant fuel.”

Explain a lap around New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“The corners are really sharp and fairly flat, so you use an enormous amount of brake. For a short distance, you use the maximum amount of brake that the tires can stand to get slowed down for those corners. There are multiple bank angles in both corners and you can use those multiple bank angles to encourage your car to turn, or tighten up some, or whatever. You have to know what your car is doing and pick what you want to do with those multi-banked angles to affect your car to get it to turn and to get it up off the corner going down the backstretch. There’s a crossover gate late down the backstretch that the transporters use to get into and out of the racetrack. The pavement there has settled and it’s created a pretty big bump going into turn three. It causes a lot of grief with the cars nowadays the way we run them down on the ground. That sends you into a bouncing isolation when you head off into turn three, which makes it interesting. And then in turns three and four it’s a lot of the same things you have in turns one and two. There are multi-bank angles and you’ve got to pick where you want to put your racecar to maximize the way the chassis and the tires are working. It’s tight up off the corner. The wall comes at you. You have to turn really sharp. The turns are tight there.”

It seems like good days at New Hampshire are great and off days there are really bad. Why is that?
“Qualifying is important there, but if you’ve got a good racecar, you can overcome your track position early. You can’t overcome it late. You do your best in qualifying, and after qualifying is over with you’ve got what you’ve got for a starting position and you just have to deal with it.”

How physical is racing at New Hampshire?
“It is a little bit physical, but it’s not as physical as Dover or Bristol. I think with New Hampshire being flatter, you don’t have to deal with the G-forces as much. However, New Hampshire is a very mentally taxing racetrack. It’s a challenge to get around those tight, flat corners, especially when you’re racing other cars. It’s more mentally challenging to run the race than it is physically.”

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing

New Hampshire Driver Chassis Selections: 2013 Sylvania 300

Brad Keselowski was pole sitter in July race, finished fourth.  

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis: PRS-856. Last Raced: Fall Pocono (finished sixth). Backup Chassis: PRS-854. Last Raced: Charlotte (former 22 car chassis; finished fifth)

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-815 for Sunday's New Hampshire race. Kahne raced this car at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Sept. 7 and finished 14th.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The No. 9 team will bring chassis No. 865 this weekend. The team last ran this chassis at Richmond International Raceway this fall.

#10-Danica Patrick: Chassis No. 10-823: Chassis No. 10-823 is a new car that has not been used previously.

#14-Mark Martin: Chassis No. 14-792: This car made its debut in April at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. It started 21st but Tony Stewart wheeled it into the top-five prior to a greenwhite-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 was poised for another strong finish in its second career start when it rallied from its 16th-place starting spot to lead 84 laps in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. But while in second place on the final lap, Chassis No. 14-792 ran out of fuel. Stewart was forced to coast all the way around the 1.058-mile oval, which left him a disappointing 26th. With interim driver Mark Martin at the wheel, Chassis No. 14-792 returns to New Hampshire for this weekend s Sylvania 300.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary chassis No. 761 finished second at Martinsville and 13th at New Hampshire in July. Backup chassis No. 727 served as a backup several races in 2013, but not raced.

#16-Greg Biffle: Primary Chassis: RK-867. Brand new. Backup Chassis: RK-822. Last ran Bristol finished 9th.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Primary Chassis: RK-868- new chassis. Backup Chassis: RK-801 - chassis raced numerous times by #99 in 2012.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis: PRS-848. Last Raced Fall Pocono (finished seventh). Backup Chassis: PRS-844. Last Raced: Backup at several races (not raced).

#27-Paul Menard: will pilot chassis No. 434 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS is a new addition to the Richard Childress Racing stable and will turn its first laps this weekend at the one-mile facility.

#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot chassis No. 433 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the SYLVANIA 300. This Chevrolet is new to the No. 29 team rotation and is scheduled to be on track for the first time this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

#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, New Hampshire in July and earlier this month at Richmond International Raceway. (Good chassis, finished third at New Hampshire)

#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-808: Ryan Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-808 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Built new for 2013, Chassis 39-808 was windtunnel tested in July. It will see its first laps of competition this weekend.

