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Cup Series Notebook... watch for updates all week long
New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, NH (1-mile oval)

  • Bud Pole Qualifying: Friday, July 14 (Speed at 3:00 p.m. AT, 2:00 p.m. ET)
  • Race: Sunday, July 16 (TNT/TSN at 2:30 p.m. AT, 1:30 p.m. ET)
Fast Facts
The race: LENOX Industrial Tools 300 (Race No. 19 of the 36-race NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season)
The place: New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
The date/time: Sunday, July 16, 2:10 p.m. (EDT)
TV: TNT/TSN (2:30 p.m. AT - 1:30 p.m., EDT)
Radio: MRN/XM Satellite
Posted awards: $5,204,946
Race length: 300 laps, 317.4 miles
Track layout: 1.058-mile oval
2005 winner: Tony Stewart
2005 polesitter: Brian Vickers
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10: 1. Jimmie Johnson 2,651, 2. Matt Kenseth 2,600, 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,394, 4. Jeff Burton 2,327, 5. Kasey Kahne 2,303, 6. Mark Martin 2,291, 7. Tony Stewart 2,274, 8. Kyle Busch 2,265, 9. Kevin Harvick 2,253, 10. Jeff Gordon 2,219.
Practice/Qualifying Schedule (local times): Friday - Practice 11:35 a.m. to 1:05 p.m.; Qualifying 3:10 p.m. Saturday - Practice 8:40 to 9:40 a.m. and 10:05 to 10:50 a.m.

Event Stats - underlined when link is activated
  • Leaderboard, Points, Manufacturer & Rookie Standings Through 18 of 36 Races here
  • Practice Results - click here
  • Qualifying Order - click here
  • Qualifying Results - click here
  • Starting Lineup - click here
  • Race Results (unofficial) here
  • Point Standings (post-race, unofficial) here Kyle Busch Wins in Dominating Fashion at NHIS

    click here for more pictures LOUDON, N. H. (July 16, 2006) -- Kyle Busch held off a charging Carl Edwards in a wild, green, white, checkered flag finish to win the LENOX Industrial Tools 300 before 100,000 screaming fans Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway.

    Busch, driving the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet owned by Rick Hendrick, drove hard all day and held off the challenges of some of the sport's biggest stars to capture the third win of his young career. Click here for the rest of the story.

    Visit Victory Lane - click here.

