It's something to remember
Drivers use today as bit of a preview
LOUDON, N.H. - Daytona. Indy. Bristol. Talladega. They’re the prime-time tracks of NASCAR’s annual romp through the 36-race Sprint Cup marathon, where the racing rubs the hardest, the fans roar the loudest, and the spotlights shine the hottest.
In contrast, the track formerly known as New Hampshire International Speedway, considered by some a boring mile-long track, had once been considered an afterthought.
But New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the second-to-last independent Cup track before
On Sept. 20, NHMS will host the Sylvania 300, the kickoff to the 10-race Chase for the Cup to determine the season champion. In the prelude to September’s show, today’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 will serve two purposes: to allow teams currently in the top 12 to compile car and track data for the Sylvania 300, and to give those that are sprinting for a Chase spot an opportunity to climb the leaderboard.
“We feel like this is a very important race, a very important track,’’ said Jeff Gordon, who will start his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet on the front row today alongside pole-sitter Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet.
“We are in a position in the points to be a little more risky in our setup and pit strategy. But the most important thing is getting the car really dialed in this weekend so that when we come back for the Chase, we start it off right.’’
Qualifying was rained out Friday, so today’s field is based on the standings. Kurt Busch, however, still was thinking ahead to the first Chase race. Even though the No. 2 Miller Lite team knew that rain was approaching during Friday practice, Busch still tried a qualifying setup to tuck away some notes for the Sylvania 300.
“I thought it was important for us to get at least one qualifying run in,’’ said Busch, who won the first-ever Chase in 2004 after scoring a Loudon victory to start the 10-race sprint. “That way when we come back here in September, we know where that’s going to shake out for us. You always have to plan ahead for a Chase race.’’
Gordon is a four-time Cup winner. But the last time he called himself a champion was in 2001, when Winston was still the circuit’s lead sponsor, the Car of Tomorrow was the Car of the Distant Future, and the Chase was three years away from its introduction. In the current Chase format, consistency counts. But so do wins, and Gordon has just one checkered flag to his name this season.
“We’re doing everything we can to take a little bit more risk in our strategy and our setups to get ourselves some more bonus points and also get ourselves into a solid position to win this thing,’’ said Gordon, who has not won at Loudon since Aug. 30, 1998.
“I still feel like this is a great year for us with a great opportunity to win this Chase and win the first Sprint Cup for us. To me, this format is totally different and very challenging. We’ve never won it. We want to really bad. I think this is a great opportunity for us to do that.’’
The trouble with Loudon, however, is that it’s one of the more difficult tracks to negotiate (drivers call it a stretched-out version of Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway, the half-mile circuit shaped like a paper clip).
The straightaways are long and flat, requiring drivers to stand on the gas and go all-out. But just as their tires start spinning, they have to hit the brakes and grind their Goodyears to enter Turns 1 and 3 without hurtling into the fence. Once they’re in the turns, they have to power through the curves to hit the straightaways with speed, and not break the back end loose.
Then throw in the weather variable. It was hot during practice Friday, which made the track slick. Yesterday’s final practice was also dry and hot, but cooler temperatures and rain are in the forecast for this afternoon, which could give the track more grip and throw off any data teams collected over two practice days.
So while drivers have touted NHMS as being more receptive to passing lately, it still emphasizes track position, blazing pit stops, and staying out of trouble. As a result, eight different drivers have taken the last eight checkered flags here. In 2004, Busch swept both Loudon races. The year before, Jimmie Johnson completed the double.
“This racetrack is one of the harder flat tracks that we go to,’’ said Greg Biffle. “It’s really, really flat, and I think it changes a lot. The guy that hits it just right that weekend is why you see all different winners all the time with no repeat winners.’’
Biffle, third-fastest in final practice yesterday, won last September’s Sylvania 300. So he wouldn’t mind seeing that eight-race trend disappear today. 