Saturday New Hampshire Notebook
July 16, 2016
Notebook Items:
·
Johnson says victory at Indy for Gordon is possible
·
Looking ahead to the Chase race at New Hampshire
·
Short strokes
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
Johnson says victory at Indy for Gordon is possible
LOUDON, N.H. – Don’t put anything past Jeff Gordon.
That
advice comes from someone who ought to know, Gordon’s former teammate
and six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
Gordon
will be pressed into service next weekend at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway if Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s concussion-like symptoms persist past
this Sunday's New Hampshire 301
at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN), where Alex
Bowman is driving the No. 88 Chevrolet in Earnhardt’s absence.
Even
though Gordon raced for the last time in November at Homestead-Miami
Speedway, Johnson doesn’t think a victory at Indy is out of the question
for the four-time series champion
and record five-time winner at the Brickyard.
“I’ve
learned to never underestimate that man, without a doubt,” Johnson told
the NASCAR Wire Service. “And it’s Indy, a place that he loves dearly.
He’s the most winning driver
there.
“I’m
sure it will take a few laps to knock the rust off and get going, but
there’s enough on-track time and the race is long enough that he’ll have
a shot.”
After
broadcasting the final race on FOX Sports’ portion of the Sprint Cup
schedule, Gordon went out of the country on vacation, prompting a quip
from Johnson, whose No. 48 Chevrolet
is co-owned by Gordon.
“I
think he’s in the south of France drinking Rose – we need to sober him
up and get him back,” Johnson joked. “The posts I’ve seen from him and
his wife, they’re having a big
time over there.
“We need to send some Gatorade over there and get him hydrated and get him back for Indy.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE CHASE RACE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
The
July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is one of the most
significant on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, and with good
reason.
Because
the first race at the Magic Mile is so close to the Chase race at NHMS –
barely more than two months apart – it’s fair to say that solving the
1.058-mile flat track in
Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 will give teams a leg up on the second race
in the Chase, come September.
“The
guys that are fast this time around will probably be fast next time
around when we come back here,” Brad Keselowski said after Friday’s
qualifying session. “That makes this
weekend a pretty important weekend for us. You look at it in terms of
car development, and Phoenix is probably on the opposite end.
“You
start in late February and come back in November and it seems like you
have two completely different cars with the development your team has
put into it. It isn’t always
a good indicator of who is going to be fast.”
The tight time frame at New Hampshire, on the other hand, makes notes collected in July all the more important.
“You
look at this track, and I don’t know if there is another track in the
Chase that races back-to-back so quickly, in such a short time span,”
Keselowski said. “That means
that, generally, what works here in the first race carries over to the
second race, because the car specs and development cycle is relatively
close.
“I
think it’s a good indicator for sure and important for us to run well,
being that it’s in the Chase when we come back. I think we put a lot of
emphasis on this race, as do
all the Chase-eligible teams so far.”
SHORT STROKES
Joe
Gibbs Racing drivers topped the speed chart in Saturday morning’s
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In
unusually hot conditions, Carl Edwards
paced the session at 131.456 mph, followed by teammates Denny Hamlin
(131.284 mph) and Matt Kenseth (131.193 mph)…
Pole
winner Jimmie Johnson, on the other hand, was 14th fastest in the
morning session and 25th fastest in the 10-lap average speed, lagging
behind Edwards, whose 10-lap average
was 130.452 mph…
Sunoco
Rookie of the Year frontrunner Chase Elliott posted the fastest lap in
Happy Hour at 131.347 mph to edge Hamlin and Kenseth for session honors.
Johnson improved to seventh
fastest in final practice…
Alex
Bowman, subbing for sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr., was 24th on the speed
chart in morning practice and 22nd in Happy Hour. Bowman will start
20th in Sunday’s New Hampshire
301.
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