Lenox Industrial Tools 300 Loudon New Hamshire 07/01/07
New Hampshire International Speedway
Location
1122 Route 106 N.
Loudon, NH 03307
Book Travel
Weather
Sunny 60°
Track Details
Completed : 1990
Distance : 1.058 miles
Shape : Oval
Banking : 12° turns
2° straights
Frontstretch : 1,500 feet
Backstretch : 1,500 feet
Seating : 91,000
Contact Info
P.O. Box 7888
Loudon, NH 03307
(603) 783-4931
Official Web site
Tailgating
New Hampshire International Speedway offers the northernmost NASCAR fans -- including Canadian fans -- a chance to see racing close to home on an unusual track that has been described as a larger version of Martinsville Speedway.
Credit: AutostockCelebration at New Hampshire International Speedway 2006 Race Results
Nextel Cup Series
Lenox Industrial Tools 300 :: Kyle Busch - 07/16/06
Sylvania 300 :: Kevin Harvick - 09/17/06
Cup Historical Race Winners
Busch Series
New England 200 :: Carl Edwards - 07/15/06
Craftsman Truck Series
New Hampshire 200 :: Johnny Benson - 09/16/06
Track Records
RACE RECORDS
Nextel Cup Race Record :: Jeff Burton 117.134 - 07/13/97
Cup Historical Race Winners
Busch Race Record :: Joe Nemechek 122.422 - 08/23/92
Truck Race Record :: Jack Sprague 109.244 - 07/21/01
QUALIFYING RECORDS
Nextel Cup Qualifying Record :: Rusty Wallace 132.089 - 2000
Busch Qualifying Record :: Kevin Harvick 130.716 - 2001
Truck Qualifying Record :: Jack Sprague 128.091 - 2001
Track History
New Hampshire International Speedway is one of the most unusual tracks on the Nextel Cup Series. How unusual? The track has been described as "Martinsville on steroids." Its roots in New England racing go back to 1964, when Bob Bahre acquired a track in Oxford, Maine, which he and his son, Gary, operated until 1986.
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Qualifying Info
Qualifying Draw: Friday, June 29, 11:00am/et
Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-43, Friday, June 29 at 3:10pm/et, TV-SPEED, re-air at 8:30pm/et and 3:30am/et; AND live via radio at MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR Online will have live lap-by-lap coverage of Nextel Cup qualifying via the web (NOTE: this is a paid subscription service).
NEXTEL CUP EVENT SCHEDULE for this race
FRIDAY, June 29
8:00 a.m. Speedway Spectator Gates Open
9:40 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. Busch Series Practice
11:20 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. Busch Series Rookie Practice
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Practice
1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Busch Series Final Practice
3:10 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Qualifying for the LENOX Industrial Tools 300 (2 Laps, All Positions)
5:10 p.m. NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series New England 125 (125 Laps, 132.25 Miles)
Saturday, June 30, 2007
7:00 a.m. Speedway Spectator Gates Open
8:30 a.m. - 8:55 a.m. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Final Practice
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Practice
10:05 a.m. Busch Series Qualifying for the Camping World 200 presented by RVs.com (2 Laps, All Positions - IMPOUND)
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Final Practice
1:10 p.m. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour New England 100 (100 Laps, 105.8 Miles)
3:00 p.m. Busch Series Camping World 200 presented by RVs.com (200 Laps, 211.6 Miles)
Sunday, July 1, 2007
6:00 a.m. Speedway Spectator Gates Open
2:00 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Driver Introductions for the LENOX Industrial Tools 300
2:30 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 300 (300 Laps, 317.4 Miles)
(Tentative schedule, subject to change)
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Most Lead Changes: 23 - twice, most recently 7/21/02
Fewest Lead Changes: 1 - 9/17/00
Most Leaders: 15, 7/14/96
Fewest Leaders: 1 - 9/17/00
Most Cautions: 17, 7/14/94
Fewest Cautions: 2 - 7/13/97
Most Caution Laps: 78, 7/10/94
Fewest Caution Laps: 10 - 7/13/97
Most Finishers on a lead lap: 30, 7/21/02
Fewest Finishers on a lead lap: 7 - 7/11/93
Most Running at the Finish: 39, three times, most recently, 7/20/03
Fewest Running at the Finish: 30 - twice, most recently 9/17/00
Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 300 [of 300], Jeff Burton, 9/17/00
Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 2, Jeff Burton, 7/11/99
Most Wins by Manufacturer: 10 - Ford, Chevy
Races won from starting pos 1: 3 [of 24 races] 12.5%
Races won from starting pos 2: 1
Races won from starting pos 3: 1
Races won from starting pos 4: 1
Races won from starting pos 5: 1
Races won from starting pos 6: 3
Races won from starting pos 7: 1
Races won from starting pos 8: 1
Races won from starting pos 9: 1
Races won from starting pos 11: 1
Races won from starting pos 13: 3
Races won from starting pos 15: 1
Races won from starting pos 21: 1
Races won from starting pos 31: 2
Races won from starting pos 32: 1
Races won from starting pos 33: 1
Races won from starting pos 38: 1
Races won from the top 5: 7 of 24 - 29.2%
Races won from the top 10: 13 of 24 - 54.2%
PREVIOUS NHIS RACE/POLE WINNERS
SEPTEMBER RACE WINNERS
1997: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 100.364; started 13th
1998: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 112.078; started 1st
1999: #42-Joe Nemechek, Chevy, 100.673; started 11th
2000: #99-Jeff Burton, Ford, 102.003; started 2nd - lead ALL 300 laps - restrictor plate used to slow cars down
2001: #31-Robby Gordon, Chevy, 103.594, started 31st (run in Nov due to 9-11 attacks)
2002: #12-Ryan Newman. Ford, 105.081, started 1st
2003: #48-Jimmie Johnson, Chevy, 106.580, started 8th
2004: #97-Kurt Busch, Ford, 109.753, started 7th
2005: #12-Ryan Newman, Dodge, 95.891, started 13th
