Saturday New Hampshire Notebook

Saturday New Hampshire Notebook

Notebook Items:

-       Conservative approach in practice pays off for Keselowski

-       Johnson celebrates birthday

-       NSCS Etc.

Sept. 20, 2014

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Conservative approach in practice pays off for Keselowski

LOUDON, N.H.—Brad Keselowski didn’t exactly burn up the track in his first practice laps on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

That’s because he was taking a conservative approach, trying to get some “burn” into his tires.

Keselowski spent his first lap of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour scrubbing his tires, trying to warm the Goodyears up to racing temperature on a September morning that was unusually crisp, even for the Granite State. As a result, Keselowski’s opening lap was clocked at roughly 93 mph.

Just as he had done during opening practice—in even cooler conditions—Keselowski soon vaulted to the top of the speed chart at 135.256 mph, leap-frogging over Jimmie Johnson (135.040 mph), who briefly owned the best lap in final practice.

“It’s really hard to get the tires up to temperature and get going,” Keselowski said between the two sessions, the last two practices before Sunday's Sylvania 300 (2 p.m. ET on ESPN). “Goodyear brings a great tire here that’s made to run in heat with all the brake heat and all those things, so when the track is really cold like this, the first few laps are really dangerous. 

“Everybody is kind of fighting that, but the temperatures should be up for tomorrow’s race, and even for the next practice session that shouldn’t be an issue.”

It was enough of an issue, however, for Keselowski to play it close to the vest in Happy Hour before he got some heat into the tires.

But Keselowski’s top speed didn’t stand up. Jeff Gordon, who finished second to the No. 2 Team Penske Ford in last Sunday’s Chase opener at Chicagoland, rocketed to the top of the speed chart with a lap at 135.357 mph late in the session, a clear indication the four-time champ isn’t quite ready to concede a New Hampshire sweep to the Chase leader.

BIRTHDAY BOY

Jimmie Johnson says he didn’t do much on his 39th birthday, which he celebrated with his family on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

“It was really a mild day,” Johnson said. “With it being my 39th, I asked the family to just kind of chill out, and we’ll save up for next year. So, I had a fun day and hung out with the kids a bunch.

“I picked (daughter) Genevieve up from school and went and had some ice cream. She was excited about that. I picked her up early and we celebrated together. So, just some fun little moments like that; nothing too over-the-top.”

Even though he’s a year away from a milestone birthday, Johnson says he doesn’t feel his age—but he sees it reflected in some of the younger drivers who are starting to excel in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“No, I don’t feel 39,” said the six-time champion. “And the number is getting bigger. It wasn’t long ago I was the rookie, the up-and-coming. And I just watched Kyle (Larson) walk out (of the media center), and it looks like he could still be in high school. So, time does fly. And certainly, time flies in this industry.

“It seems like it’s on fast-forward ... and then those parents out there know that, once you have kids, man, it really goes fast. And then it’s hard to believe four years have gone by and Genevieve is four now. I think I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life. I’m the most balanced and happy and all those things are there, but the odometer is getting some miles on it.”

SHORT STROKES

Early Chase struggles continued for Greg Biffle, who spun off Turn 2 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway early in final practice. Biffle and his team couldn’t dial in the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in either of the Saturday sessions. The car was 29th fastest in morning practice and 22nd in Happy Hour. ... Preparing for his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in Sunday’s Sylvania 300, Corey Lajoie scraped the wall early in Happy Hour and took his No. 77 Ford to the garage for repairs. ... Tony Stewart spun off Turn 4 in the closing moments of practice but kept his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet off the wall. Stewart was 16th fastest in the session at 134.397 mph.