Sylvania 300 Betting News and Notes

Driver Highlights - New Hampshire

1 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.1

2011 Rundown

Four wins, eight top fives, 14 top 10s
Average finish of 11.3
Led 12 races for 332 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

One win, five top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 14.2 in 21 races
Average Running Position of 13.6, 11th-best
Driver Rating of 91.1, 10th-best
Average Green Flag Speed of 124.016 mph, 10th-fastest
2,324 Laps in the Top 15 (60.1%), ninth-most

2 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.3

2011 Rundown

One win, four top fives, 12 top 10s
Average finish of 13.7
Led 14 races for 375 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Two wins, 13 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 12.0 in 25 races
Average Running Position of 9.0, second-best
Series-best Driver Rating of 114.0
Series-high 381 Fastest Laps Run
641 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 124.510 mph, second-fastest
3,153 Laps in the Top 15 (81.5%), second-most
423 Quality Passes, third-most

3 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Scotts Winterguard Ford)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.9

2011 Rundown

One win, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
Average finish of 10.7
Led 18 races for 597 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Two top fives, two top 10s
Average finish of 14.4 in 14 races
Average Running Position of 14.0, 12th-best
Driver Rating of 88.4, 11th-best
2,165 Laps in the Top 15 (56.0%), 11th-most

4 - Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.0

2011 Rundown

One win, seven top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles
Average finish of 12.6
Led 15 races for 612 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Three wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
Average finish of 13.5 in 21 races
Average Running Position of 12.1, seventh-best
Driver Rating of 95.4, sixth-best
144 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 124.168 mph, sixth-fastest
2,801 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), fifth-most
412 Quality Passes, fourth-most

5 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.2

2011 Rundown

Four top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 13.9
Led 8 races for 50 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Six top fives, 10 top 10s
Average finish of 16.7 in 24 races
Average Running Position of 12.0, sixth-best
Driver Rating of 97.1, fifth-best
196 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
719 Green Flag Passes, second-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 124.361 mph, third-fastest
2,874 Laps in the Top 15 (74.3%), fourth-most
424 Quality Passes, second-most

6 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.6

2011 Rundown

One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
Average finish of 12.9
Led 13 races for 285 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Three wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s; five poles
Average finish of 12.4 in 19 races
Average Running Position of 13.3, eighth-best
Driver Rating of 94.6, eighth-best
136 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 124.017 mph, ninth-fastest
2,788 Laps in the Top 15 (72.1%), sixth-most
339 Quality Passes, seventh-most

7 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.0

2011 Rundown

Three wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 15.2
Led 13 races for 272 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

One top 10; one pole
Average finish of 21.3 in four races
Average Running Position of 21.3, 21st-best
Driver Rating of 68.8, 22nd-best

8 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.3

2011 Rundown

One win, 11 top fives, 18 top 10s
Average finish of 10.6
Led 15 races for 694 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Three wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s
Average finish of 9.6 in 19 races
Average Running Position of 10.2, third-best
Driver Rating of 105.8, third-best
319 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
605 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 124.268 mph, fourth-fastest
3,140 Laps in the Top 15 (81.2%), third-most
411 Quality Passes, fifth-most

9 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&Ms Toyota)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.9

2011 Rundown

Four wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 11.3
Led 20 races for 1,188 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

One win, four top fives, six top 10s
Average finish of 16.3 in 13 races
Average Running Position of 16.1, 16th-best
Driver Rating of 88.2, 13th-best
119 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
627 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
2,193 Laps in the Top 15 (56.7%), 10th-most
319 Quality Passes, 10th-most

10 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Affliction Clothing Ford)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.1

2011 Rundown

Two wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
Average finish of 12.3
Led 15 races for 625 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Five top fives, 11 top 10s
Average finish of 14.4 in 23 races
Average Running Position of 17.9, 19th-best
Driver Rating of 76.9, 20th-best
Series-high 741 Green Flag Passes

11 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.6

2011 Rundown

Three wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
Average finish of 12.0
Led 17 races for 721 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