2006: #29-Kevin Harvick, Chevy, 102.195, started 1st
SEPTEMBER POLE WINNERS
1997: #33-Ken Schrader, Chevy, 129.182; finished 37th
1998: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 129.033; finished 1st
1999: #2-Rusty Wallace, Ford, 129.820; finished 6th
2000: #18-Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 127.632; finished 2nd
2001: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, set by points [field set in Sept for Nov race]; finished 15th
2002: #12-Ryan Newman, Ford, 132.241; finished 1st
2003: #12-Ryan Newman, Dodge, 133.357, Track Record, finished 9th
2004: none, rained out
2005: #20-Tony Stewart, Chevy, 131.143, finished 2nd
2006: #29-Kevin Harvick, Chevy, 132.262, finished 1st
JULY RACE WINNERS
1993: #2-Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 105.947mph; started 33rd
1994: #10-Ricky Rudd, Ford, 87.599; started 3rd
1995: #24-Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 107.029; started 21st
1996: #28-Ernie Irvan, Ford, 98.930; started 6th
1997: #99-Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134; started 15th
1998: #99-Jeff Burton, Ford, 102.996; started 5th
1999: #99-Jeff Burton, Ford, 101.876; started 38th
2000: #20-Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 103.145; started 6th
2001: #88-Dale Jarrett, Ford, 102.131; started 9th
2002: #22-Ward Burton, Dodge, 92.342; started 31st
2003: #48-Jimmie Johnson, Chevy, 96.924, started 6th
2004: #97-Kurt Busch, Ford, 97.862, started 32nd
2005: #20-Tony Stewart, Chevy, 102.608, started 13th
2006: #5-Kyle Busch, Chevy, 101.384, started 4th
ENTRY LIST
Lenox Industrial Tools 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway
July 01, 2007 | Race 17 of 36
CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN MAKE SPONSOR OWNER
00 David Reutimann* Zephyrhills, FL Toyota Burger King Calvin Wells, III
1 Martin Truex Jr. Mayetta, NJ Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Teresa Earnhardt
01 Regan Smith Cato, NY Chevrolet U.S. Army Bobby Ginn
2 Kurt Busch Las Vegas, NV Dodge Miller Lite Roger Penske
4 Ward Burton South Boston, VA Chevrolet State Water Heaters James Finch
5 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, NV Chevrolet CARQUEST / Kellogg's Rick Hendrick
6 David Ragan* Unadilla, GA Ford AAA Mike Dee
7 Robby Gordon Orange, CA Ford MAPEI / Menards Robby Gordon
07 Clint Bowyer Emporia, KS Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com Richard Childress
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kannapolis, NC Chevrolet Budweiser Teresa Earnhardt
9 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, WA Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW Ray Evernham
10 Scott Riggs Bahama, NC Dodge Valvoline / Stanley Tools James Rocco
11 Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, VA Chevrolet FedEx Ground J D Gibbs
12 Ryan Newman South Bend, IN Dodge ALLTEL Roger Penske
13 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, FL Chevrolet Haier Bobby Ginn
14 Sterling Marlin Columbia, TN Chevrolet Ginn Resorts Bobby Ginn
15 Paul Menard* Eau Claire, WI Chevrolet Sylvania / Menards Teresa Earnhardt
16 Greg Biffle Vancouver, WA Ford Aflac Jack Roush
17 Matt Kenseth Cambridge, WI Ford Carhartt John Henry
18 J.J. Yeley Phoenix, AZ Chevrolet Interstate Batteries Joe Gibbs
19 Elliott Sadler Emporia, VA Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW Ray Evernham
20 Tony Stewart Rushville, IN Chevrolet The Home Depot Joe Gibbs
21 Bill Elliott Dawsonville, GA Ford Little Debbie Glen Wood
22 Dave Blaney Hartford, OH Toyota Caterpillar Bill Davis
24 Jeff Gordon Pittsboro, IN Chevrolet DuPont Rick Hendrick
25 Casey Mears Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet National Guard / GMAC Mary Hendrick
26 Jamie McMurray Joplin, MO Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools Geoff Smith
29 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil Richard Childress
31 Jeff Burton South Boston, VA Chevrolet LENOX Industrial Tools Richard Childress
36 Jeremy Mayfield Owensboro, KY Toyota 360 OTC Gail Davis
37 Kevin Lepage Shelburne, VT Dodge Front Row Motorsports Bob Jenkins
38 David Gilliland Riverside, CA Ford M&M's Robert Yates
40 David Stremme South Bend, IN Dodge Coors Light Felix Sabates
41 Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, GA Dodge Target Chip Ganassi
42 Juan Montoya* Bogota, Colombia Dodge Texaco / Havoline Floyd Ganassi
43 Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, TX Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker Richard Petty
44 Dale Jarrett Hickory, NC Toyota UPS Michael Waltrip
45 John Andretti Indianapolis, IN Dodge Wells Fargo Kyle Petty
48 Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, CA Chevrolet Lowe's Jeff Gordon
49 Chad Chaffin Smyrna, TN Dodge Paralyzed Veterans of America Elizabeth Morgenthau
55 Michael Waltrip Owensboro, KY Toyota NAPA Auto Parts Buffy Waltrip
66 Jeff Green Owensboro, KY Chevrolet Best Buy Joe Custer
70 Johnny Sauter Necedah, WI Chevrolet Yellow Trans. Joe Custer
78 Kenny Wallace St. Louis, MO Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing Barney Visser
83 Brian Vickers Thomasville, NC Toyota Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz
84 A.J. Allmendinger* Los Gatos, CA Toyota Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz
88 Ricky Rudd Chesapeake, VA Ford Snickers Robert Yates
96 Tony Raines La Porte, IN Chevrolet DLP HDTV Bill Saunders
99 Carl Edwards Columbia, MO Ford Lumber Liquidators Georgetta Roush
* Denotes Rookie
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NASCAR teams reports as the Nextel Cup tour makes the first of two visits this year to New Hampshire International Speedway. Both 300-lap races at the New England track will use the Car of Tomorrow model.
