LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Qualifying Update

New Hampshire International Speedway -- 06/29/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Sunday Jun 29 2008 1:13am

"The birthplace of track position."

That's how Ryan Newman characterized Loudon Saturday, adding that almost all the passing will take place on pit road.

His description, coming hours before the Nationwide Series race, seemed rather prophetic. Tony Stewart (+1150) took two tires for track position Saturday and, as we've seen so many times this year, got out front, got clean air on his nose and never looked back.

Jeff Gordon's Cup crew chief, Steve Letarte, assisting with the TV broadcast of today's NWS race, summarized the race and Loudon in general this way: "Track position, track position, track position."

Think they're trying to tell us somethingΔ

The issue of track position will be even more compelling than usual Sunday, thanks to a rain-interrupted qualifying session that saw the starting lineup turned somewhat topsy-turvy.

And speaking of weather, the forecast is not looking too good for race day, with at least a 30% chance of showers or more, depending on who you ask.

It was an afternoon rain shower Friday that created the unexpected starting lineup for Sunday's race, including Patrick Carpentier capturing the pole in just his 17th Cup start. The track had obviously cooled after the rain, creating favorable qualifying conditions, as all but one of the top 10 starting spots went to drivers who qualified after the delay. The exception was Reed Sorenson, who went out 11th, well before the rain came. Additionally, 4 of the top 10 are go-or-go-home drivers, including Carpentier.

Here's how the top 10 drivers will line up Sunday:

Row 1: Patrick Carpentier / Bobby Labonte
Row 2: Kevin Harvick / Scott Riggs
Row 3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. / Reed Sorenson
Row 4: Dario Franchitti / Martin Truex Jr.
Row 5: Matt Kenseth / AJ Allmendinger

Carpentier won the pole with a 129.776 mile per hour, 29.349-second lap; he, Riggs, Franchitti, and Allmendinger are all GOGHers. Carpentier and Franchitti are rookies in the Cup series. Tony Raines and Marcos Ambrose did not qualify.

The top eight consists of four Dodges and four Chevys, with Kenseth (+1785) the only Ford driver in the top 10 and Allmendinger the only Toyota.

A few notable names starting 30th or lower include Jeff Burton (+2350) at 31st and David Ragan (+8000) at 35th.

Denny Hamlin (+1025), who won this race last July, starts 12th while Clint Bowyer (+1185), who went to Victory Lane in September, starts 18th. Hamlin has the best average finish of any active driver at Loudon with more than one start.

Though everyone is talking about the importance of track position here because of the difficulty passing (particularly now in the COT), it is intriguing to note that only a third of the 26 races have been won from a top-5 starting spot.

Jeff Burton, a four-time winner at Loudon, holds the record for the deepest starting position for a race winner - 38th in 1999.

In the fall of 2000, Burton started on the outside pole and led every lap - all 300 - to win the New Hampshire race that year. It was the only Cup race not held at Daytona or Talladega to use a restrictor plate, while the deaths earlier in the year of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin at Loudon were being investigated.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who had one of the earliest qualifying draws, will start 32nd, but Montoya looked very strong across the board in practice. He was 3rd in practice on Friday with a 29.629, and led both practices on Saturday.

The only other drivers to run in the top 10 in all three practices were Kevin Harvick, who paced the Friday morning session, Reed Sorenson, and Jeff Gordon, who starts 19th.

Following Montoya in Happy Hour times on Saturday were Jimmie Johnson (+585), Sorenson, Harvick (+725), Greg Biffle (+1585), Gordon (+725), Earnhardt Jr. (+725), Ryan Newman (+3850), Kasey Kahne (+1385), and Franchitti.

Kyle Busch (+785) had the fastest Toyota in final practice, running 13th with a 30.82. He starts 27th.

Thanks to his pole position start, Patrick Carpentier got the first pit stall selection and logically chose pit stall No. 1. Speaking of the number "1", do you know why this race is named the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 rather than the Lenox Industrial Tools 300Δ

Because the title sponsor, Lenox Tools, wants you to know that their employees always "go the extra mile" for you. Really.