2008 LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Preview:
New Hampshire Motor Speedway will also host the first race of the Chase for the Cup. This makes this weekend an important practice opportunity for teams that expect to be battling for the Championship in September.
Tickets:
The Track:
Race Distance:
The Big Picture:
At the back of the top twelve Matt Kenseth raced his way into twelfth bumping Kevin Harvick from a Chase qualifying spot.
The top twelve are now:
- Kyle Busch
- Jeff Burton -103
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -152
- Carl Edwards -258
- Jimmie Johnson -326
- Jeff Gordon -367
- Greg Biffle -389
- Denny Hamlin -400
- Kasey Kahne -450
- Clint Bowyer -484
- Tony Stewart -500
- Matt Kenseth -516
Storylines:
Matt Kenseth currently holds onto twelfth place by just two points over Kevin Harvick. Behind Harvick David Ragan, Brian Vickers, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. all still have a shot at cracking the top twelve.
Media Coverage:
Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite
Actual Race: 2:30PM Eastern
Recent Events:
2007 Winner: Denny Hamlin
2007 Polesitter: Dave Blaney
Last Year:
NASCAR was still testing the Car of Tomorrow at this point in the season last year. This suggested that they were on the right track as the 2007 version of this event continued the CoT's string of great finishes.
Predictions:
Chevrolet drivers have won the last four New Hampshire races in a row and I think that trend could continue this week with the #24 team.
For my backup pick I have to go with one of the very fast Toyotas. Denny Hamlin won this race last year when he had a bowtie on the hood. Now 2008 has him driving one of the fastest cars in the garage. Hamlin has to be considered a solid backup pick.