1. Jimmie Johnson — Pole-sitter Johnson chose to pit for two tires instead of four during the USG Sheetrock 400's final caution, a move that improved his position from 12th to sixth. Johnson moved up three more positions in the race's final 19 laps, and finished third, his series' best eighth top-five of the year.
More importantly, J.J. gained track position on that ultimate pit stop that placed him in front of rival Greg Biffle, who chose to change all four tires. The No. 48 Lowe's car's day was not looking so bright earlier in the race, when a cut tire left him two laps down. Some timely cautions and quick work in the pits allowed Johnson to make up those laps, and he was back on the lead lap with 80 remaining.
"It seems as though Goodyear can't make a decent tire for NASCAR," says Johnson. "And Michelin can't make a tire worthy of Formula 1 cars. I've seen guys in the Tour De France doing 60 down a curvy, mountainous road on tires an inch thick, and they don't have tire problems. Can we get their tire maker in here?"
Johnson realizes the importance of Loudon's track not only this week, but in the larger picture. New Hampshire is the first stop of the final 10 Chase For the Cup races, when the Sylvania 300 goes down on September 18th. Johnson tested earlier this month on the 1.058 mile oval, so he should be well prepared. He finished 11th in both races there last year, and took both races in 2003. Expect Johnson to put a little more distance between he and Biffle this Sunday.
2. Greg Biffle — Biffle, along with teammate Matt Kenseth, were victimized by the final caution that forced all that chose to pit into a tough dilemma: change four tires and sacrifice track position, or change two tires, gain track position, and hope those with four tires can't make up the positions. Both Biffle and Kenseth chose the former, and this time, the gamble didn't pay off. Biffle, running third at the time of the caution, finished 11th, and Kenseth, dominant in the lead pre-caution, could not catch Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and finished second.
"You know, sometimes four tires pays off, sometimes it doesn't," says Biffle. "We've got no one to blame ... but Kevin Harvick. He's a chicken and a punk. Of course, Harvick had nothing to do with it, but I'm still seething from the Busch race."
Tough luck, Biff. On Saturday, you were outsmarted by the craftiest chicken punk this side of Foghorn Leghorn, Kevin Harvick. It was a brilliant move by Harvick to keep you a lap down. Cowardly, but brilliant.
Biffle lost 35 points to points leader Johnson, who leads Biffle by 108 points. Johnson has been decisively better than Biffle in their careers at Loudon. Biffle's best finish was a tenth in 2003. His goal Sunday will be to race conservatively, steer clear of trouble, and hope for a top-10. Biffle's last three results in Cup races were outside the top 10, the first time he's had three straight out of the top 10.
3. Tony Stewart — After a violent smack of the wall in Thursday's practice, Stewart was too banged up to drive the No. 20 Home Depot Chevy in Friday's qualifying, a duty that fell to Joe Gibb's Racing Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley, who qualified 13th. When Stewart took the wheel on Sunday, NASCAR driver change rules specified that Stewart start at the back of the field. Despite that, Stewart was up in the top 10 with 85 laps into the race. The duel for the win would have came down to Stewart and Matt Kenseth if the race would have stayed green. However, a caution on lap 244 allowed several more cars into the mix, and Stewart finished fifth.
"What can I say?" says Stewart. "I'm the man. Sore ribs. Check. Backup car. Check. Starting in last. Check. And I still finish fifth. We Stewart's are a tough and resilient lot. Look at Martha. She served hard time and still came out on top. No wall's going to stop me, and no minimum security country club jail can hold back Martha."
Stewart finished fifth in New Hampshire last year, and won this race back in 2000, when it was called the "ThatLook.com 300." I bet some sucker investors lost a lot of money on that dot-com joint. Anyway, Stewart is set to make a run at second place in the points. He's 43 behind Biffle — Stewart hopes that number will shrink with a top-10 in Loudon.
4. Rusty Wallace — Wallace's 12th-place finish, coupled with Elliott Sadler's 37th-place result, allowed Wallace to move up one place to fourth in the points. Wallace now has an 11th and three 12ths to compliment his nine top-10s, all of which have fueled his resurgence in the points. And, Wallace did it with the No. 2 car sporting the retro black and gold Miller Genuine Draft paint scheme, which Rusty made famous in the '90s.
"Wasn't she a beauty?" adds Wallace. "Those colors bring back a lot of fond memories, and they should bring in quite a bundle of cash when the souvenir-hungry fans gobble up t-shirts, hats, and die-cast models at outrageous prices. Fans, don't forget to check out the new 1/512th scale MGD No. 2 car. It will fit through the eye of a needle. Amazing."
Let me finish that plug for you, Rusty. Fans, operators are standing by. Please have your credit card, or second mortgage, ready.
Ah, commerce. Back to racing. Wallace has a solid 70-point lead on Sadler for fourth place, and, barring a disastrous finish, should maintain fourth. Wallace's last foray into the top 10 in New Hampshire was in September of 2003, when he finished sixth.
5. Mark Martin — Martin was one of four Roush Fords in the top 11, finishing 10th to regain the ground lost in the Pepsi 400, in which he finished 36th. Martin is now sixth in the points, 346 behind Johnson.
"But I sure wish I knew who'd be driving my car next year," adds Martin. "We all know that Jamie McMurray's got it in 2007. But what about next year?"
