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Past races: California | Las Vegas | Atlanta | Bristol | Martinsville | Texas | Phoenix | Talladega | Richmond | Darlington | Charlotte | Dover | Pocono | Michigan | Sonoma | Daytona | Chicagoland | New Hampshire | Pocono | Brickyard | Watkins Glen | Michigan | Bristol | California | Richmond
Brendon from Bliss, N.Y.: Hi Tom, what's the deal with all of the brake problems? Last week it was Gordon, Stewart and Junior, and this week its Kenseth. What is going on?
Tom Jensen: Hi, Brendon. Richmond and New Hampshire, along with Martinsville, are the toughest tracks in the circuit on brakes. What's happened the last two weeks at these specific tracks is not unusual given their layouts. The brakes undergo incredible abuse and sometimes they fail, that's all.
DC from Fargo, N.D.: Will the engine problem and crash end Jimmie Johnson's title hopes?
Tom Jensen: DC, thanks for the question. Honestly, I think Jimmie Johnson is done. He's only had one top-five finish in the last 15 races and now he has a huge hole. It will be awfullly hard to dig out of it.
Wrap-up
Kevin Harvick dominated the weekend from start to finish, winning his second straight Cup race, his third straight overall counting the Busch race at Richmond. He now leads the points for the first time ever and clearly is the favorite to go all the way.The big losers today are Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, who finished 39th and 38th, respectively, and dug themselves big holes in the title chase.
Unofficially, the points are:
Harvick - 5,230
Hamlin - 5,195
Kenseth - 5,189
Gordon - 5,180
Burton - 5,166
Martin - 5,155
Earnhardt - 5,149
Kahne - 5,120
Johnson - 5,091
Busch - 5,084
Lap 300: Harvick wins easily over Stewart, Gordon, Hamlin, Vickers, Sadler, Burton, Yeley, Blaney, Kenseth, Martin and Newman. Kahne is 16th. Truex, Travis Kvapil and Raines wreck on the fronstretch at the finish.
Lap 298: Harvick pulling away.
Lap 297: Green flag. Stewart goes outside Gordon for second on the restart. Hamlin moves to fourth.
Lap 293: Caution No. 10 as Kyle Petty blows a motor. This will set up a single-file restart, with only a few laps to the finish. Harvick leads Gordon, Stewart, Vickers, Burton, Hamlin, Yeley, Sadler, Blaney, Kenseth, Martin, Earnhardt, Newman and Kahne.
Lap 290: Stewart passes Vickers for third.
Lap 288: Gordon is closing slightly on Harvick, but not nearly enough to contend.
Lap 286: Gordon clears Vickers for second, but Harvick's lead is 2.408 seconds.
Lap 284: Gordon closes on Vickers for second.
Lap 283: Stewart passes teammate Hamlin for fifth.
Lap 282: If he hangs on to win, Harvick will lead the Nextel Cup points for the first time in his career.
Lap 280: Harvick by 1.209 seconds over Vickers, Gordon, Burton and Hamlin.
Lap 275: 25 to go. Harvick leads by 0.973 seconds over Vickers, Gordon, Burton and Hamlin.
Lap 272: Tony Raines balck-flagged for jumping the restart.
Lap 271: Green flag.
Lap 269: After the pit stops, the top 10 are: Harvick, Vickers, Gordon, Burton, Hamlin, Yeley, Sadler, Stewart, Blaney and Kenseth. Kahne and Earnhardt are next.
Lap 268: Harvick, Vickers and Gordon don't pit. Stewart, Blaney, Kenseth, Earnhardt, Hamlin, Kahne and most of the rest of the lead-lap cars do. Maybe this will add some excitement to an otherwise dull race.
Caution 9
Lap 267: Caution No. 9 as Scott Riggss hits the wall in Turn 3. Truex gets the Lucky Dog.Lap 262: If Vickers can hold on to second, he'll match his career-best finish.
Lap 260: Burton, in sixth place, is complaining about his handling going away.
Lap 257: Gordon isn't gaining at all on his teammate Vickers, who's in second, about 2.8 seconds up on Gordon.
Lap 255: Harvick has no lead 151 laps and shows no signs at all of letting up; in his sights are a second consecutive victory and the points lead. The rest of the Chasers are in good shape except for Busch and Johnson.