Jeff Gordon
No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
This week: As the Cup series heads to the Northeast for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, Gordon is atop the points standings with four wins and 14 top-10s in 16 races this season. But his once-mighty points lead is 100 less after NASCAR officials penalized Hendrick Motorsports for the illegalities found in the cars driven by Gordon and teammate Jimmie Johnson at Infineon Raceway. ... Gordon has three wins, three poles and 13 top-10s in 24 starts at New Hampshire. He has also posted 10 top-fives and led 1,104 laps, records for both categories at the 1.058-mile track. But it has not been so magical recently for Gordon at the New England track, at least in terms of visiting Victory Lane. His last win there was in 1998. "We've had some runs where we've led and battled for the win, but we've also struggled," said Gordon, who finished third at NHIS in September 2006. "But I was happy with the performance of this DuPont team last year here in the first race of the Chase. We led laps and the car was really good on long runs. That's probably the best we've run here in a few years." ... Chassis notes from that race will not help this time around — teams will be using the Car of Tomorrow (COT) for the first time at Loudon. In seven previous COT races this year, Gordon has top-10s in each event — including wins at Phoenix and Darlington — with an average finish of 3.85. "It will be a learning experience for everyone when we arrive at the track on Friday," Gordon said. "During the Friday practice session, we'll concentrate on our qualifying setup. A good qualifying effort helps with the pit selection and puts you in position to lead a lap to gain bonus points. You can definitely start in the back and move forward here, but there's always the possibility of getting caught up in a wreck. I'd prefer to start up front. And I'd prefer to finish there, too."
Last week: Gordon was not allowed to practice or qualify at Infineon after failing the pre-qualifying inspection, so he started 41st in the season's first road-course race. He was able to race his way to a seventh-place finish.
Etc.: Even with the loss of 100 championship points, Gordon has a lot to be happy about. He is the proud new father to Ella Sofia, born last week. His sleep habits have been affected, and he could not be happier about that. "In years past, all I wanted to do was sleep after an overnight trip from the West Coast," said Gordon. "This time, I got home at 3:30 a.m. and all I wanted to do was play with Ella and be with Ingrid. As much as I like to be with them, they'll probably be happy when I leave for Loudon so they can get some rest."
Denny Hamlin
No. 11 Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing
This week: This will be Hamlin's third start at NHIS in a Nextel Cup car. In the July race last season, Hamlin settled for sixth place after he ran of out fuel on the way to the checkered flag. He was in second place when a bizarre caution-lap wreck helped cost him his chance to challenge eventual winner Kyle Busch for the win. In the first race of the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup, Hamlin led four laps and once again looked to have a shot at winning before setting for fourth on the day. "This track has been pretty good to this team so far," Hamlin said. "I feel really comfortable at New Hampshire, and that's because I can really feel what the car is doing, and what it wants do there. It comes down to being able to roll through the corners and get back on the throttle as soon as possible, and that's where we've been good. It's definitely a little bit different than any other track we go to because it almost seems like it's banked in the other direction on the bottom. But you can go way up high or run on the bottom, so there are some options for you to find a fast line."
Last week: Hamlin battled back from deep in the grid to record the team's 10th top-10 finish of the season when he finished 10th at Infineon. He also flew to Milwaukee to compete in the Busch race but couldn't land in time to make the start. Aric Almirola started the race and was running third before he was yanked out of the car by the team and replaced by Hamlin. Almirola stormed out of The Milwaukee Mile and Hamlin went on to win the race. Ironically, Almirola gets credit for his first career victory because Hamlin was officially listed as a "relief driver." Almirola becomes the first driver from NASCAR's "Diversity Program" to score a victory, but the circumstances don't allow the driver or NASCAR to celebrate that fact.