    Post-Race Notes
    • Kyle Busch won the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, scoring his third NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in his 61st career start. All three of Busch’s victories have occurred on a superspeedway.
    • Busch scored his first victory in 2006. His last win came at Phoenix last November 2005, 20 races ago.
    • This was Busch’s first victory and second top-five finish in three races at New Hampshire.
    • Busch scored his 10th top-10 finish in 19 races this season, including top-five finishes in the last three. He has scored five straight top-15 finishes.
    • Busch climbed from eighth to fourth in the point standings, the highest points position of his 61-race career.
    • Busch led five times for 107 laps including the final 69, leading the most laps for the first time in 2006 and the second time in his career laps. He also led the most laps at California in September 2005, when he scored his career-first victory.
    • This is team owner Rick Hendrick’s 146th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory. Hendrick has scored six victories in 2006. It also is Hendrick’s sixth victory at New Hampshire International Speedway tying Jack Roush for the most.
    • Hendrick Motorsports has won at least one race each season 1986-2006, 21 consecutive years.
    • Carl Edwards (second) scored his ninth top-10 finish in 2006 and his first top-10 finish in four races at New Hampshire.
    • Greg Biffle (third) scored his 10th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his fourth top-10 finish in eight races at New Hampshire and his third straight top-five finish here. Biffle climbed from 11th to 10th in the point standings, 11 points ahead of 11th-place Tony Stewart.
    • Mark Martin (fourth) scored his ninth top-10 finish in 2006. This was his 13th top-10 in 23 races at New Hampshire. He has scored top-15 finishes in his last five races at New Hampshire.
    • Kevin Harvick (fifth) scored his 10th top-10 finish 19 races in 2006, including the last three races. It is his sixth top-10 finish in 11 races at New Hampshire. Harvick extended a 31-race streak of running at the finish that began at California last September, the longest current streak.
    • Jeff Burton (seventh) scored his 12th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his 13th straight top-15 finish extending a streak that began at Texas in April. It marked his 10th top-10 finish in 23 races at New Hampshire.
    • Jimmie Johnson (ninth) posted his 15th top-10 finish in 2006, the most of all drivers. He remained first in the point standings, now 68 points ahead of second-place Matt Kenseth. Johnson has been ranked among the top 10 for 88 consecutive races. Johnson has scored nine straight top-15 finishes at New Hampshire.
    • Denny Hamlin (sixth) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 2006.
    • Matt Kenseth (14th) ended a streak of seven straight top-10 finishes at New Hampshire.
    • Kurt Busch (38th) ended a streak of five straight top-10 finishes that began at Pocono.
    • Dale Earnhardt Jr. (43rd) ended a streak of three straight top-10 finishes at New Hampshire.
    • At least one of the Raybestos Rookie-of-the Year contenders has scored a top-15 finish in all 19 races this season.
    Qualifying Notes
    • Ryan Newman won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, lapping New Hampshire International Speedway in 29.370 seconds at 129.683 mph. Newman holds the track-qualifying record of 28.561 seconds, 133.357 mph - set Sept. 12, 2003.
    • This is Newman’s 37th career Bud Pole in 171 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.
    • This is Newman’s second Bud Pole and seventh top-10 start in 2006.
    • Newman became the fifth repeat Bud Pole winner in 2006. Kasey Kahne (four), Greg Biffle (two), Kurt Busch (two) and Jeff Burton (two) are the other multiple Bud Pole winners this season.
    • This is Newman’s fourth Bud Pole and seventh top-10 start in nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway. Qualifying was canceled in two of his nine races – giving him four Bud Pole sin seven qualifying attempts here.
    • Newman is the only repeat Bud Pole winner and one of only three different Bud Pole winners in the last eight races at New Hampshire. Newman has four of those Bud Poles while Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers have one each. Qualifying was canceled twice.
    • Jeff Burton posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 29.377 seconds, 129.651 mph – and will join Newman on the front row for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300. Burton posted his sixth top-10 start in 23 races at New Hampshire, and tied his career-best set in September 2000.
    • This is the ninth Bud Pole for Dodge in 2006. Chevrolet has five Bud Poles and Ford has four. Qualifying was canceled at Bristol.
    • Brian Vickers (third) has started from the top 10 in two of his five New Hampshire races.
    • Kyle Busch (fourth) started seventh and 30th in his previous two races at New Hampshire.
    • Tony Stewart (fifth) has posted 10 top-10 starts in 15 races at New Hampshire.
    • Four drivers failed to qualify for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300: Ted Christopher, Joey McCarthy, Derrike Cope and Morgan Shepherd.
    Who's Hot Heading to Loudon
    • Jimmie Johnson has scored a top-15 finish in 16 of the 18 races in 2006. His other two finishes were 30th or worse.
    • Kurt Busch has scored five straight top-10 finishes. He has climbed from 19th to 13th in the point standings since Lowe's.
    • Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored eight top-15 finishes in the last nine races.
    • Jeff Burton has scored 12 straight top-15s since Martinsville.
    • Kasey Kahne has won four races in 2006, the most of all drivers.
    • Matt Kenseth is the only driver to score 10 top-five finishes in the 18 races this season.
    • Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to score 14 top-10 finishes in the first 18 races of 2006.
    • Greg Biffle is the only driver to lead at least one lap in 14 of the 18 races this season.
    • Matt Kenseth ranks second in the point standings. After 18 races one year ago, he ranked 16th.
    • Kyle Busch has scored four straight top-15 finishes.
    Loudon Nuggets
    • Jeremy Mayfield is expected to make his 400th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at New Hampshire.
    • Mark Martin is expected to make his 600th consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at New Hampshire. Ricky Rudd set the all-time record of 788 consecutive starts.
      Starting Up Front NOT Important at New Hampshire International Speedway
    • Three of the last four races at New Hampshire have been won from outside the top-10 starting positions.
      New Hampshire Bud Pole Winners
    • Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all drivers, each with three Bud Poles at New Hampshire. However, neither driver has won a Bud Pole there in the last three races. Newman's last Bud Pole came in this race in 2004 while Gordon has not had a Bud Pole at New Hampshire since this race in 2001.
      New Hampshire Streaks
    • Jimmie Johnson has posted six straight top-15 starts at New Hampshire International Speedway, the longest current streak.
    • Matt Kenseth has posted seven straight top-10 finishes at New Hampshire International Speedway, the longest current streak.
      Owner Dominance at New Hampshire International Speedway
    • Jack Roush has six victories at New Hampshire International Speedway, the most of all car owners.
      Leading The Way
    • Jeff Gordon has competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. He has led 1,069 laps in those races, the most of all drivers. Tony Stewart has led 736 laps in 14 races there and ranks second.
      Lots of Competition
    • Eleven drivers have competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. Six of those drivers have accounted for 11 of the 22 victories.
      Would You Believe?
    • Ryan Newman has competed in eight races at New Hampshire. Newman is the only driver that has led in every race that he has competed in at New Hampshire.
      New Hampshire International Speedway Standouts
    • Jeff Gordon has competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. He has led the most laps in six of those races (27 percent).
    • Jeff Burton leads all drivers with four victories at New Hampshire International Speedway.
    • Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with nine top-five finishes at New Hampshire International Speedway.
    • Dale Jarrett is one of just 11 drivers that has competed in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jarrett scored 14 top-10 finishes in those 22 races, the most among all drivers.
    • Ryan Newman leads all drivers with a 6.625 starting average in eight races at New Hampshire.
    • Ryan Newman has a 7.875 finishing average in his eight races at New Hampshire International Speedway, the best of all drivers with more than one start there. Jimmie Johnson, who also has competed in eight races at New Hampshire International Speedway, is second with an 8.625 finishing average there.
      Season Nuggets
    • Jimmie Johnson is the point leader at the mid-point of the season. He was also the point leader at the mid-point in 2004 and 2005.
    • Greg Biffle is the only driver who has led at least one lap in 14 of the 18 races in 2006. Biffle has earned 90 lap leader bonus points, 55 more than point leader Jimmie Johnson who has 35.
    • Two drivers that ranked in the top-10 after Race No. 18 in 2005 failed to make the Chase. Elliott Sadler was fifth and finished 13th and Jamie McMurray was eighth and finished 12th.
    • After 18 races in 2006, nine drivers are within the 400-point window. One year ago there were 10 drivers within the 400-point window.
    • Five of the top-10 drivers in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings are separated by 25 points or less.
    • Three positions in the top 10 are separated by 12 points or less.
    • Just three points separate 11th to 12th in the point standings.
    • After winning only three races in all of 2005, Dodge has won five of the first 18 races in 2006. Chevrolet has 10 victories while Ford has just three. One year ago Ford had eight victories at this point of the season.
    • Ken Schrader remains the only driver that has competed in every race and has yet to lead in 2006.
    • At the half-way point of the season, 30 drivers have race winnings in excess of $2 million, including eight drivers that have race winnings in excess of $3 million. Jimmie Johnson has surpassed the $5 million mark.
    • Four of the top-10 drivers have been running at the finish in every race in 2006: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick.
    • Kasey Kahne (fifth), Tony Stewart (seventh) and Jeff Gordon (10th) are the only drivers among the top 10 in the point standings with more than one DNF. Gordon has four DNFs, the most DNFs of any driver ranked in the top 24.
    • At least one rookie has scored a top-15 finish in every race this season. .
    • Jeff Gordon, currently 10th in the point standings, is 47 points ahead of 11th-place Greg Biffle.
    • Eleven of the top-25 drivers changed point positions at Chicagoland Speedway.
    Pre-Race Notes & Quotes (as provided by the teams)

