Back to the regular 2016 aero-package at New Hampshire

Brad Keselowski won for third time at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday.

Last week at Kentucky Speedway we had all kinds of variables to worry about in the handicapping process in order to find the winner, but all things are back to normal this weekend.

The 19th race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season takes us to the flat one-mile layout of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. There’s no new paving issue, it’s the same aero-package that has run most of the season and the race also features a familiar tire, unlike last week.

Despite having all kinds of obstacles stacked in front of us at Kentucky, we still managed to sniff out the winner early before all the practice data came in. This week’s practices for the New Hampshire 301 will be almost as important as Kentucky, but we can get a head start on buying some value on early odds to win, based on what happened during earlier races on similar tracks at Phoenix and Richmond.

It’s important to think in terms of horse racing where there are good horses for certain courses. In NASCAR it’s similar, whether it’s a driver who really likes a certain type of track or his crew chief has been able to set-up a car perfectly for that type.

Read More Here....Gaming Today

Final 2012 New Hampshire Sylvania 300 Driver Ratings Following All Practices

Micah Roberts’ Top 10 Driver Ratings
Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sunday, September 23, 2012 -  11:16 a.m. (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds        Practice 1   Qualified    Practice 2   Practice 3

 1. Denny Hamlin 5/1                  1st              32nd             1st              1st  
2007 winner; track best 8.5 average finish; best average lap speed in final practice.
 2. Clint Bowyer 12/1                   9th             12th              7th              7th 
Two-time winner, using winning Richmond chassis from two weeks ago.
 3. Jeff Gordon 10/1                    2nd              1st               9th             15th  
Three-time winner, the last in 1998; best 10-consecutive lap average in Practice2.
 4. Kyle Busch 10/1                    18th              2nd              5th              4th 
2006 winner; great practices and good candidate to win based on April Richmond win.
 5. Tony Stewart 7/1                    4th               3rd             10th             8th 
Three-time winner, including last fall; using new chassis that tested at Milwaukee.
 6. Kevin Harvick 15/1                 5th              16th             8th               9th 
2006 winner; one of two drivers to average 130 mph in final practice; new chassis.
 7. Jimmie Johnson 5/1               8th              20th             3rd             10th 
Three-time winner, the last in 2010; using seventh-place chassis from July race.
 8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10/1         25th             14th            17th            11th 
Best finish of third in 2004; using same chassis that finished fourth in July race.
 9. Kasey Kahne 8/1                    6th               6th             13th            19th 
2012 winner; not a standout in practices, but is using winning chassis from July.
10. Brad Keselowski 7/1             20th             15th            14th            17th 
Has finished runner-up and fifth in past two starts on track; new car this week.

Note: New Hampshire’s 1.058-mile flat banked track runs similar to Richmond and Phoenix. Drivers that do well on one usually fare well on the others.

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
And the Denny Hamlin show continues to roll through town after town. He’s been so good in practices, it’s hard to believe that he hasn’t won more races. The only problem Hamlin will have to deal with Sunday is traffic as a result of his qualifying gaffe, which starts him 32nd. Barring any run-ins with the other 31 drivers he’ll be trying to pass, he should find himself within the top-5 by half-time.

It’s no fun betting on the favorite, so taking a shot with Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon seems like a pretty game plan. I also think Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Brian Vickers present some value as well, not only in odds to win wagers, but also matchups.

Another driver that may be worth taking a shot with in matchups is Jeff Burton. The RCR cars have all been much better over the past month and at one point, no one was better at New Hampshire than Burton.

Kahne Leads Final 66 laps to Beat Hamlin at New Hampshire

Kasey Kahne celebrates after capturing second win of 2012 (Getty)

Boston.com

LOUDON, N.H.—The best car was rolling toward victory -- until its driver and crew chief couldn't agree on how many tires to change.

Kasey Kahne capitalized on that confusion between Denny Hamlin behind the wheel and Darian Grubb in the pits to win his second Sprint Cup race of the year and make a leap toward one of the 12 spots in the Chase that determines this year's NASCAR champion.

"For those guys to miscommunicate, that helped us a ton," Kahne said. "I'll take `em any way we can."