Etc.: Hamlin will be sporting a helmet designed for him by 13-year old Children's Hospital Boston patient Moira Welch this weekend at New Hampshire. Hamlin is scheduled to visit the hospital on Thursday to meet with patients and staff, be presented with the special helmet and deliver a donation from FedEx in the amount of $25,000. Hamlin will also race remote-controlled cars with the patients, and all of the patients will have an opportunity to design their own mini-FedEx Racing helmet. The helmet presented to Hamlin in Boston, and worn at New Hampshire International this weekend, will be the fifth of 11 helmets designed by children's hospital patients and children granted wishes through the Make-A-Wish program as part of the 2007 FedEx "Wear Your Heart on Your Helmet" program. All 11 race-worn helmets will be displayed and auctioned off at the end of the season to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
Matt Kenseth
No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
This week: Kenseth has an average finish of 10.8 at New Hampshire, tops among active Cup drivers with three or more starts at the track. That makes it the fifth-best track in Kenseth's career. ... His nine top-10 finishes at NHIS is best among all drivers since 2000, Kenseth's rookie season. He has five top-fives and nine top-10s in 14 career starts at New Hampshire with a best finish of second in September 2004. ... Kenseth has completed all but four laps in 14 races at NHIS (4,084 of 4,088), the third best mark of any driver who has competed in those same 14 events (Mark Martin is at 4,086, Jeff Gordon at 4,085). "The last couple of weeks have been pretty rough for us," Kenseth said. "At Michigan, I thought we had at least a top-five car, but we got caught up in a wreck. Then last week … well, last week is behind us. It was frustrating, to say the least, to spin out twice, then run out of gas right before the last lap. Sonoma is always tough for us and it seemed like if it could go wrong, it did last Sunday. But this week is a new week and we're going to a track that's been pretty good to us over the years. We really haven't had too many cars capable of winning at Loudon, but we've usually been good enough to run in the top 10 to top 15. This weekend, it's going to be important for us to get some of the momentum back that we've lost in the past couple of weeks."
Last week: Kenseth is coming off a miserable 34th-place finish at Infineon.
Etc.: The No. 17 Ford Fusion will carry the Carhartt colors this weekend for the third time in 2007. The paint scheme will run once more, at Charlotte in October. ... Kenseth will race in the NASCAR Busch Series at NHIS this weekend for the first time since July 2005. For his career, Kenseth has raced six times in the Busch Series at NHIS, chalking up four consecutive top-10 finishes and winning this race in July 2004.
Jeff Burton
No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
This week: Burton has four wins, seven top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes and has led for a total of 694 laps in 24 Cup starts at NHIS. He has a 19.71 starting average and 13.21 finishing average. His victories came in July 1997, July 1998, July 1999 and September 2000. ... Burton owns a few track records, including most wins (four), most laps led by a race winner (300 in September 2000), least laps led by a race winner (two in July 1999) and track race record (time, 2:42:35, and speed, 117.134 mph, in July 1999). "I certainly have high hopes going there," Burton admitted. "I'm real comfortable with the race track, but at the same time, we've haven't won a race there in years and we haven't had the success that we need to have there. We worked pretty hard at the Richmond test and ended up having one of the best two or three cars out there. It was unfortunate that we had our engine let go during the Richmond race earlier this year because our car was real fast. We struggled a little bit at Phoenix but ended up leaving there with a decent finish. So I'm going into this weekend being optimistic. Obviously, as the races get closer to two or three to go before the last 10, we've got a tremendous amount of emphasis put on it. However, we can't forget that they pay the same amount of points for the third race of the year as they do for the 25th race of the year. So all the work that we've done up to this point is what matters, and every race by itself matters a great deal. The emphasis will start to be put on these closing races. At the end of the day, it's an accumulation of all the points you gained in the first 26, so it really doesn't make that race anymore important than any other."
Last week: Burton's third-place finish last week at Infineon helped him maintain the fifth spot in the point standings, and he moved up to fourth when Jimmie Johnson was penalized 100 points for his infraction at Infineon.
Etc.: Burton and the AT&T Racing team was scheduled to test at The Milwaukee Mile this week in preparation for this weekend's race at NHIS.
Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
This week: Sunday will mark Johnson's 200th start in Nextel Cup racing. His first race was at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 7, 2001, when he started 15th and finished 39th. Since then he has gone on to win a championship as well as 27 races, giving him sole possession of 22nd place on the all-time victory list since 1949. "That's hard to believe," Johnson said of the milestone. "It seems like it was just a few weeks ago I was making my first start at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I'm very proud of our success. I might be the happiest person in the garage. A lot of people have played a role in my career and I'll never be able to repay their kindness. I'm looking forward to the next 200 races." Johnson will drive the Chevrolet Impala SS in the eighth race of the season for the "Car of Tomorrow." Johnson's four victories equal Gordon's as the most by any driver in 2007. Johnson swept both races at NHIS in 2003 and has three other top-10s in 10 races there. In fact, he has been in the top 15 in all but one of those races. "We always put a lot of time and effort into the race at New Hampshire," Johnson said. "This race is really important because it gets you ready for the second one, which is the first race of the Chase. So running well this weekend and when we come back is pretty important. I think you've got a few factors at Loudon to deal with. It's a short sprint race on a short track. Luck, in not being caught up in any incidents, plays a key role in that. At the same time, if we have a strong car we can control our own destiny. Our goal is always to win practice, win the pole and lead every lap. Anything less means there is work to do."
Last week: The 2006 Nextel Cup champion finished 17th at Infineon.
Etc.: Johnson is also 100 points lighter in the points department after he, like Jeff Gordon, was penalized for an illegal car last Friday at Infineon Raceway. Crew chief Chad Knaus was suspended for six races.
Tony Stewart
No. 20 Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing
This week: Stewart has two Nextel Cup victories (July 2000 and July 2005) and one IRL IndyCar win (1998) at New Hampshire. And in the NASCAR Busch Series, Stewart earned a second-place finish in 1998 at New Hampshire. Stewart has six top-threes, nine top-fives, 10 top-10s and has led a total of 764 laps at New Hampshire, second only to Jeff Gordon's total of 1,104 laps led. Stewart has only two DNFs (Did Not Finish) at New Hampshire (spring 2002 and fall 2004). In his two Nextel Cup races at New Hampshire in 2005, when Stewart finished first in the July race and second in the September race, he led 405 of the 600 laps available (67.5 percent). Stewart will drive COT chassis No. 157. It was used for the first time at Bristol, where it qualified fourth and led four times for a race-high 257 laps before finishing 35th; a broken fuel pump cable on lap 289 thwarted its run. Before the Bristol race, its only track time came during the Car of Tomorrow test at Bristol on March 1-2. Its second career start came at Darlington, where Stewart started 26th and rallied to a top-10 finish. The No. 20 team tested the chassis at Milwaukee on June 12.
