Final Driver Ratings For New Hampshire Sylvania 300 Following All Practices

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sunday, September 25, 2011 - 11:16 am (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds     Practice 1   Qualified   Practice 2   Practice 3

 1. Jimmie Johnson 5/1          4th             10th            1st             3rd  
Three-time winner with the last coming in 2010; using new chassis this week.
 2. Kevin Harvick 7/1             11th             6th             3rd             9th
2006 winner; using same chassis this week that won at Martinsville and Richmond.
 3. Jeff Gordon 6/1                 3rd              7th             5th             2nd
Three-time winner, the last coming in 1998; four runner-up finishes since 2004.
 4. Kyle Busch 10/1               23rd             8th             7th             5th
2006 winner with only two top-five finishes in 10 races since; new car this week.
 5. Tony Stewart 6/1              14th            20th           11th            28th
Two-time winner, the last coming in 2005; using runner-up car from July NHMS race. 
 6. Ryan Newman 15/1           1st             1st              9th             6th
Three-time winner, site of his first and last win; using winning car from July NHMS race.
 7. Kasey Kahne 40/1             2nd             2nd            14th            7th
Finished sixth in July race and had one of the better overall final two practice sessions.
 8. Jeff Burton 40/1                 9th             18th            2nd             4th
Four-time winner, the last coming in 2000; best 10-consecutive lap average of practice.
 9. Denny Hamlin 8/1             19th            28th           22nd           15th
2007 winner with a track best 7.2 average finish in 11 career starts; finished third in July.
10. Kurt Busch 15/1              32nd             5th             17th           22nd
Three-time winner, the last coming in 2008; using brand new chassis this week

Note: Races run at Richmond, Martinsville and Phoenix this season can serve as a good barometer for handicapping New Hampshire due to the relatively flat banking on each.
      
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.

Driver Chassis Selections for New Hampshire Sylvania 300

Note: Not all teams list their chassis selection in their PR releases

New car for Keselowski this week at Loudon (getty)

Jamie McMurray: The #1 AXE team will bring chassis #1116 to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. This will be the first time that this brand new car hits the track during the 2011 season.

Brad Keselowski: will race chassis PRS-761 during Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). This is a new chassis to the #2 fleet.

David Ragan: Primary: RK-759 Last ran Pocono - finished 34th; Backup: RK-747 Last ran Martinsville - finished eighth

Mark Martin: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-695 for Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This is a brand new chassis that never has been raced or tested.

Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 743 for the 317.4-mile event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This DEWALT Ford Fusion was run previously this season at California, Charlotte and Michigan.

Stewart brought his runner-up Loudon car from July (Getty)

Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-637: This car made its debut in April at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where it experienced some teething problems, qualifying 28th and finishing 34th with a broken rear-end gear. Prior to Martinsville, Chassis No. 14-637 was tested March 14 at the half-mile Little Rock Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. The July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon marked the car's second career start, where it qualified second and led twice for 48 laps before finishing .773 of a second behind his teammate, Ryan Newman. It saw track time again during a Goodyear Tire Test at Phoenix International Raceway Aug. 29-30. Chassis No. 14-637 returns to New Hampshire for its third career start with this weekend's Sylvania 300.

Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-751 (last raced at Bristol)

Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 315: This chassis will make its third-ever start in Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. In its first outing in July's Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch started a distant 29th but still managed to bring home a respectable 10th-place finish. In its most recent out last month at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Busch started 17th but went on to score his fourth win of the season in the Pure Michigan 400.

Kurt Busch: and his Steve Addington-led Penske Racing "Double-Deuce" team will be racing their "PRS-761" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "It's a brand new Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger" offered crew chief Addington.

Paul Menard: will pilot Chassis No. 341 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen in competition at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July) where Menard started ninth and finished 24th.

Harvick has two wins in the car he's using this week (Getty)

Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 332 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. This is same car he drove to Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway in March and Richmond International Raceway earlier this month. Harvick also racked up finishes of fourth at Phoenix International Raceway (2/27), 12th at RIR (4/30) and 21st at NHMS (7/17) in this #29 Chevrolet Impala.

