NASCAR - Sprint Cup - LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Preview
From The Sports Network
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| DATE: Sunday, July 15th |
| SITE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1990) -- Loudon, New Hampshire |
| TRACK: 1.058-mile oval - 1,500 feet (Frontstretch); 1,500 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 95,491 (Grandstand Seating) |
| ANNUAL: 20th |
| TELEVISION: TNT |
| ANNOUNCERS: Adam Alexander, Wally Dallenbach, Kyle Petty |
| RADIO: Performance Racing Network (PRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 1 p.m. (ET) |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Ryan Newman |
| RUNNER-UP: Tony Stewart |
| POLE WINNER: Ryan Newman (Finished 1st) |
| LAPS: 301 |
| MILES: 318.5 |
| QUALIFYING RECORD: Ryan Newman, 2011 (135.232 m.p.h.) |
| RACE RECORD: Jeff Burton, 1997 (117.134 m.p.h.) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $5,202,458 (2011 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $268,050; 2nd Place - 210,633; 3rd Place - $170,675 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Ryan Newman | 1 | 6 | Kasey Kahne | 10 |
| 2 | Tony Stewart | 2 | 7 | Bobby Labonte | 23 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 14 | 8 | Martin Truex Jr | 13 |
| 4 | Joey Logano | 16 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | 22 |
| 5 | Jimmie Johnson | 28 | 10 | Kurt Busch | 4 |
| 2011 LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Facts and Figures |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 104.100 m.p.h. |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 3 minutes, 33 seconds |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.773 second |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 10 for 44 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 21 among 14 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Ryan Newman (135.232 m.p.h.) |
| Past LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2011 -- Ryan Newman (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 104.100 m.p.h. |
| 2010 -- Jimmie Johnson (10th) -- Chevrolet -- 113.308 m.p.h. |
| 2009 -- Joey Logano (24th) -- Toyota -- 97.497 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Kurt Busch (26th) -- Dodge -- 106.719 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Denny Hamlin (11th) -- Chevrolet -- 108.215 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- Kyle Busch (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 101.384 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Tony Stewart (13th) -- Chevrolet -- 102.608 m.p.h. |
| 2004 -- Kurt Busch (32nd) -- Ford -- 97.862 m.p.h. |
| 2003 -- Jimmie Johnson (6th) -- Chevrolet -- 96.924 m.p.h. |
| 2002 -- Ward Burton (31st) -- Dodge -- 92.342 m.p.h. |
| 2001 -- Dale Jarrett (9th) -- Ford -- 102.131 m.p.h. |
| 2000 -- Tony Stewart (6th) -- Pontiac -- 103.145 m.p.h. |
| 1999 -- Jeff Burton (38th) -- Ford -- 101.876 m.p.h. |
| 1998 -- Jeff Burton (5th) -- Ford -- 102.996 m.p.h. |
| 1997 -- Jeff Burton (15th) -- Ford -- 117.134 m.p.h. (race record) |
| 1996 -- Ernie Irvan (6th) -- Ford -- 98.930 m.p.h. |
| 1995 -- Jeff Gordon (21st) -- Chevrolet -- 107.029 m.p.h. |
| 1994 -- Ricky Rudd (3rd) -- Ford -- 87.599 m.p.h. |
| 1993 -- Rusty Wallace (33rd) -- Pontiac -- 105.947 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Formerly called Slick 50 300 (1993-95), Jiffy Lube 300 (1996-99) |
| thatlook.com 300 (2000), New England 300 (2001-03), Siemens 300 |
| (2004-05), LENOX Industrial Tools 300 (2006, 07). One mile was added to |
| 2008 race. |
| Past LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2011 -- Ryan Newman -- 1st |
| 2010 -- Juan Pablo Montoya -- 34th |
| 2009 -- None -- Weather |
| 2008 -- Patrick Carpentier -- 31st |
| 2007 -- Dave Blaney -- 29th |
| 2006 -- Ryan Newman -- 39th |
| 2005 -- Brian Vickers -- 11th |
| 2004 -- Ryan Newman -- 3rd |
| 2003 -- Matt Kenseth -- 3rd |
| 2002 -- Bill Elliott -- 34th |
| 2001 -- Jeff Gordon -- 2nd |
| 2000 -- Rusty Wallace -- 15th |
| 1999 -- Jeff Gordon -- 3rd |
| 1998 -- Ricky Craven -- 29th |
| 1997 -- Ken Schrader -- 11th |
| 1996 -- Ricky Craven -- 26th |
| 1995 -- Mark Martin -- 3rd |
| 1994 -- Ernie Irvan -- 30th |
| 1993 -- Mark Martin -- 2nd |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Coke Zero 400 (July 7th) |
| SITE: Daytona International Speedway -- Daytona Beach, Florida |
| MILES: 400 |
| LAPS: 160 |
| WINNER: Tony Stewart |
| RUNNER-UP: Jeff Burton |
| THIRD: Matt Kenseth |
| FOURTH: Joey Logano |
| FIFTH: Ryan Newman |
| POLE WINNER: Matt Kenseth (Finished 3rd) |
| TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 32 minutes, 14 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 157.653 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: Caution |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 6 for 23 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 12 among 9 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: M. Kenseth 1-41; D. Ragan 42; J. Wise 43-45; M. Truex Jr. 46-47; |
| G. Biffle 48-82; C. Mears 83; M. Kenseth 84-123; Kyle Busch |
| 124-126; D. Gilliland 127; Kyle Busch 128-130; T. Stewart |
| 131-151; M. Kenseth 152-159; T. Stewart 160. |
| LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) | Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) | Dodge/Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) | Chevrolet/Farmer's Insurance |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) | Ford/DeWalt |
| 10 | David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) | Chevrolet/Mohawk Northeast |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/FedEx Freight |