Last week: By finishing sixth at Infineon, Stewart gained one position in the point standings. At this point last year, Stewart was seventh in the standings with 2,012 points, 422 behind series leader Jimmie Johnson. Stewart has scored 46 more points this year than he did last year heading into the 17th race of the season. "There are great road courses," Stewart said on his Sirius Satellite radio show earlier this week. "I'd love to see Laguna Seca (in Monterey, Calif.). (That) would be awesome. Even though we've already got one in Sonoma, Laguna Seca is a great road course. Road America in Wisconsin would be awesome to run. Mid-Ohio is another road course. It's nice to go do something like what we did last week at Sonoma and go to Watkins Glen. They're two beautiful areas of the country. They're two fun racetracks ... that is something that we don't get a chance to do but twice a year. So it gives us a chance to not only drive on a different type of racetrack, but at the same time you get the Ron Fellows and the Butch Leitzingers that come in and run these races and make it a lot more fun for us, too. (We) get to run with a different group of guys that are a little more accustomed to running those tracks than we are but just doing it in our cars. I think it's appropriate that we do that. I still think we should have a couple more road courses, and we ought to have one or two dirt races on the schedule. That's my opinion on what would make an awesome championship season. And if you kept all the points from it you'd find out who the best driver in a series is over the course of a year."
Etc.: Six members of The Home Depot Racing Team are from New England: front tire changer and mechanic Ira-Jo Hussey from Manchester, N.H.; crew chief Greg Zipadelli from Berlin, Conn.; car chief and brake specialist Jason Shapiro from Essex, Conn.; jack man and mechanic Jason Lee from Willimantic, Conn.; shock specialist Dave Hansen from York, Maine; and PR director Mike Arning from Lunenburg, Mass.
Carl Edwards
No. 99 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
This week: Edwards has one top-five and one top-10 in five races at New Hampshire. He finished second in this race last year. Despite his lack of success there, he says all the right things. "I like New Hampshire; it's one of my favorite tracks," Edwards said. "It's flat and fast and it puts a lot of things in the driver's hands. Unfortunately, we didn't have the best finish last weekend at Sonoma, so it will be really important for us to run well at Loudon. We had a really strong run there last year in the summer, so hopefully we'll be able to repeat that success." Chassis RK-453 gets the call for Sunday. It previously was raced at Richmond — started second, finished 12th. "This weekend we are also running a special New England-themed paint scheme," Edwards said. "I can't say just yet what it is, but I know the fans will get a real kick out the No. 99 new look for the weekend."
Last week: Edwards is coming off an eighth-place finish at Infineon.
Etc.: Edwards and his Roush Fenway Racing teammates will participate in the pre-game ceremonies Friday at Fenway Park. All five drivers, along with team co-owners Jack Roush and John Henry will be on hand as the Boston Red Sox take on the Texas Rangers.
Team notes: Cup stars shift toward New Hampshire (continued)
Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
This week: Harvick has one win, one pole (both in 2006), three top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 12 Cup starts at New Hampshire. He has a 14.1 starting average and 12.7 finishing average and has completed all but four laps there. Harvick has led in seven of his 12 New Hampshire races for a total of 264 laps. "We had a lot of success at New Hampshire last season," Harvick recalled. "Our flat-track program has been really good over the past few years — Richmond, Loudon, Phoenix, all those places have been really good to us. We look forward to going to New Hampshire every year, and this year is no different. We enjoy the race track since they put the progressive banking in. Since the progressive banking, you can race side-by-side and pass people and do the things you need to do to get toward the front. It's just one of those places where you have to get through the center of the corner and get up off the corner wide open. That makes it really hard to get through the center of the corner and turn good like you need to. Getting up off the corner under full power without getting loose is really tricky. Passing is harder there than at most places because it's so hard to make your car work getting up off the corner. That makes track position probably the most important thing."
Last week: Harvick crossed the finish line second behind rookie Juan Pablo Montoya at Infineon. "It was a good for everybody on the team," Harvick said. "We had the right pit strategy: however, Todd (Berrier) was a little nervous at the end because the race went green and we were banking on at least one caution there to make it to the end. So he came on the radio and said I had 20 laps to make up one. I decided to back off and let the 42 by and just put it in second and third gear and just tried to stay in the front of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. All in all, it was a good day and everybody played the strategy right and we wound up with a top-five finish."
Etc.: Harvick's over-the-wall crew picked up its first Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win of the season Sunday. The crew, which spent 106.006 seconds on Infineon's pit road, became the ninth different team of the season to earn the weekly honor. The team will be awarded $11,000 by Checkers/Rally's for winning the competition.