    Brian Vickers In his first two NEXTEL Cup starts at New Hampshire International Speedway, Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 25 GMAC Chevrolet, posted finishes of 22nd and 34th, yielding an average result of 28th. Since then, something has clicked for the 22-year-old Vickers, who produced finishes of 11th and 13th during last year's two events at NHIS for a 12th-place average.

    Kyle Busch "I like racing at New Hampshire. My first time there in a Cup car we finished fourth, so it's one of those tracks that just suits my driving style. It's a shorter race than most of the Cup events we run, so we'll have to be paying attention and on our toes to keep it up front. New Hampshire is a hard track to pass on, so you have to be selective when you make your moves and track position will be very important."

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr. “New Hampshire is a cool little ol’ track. I feel like we should probably already have a win there, because we’ve been all around it quite a few times. We’ve had good finishes. Last year, we got us a top-five with (crew chief) Tony (Eury) Jr. back on the pit box, and that was really cool. We seem to do OK on the one-milers, and we’re really excited because we’re bringing the car we won Richmond with. We’ll see how it all shakes out.” In 13 career starts at NHIS, the Budweiser team has three top-five finishes and six top-10s. Dale Jr. has led five races there for 175 laps, the most coming in 2003 when he led 120 laps en route to a fifth-place finish in the Sylvania 300. Dale Jr. has started sixth or better in five of the last six races at Loudon. Dale Jr. has finished 11th or better in four of the five races at tracks one mile in length or shorter, including a victory at the three-quarter mile Richmond International Raceway on May 6. Seven of Dale Jr.’s 17 career victories have come on tracks one mile in length or shorter.