Hamlin's Toyota led for 150 of the 300 laps at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. His communication wasn't quite as good.

Kahne, who finished second two weeks ago at Kentucky to Brad Keselowski, went ahead to stay during a restart on the 240th lap when Hamlin spent extra time in the pits as his crew changed all four tires.

Hamlin wanted just two new ones.

"Darian asked me how much of the tires I felt I'd used up. I felt like I had used up a substantial amount," he said. "(I said) give me tires and no adjustments. He thought I meant four tires. Nothing's a given. Even though it looked like we had one in the bag if we took two tires, you never know."

Kahne doesn't feel he stole a victory.

"I wouldn't say `stolen.' We ran in the top four the whole race," he said. "We were in pretty good shape, (but) if he was to keep the track position I never would have passed him."

Hamlin's longer pit stop left him all the way back in 13th place, but he kept passing cars until only Kahne remained in front. Then he simply ran out of miles and Kahne won by 2.738 seconds.

It was the 14th win of Kahne's career and first since May 27 at Charlotte. Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski rounded out the top five.

The victory enhanced Kahne's chances of qualifying for the Chase, the last 10 races of the season in which the top 10 drivers in the point standings win automatic berths. Two additional spots go to the drivers with the most wins who are ranked 11th to 20th in points.

Kahne went from 16th to 12th, and his two wins are more than anyone in the second group of 10.

"We've been pretty tough all year, but we just haven't finished `em off a lot of the times," Kahne said. "From here on out, we need some more top 10s and top fives the rest of the way. It doesn't get us in the Chase yet, but it does help with a win today."

The turning point came when the third caution flag came out on the 234th lap for oil dropped on the track by David Reutimann.

Hamlin went into the pit, telling Grubb over the radio that he wanted tires. Grubb, who first planned to change just two, interpreted that to mean four. As Hamlin went back on the track, Grubb told him, "My bad, bud."

After the race, Grubb took the blame: "That was 100 percent my fault."

And Hamlin knew how costly the mistake was.

"You try to be optimistic, but you pretty much know your chance of winning has been pretty much taken away if there are no cautions," he said. "Darian has won me a couple of races this year, more than he's taken away from me."

Read More Here.....

LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Results

Jeff Gluck: Report Says Bowyer ALMOST Failed Inspection; But Isn't ALMOST a Good Thing?

by Jeff Gluck

SBnation.com

In the often head-scratching world of NASCAR, another interesting item surfaced this morning: The Associated Press reported that Clint Bowyer's Chase-clinching car nearly failed postrace inspection after Richmond.

The key word here is "nearly." Bowyer's car didn't fail inspection. It was completely within the tolerances allowed by NASCAR.
Yet NASCAR has decided to hold onto the car until representatives from Richard Childress Racing meet with the officials to go over the rule they "nearly" broke.
NASCAR's Robin Pemberton told the AP that perhaps the team was "off on one of their build sheets" and wanted to double-check with RCR to make sure they had the right template.
That's awfully kind of NASCAR. But does anyone else think RCR knew exactly what it was doing?

Remember: There were no rules broken. Bowyer's team simply went all the way up to the line without crossing it. That's exactly what every team in the garage should be doing, right?
Every time something like this comes up (like with Hendrick Motorsports in the Chase last year), the garage culture confuses me. Maybe someone else can explain it better.
To me, it's simple: Rules are in black and white. Therefore, you either break the rules (and therefore "cheat" and get penalized) or you stay within the rules.
Bowyer and his Childress team didn't break any rules. Yet the buzz in the garage about NASCAR keeping the car and meeting with RCR officials about it casts a sinister shadow over what should be a celebration for Bowyer's team.
It makes Bowyer's team somehow seem guilty when in reality, the No. 33 car was just as legal as the other 42 cars on the track.
Either Bowyer's team broke the rules or it didn't. And if it didn't, NASCAR should return the car to the team with a smile and a pat on the back instead of the shake of a finger.