Clint Bowyer
No. 07 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
This week: Bowyer is ready for start No. 3 at New Hampshire. As a rookie in 2006, he finished 27th in the July race and 24th in September. "We ran decent but we just didn't get the finish we were looking for but that wasn't all that uncommon for us last year," Bowyer said. "We were running in the top 15 with a couple laps to go and got together with another car and that pretty much killed our day. That was kind of our story last year. We'd run good and finish bad. Thankfully, we've been able to turn that around this year. It's a track where we should run well. It's definitely a racy race track. If your car is working good, you can get down on the bottom and move around if you need to. You can run in the middle and on the top if that's where you can make your car work. One thing that can be frustrating at New Hampshire is that if you give up the bottom, it's really hard to get back by someone. The banking almost falls off on the bottom. You can get under someone but you have to keep working them and keep working them. If you stay in there long enough you'll get 'em, but it takes a while sometimes."
Last week: Bowyer finished an impressive fourth at Infineon.
Etc.: Bowyer's No. 07 Chevy will sport a blue-and-gold Camping World paint scheme for this weekend's Lenox Industrial Tools 300. Camping World will also sponsor Bowyer's No. 2 Chevrolet in Saturday's Camping World 200 presented by Rvs.com NASCAR Busch Series race. Jack Daniel's, the team's standard primary sponsor, will be featured on the car's deck lid and lower-rear quarter panels.
Kyle Busch
No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
This week: In this event one year ago, Busch led 107 laps on the way to his third career Cup series victory. Busch started the event fourth and had a near-perfect driver rating of 141.1 out of a possible score of 150. "We had a great run there last season and led and won the race," Busch said. "I tend to run really well there in a Monte Carlo, but we will have to see what it's like in the new Impala SS. We didn't fare so well in the second New Hampshire race last season, so I hope it changes this year and we can run up front and maybe get another win. I think the race will definitely be a little different (with the Car of Tomorrow). It will be a lot tougher to pass. As tight as the cars are, we will be moving up the race track, so we will have to have everything working on the bottom of the track." Busch will compete in another late model race this weekend in New Hampshire. The 22-year-old will take part in the All-Star 200 PASS North event at All-Star Speedway in Epping, N.H., on Saturday. Busch will drive the No. 51 car fielded by Steve Perry for the event.
Last week: Busch's eighth-place finish at Infineon marked his best result on a road course to date in a Cup car. He previously finished 11th at Infineon and also has a ninth-place effort at Watkins Glen, the other road course the Cup Series competes on.
Etc.: Two team members, Rick Pigeon and D.J. Richardson, are racing close to their hometowns this weekend. Pigeon, the No. 5 jackman, hails from Fairfax, Vt., while Richardson, the front-tire changer, is from Leomister, Mass.
Martin Truex Jr.
No. 1 Chevrolet, DEI
This week: Truex finished 18th and 22nd in the two New Hampshire races in 2007. He did win one Busch Series event in three starts at the one-mile track. "We're bringing the car we won with at Dover, and everyone saw how strong it was," said Truex. "Our COT program, in general, has improved so much since the first of the year. I really think we'll be one of the top cars this weekend."
Last week: Truex struggled with an ill-handling race car throughout the Sonoma event as he finished 24th to drop out of the top 10. "We missed the setup, plain and simple," said crew chief Kevin Manion. "We just didn't give Martin a good car. We'll do better at Watkins Glen (site of the next road course race)."
Etc.: Truex said he "always looks forward to racing at Loudon. It's one of the tracks I grew up with. I used to watch my dad compete there, so it's definitely a place that holds a lot of memories for me. We've won a Busch Series race there (2005), and it always helps your confidence when you go back to a place where you've won before."
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
No. 8 Chevrolet, DEI
This week: In 15 starts at New Hampshire, Earnhardt has six top-10 finishes, including five in a six-race streak between 2003 and 2005. Earnhardt said he is "really looking forward to this weekend. We worked really hard testing all three DEI cars at Milwaukee a few weeks ago, and I think we should have a very solid car for the flat, one-mile oval. No one has let all of the extra distractions and hoopla take away from their effort, and that makes me really proud of everyone at DEI."
Last week: After running as high as second, Earnhardt was disappointed with his 13th-place finish at Infineon. "No question we had a top-five car today," said Earnhardt. "It's the best car I've had here, and I also drove better than I think I ever had before on a road course. We really didn't think any of those guys who stopped before we did could make to the end on fuel. But, no matter what the finishing order says, this is the best we've ever done here from start to finish."
Etc.: For the fourth straight year, Earnhardt has been named among "America's Favorite Sports Stars" in a national poll by Harris Interactive. Earnhardt is ranked sixth overall this year and has ranked no worse than eighth since 2004. He is again the only race car driver among the top 10 athletes. Tiger Woods heads the list.
CUT-OFF FOR "CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP"
Ryan Newman
No. 12 Dodge, Penske Racing
This week: Newman's last Nextel Cup win came at New Hampshire on Sept. 18, 2005. It was Newman's second win at the track. In 10 starts there, Newman has seven top-10 finishes and four poles. "I think we'll have a really good chance of getting the pole this weekend, leading laps and competing for the win," said Newman.
Last week: Newman ran in the top 10 for much of the road-course race, but he ended up 20th at Infineon. "It was unfortunate," Newman said. "We got beat by fuel mileage. We did what we had to do to get to the end. Those other guys got the fuel mileage. We got a 20th-place finish with a top-seven race car. That's disappointing."
Etc.: Newman is 96 points out of the top 12 with only 10 races left before this year's Chase for the Championship begins. He hopes to make up some ground this weekend in the same car that he drove to a fourth-place finish earlier this season at Darlington.
Jamie McMurray
No. 26 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
This week: McMurray has scored three top-10 finishes in eight starts at New Hampshire. He will be driving the same car he raced earlier this year at Richmond. The team was scheduled to test the car this week at Milwaukee. "The test should help us unload a little bit better and know what we need to work on immediately in practice on Friday," said McMurray.
