Post Race Report - New Hampshire
Event:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 (Race No. 27 of 36)
Location:
New Hampshire Motor Speedway; Loudon, N.H.
Top-five finishers:
Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Jeff
Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Race recap:
Greg Biffle passed Jimmie Johnson with 12 laps to go and
held in to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway on Sunday. The race was the 27th of the season, but the first
in the 10-race playoffs that will decide the next series champion.
It appeared as though Johnson would win his third race in a row, taking the lead by beating all the lead lap drivers off pit road on a round of yellow flag pit stops on lap 216. He paced the field for the next 74 circuits around the 1.058-mile track before Biffle decided to flex his muscles and take the lead.
Overall there were 13 lead changes on the day. The race was slowed by eight caution periods, six of those over the final 87 laps after a relatively clean start to the race. Included in the cautions was a 10-minute red flag for cleanup of a five-car accident.
With the series' championship standings re-racked before this race, Carl Edwards and Johnson vaulted into a tie for the lead after one of 10 playoff races. Race winner Biffle is currently in third, 30 points off the lead. Kyle Busch, the former championship leader who forfeited a 207-point cushion under NASCAR's rules, now sits in eighth place overall, 74 points behind Edwards and Johnson.
The Chase for the Championship continues at Dover International Speedway next Sunday.
Companion event:
Ron Hornaday led 149 of 200 laps to win the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series race at New Hampshire on Saturday. It was
Hornaday's fifth victory of the season. He now trails Johnny Benson by
74 points in the truck series standings.
Goodyear quote -- Justin Fantozzi:
"The side-by-side racing added to
the prerace excitement of this, the first race in the Chase for the
Sprint Cup. Our Goodyear Eagles were up to the challenge of full,
green-flag runs as teams used the wear and handling characteristics to
maximize their performance. Our Goodyear Wranglers also had great
performance during Saturday’s truck race here at the Magic Mile,
marking a successful weekend overall."