Well, Mark, rumor has it that Jack Roush asked you to delay your retirement and return to drive the No. 6 in 2006. And rumor has it you didn't say "yes." Of course, you didn't say "no." I've got a feeling you'll be back. I can see the marketing ploy now: "Get Your Kicks in the No. 6 in '06." I can see some kind of tie-in with Viagra along the line, but I just can't think of a catchy slogan for that one.
Martin has always been solid in New Hampshire. In his last 18 starts at Loudon, he only has one finish lower than 18th, and has eight top-10s, although none in the last three years.
6. Elliott Sadler — Sadler was one of many drivers who suffered flat tires that sent their cars slamming into the wall. The No. 38 Combos Ford spent 57 laps behind the wall for repairs after a cut right tire caused serious right side damage. Sadler finished 37th, his first result out of the top 21 since Texas, and he slipped a notch in the points to fifth.
"Sure, it's disappointing," explains Sadler. "Especially sitting in the garage for 57 laps, helplessly, with nothing to think about except my wreck, and the fact that one week, M&Ms are on my car, a few weeks later, Pedigree dog food, and now, Combos snack food. What's my fan base: the junk food junkie who owns a dog?"
Elliott, you're a good ole boy from Virginia. What you need on your car is RC Cola and some pork rinds. That's your fan base. Sell to 'em, baby.
Sadler's 37th was by far his worst finish of the year, and was the first time he had not finished on the lead lap since Las Vegas. I'm sure he will be expecting a much better result on the short track at Loudon. In four short track races this year (Bristol, Martinsville, Richmond, and Dover), Sadler finished in the top 10 in each.
7. Ryan Newman — Newman was nipped by Jimmie Johnson for the pole in the USG Sheetrock 400, but he did capture the pole for the Busch series' USG Durock 300, in which he finished third. His day as a Nextel driver did not go quite as well, as an aero push on lap 189 sent Newman into the wall, and he finished 29th, eight laps down.
"I'm a college graduate with a degree in engineering," explains Newman, "and I don't even know what an ‘aero push' is. I think Kenny Loggins sang about that in 'Danger Zone,' one song on the fantastic Top Gun soundtrack."
Maybe, Rocketman. Hey, wasn't Rocketman one of the pilots in the movie? Let's see, there was Maverick, Jester, Iceman, Viper, Goose, Aquaman, Green Lantern ... ah, never mind.
Newman has been red-hot in his career at Loudon. In six career starts, he's raced to four top-fives, including three poles, and a win in 2002. He's overdue for a pole, and needs a good finish to strengthen his Chase standing.
8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt, Jr.'s first win of 2005 trumpeted loudly and clearly his return as a legitimate Chase contender, and also ensured that many cases of Budweiser would be consumed by the denizens of Junior Nation, the population of which increased dramatically after Sunday's win at Chicagoland. You can best believe that thousands of fans are now proudly displaying the No. 8 Budweiser hats, banners, and vanity plates, all of whom will swear they've been displaying them all along.
Earnhardt, Jr.'s decision to take only two tires during his final pit stop proved to be the game winner, as he resumed racing in the second spot and passed Scott Wimmer on lap 256, and held off Matt Kenseth for the win.
"This Bud's for me," beams Earnhardt, Jr. "I think my crew chief's son, Shane Hmiel, made that quote famous, if you know what I mean."
Junior's win gave him back-to-back top 10s, a feat he had not achieved since mid-April. He's still 91 points away from the magic Chase-qualifying 400-point barrier, so he will need to keep his hot streak alive in New Hampshire.
9. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield's sixth-place finish, his fourth top-10 of the year, was something to talk about, much more so than where he and his wife Shana's dog pooped, which is about all you get when you see the Mayfield's on an episode of NASCAR Drivers: 360.
Hey, buddy," says Mayfield, "that is truly reality television. And the reality is, it stinks."
Mayfield qualified 22nd in his backup car after blowing a tire in Friday's final practice. The No. 19 Dodge made up ground on long green runs, but the effort was stifled somewhat by a pit road speeding penalty on lap 165. The subsequent penalty dropped Mayfield to 27th in the order. He quickly advanced to the third spot, but some untimely cautions hindered his advance any further.
Mayfield will have his work cut out for him in New Hampshire. In 19 career starts there, he has only two top-10 finishes, although one came last year in the Siemens 300.
10. Jamie McMurray — McMurray's drive at Chicagoland was overshadowed by his agreement to a deal to drive the No. 6 for Roush Racing, beginning in 2007. The deal apparently didn't sit to well with co-owner of McMurray's No. 42 Felix Sabates, who accused Roush of signing McMurray so Roush Racing would be more attractive to a would-be buyer.
Roush, suave in a straw hat, told Sabates the team was not for sale, then he sprayed a mysterious green mist into Sabates' eyes, rendering him temporarily blind. Oh, wait a minute, that happened on the World Wrestling Entertainment's "RAW" Monday night. Sometimes I get wrestling and NASCAR mixed up. Roush simply said his part and walked away from Sabates.
In any case, McMurray drove like he may have had something else on his mind, like more money, or free Viagra samples. After starting 36th on the grid, McMurray was cruising to what looked like a sure top-15 finish. Then, on a lap 125 restart, McMurray rammed the No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne, who had checked up to avoid a spin. The damage to McMurray's car made adjustments even more difficult to predict, and a 22nd was all that could be salvaged. McMurray dropped a spot to eighth on the points, 358 behind Jimmie Johnson.
McMurray has been a force in his brief Cup career at Loudon. In four starts there, he's logged three top-10s, as well as two top five qualifying runs. He's my darkhorse pick to win in New Hampshire.
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