Jeff Burton: will pilot chassis No. 329 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's Sylvania 300. This #31 Chevrolet Impala finished 15th at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. Built new for the 2010 season, Burton also drove this Caterpillar Chevrolet to a 36th-place finish after being involved in an accident at Texas Motor Speedway in November.

Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 324 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at "The Magic Mile." This Chevrolet Impala, built new in 2011, saw action earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Bowyer started 28th and finished 15th.

Dave Blaney: will pilot the No. 293 chassis this weekend. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing. Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR. Blaney drove the chassis at Kentucky Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this year. Stephen Leicht also piloted the chassis this season at Richmond International Raceway September 10th.

Newman rolls out same car that won in July (Getty)

Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-645: This will be the third start for Chassis No. 39-645 this season and the second start for the chassis at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The chassis made its first start at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April. Newman qualified on the outside of the front row and, for the first 327 laps, looked to be a sure bet for another top-10 finish, or even a contender for the win. However, Newman's good fortunes came undone on lap 328, thanks to a broken header pipe that sapped his car's horsepower for the rest of the race, and a flat left-rear tire that sent him for a spin off turn three a little later in the race. Those events conspired to put Newman two laps down and relegated him to a 20th-place finish at the .526-mile paperclip-shaped oval. Next up for the chassis was a stop at New Hampshire in July. Newman & Company dominated the weekend at Loudon as he qualified on the pole and then led six times for a race-high 119 laps in his No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Chevrolet en route to his 15th career victory, his third at New Hampshire and his second career win with SHR.

Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Jim Pohlman and the #42 team are bringing chassis #1110 to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. This will be the third run of the season for this chassis after it was previously driven to a fourth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in April and in the first event of 2011 at NHMS in July.

A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend's event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Phoenix, Martinsville Speedway, Darlington Raceway and both Pocono Raceway events.

Jimmie Johnson: will pilot brand new chassis No. 689 in Sunday's event. Johnson finished 31st in backup chassis No. 590 at Richmond International Raceway in September.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-694 this weekend at New Hampshire. This is a brand new chassis that has not been raced.

Carl Edwards: RK-782 - Last ran at Loudon in July, finished 13th

- compiled by Jayski.com

Johnson and Gordon Fast in Final New Hampshire Practice, But Not The FASTEST

Hendrick duo looks good for Sunday at New Hampshire

After watching the Stewart-Haas teams finish 1-2 in the July New Hampshire race, then seeing the Childress drivers take things up a notch in Sauturday's first practice session, the Hendrick duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon made it be known during happy hour that they are on the same plateau for Sunday's race.

However, it wasn't the Hendrick duo that had the top speeds. They finished second and third fastest.

It was David Stremme, with a lap speed of 130.644 mph, showing the fastest way around New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the final practice session. Not quite sure how he did it, but he took his second lap of his 11 run and made the time stick while in race trim like everyone else.

Gordon was second fastest with a lap speed of 130.416 mph followed by Johnson (130.336), Jeff Burton (130.309) and Kyle Busch (130.269).

Rounding out the top-ten fastest during final practice was pole sitter Ryan Newman (130.126), Kasey Kahne (130.060), Greg Biffle (130.042), Kevin Harvick (129.984) and Paul Menard (129.975).

Johnson, Newman and Kyle Busch had the top three 10-consecutive lap averages.

New Hampshire Practice Speeds

Johnson Fastest in Saturday's Early Loudon Practice Session, RCR Cars Fast

Jimmie Johnson led the way with a lap speed of 130.198 in Saturday's early practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Jeff Burton, with a lap speed of 130.180 mph, was second fastest, followed by Kevin Harvick (130.149), Greg Biffle (130.109) and Jeff Gordon (130.006).

Rounding out the top-ten fastest during practice were Clint Bowyer (129.975) who was sixth fastest, Kyle Busch (129.962), Regan Smith (129.958), Ryan Newman (129.918) and AJ Allmendinger (129.905).

