NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.058-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 28 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (NBCSN/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Great Clips/Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
17th in standings
27 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
459 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
88 top-five finishes
165 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
Track Career
25 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
305 laps led
GREAT CLIPS RETURNS: Great Clips, a longtime Hendrick Motorsports partner, has signed an extension to remain a primary partner on the No. 5 Chevrolet SS driven by Kasey Kahne for 10 races each season through 2018. Great Clips’ first Sprint Cup Series race with Hendrick Motorsports was at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2013. To learn more, click here.
NEW HAMPSHIRE PAINT SCHEME: This weekend, Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Great Clips/ Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. Chevrolet SS at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Great Clips is working in conjunction with Levi Strauss & Co. to give fans the chance to win a VIP race experience with Kahne, free haircuts for a year, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. jeans or a Wal-Mart gift card. Fans have until Nov. 1 to enter for their chance to win by visiting www.greatjeansgreathaircuts.com.
KAHNE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: The 36-year-old earned his 14th Sprint Cup Series career win at New Hampshire in July 2012. Kahne is still looking to earn his first pole award at the 1.058-mile track. In 25 starts, he’s started on the outside pole position five times.
NEW HAMPSHIRE LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data, Kahne has an average driver rating of 90.4 at the “Magic Mile.” NASCAR driver rating is a formula that combines wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The Enumclaw, Washington, native ranks fourth in green-flag passes with 1,212 and he’s fifth in quality passes with 639. Quality passes are the number of times a driver passes another car that is running in the top 15 while under green-flag conditions. Kahne is sixth in the fastest laps run category with 350.
RETURNING HOME: No. 5 team engineer Taylor Moyer hails from Shoreham, Vermont, which is located approximately two hours and 45 minutes northwest of Loudon. Moyer joined the No. 5 team in 2015 after holding various positions throughout Hendrick Motorsports, including development pit crew member. Learn more about Moyer here.
FIVE KAHNE 5K: For the seventh consecutive year, Kahne will hold his 5K charity run. The event will take place at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 9, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Interested participants can pre-register online by visiting https://fivekahne5k.racesonline.com/home. Over 8,000 children in the states surrounding North Carolina have benefited from the funds raised by the annual charity run.
No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
6th in standings
27 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
8 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
238 laps led
Career
32 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
8 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
238 laps led
Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER: Chase Elliott’s debut in the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup elevated the NAPA AUTO PARTS driver to sixth in the championship standings heading into this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Elliott led 75 laps en route to a third-place finish last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway – the first race in NASCAR’s 10-race postseason playoff. This gives him a strong boost to stay above the Round of 12 cutoff that will happen after the Oct. 2 race at Dover.
GOING HOME: No. 24 team engine tuner Tony Bove originates from Burlington, Vermont, approximately 167 miles northwest of the New Hampshire track where he attended his first Sprint Cup race. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is also the home track for Dwayne Doucette, a mechanic on the No. 24 team. Doucette hails from Lee, New Hampshire, a town approximately 35 miles southeast of the speedway.
TOP-RANKED ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into New Hampshire by 55 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 85 points over third-place Chris Buescher. Elliott has accumulated a total of 273 rookie points this year through the first 27 points-paying races.
SWANCHO SWAGGER: NAPA engineers have developed cutting-edge NASCAR sweatshirt poncho technology – dubbing their creation the “Swancho.” These limited-edition NAPA AUTO PARTS Swanchos feature Elliott’s headshot on one side with the No. 24 and NAPA logos emblazoned on the opposite side. It’s the only racing Swancho endorsed by Elliott. Check out Elliott and “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” regular Michael Torpey in their two-minute “infomercial,” featuring a special guest appearance by Elliott’s teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. here. Visit napa24swancho.com for additional details. The program runs through Sept. 26.
CHASE UNIVERSITY: Elliott made another “Chase University” announcement today releasing the addition of Talladega Superspeedway into his collegiate ticket package program. Elliott will debut the program at Charlotte Motor Speedway this season. Chase University is a ticket-package program for collegiate fans looking to join in a unique NASCAR experience. The exclusive ticket package will feature concerts, food, beverages and tailgating games before, during and after each respective race. The 20-year-old driver will even make an appearance on race day prior to the green flag. Students with a valid college ID can enroll in Chase University with a special $24 party pass available online at CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com or www.TalladegaSuperspeedway.com/ChaseU.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 41 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
8th in standings
27 starts
2 wins
1 pole position
7 top-five finishes
10 top-10 finishes
384 laps led
Career
534 starts
77 wins
35 pole positions
214 top-five finishes
324 top-10 finishes
18,093 laps led
Track Career
29 starts
3 wins
1 pole position
10 top-five finishes
19 top-10 finishes
323 laps led
CHICAGO IN THE REAR VIEW: Jimmie Johnson led 118 laps last weekend at Chicagoland en route to a 12th-place finish after recovering from a pit road speeding penalty, which put him a lap down. The race-high laps led was the most Johnson led all season in a single event. Previously he led 76 laps at Las Vegas before finishing third.
LAST TIME AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Johnson and the No. 48 team won the pole position last time out at New Hampshire. It was Johnson’s first pole at the 1.058-mile oval and he finished 12th after leading just a single lap.
JJ’S LOBSTER COLLECTION: Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team have earned three trophies and the traditional live lobsters given to the winners in Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway over 29 starts. They swept both events in 2003 and earned another victory in 2010. Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with 10.190.
