NASCAR Notebook: New Hampshire
Barry F. Hess
September 15, 2006
Chasing the Dream & A Championship
After 26 weeks of exciting racing, surprises around every turn and a whole lot of bumping and grinding the Chase for the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup is finally on.
With this week’s field in New Hampshire spread out between the 10 championship hopefuls and the other 33 drivers just racing for the checkered flag expect to see a whole lot of heart pounding action as we enter the first leg of the 10-race Chase.
After dominating in Richmond but falling short of his second win of the season Kyle Busch and the No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy team will look for the New Hampshire sweep as a great way to kick off their first ever title run.
Busch led 107 laps in NASCAR’s summer trip up to New England and he will look for a similar performance Sunday afternoon as well.
Look for Busch to qualify near the front, as he did in July, with the only x-factor being his youth and inexperience when it comes to running for a championship.
Currently 28th in the point standings not many people will be looking at Dave Blaney as a huge threat to win Sunday’s first race in the Chase for the Nextel Cup…and those people would be very wrong.
While Blaney has not had the type of season worth writing home about he has earned noteworthy performances at different points of the season, one of which came the last time he and the No. 22 CAT Dodge team raced in New Hampshire.
Fresh of a season best fourth place finish in Richmond, Blaney heads into New Hampshire with momentum after he earned a top 15 finish in the July race there as well.
With the No. 22 team already looking ahead at 2007 look for Blaney to be competitive with the leaders all afternoon and if he catches a break or two in pit road he may just be there at the end of the race competing for the checkered flag.
Last week in Richmond we saw just how much of a toll the pressure of making the Chase can put on a driver.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemingly raced 400 laps as he held his breath and hoped for the best.
Brake problem and all, Junior found himself on the right side of the red line as last Saturday night’s race ended and now he can go out and do what he does best…race.
Earnhardt will look to avenge a staggering 43rd place finish the last time he and the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy traveled to New Hampshire, a performance he will have to greatly improve on if he and his talented race team want any shot at their first championship.
Look for Junior to hit the track Sunday afternoon with a very good car that will need few adjustments, the closer he can qualify to the front the better as the risk of getting involved with a less talented driver or car heightens greatly the further back in the field you are.
That said, look for junior to qualify well and make his way to the front as quick as he can, he may not have the car to beat heading into Sunday but he may just have a car good enough to lead some laps, earn some bonus points and put him in good position as the Chase continues.
With the championship points reset after last Saturday’s race both point leader Matt Kenseth as well as Jimmie Johnson now have a legitimate threat to their would be title runs…Kevin Harvick.
Harvick has been the staple of consistency all season and with his third win of 2006 coming last week he enters New Hampshire as the driver with the most momentum on his side.
After failing to make the Chase each of its first two years in Nextel Cup racing look for Harvick to start his first real run at a title with a solid performance.
Harvick earned a fifth place finish in his first time around the New Hampshire Speedway this year but surprisingly failed to lead a single lap, something he and the No. 29 Goodwrench Chevy team will have to improve on if they wish to make a serious run at the title.
Look for Harvick to compete for the pole and do everything he can to earn as many bonus points as possible.
With 10 straight finishes inside the top 15, including six top fives, Harvick must be taken seriously otherwise he and Richard Childress will be hoisting the Nextel Cup in 10 weeks.
Prediction: With so much attention being put on the 10 Chase racers it can be difficult to remember there are 33 other drivers still racing for a chance to celebrate in Victory Lane.
It has been a disappointing season for Ryan Newman and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team but the beautiful New England hills around the New Hampshire Speedway has to be a welcome sight for Newman, who earned a win in this very race one year ago as well as the pole for the 2006 July race.
Despite finishing 39th in the July race look for Newman to once again compete for the pole only this time around expect “The Rocket” to keep his car up front and compete for his first checkered flag of 2006.
