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Instant Analysis: New England 300

Instant Analysis from Tom Jensen

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A lifelong gearhead, Tom Jensen reports on automobiles and auto racing for SPEEDTV.com. Jensen has been writing about both topics for more than 15 years and is the former managing editor of National Speed Sport News. He is the recipient of the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award and numerous other journalism awards. Jensen's latest book is "Cheating: An Inside Look At The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit Of Speed." Click here for Tom Jensen's columns.

Roland from San Antonio, Texas: Will this put Earnhardt Jr out of the top 10?

Tom Jensen: Earnhardt's 43rd-place finish dropped him to seventh in the points, but the big loser was Stewart who fell all the way out of the top 10 to 11th position.

Kurt Busch, who had been on a hot streak took a big hit, too, and is now 206 points out of 10th with seven races to go until the Chase field is set.

And the only two guys truly set in the Chase are Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Anyone from third to 14th still could be in or out.

Kyle Busch drove a dominating race to score his third career victory and first of the season. It's his third consecutive top-three finish, as he is now a legitimate title contender.

Ethan from San Antonio, Texas: Why didn't NASCAR throw the red flag after the Waltrip-Gordon incident?

Tom Jensen: NASCAR sets a fixed point at each race beyond which they will not throw the red flag. This is so all the teams know that if the race hits a certain number of laps and a caution comes out, it will finish green-white-checkered. That way they can all plan pit strategy. This finish was just one of those freaky situations where a second accident happened under yellow.

The final top 10 is Kyle Busch, Edwards, Biffle, Martin, Harvick, Hamlin, Burton, Kahne, Johnson and Riggs.

Lap 308

Edwards passes Hamlin on the last lap as Hamlin runs out of gas. What a wild day!

Green flag. Busch leads Hamlin, Edwards, Sadler and Biffle. Sadler runs out of gas on restart.

Restart/Lap 307

Green flag. Busch leads Hamlin, Edwards, Sadler and Biffle. Sadler runs out of gas on restart.

Lap 303

Unbelievable!!! Waltrip runs into the back of Robby Gordon under caution on the backstretch and overtime will go maybe as high as Lap 310. Who's going to run out of gas? Sadler is cutting his engine off and on to save fuel.

Kyle Busch leads Hamlin, Edwards, Sadler, Biffle, Martin, Harvick, Burton, Riggs and Johnson.

Lap 300

Sorenson pits, out of gas. Instead of a top-three finish, he is now 24th.

Caution 12/Lap 299

Caution flag as Bowyer crashes on the backstraight. It'll be green-white-checkers!

Just before the caution, Edwards worked his way past Sadler and Biffle for third place.

Lap 297

Mayfield pits out of gas.

Lap 290

Ten to go and it looks like a walkaway for Kyle Busch, who's seeking his third career win and could move to third in points.

Lap 285

Fifteen laps to go and Kyle Busch is golden.

Lap 284

Sadler falls to fourth as Hamlin takes second and Sorenson third.

Lap 278

Sorenson passes Biffle for fourth place.

Lap 276

Kyle Busch has locked up the most laps led.

Lap 275

Can everyone make it to the finish line without running out of gas?

Restart/Lap 273

Green flag. The order up front is Kyle Busch, Sadler, Hamlin, Biffle, Sorenson, Martin, Johnson, Edwards, Harvick and Mayfield.

Lap 270

Jeff Gordon pits after contact with Robby Gordon.

Caution 10/Lap 267

Caution flag as Schrader spins between turns 3 and 4 after contact from Tony Raines. Jeff Green gets the Lucky Dog.

Lap 265

After a disastrous, acrimonious week in Chicago, Evernham Motorsports has Mayfield, Kahne and Riggs in 10th through 12th, respectively.

Lap 260

If it stays green, no one will be able to catch Kyle Busch, who's been exceptionally stout all afternoon. Sadler, if he can hang on to second, will have his best finish of the season.

Lap 250

50 laps to go. Kyle Busch still leads ahead of Sadler, Hamlin, Biffle and Sorenson. Martin is sixth, followed by Mayfield, Edwards, Johnson and Vickers.

