(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards was probably glad to leave New Hampshire. He was running well within the top 10 early on, but on their first pit stop they struggled and were buried in traffic.
After numerous cautions, this team was forced to pit under green because of what was believed to be a loose wheel.
The strategy didn’t work and actually hurt them as they waited to see if a caution would come out to force the leaders to pit, or if they would get bit by a loose wheel.
For them, they weren’t able to finish better than 19th when it all played out.
I still think they have been good recently, but there is still something missing.
Points: Fifth
Jimmie Johnson
It’s not very often I put Jimmie Johnson on this list.
He led a race high 92 laps, but, on one of the numerous restarts, Johnson and Kurt Busch got into it. Johnson fell back to seventh as Kurt was able to maintain position.
In the moment it looked like Busch was getting a little payback after they played nice with the media after a Sonoma incident last week.
Johnson was unable to recover and had to settle for a ninth place finish.
Johnson wasn’t completely happy with the car all day long, but he was able to drive it to the front. The skirmish with Busch hurt them the most.
Johnson will of course rebound, but I would be a bit concerned that (unlike in the past) this team is struggling a bit on setups.
When they miss, they don’t seem to be able to rebound as well as in the past.
That being said, he is still the favorite.
Points: Third
Lucky Dog…
Brad Keselowski
While this time it was not a win and weather played a factor, this team did run fairly well.
They took advantage of the wave around and were able to make adjustments on the car and finish seventh.
Points: 40th
Juan Pablo Montoya
It wasn’t flashy, and, even though he had a great car, he never could get to the front. Montoya did exactly what he needed to maintain his position in the points.
Points: 12th
John Andretti
A surprising 16th place finish was a boost for this team. They used the double file restarts and pit strategy to gain positions.
It was a great run for the team, and will be something they can use going into Daytona.
Points: 36th
Final lap…
This was the first real chance to see how double file restarts would work on a short track. For some guys it worked out well, for others not so much.
It was great to see guys battling for the lead, which is what the fans want.
With all the expectation on this kid, Logano has shown a lot of maturity and growth. It won’t always be pretty, but a win is a win.
Drivers in the chase and those looking in are going to use what they gained today for the start of the chase when they come back in September.
So, running well today was key for down the road.
The points race is tight throughout the standings. With no driver pulling away from the field in terms of wins, this could be one of the best championship runs we have seen in a long time.
One down and nine to go until the points are set.On to Daytona where anything can happen.
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