Last week: McMurray was dejected after running out of gas with less than two laps remaining at Infineon after a brilliant duel with Juan Pablo Montoya for the lead. McMurray, who led twice for 30 laps, ended up a disappointing 37th. "Sonoma was tough for the whole 26 team," said McMurray. "I hate that we ran that well the entire race and then finish like we did. It's one of those deals where you take the gamble (on running the final 41 laps without stopping) and hope for the best."
Etc.: Running out of gas at Sonoma not only kept McMurray from a top-five finish, but it cost him dearly in his bid to get back into the top 12 in the Nextel Cup point standings. He is 129 points out of 12th. A top-five finish at Infineon would have pulled him to 30 points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Mark Martin
No. 01 Chevrolet, Ginn Racing
This week: Martin will skip his second consecutive race with rookie Regan Smith handling the driving duties this weekend at New Hampshire. It will be Smith's first start at the flat, one-mile track. "Mark keeps preaching about patience, and that's what I intend to follow," said Smith. "My goal remains the same — to finish the race with a clean car."
Last week: With Martin sitting out the road-course race at Infineon, Smith made his first start at the 1.99-mile, 11-turn speedway. After finishing 30th, Smith said, "I'm disappointed right now, and it will take a little time to get over this. But there were positives, and that's what I will eventually be focusing on. I started to feel comfortable past the half-way mark."
Etc.: Martin spent two days last week in the nation's capital as a guest of the U.S. Army, his primary sponsor in the Nextel Cup Series. The trip included stops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to meet with wounded soldiers, a tour of the Pentagon and a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where Martin, wife Arlene and son Matt had the honor of placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Kurt Busch
No. 2 Dodge, Penske Racing
This week: Busch will be looking for his third win at New Hampshire this weekend. He also has two second-place finishes at the track. Busch knows he needs another top-five run on Sunday to boost his chances of being part of this year's Chase for the Championship. Busch is 171 points back of 12th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. with only 10 races left until this year's Chase.
Last week: Busch had an up-and-down day at Sonoma. After running in the top 10 early in the event, he was tagged by eventual winner Juan Pablo Montoya as the race passed the halfway point. The spin left Busch in catch-up mode for the rest of the event as he finished 22nd.
Etc.: Busch said he and new crew chief Pat Tryson make a good pair because both of them left Roush Racing under not the best of terms. "He carries the same chip on his shoulder as I have from Roush Racing," said Busch. "So, hey, let's go bury those guys in the ground."
Greg Biffle
No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
This week: Biffle has posted three top-five finishes in the last four races at New Hampshire. He hopes to make it four out of five this weekend as he attempts to close the gap in his bid to move into the top 12 in the point standings. Biffle is 199 points out of the top 12.
Last week: Biffle was all smiles after his fifth-place finish at Sonoma. It was only his second top-five finish of the season as he leaped from 20th to 17th in the standings. "We had a really good car," said Biffle. "Fuel mileage just becomes such a factor on that last run, actually the whole day. On that last run, I probably never gave it more than half-throttle the last seven laps. I ran out on the cool-down lap."
Etc.: This year has certainly not gone well for Biffle, who was expected to not only contend for wins but be a regular in the top 10 in the standings. His best finish in the first 16 races is fifth, and the highest he has been in the point race is 14th.
Team notes: Cup stars shift toward New Hampshire (continued)
J.J. Yeley
No. 18 Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing
This week: Yeley finished eighth in the fall race at New Hampshire for his first top-10 finish in three starts at the track. After a successful test at Milwaukee earlier this month, Yeley feels optimistic about this weekend. "If we can get the car driving anywhere near as well as it did at Milwaukee, we are definitely good enough for a top-10 finish," said Yeley.
Last week: Yeley finished 21st at Sonoma and remained 18th in the point standings. "It wasn't too bad of a day," said Yeley. "We just didn't have track position. Considering they changed a bunch of stuff on this car after the qualifying run and yesterday's happy hour, it wasn't bad since we really didn't know whether it would be better or worse."
Etc.: Yeley, making only his second start at Infineon, felt he "learned a couple of things that will help me here. I got better at getting through turn three and I got through the 'esses' better in the COT car. It takes a lot of patience, and I was really feeling much more comfortable toward the end of the race."
Bobby Labonte
No. 43 Dodge, Petty Enterprises
This week: Labonte has struggled at New Hampshire in recent years and has only one top-10 finish in the last eight races. Overall, he has nine top-10s in 24 starts there, including a second in 2000. Labonte, who stands 244 points out of 12th place with 10 races until the Chase, believes he still has time to earn a spot in this year's championship chase. "We have to be in the top 10 from here on out," said Labonte.
Last week: Labonte looked as if he was going to make a big gain in the point standings as the Infineon event neared its conclusion. But he ran out of gas on the last lap of the event and ended up 33rd. "It looked like we were headed for a top-five finish," said Labonte, who dropped from 17th to 19th in the point race. "Then we ran out of fuel and finished 33rd. Big difference."
Etc.: Labonte believes the "demands on your time are so much more now than they used to be. The competition on the race track, the competition the drivers put on you and every driver is getting better. It's ongoing. It's demands on your time, demands at the race track, challenges at the race track, trying to get your team working the best it can. Every year is gets harder and harder and tougher and tougher."