Three wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s; three poles
Average finish of 11.0 in 33 races
Series-best Average Running Position of 7.8
Driver Rating of 107.3, second-best
310 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
650 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 124.520 mph
Series-high 3,446 Laps in the Top 15 (89.1%)
Series-high 471 Quality Passes

12 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)

Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.3

2011 Rundown

One win, four top fives, 10 top 10s
Average finish of 16.7
Led 14 races for 392 laps

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook

One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
Average finish of 7.2 in 11 races
Average Running Position of 10.9, fourth-best
Driver Rating of 100.5, fourth-best
96 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
Average Green Flag Speed of 124.242 mph, fifth-fastest
2,437 Laps in the Top 15 (74.6%), eighth-most
387 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at New Hampshire (in order of points):

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: First, 2,054 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Stretched fuel to the checkered flag and finished second.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 21

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (2006)

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: Second, -7 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 7

CAR: No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Snapped a 32-race winless streak with first victory of season.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 25

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (2000, 2005)

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: Third, -10

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Finished fourth after running in top-10 all race.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 14

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 2nd (2006)

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: Fourth, -11

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 3

CAR: No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Had an uneventful sixth-place run.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 21

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (2004-twice, 2008)

Driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

CHASE POINTS: Fifth, -13 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 5

CAR: No. 88 AMP Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Worked to get inside top-10 and finished 3rd after others ran out of gas.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 24

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 3rd (2004)

DRIVER: Ryan Newman

CHASE POINTS: Sixth, -14 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2

CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Had an uneventful eighth-place run.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 19

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (2002, 2005, 2011)

Driver: Brad Keselowski

CHASE POINTS: Seventh, -14 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 4

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Fell back in the field early, but ended day with fifth-place finish.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: Four

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 6th (2009)

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: Eighth, -16

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Ran out of gas on final lap and finished 10th.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 19

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (2003-twice, 2010)

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: Ninth, -19

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 8

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Ran out of gas on final lap and finished 22nd.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 13

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (2006)

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: 10th, -24

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 6

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Ran out of gas on last lap then penalized because JJ Yeley pushed him across the finish line. Dropped to 21st in the final running order.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 23

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 2nd (2004)

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: 11th, -25

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 8

CAR: No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Came back from a flat tire to crack top-10, but ran out of gas on final lap and finished 24th.

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 33

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (1995, 1997, 1998)

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: 12th, -41 points

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Finished 31st because of a loose wheel and a flat tire

CAREER NEW HAMPSHIRE STARTS: 11

BEST NEW HAMPSHIRE FINISH: 1st (2007)

Driver Handicaps: New Hampshire
By: John Singler

To help you make your fantasy racing picks for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Motor Racing Network brings you our weekly look at some of the field for the 300-lap race.

Who’s HOT at New Hampshire

Denny Hamlin, a winner at “The Magic Mile” in 2007, leads all drivers with a 7.2 average finish.

Tony Stewart leads all drivers with a 114.0 rating and 847 laps led, is a two-time NHMS winner and also is coming off a victory in last weekend’s Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway.

Ryan Newman won this year’s first race in New Hampshire, his third victory on the Loudon oval, and had top-10 finishes in each of last year’s events.

Jimmie Johnson also is a three-time winner at NHMS and has a driver rating of 105.8 on the 1.058-mile track. He finished fifth there in July.

Who’s NOT HOT at New Hampshire

Brad Keselowski has finished no higher than 18th in his last three starts and was 35th there in this year’s first race July 17.

Matt Kenseth’s average finish in his last seven starts is 23rd and he is one of four drivers in this year’s Chase who is without a Sprint Cup Series victory in New Hampshire.

Besides Keselowski and Kenseth, the other Chase drivers still looking for their first NHMS win are Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both finished outside the top ten in July’s race.

Who Else to Watch at New Hampshire

A second-place finish in last weekend’s Chase opener lifted Kevin Harvick into the points lead. The Richard Childress Racing driver has led 251 laps in his last 13 Loudon starts and won this race in 2006.
Kurt Busch has a driver rating of 95.4 and has finished sixth or better in five of his last seven starts, including a victory in 2008. He led 66 laps en route to a 10th-place finish in July.