Just by looking at the speeds of Burton with Harvick and Bowyer close behind, it looks like the RCR cars have something special to compete with the Stewart-Haas tandem this week. Tony Stewart was 11th fastest, but four-time NHMS winner Burton led the way with the fastest 10-consecutive lap average.

The drivers have one more practice session scheduled on the day.

New Hampshire Practice Speeds

New Hampshire Sylvania 300 Preview

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

From the front row to finishing 1-2 at New Hampshire in July (Getty)

Race 2 of NASCAR's Chase for the Championship takes us to Loudon, New Hampshire for some flat-track racing. This will be the second time the series has stopped at the one-mile facility. Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart had a 1-2 finish in July which gives us a lot to work with when breaking down who might do well this week.

In addition to the July race, we can also reference Phoenix and both Richmond races to get a read on who the top drivers might be this week. Although none of the three tracks have the same layout, the banking and short distances are similar which means that if certain teams do well on one track, they’re likely to do the same on the other.

Even though Martinsville is half the distance of New Hampshire, we’re seeing a lot more teams incorporate their chassis set-up -- and sometimes the actual car -- from there to the three other tracks just because of the banking, or lack thereof.

We also can put a lot more weight into what we just saw two weeks at Richmond because it is the most recent run, a race won by Kevin Harvick with Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon in tow.

However, based on how this wild season has gone with five first-time winners and 14 different drivers taking the checkers, it could be argued that past trends mean as little as they ever have.

It’s almost a crap shoot every week and it doesn’t help that this years ridiculous practice schedule with only two practice sessions happening and both come before qualifying. It’s become harder than ever to weed out the good practice times in race trim from those in qualifying trim. The fastest 10-consecutive lap stat helps, but there is nothing like having a ’Real’ Happy Hour where all the cars have their optimum set-up ready to race.

What we have now is teams getting their cars set perfect for race conditions and then having to reset it for qualifying. Even though they have notes to re-set the car back up that was the best during practice, it’s almost impossible to get it back as perfect after resetting it for qualifying. It’s like starting all over again and they don’t have a practice to show that they got it back correct, they have to make the changes needed during the race.

If anything, I think the practice schedule has a lot to do with all the parity we’re seeing right now.

Kevin Harvick is bringing a very strong car this week (Getty)

However, we're in luck this week as we have the traditional schedule of practices. The first practice session will be held before qualifying, which will be used almost exclusively in qualifying trim. On Saturday, we have two sets of practices which will be used for race trim only. Those who are good in practice will be able to roll the exact same set-up out onto the track.

Kevin Harvick leads a list of drivers who should be keyed on this week just because of the car he's using. The 2006 New Hampshire winner will be using a chassis that most recently won at Richmond, which also happened to win at Martinsville. All flat tracks, and they account for half of his season wins.

It also helps siding with Harvick this week knowing that he loves racing on these types of tracks.

"I always look forward to going to New Hampshire, " Harvick said earlier this week. "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.”

Jeff Gordon has three Loudon wins over his career in 33 starts with his last win coming during his magical year of 1998. Since 2004, he’s been runner-up on four separate occasions and hasn’t finished worse than 15th. On the basis of his strong Richmond run recently, his Phoenix win and his current form everywhere, Gordon should be considered one of the favorites to win this week.

Gordon's 11th-place run in July may not looks so strong, but there was way more to the story in that race.

“We had a fast car that day," said Gordon, "and I’m really looking forward to going back there this weekend. Even after losing the lap because of the battery change, we were still able to work our way up through traffic pretty well. I wasn’t able to run any blowers (because of the electrical issues) and I think that’s what blew the right front at the end of the race. Hopefully, we don’t have any issues like that Sunday.

Denny Hamlin didn’t have a good run at Richmond two weeks ago, a track where he has always dominated, but he did show up for the last Loudon race with a third-place finish. He was also runner-up in the first Richmond race. In 11 starts on the track, Hamlin has finished in the top-10 eight times with a win in 2007.

Hamlin's goal will be to start his weekend off strong in qualifying trim.