Casey Mears
No. 25 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
This week: Mears is still looking for his first top-10 finish at New Hampshire. His best finish in eight starts is 16th, and that came in his Cup debut on July 20, 2003. Mears will be driving the same car that he raced earlier this year at Darlington. ... Mears feels a recent test at Milwaukee will prove very valuable in his quest for that first top-10 at the track. "The test gave us a good idea of the direction we need to go with the Impala SS," said Mears.
Last week: Mears had to manhandle his race car for most of the 110 laps at Sonoma after the power steering system failed early in the event. "It was a very challenging day," he said after finishing 27th. "We didn't want to come in and change the steering wheel because it would have taken us completely out of contention. We did the best we could in spite of the problems and just toughed it out."
Etc.: Mears has been named the spokesperson for the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test. "When people hit the roads for long trips this summer, they really need to keep tabs on their level of fatigue," said Mears. "It doesn't pay to skimp on sleep, and coffee and cat naps are only a quick fix. Getting plenty of rest is one of the keys to staying safe and being at our best."
OTHERS
Juan Pablo Montoya
No. 42 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
This week: The spotlight will be on Montoya again this weekend as he attempts to win his first NASCAR race on an oval. "I think me winning (at Sonoma, Calif. last Sunday) is going to bring a lot of attention the next few weeks," said Montoya, who has never raced at New Hampshire. "I think in a way it's going to be good for the whole NASCAR sport."
Last week: Montoya did what many people had predicted when he won the road-course race at Infineon Raceway. The Formula One star, in his first year of NASCAR Nextel Cup racing, was able to save enough fuel over the last 40 laps to where he could "pick up the pace" when it counted. "I think I'm more relieved than excited," Montoya said in Victory Lane.
Etc.: Montoya said the win at Sonoma "is as big as any victory. You could say it's as big as winning the Indy 500 or winning Long Beach. For me winning Long Beach was probably cooler than winning the Indy 500 because it was my first ever big race. Winning here (the NASCAR event) is my first ever big race in stock cars. I kinda think this is my favorite."
Elliott Sadler
No. 19 Dodge, Evernham Motorsports
This week: Sadler's best finish for Evernham Motorsports came at New Hampshire last September when he finished sixth. It was his fourth top-10 finish in 16 starts at the track. "This time around we're looking to do even better," said Sadler. "We're understanding the setups of the COT's much better."
Last week: Sadler finished 14th at Sonoma for his first top-15 finish in seven races. "We had a decent run today," said Sadler. "Sonoma is a track where you need a lot of forward bite and a lot of rear grip. We had the rear grip but just couldn't hit on the forward bite. Josh (Browne, team director) had a really good pit strategy throughout the day. That really helped (with their finish)."
Etc.: The year certainly hasn't gone as Sadler had envisioned. He has completed 96.69% of the laps run in the first 16 races, which is seventh best. But after finishing sixth in the season-opening Daytona 500, Sadler's best finish is 14th. And he has 10 finishes of 21st or worse.
David Stremme
No. 40 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
This week: Stremme finished 11th in his first Nextel Cup start at New Hampshire last summer. He followed that up with a 20th-place finish last fall. Stremme would be delighted with another top-20 finish since he has only one of them in the last seven races and has fallen to 23rd in the standings after being as high as ninth earlier in the season.
Last week: Stremme was one of a handful of drivers who had to pit in the last three laps for fuel. As a result, he ended up 32nd, the last driver on the lead lap. "It looked like we were going to have a decent finish, but it didn't turn out that way," he said.
Etc.: Not many people know that Stremme and Ryan Newman grew up together in South Bend, Ind. "We grew up about three miles from each other, and we went to the same high school," said Stremme. "He raced open-wheel cars and I raced stock cars (early in their careers). It's kind of funny we both ended up in the same place."
Robby Gordon
No. 7 Ford, Robby Gordon Motorsports
This week: Gordon has not won a race since his victory at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, 2003. He hopes to end that 138-race winless streak this weekend at a track where he has knows the way to the winner's circle. Gordon scored his lone win at New Hampshire on Nov. 23, 2001. But his best finish in the last six races at the track is 15th, which came last September.
Last week: Gordon led twice for 48 laps at Infineon but ended up 16th when he had to pit for fuel seven laps later than the majority of the field. "It's disappointing that we had a car as fast as we had, started on the front row, and not just get beat but finish 16th," said Gordon. "It's just disappointing that fuel strategy makes a difference in a race win or not. I just can't believe they (the majority of cars in front of him at the end) made it from that caution (on lap 68) all the way (to the end of the 110-lap event)."
Etc.: Gordon did leap from 29th to 24th in the standings with his strong Infineon performance. "We're showing that a single-car team can compete," said Gordon. "We do need a little luck."
Kasey Kahne
No. 9 Dodge, Evernham Motorsports
This week: Kahne has scored four top-10 finishes in six starts at New Hampshire. In the first 16 races this season, Kahne has only one top-10 finish, and that came in the season-opening Daytona 500. Yet Kahne believes "if we continue to keep bringing good cars to the track like we have been in recent weeks, a top-10 is going to take care of itself."
Last week: Kahne finished 23rd at Sonoma to move up two spots in the standings to 26th. "We had a pretty good car but just didn't get the fuel strategy to work the way we wanted," said Kahne. "I'm feeling better about road-course racing, and I think the guys have a handle on the Dodge Avenger for road courses."
Etc.: Kahne said that because New Hampshire has "very long corners" that it is "important that we get our Dodge Avenger to roll really well through the center of the corners."
***
Notes provided by The Sports Xchange
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Team notes: Cup stars shift toward New Hampshire
Team notes: Cup stars shift toward New Hampshire (continued)
