TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. (ET).
Radio: MRN/XM Satellite.
Race length: 300 Laps, 317 miles

---------------------------------------------

Race Lineup

Pos. Car Driver Make Sponsor Speed Time Behind
1 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 131.143 29.043 Leader
2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 131.076 29.058 -0.015
3 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 130.779 29.124 -0.081
4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DeWalt Power Tools 130.667 29.149 -0.106
5 10 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Valvoline 130.465 29.194 -0.151
6 38 Elliott Sadler Ford M&M's 130.305 29.230 -0.187
7 2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Miller Lite 130.229 29.247 -0.204
8 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 130.060 29.285 -0.242
9 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet GM Goodwrench 129.851 29.332 -0.289
10 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 129.820 29.339 -0.296
11 01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet U.S. Army 129.798 29.344 -0.301
12 97 Kurt Busch Ford Sharpie 129.727 29.360 -0.317
13 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Mobil 1/ALLTEL 129.657 29.376 -0.333
14 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Cingular Wireless 129.454 29.422 -0.379
15 6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra 129.441 29.425 -0.382
16 07 Dave Blaney Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 129.415 29.431 -0.388
17 18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 129.397 29.435 -0.392
18 43 Jeff Green Dodge Cheerios/Betty Crocker 129.397 29.435 -0.392
19 7 Robby Gordon Chevrolet Jim Beam 129.366 29.442 -0.399
20 42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Texaco Havoline 129.300 29.457 -0.414
21 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 129.221 29.475 -0.432
22 0 Mike Bliss Chevrolet NetZero Best Buy 129.129 29.496 -0.453
23 41 Casey Mears Dodge Target 129.081 29.507 -0.464
24 99 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Racing 129.003 29.525 -0.482
25 4 Mike Wallace Chevrolet Lucas Oil Products 128.989 29.528 -0.485
26 16 Greg Biffle Ford National Guard 128.963 29.534 -0.491
27 77 Travis Kvapil* Dodge Kodak/Jasper Engines 128.959 29.535 -0.492
28 21 Ricky Rudd Ford Motorcraft Genuine Parts 128.710 29.592 -0.549
29 11 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet FedEx Express 128.454 29.651 -0.608
30 5 Kyle Busch* Chevrolet Kellogg's 128.446 29.653 -0.610
31 25 Brian Vickers Chevrolet GMAC/ditech.com 128.230 29.703 -0.660
32 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet Tide 127.975 29.762 -0.719
33 88 Dale Jarrett Ford UPS 127.928 29.773 -0.730
34 151 Stuart Kirby Chevrolet Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 127.696 29.827 -0.784
35 175 Wayne Anderson Dodge Rinaldi Air Conditioning 127.564 29.858 -0.815
36 15 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts 127.453 29.884 -0.841
37 40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Coors Light 127.372 29.903 -0.860
38 34 Ted Christopher Chevrolet Mach One Inc. 127.248 29.932 -0.889
39 192 Joey McCarthy Chevrolet TrimSpa 126.909 30.012 -0.969
40 49 Ken Schrader Dodge Schwan's Home Service 126.749 30.050 -1.007
41 22 Scott Wimmer Dodge Caterpillar 126.500 30.109 -1.066
42 45 Mark Green Dodge Georgia-Pacific/Brawny 126.425 30.127 -1.084
43 50 Jimmy Spencer Dodge Allied Steel Structures 126.812 30.035 -0.992

Did not Qualify
44 200 Carl Long Dodge Royal Administration 126.761 30.047 -1.004
45 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Victory in Jesus/Dutch Quality Stone 126.643 30.075 -1.032
46 195 Stanton Barrett* Chevrolet Stanton Barrett Racing 126.412 30.130 -1.087
47 66 Mike Garvey* Ford EAS 126.140 30.195 -1.152
48 37 Tony Raines Dodge BoSPOKER.net 126.086 30.208 -1.165
49 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford Freddie B's - - -