"New Hampshire can be a tricky place to pass so we’ll be looking to qualify close to the front because that goes a long way at this track," explained Hamlin. "We know we need to be running in the top-five or top-10 all day to be in position at the end.”

Jimmie Johnson is a three-time winner at New Hampshire with the last win coming in the spring race last season. In 19 starts he’s finished 15th or better in 17 of them. This is the time that Johnson is supposed to turn it on like he has every year. No one has more Chase wins than Johnson.

Ryan Newman was strong in the first Loudon race this year and it gave him his third career New Hampshire win. He's always done well on the track over his career, but doesn't exactly know why.

“New Hampshire has always been a good place for me, I’m not a hundred percent sure why. It’s the place of my first win, when I hadn’t won in a long while, 70 some races. I won again there. This past July we were able to qualify and finish 1-2 at Stewart-Haas. It’s a fun race, it’s a very finesse racetrack."

Tony Stewart settled for his fourth runner-up finish at New Hampshire since his last win in 2005. Stewart has two career wins on the track. Because of how good Stewart and Newman were the last time around, they should be again considered top candidates to win.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #29 Kevin Harvick (7/1)
2) #14 Tony Stewart (6/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (6/1)
5) #39 Ryan Newman (15/1)

Driver Notes & Quotes for New Hampshire

Kevin Harvick is using his Martinsville and Richmond winning car (Getty)

KEVIN HARVICK ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “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 (at NHMS). 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. I always look forward to going to New Hampshire. 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.”

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 332 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. This is same car he drove to Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway in March and Richmond International Raceway earlier this month. Harvick also racked up finishes of fourth at Phoenix International Raceway (2/27), 12th at RIR (4/30) and 21st at NHMS (7/17) in this No. 29 Chevrolet Impala.

GREG BIFFLE ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “We’re taking the car that we had a decent run with at Richmond a couple of weeks ago. It was the best we’d run at Richmond in a long time so the guys worked hard to get the car turned around and ready to go for this weekend. We had a really fast car last weekend and had a random problem take us out of contention. If we can avoid things like that, I really think we have a chance to get a win before the end of the season. We’ve got a special Ford40mpg.com paint scheme this weekend and we’re ready to get it on the track.”

TONY STEWART ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “It’s a big motor deal (NHMS). With the corners being so tight, you’ve got to put a lot of gear in the car to get it up off the corner. Forward bite is always an issue there too, so it’s hard to get up off the corners. Then you’ve got long straightaways where you can kind of relax a little bit. Coming into the corners, you use a lot of brake, and it’s hard to not only get the car stopped, but to get it to turn. Then you go through that challenge all over again. Obviously, I like it because I’ve had success there. But at the same time, it’s a tough track to pass on. You can be a couple of tenths faster than a guy, but it still takes you 20 laps to get by him. There are other tracks on the circuit where it’s hard to pass, but we still go out and put on good shows there, too. Every race at Loudon seems to be a pretty good race. So, I like it. I enjoy racing there even though it is hard to pass. But when you’ve got a good car, it’s always fun to race. We were really good there in the spring. I am hoping that, that is a scenario, where what we had is going to be really close to what we are going to want this time around again. Both Ryan (Newman) and I were really fast all day long, so I am hoping we can have a similar weekend.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “I like Loudon. Just getting the car to turn in the middle is important. That track is really flat and it is very hard to get a car to rotate in the middle of the corner really good.”

RYAN NEWMAN ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “New Hampshire has always been a good place for me. I’m not a hundred percent sure why. It’s the place of my first win, when I hadn’t won in a long while, 70 some races. I won again there. This past July we were able to qualify and finish 1-2 at Stewart-Haas. It’s a fun race, it’s a very finesse racetrack. You can’t overdrive the car there very much because it’s so flat. I’ve always said the birthplace of track position. It’s a relatively short race. Basically you only need to stop for fuel two, maybe three times depending on cautions. You don’t get a whole lot of opportunities to work on your racecar. You start up front; you have a good chance of staying up front. It’s a place we’ve done well at. Our short track program at Stewart-Haas Racing is strong. It’s a good place for us to go after the first stop at the Chicago race.”

