NASCAR - Race for thr Chase Race #1, Loudon, N.H.Sun. 9/17 TNT/12:30 p.m. E.T.

Nascar.com,Jayski's ^

[Pete-R-Bilt]

New Hampshire International Speedway







A glance at the 10 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, in order of points standings:

Drivers in the Chase, a closer look

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,050

HOMETOWN: Cambridge, Wis.

AGE: 34

CAR: No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford

CREW CHIEF: Robbie Reiser

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (2003)

OUTLOOK: Kenseth, the driver many believe forced the Chase format because of his lackluster 2003 title run, has momentum on his side as he tries to win a championship under the new system. He's got four wins this season and has turned it up a notch heading into the Chase.

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,045

HOMETOWN: El Cajon, Calif.

AGE: 30

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Chad Knaus

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (2003, 2004)

OUTLOOK: Johnson, who has four wins this season, led the points for most of the year. A perpetual title contender, he's hoping this is the season he finally finishes the job.

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,040

HOMETOWN: Bakersfield, Calif.

AGE: 30

CAR: No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Todd Berrier

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 5th (2003)

OUTLOOK: Harvick is the darkhorse of this championship Chase. He's running away with the Busch Series title and will get extra track time running both schedules. A championship would be the first for Richard Childress Racing since Dale Earnhardt's 2001 death.

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,035

HOMETOWN: Las Vegas.

AGE: 21

CAR: No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Alan Gustafson

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 20th (2005)

OUTLOOK: After a rocky start to the season that had him on almost every driver's bad side, Busch has quietly stayed out of trouble and made himself a championship contender. Probably too immature to win a title just yet, but talented enough to make a run at it.

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,030

HOMETOWN: Chesterfield, Va.

AGE: 25

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Mike Ford

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: --

OUTLOOK: The surprise of the Chase field, the rookie has been impressive and thrust himself into Chase contention by sweeping the Pocono races. He lacks the experience to win the title this year but could pull off a stunner like he did at the start of the year when he won the Budweiser Shootout.

DRIVER: Dalr Earnhardt Jr.

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,025

HOMETOWN: Kannapolis, N.C.

AGE: 31

CAR: No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Tony Eury Jr.

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 3rd (2003)

OUTLOOK: Earnhardt is on a comeback after finishing a career-worst 19th in the standings last year. But he's been hit-or-miss this year and had a pair of engine failures at inopportune times. Unless he gets really hot, he's a longshot to win the title.

DRIVER: Mark Martin

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,020

HOMETOWN: Batesville, Ark.

AGE: 47

CAR: No. 6 AAA Ford

CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (1990, '94, '98, 2002)

OUTLOOK: Martin has yet to prove this season that his team is strong enough to win a title, and he's yet to win a race this year. But he'll go down fighting in what's likely his final season of full-time Cup racing.

DRIVER: Jeff Burton

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,015

HOMETOWN: South Boston, Va.

AGE: 39

CAR: No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Scott Miller

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 3rd (2000)

OUTLOOK: Although he's winless this season, Burton is having a tremendous year after several miserable seasons. He's led a ton of laps, but late-race slips have prevented him from making it to Victory Lane. If Burton can put it all together, he's got a chance.

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,010

HOMETOWN: Vallejo, Calif.

AGE: 35

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Steve Letarte

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)

OUTLOOK: After missing the Chase last year, Gordon's team has rebounded in hopes of getting him his fifth title. His season has just been OK by Gordon's standards, but the driver nicknamed "Money Man" is sure to turn it up a notch over the stretch run.

DRIVER: Kasey Kahne

ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,005

HOMETOWN: Enumclaw, Wash.

AGE: 26

CAR: No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

CREW CHIEF: Kenny Francis

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 13th (2004)

OUTLOOK: Kahne, who has five wins this season, dominated on 1.5-mile tracks earlier this year. With five of the Chase races on 1.5-milers, another hot streak could make him the runaway Chase winner

[WestCoastGal]

They should have worked it out with Robby Gordon....he has sponsors.

Since the boys were throwing pies on Regis the other day it appears Kevin got Denny back today.

[LasVegasMac]

I saw that! Harvick whacked him good! It was not just a "put this pie in your face" - it was with force!

KH had pie on his face afterward!

Hamlin, when asked, "It this over?".... "Oh no...I'll get with DeLana and we'll get something worked out!"

Ha

[SouthTexas]

I found one of those spots yesterday.

We've been getting scattered rain for bout a week now.

[tubebender]

Speaking of the FRFL did you notice there were 2 teams with 15 points and 1 with 13?

[SouthTexas]

I tried to get in a while ago, but couldn't get past the first page. I know I didn't get any points, so no push today. :)

[tubebender]

For Gear Heads only... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1702452/posts?page=1

[oxcart]

A little update;

Saturday's First Practice for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway is over, the fastest:
#29-Harvick 129.732
#20-Stewart 129.494
#31-Burton 129.459
#24-Gordon 129.353
#2-Busch 129.318
slowest: #61-Chaffin 124.556 and #89-Shepherd 126.547
no speed listed: #27-Christopher
most laps run: #12-Newman 56; #38-Gilliland 49
Best average speed [all laps averaged]
(from NASCAR.com's leaderboard service)
#99-Edwards 127.842 [8th fastest lap], 26 laps run
#20-Stewart 127.692 [2nd], 46 laps
#25-Vickers 127.546 [16th], 43 laps
(9-16-2006)


http://www.jayski.com/next/2006/practices/2006nhis2-prac.htm

[oxcart]

Here is the video;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgwTgElXgKE

[Pete-R-Bilt]

Craftsman Truck Race - Speed Channel - Ping

[vox_freedom]

Now, I know what the Pete-R-Bilt stands for: Truck Racing!