#43-Aric Almirola:: The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 850 for New Hampshire. The team last competed with this chassis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 806 at Loudon. Chassis No. 689 serves as the backup.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-818 this weekend at New Hampshire. Earnhardt tested this chassis at New Hampshire in August. This will be the first time this chassis is raced.

#99-Carl Edwards: RK-866. new chassis. RK-857 - last ran at Richmond.

- compiled by Jayski.com

Johnson favored at New Hampshire, Edwards offers best value at 20/1

Maybe another flip this week in store for Carl Edwards?

LAS VEGAS-- Perhaps Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 team are so good to the core that they can just flip the switch when they set their minds to it. It felt like that Sunday night when they came home with a fifth-place finish at Chicago after experiencing four straight finishes of 28th or worse heading into the Chase.

While Johnson is the 9-to-2 favorite to win Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he’s got company as the favorite on the LVH Super Book odds board as the 2-to-1 favorite to win NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Championship. Johnson actually had his odds raised from 3-to-2 last week, making him the co-favorite with Chase-leader Matt Kenseth.

The quick shift in Chase odds might seem a bit hasty after Johnson just brought in his second top-5 finish of the season on 1.5-mile tracks, but it’s on those types where Kenseth has thrived this season, winning four of the seven. And of the nine races remaining, four of them, Kansas, Charlotte, Texas and Homestead, will be on that style of track.

New Hampshire’s 1-mile flat layout should give Johnson a little bit of an edge over Kenseth this week though, which is why Kenseth is the co-second favorite at 7-to-1 to win along with Kyle Busch. Kenseth has never won at New Hampshire in 27 career starts, while Johnson has won there three times and has the second-best average finish (9.4) for his career among active drivers.

Busch won there in 2006 while driving for Hendrick Motorsports and his second-place finish in the July race was his best since then.

A great tool to handicap New Hampshire is by looking at what happened in previous races on similar tracks. Even though Phoenix, Richmond and New Hampshire have major differences, the one thing they share is being flat. Crew chiefs routinely bring the same chassis to all three tracks and it’s fairly common to see one or two drivers dominate a season on these types.

Through four races this season, consisting of two Richmond events and one each at Phoenix and New Hampshire, Carl Edwards has been the dominator. His only two wins on the season have come on these types and he’s the only driver to have top-10 finishes at all four this season. Yet Edwards has never won at New Hampshire, which is part of the reason he’s listed at very attractive 20-to-1 odds to win this week.

Brad Keselowski has finished sixth or better in the past four races on the 1-mile paper clip. He also finished fourth at both New Hampshire and Phoenix earlier in the season and is listed at 10-to-1 odds.

Kevin Harvick is a nice candidate to win this week at 12-to-1 odds because he’s already got an April Richmond win on his resume. He’s finished 13th or better in all four of races held on these types, and also had a magical 2006 season when he won four-of-the-six races.

Clint Bowyer is a two-time winner at New Hampshire, the first of which was his first Cup win ever in 2007. Of his eight career wins, four have come between New Hampshire and Richmond. He is still looking for his first win of this season, and if you think it’s this week, the LVH will give you 12-to-1.

Kurt Busch, a three-time winner, also comes in at 12-to-1. He was runner up at Richmond two weeks ago, and like Harvick, Busch went on a spree at the three similar tracks in 2004-2005, winning four times while driving for Jack Roush. In 2004, he swept New Hampshire and then went on to win NASCAR's first season with a playoff system.

We’ve seen Jeff Burton (60-to-1), Dale Earnhardt Jr (20-to-1), Tony Stewart (OUT), Ryan Newman (24-to-1) and Jimmie Johnson have strong runs at these tracks over their careers as well. But few have performed as consistently as Denny Hamlin (20-to-1), who won this race last season. Hamlin’s 8.8 average finish at New Hampshire is the best among all active drivers.