With an average finish of 14 in New Hampshire over the last three years, including two wins, Newman has more experience successfully navigating the paperclip-like track than any other driver in Sunday’s field.
His chances at a championship may have ended weeks ago but look for Newman and Penske Racing to get back into the swing of things as they continue to prepare for 2007 with a win Sunday afternoon.
Meet the Drivers
As the third annual Chase for the Nextel Cup gets underway this weekend the 10 driver-field running for the coveted Nextel Cup is unlike any other championship field in the history of NASCAR.
With two former champions, a rookie and a legend looking for one last shot at the title this year’s Chase is already setting up to be one of the most exciting post-seasons ever.
Matt Kenseth
Kenseth was the last driver to win a Nextel Cup title prior to the inception of the Chase, in fact, it was his runway championship of 2003 that was the catalyst for what we now know today as the Chase. After driving in Jimmie Johnson’s shadow for much of the year Kenseth was able to take the point lead for the second time this season after back-to-back wins in Michigan and Bristol. Overall the former champ has four wins in 2006 and a total of 16 top 10 finishes, 13 of which are fifth or better.
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson has earned wins in every major race on the 2006 schedule thus far and is poised to show all his doubters that he can get over the hump and win the elusive Nextel Cup title that has fallen from his grasp each of the last three years. After beginning the season by winning the Daytona 500, Johnson went on to finish sixth or better in the next four races, an incredible start to the year that he fed off of for weeks.
After taking the checkered flag at Indianapolis, his fourth win of the season, Johnson has stumbled slightly, finishing inside the top 10 just once in the last five races, leaving the question in his critic’s minds: Will he give it up one more time?
Kevin Harvick
With wins coming in Phoenix, Watkins Glen and Richmond in 2006 Kevin Harvick has all the momentum on his side as he enters his first ever Chase. With 15 top 10 finishes this year, including 12 top five finishes, he has to be considered a favorite heading into the first race this weekend. After all but locking up the Busch series championship with 10 races remaining Harvick is looking to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the Busch and Nextel Cup championship in the same year.
Kyle Busch
After winning the Rookie of the Year crown last year Kyle Busch has proven he belongs at the Nextel Cup level despite being just 21-years old. With a win in New Hampshire earlier this season and a would be win taken away from him on the last lap of last week’s race in Richmond Busch has driven with the type of consistency of a wiley veteran and not a young and reckless kid many believed him to be. With 15 top 10 finishes to his credit the brother of the 2004 Nextel Cup title, Kurt Busch, Rowdy Busch as he’s known by his crew will be looking to give the family another reason to celebrate.
Denny Hamlin
If there was one driver no one thought would be competing for a championship at the beginning of 2006 it would have to be rookie, Denny Hamlin. After taking over the driving duties of the No. 11 Fed Ex Chevy towards the end of last year after Jason Leffler was relived from his duties Hamlin proved he belonged at the sport’s top level and quickly earned a pole while staying competitive.
In 2006 it has been much of the same.
After starting the season with a win in the Budweiser Shootout Hamlin swept the Pocono races on his way to 14 top 10 finishes as he looks to win both Rookie of the Year honors as well as the Nextel Cup.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
After promising his fans he and the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy would not fail to make the Chase two years in a row Dale Jr. kept his word and heads into the 2006 Chase with as good a shot to win it all as anyone. After winning in Richmond in the spring Earnhardt drove his way to 12 top 10 finishes, lifting him as high as third in the point standings despite two 43rd place finishes this year. Mechanical failures and just plain bad luck have followed Junior around at times in 2006 and he will need to avoid similar situations like what happened in Richmond last week if he wants to earn his first championship crown.
Mark Martin
After 19 years Mark Martin has one last shot at gaining the elusive Nextel Cup Championship that he has felt at his finger tips so many times, earning four second place finishes in the points over that time period. After starting the season in consistent Martin fashion the No. 6 AAA Ford team has seen its fair share of struggles over the long, hot summer but after falling to 11th in points Martin showed the type of true competitor he really is and just how talented and dangerous a driver he can be. No doubt Martin heads into New Hampshire as the sentimental favorite if nothing else.