Lap 246

Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon tangle on the backstretch. No caution as Waltrip makes a teriffic save.

Lap 240

Kyle Busch, who has not won since last November at Phoenix, is back out front.

Restart/Lap 239

Green flag. Sadler leads Kyle Busch, Mayfield, Biffle and Hamlin.

Lap 236

Bowyer surrenders lead when he pits along with Riggs, Gordon, Kenseth, Marlin, Stremme and J.J. Yeley among others.

Caution 9/Lap 234

Kurt Busch gets wrecked by Stremme in Turn 4 and hits wall hard. This could have a devastating effect on his hopes of making the Chase.

Lap 233

If there's another caution, it'll be interesting to see who stops for gas and/or tires. There's still an awful lot of racing left.

Lap 228

Teammates Mayfield and Riggs are battling fiercely for fourth place.

Lap 225

Kyle Busch makes contact with teammate Gordon trying to pass him for fifth place.

Lap 220

Sadler is up to second, his best position all day. This is a team that desperately needs a good finish.

With a wide range of pit and fuel strategies, expect the unexpected as the race winds to its conclusion. Anything still can happen.

Restart/Lap 215

Green flag. The top six cars did not pit. Kurt Busch hits wall in Turn 2.

Lap 214

Top 10 shuffles with different pit-stop strategies. The order is now Bowyer, Jeremy Mayfield, Elliott Sadler, Riggs, Jeff Gordon, Marlin, Kyle Busch, Biffl, Hamlin and Kenseth.

Lap 212

Leaders all pit with 88 laps to go. Cars should be good to go from here. Biffle takes fuel only, Edwards gets four tires.

Caution 8/Lap 210

Caution No. 8 after Jeff Green squeezed Martin Truex, Jr. into the wall exiting Turn 4.

Edwards is on track to have his best finish ever at NHIS, which he absolutely needs if he's to make the Chase.

Lap 208

Sorenson passes Biffle for second.

Restart/Lap 205

Green flag. Kyle Busch leads Biffle, Sorenson, Edwards and Harvick.

Lap 203

Sterling Marlin gets the Lucky Dog and a whole host of cars that were nearly a full lap down will come around to the back of the pack.

Caution 7/Lap 200

Nemechek, Vickers wreck in Turn 4.

Restart/Lap 195

Green flag. Kenseth has been one of the most consistent drivers on the Cup circuit this year. At New Hampshire, Kenseth has posted seven straight top-10 finishes at NHIS, the longest current streak.

Lap 191

Race leader is now Kyle Busch, followed by Biffle, Sorenson, Edwards, Harvick, Nemechek, Vickers, Hamlin, Johnson and Kenseth.

Lap 189

Vickers, Hamlin, Johnson and Bobby Labonte pit. Ken Schrader gets lucky dog.

Caution 6/Lap 187

Kenny Wallace hits the wall. Caution is out.

Lap 186

Biffle and Edwards pit. Vickers now leads.

Lap 185

Kyle Busch pits, surrendering the lead back to Biffle. Martin pits, too.

Lap 183

Kurt Busch pits.

Lap 182

Burton pits.

Lap 181

Harvick takes four tires; Gordon pits.

Leader Kyle Busch is on a hot streak. He was third last week at Chicago and second the week before at Daytona.

Lap 180

Sorenson is the first of the leaders to pit.

Leader Kyle Busch is on a hot streak. He was third last week at Chicago and second the week before at Daytona.

Lap 174

Kyle Busch back out in front, as he passes Biffle going into Turn 1.

Lap 169

Look for the next round of green-flag pit stops in about 10 laps.

Lap 165

Vickers went from 1st to 24th the last time he pitted. He's worked his way back up to 12th, one of three Hendrick Chevrolets in the top 12.

Lap 160

Jeff Gordon has moved from 19th to 10th since he last pitted. If Gordon wins today, he'll tie the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth-place on the all-time Nextel Cup victory list with 76 wins. The top five are Richard Petty (200), David Pearson (105), Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84 each) and Cale Yarborough (83).

Lap 155

Sorenson loses second to Kyle Busch.

Lap 151

Biffle leads for the first time as Sorenson starts to struggle. The Biff has never finished higher than fourth here.