[Pete-R-Bilt]

LOL

If its racing, its good...

[vox_freedom]

I suppose NASCAR, in their brilliant quest to stop all controveries, will now institute an "anti-pie in the face" rule.

[SheLion]

Thanks for the ping!

Stupid question: What happened to the Busch race this week?

[Pete-R-Bilt]

Here's the Busch Schedule for the rest of the year. They're having an off week this week

09/23/06	Dover 200	Dover International Speedway	TNT/3 p.m.	MRN/--
09/30/06	Yellow Transportation 300	Kansas Speedway	TNT/3 p.m.	MRN/--
10/13/06	Dollar General 300	Lowe's Motor Speedway	TNT/8 p.m.	PRN/--
10/28/06	Sam's Town 250	Memphis Motorsports Park	NBC/2 p.m.	MRN/--
11/04/06	O'Reilly Challenge	Texas Motor Speedway	TNT/2 p.m.	PRN/--
11/11/06	Arizona.Travel 200	Phoenix International Raceway	NBC/3:30 p.m.	MRN/--
11/18/06	Ford 300	Homestead-Miami Speedway	TNT/7 p.m.	MRN/--
Gentlemen start your engines! CTS start comming up.

[glock rocks]

It's cold out there! Wazzup with dat?

Gotta go fetch some provisions. BBL.

[SheLion]

[WestCoastGal]

Hang onto your hats and pick wisely in the FRFL tomorrow.

---

Loudon where Chase dreams can be broken
Track has history of making, breaking streaks of success
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
September 15, 2006

LOUDON, N.H. -- New Hampshire International Speedway is usually called Loudon for short. The track could also go by a newer, subtle-as-a-sledgehammer name: Landmine.

More than any other track in the Chase -- with the exception of Talladega -- New Hampshire International Speedway looms as the most dangerous of the 10 tracks that host Chase races.

NO GIVE AND TAKE
Tony Stewart battled Ryan Newman, who was multiple laps down, so hard in July that it cost Stewart more than the lead at New Hampshire.


Even though the Chase format is only two years old, the track has already done its share of quashing title hopes before they even begin.

No one in the Nextel Cup garage has forgotten what happened here last fall, when 10 cautions knocked out a quarter of the field.

"You saw it with Scott Riggs and Kurt Busch in the first Chase race of last year in an accident down there on the first or second lap," said Greg Biffle, who clashed with Robby Gordon here in 2004. "Look at all the stuff that happened here."

Busch, trying to defend his Nextel Cup championship, was eliminated on Lap 3 last year after he tangled with Riggs. Busch was followed by TV cameras as he made the long walk down pit road to confront Riggs' crew chief.

Busch never recovered from the Loudon carnage because his title hopes effectively ended with the crash.

"I think we're going to see, not a mirror image of that, but we're going to see something of the sort on Sunday," Biffle said. "It's just that kind of track."

Busch's experience is remembered vividly by this year's Chase contenders.

Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch had a Lap 166 tiff in this race last year, with Kahne hitting Busch's car under caution. NASCAR parked Kahne for his actions and later fined him.

With both Busch and Kahne in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, each driver is cognizant of the track's dangers.

"This weekend could explode," Kahne said. "Who knows?"

Kyle Busch recalls the Tony Stewart-Ryan Newman incident here in July. Newman was two laps down and attempting to pass Stewart, but Stewart didn't budge, and the resulting crash sent Stewart to a 37th-place finish. The wreck knocked Stewart out of the top 10 in points, and his season has never recovered.


"It's definitely a tricky place," Busch said. "There are some guys that maybe get a little impatient trying to pass somebody and try to rough them up and get by them."

It may be coincidence, but the races at Loudon seem to have gotten hairier since the track was reconfigured.

In 2002, the apron was repaved in an effort to create more two-wide racing. The changes worked -- Newman beat Stewart in a thrilling side-by-side battle in 2005 -- but it is still difficult to pass at the 1.058-mile track.


http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/09/15/loudon.dangerous/index.html

[WestCoastGal]

 

Hi to everyone at Walter Reed!!

Ryan, Wild Bill, Rex, Jerry, Arnold, Cole, Brian, John, Joseph, Bobby,

Chris, Chuck, Aaron, Adam, Katey, Brian, Joshua, Bryant, Isaac, Mason,

Issac, Eduardo, Luther, Chris, Derek, Andrew, PD, David, Martin, Anthony,

Alexander, Eugene, Jayme, Tim, Maurice, Bob, Derick, Whephurn, Marian, Lucritia, Lyvell, Hassan, Uziel, William, Sidney, Adrian, Natasha, Zavian, Elijah, James, Verdina and Farai.

Now home with their families.....Bill, Wes [new daddy], Carlos, Jeremy are doing well from our DC FReeper report but Mike continues to need our prayers after a car accident.

Hugs, prayers and thank you to each and every one of you for protecting our country!!

God Bless

[glock rocks]

Hi to everyone at Walter Reed!!

Please pray on this day, and every day, for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.

The Federalist - It's right, and it's free.

[vox_freedom]

From article: "This weekend could explode," Kahne said. "Who knows?"

Well, now WE KNOW! Thanks WCG.