Lap 250: Earnhardt gets eighth behind Kenseth, Burton and the top five.
Lap 250: With just 50 laps to go, Harvick's lead over Vickers is 1.6511 seconds. No other changes in top five.
Lap 245: Earnhardt and Newman are tussling hard for eighth place.
Lap 240: No change in the top five: Harvick, Vickers, Gordon, Blaney and Stewart.
Lap 238: Kyle Busch re-enters race in 38th, 24 laps down.
Lap 235: Harvick leads Vickers by 1.277 seconds, Gordon by 3.495 and Blaney by 4.057.
Kyle Busch is 38th, Jimmie Johnson 40th. The other 8 Chasers are all in the top 13 in points.
Lap 229: Gordon passes Blaney for third place. Blaney last week had a season's best fourth place. This team has gotten better since Tommy Baldwin's return a few weeks ago.
Lap 227: Harvick has clinched the 5 bonus points for the most laps led.
Lap 225: Harvick leads Vickers by 1.318 seconds. Blaney is third, followed by Gordon, Stewart, Burton, Kenseth, Newman, Martin and Earnhardt.
Lap 221: Burton, Stewart and Kenseth in furious battle for fifth. Kahne is back up to 15th and can salvage a decent day, unlike Johnson or Busch.
Lap 220: Gordon goes under Kenseth for fourth place.
Lap 218: Vickers passes Blaney for second.
Lap 217: Harvick passes Blaney for lead in Turn 1.
Lap 215: Green flag.
Lap 210: Leaders pit. Hole in Harvick's right-front headlight is patched. Order out is Wimmer, who didn't pit; Harvick, Vickers, Gordon, Kenseth, Burton, Stewart, Newman, Martin and Hamlin.
Caution 8
Lap 208: Caution No. 8 as Bobby Labonte gets turned on the frontstretch.Lap 205: Vickers passes Newman for second.
Lap 204: Green flag. Harvick has a hole in his front end, but it doesn't seem to affect his performance.
Lap 200: Harvick leads Newman, Vickers, Gordon, Kenseth, Burton, Earnhardt, Stewart, Martin and Hamlin.
Caution 7
Lap 200: Caution No. 7 as Kyle Busch hits the Turn 3 wall after contact with Clint Bowyer, who got loose and slid into him. This is shaping up to be a disastrous day for Hendrick Motorsports.Lap 199: Green flag
Lap 195: Lead-lap cars hit the pits. Harvick holds the lead, followed by Newman, who took two tires, Vickers, Gordon, Kenseth, Burton, Stewart, Edwards (two tires), Earnhardt and Martin.
Lap 194: The caution was for debris in Turn 4.
Caution 6
Lap 193: Caution No. 6. Kahne is the Lucky Dog.Lap 192: Only 20 cars are on the lead lap, thanks to Harvick's speed and a long stretch of green-flag running.
Lap 189: Harvick finally laps Kahne. Gordon has gotten by Stewart to reclaim fourth place.
Lap 187: Harvick is trying to lap Kahne, but Kahne's waging a strong resistance.
Lap 185: Vickers challenging Harvick for lead.
Lap 182: Burton takes third, Stewart hits Gordon, who backs off and lets Stewart have fourth place.
Lap 180: Burton presses the issue with Gordon for third place, with Stewart right behind.
Lap 178: Robby Gordon pits. Harvick back in first ahead of Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Burton and Stewart.
Lap 176: Harvick passes Vickers. Yeley pits.
Lap 175: J.J. Yeley and Robby Gordon lead, but they still need to pit. Behind them it's Vickers, Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Burton, Stewart and Earnhardt.
Lap 173: Kenseth pits, has no brakes.
Lap 172: Kenseth gets five bonus points for leading a lap.
Lap 171: Leader Harvick pits, with teammate Burton in tow. Burton has said he's going to be more aggressive with mid-race changes. We'll see. Also in are Hamlin and Carl Edwards, among others.
Lap 169: Kurt Busch leaves pits.
Lap 167: Biffle pits. Gordon and Vickers in, too. Casey Mears messes his stop up.
Lap 165: Earnhardt pits, complaining of no forward bite.
Lap 163: Stewart pits under green along with Elliott Sadler.
Lap 160: Stewart passes Earnhardt forr fifth.