| 13 | Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) | Ford/Geico |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) | Chevrolet/Office Depot/Mobil 1 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) | Toyota/5-Hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) | Ford/3M/W.B. Mason/Post-it |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) | Ford/Roush Fenway Racing |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) | Toyota/Humphrey Smith Racing |
| 20 | Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) | Toyota/Home Depot |
| 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. (Defiance, OH) | Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil/AAA |
| 23 | Scott Riggs (Bahama, NC) | Chevrolet/North Texas Pipe |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) | Chevrolet/DuPont |
| 26 | Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) | Ford/MDS Transport |
| 27 | Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) | Chevrolet/Menards/Duracell |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Rheem |
| 30 | David Stremme (South Bend, IN) | Toyota/Inception Motorsports |
| 31 | Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) | Chevrolet/Caterpillar |
| 32 | Ken Schrader (Fenton, MO) | Ford/Federated Auto Parts |
| 33 | Stephen Leicht (Asheville, NC) | Chevrolet/littlejoesautos.com |
| 34 | David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) | Ford/TBA |
| 36 | Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) | Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing |
| 38 | David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) | Ford/Taco Bell |
| 39 * | Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/Army ROTC |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) | Chevrolet/Degree |
| 43 | Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL) | Ford/Medallion |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Toyota/Luke & Associates |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) | Chevrolet/Lowe's |
| 49 | J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) | Toyota/American Israel Racing |
| 51 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction |
| 55 | Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) | Toyota/TBA |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) | Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts |
| 78 | Regan Smith (Cato, NY) | Chevrolet/Furniture Row |
| 79 | Kelly Bires (Mauston, WI) | Ford/Team Kyle/Bestway Disposal |
| 83 | Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) | Toyota/Burger King |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) | Toyota/AM FM Energy Wood&Pellet |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) | Chevrolet/Mtn. Dew/Nat'l Guard |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) | Toyota/Burger King |
| 98 | Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) | Ford/Phil Parsons Racing |
| 99 | Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) | Ford/Fastenal |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) |
| Driver | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Ryan Newman | 4th | 3rd | 7th | 39th | 10th | 15th | 29th | 6th | Won |
| Tony Stewart | 22nd | 5th | Won | 37th | 12th | 13th | 5th | 2nd | 2nd |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | --- | --- | 6th | Won | 8th | 15th | 14th | 3rd |
| Joey Logano | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Won | 9th | 4th |
| Jimmie Johnson | Won | 11th | 13th | 9th | 5th | 9th | 9th | Won | 5th |
| Kasey Kahne | --- | 8th | 6th | 8th | 25th | 30th | 10th | 36th | 6th |
| Martin Truex Jr | --- | --- | --- | 18th | 3rd | 4th | 37th | 22nd | 8th |
| Marcos Ambrose | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 23rd | 13th | 9th |
| Kurt Busch | 11th | Won | 2nd | 38th | 21st | Won | 3rd | 3rd | 10th |
| Jeff Gordon | 24th | 2nd | 25th | 15th | 2nd | 11th | 2nd | 4th | 11th |
| Carl Edwards | --- | --- | 12th | 2nd | 13th | 17th | 19th | 25th | 13th |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 6th | 31st | 9th | 43rd | 4th | 24th | 13th | 8th | 15th |
| Jeff Burton | 9th | 12th | 14th | 7th | 7th | 12th | 31st | 12th | 16th |
| Clint Bowyer | --- | --- | --- | 27th | 37th | 22nd | 20th | 7th | 17th |
| Greg Biffle | 43rd | 28th | 5th | 3rd | 31st | 21st | 18th | 16th | 18th |
| Matt Kenseth | 3rd | 4th | 10th | 14th | 9th | 18th | 22nd | 17th | 20th |
| Kevin Harvick | 2nd | 13th | 22nd | 5th | 8th | 14th | 34th | 5th | 21st |
| Paul Menard | --- | --- | --- | --- | 39th | 29th | 30th | 28th | 24th |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | --- | --- | --- | --- | 19th | 32nd | 12th | 34th | 30th |
| Jamie McMurray | 40th | 7th | 40th | 33rd | 16th | 41st | 33rd | 18th | 31st |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 6th | 26th | 35th |
| Kyle Busch | --- | --- | 4th | Won | 11th | 25th | 7th | 11th | 36th |
| Mover of the Week |
| Tony Stewart - Started in the 42nd position and finished 1st |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Jimmie Johnson |
| Darkhorse - Aric Almirola |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Kyle Busch) - Finished 24th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Jamie McMurray) - Finished 13th |
| NOTES: |
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Ryan Newman started on the pole and won last year's July race at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway. Newman, who drives for Stewart-Haas Racing,
collected his first win of the season and the 15th of his Sprint Cup career.