Edwards using July NHMS car (Getty)

CARL EDWARDS ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “We ran really well at Richmond so I’m pretty excited about racing at New Hampshire. I was nervous about it until that Richmond run. Hopefully we can run that well at New Hampshire. If we were to win there it would be huge for Roush Fenway, for the Chase and for me personally to win a Cup race at one of my toughest tracks.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 99 team will be bringing RK-782 this weekend to New Hampshire. This was a brand new car in July when it finished 13th atNew Hampshire. The car will sport a new Scotts Winterguard paint scheme.

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “I think I was more intense in the early years (in his approach to the Chase) because any driver has a lot of thoughts and you’re trying to analyze all these situations. Before you win a race, you wonder how you are going to handle those situations and you are trying to mentally prepare for a variety of situations. Once you win a race, you’re like ‘Oh, ok, this is how I do it’; this is how I deal with pressure; this is how I hold someone off; this is how I find a way by someone; adjustments you need to make late in a race. You start building some confidence in your own decision making process. You get into the championship format and it’s the same thing. So, over time, I’ve built a lot of confidence, in truthfully the way I think and the things that I focus on and I feel like I have a better road map on where to focus. I don’t waste a lot of extra time worrying about other areas. Throughout all of that, you know, I’m not the smartest guy and I don’t have a ton of brain power, it’s allowed me to kind of sit back and relax and have fun.”

JOHNSON CHASSIS CHOICE: Johnson will pilot brand new chassis No. 689 in Sunday’s event. Johnson finished 31st in backup chassis No. 590 at Richmond International Raceway in September.

JEFF GORDON ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “We had a fast car that day (July race at NHMS), and I’m really looking forward to going back there this weekend. Even after losing the lap because of the battery change, we were still able to work our way up through traffic pretty well. I wasn’t able to run any blowers (because of the electrical issues) and I think that’s what blew the right front at the end of the race. Hopefully, we don’t have any issues like that Sunday. That is not how we wanted to start the Chase (24th place finish at Chicago on Monday). We battled hard throughout the event, and that’s what we’re going to do at New Hampshire and the other eight races. I do feel confident whenever we race here, but a lot of that is the car and the setup. This track has some very unique things that make it challenging, though. It’s flat, and there are some bumps getting into the corners. While we ran well here a few months ago, we’ll see what we have on Friday when we unload. Hopefully, we’ll be just as competitive and battling for the win come Sunday.”

KURT BUSCH ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “We’re off to a good start in the Chase. We led laps and finished sixth in our Shell/Pennzoil Dodge at Chicagoland. That’s a good start, but that’s just one race. We have fast cars. We need to continue to have fast pit stops. We have to keep up with the track with good adjustments and make the car better during the race. If we are successful in managing those factors, we’ll be in position to compete for wins and have good finishes. That’s what we need to do the next nine weeks to challenge for the championship.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “It’s always a lot of fun when we go up to Loudon to race. The fans really love what we do and they show it by filling the stands. It’s one of those tracks we can go to and almost guarantee that it will be sold out. The racing that we put on at New Hampshire sometimes get a bad rap, but I think it has produced some of the most-exciting finishes over the last few years. It’s a one-mile track, but it races like a short track. There’s a lot of beating and banging and bumping and running – all of the things that the fans love.”

CLINT BOWYER ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “Flat tracks like New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway always fit my driving style. I love racing up there. It is a lot of fun. Nothing in particular, it just fits my driving style. It has more of a progressive banking to it in turns one and two. You get down there and it almost feels like it is reverse camber. It’s hard to make your car work down there. While you do have to give them (Chase contenders) some more respect because there is so much on the line, you still race them the same way you would all year long. If they race you tough, you race them tough. It’s a two-way street.”

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 324 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at “The Magic Mile.” This Chevrolet Impala, built new in 2011, saw action earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Bowyer started 28th and finished 15th.