The biggest question with Hamlin is wondering what stage Toyota is at while using his No. 11 car as a guinea pig. He’s on a run of finishing 18th or worse over his last 13 races and Hamlin’s last top-5 finish was in Charlotte back on May 26.

Read More Here.........LVH Chase and New Hampshire Odds

Kevin Harvick likes the flats tracks like New Hampshire

One of Harvick's wins came on flat track at Richmond in April

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. 433 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the SYLVANIA 300. This Chevrolet is new to the No. 29 team rotation and is scheduled to be on track for the first time this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

New England Stats … Since the 2001 season, Harvick has made 25 Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The California native won this race back in 2006 from the pole position and has also collected five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. The RCR driver holds an average starting position of 14.2, a 13.4 average finishing position, has completed 99.3 percent (7,323 of 7,377) of the laps contested and has 319 laps led to his credit.

Be(er) Responsible … On Friday, Sept. 20, Anheuser-Busch employees and wholesalers will encourage adults to take a very important ride: one with a designated driver behind the wheel. As part of Global Be(er) Responsible Day, Anheuser-Busch InBev and its sister companies from around the world will share information with adults about the company’s responsible drinking programs, including being or using a designated driver. In the United States, Anheuser-Busch employees will take to the streets and canvass retail locations reminding adults about Budweiser’s important message to Designate A Driver and Enjoy the Great Times. During all activities nationwide, employees and wholesalers will ask people in their communities to show support by pledging to drink responsibly at www.nationofresponsibledrinkers.com.

Race Rewind … After starting from the 16th position, Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team scored an 11th-place finish in the 2012 SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

What is the key to running well at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“The hardest thing is just making your car turn in the middle of the corner and being able to have enough forward drive up off. 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.”

What do you like about racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“I always look forward to going to New Hampshire (Motor Speedway). I like that type of track because it’s flat; similar to the tracks out west where I started my racing career. There’s a lot of braking. You have to really work on getting your car through the center of the corner and still have the forward drive you need up off the corner.”

Clint Bowyer using runner-up Martinsville chassis at New Hampshire

Bowyer's last New Hampshire win came in 2010, his first was 2007 

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota driver Clint Bowyer plans to bring home more than just the trophy from New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. Bowyer’s Michael Waltrip Racing team races at NHMS on Sunday but it marks his second trip to the “Granite State” in two weeks.

Bowyer visited the Swenson Granite Works in Concord on Sept. 5 to man a crane that lifted a 7,000 pound slab of granite etched with his he 5-hour car’s likeness.

The track planned to donate the rock to Speedway Children’s Charities. But Bowyer said he’d make a donation to the charity if he could put it in front of the Bowyer Community Building in his hometown of Emporia, Kan. The granite will be on display outside the infield tunnel across from the fan zone this weekend before making a trip to its permanent home in Kansas.

Bowyer ranks ninth in the Sprint Cup Series standings with 2035 points, with the same number of points as Ryan Newman. Bowyer trails point leader Matt Kenseth by 28 points with nine races remaining in the Sprint Cup season.

BOWYER ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “If there is a track on the schedule that I feel we could make up some ground in the Chase – New Hampshire is that track. I’ve won at New Hampshire twice and I love everything about it. The flat short tracks seem to fit my driving style the best and I have had a lot of success there – so we are pretty confident going in. We could use a big week to get back on the right track.”

VISIT TO THE SWENSON GRANITE WORKS: “It was such a great trip over to the Swenson Granite Works. That place is amazing and I’m glad they let us come over for a tour. The granite quarry has been in operation since the 1800s and it’s about a 200 ft. straight drop down from where we were standing to the bottom of the quarry. They even let me operate the crane to pick up a piece of granite. They had the piece engraved with the No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota on it. I thought it was so awesome that I just had to have it for our community building in Kansas. I’ll have some friends pick it up for me after the race this weekend. It’s going to take a really big truck.”