Jeff Burton
While Jeff Burton has to be happy after finally getting back in the championship picture this year with Richard Childress Racing he must also be concerned about his team’s lack of ability to finish races where they seem to have started so many this year…the front.
While earning a career high four poles in 2006 as well as 17 top 10 finishes, Burton has led the most laps three different times this season without a single win to show for it. Though solid top 10 finishes and not wins used to catapult both Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart to championships in the Chase format, this super strong field combined with Burtons eighth place seeding may force the driver of the No. 31 Cingular Chevy to get into Victory Lane at least once if he wants any shot at a title.
Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon enters the Chase as the only multiple Cup champion in the field, making him a threat no matter where he begins the Chase in points. After a disappointing 2005 season Gordon has rebounded with 13 top 10 finishes in 2006, including wins in both Infineon and Chicagoland, albeit a controversial one.
Expect the No. 24 DuPont Chevy team to bring its “A” game each and every week of the Chase as they look to help Gordon earn his fifth championship in a long and prosperous career.
Kasey Kahne
Despite winning a 2006 high five races, including the Coca-Cola 600, Kasey Kahne found himself on the outside of the Chase looking in heading into Richmond last week. But what turned out to be bad luck for Tony Stewart proved to be great luck for Kahne, who raced his way into the 10th and final position. With more pole awards than any other driver this year expect Kahne to have great track position for much of the Chase and if the young and talented driver can hold serve he will have a legitimate chance at winning his first Nextel Cup title.
Stewart Falters…Fails to Make the Chase
For the first time in his career Tony Stewart will fail to finish inside the top 10 in points at the end of the year after a disappointing 18th place finish in Richmond last weekend sent him down to 11th in points and outside the Chase qualification parameters.
After crashing a car his No. 20 Home Depot team spent weeks building and testing specifically for Richmond within the first five minutes of last Friday’s practice session Stewart was forces to make a run at the Chase with a later model short track back-up car that was not nearly as good as the original.
The car, however, was not the reason the No. 20 team failed to make the Chase according to last year’s Nextel Cup champion.
That wasn't what kept us out of the Chase,” Stewart said. “There were 25 weeks before this weekend… it wasn't one night that got us in this situation; it took us 26 nights to get here.”
Despite the one million dollar bonus that is awarded to the driver that finishes in 11th at the end of the year Stewart says he is concerned about one thing over the next several weeks.
We've got nothing to lose the next 10 weeks,” Stewart said. “I don't care whether we finish 11th or 20th. It's about how many wins we can get in the last 10 weeks.”
While the disappointment of not being able to defend his title among the 10-field Chase for the Nextel Cup continues to settle into his mind Stewart can not put the blame on anyone or anything just quite yet.
It's not for lack of effort,” Stewart said. “Zippy [crew chief Greg Zipadelli] and all the guys on The Home Depot team worked their butts off and I did everything I could do behind the steering wheel. We did the best we could, we just came up short.”
Random thoughts
I can’t help but notice the disgusting favoritism NASCAR shows drivers like Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson when it comes to the aggressive driving rules put in place this year. Tony Stewart obviously drove into the back of Sterling Marlin’s car in an effort to get around him yet nothing was done as a result while Jimmie Johnson spun Jeff Green around in similar fashion but the only penalties handed down were to Green when he extracted revenge…it's protecting popular drivers like that that will never give NASCAR the credability it so desperately demands!
Great job to TNT and the coverage of last week’s exciting race before the Chase, their up to date standings were superb and actually lent a hand to the tremendous excitement the race created.
Despite Tony Stewart saying it wasn’t his back-up car that lost him a spot in the Chase I can’t help but wonder why crew chief Greg Zipadelli decided to bring such a late model short track car to that race. Better planning may have saved the two-time champ from losing his chance at two in a row.