With an average finish of 11.7 and a driver rating at 107.3, Jeff Gordon deserves a close look this weekend. He does have three wins in New Hampshire, but the last one came in 1998.

Clint Bowyer’s a two-time winner of this race and has led 425 laps over the last six seasons, second only to Tony Stewart.

Sylvania 300 Preview
By Micah Roberts

Race 2 of NASCAR's Chase for the Championship takes us to Loudon, New Hampshire for some flat-track racing. This will be the second time the series has stopped at the one-mile facility. Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart had a 1-2 finish in July which gives us a lot to work with when breaking down who might do well this week.

In addition to the July race, we can also reference Phoenix and both Richmond races to get a read on who the top drivers might be this week. Although none of the three tracks have the same layout, the banking and short distances are similar which means that if certain teams do well on one track, they’re likely to do the same on the other.

Even though Martinsville is half the distance of New Hampshire, we’re seeing a lot more teams incorporate their chassis set-up -- and sometimes the actual car -- from there to the three other tracks just because of the banking, or lack thereof.

We also can put a lot more weight into what we just saw two weeks at Richmond because it is the most recent run, a race won by Kevin Harvick with Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon in tow.

However, based on how this wild season has gone with five first-time winners and 14 different drivers taking the checkers, it could be argued that past trends mean as little as they ever have.

It’s almost a crap shoot every week and it doesn’t help that this years ridiculous practice schedule with only two practice sessions happening and both come before qualifying. It’s become harder than ever to weed out the good practice times in race trim from those in qualifying trim. The fastest 10-consecutive lap stat helps, but there is nothing like having a ’Real’ Happy Hour where all the cars have their optimum set-up ready to race.

What we have now is teams getting their cars set perfect for race conditions and then having to reset it for qualifying. Even though they have notes to re-set the car back up that was the best during practice, it’s almost impossible to get it back as perfect after resetting it for qualifying. It’s like starting all over again and they don’t have a practice to show that they got it back correct, they have to make the changes needed during the race.

If anything, I think the practice schedule has a lot to do with all the parity we’re seeing right now.

However, we're in luck this week as we have the traditional schedule of practices. The first practice session will be held before qualifying, which will be used almost exclusively in qualifying trim. On Saturday, we have two sets of practices which will be used for race trim only. Those who are good in practice will be able to roll the exact same set-up out onto the track.

Harvick leads a list of drivers who should be keyed on this week just because of the car he's using. The 2006 New Hampshire winner will be using a chassis that most recently won at Richmond, which also happened to win at Martinsville. All flat tracks, and they account for half of his season wins.

It also helps siding with Harvick this week knowing that he loves racing on these types of tracks.

"I always look forward to going to New Hampshire," Harvick said earlier this week. "I like that type of track because it’s flat, similar to the tracks out west where I started my racing career. There’s a lot of braking. You have to really work on getting your car through the center of the corner and still have the forward drive you need up off the corner.”

Gordon has three Loudon wins over his career in 33 starts with his last win coming during his magical year of 1998. Since 2004, he’s been runner-up on four separate occasions and hasn’t finished worse than 15th. On the basis of his strong Richmond run recently, his Phoenix win and his current form everywhere, Gordon should be considered one of the favorites to win this week.

Gordon's 11th-place run in July may not looks so strong, but there was way more to the story in that race.

“We had a fast car that day," said Gordon, "and I’m really looking forward to going back there this weekend. Even after losing the lap because of the battery change, we were still able to work our way up through traffic pretty well. I wasn’t able to run any blowers (because of the electrical issues) and I think that’s what blew the right front at the end of the race. Hopefully, we don’t have any issues like that Sunday.

Denny Hamlin didn’t have a good run at Richmond two weeks ago, a track where he has always dominated, but he did show up for the last Loudon race with a third-place finish. He was also runner-up in the first Richmond race. In 11 starts on the track, Hamlin has finished in the top-10 eight times with a win in 2007.

Hamlin's goal will be to start his weekend off strong in qualifying trim.