NOTES: 

Bowyer at New Hampshire: In 15 Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire, Bowyer has two wins, four top-five and six top-10s. Both of Bowyer’s wins at NHMS have come in the fall race. He has an average start of 13th and finish of 15th. He has led 475 laps and won from the pole in the fall of 2007. He has two top-fives in his last three starts at NHMS. 

Bowyer Ranks: In 2013, Bowyer has the highest average finish of any driver to run all races (12.2) and has eight top-five (ranks fourth) and 14 top-10 (tied for third most with six drivers) finishes. 

Chassis: Primary chassis No. 761 finished second at Martinsville and 13th at New Hampshire in July. Backup chassis No. 727 served as a backup several races in 2013, but not raced. 

MWR in 2013: MWR cars have combined for two wins (Truex Jr. – Sonoma; Vickers – Loudon-1), 19 top-five and 34 top-10 finishes. The three-car team has led 657 laps and won one pole award (M. Martin – Phoenix-1). The No. 15 qualified for the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup and is ninth in the standings.

- Michael Waltrip Racing

Matt Kenseth still searching for first career New Hampshire win

Kenseth is 7-to-1 to win this week; it would be his first at New Hampshire

Matt Kenseth/No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota Preview
Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota News and Notes:

KENSETH BY THE NUMBERS: In 27 Sprint Cup Series career starts at New Hampshire, Matt Kenseth has an average finish of 13.8, has completed 7,873 of 7,950 (99.0 percent) career laps, and has led for a total of 122 laps. He has earned five top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the 1.058-mile track.

JOE GIBBS RACING AT LOUDON: Joe Gibbs Racing has 83 Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and has earned five wins, 27 top-five, and 42 top-ten finishes. The organization has led for a total of 1,690 laps, has an average start of 14.0, an average finish of 13.1, and has completed 23,865 of 24,570 (97.1 percent) laps.

KENSETH’S MILESTONE WEEKEND: This weekend, Matt Kenseth will make his 500th career Sprint Cup Series start in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kenseth currently ranks 32nd on the list of all-time drivers in the series for career starts, and is now the 10th active driver in NASCAR’s top series to have made 500 career starts.

RACE INFO: Coverage of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1.058-mile) begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 22nd. The race will be broadcast live on ESPN, Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.

From the Cockpit:
Matt Kenseth: “We felt like we learned a lot at Loudon earlier this year, and I thought that our car was really good on the short runs, but not necessarily the long runs. We were able to take away a few things from that July race weekend which we plan to work on heading into this weekend’s events. New Hampshire hasn’t necessarily been one of my best tracks, but historically JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) has done really well there, so I’m looking forward to getting there this weekend and leaning on Denny (Hamlin) and Kyle (Busch) to hopefully get a decent finish in this second race of the Chase.”

From the Pit Box:
Jason Ratcliff: “Our first race at New Hampshire, I thought we ran well but then we got caught up in a battle between cars ahead of us, and it resulted in us losing our track position. We didn’t wind up finishing where we felt that we should have, but we need to be a little bit better going back there. I think that Matt (Kenseth) feels confident going to Loudon and I know it’s not one of the tracks that he’s particularly happy about, but I felt that based on our first race there, we should be pretty good going back to New Hampshire this weekend.”

No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing Team:
Driver – Matt Kenseth, 

Crew Chief – Jason Ratcliff 

Car Chief – Jason Shapiro
Engineer – Jacob Canter, Mike Lorusso 

Shock Specialist – Scott Myers
Mechanic – Todd Foster, Jesse Sanders, Leo Thorsen
Engine Tuner – Mike Johnson 

Tire Specialist – Jerold Shires 

Spotter – Chris Osborne

Jackman – Jason Tate 

Gasman – John Eicher 

Front Tire Changer – John Royer
Front Tire Carrier – Joe Crossen 

Rear Tire Changer – Chris Taylor 

Rear Tire Carrier – Eric Groen
EFI Specialist – Jarrad Egert 

Pit Support – Bill Byrne, Tom Dean
Truck Drivers – Dennis Valverde & Tom McCrimmon