    Dave Blaney Blaney has made 12 starts on the 1.058-mile speedway during his Cup Series career, starting as high as fifth (2002) and finishing as high as 11th (2001). He has scored three top-15 finishes at the track in Cup Series competition and has qualified in the top 20 on three occasions.

    Jeff Gordon “We’re definitely not comfortable where we are in the points,” Gordon said. “It’s good to be back in the top 10, but things can change in a hurry. There’s probably 15 teams that have a shot at securing one of the 10 spots in the Chase. “Our performance has been there but we’ve lacked consistency, something we need to improve upon to be one of the 10 teams battling for the championship." Gordon has three wins, three poles, nine top-fives and 12 top-10's in 22 career starts at NHIS. He has paced the field in 14 events for a total of 1,069 laps led, the most of any driver

    Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick has 10 Cup Series starts at New Hampshire International Speedway. Of those 10 starts, he has compiled a record of one top-five and five top-10 finishes. He finished 22nd in this race a year ago and 10th last September. Harvick has led in six races at NHIS, totaling 68 laps. Kevin Harvick’s average starting position at New Hampshire International Speedway is 15.4, with his best start of fourth coming in 2001. (He went on to finish 26th). Harvick’s average finishing position is 14.6, with his best finish of second coming in 2003.

    Michael Waltrip Waltrip's average starting position in 22 starts at New Hampshire International Speedway is 19.86; his average finish is 23.13. He has three top-10 finishes at the 1.058-mile oval, two in the last two years. Waltrip's best start at New Hampshire International Speedway is fourth and best finish sixth; both came in the 2004 New England 300. Waltrip is among nine active drivers to compete in all 22 races at New Hampshire International Speedway.

    Tony Stewart Stewart has two Nextel Cup victories (July 2000 and July 2005) and one IRL IndyCar win (1998) at New Hampshire. And in the NASCAR Busch Series, Stewart earned a second-place finish in the 1998 Gumout 200 at New Hampshire. Stewart has five top-threes, eight top-fives, nine top-10s and has led a total of 736 laps at New Hampshire, second only to Jeff Gordon's total of 1,069 laps led at New Hampshire. Stewart has only two DNFs (Did Not Finish) at New Hampshire (Spring 2002 & Fall 2004). "Wicked Good Last Year" - In his two Nextel Cup races last year at New Hampshire, where Stewart finished first in the July race and second in the September race, he led 405 of the 600 laps available (67.5 percent). Stewart won his ninth career Nextel Cup pole last September at New Hampshire. Stewart has 10 poles altogether, with the last one coming at Martinsville last October, 22 races ago.

    Jeremy Mayfield “Last week was a good sign that our team is working together. We didn’t have a great car, but it was decent. What we didn’t do was try to fix a million things to make it better, only to make it worse. We just made small adjustments and worked with what we had. We got better and better on the longer runs. All the cautions at the end killed us. We could have had a lot better finish if the race had stayed green." Mayfield will make his 400th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start this weekend at New Hampshire International Raceway. His first start came at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1993 (10/10/93). His best finish at NHIS came in July, 2000 when he finished eighth and led 10 laps. Mayfield’s best start at New Hampshire was third in July, 2001. He has started in the top 11 in the last five events at NHIS.

    Kasey Kahne ”Making the Chase for the Championship is our goal, but it’s very important that the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger group peaks as a team for those final 10 races . Our performance in the last three races hasn’t been up to the level we need or expect. We want to change that at New Hampshire where we’ve had reasonable success in the past. We had a good shot at our fourth straight top-10 finish, but I was wrecked. There are eight races remaining before the field for the Chase is decided. Nothing is set. We have to race hard, but smart. Kenny (Francis, team director) and the No. 9 team have been in this position before, getting Jeremy (Mayfield) in the Chase two years in a row. That experience is certainly a plus. We will be looking to utilize all our resources this weekend to get our Dodge Charger in position to challenge for the win. This is an important weekend for our team.” Kahne is making his fifth start at New Hampshire. He posted three consecutive top-10 inishes before being hit from behind and wrecked just past the half-way mark of last year’s second event. In his first three outings at NHIS, he finished eighth, fourth and sixth, respectively. Kahne has an average start of 10.2 and average finish of 14.0 at NHIS.

    IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.

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