"New Hampshire can be a tricky place to pass so we’ll be looking to qualify close to the front because that goes a long way at this track," explained Hamlin. "We know we need to be running in the top-five or top-10 all day to be in position at the end.”

Jimmie Johnson is a three-time winner at New Hampshire with the last win coming in the spring race last season. In 19 starts he’s finished 15th or better in 17 of them. This is the time that Johnson is supposed to turn it on like he has every year. No one has more Chase wins than Johnson.

Newman was strong in the first Loudon race this year and it gave him his third career New Hampshire win. He's always done well on the track over his career, but doesn't exactly know why.

“New Hampshire has always been a good place for me, I’m not a hundred percent sure why. It’s the place of my first win, when I hadn’t won in a long while, 70 some races. I won again there. This past July we were able to qualify and finish 1-2 at Stewart-Haas. It’s a fun race, it’s a very finesse racetrack."

Stewart settled for his fourth runner-up finish at New Hampshire since his last win in 2005. Stewart has two career wins on the track. Because of how good Stewart and Newman were the last time around, they should be again considered top candidates to win.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:

1) #29 Kevin Harvick (7/1)
2) #14 Tony Stewart (6/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (6/1)
5) #39 Ryan Newman (15/1)

Johnson favored to win Sylvania 300
By: Brian Graham

The Chase for the Cup continues in the Northeast on Sunday as the NASCAR drivers try their luck at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This intermediate track, completed in 1990, is a 1.058-mile oval with variable degrees (2-to-7) of banking on the turns, with a one-degree banking on the two stretches, which both measure 1,500 feet.

Drivers to Watch

Kurt Busch (15/1) - His odds are wonderful considering Busch has three victories and seven career top-5 finishes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has also been great recently, placing fourth, fifth and sixth in his past three races. If you only have one driver to play on this board, Kurt Busch should be your selection with the hefty payout.

Ryan Newman (15/1) - He also has intriguing odds at 15-to-1, considering he won in New Hampshire two months, marking his third career victory on this track. He has 13 top-10’s in 19 career races at New Hampshire. He has also been racing very well recently, finishing in the top-8 in seven of his past 10 starts. At 15-to-1, he’s worth a putting a Unit on.

Jimmie Johnson (5/1) – Sunday’s race favorite is desperate for a victory, as Johnson has gone 19 straight starts without a win. He has been tremendous in New Hampshire in his career though, and like Newman, has also placed in the top-10 in 13 of 19 starts in Loudon. Included in this number are three victories and seven top-5’s. But his odds are too small to risk a lot of money on, so you should spend elsewhere.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (20/1) – He is the only driver in the Chase without a win this year, but he should gain some much-needed confidence after placing third in Chicago last week. And although Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t won at New Hampshire either, he does have six career top-5 finishes at this track, all coming in his past 16 races in Loudon. At 20-to-1, he is the best longshot out there.

Mark Martin (40/1) - Martin is also a tremendous longshot to bet a Unit on, having won this race in 2009, and tallying eight other top-5 career finishes in New Hampshire. If you don’t count his accident in the Irwin Tools Night race, Martin has an average finish of 12.3 with four top-10’s in his past seven starts.

NASCAR Preview and Picks
By Greg Engle

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Sylvania 300, the world seemingly belongs to the driver duo that makes up Stewart-Haas Racing and shows no signs of changing anytime soon.

The two SHR drivers Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman make up this week’s favorites as NASCAR heads to Chase race No. 2.

Stewart is coming off his first win of the season, a surprise to many, at the rain-delayed race at Chicago. The win ended a 32-race winless streak for Stewart dating back to last October. It also came at a most opportune time - the first race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The two-time champion heads to New Hampshire second in the standings having vaulted up from ninth place, and is only seven points out of first. He’s hoping ride a tidal wave of momentum and Stewart will have a good chance of doing just that this weekend.

In a season filled with struggles, one of Stewart’s rare 2011 highlights was a strong second-place finish when the series visited here in July. He has two wins at New Hampshire and the highest driver rating among the Chase contenders (114.0). Stewart admits that the 1.058 track is among his favorites.