He led a race-high 119 laps, including the final 71, and beat his teammate,
Tony Stewart, to the finish line by 0.8 seconds.
Newman has won at New Hampshire three times. His first win at this racetrack
came in the fall event during 2002 rookie season. He also won the September
race there in 2005.
In 2009, Jimmie Johnson won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 after taking the
lead from Kurt Busch with less than two laps remaining. Johnson, who also won
the previous week's road-course race that year at Sonoma, CA, took the lead
from Jeff Burton just after a restart with 12 laps remaining. Burton did not
pit, while the other leaders came in for the final time following an incident
with Juan Pablo Montoya and Reed Sorenson.
Two laps after losing the lead, Burton, on old tires, got loose and crashed
into Kyle Busch while the two were battling for position. The final caution
set up an eight-lap shootout to the finish. After the last restart, Kurt Busch
chased down Johnson and made a bump and run move on the four-time defending
series champion to take the top spot for the first time in the 301-lap race.
But Johnson came storming back and took the lead with a lap and a half to go.
Johnson then cruised to his fifth victory of the season and the 52nd of his
Cup career. Currently in the top five on the points list, Johnson now owns 57
titles.
Three years ago, Joey Logano, in his rookie season, benefited from crew chief
Greg Zipadelli's gutsy late-race pit strategy for his first Sprint Cup win in
the rain-shortened race at New Hampshire.
Logano, who hails from Middletown, CT, overcame a one-lap deficit after
cutting his left-rear tire in the late-stages of the race. He was the only
driver who had yet to pit during the final round of green flag stops. Ryan
Newman gave up the lead when he ran out of fuel and coasted into in the pits.
That allowed Logano to take the top spot for the first time. He then conserved
enough fuel before rain fell on the track. NASCAR displayed the red flag 28
laps short of the 301-lap scheduled distance, with the race being called
shortly after. Logano's first win came in his 20th start.
In 2008, Kurt Busch became a multiple winner of this race, as he defeated
Michael Waltrip under the caution for his 18th career Sprint Cup title. Busch,
who started 26th on the grid, led the final 10 laps to take the checkered
flag. Pole sitter Patrick Carpentier finished 31st, while Tony Stewart, who
placed 13th, led for a race-high 132 laps.
Starting in the 11th position, Denny Hamlin moved his way to the top and
reclaimed the lead on lap 256 of the 300-lap race and held on to defeat Jeff
Gordon by less than a second in 2007. Pole sitter Dave Blaney, who led the
first 30 laps, placed 29th. Hamlin led twice for 46 laps, as he recorded his
third of 19 career Sprint Cup titles. Dale Earnhardt Jr led six times for a
race-high 64 laps and finished fourth.
In 2006, Kyle Busch recorded his third career Sprint Cup title, as he crossed
the finish line 0.406 of a second ahead of Carl Edwards at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway. Busch reclaimed the lead from Elliott Sadler on lap 240 and held on
the rest of the way in front of an estimated crowd of 100,000. Busch, who
started fourth on the grid, led for a race-high 107 laps. Pole sitter Ryan
Newman, who led for just 16 laps, placed 39th out of 43 cars. Only six cars
failed to finish the race.
Tony Stewart led a whopping 232 of the 300 laps in 2005 to win his 22nd of 46
career Sprint Cup titles. Stewart crossed the finish line 0.851 of a second
ahead of defending champion Kurt Busch. Pole sitter Brian Vickers finished
11th. With his win, Stewart joined Jeff Burton as the only multiple winner of
this race. Burton won this race three consecutive seasons from 1997 through
1999. Stewart won this race for the first time in 2000.
Kurt Busch swept both NHMS events in 2004, the second consecutive year a
driver had won both races. Busch captured the New England 300 later that year
by less than a second over Jeff Gordon after a late-race caution for his 10th
of 24 career Sprint Cup victories. In 2003, Jimmie Johnson won both NHIS
races.
This and That about NHMS: Groundbreaking for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway
was August 13, 1989. It was the first superspeedway to be constructed in the
United States since 1969. The official opening was June 5, 1990 with the first
race being a Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990. The track was renamed
New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008. There have been 34 Sprint Cup races at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one a year from 1993 through 1996 and two-a-year
since. Four drivers have competed in all 34 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon,
Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek. Burton is a four-time winner at the "Magic
Mile."
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the July 29 Crown Royal 400 at the
Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Paul Menard is the defending race
winner.
07/10 16:22:47 ET
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As of July 10, 2012, at 04:23 PM ET
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