Lap 160: Harvick leads Burton by 1.202 seconds. Then comes Vickers, Gordon, Earnhardt, Stewart, Martin, Newman, Hamlin and Kenseth.
Lap 158: Kahne's problem was a flat right-front tire.
Lap 156: Gordon takes the spot on the inside of Turn 4. He's now 1.4 seconds behind teammate Vickers.
Lap 155: Gordon pressuring Earnhardt for fourth place.
Lap 154: Johnson re-enters race 65 laps down in 41st place.
Lap 151: Vickers passes Earnhardt for third.
Lap 150: The race is now official. Harvick leads Burton by 0.903 seconds, Then it's Earnhardt, Vickers, Gordon, Stewart, Martin, Newman, Hamlin and Kenseth. Kyle Busch is 32nd, Kahne 35th and Johnson 41st and still in the garage.
Lap 146: Harvick leads by 0.709 seconds.
Lap 144: Kahne is 34th, 2 laps down, while Kyle Busch is no longer the first car one lap down.
Lap 140: Stewart is up to sixth, ahead of Martin and behind Gordon.
Lap 138: Harvick repasses teammate Burton for the lead, with Earnhardt closing on the RCR cars.
Lap 132: Harvick is right on Burton's tail for the lead.
Lap 131: After falling out of the top 30 with a tire going down, Kahne pits. He falls 2 laps off the lead.
Lap 120: Harvick is closing on the leader, now just 0.380 seconds back of his teammate, Burton.
Lap 118: Stewart passes Kurt Busch for seventh.
Lap 115: Burton's lead is 0.654 seconds. Then it's Earnhardt, 1.658 seconds back in third, Gordon, Vickers and Martin.
Lap 110: Earnhardt passes Gordon for third, Kahne has fallen back to 16th.
Lap 109: Earnhardt passes Vickers for fourth place, his highest spot of the day.
Lap 105: Harvick passes Gordon, who has slight damage to his left-front valence from earlier contact.
Lap 104: Green flag. Kyle Busch needs to pass Scott Wimmer to be eligible for the next Lucky Dog.
Lap 100: One-third of the race is over. Under yellow, Burton leads Gordon, Harvick, Vickers, Earnhardt, Martin, Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Stewart and Kahne. Kenseth is 14th, Kyle Busch 33rd, Johnson, 41st.
Lap 99: Jimmie Johnson: "I hope I don't eat the words I said earlier today." Kyle Petty got the last Lucky Dog, Travis Kvapil gets this one.
Caution 5
Lap 98: Caution No. 5 as Scott Wimmer loses a left-rear tire off his Bill Davis Racing Dodge Charger. The incident was the result of contact with Kenseth.Lap 97: Burton and Gordon, the two leaders have seven NHIS Cup victories between them.
Lap 96: David Gilliland crashes the rear of the No. 38 Ford, but the track stays green. Harvick again challenging Gordon for second.
Lap 94: Green light. Burton leads Gordon, Harvick, Vickers and Martin.
Johnson said before the race that the Chase couldn't be won today, but it could be lost. And he may have just done exactly that has his Chevy his on a wrecker headed for the garage.
Lap 88: Caution No. 4: Sterling Marlin checks up trying to avoid Greg Biffle in Turn 2, but Johnson tags Marlin and goes hard into the wall, inflicting severe damage on his car. Just a racing incident, but one that will have a devastating impact on Johnson's title chances.
Lap 87: Burton passes Gordon for the lead, and Harvick challenges Gordon for second before settling back into third.
Lap 86: Green flag.
Lap 82: Gordon won the race out of the pits, followed by Burton, Harvick, Vickers, Martin, Earnhardt, Kahne, Hamlin, Stewart and Kurt Busch.
Lap 81: The lead-lap cars pit. Hood is up on the No. 48 of Johnson. He will pit next lap as well, as his crew looks for source of misfire.
Caution 3
Lap 81: Caution No. 3 for debris in Turn 2. Expect everyone to pit as soon as pit road opens.Lap 80: The difference between Gordon now and a year ago is startling. The 4-time series champ clearly has his "A" game back. His lead is now 2.147 seconds. No other changes at the front.
Lap 75: One quarter of the 300 laps are no complete, as Gordon leads Harvick by 1.563 seconds. Then it's Burton, Vickers, Earnhardt, Martin, Stewart, Kahne, Kurt Busch and Hamlin. Kyle Busch has been lapped by Gordon.