“Obviously, I like it because I’ve had success there,” Stewart told reporters. “But at the same time, it’s a tough track to pass on. You can be a couple of tenths faster than a guy, but it still takes you 20 laps to get by him… I enjoy racing there even though it is hard to pass. But when you’ve got a good car, it’s always fun to race. We were really good there in the spring. I am hoping that, that is a scenario, where what we had is going to be really close to what we are going to want this time around again.”

What the SHR team had here in July were cars that were the class of the field. Stewart finished second to his teammate Newman, another driver to watch this Sunday,

Newman scored his third career New Hampshire victory here in July winning from the pole - his only win of the season. He also has four Top-10 finishes in the last four races and six Top-5 finishes at New Hampshire. Newman’s on a roll and hopes to continue his forward progress with another win Sunday.

Never underestimate five-time himself, Jimmie Johnson. Johnson put together a decent show at Chicago, leading three times for 39 laps. He rolls into New Hampshire with three wins here and has finished in the Top 10 in eight of the last nine races. Johnson can spoil anyone’s victory party and could easily do so Sunday.

Non-Chase: The driver outside the Chase with perhaps the best opportunity to steal the spotlight this week is Clint Bowyer, who just missed the cut. Bowyer is the defending winner of this race and has won two of the last four races here.

Head-to-head: Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth are on opposite sides of the spectrum. The drivers that make up this week’s primetime matchup know how to win races, but Busch has all-or-nothing attitude while Kenseth is quiet and calculating. Busch has one victory here while Kenseth has never visited Victory Lane. However, while Busch has had some up-and-down weeks, Kenseth has remained somewhat consistent. If Busch is on his game Sunday, he could steal the entire show, but if he sticks his nose out too far, Kenseth could quietly pass him by. Look for Kenseth to at least finish ahead of Busch Sunday.

Neither Mark Martin or Greg Biffle are in the field for this year’s Chase. But both have scored wins here and are looking to vindicate themselves. While a win from either is unlikely, both will race hard to prove themselves. In this matchup though, look for Biffle to finish ahead of Martin.

Bottom Line: The deepest in the field that a New Hampshire race winner started was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.There have been five winners who started from the pole. The last race winner to win from the pole was Ryan Newman this past July.

Favorites:

Tony Stewart (+600)
Ryan Newman(+1,500)
Jimmie Johnson (+500)

NASCAR Practice Notes & Driver Ratings

This Week's Race: Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualified Practice 2 Practice 3
1 Jimmie Johnson 5/1 4th 10th 1st 3rd
Notes: Three-time winner with the last coming in 2010; using new chassis this week.

2 Kevin Harvick 7/1 11th 6th 3rd 9th
Notes: 2006 winner; using same chassis this week that won at Martinsville and Richmond.

3 Jeff Gordon 6/1 3rd 7th 5th 2nd
Notes: Three-time winner, the last coming in 1998; four runner-up finishes since 2004.

4 Kyle Busch 10/1 23rd 8th 7th 5th
Notes: 2006 winner with only two top-five finishes in 10 races since; new car this week.

5 Tony Stewart 6/1 14th 20th 11th 28th
Notes: Two-time winner, the last coming in 2005; using runner-up car from July NHMS race.

6 Ryan Newman 15/1 1st 1st 9th 6th
Notes: Three-time winner, site of his first and last win; using winning car from July NHMS race.

7 Kasey Kahne 40/1 2nd 2nd 14th 7th
Notes: Finished sixth in July race and had one of the better overall final two practice sessions.

8 Jeff Burton 40/1 9th 18th 2nd 4th
Notes: Four-time winner, the last coming in 2000; best 10-consecutive lap average of practice.

9 Denny Hamlin 8/1 19th 28th 22nd 15th
Notes: 2007 winner with a track best 7.2 average finish in 11 career starts; finished third in July.

10 Kurt Busch 15/1 32nd 5th 17th 2 2nd
Notes: Three-time winner, the last coming in 2008; using brand new chassis this week

Note: Note: Races run at Richmond, Martinsville and Phoenix this season can serve as a good barometer for handicapping New Hampshire due to the relatively flat banking on each.