Denny Hamlin, NASCAR's Top Drivers Talk First Chase Race at Loudon

Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch, the top five drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this week, talk about the significance of flat-track racing at the 1.058 oval with 7-degree corner banking at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. For all five, it's all about the championship now.

The Sylvania 300 at Loudon, New Hampshire commences this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN. Race 27 of 36 is the first race in the Chase for the Spint Cup.

The comments include two by NASCAR’s most popular drivers—Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne.

FYI WIRZ is the swift presentation of pertinent motor-sports topics compiled, condensed, and often written by Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com. Quotes provided by NASCAR and Sprint Cup team media.

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Toyota)

“We have won at three or four of the Chase tracks during the course of my career, and that’s encouraging for us,” Hamlin said. “Your momentum ends as soon as you go to the next race track, as far as I’m concerned. It’s about getting better at that race track.

“I feel like the last five races of the Chase always seem to be really good for us. If we are within shouting distance with five [races] to go, then I’m pretty confident we’ll have a good shot at it.”

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Chevrolet)

“I think we've got good momentum now,” Harvick said. “I think we have to take what we built upon and try to maintain that as we go from week to week. The season is not just starting at New Hampshire, but it's been a great race track for us.

“In order to win the championship, I feel you're going to have to finish in the top-five a lot and you're going to have to win a race or two to make that happen.”

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Chevrolet)

"New Hampshire has been on everyone's mind since Daytona," Johnson said. “As you start to lock in and know that you are going to lock in, you really draw all attention to that race and then all the races following.

“Hopefully we have got momentum and performance coming at the right time."

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Toyota)

“You want to always try to build a cushion as big as you can,” Busch said. “You don’t want to start from behind. It’s really important to come out of the gate strong and to run well. It’s no different than the beginning of the year.

“You definitely want to get through the first five at least strong where you have a good setting and then just work towards the rest of the year, and keeping that and of course, maybe even getting away from some guys.”

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Dodge)

“I know from experience how incredibly important it is to get off to a good start in the Chase,” Busch said. “Once that green flag falls at Loudon on Sunday to officially begin the Chase, the race really is on. 

“It’s not too hard to measure the importance of getting off to a good start and begin logging those top-fives and top-10s.”

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Chevrolet)

“You could finish dead-last at Loudon and theoretically still win the championship,” Stewart said. “So it’s hard to say how much of an impact Loudon really makes ‘til you get down to the end and you look at the point standings.

“The most important part is just keeping the morale of the team up. You don’t want to start the Chase and get behind and feel like you’ve got a strike against you for the next nine weeks. If you can get that momentum early and even if you just have a solid, decent run that can make a big difference in the morale of the team.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Chevrolet)

"I like running at New Hampshire, and I traditionally feel like we are a top-10 team there every time we show up,” Earnhardt said. “New Hampshire is a flat track and can be a one-groove track. It's tough to pass there so qualifying is at a premium. We've had a couple of tough weeks, but we've been working hard and going back to basics. We've also done some testing lately."

Kasey Kahne (No.9 Ford)

"It’s a track that has very long corners,” Kahne said. “It’s going to be important that we get our Budweiser Ford to roll really well through the center of the corners. The straightaways are long for just a one-mile track and the turns are extremely flat, so having good brakes that will last you to the end is important if you want to run well.”

Photo credit: Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com