Lap 73: Seven Chasers are running in the top 10: Johnson is 15th, Kenseth 16th and Kyle Busch 34th.
Lap 68: Guys on the move: Vickers is now fifth, Kahne is ninth. Martin has fallen to sixth.
Lap 65: Gordon has stretched his lead to 1.571 seconds; so far, Harvick has led 45 laps to Gordon's 15. Leading the most laps pays 5 bonus points, so Gordon wants to stay out front. Besides, the clean air helps his car.
Lap 60: Gordon has opened up a margin of 0.795 seconds over Harvick, with Burton third, then Earnhardt and Martin. Hamlin is ninth, Kahne 10th, Johnson 15th, Kenseth 19th and Kyle Busch 34th.
Lap 54: Gordon goes low into Turn 3 to pass Harvick for the lead. There is some concern on Harvick's crew that he may have hurt the nose when he hit Hamlin during the three-wide pass.
Lap 36: Hamlin nearly wrecks in Turn 4 as he goes three-wide with Harvick and Burton for the lead. Hamlin falls to eighth, Gordon up to third.
Lap 35: Burton challenging Hamlin for the lead, Harvick back up to third ahead of Stremme and Jeff Gordon.
Lap 34: Green flag.
Lap 31: Leaders hit pit road. Harvick reporting an engine miss in the No. 29 RCR Chevrolet. The order out of the pits is Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Harvick, Stremme, Gordon, David Gilliland, Mark Martin, Newman, Kurt Busch and Earnhardt. Kyle Busch is the Lucky Dog.
Caution 2
Lap 30: Caution No. 2: Joe Nemechek spins in Turn 4 after a bump from Scott Riggs. Matt Kenseth avoids the incident.Lap 28: Gordon passes Harvick and rakes the lead for the first time.
Lap 27: Gordon closing on Harvick.
Unless he can use the Lucky Dog again, Kyle Busch could take a huge points hit.
Lap 25: Harvick's lead is 0.670 seconds over Gordon, Busch, Newman and Johnson.
Lap 23: Hamlin has slowed and had falled to ninth.
Lap 21: Harvick's lead over Gordon is 0.693 seconds. He has led every lap so far.
Lap 20: Top 10 is Harvick, Gordon,, Kurt Busch, Newman, Stremme, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Brian Vickers and Martin Truex, Jr.
Lap 14: Points leader Matt Kenseth is 23rd; Kyle Busch now a lap down.
Lap 12: Gordon repasses Kurt Busch for second.
Lap 11: Busch goes low on the backstretch to pass Gordon for second.
Lap 10: Green flag. Harvick leads Gordon, who is challenged for second by Kurt Busch.
Lap 8: Kyle Busch is 41st, the last car on the lead lap. He had contact with Green and has major damage on the right-front of the car.
Lap 5: Kyle Busch pits with damage to the right front of his Chevrolet.
Caution 1
Lap 3: First caution for Jeff Green's accident. Kevin Harvick leads Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and David Stremme.
Pre-Chase notes
Rarely is there such a thing as a prohibitive favorite in a NASCAR race, but if there is such an animal, this weekend it's Kevin Harvick.Harvick was second in the opening round of practice Friday morning and sincethen has been No. 1 in everything, winning the pole and setting fast time in both of the two Saturday practice sessions. And given that he swept the Busch and Cup races last week in Richmond, it's safe to say Harvick is hot, hot, hot.
Other guys to watch this afternoon:
Kyle Busch, who won here in July;
Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, both of whom who have been fast this weekend;
Denny Hamlin, who loves flat tracks; and
Tony Stewart, who wants to make a statement after missing the Chase.
More pre-race notes
It's an absolute picture-perfect September day in New Hampshire, with bright sunshine and temperatures expected to reach around 80 degrees today. It should be a great afternoon for racing.Champ Car phenom A.J. Allmendinger has emerged as the leading candidate to fill the second seat in the Team Red Bull Toyota Camry next season. Allmendinger was an impressive 13th in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday and among the first people to greet him after the race were Team Red Bull General Manager Marty Gaunt and Competition Director Elton Sawyer. A footnote to the story: Despite protestations from Toyota that they aren't throwing exorbitant sums of money into launching their Cup effort, Sawyer was given a $100,000 raise to move from Evernham Motorsports to Team Red Bull earlier this season. Just sayin'...