Lap 151

His car repaired, Johnson is starting to pick up the pace and has moved up to 23rd place.

Lap 150

Halfway. The top 10 cars are Sorenson, Biffle, Kyle Busch, Harvick, Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, Nemechek. Burton and Scott Riggs.

Lap 140

Earnhardt out with blown engine. The top three guys in points are all 28th or worse in the race right now. This could tighten the points race and bring the 400-point margin into the Chase.

Lap 136

Earnhardt pits with the engine dead.

Lap 135

Although New Hampshire is a notoriously difficult track to pass on, three of the last four races here have been won from outside the top-10 starting positions. Right now, seven of the top 10 cars are guys who qualified outside the top 10.

Lap 125

Points leader Johnson, a two-time winner here, is 32nd, the last car on the lead lap following repairs on his fender after the contact with Stremme. Stewart and Newman are back on the track. Watch out for contact.

Restart/Lap 120

Green flag. Vickers came out 24th, Sorenson passes Kyle Busch for the lead.

Caution 5/Lap 117

Caution for debris. Vickers pits, but most of the leaders stay out. Top five now Kyle Busch, Sorenson, Biffle, Harvick and Bowyer. Burton back on lead lap and up to 15th. Don't count him out yet.

Craig from Fairless Hills, Pa.: Glad to see Newman spin after he spun Stewart - guess what comes around goes around. Why did Nascar allow Newman to go backwards on pit road while traffic was entering? Isn't this a safety issue? Do you think higher penalties for aggressive driving would decrease the incidents like Stewart & Newman, and Gordon & Kenseth last week?

Tom Jensen: Craig, I don't know why NASCAR let Newman back up on pit road. NASCAR may have to step in with higher penalties for aggressive driving because clearly there are plenty of hot tempers out there and it's not going to fix itself.

Lap 109

Vickers repasses Kyle Busch for the lead.

Lap 107

Kyle Busch passes Vickers for lead. Johnson's car has left-front fender damage from contact with David Stremme.

Restart/Lap 106

Green flag. Vickers leads same top five as last caution.

Lap 105

Trivia note: In 2001, the September New Hampshire race was postponed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and eventually run on Thanksgiving weekend as the last race of the season.

Caution 4/Lap 103

Caution out after Bobby Labonte spins.

Restart/Lap 101

Top five cars are Vickers, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Sorenson, Harvick.

Caution 3/Lap 96

Huge pileup on restart in Turn 2, when Newman is rammed by Michael Waltrip. Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon also involved. Newman to the garage, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt and Johnson get back on lead lap. Gordon thinks his car will be OK.

Restart

Green flag. Top 10 is Vickers, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Reed Sorenson, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Joe Nemechek.

Lap 94

Stewart to the garage with serious damage to his Chevy. This could drop him out of the top 10 in points. Leaders all pit.

Caution 2/Lap 92

Caution as leader Stewart spins after contact with Newman at entrance to Turn 3. Stewart will be furious.

Lap 90

Polesitter Newman all the way back to 42nd.

Lap 87

Burton now 40th after speeding penalty.

Lap 84

Earnhardt, Johnson pit.

Lap 82

Pit-road speeding penalty for Burton, Newman pits.

Lap 81

Jeff Burton, who's led 37 laps so far is next, pitting from fourth.

Lap 80

Kurt Busch is first of the leaders to pit.

Lap 77

Roush Racing's Jamie McMurray continues to be one of the most disappointing stories of the year. He's 42nd now.

Lap 75

Earnhardt has never won at New Hampshire, but he's carving up the field today. After starting 25th, he's all the way up to sixth.

Lap 70

Coming into this race, Jeff Gordon has led 1,069 laps at New Hampshire, most of any Cup driver. Race leader Stewart was second with 736 laps led.

Rex from St. Louis, Mo.: Do you think the Gordon-Kenseth feud is over, or is payback still an issue?

Tom Jensen: Rex, in NASCAR, revenge is a dish best served cold. Why do you think Gordon waited so long to retaliate after Kenseth stuffed him in the wall at Bristol? This is a long way from over.

Lap 63

Stewart passes Burton for the lead, his first of the day.