Matt Kenseth is using his Bristol car this week (Getty)

MATT KENSETH ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “New Hampshire is a place that we just haven’t done particularly well at in the past. It isn’t that I dislike the track, but everyone has tracks they like more than others, and Loudon just isn’t one of our best ones. We had a great car and pit stops last weekend, but didn’t get the finish we deserved, so I’m hoping that we can get a good run on Sunday to put us back into contention. The best handling cars at Loudon can turn well in the center of the corner, and typically if you can get your car to work well in those corners, you can have a good day at New Hampshire.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-751 (last raced at Bristol)

KYLE BUSCH ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “Loudon is a pretty particular racetrack. It’s tough. It’s not like Phoenix before the repave. It’s not like Dover at all. It’s a flat racetrack and it’s really typical of a tough racetrack to pass on. You can’t just have a really good racecar and finish up front. You have to keep track position. You have to keep up all day and make everything work.”

MARK MARTIN ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “I’ve felt since mid-season that we were figuring some things out. At Indy we had a great run and would’ve battled for the win if we just had a little more fuel. This team is really good. More so than we’ve shown. And they’re capable of good things. We’re putting our nose down right now and really working hard and its showing. We had a good run at Richmond last week and another one at Chicago. Hopefully we can continue to build on that.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “I think we ran short on fuel the last time we were in New Hampshire; our Target team usually runs really good there. That is one of the first ovals that we have been running really good at and are consistent. Right now it is one of those deals where you go to the track every week not knowing what is going to happen. It is exciting because we are working on the cars really hard, finding some stuff and moving in the right direction. We are going to have a really cool paint scheme this weekend too. It is the Degree Men car. A black and yellow car and I saw pictures the other day and was like ‘Ooh. That is awesome!’”

PAUL MENARD ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “It’s one of those tracks (NHMS) that we’ve gone to and felt pretty good about our car during practice, we qualify in the top 10, and then we just struggle really bad during the race. We’ve done a little short-track testing this year to try and help that. Especially after the last visit to Loudon (NHMS); it was pretty embarrassing. Hopefully the testing pays off. We tested at the Milwaukee Mile, which is as close to Loudon as you’re going to get. I don’t think passing at either end of the race track is that much different from each other. In turn two, there’s a wall that you get close to, but it doesn’t get in the way. In turn four, there’s a lot more room to make a pass.”

JEFF BURTON ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “You really have to be aware of what your car is doing and how it’s driving (while saving fuel and trying to pass at NHMS). Sometimes, running lower than the other guy isn’t hurting your tires and sometimes it is. You have to be aware as a race car driver what your car is doing and if you’re abusing it or not. The problem with all of that is you never know when there’s a caution coming out. If you make the decision to sit there and ride and be smart then a caution comes out in 50 laps, then you’ve wasted your time, and you should have been going. On the other hand, if a caution doesn’t come out, then you were really, really smart. You have no way of knowing that and that’s what makes these races so interesting. When that caution flies, it affects so much what is going to happen in the rest of the race. We’re having less cautions, and I don’t know why. That has had a huge impact on pit strategies. The fewer cautions you have, the more likely you are to have fuel mileage become an issue.”

REGAN SMITH ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “The first thing that comes to mind about New Hampshire is fuel mileage. Maybe it’s because we’re just coming off a fuel mileage race in Chicago or that we (Furniture Row Racing) ran out of fuel at the July New Hampshire race while running in the top 15. I don’t like the fuel mileage races and it seems like we’ve had too many of them this season. We’ve had a couple of top-20 finishes the past two races (18-Richmond, 17-Chicago) but would like to see that improve to top 15s or top 10s. I like the New Hampshire track and thought we had a good setup for our Furniture Row Chevrolet at the July race. Hopefully the car setup will be as good or better this weekend.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: “New Hampshire is a fun track to race, long straights and flat turns make track position important as it can be difficult to pass. We had a strong run here in the first race this season. We ran up front, but had a loose wheel after one of our stops and had to get off sequence with the leaders. We tried to stretch it to the end on fuel mileage, but came up a couple of laps short in the end. We had a better car than our results showed, hopefully we can turn that around this weekend. We also have a new sponsor on our No. 1 Chevrolet in Loudon, AXE Cool Metal will be on the car for this race, so I look forward to getting to meet a lot of their guests.