I spent some time yesterday with Robert Yates, and despite his team's dismal season, he genuinely seemed to think Robert Yates Racing is on the verge of a turnaround. He said the team's cars are getting better with Todd Parrott back in the RYR fold and he said David Gilliland reminds him of Ernie Irvan. Most importantly, he's near a sponsorship deal for the No. 88 next season.
And he was absolutely serious about trying to sign Mark Martin to drive the No. 88, although Martin has downplayed such discussion.
Clearly, Silly Season is a long way from over.
Now, on to more questions:
Tom from Green, Ohio: How come Steve Park hasn't been mentioned for any of these open rides? He has proven to be able to win in all three series. I think it's a shame that he and Ricky Craven have been labeled and blacklisted because they got hurt. Both have since recovered and have won since their accidents. When do you think they will -- and Steve in particular -- finally get a break?
Tom Jensen: Tom, wow, that's a great question. Craven got a ride with Roush Racing's truck team last year, but it didn't work out, while Park's truck deal didn't work out, either.
These days, once you leave the Nextel Cup Series, it's almost impossible to get back in. There are two reasons for this: 1. Sponsors who more often than not, pick the drivers want young guys on their way up; and 2. The setups on the Cup cars have changed so radically in the last year that guys who are used to way the cars used to be, seem to have an awfully hard time adapting to the new feel.
I'm not saying that's fair or right, but that's the reality. And it means Park and Craven will face very, very long odds of ever landing another top NASCAR ride.
Jenny from Kensington, Md.: Will Mark Martin race again next year? If not, who will take over his car?
Tom Jensen: Jenny, thanks for being with us. Moments ago, I spoke with Roush Racing President Geoff Smith, who told me he has a handshake agreement for Martin to drive full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next year.
Martin's replacement in the No. 6 AAA Nextel Cup car will be one of four Roush rookie prospects: Todd Kluever, Erik Darnell, Danny O'Quinn Jr. or David Ragan, Smith said.
Michael from Lewisburg W.V.: Good Morning Tom, As expected and discussed last week, brakes played a role at RIR as was the case with the No. 8 and No. 24 cars. With RIR being a .8 mile, 14-degree banking and New Hampshire being 1.1 mile, 12-degree banking, will taking care of the brakes be vital again this week?
Tom Jensen: Welcome! It ought to be an exciting afternoon today. Yes, taking care of brakes will be vitally important at New Hampshire International Speedway, a track described as "Martinsville on steroids." But equally important will be taking care of the front fenders. The average lap speed at NHIS is about 130 miles per hour, plenty fast for aerodynamics to come into play. So drivers will have to be very careful not to dent up their front fenders, lest they throw off the aero setup on their cars.
Michelle from Portsmouth, Ohio: I was wondering why there hasn't been a lot of talk about NASCAR changing the Busch Series to the Chase format like it is in the Cup Series? Last year, I did not miss a single Busch Series race because the points were close and exciting up until the very end. This year, it just isn't interesting. When do you think NASCAR will consider using the Chase format in the Busch Series?
Tom Jensen: Michelle: Glad you could join us at FOX. You raise a great question. I think a Chase for the Busch and Truck Series would be a great idea, especially this year, with Kevin Harvick having a lead of more than 600 points in the Busch Series. My guess is, though, that NASCAR doesn't want to draw attention away from the Nextel Cup Series, which is what pays the bills.
Ronald from Las Vegas: NASCAR has talked about increasing the field. How about taking the top 20 and making the Race to the Chase and the Chase for the Cup about half the field, not just a quarter of the field? With Toyota entering Nextel Cup next year, the weekly field to make each race will be deeper so make the Chase deeper?
Tom Jensen: Ronald, hello to you in Las Vegas! I would not be surprised to see NASCAR expand the Chase field to 12 next year, which might not be so bad. But 20? Right now, Brian Vickers is 20th and 624 points behind Matt Kenseth. 624 points! There's no way that I can rationalize that a guy who has just five top-five finishes in 26 races should be eligible to be NASCAR's champion. And I'm not picking on Vickers you could say similar things about the guys in 18th, 19th, 21st and 22nd places. Toyota coming in doesn't matter in that context there are still only 10 top-10 teams.
