The Chase begins here, Loudon. New Hampshire International Speedway, a superspeedway that is just over a mile and set in scenic New England, is the first race in the race for the chase. And what a way to get things started. Drivers have ten races to make it into the chase, so it’s now or never.

Loudon is a tough track but the drivers love it. The one-mile flat track has long straightaways and tight corners, so breaks may be a problem. Drivers speed down the straights and then have to break hard in the corners; this means more wear on the brakes. Wear on the brakes kicks up the brake dust, which makes things interesting for the tire-changers.

As always, fuel mileage strategy can play a factor as it has here in the past. I think last week at Sonoma taught us how important it can be. Because the track is shorter, some drivers near the back may decide to pit off-sequence in a bid to get to the front.

Loudon will make another appearance in this year’s schedule – the next one will be a race in the chase for the NEXTEL championship. Drivers will want to take note of how they run and keep notes on what they’ll need to fix when they return.

This is also a well-known track for some flaring tempers, so there is a chance someone will make a fool of themselves and give us all a good show.

The Rundown

I could not make my picks for this week without including the driver who has won the most races here. Jeff Burton has won four times here. He has struggled some lately, but Burton is a solid driver and cannot be counted out, especially at a track where he has been so successful.

My next pick has had a stressful week and I debated for just a second on picking his teammate/car owner Jeff Gordon. Jimmie Johnson has driven without Chad Knaus on the box and won before, and I think he can do so again. This might be just the kick he needed to get out the rut he has been in lately.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has reason to celebrate. He is not leaving DEI a lone man – he is bringing the man who was once his crew chief, Tony Eury, Sr.. He’s not going to Hendrick, but he’ll be leaving his position as director of competition at DEI to take on the same role at JR Motorsports. This good news could translate into a win at Loudon.

My next two picks could almost qualify as dark horse picks, possibly even more so than my actual dark horse pick himself. They each have two wins at this track and both are in need of a victory.

Ryan Newman, qualified twelfth in his number twelve car and I think he is coming back around to his winning ways. His numerous poles are all very well and good but he needs some stronger finishes and he should be able to do so at Loudon.

Another driver who needs some strong finishes and something to turn his year around is Kurt Busch. Last week was the first appearance of his new crew chief, Pat Tryson. Pat was a longtime crew chief of Mark Martin, so it will be interesting to see how he meshes with Kurt. I think it could be a good match, even though I don’t see how Kurt and Mark are too much alike.

Tuesday night I picked Martin Truex Jr. as my dark horse, and I’m going to stick beside him. This track will fit his driving style and I still say he’ll get his second win sometime this season.

Were the penalties handed down to Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson right?

Off the Beaten Path

I usually don’t put too much into my article about the latest happenings and goings on in NASCAR unless it has something to do with why I am picking a driver. I suppose this could fit under that category, but I am placing it here as an aside. It is no secret I am not a fan of either Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson, but I want to address the penalties handed down to them by NASCAR.

In our podcast Tuesday night, we discussed it, but after all the repeated statements of shock and surprise by Hendrick and the drivers, I feel I must address it again.

Pushing the envelope and trying to find new ways around the rules has been a staple of NASCAR for many years. Up until now, it has always been a matter of trying not to take it too far and get caught. When NASCAR introduced the COT, they told everyone not to make modifications and do not touch the car. That statement seems pretty black and white to me, therefore I have a hard time finding any ‘gray’ areas. 

Hendrick did get hit hard in that the twenty-four and forty-eight had to sit out practice and did not get to qualify for Sonoma plus the penalties assessed on Tuesday. The penalties assessed were the same as the number eight’s. However, after seeing how Dale Earnhardt Jr. was penalized, you’d think everyone else would step back and think twice before doing anything. This tells us that NASCAR has zero tolerance and woe to whoever tries to find gray areas again.

Jeff and Jimmie have both said that they get the picture, NASCAR is going to be strict. Kudos for NASCAR for sticking to their guns and getting their point across. But do we really think that they won’t have to do so again? Somewhere, there is a crew chief trying to figure out what to tweak next.

Have a question or comment for Jennifer? Email her at jenniferpatterson@sportsgrumblings.com