Jun 29, 2008 - 6:23 AM
0 shoutsJune 29, 2008 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, New Hampshire Race 17 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: TNT, 1:00 p.m. EDT
Laps: 301 Track length: 1.058 miles Race length: 318 miles
Qualifying record: Ryan Newman, Dodge, 132.360 mph, 2004 Race record: Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134 mph, 1997
DRIVERS TO WATCH ----------------
Jeff Burton Team: Richard Childress Racing Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $2,645,591
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished 13th at Sonoma last week and remains in second in the standings, 103 points behind Kyle Busch; finished 15th at Michigan; won at Bristol for first win of the season; finished 13th in the Daytona 500 and eighth at California; was fifth in Las Vegas and 10th at Atlanta; has 10 top 10s through first 16 races; finished eighth in last season's standings, one year after placing seventh; finished in the top 10 in half of the races last season, including nine top fives; lone win of the 2007 season came in April at Texas; finished the season strong with five top 10s over the final six races; ran seventh in this race last season.
Kyle Busch Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $3,738,338
Is in the midst of a stellar first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, winning five races and posting 10 top fives through 16 races; pushed lead up to 103 points over Burton after winning his first career road race and fifth race of the season at Sonoma last week; ran dead last at Pocono and then finished 13th at Michigan; finished 17th at Bristol after power steering failed and transmission issues relegated him to 38th at Martinsville; won at Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington and Dover; runner-up finish at Richmond was marred by a late-race incident with Dale Earnhardt Jr.; had the dominant car and led the most laps at the Daytona 500; was strong at Las Vegas early, but struggled late and wound up 11th; is looking to build off a sensational run at Hendrick Motorsports as he moves to JGR and Toyota; finished fifth in the final 2007 standings after qualifying for the Chase for the second consecutive season; had 20 top-10 finishes in 36 races last season, including 11 top fives; lone win came during the first Bristol race - the inaugural Car of Tomorrow event; ran 11th in this race last year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $2,569,345
The circuit's most popular driver finished 12th at Sonoma last week; snapped a 76-race winless stretch by winning at Michigan on fumes; nearly snapped skid but was involved in a late-race incident with Kyle Busch at Richmond and wound up 15th; sits third in the standings with 11 top 10s through 16 races; ran fifth at Bristol after a third at Atlanta and second at Las Vegas; was the top finishing Hendrick car at the Daytona 500 with a ninth-place showing; was involved in an early race crash at California and finished 40th; made the move from his father's Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he won 17 Cup events, to Hendrick Motorsports; got off to a good start with his new team by winning the Bud Shootout; suffered through a tough final season at DEI, finishing 16th in the standings; had 12 top 10s last season, but also posted 11 finishes of 25th or worse; finished fourth in this race last season.
Carl Edwards Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $3,647,225
Finished ninth at Sonoma for his eighth straight top-10 finish; sits in fourth in the standins, 258 points behind Busch; Won at Texas for his third win of the season; was docked 100 points and fell from the top spot in the standings after being penalized after his win at Las Vegas; victory at Texas was his 10th career Cup win; had the dominant car again at Atlanta, but blew an engine and finished 42nd; ran 19th in the Daytona 500; qualified for the Chase last year and won at Dover after placing 12th at New Hampshire, but failed post-race inspection and was docked 25 points and fined; penalty dropped him from third to sixth in the standings and he never recovered; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship; finished with 11 top fives and 15 top 10s last year; also won at Michigan and Bristol; was second to Kyle Busch at Darlington and Dover; finished 13th at this race last year.
Jeff Gordon Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $2,764,280
Finished third at Sonoma and climbed three spots up to sixth in the standings; finished 18th at Michigan; ran second at Martinsville; rebounded to finish fifth at Atlanta after being involved in a scary late-race crash at Las Vegas where he finished 35th; bounced back with a third at California after opening his 2008 season with a disappointing 39th in the Daytona 500; already has three DNFs this season after posting just one last year; only a dominant finish by teammate Jimmie Johnson kept him from capturing a fifth championship last season; finished with 10 top-10 finishes in the final 11 races - the other finish in that span was an 11th at Dover; totaled a remarkable 30 top-10 finishes and 21 top fives in 36 races last year; spun with less than two laps remaining at Watkins Glen while leading, costing him another potential win - still managed to finish ninth; had six checkered flags last season and 81 career, just two shy of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place all-time; had 10 poles last season - double that of Ryan Newman who had five; finished second at this race last season.