Jim from Galveston, Ind.: Will Ricky Rudd race somewhere next year?
Tom Jensen: Hello, Jim, hope you enjoy this week's race. Ricky Rudd is going to test a Toyota Camry "Car of Tomorrow" next month at Talladega Superspeedway. He's also been mentioned as a part- or full-time driver for a bunch of other teams. My gut tells me that if he comes back, it won't be as a full-time driver. He may do a few races for a team, but no way do I see him full time in a Cup car next season. He's also expressed an interest in sports-car racing, which he could do some of.
Judy from Logansport, Ind.: I have 2 questions. Who do you think will win the championsip this year? What do you think Junior's chances are?
Tom Jensen: Thanks for the questions, Judy. Let me first say that any one of the 10 drivers in the Chase can win. That said, there are four guys that I like right now. In order, they are Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch. Kenseth has been great all year long, Harvick is peaking at exactly the right time and Gordon and Busch both have improved dramatically this year. I believe the 2006 champion will be one of those drivers.
As far as Junior goes, he's got as good a chance to win as anybody: If he gets hot, if he stays consistent and if his team makes no mistakes, he could go all the way.
Al from Abilene, Texas: OK, 10 races to go, 10 drivers have a chance to win. Send the rest of the drivers home and make it a true playoff. Eliminate one driver every week. That way, it really is a chase and not 10 drivers trying to compete against each other and 33 other drivers who didn't make it and would like nothing better than to take out one of the top 10. Tony Stewart is good example -- didn't make the chase so he said he will do anything it takes to win the last 10 races. ANYTHING?
Tom Jensen: Al, welcome to NASCAR on FOX. I hate to say it, but that's a bad idea. Every fan has his or her favorite driver and they have a right to see their guy in every race, assuming, of course, that favorite driver makes the show every week.
Would you honestly go to or even watch a 500-mile race with only 10 cars in it, followed by one with only nine cars, then eight cars, etc.? No way. What would happen if the final race had only two cars and one of them blew a tire or broke a motor 10 laps into the race? Ugh.
And as far as your assertion that there's "33 other drivers who didn't make it and would like nothing better than to take out one of the top 10," I disagree with that, too. Yes, there may be isolated incidents of contact I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two on Sunday at New Hampshire, for example but NASCAR will not allow non-Chasers to make targets of the Chase drivers. It's not going to happen.
Prerace report for the Sylvania 300
The Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway is the first of 10 races in the season-ending Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Ten drivers are in the hunt for the title.After being unable to finalize a deal to buy into Robert Yates Racing, Robby Gordon Motorsports is looking to add a second car next year and likely will switch to Ford.
Mark Martin and Bill Elliott still haven't decided on their plans for next season.
Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull each still have one open seat left in their Toyotas for 2006.
Car owner Robert Yates said Saturday that he is close to signing a sponsor for the No. 88 Ford Fusion for 2007. High on his list of potential drivers for the famed ride is Mark Martin.
Most of the teams not in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup this year are using the final 10 races to test out new equipment, setups and personnel to get a leg up in 2007.
Top-10 Qualifiers for Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway:
1. Kevin Harvick, 132.282 mph
2. Jeff Gordon, 131.751
3. Kurt Busch, 131.483
4. Ryan Newman, 131.216
5. Denny Hamlin, 130.667
6. David Stremme, 130.304
7. Jimmie Johnson, 130.264
8. Greg Biffle, 130.193
9. Robby Gordon, 130.086
10.Ken Schrader, 130.038
Where the Chasers qualified for the Sylvania 300
Kevin Harvick — 1st
Jeff Gordon — 2nd
Denny Hamlin — 5th
Jimmie Johnson — 7th
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — 13th
Kyle Busch — †16th
Jeff Burton — 22nd
Matt Kenseth — 25th
Mark Martin — 26th
Kasey Kahne — 33rd
Over the last 10 races, the following drivers have amassed the most points:
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kyle Busch
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Jeff Gordon
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Tony Stewart
8. Jeff Burton
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
10. Mark Martin
Track Notes
Rusty Wallace won the first Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire, the 1993 Slick 50 300.1997 was the first year for twice-a-year Nextel Cup races at New Hampshire.
Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 Dura-Lube 300, only the third time in the modern era that a driver has led all of the laps in a Nextel Cup race.
