dewalt tools : New Hampshire the First Battlefield

The 2006 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup opens Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway, where the top 10 drivers in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series standings will begin battling for the series title. The Chase is contested during the season’s final 10 events, a format now in its third season. It debuted in 2004.
• This year’s Chase field includes only three drivers from 2005 – standings leader Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DeWalt Power Tools Ford), second-place Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) and seventh-place Mark Martin (No. 6 AAA Ford).
• Five drivers – half the field – are making their Chase debuts. They are third-place Kevin Harvick (No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet), fourth-place Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet), fifth-place Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet), eighth-place Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet) and 10th-place Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge).
• Burton’s and Harvick’s inclusion marks the Chase debut for Richard Childress Racing.
• The 2006 field also includes – for the first time – a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate in Denny Hamlin.
• Two of NASCAR’s most recognized talents, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet), return after a year’s absence. Gordon is ninth the standings, Earnhardt sixth.
• Only three drivers – Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin – are three-time Chase participants.
• Following race No. 26 on the 36-race schedule, the top 10 drivers and any within 400 points of the leader are Chase-eligible. Last Saturday’s event at Richmond International Raceway set the Chase field, with 10 drivers to compete in this year’s Chase.
• Chase participants enter Sunday’s New Hampshire event with adjusted point totals. Kenseth, the standings leader, begins the Chase with 5,050 points, with each driver’s total below him falling in five-point increments. Johnson, in second, begins with 5,045 points. Kahne, in 10th, begins with 5,005.

CAUTION, TROUBLE AHEAD: NEW HAMPSHIRE NO EASY OPENER
The first Chase race has a short but prickly history of wreaking havoc on Chase participants’ chances. There’s no easing into race No. 27, which saw then-defending series champion Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) finish 35th in 2005, and Jeremy Mayfield and Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) finish 35th and 39th, respectively, in 2004 – all due to accidents.
• A good finish is crucial in every Chase event. The 2004 series title was decided by eight points – Kurt Busch’s margin of victory over runner-up Jimmie Johnson, which also was the closest finish in NASCAR history.
• Look for the trend to continue: Reigning champion Tony Stewart’s margin of victory over runner-up Greg Biffle (No. 16 National Guard Ford) last year was 35 points.
• Good finishes allow drivers to distance themselves from other Chase competitors. Drivers begin separated by only five points, so each matters during all 10 races.
• Seven of this year’s 10 Chase drivers finished in the top 10 of New Hampshire’s July event, including race winner Kyle Busch.

WATCH OUT FOR KYLE BUSCH: FIRST-TIME CHASE PARTICIPANT STRONG AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
While older brother Kurt Busch was frustrated at New Hampshire last September, Kyle Busch thrived there in July, winning his first New Hampshire event. He has two top-five finishes in three career starts there, with a 10.66 average finish.
• Busch is on a roll after notching two runner-up finishes in his last three events. He also gained one spot in the standings following last Saturday’s cutoff event at Richmond, climbing to fourth place. He trails leader Matt Kenseth by 15 points.
• Only a last-lap move by eventual winner Kevin Harvick last week at Richmond kept Busch from his second victory this season. He has 15 top-10 finishes, including eight in his last 10 events.
• Only two drivers have swept the two annual events at New Hampshire – Jimmie Johnson in 2003 and Kurt Busch in 2004.

(C) 2006 Backstretch Motorsports