After 26 weeks of exciting racing, surprises around every turn and a whole lot of bumping and grinding the Chase for the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup is finally on.
With this week’s field in New Hampshire spread out between the 10 championship hopefuls and the other 33 drivers just racing for the checkered flag expect to see a whole lot of heart pounding action as we enter the first leg of the 10-race Chase.
After dominating in Richmond but falling short of his second win of the season Kyle Busch and the No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevy team will look for the New Hampshire sweep as a great way to kick off their first ever title run.
Busch led 107 laps in NASCAR’s summer trip up to New England and he will look for a similar performance Sunday afternoon as well.
Look for Busch to qualify near the front, as he did in July, with the only x-factor being his youth and inexperience when it comes to running for a championship.
Currently 28th in the point standings not many people will be looking at Dave Blaney as a huge threat to win Sunday’s first race in the Chase for the Nextel Cup…and those people would be very wrong.
While Blaney has not had the type of season worth writing home about he has earned noteworthy performances at different points of the season, one of which came the last time he and the No. 22 CAT Dodge team raced in New Hampshire.
Fresh of a season best fourth place finish in Richmond, Blaney heads into New Hampshire with momentum after he earned a top 15 finish in the July race there as well.
With the No. 22 team already looking ahead at 2007 look for Blaney to be competitive with the leaders all afternoon and if he catches a break or two in pit road he may just be there at the end of the race competing for the checkered flag.
Last week in Richmond we saw just how much of a toll the pressure of making the Chase can put on a driver.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemingly raced 400 laps as he held his breath and hoped for the best.
Brake problem and all, Junior found himself on the right side of the red line as last Saturday night’s race ended and now he can go out and do what he does best…race.
Earnhardt will look to avenge a staggering 43rd place finish the last time he and the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy traveled to New Hampshire, a performance he will have to greatly improve on if he and his talented race team want any shot at their first championship.
Look for Junior to hit the track Sunday afternoon with a very good car that will need few adjustments, the closer he can qualify to the front the better as the risk of getting involved with a less talented driver or car heightens greatly the further back in the field you are.
That said, look for junior to qualify well and make his way to the front as quick as he can, he may not have the car to beat heading into Sunday but he may just have a car good enough to lead some laps, earn some bonus points and put him in good position as the Chase continues.
With the championship points reset after last Saturday’s race both point leader Matt Kenseth as well as Jimmie Johnson now have a legitimate threat to their would be title runs…Kevin Harvick.
Harvick has been the staple of consistency all season and with his third win of 2006 coming last week he enters New Hampshire as the driver with the most momentum on his side.
After failing to make the Chase each of its first two years in Nextel Cup racing look for Harvick to start his first real run at a title with a solid performance.
Harvick earned a fifth place finish in his first time around the New Hampshire Speedway this year but surprisingly failed to lead a single lap, something he and the No. 29 Goodwrench Chevy team will have to improve on if they wish to make a serious run at the title.
Look for Harvick to compete for the pole and do everything he can to earn as many bonus points as possible.
With 10 straight finishes inside the top 15, including six top fives, Harvick must be taken seriously otherwise he and Richard Childress will be hoisting the Nextel Cup in 10 weeks.
Prediction: With so much attention being put on the 10 Chase racers it can be difficult to remember there are 33 other drivers still racing for a chance to celebrate in Victory Lane.
It has been a disappointing season for Ryan Newman and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team but the beautiful New England hills around the New Hampshire Speedway has to be a welcome sight for Newman, who earned a win in this very race one year ago as well as the pole for the 2006 July race.
Despite finishing 39th in the July race look for Newman to once again compete for the pole only this time around expect “The Rocket” to keep his car up front and compete for his first checkered flag of 2006.
With an average finish of 14 in New Hampshire over the last three years, including two wins, Newman has more experience successfully navigating the paperclip-like track than any other driver in Sunday’s field.