The 2001 New Hampshire 300 - the season finale – was run in November, after being rescheduled following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
There have been 12 Bud Pole winners in 24 races at New Hampshire. Ryan Newman (four) and Jeff Gordon (three) lead Ricky Craven, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader and Rusty Wallace all who have two. Bill Elliott, Ernie Irvan, Bobby Labonte, Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick all have one. Qualifying has been canceled three times due to weather – all in the last 10 races.
There have been eight different race winners in the past 11 races at New Hampshire. Kurt Busch (two), Jimmie Johnson (two) and Ryan Newman (two) are the only repeat race winners since 2000. Busch (2004) and Johnson (2003) are also the only drivers to sweep both races there since the implementation of twice-a-year racing here in 1997.
Chevrolet won both New Hampshire races in 2003 and Ford won both in 2004 - the only manufacturer sweeps there since 1997. All three manufacturers have posted a victory in the last four races at New Hampshire.
Jeff Gordon has led 1,070 laps at NHIS, leading in 15 of the 23 races and leading the most laps in six races – all more than any other driver. He has led just three laps in the past three races here; two in this race last year and one this past July.
Jeff Burton led the most laps en route to victory in the 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 and again in the 1998 Jiffy Lube 300. He scored his third straight Jiffy Lube 300 victory in July 1999, but did not lead the most laps. He then led all 300 laps in posting his fourth victory at New Hampshire in the 2000 Dura-Lube 300.
There have been 14 different race winners in the 23 prior races at New Hampshire. Jeff Burton (four), Jeff Gordon (three), Jimmie Johnson (two), Kurt Busch (two), Tony Stewart (two) and Ryan Newman (two) are the repeat race winners at the New England track.
Tony Stewart will make his 275th career Cup start at New Hampshire International Speedway. All of Stewart's starts have been consecutive.
There have been four different race winners in the last four races at NHIS.
The longest current streak of top-10 starts at New Hampshire is two held by Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart. Both of Stewart's starts were top fives.
Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick have each scored six victories at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Nine drivers have started all 23 races at New Hampshire International Speedway: Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek, Ken Schrader and Michael Waltrip.
Seventy drivers have competed in at least one race in 2006; 32 have competed in every race.
There have been five green-white-checkered finishes this season; Daytona, California, Las Vegas, Chicago and New Hampshire.
There have been 11 different race winners in 2006; seven have won more than once: Kasey Kahne (five), Jimmie Johnson (four), Matt Kenseth (four), Kevin Harvick (three), Tony Stewart (two), Jeff Gordon (two) and Denny Hamlin (two) are the multiple race winners in 2006.
The longest winless streaks in Nextel Cup:
Ken Schrader, 505 races
Kyle Petty, 352
Jeff Burton, 174
Sterling Marlin, 157
Jamie McMurray, 138
Robby Gordon, 105
Michael Waltrip, 104
Bobby Labonte, 98
Elliott Sadler, 73
Joe Nemechek, 68
Steve from Gt. Barrington, Mass.: What's all this complaining about drivers being consistent? If you are a car owner, wouldn't you want your driver/car to be consistently in the top 10 than win one race then finish in the thirties or forties the next 5 or 10? I know winnings important but you can't win every race so consistency is more important. Consistency is the most important for winning at any sport.
Tom Jensen: Steve, welcome to FOX and thanks for the question. The answer to your question is pretty straightforward: car owners and race fans have very different views of the world and, therefore, different goals and different things they want to see in a race. If I'm a car owner and my driver finishes 10th every week, I'm thrilled. If my driver finished 10th in all of the first 26 races, but never led a lap, he would have 3,484 points, which this year would have put him third at the start of the Chase. But race fans hate points racing and want to see more passing and more incentive to win, which is why they are less enamored of consistency.
Peter from Palmerton: What is the future of RYR team? I have followed them for 20 years, and they have gone in tank. What's up, and who will drive No. 88 car? Or will they just be a one-car team next year as I have also read?
Tom Jensen: Peter, glad you could be with us. These are indeed hard times for Robert Yates Racing, which is very sad to see, especially for such a proud outfit. The team is currently in talks with sponsors for the No. 88 next year, but if they don't sign one, there is a real possibility it could go back to a one-car team, at least for next year. As of this moment, the scuttlebutt in the garage is that they have nothing firm on either the driver or sponsor front for the No. 88 next year.