Las Vegas Hilton Super Book Odds To Win at New Hampshire: Johnson and Hamlin Early Favorites

LENOX INDUSTRIAL TOOLS 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2010
JIMMIE JOHNSON 9-2
KYLE BUSCH 7
JEFF GORDON 7
DENNY HAMLIN 9-2
JEFF BURTON 15
KEVIN HARVICK 15
MATT KENSETH 25
CARL EDWARDS 25
GREG BIFFLE 25
KURT BUSCH 12
MARK MARTIN 20
TONY STEWART 15
CLINT BOWYER 15
JUAN MONTOYA 20
KASEY KAHNE 25
JOEY LOGANO 25
RYAN NEWMAN 35
MARTIN TRUEX JR 25
JAMIE McMURRAY 30
DALE EARNHARDT JR 30
BRAD KESELOWSKI 60
DAVID REUTIMANN 50
REED SORENSON 100
DAVID RAGAN 200
AJ ALLMENDINGER 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 200
SAM HORNISH JR 300
ELLIOTT SADLER 300
REGAN SMITH 500
PAUL MENARD 500
SCOTT SPEED 500
DAVID GILLILAND 2000
TRAVIS KVAPIL 2000
FIELD 100

Nice Guys DO Finish First: Martin Wins at Loudon, 5th Win of Season

by Ed Hinton
ESPN.com

LOUDON, N.H. -- Mark Martin fought it out for this one, slugged and clawed and widened his points lead at the outset of the Chase for a championship he has never won. And at long, long last, there was controversy over how he won a race.

"Mark just screwed me out there," Juan Pablo Montoya said of the driver esteemed by his peers for more than two decades as NASCAR's cleanest, fairest driver.

Martin, of course, had a gentlemanly and credible explanation for the dogfight that ended Sunday's playoff-opening Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

But first, let's let Montoya let 'er rip. It's not every day - or year, or decade - you get to hear someone complain about Martin's tactics.

"He always does run very clean," Montoya said, "so I was kind of surprised when he did that. I know it's the Chase and everything, but he just …"

Montoya clearly had the strongest car all afternoon, and had led 105 of the 300 laps. So, on a double-file restart with only three laps left, and Martin and Montoya starting on the front row, Martin looked cooked.

more....
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=hinton_ed&id=4489647

New Hampshire Practice: Montoya Fastest Again, and Again, and Again!

by M Roberts

On Friday Juan Pablo Montoya won his second pole position of the season and also the second of his career. Saturday, Montoya picked up right where he left off during the final practice sessions in preparation for Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Montoya not only led Friday’s early practice geared towards qualifying - then took the pole, but he carried those blazing speeds into Saturday and was fastest in both sessions. In each practice, Montoya was the only driver to pass he 130 mph barrier on a lap. During happy hour he laid down the quickest lap of the day at 130.376 mph.

Montoya brought a brand new chassis this week and with it, became the only driver this season to sweep all three practice sessions prior to any given race, a rarity considering race conditions on separate days and having two different set-ups in race and qualifying trim.

Montoya will look to improve upon his career average of 20th at New Hampshire in the first race of the Chase on Sunday. His 12th place finish In the June race was already a vast improvement over what he did in his first two seasons on the track, and now with the beast of a car he has this week, he should be able to improve upon his best even further.

Kurt Busch is a three time winner in New Hampshire and was very impressive in Saturday’s practices. He was seventh fastest in the early session while running the most laps and then came out in happy hour and was second fastest behind Montoya while running the third most laps. Busch brought the same chassis that a great run in the June race finishing third.

It should come as little surprise that points leader Mark Martin had a great pair of practices because he brought the same chassis that won at Phoenix earlier this year which was also run last week at Richmond finishing fourth.

The correlation between Phoenix, New Hampshire, and Richmond has always been strong over the years with several drivers winning multiple races during a year on those tracks using the same chassis for each. Despite the three tracks being vastly different in configuration, the length and banking make them similar in crew chiefs minds.

Martin’s teammate, Jimmie Johnson, has also been the beneficiary of having dominant rides on all three tracks over his career. He brought the same chassis from June’s race that led the most laps before the rain came. During practice, Johnson showed that his car is just as good now as it was then with the fifth fastest lap in each session while running the most laps of the day.