+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie

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Happy Hour Speeds

Rank Car Driver Make Sponsor Speed Time Behind
1 #2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Miller Lite 130.765 29.127 Leader
2 #5 Kyle Busch* Chevrolet Kellogg's 130.492 29.188 -0.061
3 #97 Kurt Busch Ford Sharpie 130.483 29.190 -0.063
4 #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 130.345 29.221 -0.094
5 #20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 130.309 29.229 -0.102
6 #77 Travis Kvapil* Dodge Kodak/Jasper Engines 130.287 29.234 -0.107
7 #11 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet FedEx Express 130.166 29.261 -0.134
8 #12 Ryan Newman Dodge Mobil 1/ALLTEL 130.006 29.297 -0.170
9 #6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra 130.002 29.298 -0.171
10 #31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Cingular Wireless 129.927 29.315 -0.188
11 #7 Robby Gordon Chevrolet Jim Beam 129.891 29.323 -0.196
12 #01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet U.S. Army 129.758 29.353 -0.226
13 #18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 129.520 29.407 -0.280
14 #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 129.344 29.447 -0.320
15 #42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Texaco Havoline 129.178 29.485 -0.358
16 #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 129.103 29.502 -0.375
17 #43 Jeff Green Dodge Cheerios/Betty Crocker 129.077 29.508 -0.381
18 #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet GM Goodwrench 129.024 29.520 -0.393
19 #19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 128.889 29.551 -0.424
20 #17 Matt Kenseth Ford DeWalt Power Tools 128.719 29.590 -0.463
21 #07 Dave Blaney Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 128.637 29.609 -0.482
22 #4 Mike Wallace Chevrolet Lucas Oil Products 128.611 29.615 -0.488
23 #16 Greg Biffle Ford National Guard 128.606 29.616 -0.489
24 #10 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Valvoline 128.493 29.642 -0.515
25 #41 Casey Mears Dodge Target 128.411 29.661 -0.534
26 #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 128.169 29.717 -0.590
27 #22 Scott Wimmer Dodge Caterpillar 128.070 29.740 -0.613
28 #38 Elliott Sadler Ford M&M's 128.040 29.747 -0.620
29 #0 Mike Bliss Chevrolet NetZero Best Buy 128.035 29.748 -0.621
30 #50 Jimmy Spencer Dodge Allied Steel Structures 127.992 29.758 -0.631
31 #195 Stanton Barrett* Chevrolet Stanton Barrett Racing 127.786 29.806 -0.679
32 #40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Coors Light 127.782 29.807 -0.680
33 #32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet Tide 127.735 29.818 -0.691
34 #15 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts 127.709 29.824 -0.697
35 #175 Wayne Anderson Dodge Rinaldi Air Conditioning 127.679 29.831 -0.704
36 #66 Mike Garvey* Ford EAS 127.406 29.895 -0.768
37 #21 Ricky Rudd Ford Motorcraft Genuine Parts 127.338 29.911 -0.784
38 #34 Ted Christopher Chevrolet Mach One Inc. 127.248 29.932 -0.805
39 #88 Dale Jarrett Ford UPS 127.180 29.948 -0.821
40 #151 Stuart Kirby Chevrolet Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 127.091 29.969 -0.842
41 #200 Carl Long Dodge Royal Administration 127.083 29.971 -0.844
42 #192 Joey McCarthy Chevrolet TrimSpa 127.053 29.978 -0.851
43 #99 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Racing 127.036 29.982 -0.855
44 #25 Brian Vickers Chevrolet GMAC/ditech.com 126.956 30.001 -0.874
45 #49 Ken Schrader Dodge Schwan's Home Service 126.753 30.049 -0.922
46 #37 Tony Raines Dodge BoSPOKER.net 126.513 30.106 -0.979
47 #45 Mark Green Dodge Georgia-Pacific/Brawny 125.948 30.241 -1.114
48 #89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Victory in Jesus/Dutch Quality Stone 125.504 30.348 -1.221
49 #27 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford Freddie B's 110.995 34.315 -5.188