NEW HAMPSHIRE DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Johnson has the fourth-best driver rating at New Hampshire with a score of 100.8 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
IMPENDING MILESTONES: Johnson only needs one more top-10 finish to become the 13th driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to post 325 or more top-10 finishes. He currently has 324 top-10s. Johnson has three wins at New Hampshire and one more will tie him with former competitor Jeff Burton for the most series wins at the speedway.
JIMMIE JOHNSON WELLNESS VIRTUAL TRIATHLON: Being a part of TeamJJF means staying involved and being up-to-date with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and its events not only by participating, but also by following through social media. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is launching its first “virtual triathlon.” Joining TeamJJF is a perfect way to support the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s mission of assisting children, families and communities in need while taking on a personal athletic challenge. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation Virtual Triathlon takes place during the month of the month of October. The challenge is to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. Learn more here.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Alex Bowman
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 23 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
3 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
6 laps led
Career
74 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
9 laps led
Track Career
5 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
CAREER BEST: Last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Alex Bowman earned his best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish when he crossed the line 10th in the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS on Sunday. The 23-year-old, who is filling in for Earnhardt while he continues to recover from a concussion, also led six laps near the end of the race starting with Lap 243, making for a career total of nine laps led in Cup competition. Bowman earned the No. 88 team its first top-10 result since Earnhardt’s second-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June.
BOWMAN AT NHMS: Bowman will be back in action in the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he first subbed for Earnhardt in July. In his first race with the No. 88 team at NHMS in July, the young driver was running solidly in the top 10 before a cut tire relegated him to a 26th-place finish. He’ll return to New Hampshire for his sixth Cup start at the 1.058-mile track, looking to earn his second top-10 finish in just his fourth race in the No. 88 Chevrolet SS. He also has two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the “Magic Mile,” earning top-10 finishes both times.
SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES: As part of the “Many Sides of Dale” campaign, Nationwide gave small-business owners a chance to have their business featured on the TV panel of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS during this weekend’s race in New Hampshire. Bubba-N-Frank’s Smokehouse BBQ of Carrolton, Virginia, will be featured on the car as the contest winner and the owners will also be treated to a VIP race weekend experience, courtesy of Nationwide. As the No. 1 small business insurer in the country, Nationwide remains the carrier of choice for more than 500,000 small-business clients — including Earnhardt.
EARNHARDT IN ENTREPRENEUR: Earnhardt, whose small businesses are protected by Nationwide, was featured on Entrepreneur.com this past week. In the article, he gives leadership advice to other entrepreneurs and small business owners, focusing on the importance of having strong relationships with the people who work both with and for him. The article can be viewed here.
NATIONWIDE AND THE NASCAR FOUNDATION: Nationwide is the presenting sponsor of The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, which will be showcased on Sept. 27 at the Foundation’s inaugural Honors Gala at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The award honors volunteers – who are also NASCAR fans – who dedicate themselves to children’s causes in their communities throughout the United States. This year’s finalists include Jim Giaccone, representing Tuesday’s Children; Andy Hoffman, founder of the Team Jack Foundation; Logan Houptley, a founding member of Mikayla’s Voice; and Parker White, founder of BackPack Beginnings. The award winner will be determined via an online vote running through Sept. 26. The winner will receive a $100,000 donation to the charity they represent and the three other finalists will receive $25,000 for their respective charitable organizations. To vote and to learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide and each of the national finalists, please visit: www.NASCAR.com/Award.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has nine wins, seven pole positions, 42 top-five finishes and 72 top-10s. Kahne most recently visited Victory Lane for the organization at the track in 2012.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 242 victories, 209 pole positions, 1,002 top-five finishes and 1,677 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 65,698 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“New Hampshire is a tough track and track position is very important because getting around traffic can be very difficult. We have three top 10s in a row and my team has been a doing a great job of bringing fast cars to the track.” – Kasey Kahne on racing at New Hampshire
“It’s just so hard to pass at New Hampshire – that’s the first thing that comes to my mind. It’s a tough place. It’s very easy to get frustrated when you catch somebody and it’s just so hard to get around them. At that racetrack, it’s a very fine line of being too low on the racetrack or being too high. The paving seams are very thick and wide and can upset your corner a lot. I think keeping that stuff in mind is the biggest thing that I think of when it comes to Loudon and the challenges you face. Things can go wrong there just as fast as they can anywhere else but I do think the frustration level sometimes can raise easier there than it can other places. But if you have your car driving like you want it to and you’re taking the correct approach throughout the day, then it shouldn’t be any different than the other tracks.” -Chase Elliott on racing at New Hampshire
“No words can describe the disappointment I have for what happened in Chicago with the pit road speeding penalty. All you can do is let it soak in and come back next week and be at 100 percent again and get ready to take this Lowe’s car to Victory Lane. We had a lot of speed at New Hampshire last time out and we know what we need to do when we get there.” – Jimmie Johnson on looking ahead to New Hampshire
“Everyone on this No. 88 team has been working very hard and our communication has been great. I’ve been able to run up front every race and that shows how good Hendrick Motorsports is and how good we can be. Getting our first top-10 at Chicago last weekend was really good. I’m more confident than I’ve ever been going back to Loudon. We had a really fast race car last time, so I think we have a good opportunity this weekend.” – Alex Bowman on his Chicago finish and racing at New Hampshire
