Backstretch Motorsports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 23, 2008) – New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosts two of the most pivotal races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. The track is the first stop in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the final 10 races that determine the series champion.
But before that happens, NHMS this weekend will hold the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, the first event in the Race to the Chase – the 10 races prior to the Chase.
In other words, it’s “go” time.

Right now, arguably one driver needs to “go” more than any other: Tony Stewart.
And if recent history holds true, he’ll make his move over this important 10-race span.
Though inside the Chase cutoff in 11th place, Stewart has had an inconsistent year. He has had five top-five finishes this year, but has also had four finishes outside the top 30 (including a last-place finish at Las Vegas).
The good news: Stewart is a notoriously late bloomer. In four of the last five seasons, it took Stewart at least 14 races for his first victory.
According to the statistics, it is at the upcoming 10 tracks where Stewart makes up more ground than almost any other driver. Here are his combined career numbers from those 10 tracks:
- 18 wins
- 59 top fives
- 91 top 10s
- 13.2 average finish
- 107.2 Driver Rating
His Driver Rating may be the most impressive. Over the last three seasons, Stewart leads in Driver Rating at those tracks by a large margin. His 107.2 rating is nine points ahead of second-best Matt Kenseth’s 98.2.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Driver Races Poles Wins Top Fives Top 10s DNFs Average Finish Driver Rating

1 Kyle Busch 6 0 1 3 3 0 14.2 96.2
2 Jeff Burton 26 0 4 7 12 3 13.2 94.6
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 17 0 0 4 7 3 17.5 99.5
4 Carl Edwards 7 0 0 1 1 0 13.7 86.0
5 Jimmie Johnson 12 0 2 3 7 0 10.7 96.7
6 Jeff Gordon 26 3 3 12 15 2 11.6 108.7
7 Greg Biffle 11 0 0 3 4 2 19.4 88.7
8 Denny Hamlin 4 0 1 2 3 0 6.5 102.4
9 Kasey Kahne 8 0 0 1 4 1 15.6 76.9
10 Clint Bowyer 4 1 1 1 1 0 22.3 88.0
11 Tony Stewart 18 1 2 10 11 2 12.8 117.9
12 Matt Kenseth 16 0 0 5 11 0 10.5 86.1

Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at New Hampshire. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• One win, three top fives
• Average finish of 14.2
• Average Running Position of 13.0, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 96.2, eighth-best
• 95 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.388 mph, seventh-fastest
• 1,213 (67.1%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
• 148 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet)
• Four wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.2
• Average Running Position of 12.1, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 94.6, ninth-best
• 373 Green Flag Passes, tied for 10th-most
• 1,241 (68.6%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Four top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 17.5
• Average Running Position of 12.7, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 99.5, sixth-best
• 91 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• 307 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.666 mph, third-fastest
• 1,328 (73.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
• Series-high 198 Quality Passes

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Three wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 11.6
• Series-best Average Running Position of 7.1
• Driver Rating of 108.7, second-best
• 162 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 273 Green Flag Passes, tied for 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.717 mph, second-fastest
• Series-high 1,600 (88.5%) Laps in the Top 15
• 187 Quality Passes, third-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• One win, two top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 6.5
• Average Running Position of 10.3, third-best
• Driver Rating of 102.4, fourth-best
• 986 (81.6%) Laps in the Top 15, third-best percentage
• 151 Quality Passes (average of 37.8 per race), series-best average

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• One win, three top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 12.6
• Average Running Position of 10.6, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 102.0, fifth-best
• 96 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.459 mph, fifth-fastest
• 1,298 (71.8%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-best

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two wins, three top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 10.7
• Average Running Position of 12.6, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 96.7, seventh-best
• 70 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
• 1,422 (78.7%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 186 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
• Two wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 11.1; Finished ninth in September
• Average Running Position of 12.4, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 102.7, third-best
• 92 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 124.484 mph, fourth-fastest
• 1,448 (80.1%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 157 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Two wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 12.8
• Average Running Position of 9.6, second-best
• Series-best Driver Rating of 117.9
• Series-high 189 Fastest Laps Run
• Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 124.790 mph
• 1,498 (82.9%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 192 Quality Passes, second-most

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History
• Groundbreaking for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway was Aug. 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 NASCAR Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990.
• The track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on July 11, 1993.
Notebook
• There have been 26 NASCAR 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 26 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
• Mark Martin won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.
• Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
• There have been 14 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (four).
• 17 different drivers have posted victories led by Jeff Burton (four).
• Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) are the only drivers that have posted season sweeps. Those are also the only back-to-back winners.
• Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have each won six races, more than any other organization.
• Chevrolet has won 12 New Hampshire races – including five of the past six.
• 14 of 26 races have been won from the top 10 starting positions, including four from the pole.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner started was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.
• There has been one postponed/re-scheduled race at New Hampshire. The 2001 fall race – the season finale – was run in November, after being rescheduled following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
• Qualifying at New Hampshire has been canceled three times: September 2001, July 2003 and September 2004.
• Prior to this weekend’s race, all NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been scheduled for 300 laps. This Sunday’s race is scheduled for 301 laps.
• Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.
• Denny Hamlin has an average finish of 6.5 in four races at New Hampshire – the best of any driver with more than one race there. He has one victory, three top-10s and a worst finish of 15th. Hamlin has led in three of his four races.
• The driver that led the most laps has won the race at New Hampshire in 12 of the 26 races, including three of the last four.
• There have been seven different pole winners in the past eight New Hampshire races (qualifying was canceled once in the eight-race period).
• There have been seven different race winners in the past seven New Hampshire races.

NASCAR in New Hampshire

• There have been 26 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in New Hampshire – all at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• 13 NASCAR drivers in the three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as New Hampshire.
• There has been one race winner from New Hampshire in NASCAR’s three national series:
Driver NSCS NNS NCTS
Jamie Aube 0 1 0
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 17 of 36 (6-29-08)
Track Size: 1.058 miles
Race Length: 318.458 miles (301 laps)

Driver Rating at New Hampshire
Tony Stewart 117.9
Jeff Gordon 108.7
Ryan Newman 102.7
Denny Hamlin 102.4
Kevin Harvick 102.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 99.5
Jimmie Johnson 96.7
Kyle Busch 96.2
Jeff Burton 94.6
Mark Martin 92.1
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at New Hampshire.

Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: Dave Blaney (129.437 mph, 29.426 seconds)
2006 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 108.215 mph, 7-1-07)
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman (133.357 mph, 28.561 secs., 9-12-03)
Track race record: Jeff Burton (117.134 mph, 7-13-97)
Estimated Pit Window: 70-78 laps, based on fuel mileage.