About Husky Tools:
With over 85 years of experience building the toughest hand tools, air tools and tool storage products, Husky Tools is rebranding. In an effort to become the complete, one stop shop “garage brand” for The Home Depot customers, Husky’s new product line can outfit an entire garage workshop with quality and affordable storage units, tools, work benches and more. With a focus on quality, innovation and value the brand has enhanced product quality, features and durability while continuing to focus on value. Husky delivers national brand performance at an as good or better price. Husky tools have a lifetime guarantee, and the brand has dedicated resources in Atlanta (888) HD-HUSKY and websitewww.huskytools.com for customers to access.

- Joe Gibbs Racing

Jeff Burton confident he'll be competitive again this week at New Hampshire

Burton won four straight years at New Hampshire, 1997-2000

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet SS

Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Weekend’s No. 31 Cheerios 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, New Hampshire in July and earlier this month at Richmond International Raceway.

Career New Hampshire Stats … This race marks Burton’s 38th start in “The Granite State” and 683rd-career Sprint Cup Series entry. He has amassed four wins, nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes at the 1.058-mile facility and led 783 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.

Black and Yellow … The iconic General Mills brand Cheerios returns as the primary sponsor on Burton’s No. 31 Chevrolet SS. America’s No.1 cereal franchise has roots as a NASCAR sponsor for more than 15 years and began its partnership with RCR in 2008 with the Cheerios brand as the primary sponsor of the No. 33 Sprint Cup Series team. The program moved to the No. 31 team as a co-primary sponsor for the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season.

2012 Race Rewind … Burton and the No. 31 Wheaties Chevrolet team battled handling issues throughout the day and persevered for a top-15 finish in the 2012 SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

JEFF BURTON QUOTE:

People say you can compare New Hampshire Motor Speedway to Phoenix International Raceway. Is that true?
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is definitely a short track. The corners there seem to last forever. They are long and flat, so handling is everything. There are 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. Historically, we tend to run well in New Hampshire. I felt like we had a chance to win the race in July so we should be competitive again this weekend.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Next two weeks are going to be big for Truex Jr.

Truex Jr. is 25/1 to win his first career race at New Hampshire Sunday  

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. hopes to make it a Michael Waltrip Racing sweep this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. MWR teammate Brian Vickers won the July 14NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on the Magic Mile.

A Truex has crossed the finish line first five times at NHMS in NASCAR competition. Martin won the 2000 and 2003 K&N Pro Series East races and the 2005 Nationwide Series race. Martin Sr. won the 1994 East race and younger brother Ryan repeated that feat in 2010.

Martin Truex Jr. On Last Nine Races: “We’ve overcome a lot during our season and it was quite an accomplishment to compete for a Chase spot. Now that we are not in it, it doesn’t mean our season is over. We’ve just switched gears and simply changed how we are approaching these last nine races. We are no longer points racing. From here on out, we are going to get prepared for next year. We are going to try and figure out the tracks that we’ve struggled with this year which includes this weekend’s race at New Hampshire. Ultimately we are going to go out and try to win races. We can gamble more because points from here on out really don’t matter much. We are going to take more chances. We can gamble more on fuel mileage and things like that. I think we can also expect this No. 56 to do some experimenting and do some testing out on the track to prepare for next year. It’s important for us now to use this time to figure some things out that maybe we have put off because we were worried about points and racing conservatively. One thing is for sure, it’s all about continuing to do our best. We always have and always will. Hopefully we can end the season strong and have some things to be excited about heading into 2014.”

New Hampshire: “This weekend we’ve got New Hampshire and then Dover. Both tracks I consider to be home tracks. These next two weeks are going to be big for us. For some reason, New Hampshire has been tough on the NAPA team. We definitely need to figure some things out. It certainly hasn’t been because of a lack of effort. Chad has tried everything he can think of so we are going to take a bit of a different approach to it this weekend. It sure would be nice for it all to work out and pay off with a win. It would be a huge shot in the arm for the entire Michael Waltrip Racing organization. I know it would mean a lot for my 56 team.”