* Denotes Rookie

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Practice 1 Speeds

Rank Car Driver Make Sponsor Speed Time Behind
1 #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 128.411 29.661 Leader
2 #20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 127.671 29.833 -0.172
3 #7 Robby Gordon Chevrolet Jim Beam 127.478 29.878 -0.217
4 #12 Ryan Newman Dodge Mobil 1/ALLTEL 127.440 29.887 -0.226
5 #18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Interstate Batteries 127.227 29.937 -0.276
6 #42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Texaco Havoline 127.146 29.956 -0.295
7 #17 Matt Kenseth Ford DeWalt Power Tools 127.070 29.974 -0.313
8 #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 127.049 29.979 -0.318
9 #43 Jeff Green Dodge Cheerios/Betty Crocker 127.049 29.979 -0.318
10 #41 Casey Mears Dodge Target 126.842 30.028 -0.367
11 #01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet U.S. Army 126.833 30.030 -0.369
12 #34 Ted Christopher Chevrolet Mach One Inc. 126.820 30.033 -0.372
13 #5 Kyle Busch* Chevrolet Kellogg's 126.795 30.039 -0.378
14 #31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Cingular Wireless 126.778 30.043 -0.382
15 #6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra 126.698 30.062 -0.401
16 #2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Miller Lite 126.639 30.076 -0.415
17 #21 Ricky Rudd Ford Motorcraft Genuine Parts 126.563 30.094 -0.433
18 #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 126.559 30.095 -0.434
19 #99 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Racing 126.547 30.098 -0.437
20 #16 Greg Biffle Ford National Guard 126.266 30.165 -0.504
21 #97 Kurt Busch Ford Sharpie 126.098 30.205 -0.544
22 #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet GM Goodwrench 126.094 30.206 -0.545
23 #38 Elliott Sadler Ford M&M's 126.032 30.221 -0.560
24 #11 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet FedEx Express 125.744 30.290 -0.629
25 #4 Mike Wallace Chevrolet Lucas Oil Products 125.732 30.293 -0.632
26 #15 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts 125.657 30.311 -0.650
27 #32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet Tide 125.657 30.311 -0.650
28 #77 Travis Kvapil* Dodge Kodak/Jasper Engines 125.624 30.319 -0.658
29 #50 Jimmy Spencer Dodge Allied Steel Structures 125.562 30.334 -0.673
30 #19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 125.475 30.355 -0.694
31 #88 Dale Jarrett Ford UPS 125.388 30.376 -0.715
32 #10 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Valvoline 125.364 30.382 -0.721
33 #66 Mike Garvey* Ford EAS 125.310 30.395 -0.734
34 #175 Wayne Anderson Dodge Rinaldi Air Conditioning 125.298 30.398 -0.737
35 #45 Mark Green Dodge Georgia-Pacific/Brawny 125.187 30.425 -0.764
36 #195 Stanton Barrett* Chevrolet Stanton Barrett Racing 125.150 30.434 -0.773
37 #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 124.879 30.500 -0.839
38 #40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Coors Light 124.760 30.529 -0.868
39 #22 Scott Wimmer Dodge Caterpillar 124.353 30.629 -0.968
40 #49 Ken Schrader Dodge Schwan's Home Service 124.195 30.668 -1.007
41 #07 Dave Blaney Chevrolet Jack Daniel's 124.085 30.695 -1.034
42 #151 Stuart Kirby Chevrolet Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil 123.811 30.763 -1.102
43 #0 Mike Bliss Chevrolet NetZero Best Buy 123.250 30.903 -1.242
44 #37 Tony Raines Dodge BoSPOKER.net 120.704 31.555 -1.894
45 #192 Joey McCarthy Chevrolet TrimSpa 118.884 32.038 -2.377
46 #200 Carl Long Dodge Royal Administration 117.093 32.528 -2.867
47 #89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Victory in Jesus/Dutch Quality Stone 97.337 39.130 -9.469
48 #25 Brian Vickers Chevrolet GMAC/ditech.com - - -
49 #27 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford Freddie B's - - -

* Denotes Rookie

--------------------------------------------------------

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Driver Handicaps
Jeff Wackerlin
Senior Editor
RacingOne
Posted Thursday, September 15, 2005


Tony Stewart scored his second win at NHIS in July.


Busch has led a combined total of 271 laps in the last three races.


Johnson swept both races at NHIS in 2003.

Who's HOT at New Hampshire
Kurt Busch swept both races last season and finished second in July.
Kasey Kahne has finished eighth or better in his three starts at New Hampshire.
Jimmie Johnson has finished 13th or better since this event in 2002. He also swept both races in 2003.
Ryan Newman has finished ninth or better, including one win, in six of the seven races he has competed in at New Hampshire.

Who's NOT
Kyle Petty has finished 21st or worse in the last 12 races at New Hampshire.
Scott Riggs has a 28.7 finishing average in three starts at New Hampshire.
Dave Blaney has yet to score a top-10 finish in 11 races at New Hampshire.
Jeremy Mayfield has the worst finishing average (25.4) among the "Chase" contenders.
Scott Wimmer's best finish in four races is 18th.

Who's HOT as of late
Matt Kenseth has finished seventh or better in five of the last six races. He also has put together a streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes at New Hampshire.
Kyle Busch has one win and a fourth-place finish in the last two races. He finished fourth in his first start at New Hampshire in July.

Who Else to Watch
Tony Stewart will be looking to become the third consecutive driver to sweep New Hampshire.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be reunited with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and will go after his sixth top-10 finish at New Hampshire.
Jeff Gordon has the best finishing average (10.7) among all drivers that have started every race at New Hampshire since 1998. Gordon will also have a new crew chief starting this weekend - Steve Letarte.
Greg Biffle is coming off his first top-five finish at New Hampshire.
Mark Martin hasn't had much luck at New Hampshire as of late, but he will be behind the wheel of the same chassis Kurt Busch wheeled to victory last weekend at Richmond.
Bobby Labonte, who finished third in July, has a 9.8 average finish in the last 10 races at NHIS.

---------------------------------------

1. Tony Stewart
Points: 5050
Avg Start: 11.9
Avg Finish: 13.5

In 13 starts at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway, Stewart has two wins (most recently in July), seven top-five and eight top-10 finishes. Stewart, who has led in six races for 563 laps, led a combined total of 388 laps in the two races he won. The team is bringing chassis No. 63 to Loudon this weekend. The car has been around the block with Tony, first seeing testing in 2003. Since its race debut that year at Martinsville, the car has raced six more times with its last trip ending up at Victory Lane at NHIS in July after leading 232 laps.

