After a free fall in the standings last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway three potential title hopes come to New Hampshire look to gain back lost points.
For Kyle Busch on Monday at Chicagoland Speedway he ran well for much of the day. The team made good adjustments on their car and kept Busch in contention for much of the race. They came up short on fuel and finished 22nd.
Uncharacteristically it was the pit crew that cost Busch the most on the track on Sunday. Usually this team is one of the best on pit road and Busch has always done a good job getting on and off to make up time on the track. On Monday, consecutive pit stops saw them lose spots and much needed track position.
While they didn’t necessarily have the car to beat on Monday if Busch wants to win and get back into contention he better hope his pit crew also gets back onto rack at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NHMS hasn’t always been very kind to Busch in the Chase. His 2008 debacle ended any hopes of a title but the last two fall races have been much kinder to Busch.
Two top 10 finishes gives Busch confidence heading into this weekend. In the last two races here in the fall he hasn’t led a lap.
Maybe it was Chase jitters or maybe it was just an off day but the pit road issues can’t continue this week if they want to not only contend for a title but the win.
Busch and his team are far from out of the title hunt and NHMS could get him and his team back on pace.
For Matt Kenseth on Monday he had a good car and a car capable of challenging for the win. Instead of challenging for the win he found himself running out of fuel and being penalized for being pushed by JJ Yeley to the line.
Kenseth never asked for the push but regardless he was scored in 21st position first car one lap down. The finish dropped him to 10th in the standings.
Not exactly the ending to the weekend this team had hoped for after earning the pole. Still, NHMS is not one of his best tracks. He ahs finished inside the top 10 their since 2007.
His best finish since then was 17th and that was in June of 2010. This weekend will be a real test for this team. If they can come out of NHMS with a solid finish and gain points then Kenseth title hopes are still alive.
The other driver whose title hopes took a major hit was Jeff Gordon. Unlike Busch and Kenseth, Gordon and his team battle the race car all day long.
A flat tire and running out of fuel saw Gordon finish 24th and drop to 11th in the standings. Not exactly what this team expected after not finishing worse than 13th since August.
The key to their struggles on Monday was qualifying. They started 22nd and were never able to make up much ground under green. This team needs to find a way to qualify better. When they had track position the car was decent. Still, if they want to get back into title contention this weekend is a very big weekend for this team.
In July, Gordon had one of the best cars on the track but battery issues and cut tire in the final laps saw them finish 11th.
This weekend the will be key for Gordon also who needs to run up front and challenge for the win. At NHMS, he has 14 top fives, 18 top 10’s and three wins. Gordon and his team need to get back on track and do the things that jumpstarted their season back in June.
For Busch, Gordon and Kenseth these three are not out of the title hopes but this weekend at NHMS could decide their championship fate.
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