Martin Truex Jr brought a brand new car, just like his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya and the results were very similar in practice. He was second fastest in the early session and third fastest in happy hour. Loudon has traditionally been one of Truex’s best tracks. His poor finish in June ended a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes on the track. He’s a great dark horse this week to spoil the Chase party.

Other drivers that had great runs Saturday who aren’t in the Chase were Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Harvick had the ninth fastest lap in happy hour using the same car that was very racey last week in Richmond. The best sign for a good run from Harvick was that he had the third best average times in the final session.

Earnhardt Jr was sixth fastest during happy hour using the same chassis that ran 13th in June’s race. The positive note for Junior is that his car was been able to run completive speeds with the leaders, something hasn’t happened very much in practice for him all season.

Final Practice session (Happy Hour)
1) Juan Pablo Montoya 130.376 mph - AVG 39 laps @ 128.337
2) Kurt Busch 129.843 mph - AVG 61 laps @ 128.035
3) Martin Truex Jr 129.843 mph - AVG 45 laps @ 128.270
4) Mark Martin 129.820 mph - AVG 56 laps @ 128.004
5) Jimmie Johnson 129.758 mph - AVG 67 laps @ 127.955

Second Practice session:
1) Juan Pablo Monyoya 130.131 mph - AVG 33 laps @ 128.208
2) Martin Truex Jr 129.922 mph - AVG 31 laps @ 127.590
3) Mark Martin 129.688 mph - AVG 43 laps @ 128.053
4) David Stremme 129.639 mph - AVG 32 laps @ 126.453
5) Jimmie Johnson 129.595 mph - AVG 46 laps @ 128.037

See the Jayski.com practice page link for complete list of practice times

TOP 10 Rated Drivers for New Hampshire based on Saturday’s practice sessions, current state of team, last weeks Richmond race, with a mix of Phoenix and June’s Loudon race.

1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Juan Pablo Montoya
3) Kurt Busch
4) Mark Martin
5) Denny Hamlin
6) Tony Stewart
7) Martin Truex Jr
8) Jeff Gordon
9) Kevin Harvick
10 Dale Earnhardt Jr

Montoya Wins Pole at New Hampshire; Second Pole of NASCAR Career

by Jayski.com

Montoya wins pole at New Hampshire:
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a speed of 133.431mph for a new track record [the old record was 133.357mph by Ryan Newman set six years ago]. This is the 3rd track record broken in 2009 after 27 races. The pole is Montoya's 2nd pole of the season and 2nd career pole.

#14-Stewart was 2nd fastest followed by #2-Busch, #11-Hamlin, #99-Edwards, #12-Stremme, #1-Truex Jr., #71-BLabonte, #18-Busch and #24-Gordon. Points leader #5-Martin will start 14th. The fastest 43 cars made the race and the two slowest failed to qualify.

The non Top-35 drivers who made the race: #71-Labonte, #66-Blaney, #87-Nemechek, #82-Speed, #64-Wallace, #37-Raines, #09-Almirola and #36-McDowell.
The two drivers who failed to qualify: #75-Cope and #51-Bean.

See the starting lineup, qualifying results & order, pole progreession and more on the New Hampshire Starting Lineup/Qualifying Page.(9-18-2009)

New Hampshire Preview - Green Flag to the Chase

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The 12-driver field in the Chase for the Championship has been set and this Sunday in Loudon, New Hampshire, the NASCAR playoffs begin.

It’s important for drivers to get out of the gate quickly, but also play it conservative along the way. Last season was one of the best Chases ever with two drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, battling like a classic 15-round heavyweight title match.

Johnson ended up winning because he stayed consistent throughout and had flashes of dominance during the 10-race stretch that’s saw him three times. His worse finish down the stretch was a 15th.

Edwards was equally dominant winning three times and finishing in the top-4 a total of eight times in the 10 races. His downfall, which ultimately cost him the title was finishing 29th and 33rd in race four and five of the Chase. Any other year, against any other driver, and Edwards would have won.

Last season, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards finished 1-2-3 at New Hampshire. After the 10-race Chase, the final top three in the standings not surprisingly ended up with Johnson, Edwards, and Biffle as the top three finishers.