Lap 60

With 60 of 300 laps complete, all 43 cars are on the lead lap. Matt Kenseth reports his engine is extremely hot.

Lap 55

There are six drivers now in the top 10 who each have multiple Cup wins at New Hampshire: Jeff Burton (four), Jeff Gordon (three) and with Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson (two each).

Lap 50

Top five: Burton, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon.

Lap 45

Not a great day to be a lame duck. Brian Vickers is 11th, Casey Mears 28th and Dale Jarrett 38th.

Lap 39

Kurt Busch passes teammate Newman for third. Busch is another driver to look out for. His worst finish in the last five weeks was a ninth place at Michigan, and he has two victories and a runner-up finish in his last four NHIS races. He'll be tough today.

Lap 35

Mark Martin is making his 600th consecutive Nextel Cup start at New Hampshire today, while Jeremy Mayfield is making his 400th career Cup start.

Lap 26

Burton muscles past Newman to take the lead for the first time today. Former leader Brian Vickers came out of the pits 15th after a four-tire pit stop.

Restart/Lap 24

Green flag. The top five are Newman, Burton, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Gene from Carmel, N.Y.: How important are pit road selections here in New Hampshire? Are the boxes large or small? Pit road tough to get on/off?

Tom Jensen: Hello, Gene. Pit selection is crucial everywhere and New Hampshire is no exception. The entrance onto pit road is tight, so drivers need to use caution.

Lap 22

Newman and Burton stay out, but most others pit.

Caution 1/Lap 20

Travis Kvapil spins at the entrance to Turn 3 to bring out the first caution.

Second-qualifier Jeff Burton is a driver to watch. He leads in career N.H. victories with four, and he has 12 consecutive finishes in the top 15 this season. In Sept. 2000, NASCAR mandated the use of restrictor plates at NHIS and Burton led all 300 laps, winning what might have been the worse Cup race anywhere ever.

Lap 12

First lead change as Vickers charges past Burton and Newman. Vickers, a lame duck at Hendrick Motorsports, would love to get his first Cup win today.

Lap 10

The top five: Ryan Newman, Jeff Burton, Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart, who slid back to fourth, and Kyle Busch.

Lap 7

Two-time NHIS winner Tony Stewart looks stout, charging all the way to third.

Lap 1

Newman leads Burton.

Green flag.

Polesitter Ryan Newman has a 7.875 finishing average in his eight races at NHIS, the best of all drivers with more than one start there. Jimmie Johnson is second with an 8.625 finishing average.

Warm-up laps

Look for short tempers today. The tight quarters and tight standings mean there likely will be a fair amount of beating and banging through the field. Jamie McMurray drops to the back with an engine change.

Pace laps begin for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hamsphire International Speedway. The race distance is 300 laps.

Who needs to run well today? Anyone near the cutoff for the top 10. The guy deepest in points with a realistic chance to still make the Chase probably is 14th-place Carl Edwards, who is 193 points out of 10th place. Edwards has never finished better than 12th in three NHIS starts. Edwards and the three guys ahead of him — Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle — will have to take bigger chances than they drivers in the top 10 because they have to gain points, not just hold their positions.

Engines fired. Today's race will be the 23rd at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire International Speedway. Of the previous 22, 18 were won by drivers who are in today's field. The only previous NHIS race winners not in this race are Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, Ward Burton and Ernie Irvan.

Alex from Richmond, Va.: There's no doubt Yates is struggling, but with their engines and more recently chassis help from Roush, I think it's only a matter of time until they get their act together. Do you think Sadler should stay true to Yates or move to Evernham's 19 Dodge, 32nd in points?

Tom Jensen: Alex, the Yates team will get it turned around, no question about it. Only Sadler can answer whether he should stay there. Chemistry, trust and confidence are as vital to the success of a Nextel Cup team as tires and motors are. If Sadler still feels he has those elements, he should stay. If not, maybe he needs to rethink where he wants to be.

Tracy from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada: Patrick Carpentier openly admitted that he was in discussions with a NASCAR team for an '07 Busch ride. Is there any further information on who the team is, and if there's any confirmation?