Jimmie Johnson Team: Hendrick Motorsports Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala 2008 Earnings: $3,067,846
Ran 15th at Sonoma last week and remains in fifth in the standings; two-time defending series champion blew a motor at Lowe's and finished in 39th place; bounced back with three top-10s, including a sixth at Michigan; picked up his first win of the season at Phoenix, then ran 13th at Talladega and 30th at Richmond; finished second at Texas following a fourth at Martinsville; had a disappointing three-race stretch at Las Vegas, Atlanta and Bristol when his average finish was 20th; ran second at California after starting this campaign with a 27th at the Daytona 500; battled teammate Gordon for the top spot in the Chase early last season, then took off - winning four straight races over the second half of the Chase; suffered through an up-and-down season before the Chase, finishing 39th at the Brickyard after a fiery crash on the heels of a 37th at Chicago; finished the season with 10 wins, 20 top-fives, 24 top 10s, yet failed to finish four races; finished fifth in this race last year.
Kasey Kahne Team: Gillett Evernham Motorsports Car: No. 9 Dodge 2008 Earnings: $3,755,989
Ran a disappointing 33rd at Sonoma last week after claiming the pole position, falling two spots to ninth in the standings; Finished second to Earnhardt at Michigan; won at Pocono from the pole; had a stellar two weeks at Lowe's, winning the Sprint All-Star Challenge then snapping a 52-race winless skid by taking the checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 600; has eight top 10s this season; after winning six races in 2006, struggled in 2007 when he finished 19th in the standings with just one top five and eight top 10s; also had six DNFs and dipped as low as 36th in the standings at one point; took on the famed Budweiser sponsorship after Dale Earhnardt Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports; finished 25th in this race last year.
Matt Kenseth Team: Roush Fenway Racing Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion 2008 Earnings: $2,597,744
Continued his charge up the standings by finishing eighth at Sonoma - his sixth consecutive top-10 result; ran third at Michigan; is just 16 points out of the 11th place in the standings; finished 38th at Richmond and 41st at Talladega; ran 38th at Phoenix following a ninth at Texas and 30th at Martinsville; had consecutive top 10s at Bristol and Atlanta; was 20th at Las Vegas due to a late-race incident with Jeff Gordon; ran fifth at California, fresh off a disappointing 35th place showing at the Daytona 500; last season had a late-Chase surge with a win at the season-ending race at Homestead, following a third at Phoenix and a second at Texas; finished fourth in the final standings; had 13 top five finishes and 22 top 10s last season; won the series championship in 2003 despite capturing only one checkered flag, prompting NASCAR to change to its current Chase format; enters this season without long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop the box by Chip Bolin; ran ninth in this race last year.
Tony Stewart Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry 2008 Earnings: $3,180,737
Finished fifth at Michigan to snap rough stretch and ran 10th at Sonoma last week; is now in 11th place, just 16 points inside the Chase cutoff; was involved in an early crash at Dover and finished 41st; came close to winning at Lowe's, but cut down a tire with three laps remaining while leading and finished 18th; with rumors swirling about his future at JGR, finished 38th at Talladega; bounced back to finish fourth at Richmond; ran 14th at Phoenix following back-to-back top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Texas; finished second to teammate Kyle Busch at Atlanta, but was vocal about the poor Goodyear tire quality; suffered a hard crash at Las Vegas, injured his ankle and finished last; had another disappointment at Daytona, finishing third despite having the lead with one lap to go; moved within two points of the points lead after the first two Chase races last year, but could not keep pace with Johnson and Gordon and faded to sixth in the final standings; ran 12th in this race last year.
2007 Top 10 ----------- 1. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet 2. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet 3. Martin Truex Jr. (1), Chevrolet 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr, (8), Chevrolet 5. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet 6. Jeff Green (66), Chevrolet 7. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet 8. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet 9. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford 10. Ryan Newman (12), Dodge
Past Champions -------------- 2007 Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 108.215 mph 2006 Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 101.384 mph 2005 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 102.608 mph 2004 Kurt Busch, Ford, 97.862 mph 2003 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 96.924 mph 2002 Ward Burton, Dodge, 92.342 mph 2001 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 102.131 mph 2000 Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 103.145 mph 1999 Jeff Burton, Ford, 101.876 mph 1998 Jeff Burton, Ford, 102.996 mph 1997 Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134 mph 1996 Ernie Irvan, Ford, 98.930 mph 1995 Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 107.029 mph 1994 Ricky Rudd, Ford, 87.599 mph 1993 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 105.947 mph