In 2004, the first year of the Chase format, Kurt Busch kicked it off with a New Hampshire victory. He didn’t win again during the Chase but that Week 1 win proved critical – he edged Jimmie Johnson for the championship by only eight points.

In 2007, Clint Bowyer, who was given little thought to be a real contender, got his first career NASCAR Cup victory to open the Chase – and rode that momentum to an eventual third-place finish in the final standings. ?

This year looks to be much of the same as it’s been the last three seasons, which is more of Jimmie Johnson. The guy is a machine and when it comes down to business, no one is better. He has more wins (14) and top-5 finishes in Chase races than anyone else by a large margin. He gets into a prime-time mode like a Joe Montana or John Elway late in games and it’s almost a given that he will not fail in the crunch.

To see who will do well for this weeks race at New Hampshire, looking back at who did well in both Richmond races, Phoenix, and the first New Hampshire race prior to the rain is helpful. Many of the teams use the same chassis’ from those races if successful and use them on all three tracks because the banking and distances are similar, despite the configuration being vastly different on all three.

Over the years there has been a strong correlation between winners at one doing well on the other two, and sometimes winning multiple times.

We can look back at last week’s race as a quick refresher to who those candidates are because they did well all season on these type of tracks. Denny Hamlin won last week at Richmond after nearly coming close on several occasions in the past. Mark Martin has been stellar on all the tracks and claims a Phoenix win.

In the rain shortened Loudon race won by rookie Joey Logano, the dominant driver was Jimmie Johnson who led the most laps prior to the rain. Look for Johnson to start the Chase in style with a great run and possibly a win this week. He doesn’t want to dig himself a hole by getting too racey and finding trouble, as Kyle Busch did last year, but his car should be good enough to capture his third New Hampshire win overall and propel him to the top of the standings.

Johnson is also bringing that same exact chassis that led the most laps the first time around in Loudon.

TOP 5 Finish Prediction:

1) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
2) #5 Mark Martin (10/1)
3) #11 Denny Hamlin (10/1)
4) #18 Kyle Busch (9/1)
5) #14 Tony Stewart (7/1)

New Hampshire Facts

Compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

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 official opening was June 5, 1990 with the first race a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race was on Sept. 9, 1996.
• The track was renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.

Notebook
• There have been 29 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 29 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 15 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (four).
• 19 different drivers have posted victories, led by Jeff Burton (four).
• In June, Joey Logano became the all-time youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner at 19 years, one month and four days.
• 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.
• Roush Fenway Racing has won seven 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.
• The last race winner to win from the pole was Clint Bowyer in 2007.
• There have been nine consecutive different race winners.
• Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.
• Clint Bowyer led 222 laps and scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 in the 2007 fall race.

NASCAR in New Hampshire
• There have been 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.
• 13 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.

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

• 22 different drivers have made the Chase, including Brian Vickers and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each made their first Chase this season.
• There will be 3,152 laps and 4,095.48 miles run during the 2009 Chase.
• Only one driver has made all six Chases for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jimmie Johnson
• Three drivers have made five Chases: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth. Kenseth has made all five previous Chases, but missed this year’s after finishing the regular season 14th in points.
• In the 50 Chase races, Jimmie Johnson has won a series-high 14 races. He’s followed by Carl Edwards (six), Greg Biffle (six), Tony Stewart (four) and Jeff Gordon (three).
• Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to average a top-10 finish in Chase races (8.7).
• In the 50 Chase races, Greg Biffle has an average finish of 14.4. But in the 20 Chase races where he was in contention for the championship, Biffle has an average finish of 9.6.
• Three drivers have notched more than 20 top-five finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (26), Jeff Gordon (22) and Carl Edwards (20).
• Nine drivers have more than 20 top-10 finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (36), Jeff Gordon (34), Carl Edwards (29), Tony Stewart (26), Kevin Harvick (25), Kurt Busch (25), Matt Kenseth (23), Greg Biffle (22) and Jeff Burton (22).
• Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, two drivers have a Driver Rating of at least 100.0: Jimmie Johnson (108.8) and Carl Edwards (100.0).
• Ryan Newman’s average starting position in Chase races is 10.9, which ranks second to Jimmie Johnson’s 9.5. But in the 20 Chase races Newman has been in contention for a championship, he has an average starting position of 5.1.

