The Joe Gibbs Racing Race Report Presented by Interstate Batteries
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Lenox Industrial Tools 301
Date: June 29, 2008
Event: Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (Round 17 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (1.058-mile oval)
Winner: Kurt Busch of Penske Racing (Dodge)
JGR Finish: Denny Hamlin (Started 12th, Finished 8th / Running, completed 284 of 284 laps)
Tony Stewart (Started 28th, Finished 13th / Running, completed 284 of 284 laps)
Kyle Busch (Started 27th, Finished 25th / Running, completed 284 of 284 laps)
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, led the three-car Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) contingent at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon by finishing eighth in Sunday’s rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was Hamlin’s fourth top-10 finish in five career Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for JGR, finished a disappointing 13th after leading twice for a race-high 232 laps. But when rain cut the race 17 laps short of its scheduled 301-lap distance, Stewart was caught outside the top-10 after pitting for two tires and fuel on lap 274. Other teams gambled that they’d either have enough fuel to go the distance or that rain would end the race prematurely, and all were ahead of Stewart when rain washed over the 1.058-mile oval.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota for JGR, finished 25th after he was also caught in the same predicament as Stewart.
Despite the outcome, Busch remains the lead JGR driver in the championship point race. He continues to be the series’ point leader, but his lead has been trimmed to 64 markers over second-place Jeff Burton. Hamlin and Stewart occupy the seventh and ninth slots, respectively. Hamlin gained one position, while Stewart gained two spots. Hamlin is 346 points behind Busch, while Stewart sits 454 points arrears Busch.
Kurt Busch, Kyle’s older brother, won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 to score his 18th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his third at New Hampshire. Michael Waltrip finished second, while J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex Jr., and Elliott Sadler rounded out the top-five. Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears, Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Bobby Labonte comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were seven caution periods for 33 laps – including the final four laps – with four drivers failing to finish the event.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the July 5 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live, high-definition coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.