Brad Keselowski Team Preview for New Hampshire

The Miller Lite Crew has done a lot of celebrating this year (Getty)

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
September 25, 2011

* · This Week’s Charger… The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-761 during Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

* · No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011… After 28 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are tied for sixth with Ryan Newman in the 2011 Chase for the Championship standings. Keselowski sits just 14 points from the lead following a fifth-place finish in the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Monday.

* · One Year Ago… Keselowski picked up his first career NSCS pole award in the 2010 edition of the Sylvania 300 at NHMS. He has since scored a second pole award, which came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this May.

* · Driver Turned Crew Chief… Crew chief Paul Wolfe has an extensive driving history at NHMS. The 34-year-old has one career start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the venue, along with 11 starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (KNPSE) competition. In those 11 KNPSE starts, Wolfe accumulated four top-five finishes, six top-10 results and 137 laps led.

* · Wicked Great Taste… The featured tag line on the bumper of the “Blue Deuce” this weekend at New Hampshire will be “Wicked Great Taste.” Wicked is a commonly used adjective in New England as an extreme variation of the word “very.” In this case it is used to describe the award-winning taste of Miller Lite.

* · Have a Beer with Brad… Keselowski will make an appearance at Shooter’s located at 190 State Route 3 in Belmont, N.H. beginning at 6:30 PM on Friday, September 23.

* · The Rest is History… In the first-ever race for Penske Racing at New Hampshire, Rusty Wallace started from the 33rd position and finished in Victory Lane on July 11, 1993. In 60 combined starts at the oval, Penske Racing has notched four wins (Ryan Newman – two, Wallace – one and Kurt Busch – one), seven poles, 14 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes. Penske Racing entries have led 927 laps in those races.

Brad Keselowski on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“It’s always a lot of fun when we go up to Loudon to race. The fans really love what we do and they show it by filling the stands. It’s one of those tracks we can go to and almost guarantee that it will be sold out. The racing that we put on at New Hampshire sometimes gets a bad rap, but I think it has produced some of the most-exciting finishes over the last few years. It’s a one mile track, but it races like a short track. There is a lot of beating and banging and bumping and running – all of the things that the fans love.”

Brad Keselowski on his solid start to the 2011 Chase for the Championship
“In my mind Chicago was one of the weaker tracks for us in the Chase. To come out of there with a fifth-place finish was exactly what we needed to do. There are a lot of guys in the Chase that can’t say the same thing. Now we go to a portion in the schedule where I think we can really do some damage, starting this weekend in Loudon. Thinking back to the spring race, that was a race we’d all like to have back. That 35th-place finish hurt our chances of getting into the top-10 and being able to use our bonus points. We had a good car then and I have no reason to think we haven’t gotten better.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“Loudon is a unique racetrack. It has aspects of both Richmond and Phoenix all rolled into one. We work really hard to get the car to turn the center (of the corners) and maintain forward drive for late into a run. It’s a very flat layout, which presents a lot of different challenges. With no banking to catch the car, it can be very hard on brakes because the straightaways are long and you can build up a lot of speed before you get to the corner. It is so hard to pass, you really need the complete package to win there – good brakes, handling and pit stops.”

- Penske Racing, Press Release

Jeff Gordon is Ready for New Hampshire This Time Around

Jeff Gordon has three New Hampshire wins, but none since 1998 (Getty)

LOUDON, N.H. (September 20, 2011) – Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet are all charged up heading into Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New HampshireMotor Speedway (NHMS).

In July at “The Magic Mile,” Gordon led by more than three seconds before his No. 24 Chevrolet lost power at the halfway point of the 301-lap event. The three-time NHMS winner then lost a lap on pit road while the crew replaced the battery.

The real issue was the alternator not charging the battery, so Gordon was forced to limit electrical use the remainder of the event. He battled back from a lap down to atop-five position, but the right-front tire blew on the penultimate lap and Gordon limpedto an 11th-place finish.