Chase Drivers Past History at Loudon, New Hampshire

compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services

Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top 12 going into the first race of the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 20.

1 – Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.7
2009 Rundown
• Four wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.6
• Led 17 races for 707 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Eight top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 11.1 in 47 races
• Has led 397 laps
• Average Running Position of 11.9, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 93.4, seventh-best

2 – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.6
2009 Rundown
• Three wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.1
• Led 14 races for 275 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.3 in 21 races
• Has led 976 laps
• Average Running Position of 9.5, second-best
• Series-best Driver Rating of 115.8
• Series-high 253 Fastest Laps Run
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 124.397 mph
• 2,130 Laps in the Top 15 (79.9%), third-most

3 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.3
2009 Rundown
• Three wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.7
• Led 21 races for 1,252 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, four top fives, 10 tops 10s
• Average finish of 9.9 in 15 races
• Has led 274 laps
• Average Running Position of 10.1, third-best
• Driver Rating of 105.3, third-best
• 206 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 123.976 mph, fifth-fastest
• 2,240 Laps in the Top 15 (84.1%), second-most
• 277 Quality Passes, fourth-most

4 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.6
2009 Rundown
• Two wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.3
• Led 12 races for 992 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 8.3 in seven races
• Has led 52 laps
• Average Running Position of 10.3, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 100.1, fifth-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.037 mph, fourth-fastest
• 1,691 Laps in the Top 15 (81.9%), eighth-most

5 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.0
2009 Rundown
• Two wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.9
• Led six races for 180 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, five top 10s
• Average finish of 16.0
• Has led 49 laps
• Driver Rating of 82.3, 17th-best

6 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.4
2009 Rundown
• One win, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.9
• Led 14 races for 698 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Three wins, 13 fives, 16 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 11.3 in 29 races
• Has led 1,205 laps
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.0
• Driver Rating of 109.4, second-best
• 240 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.380 mph, second-fastest
• Series-high 2,413 Laps in the Top 15 (90.5%)

7 – Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.7
2009 Rundown
• One win, seven top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.0
• Led 13 races for 391 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Three wins, six top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8 in 17 races
• Has led 326 laps
• Driver Rating of 88.1, 14th-best
• Average Running Position of 14.6, 12th-best

8 – Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.8
2009 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.9
• Led 10 races for 101 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One top five; one pole
• Average finish of 23.1 in 10 races
• Has led 53 laps
• Driver Rating of 79.5, 19th-best

9 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.0
2009 Rundown
• Seven top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.0
• Led nine races for 159 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two top fives
• Average finish of 13.5
• Has led 63 laps
• Driver Rating of 87.2, 15th-best
• Average Running Position of 14.5, 10th-best

10 – Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.6
2009 Rundown
• Five top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.0
• Led 11 races for 157 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 14.2 in 15 races
• Has led 537 laps
• Driver Rating of 90.3, 10th-best
• 96 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• 1,696 Laps in the Top 15 (63.6%), seventh-most

11 – Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.4
2009 Rundown
• Two top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.8
• Led six races for 164 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Average finish of 20.6 in five races
• Has led six races
• Driver Rating of 74.4, 20th-best

12 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.2
2009 Rundown
• Eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• Led 11 races for 432 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 18.1
• Has led 85 laps
• Average Running Position of 14.6, 11th-best
• Driver Rating of 88.8, 13th-best
• 73 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

Logano Does Rain Dance and Steals Loudon Win

by M Roberts

Joey Logano and his crew chef, Greg Zippadelli, took a gamble near the end of Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and it paid off handsomely for the native New Englander as he got his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup series win.

Logano was nearing the end of a pit cycle and had limited fuel remaining, but Zippadelli saw the dark clouds hovering over turn three and thought it might be a good idea to hang out, conserve fuel by running slower, and wait for mother nature to take over.

Ryan Newman was attempting the same strategy but had to pit as he was running out of fuel while leading. When Newman pitted, Logano took over first place. He was on the same pit sequence as Newman, but conserved better and was rewarded with his first win, a win that makes him the youngest driver ever to win a Sprint Cup race.