His chances at a championship may have ended weeks ago but look for Newman and Penske Racing to get back into the swing of things as they continue to prepare for 2007 with a win Sunday afternoon.
Meet the Drivers
As the third annual Chase for the Nextel Cup gets underway this weekend the 10 driver-field running for the coveted Nextel Cup is unlike any other championship field in the history of NASCAR.
With two former champions, a rookie and a legend looking for one last shot at the title this year’s Chase is already setting up to be one of the most exciting post-seasons ever.
Matt Kenseth
Kenseth was the last driver to win a Nextel Cup title prior to the inception of the Chase, in fact, it was his runway championship of 2003 that was the catalyst for what we now know today as the Chase. After driving in Jimmie Johnson’s shadow for much of the year Kenseth was able to take the point lead for the second time this season after back-to-back wins in Michigan and Bristol. Overall the former champ has four wins in 2006 and a total of 16 top 10 finishes, 13 of which are fifth or better.
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson has earned wins in every major race on the 2006 schedule thus far and is poised to show all his doubters that he can get over the hump and win the elusive Nextel Cup title that has fallen from his grasp each of the last three years. After beginning the season by winning the Daytona 500, Johnson went on to finish sixth or better in the next four races, an incredible start to the year that he fed off of for weeks.
After taking the checkered flag at Indianapolis, his fourth win of the season, Johnson has stumbled slightly, finishing inside the top 10 just once in the last five races, leaving the question in his critic’s minds: Will he give it up one more time?
Kevin Harvick
With wins coming in Phoenix, Watkins Glen and Richmond in 2006 Kevin Harvick has all the momentum on his side as he enters his first ever Chase. With 15 top 10 finishes this year, including 12 top five finishes, he has to be considered a favorite heading into the first race this weekend. After all but locking up the Busch series championship with 10 races remaining Harvick is looking to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the Busch and Nextel Cup championship in the same year.
Kyle Busch
After winning the Rookie of the Year crown last year Kyle Busch has proven he belongs at the Nextel Cup level despite being just 21-years old. With a win in New Hampshire earlier this season and a would be win taken away from him on the last lap of last week’s race in Richmond Busch has driven with the type of consistency of a wiley veteran and not a young and reckless kid many believed him to be. With 15 top 10 finishes to his credit the brother of the 2004 Nextel Cup title, Kurt Busch, Rowdy Busch as he’s known by his crew will be looking to give the family another reason to celebrate.
Denny Hamlin
If there was one driver no one thought would be competing for a championship at the beginning of 2006 it would have to be rookie, Denny Hamlin. After taking over the driving duties of the No. 11 Fed Ex Chevy towards the end of last year after Jason Leffler was relived from his duties Hamlin proved he belonged at the sport’s top level and quickly earned a pole while staying competitive.
In 2006 it has been much of the same.
After starting the season with a win in the Budweiser Shootout Hamlin swept the Pocono races on his way to 14 top 10 finishes as he looks to win both Rookie of the Year honors as well as the Nextel Cup.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
After promising his fans he and the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy would not fail to make the Chase two years in a row Dale Jr. kept his word and heads into the 2006 Chase with as good a shot to win it all as anyone. After winning in Richmond in the spring Earnhardt drove his way to 12 top 10 finishes, lifting him as high as third in the point standings despite two 43rd place finishes this year. Mechanical failures and just plain bad luck have followed Junior around at times in 2006 and he will need to avoid similar situations like what happened in Richmond last week if he wants to earn his first championship crown.
Mark Martin
After 19 years Mark Martin has one last shot at gaining the elusive Nextel Cup Championship that he has felt at his finger tips so many times, earning four second place finishes in the points over that time period. After starting the season in consistent Martin fashion the No. 6 AAA Ford team has seen its fair share of struggles over the long, hot summer but after falling to 11th in points Martin showed the type of true competitor he really is and just how talented and dangerous a driver he can be. No doubt Martin heads into New Hampshire as the sentimental favorite if nothing else.