“We had a fast car that day, and I’m really looking forward to going back there this weekend,” said Gordon. “Even after losing the lap because of the battery change,we were still able to work our way up through traffic pretty well.

“I wasn’t able to run any blowers (because of the electrical issues) and I think that’s what blew the right front at the end of the race. Hopefully, we don’t have anyissues like that Sunday.”

He did experience several issues during his 24th-place finish in the rain-delayed event at Chicago on Monday. Gordon battled back from a lap down after a tire issuebefore the fuel cell ran dry in his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet two laps from the checkeredflag. He finished 24th and is now 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pointstandings, 25 markers out of the lead.

“That is not how we wanted to start the Chase,” said Gordon. “We battled hard throughout the event, and that’s what we’re going to do at New Hampshire and the other eight races.”

In 33 starts at the 1.058-mile track, Gordon has three wins and three poles. He also has 14 top-fives, 18 top-10’s and has led 1,226 laps – all tops in those categories.

“I do feel confident whenever we race here, but a lot of that is the car and the setup,” said Gordon. “This track has some very unique things that make it challenging, though. It’s flat, and there are some bumps getting into the corners.

“While we ran well here a few months ago, we’ll see what we have on Friday when we unload. Hopefully, we’ll be just as competitive and battling for the win come Sunday.”

A win would certainly re-charge Team DuPont for the final eight races of the 2011 season.

- Performance PR Plus for DuPont Motorsports, Press Release

Las Vegas Hilton Super Book Odds to Win Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire

Newman and Stewart finished 1-2 in the first New Hampshire race (Getty)

SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

CARL EDWARDS 12
JIMMIE JOHNSON 5
KYLE BUSCH 10
JEFF GORDON 6
MATT KENSETH 40
KEVIN HARVICK 7
DENNY HAMLIN 8
KURT BUSCH 15
TONY STEWART 6
DALE EARNHARDT JR 20
GREG BIFFLE 40
KASEY KAHNE 40
CLINT BOWYER 15
RYAN NEWMAN 15
BRAD KESELOWSKI 12
JOEY LOGANO 40
MARTIN TRUEX JR 40
DAVID RAGAN 75
JUAN MONTOYA 60
MARK MARTIN 40
JEFF BURTON 40
JAMIE McMURRAY 50
BRIAN VICKERS 100
DAVID REUTIMANN 100
PAUL MENARD 100
AJ ALLMENDINGER 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 100
REGAN SMITH 200
BOBBY LABONTE 1000
FIELD 300

New Hampshire Odds & Ends

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History

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

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

·         Renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.

Notebook

·         There have been 33 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 33 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 17 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (five).

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

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

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

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

·         There have been five winners who started from the pole. The last race winner to win from the pole was Ryan Newman this past July.

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

·         Five drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at New Hampshire: Joe Nemechek (1999), Robby Gordon (2001), Ryan Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Joey Logano (2009).

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

·         The last four races that have not finished under caution have had a margin of victory of less than a second.

NASCAR in New Hampshire

·         There have been 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

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

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

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data

Race #: 28 of 36 (9-25-11)

Track Size: 1.058 miles

Race Length: 317.4 miles (300 laps)

Banking/Corners: Variable at 2 & 7 degrees

Banking/Straights: 1 degree

Driver Rating at New Hampshire

Tony Stewart                 114.0
Jeff Gordon                   107.3
Jimmie Johnson            105.8
Denny Hamlin                100.5
Dale Earnhardt Jr.           97.1
Kurt Busch                     95.4
Jeff Burton                      95.0
Ryan Newman                94.6
Clint Bowyer                   94.5
Kevin Harvick                  91.1

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at New Hampshire.

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Brad Keselowski, 133.572 mph, 28.515 seconds

2010 race winner: Clint Bowyer, 106.769 mph, 09-19-10)

Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski (133.572 mph, 28.515 sec., 09-19-10)

Track race record: Jeff Burton (117.134 mph, 7-13-97)

- NASCAR Media Services