The dominant cars of the day were Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart who were all on the same pit sequence. Gordon would have been the leader had Logano pitted before the rain with about 28 laps remaining in what was shaping up to be a great battle between Gordon and Busch down the stretch with a hard charging Stewart in tow.

This is the second consecutive year that the first New Hampshire race ended early due to rain giving a car that was maybe twentieth best the win. Last year Kurt Busch stayed out after all the leaders pitted to get the win in a car that was clearly inferior to the rest of the upper echelon just like Logano this year.

However, a win is a win, and they all look the same in the record book.

Logano’s win also marked the ninth straight New Hampshire race, including the fall dates, that a different driver has won.

Kurt Busch Fastest in first New Hampshire Practice

by M Roberts

Kurt Busch led the first practice on for Friday’s only session prior to qualifying for Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire. Busch, last years New Hampshire winner in a rain shortened race, came in with the fastest a lap of 130.667 mph at the very end of the practice session.

Most of the teams came in with a race setup to start the afternoon and then in the final thirty minutes rolled out with their qualifying trim. Prior to the qualifying setup, Busch was fast as well along with Penske racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr.

Hornish finished with the 13th fastest lap overall, but was very fast in race trim which goes along with his success at the similar tracks of Phoenix and Richmond where Hornish is the only driver other than Mark Martin and Tony Stewart to finish in the top 10 in each of those races this year.

Kyle Busch came out fired up and laid down an early fast lap in race trim and continued so throughout the practice. The Richmond winner looks to be equally ready for this week as he was for that race.

Jimmie Johnson has always been good on these type of tracks, but struggled in practice until he put on qualifying trim. Johnson had the fourth fastest lap overall, but struggled earlier despite running the most laps in practice with 61 laps run.

Tony Stewart came out full throtle with the second fastest lap in practice early, but then he had to go to a backup car after crushing his rear into the wall. He’ll be using a backup car, but the backup car has race experience on these types of tracks finishing second at Phoenix. He’ll be fine on race day for sure!

Before qualifying setup came into play, the best looks to be Kyle Busch. Ryan Newman, and Tony Stewart.

It appears that qualifying will be wiped by rain in New Hampshire, so Saturday’s practice session will give further clarification on who looks sharp for Sunday’s race. I’ll update then.

Friday Practice for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
1) #2-Busch 130.667
2) #00-Reutimann 130.011
3) #42-Montoya 129.967
4) #48-Johnson 129.927
5) #43-Sorenson 129.900

slowest: #27-Christopher 124.033 and #51-Bean 125.442
incidents: #14-Stewart smacked the turn 2 wall hard and did a lot of damage to the rear of the car and will go to a backup car, but since it is before qualifying, he will not have to go to the rear. #5-Martin got in the marbles and scraped the turn 3-4 wall and spun around, no serious damage.

New Hampshire Facts

compiled by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media services

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 official opening was June 5, 1990 with the first race being a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 11, 1993.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck series race was on Sept. 9, 1996.
• The track was renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.

Notebook
• There have been 28 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 27 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 15 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (four). Qualifying has been canceled four times.
• 18 different drivers have posted victories, 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.
• Roush Fenway Racing has won seven races, more than any other organization.
• 15 of 28 races have been won from the top-10 starting positions, including four from the pole.
• The deepest in the field that a New Hampshire race winner started was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.
• There has been one postponed/rescheduled race at New Hampshire. The 2001 fall race was run as the season finale in November, after being rescheduled following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
• There have been eight different pole winners in the past nine New Hampshire races (qualifying was canceled once in the nine-race period).
• There have been seven different race winners in the past seven New Hampshire races.
• There have been three shortened races at New Hampshire: July 2002 (273 laps), September 2002 (207) and June 2008 (284).
• Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.
• Clint Bowyer led 222 laps and scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 in the 2007 fall New Hampshire race.

New Hampshire Preview: Lenox Industrial Tools 301

by Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

This weeks NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race takes us to Loudon, New Hampshire for race 17 of the season, which is two races away from the halfway point and also ten races away from the beginning NASCAR‘s playoff system, the Chase for the Championship.