NOTES:
MWR in 2013: MWR cars have combined for two wins (Truex Jr. – Sonoma; Vickers – Loudon-1), 19 top-five and 34 top-10 finishes. The three-car team has led 657 laps and won one pole award (M. Martin – Phoenix-1). The No. 15 qualified for the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup and is ninth in the standings.
MTJ Foundation New Jersey Initiative: The Annual Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Fan Event will be held September 25th from 4 to 8 p.m. at Manahawkin Lake Park. The annual Golf Tournament Presented by NAPA at Sea Oaks Country Club is on September 26th. Tickets are available at www.MartinTruexJrFoundation.org.

- Michael Waltrip Racing

Montoya talks about joining Penske Racing's Indy car team in 2014

Montoya has two wins the Sprint Cup series

Juan Pablo Montoya will leave NASCAR after seven years and join the rival of his current team owner in a return to IndyCar next year.

Montoya will move from Chip Ganassi’s NASCAR program to Roger Penske’s IndyCar team next season.

The 37-year-old Montoya was told last month that he would not be retained at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for next season. While he flirted with staying in stock cars at Furniture Row Racing, he opted to make the move back to the form of racing that made him famous.

In 1999-2000, Montoya won 11 open-wheel races, including the 2000 Indianapolis 500. He also won the 1999 CART championship as a rookie.

Montoya raced in Formula One until making the full-time move to NASCAR in 2007. He has two career wins, both on road courses, and one top-10 finish in the standings (eighth in 2009).

“I am really excited to join this legendary team beginning next year," Montoya said in a statement. "I have had the opportunity to drive for some of the best racing teams in the world and I have always admired Roger Penske and his organization.

“I consider it an honor to be offered the opportunity to drive for Team Penske."

Read More Here..........Sporting News

Extra New Hampshire Test Sessions Should Help Jeff Gordon This Week

Gordon is three-time winner at Loudon, and is 10/1 to win this week

LOUDON, N.H. (September 16, 2013) - The last time the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), Jeff Gordon picked off 15 positions in the final 40 laps to finish 10th in July. But Gordon has been back to the 1.058-mile track since.

And raced here twice since.

In August, Hendrick Motorsports elected to use one of their four tests at NHMS. During that test, the organization’s four teams held two shortened mock races to better understand possible race setups – a practice that carried over the following week during their second test scheduled at another track.

“I believe we learned a lot during those testing races,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet. “And it’s a whole lot more fun than just turning lap after lap by yourself.

“We would work on our setups for a couple hours, then ‘race’ to see how those setups compared to those of our teammates. It provided our team valuable information that we can use heading into this weekend’s race.”

In 37 starts at “The Magic Mile,” Gordon has three wins and four poles while his 16 top-fives and 22 top-10′s tops all drivers. He has 16 consecutive top-15 finishes here as well.

“This is always a track that I look forward to coming to, and it’s one we’ve had success at over the years,” said Gordon. “I love this track – it’s just one where I have a really good feel of what I need to get the car through the corners fast and be able to make good passes and have good speed.

“There’s a few tracks on the circuit – probably a handful of them – that I have that kind of confidence at and this is one of them.”

Gordon enters the Sylvania 300 on the heels of four consecutive top-10 finishes including Sunday’s sixth-place finish in the rain-interrupted race at Chicago. In that event, the No. 24 battled back from a lap down late due to a flat tire to contend for a top-five.

“This team has a lot of fight in them and we never give up,” said Gordon, who is seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and 24 markers out of the lead. “We’ve started to run better – I think Chicago was one of our best races so far this year – and we have started to finish better. We just need to keep building on that. When you have cars that drive like the one I had at Chicago, it’s so much fun.

“I can’t wait for this weekend’s race.”

