WWD: Lenox Industrial Tools 300
How the race was won
Busch
Kyle Busch started near the front and ran there almost all afternoon, leading a race-high 107 laps. And once his big brother's wreck with 70 or so to go re-cycled the running order, there was nobody who could stop Shrub – though fuel mileage came close, and a green-white-white-checkers finish also could have led to a different outcome.
Story of the race
Fuel mileage
Also, some would-be Chase contenders finding themselves in and/or getting themselves into trouble – and the points impact it all had.
Give 'em credit
Busch and the No. 5 team. The Hendrick youngster still likes to drive hard, and at times he goes too hard. After all, Carl Edwards might have won if Busch and teammate Jeff Gordon had taken each other out earlier in the day. But when Busch keeps it (mostly) clean, he's terrific. This team has got it going.
The Roush trifecta of Edwards, Greg Biffle and Mark Martin. The pressure has been on the first two to step up, and they did just that on Sunday. But Martin also needed a big day, as the No. 6 team has been a little off its game for a while now.
Denny Hamlin – who managed to hold on to a top-10 – led the rookie brigade, which could have placed all six drivers in the top 18 if not for bad luck and fuel mileage.
RCR. Again. Jeff Burton has himself and/or his team to blame for speeding on pit road and possibly taking himself out of the mix for the win, but the No. 31 recovered nicely. Kevin Harvick, meanwhile, keeps rolling.
Kasey Kahne desperately needed a top-10. Got it.
Even when he's off, Jimmie Johnson still is very good. He will be tough to beat in the Chase if he avoids bad luck.
A handful of other names deserve mention, including Scott Riggs, Dave Blaney and David Stremme – though Kurt Busch might not be happy to see that last name on this list.
Finally, New Hampshire International Speedway. Another capacity crowd, and increasingly strong race action. That track needed an overhaul, and it got it a couple of years back. It continues to improve.
What were they thinking?
Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart. They blame each other. Newman says he was faster than Stewart, while Stewart claims Newman didn't like being raced hard and just took Stewart out. Probably some truth to both, but the real truth is both should have known better. Yes, Newman was racing hard to get his laps back, but a wreck would all but destroy his Chase hopes – and eventually that is what happened. Stewart, meanwhile, also needed a big day. So rather than racing a guy hard who is trying to get one of his two laps back just because that's how he races you, maybe the better plan for Stewart would have been to worry more about continuing to run clean laps and lead the race. Who cares if Newman races Stewart hard? That wasn't the time to make a point. Mixing it up with Newman – even if the wreck was Newman's fault – was a terrible decision on Stewart's part, and he paid dearly for it.
There were others who played the bump and bang game, as well, but many of those incidents were "racin' deals" – though the Robby Gordon-Michael Waltrip fender-bender under caution makes one ponder.
Better luck next time
Sorenson
Reed Sorenson. And Elliott Sadler. And Jeremy Mayfield. And others bit by the fuel bug – especially since that absurd wreck under the final caution played a role.
Clint Bowyer had a big day going. He was part to blame for ruining it (and hurting Brian Vickers' effort), but still a tough break.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. appeared to be on his way to a top-10, but his motor had other plans.
Kurt Busch. He's in trouble.
By the way ...
TNT's coverage. OK, let's get this part out of the way: too many commercials. On to the good. Early on, there was plenty of good action throughout the field with not much going on at the front. Sometimes the telecast makes the mistake of focusing on the leaders, anyway, but TNT did not. Of course, that led to the telecast missing Burton finally completing his pass on Newman and pulling away. Still, TNT came back quickly from commercial when Stewart wrecked. Sure, many will be upset about the number of breaks, and rightly so. But Sunday's effort wasn't a total disaster.
How much does Ford love "American Idol?"
Anyone else think Newman backing down pit road to reach the garage entrance while other cars were pitting left a bit to be desired on the safety front?
High on the list of things we despise: the mid-green flag pit cycle caution flag.
High on the list of things we dig: the impending wild points battle to get into the Chase. This should be fun.
Grading the race
And it supposedly is impossible to pass at New Hampshire. For a while, this was a very solid Loudon show. Several different strong cars led at various points, though most of the good action happened behind the leaders – partly due to some drivers absolutely being able to work their way to the front from poor starting positions. Broken pit cycles bring strategy into play, which does spice things up – until good cars run out of fuel with what should have been negative laps to go. It was a solid Loudon effort, but the key wrecks and the bizarre end perhaps made this one too wacky to give a great grade, but also too memorable to give a bad one – especially considering the points impact the race had. Grade: B
From the source
Carl Edwards, who ended up winning the Busch race and finishing second in the Cup race: "I've run so badly here in the Cup car, it's embarrassing."
Ryan Newman on Loudon: "This is the birthplace of track position."