Dave from Walkerton: I think it would make the race more competitive and fair if all pit stops were required under green flag conditions. I've seen too many races where leaders were pushed back and tail racers takethe lead due to yellow-flag timing. A splash of gas or emergency stop should be the only stop on yellow. What do you think?
Tom Jensen: Dave, you raise an interesting question. Here's how I see it: any time you introduce a new element into NASCAR and teams have to make a major adjustment, it hurts the small teams more than the big ones. Roush, Hendrick and Gibbs would cope with the change better than the guys at the back of the pack. My concern is it wouldn't make racing any closer, all it would do is widen the gaps between the haves and have nots. And if you couldn't pit under caution, you'd have a lot fewer lead-lap cars and a lot more complaining, too. Can you imagine fans if, say, a yellow for debris on the track was thrown a lap after Jeff Gordon pitted, but a lap before Dale Earnhardt, Jr. came in? Yikes, we'd have riots every week.
Joe from Saginaw, Mich.: Tom, some thoughts on the Chase points. They need to be changed in order to have a fair chance and give drivers a reason to race for the win, not consistency. I LIKE DW'S IDEA WITH A FEW MODIFICATIONS: winner 10 pts., second 8 and so on 7,6,5,4. Here's where mine differs, give 4,4,4,4 to the sixth thru 10th place drivers and throw in 1 pt for most laps led and pole position. This would give everyone a fair chance to catch and force the CHAMPION TO WIN RACES. DO the math. Currently, the winner receives 185 and 43rd recieves 40? 185/40=4.625 times more points for the winner. With my format, that would only be 2 1/2 times more points, obviously making it easier to go for the win because even if you come in 43rd, you still have a chance to catch up. Thus making wins a priority instead of a luxury. HECK and throw in a clause if you win two races, you're in the Chase whether or not you are in the top 10.
Tom Jensen: Joe, congrats on having the first question for us this weekend at FOX. I'm going to agree with part of what you said. I like the idea of giving 1 point each for winning the pole and leading the most laps. But I disagree strongly with making sixth through 10th equal, and here's why: The guy who finishes sixth among the Chasers could also conceivably be sixth in the race. At the very least, he's likely to be in the top 10-15, while the guys who finish ninth and 10th among the Chasers might be 30th and 35 in the race. There's a big difference between those two ranges and it should be reflected in the results. Also, what's the single biggest gripe people have about the points system now? Not incentive to race hard! If you give the guys in sixth through 10th the same points, they will have no incentive whatsoever to race each other or anyone else.
Robert from Rock Island, Ill.: To be honest, the Chase was made to compete with the NFL. But if our driver is out, why not watch the NFL? If you're going to issue more points for this or that, would there be a need for the Chase? The whole season would be a Chase. With 43 teams. Just think if one of the drivers outside the Chase wins three races finishes outside the top 10. Who really is the season champ? For now, the season ended at 26. For fans of 33 teams, it's time for football. What do you think?
Tom Jensen: Robert: Thanks for the question. I guess it boils down to this: Are you a fan of racing or a fan of one specific driver? If you like watching 43 drivers race every week, we still have 10 of the best races of the year left. And so what if your guy is out? Don't you want to watch to see if he can win this week's race? Besides, it isn't an either/or think anymore. I love me some NFL football, too, but, brother, that's what I have TiVO for! Racing comes first in our house.
Brian from Birmingham, Ala.: What do you think of the Nextel Cup champion from the following year automatically being included in the Chase to defend the title? I cannot think of any reason why he should not be included.
Tom Jensen: Brian: Great question. Let me ask you this, though: When your boss does a job review for you, does it include only what you've done in the past year, or does it include stuff from the year before? Does the NFL, MLB or NBA give out free playoff slots based on past performance? Of course not. Tony Stewart is a fantastic driver, arguably the best of his generation. But he had 26 races to get it done this year and for whatever reason, he didn't make it into the top 10. I just don't think he deserves a free pass because he won last year. You do that and you open up a huge can of worms. If the defending champ automatically gets in, how about Jeff Gordon, who's won four titles? Doesn't he need to be in, too? Or Bobby Labonte or Kurt Busch or Dale Jarrett? And what if Stewart was the defending champ and finished, say, 23rd in points? Would he still deserve a spot? Where do you cut it off?