- Performance PR Plus

New Hampshire Track Facts: 2013 Sylvania 300

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 13 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Matt Kenseth	27	0	0	5	13	1	13.8	80.6
2	Kyle Busch	17	1	1	5	7	0	15.8	91.9
3	Jimmie Johnson	23	0	3	8	16	0	9.4	105.1
4	Kevin Harvick	25	1	1	5	13	0	13.4	92.1
5	Carl Edwards	18	0	0	2	4	0	14.1	86.6
6	Kurt Busch	25	0	3	7	11	1	15.4	90.9
7	Jeff Gordon	37	4	3	16	22	2	10.5	109.4
8	Ryan Newman	23	6	3	6	15	3	13.9	93.1
9	Clint Bowyer	15	1	2	4	6	1	14.9	96.2
10	Kasey Kahne	19	0	1	3	8	3	15.9	92.1
11	Greg Biffle	22	0	1	5	8	2	16.3	87.1
12	Joey Logano	10	0	1	2	4	1	17.8	69.0
13	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	28	0	0	7	11	4	16.0	96.9

* – Based on last 17 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 

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.

 

Clint Bowyer has two wins at New Hampshire

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data

Season Race #: 27 of 36 (9-22-13)

Chase Race #: 2

Track Size: 1.058-mile

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 2 to 7 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 2 to 7 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 1 degree

Banking/Backstretch: 1 degree

Frontstretch Length: 1,500 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet

Race Length: 300 laps / 317.4 miles

 

Top 13 Driver Rating at New Hampshire

Tony Stewart............................ 111.0

Jeff Gordon.............................. 109.4

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

Denny Hamlin........................... 103.5

Dale Earnhardt Jr...................... 96.9

Clint Bowyer............................... 96.2

Ryan Newman............................ 93.1

Jeff Burton.................................. 92.8

Kevin Harvick............................. 92.1

Kasey Kahne............................. 92.1

Kyle Busch................................. 91.9

Kurt Busch................................. 90.9

Mark Martin................................ 88.9

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 134.911 mph, 28.232 secs. 9-21-12

2012 race winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 116.810 mph, (02:43:02), 9-23-12

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

 

Notebook

·        There have been 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.

·        148 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 37 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).

·        22 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 and Toyota with three.

·        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 37 (13.5%) 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 37 (21.6%) 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 37 (51.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        Nine of the 37 (24.3%) 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 22; followed by Tony Stewart with 17.

·        Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at New Hampshire with an 8.348.

·        Denny Hamlin leads NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with an 8.800.

·        All 16 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 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·        Bobby Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire without visiting Victory Lane at 37; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 28.

·        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.

·        15 of the 30 NSCS races scored by electronic scoring at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.

·        Two of the 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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) and 2013 (301/302).

·        Four of the 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have 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 Series 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 Series 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 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,316 laps led in 37 starts.

·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	32	37	7/14/2013

NASCAR in New Hampshire

·        There have been 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

Track Name	City	Total Races	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Loudon	80	37	27	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.

 

Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup: New Hampshire

·        New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been one of the 10 tracks of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since the playoff’s inception in 2004.

·        New Hampshire Motor Speedwayhosted the first race of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from 2004 – 2010. 2011 marked the first season NHMS has hosted the second race of the Chase.

·        Twice the winner of the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Chase race has gone on to win the championship. Once when NHMS was the first Chase race: Kurt Busch (2004); and also when it has hosted the second Chase race:Tony Stewart (2011).

·        Clint Bowyer has won the most Chase races (two) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: 2007 and 2010.

·        Six of the 2013 Chase Contenders are former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase race winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon.

·        The worst finish by the eventual champion at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was Jimmie Johnson in 2006 (39th).

·        Matt Kenseth has an eight-point lead over Kyle Busch in the 2013 Chase standings following the first race in the Chase at Chicagoland Speedway. Three times the top two Chase contenders (first and second in the points) have been tied in standings following the first race in the Chase – 2004, 2007, 2008.

·        Chevrolet leads the series in Chase wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with five followed by Ford with two, Toyota and Dodge each have one.

- NASCAR