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Jul 1, 2007 - 10:34 AMJuly 1, 2007
New Hampshire International Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
Race 17 of 36 on Nextel Cup circuit (16th points race)
TV: TNT, 1:00 p.m. EDT
Laps: 300
Track length: 1.058 miles
Race length: 317 miles
Qualifying record: Ryan Newman, Dodge, 132.360 mph, 2004
Race record: Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134 mph, 1997
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $3,346,149
Finished third last Sunday at Sonoma and moved up to fourth in the
standings, 354 points behind leader Jeff Gordon; had struggled
over his last eight races before last week's strong showing,
failing to place higher than 10th after finishing sixth or
better in six of the first seven events; has six top-five
finishes and eight top-10s this season; captured his first
victory of the season at Texas; ran seventh in this event last
season and has four wins and 11 top-10 finishes in 24 start in
Loudon.
Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 07 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $1,783,569
Remained ninth in the standings after a season-best fourth-place
finish last week in Sonoma; has five top-10 finishes over his
last seven races; is in the top 10 in the standings thanks to
eight top-10 finishes overall this season; prior to Sonoma, his
two best performances of the campaign were a pair of sixth-place
finishes at California and Atlanta; has made two starts in
Loudon, finishing 24th and 27th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Car: No. 8 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $2,403,888
Ran 13th last weekend at Sonoma to remain 12th in the standings
in his second race since signing a five-year contract to drive
for Hendrick Motorsports after this season; has fared well since
announcing his intention to leave DEI, placing inside the top
12 in five of his last six races; has not won a race since
Richmond in May 2006, a drought of 42 consecutive events without
a checkered flag; recorded his best performance this season at
Martinsville, where he ran fifth; finished 43rd in this event
last year with engine problems.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $1,955,982
Finished 18th last week to drop one spot to seventh in the
standings; won two weeks ago in Michigan to end a 52-race
winless drought; his previous win came on November 11, 2005 in
Texas; the win gave Roush Racing its second win of the season;
has three top-5 finishes over his last six races, including a
third place showing in Dover; finished second in this event last
year to Kyle Busch for his only top-10 in five career starts on
the "Magic Mile."
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $3,633,977
Finished seventh in Sonoma last week, despite failing inspection
and not being allowed to qualify; holds a 171-point lead in the
series standings; has four checkered flags this season and 79
career, just four shy of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place
all-time; endured a crash five weeks ago at Charlotte en route
to finishing 41st, his worst showing of the year; reached a
landmark milestone at Talladega, recording his 77th career
victory to pass the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth all-time; has
completely dominated the circuit this season and is on pace to
capture his fifth career title, leading the series in poles (6),
top-five finishes (10) and top-10s (14); finished 15th in this
race last season and has won three times at this track; in 24
starts in Loudon has 10 top-fives and 13 top-10s.
Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $2,451,360
Finished 10th at Sonoma to remain second in the standings, 171
points behind Gordon; has avoided the sophomore slump by
finishing out of the top-10 just three times in the past 12
races; has six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s this season;
still looking for his first win of the season, but finished
second at Darlington and has four third-place finishes, at Las
Vegas, Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond; ran sixth in this
event last season.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $3,506,501
Sits in fifth place, 366 points behind Gordon after finishing
out of the top-10 in the last four races; finished 17th last
week in Sonoma after starting 42nd due to failing inspection;
had a season-worst 42nd-place finish at Pocono after pitting
just two laps before the race was called due to rain; started
the season strong before his recent struggles by capturing his
fourth victory of the season at Richmond and taking second at
Talladega; also has captured checkered flags at Las Vegas,
Atlanta and Martinsville; despite collecting eight top-five
finishes, has been hurt by three finishes outside the top 35;
ran ninth in this event last season and has two wins and five
top-10s in 10 starts at Loudon.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $3,076,649
Struggled the past two races, finishing 34th at Sonoma and 42nd
at Michigan; is third in the standings, 333 points behind Gordon;
placed fifth at Dover, his sixth top-five finish of the season;
had been outstanding since struggling to 27th place at Daytona,
running inside the top 11 over the next seven races; captured his
only victory of the season in the campaign's second race at
California; ran 14th in this event last season; has nine top-10s
in 14 starts in New Hampshire.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $2,893,981
Has finished in the top-10 in seven of his last eight races,
with a 40th at Dover serving as the lone blemish over that span;
moved up to sixth in the standings after finishing sixth last
week; has yet to record a win this season and collected just
three top-five finishes over the first 14 races; one of the
circuit's most inconsistent drivers, collecting 11 top-10
finishes while placing 25th or worse in the other five events;
finished 37th in this race last year, but has 10 top-10s in 16
starts in New Hampshire.
2006 Top 10
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1. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
2. Carl Edwards (99), Ford
3. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
4. Mark Martin (6), Ford
5. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
6. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet
7. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
8. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
9. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
10. Scott Riggs (10), Dodge
Past Champions
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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