Tom Jensen: Tracy, thanks for the question. As of yet, there is no confirmation on a specific team, but my sources tell me Patrick Carpentier likely will be given a chance to show his mettle with one of the new Toyota Busch teams, perhaps Team Red Bull.

Franklin from Glenpool, Okla.: With a new car next year (Car of Tomorrow), do you think it's the right time to start making changes to the Chase. Shouldn't we deal with one change before making another?

Tom Jensen: Franklin, is it time for a change in the Chase? Yes, I think it will be after this season. The mix of tracks could use some freshening and it would be great to see an off week between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the Chase. And one thing NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France has shown is that he's not afraid to make bold changes in the sport.

Kirsten from Medford, Wisconsin: Who do you think will win today's race?

Tom Jensen: Kirsten, that's a tough one. There are a ton of drivers who are good at New Hampshire, including six repeat winners. My top four are Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. All four have been running up front lately, and among them, they have accounted for 11 victories in the 22 prior Cup races at the track.

Jackie from Pugwash, Nova Scotia: What is your opinion of what Michael Schumacher said about NASCAR? "Personally I wouldn't do it. What do you see in NASCAR? What is exciting about it? I can't see running around in ovals. I don't see the challenge for me." I would not want to see him in NASCAR, but I really don't think he has a clue as to just how hard it is to race in this series and how gruelling the schedule is. Let him stay with F1 where he wants to be

Tom Jensen: Jackie, thanks for the question. You are absolutely correct. While Michael Schumacher is a brilliant champion, he and many others in Formula 1 and other forms of open-wheel racing routinely thumb their noses at NASCAR, yet have no absolutely no clue of the demands of the schedule and the intensity of the competition. Juan Montoya will educate the open-wheel snobs about just how difficult NASCAR racing

Danny from Pittsboro, Indiana: Do you think that there are too many races now in NASCAR?

Tom Jensen: Danny, you raise a fine point. Honestly, I do not believe there are too many races right now, but I believe there are too many racing days. Aside from Daytona in February, it would be great to see all or most of the races be strictly two-day shows. Practice and qualify one day, race the next. It would save the teams and fans money and not hurt the show at all.

C.W. from Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Tom, what's your take on Danica's camp openly talking about Danica switching to NASCAR? Is this a case of grass greener on the other side of the fence? What car owner would be interested in her since she doesn't really seem to have the aggressiveness in her driving style to make it in NASCAR? Based on her statement earlier about the luxury that Nascar drivers have versus IRL; it would seem that she may be looking to get a luxury motor home and the other benefits versus actually wanting to drive a NASCAR vehicle.

Tom Jensen: CW, thanks for the question. Like every true racer, Danica Patrick wants to be in a situation where she can win races. Period. Her team this year is uncompetitive so she's looking to move. It sounds like her first choice would be with a top IRL team, but if her options are a ride with a winning NASCAR team or a second-tier IRL team, she'd rather be with a winning NASCAR team. And that's the exact same reason Juan Pablo Montoya is leaving Formula 1: He thinks he has a better chance of winning in NASCAR.

Ralph from Destrehan, La.: What's the big deal with Jeff Gordon's bump? Everyone loved Dale Earnhardt for the same type of racing.

Tom Jensen: Ralph, you're exactly right. Earnhardt used to do it. And Earnhardt fans loved it when he did it and non-Earnhardt fans hated it and complained bitterly when it happened. It's no different now — Gordon fans loved the move, Gordon haters hated it, same as it ever was. Interestingly, when Gordon wins his next race, he'll tie Earnhardt for career Cup victories with 76.

Mike from Port Orange, Fla.: What changes does NASCAR have up their sleeves for the 2007 schedule?

Tom Jensen: As far as the 2007 schedule goes, New Hampshire will be Sunday, July 1, with the Pepsi 400 at Daytona being Saturday, July 7. The big intrigue remains what will happen in the Chase. One unconfirmed rumor making the rounds in the Cup garage is that Bruton Smith is trying to buy New Hampshire International Speedway, and if he's successful, he'll move the NHIS Chase date to Las Vegas — with NASCAR's blessing, of course. Regardless, expect changes to the Chase sked in '07.