Jeff Burton
While Jeff Burton has to be happy after finally getting back in the championship picture this year with Richard Childress Racing he must also be concerned about his team’s lack of ability to finish races where they seem to have started so many this year…the front.
While earning a career high four poles in 2006 as well as 17 top 10 finishes, Burton has led the most laps three different times this season without a single win to show for it. Though solid top 10 finishes and not wins used to catapult both Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart to championships in the Chase format, this super strong field combined with Burtons eighth place seeding may force the driver of the No. 31 Cingular Chevy to get into Victory Lane at least once if he wants any shot at a title.
Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon enters the Chase as the only multiple Cup champion in the field, making him a threat no matter where he begins the Chase in points. After a disappointing 2005 season Gordon has rebounded with 13 top 10 finishes in 2006, including wins in both Infineon and Chicagoland, albeit a controversial one.
Expect the No. 24 DuPont Chevy team to bring its “A” game each and every week of the Chase as they look to help Gordon earn his fifth championship in a long and prosperous career.
Kasey Kahne
Despite winning a 2006 high five races, including the Coca-Cola 600, Kasey Kahne found himself on the outside of the Chase looking in heading into Richmond last week. But what turned out to be bad luck for Tony Stewart proved to be great luck for Kahne, who raced his way into the 10th and final position. With more pole awards than any other driver this year expect Kahne to have great track position for much of the Chase and if the young and talented driver can hold serve he will have a legitimate chance at winning his first Nextel Cup title.
Stewart Falters…Fails to Make the Chase
For the first time in his career Tony Stewart will fail to finish inside the top 10 in points at the end of the year after a disappointing 18th place finish in Richmond last weekend sent him down to 11th in points and outside the Chase qualification parameters.
After crashing a car his No. 20 Home Depot team spent weeks building and testing specifically for Richmond within the first five minutes of last Friday’s practice session Stewart was forces to make a run at the Chase with a later model short track back-up car that was not nearly as good as the original.
The car, however, was not the reason the No. 20 team failed to make the Chase according to last year’s Nextel Cup champion.
That wasn't what kept us out of the Chase,” Stewart said. “There were 25 weeks before this weekend… it wasn't one night that got us in this situation; it took us 26 nights to get here.”
Despite the one million dollar bonus that is awarded to the driver that finishes in 11th at the end of the year Stewart says he is concerned about one thing over the next several weeks.
We've got nothing to lose the next 10 weeks,” Stewart said. “I don't care whether we finish 11th or 20th. It's about how many wins we can get in the last 10 weeks.”
While the disappointment of not being able to defend his title among the 10-field Chase for the Nextel Cup continues to settle into his mind Stewart can not put the blame on anyone or anything just quite yet.
It's not for lack of effort,” Stewart said. “Zippy [crew chief Greg Zipadelli] and all the guys on The Home Depot team worked their butts off and I did everything I could do behind the steering wheel. We did the best we could, we just came up short.”
Random thoughts
I can’t help but notice the disgusting favoritism NASCAR shows drivers like Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson when it comes to the aggressive driving rules put in place this year. Tony Stewart obviously drove into the back of Sterling Marlin’s car in an effort to get around him yet nothing was done as a result while Jimmie Johnson spun Jeff Green around in similar fashion but the only penalties handed down were to Green when he extracted revenge…it's protecting popular drivers like that that will never give NASCAR the credability it so desperately demands!
Great job to TNT and the coverage of last week’s exciting race before the Chase, their up to date standings were superb and actually lent a hand to the tremendous excitement the race created.
Despite Tony Stewart saying it wasn’t his back-up car that lost him a spot in the Chase I can’t help but wonder why crew chief Greg Zipadelli decided to bring such a late model short track car to that race. Better planning may have saved the two-time champ from losing his chance at two in a row.
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