Last weeks win by Kasey Kahne on the road course moved him into 13th position in points, only three points away from the 12th and final position for the Chase. Juan Pablo Montoya raced himself into the 12th position, knocking Jeff Burton into an outside looking in position at 14th.

As always, we when we roll into one of the three tracks at Phoenix, Richmond, or New Hampshire, we can use the results from previously run races to get a better jump on who might win. While each of the tracks are different whether it be banking, width, configuration or distance, the crew chiefs normally use the same chassis for one of these races to the other if they had success.

New Hampshire’s layout is a one mile paper clip configuration with relative no banking at seven degrees in the turns. Think of it like a Martinsville with a longer drag strip on the straightaways.

Last Season, Jimmie Johnson won three of the six races on the combined tracks and throughout recent history, one driver has had multiple wins during the year in the six combined races.

This season there has been races run at Phoenix and Richmond already with Mark Martin and Kyle Busch getting the victories. Three drivers this season have finished in the top 10 in each of the two races.

After Martin finished first at Phoenix, he followed that up with a fifth at Richmond. Martin is currently 11th in points, only 12 ahead of Kahne in the Chase. This will be a good opportunity for Martin to get some more breathing room and distance himself from the cutoff mark. Although Martin doesn’t have any career wins at New Hampshire, he has finished in the top 10 thirteen times in his twenty-four career starts.

Tony Stewart and his start-up team got things really going at Phoenix with a strong 2nd place finish. Two weeks later using the same car, he cruised to another 2nd place finish in almost the same fashion where he waited with great patience the entire race, never looking like a solid contender, and then raced hard in the final 100 laps. Because of those great runs and others ensuing, Stewart has pushed himself atop the points lead with a nice comfortable 84 point cushion between him and second place Jeff Gordon.

Stewart’s success at New Hampshire is matched by no one. In twenty career Cup starts on the track, Stewart has finished in the top 5 on ten separate occasions getting two wins. Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Gordon all have more career wins than Stewart at New Hampshire, but Stewart can also claim an Indy Car win at Loudon. The year after winning the IRL Championship, Stewart claimed victory at New Hampshire in 1998 easily making him the only driver to get wins on the track from different national series.

There is little doubt that Stewart is the hottest driver on tour as his standing reflect. Last weeks 2nd place finish gave him four 2nd place finishes on the season and made it eight top 5 finishes overall in the 16 races run. He’s only got one victory to show for it all, but that could change this week.

If Kyle Busch keeps up inconsistent run going, he may miss the Chase. As great as he his with such an outstanding team behind him, Busch only has five top 10 finishes in the 16 races run thus far which is the worst number of anyone currently positioned in the top 12. There are four other drivers outside the top 12 that have at least five or more top 10 finishes this season. Kahne is only 48 points away from Busch in the 13th position.

However, the one thing that no one else has this season ,other than Martin, is three wins. It’s all or nothing for Kyle and it kind or resembles his overall persona that he exudes to the NASCAR public which is either high end admiration or high end dislike for the Las Vegas driver.

Whatever the case may be, Kyle needs to focus on these last ten races and if it takes a win to do it, then so be it. It’s been seven races since he last won and that was at Richmond, which should be a good sign for the similar set-up requirements of Loudon. He only has one career win on the track which came in 2006 while driving the No. 5 Hendrick car, the same one Martin currently drives.

Jeff Burton fell out of the top 12 giving Richard Childress no drivers in the top 12 among all four of his cars. These type of tracks used to be staples in the Childress arsenal, but ever since adding the fourth team prior to this season, the entire organization has been in a world of hurt. We can’t put the entire blame on the team stretching themselves out too far, but it is the one correlation that makes the most sense.

Prior to joining Childress, Burton accumulated four wins in Loudon, a track record that still stands. He was one of the first drivers to start the trend in 1997 of doing well at the combined tracks of Phoenix, Richmond, and New Hampshire. His last win came in 2000.

TOP 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #18 Kyle Busch (7/1)
2) #14 Tony Stewart (6/1)
3) #5 Mark Martin (12/1)
4) #39 Ryan Newman (20/1)
5) #2 Kurt Busch (18/1)