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Track Facts:
Banking/Turns: 12° turns, 2° straights
Distance: one lap 1.058 miles
300 laps (317.4 miles)
Shape: Oval

Syvania 300
Sunday, September 14
New Hampshire International Speedway
London, NH
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. EST

Schedule
Practice
12:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. EST, Friday, September 12
9:00-9:50 a.m. EST, Practice Saturday, September 13
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST, Final Practice September 13

Qualifying
3:15 p.m. EST, Friday, September 12, Two laps all positions (SpeedTV)

Race Day Sunday, September 14
1:30 p.m. EST, Driver introduction
2:00 p.m. EST, 300 laps, 317.4 miles
TV: ABC 2:00 p.m. EST start
Radio: Motor Racing Network (PRN), XM Radio
2007 winner Clint Bowyer

Check the SPEED Channel schedule (speedtv.com) for various programs on the race this weekend.

Race Preview

Quotes from Chad McCumbee:
 “This will be my first time in a Cup race during ‘The Chase’ and I’m looking forward to it.  I’m not making very many Cup starts this year, but I want to show these guys that I belong on the same track as them.  So the challenge is to race hard and earn their respect, but also be cautious that there are drivers out there racing for a championship.  This is where I want to be.  I want to race in the Sprint Cup Series and a race like this weekend can go a long way in helping me achieve that goal.”
 
“I’m probably fortunate that we are coming off a race at Gateway last weekend in the truck.  It’s similar to Loudon in size and that it’s fairly flat.  I finished 11th in that race so I have confidence that I can run well this weekend too.  You look for a different feel on a flat track because there is no banking to lean on.  So having just competed on one will, hopefully, have me comfortable right out of the box.” 
 
Robbie Loomis on Chad McCumbee:
 “This weekend for Chad is all about experience.  While he can now be considered a veteran of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, it’s important for us to get him as much Sprint Cup experience as possible to get him acclimated to this style of car.  I know he has a lot of talent.  The more seat time we give him now will pay off in the future for Chad and Petty Enterprises.”

Qualifying Results

1. Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. Carl Edwards, Ford
3. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet
5. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
21. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
40. Chad McCumbee, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

For the second consecutive week, Mother Nature has washed out qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event. This time it was the Sylvania 300 time trials that fell victim to rain.

The 43 car field will be lined up based on the NASCAR rulebook, which utilizes the owner point’s standings to set the field.

Race Results

1. Greg Biffle, Ford
2. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
3. Carl Edwards, Ford
4. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet
5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet
13. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
41. Chad McCumbee, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

Greg Biffle fired the first volley of the 10 race “Chase for the Sprint Cup” by winning Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Biffle passed Jimmie Johnson, winner of the last two Sprint Cup races, with a handful of laps remaining and held him off to take the checkered flag.

Johnson and Edwards are now tied atop the standings. Biffle, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jeff Burton round out the top-five. Kyle Busch, who entered the ‘Chase’ with a 30 point lead, saw it evaporate in one race. He is now eighth in points.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team finished 13th on Sunday. The team had a great day of practice on Saturday, placing in the top-five fastest cars during each session, and were quietly picked by many in the garage area to contend of the win. Qualifying was rained out on Friday, however, and Labonte was forced to start the race from the 21st position based on the team’s standing in owner’s points. At the start of the event, Labonte had to deal with a chassis that was ‘tight’ in the middle of the corners and ‘loose’ coming off, which is typical characteristic of racing at New Hampshire. Crew chief Jeff Meendering made several air pressure and wedge adjustments to the No. 43 Dodge and Labonte’s lap times began to improve. The first half of the race featured two long green flag runs. This allowed Meendering to develop a pit strategy that would give Labonte a chance to capitalize on a solid finish. However, the last 100 laps would be caution-filled and the team was not able to take advantage of the two-tire stops and fuel strategy called for by Meendering.

“We were just too tight all day. We freed our Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge up, but it also made the car come out of the race track and I just couldn’t gain any more positions. Once I fell back to 13th, it became a real hard fought battle and it’s just really tough to pass that many cars in front of you. Jeff did a great job calling the race and the pit crew did an awesome job on the stops today. We just couldn’t gain enough track position.”

Chad McCumbee and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team finished 41st in the race. McCumbee was making his first career Sprint Cup start at New Hampshire. Like his teammate, McCumbee was ‘tight’ at the start of the race. The track conditions on Sunday were much cooler than they had been all weekend and this contributed to the ‘tight’ condition. McCumbee lost a lap early, but was able to get it back via a ‘Lucky Dog’ award during a lap 82 caution period. By lap 199, crew chief Stewart Cooper made the necessary adjustments to the No. 45 chassis and McCumbee was able to set his sights on a solid finish. However, he was hit from behind by another competitor on lap 229 and hit the outside wall. The damage was severe enough to end his day early.

“I just feel like someone got into us. It was unfortunate. I was riding around minding my own business. I feel like we were going to have a top-25 or top-30 – that would have been awesome for the team, points-wise. I’m pretty frustrated, but I understand it’s racing. I haven’t seen the replay, but I know that someone got into me. They were way down on the apron and I’m sure that they just slid up into us. I’ve got to thank all the guys on the Marathon American Spirit Motor Dodge team. We were going to have a good day.”

Kyle Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.
Richard Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.