2005 New England 300 in New Hampshire:
This relatively flat one mile oval is fast but the flat corners force drivers to make their cars work on the bottom. To win here requires a fast car, a great crew and a patient drivers. Passing opportunities are rare but a car that is truly working well will find its way to the front.
The Track:
The 1.058 mile perfect oval that is New Hampshire International Speedway has only 12 degrees of banking in the corners. The straightaways measure 1,500 feet each to make this a true symmetrical oval. The flat corners can make passing difficult as there is usually only one groove.
Race Distance:
300 laps = 317 miles
The Big Picture:
This is race number 19 of 36. Now only the top ten are within 400 points of the leader so if you want a shot at the championship you MUST be in the top ten in points after Richmond in September.
The current points top ten are: 1. Jimmie Johnson 2,548. 2. Greg Biffle 2,440. 3. Tony Stewart 2,397. 4. Rusty Wallace 2,300. 5. Elliott Sadler 2,230. 6. Mark Martin 2,202. 7. Ryan Newman 2,196. 8. Jamie McMurray 2,190. 9. Jeremy Mayfield 2,179. 10. Kurt Busch 2,172.
Storylines:
What do Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon all have in common? They are all former NEXTEL Cup Champions who are not currently eligible for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.
NASCAR's most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also on that list. So what does NASCAR do when it's 2004 rule change eliminates is marquis drivers from the 2005 Championship chase?
As the home of previous NASCAR tragedy. Expect the media to take this opportunity to review NASCAR's safety innovations.
Media Coverage:
TV: TNT Sunday July 17th 1:30PM Eastern.
Radio: MRN and XM Satellite
Actual Race: 2:10PM Eastern
Last Year:
In 2004 Kurt Busch won this race to solidify his place in the 2004 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Kurt would return later in the season to win the very first race of the 10 race Chase series on his way to winning the 2004 Championship.
Predictions:
Once again we have a track that was swept in 2004 as Kurt Busch won both races here. In 2003 Jimmie Johnson won both NEXTEL Cup races here.
Since Jack Roush is the winningest NEXTEL Cup car owner at this track I'm going to go with his guys. I think a surging Mark Martin has what it takes to get his name in the win column this weekend.
For my backup I'm going with his teammate, Kurt Busch who proved that he knows how to win here with his domination last season.