Quotable: "New Hampshire is 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."

3. Rusty Wallace
Points: 5040
Avg Start: 12.8
Avg Finish: 13.3

Wallace won the first race at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway on July 11, 1993. In that race he started 33rd and led 106 laps. Since then, Wallace has gone on to capture two poles, six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes at Loudon. Wallace will race chassis No. PRS-064 for the fifth time since its debut at Richmond in September 2003, where it finished fifth.

Quotable: "We went into the history book as the very first NASCAR Cup winner at Loudon and it certainly would be great to end my career of racing there with another win."

5. Kurt Busch
Points: 5030
Avg Start: 18.8
Avg Finish: 11.4

Busch swept both races last season at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway after leading a combined 265 laps. He started fifth, led six laps, and finished fifth in July. The finish was his fifth top 10 at NHIS. He will drive the same car (chassis No. 52) that has captured a win four times since 2002, including both 2004 NHIS races and Phoenix in April.

Quotable: "We've found a set-up for our Sharpie Ford that works well in all the grooves here at Loudon. The set-up that we've had here will definitely help us run well, but you always have to be adapting and changing to keep up with the current track conditions."

6. Mark Martin
Points: 5025
Avg Start: 14.5
Avg Finish: 11.5

Martin's last of 11 top-10 finishes at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway came in the second race in 2001, when he placed ninth. He has yet to win at Loudon, but got off to a good start in the first eleven races, finishing in the top five seven times and leading for a combined 364 laps. He will drive the same car (chassis RK-48) that his teammate Kurt Bush drove to victory last weekend at Richmond.

Quotable: "I can't say enough about the effort of this team. Up to this point we've accomplished our goal of making the Chase. Now it's time to shift our focus to the last 10 races and going after that Championship."

7. Jeremy Mayfield
Points: 5020
Avg Start: 18.7
Avg Finish: 25.4

Mayfield's best finish in 19 starts at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway is an eighth, which came in this event in 2000. That race is the only time Mayfield has led a lap (led for 10 laps) at the 1.058-mile track. He scored another top-10 finish (10th) in the July event last season. Mayfield will be racing chassis No. 120 in Sunday's New England 300. This car finished sixth last weekend at Richmond.

Quotable: "It's great to be back in the Chase for the Championship. We won’t have any different strategy for the ten races."

10. Ryan Newman
Points: 5005
Avg Start: 5.7
Avg Finish: 8.9

New Hampshire Int'l Speedway is the site of Newman's first career NEXTEL Cup victory. The win, his only victory in seven NHIS starts, came after he won his first of three poles at the "Magic Mile." Newman has led in every NHIS race for a total of 433 laps, which is fourth among active drivers. Last September, Newman lost the engine in the Alltel Dodge while leading, relegating him to a 33rd-place finish, his only DNF and finish outside the top nine at NHIS. Newman is currently tied with Jeff Gordon with three poles at Loudon. He will race the same car (chassis: PRS-55) that finished third, 33rd and seventh, respectively, in the last three races at New Hampshire.

Quotable: "We have a legitimate chance of winning our first championship. Kurt (Busch) proved last year that it's all about consistency, so that's what we're aiming for."

13. Jamie McMurray
Points: 2972
Avg Start: 11.6
Avg Finish: 20.4

McMurray is coming off his second DNF at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway after crashing out of the race early in July. The incident, which was brought on by Matt Kenseth, relegated McMurray to a 40th-place finish. Last season, McMurray finished in the top 10 in both races at NHIS for the first time in four career starts. His best finish came in this event after he brought home the No. 42 Dodge in fifth place. McMurray posted his best start (third) at the "Magic Mile" in the 2003 September race with a lap of 132.131 mph. He will drive chassis No. 407 for the first time in 2005 in Sunday's race.

17. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Points: 2839
Avg Start: 16.7
Avg Finish: 18.0

Earnhardt Jr. has captured five top 10s, with a best of third last September, in 12 starts at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway. He has led in four races at NHIS for a total of 167 laps. His finishing average is 18.8. Earnhardt, who will be reunited with crew chief Tony Eury, Jr., will race chassis No. 39 in the Sylvania 300. This is the same car that finished ninth at NHIS in July.

20. Kasey Kahne
Points: 2739
Avg Start: 6.7
Avg Finish: 6.0

Kahne has finished in the top 10 in his three starts at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway. He led for the second time (18 laps) at NHIS in July, when he finished a best sixth. Kahne also scored another career best at NHIS this year when he qualified second. He will be driving the same car (chassis No. 61) that raced in both races at Richmond this season finishing first and eighth, respectively.