NASCAR Nextel Cup
September 16, 2007
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LOUDON, NH -- Clint Bowyer was the only driver in The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup without a win until Sunday when he picked up his first career series victory in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon finished second followed by Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. rounded out the top five.
Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman and J.J. Yeley completed the first ten finishers.
Bowyer's Richard Childress Racing Impala started from the pole and led a dominating 221 of 300 laps as Chevy teams swept the top-6 finishing positions.
Sunday's race was the first of 10 in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and it is the first time Bowyer qualified for the 12-car field.
"I knew we could do it," Bowyer said. "This was an unbelievable day. Hopefully this proves we’ve earned a spot."
"I won’t kid you, I was about to throw up those last 30 laps. You hear every rattle and squeak in it and I was praying that no caution would come."
Bowyer's victory was the high point for Richard Childress Racing. His
Jack Daniels-sponsored Chevrolet was the class of the field while teammates
Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton struggled.
The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup couldn't have started on a more perfect,
sun-splashed New England day. It was cool enough to remind everyone that
"Ole Man Winter" is right around the corner.
A driver who knows what cold winters are like proved his pole position was
no fluke.
Native Kansan Bowyer, who cut his racing teeth on dirt tracks throughout the
Midwest, was fast from the get-go.
Bowyer led every lap prior to the mandatory competition caution at 35 laps.
He also won the race off pit road.
Ward Burton spun on the 67th lap to bring out another caution and Stewart's
crew put him in the lead with a lightning pit stop.
Bowyer, however, drove from fourth to first by lap 112. The race was turning
into a six-car battle between Bowyer, Stewart, Gordon, Johnson, Newman,
Kenseth and Earnhardt.
Other Chase contenders seemed to be out of the running as far as winning
this event was concerned.
Kurt Busch showed some early speed but engine problems kept him from
contending.
Results
| FIN | ST | CAR | DRIVER | MAKE | SPONSOR | PTS/BNS | LAPS | STATUS |
| 1 | 1 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Jack Daniel's | 195/10 | 300 | Running |
| 2 | 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | DuPont | 170/0 | 300 | Running |
| 3 | 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | The Home Depot | 170/5 | 300 | Running |
| 4 | 12 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | CARQUEST / Kellogg's | 165/5 | 300 | Running |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker | 160/5 | 300 | Running |
| 6 | 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 150/0 | 300 | Running |
| 7 | 30 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | DEWALT | 146/0 | 300 | Running |
| 8 | 15 | 25 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | National Guard / GMAC | 147/5 | 300 | Running |
| 9 | 5 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Mobil 1 | 143/5 | 300 | Running |
| 10 | 21 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries | 134/0 | 300 | Running |
| 11 | 22 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | Crown Royal | 130/0 | 300 | Running |
| 12 | 11 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Marriott Vacation Club | 127/0 | 300 | Running |
| 13 | 9 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Lumber Liquidators | 124/0 | 300 | Running |
| 14 | 13 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | Target | 126/5 | 300 | Running |
| 15 | 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chevrolet | FedEx Express | 118/0 | 300 | Running |
| 16 | 19 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | Budweiser | 120/5 | 300 | Running |
| 17 | 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Shell / Pennzoil | 112/0 | 299 | Running |
| 18 | 23 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | AT&T Mobility | 109/0 | 299 | Running |
| 19 | 38 | 6 | David Ragan * | Ford | AAA | 106/0 | 299 | Running |
| 20 | 25 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | 103/0 | 299 | Running |
| 21 | 24 | 96 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | DLP HDTV | 100/0 | 299 | Running |
| 22 | 26 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Dodge | Cheerios / Trix / Lucky & Friends | 97/0 | 299 | Running |
| 23 | 31 | 42 | Juan Montoya * | Dodge | Texaco / Havoline | 94/0 | 299 | Running |
| 24 | 17 | 15 | Paul Menard * | Chevrolet | Sylvania / Menards | 91/0 | 299 | Running |
| 25 | 3 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | Miller Lite | 88/0 | 299 | Running |
| 26 | 20 | 00 | David Reutimann * | Toyota | Burger King | 85/0 | 299 | Running |
| 27 | 33 | 66 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | Best Buy | 82/0 | 298 | Running |
| 28 | 36 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | FleetPride / Yellow | 79/0 | 298 | Running |
| 29 | 37 | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | Furniture Row Racing | 76/0 | 298 | Running |
| 30 | 34 | 21 | Ken Schrader | Ford | Little Debbie | 78/5 | 297 | Running |
| 31 | 40 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Ford | Jim Beam | 70/0 | 297 | Running |
| 32 | 29 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Dodge | Stanley Tools / Valvoline | 67/0 | 297 | Running |
| 33 | 39 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger * | Toyota | Red Bull | 64/0 | 297 | Running |
| 34 | 27 | 88 | Kenny Wallace | Ford | Snickers | 61/0 | 296 | Running |
| 35 | 10 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Toyota | Caterpillar | 58/0 | 296 | Running |
| 36 | 16 | 01 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | Principal Financial Group | 55/0 | 296 | Running |
| 37 | 41 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | Victory Junction Gang Camp | 52/0 | 296 | Running |
| 38 | 7 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | 49/0 | 295 | Running |
| 39 | 35 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | M&M's | 46/0 | 295 | Running |
| 40 | 43 | 98 | Boris Said | Dodge | Valvoline / Stanley Tools | 43/0 | 292 | Running |
| 41 | 28 | 4 | Ward Burton | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil / State Water Heaters | 40/0 | 284 | Running |
| 42 | 32 | 40 | David Stremme | Dodge | Energizer e2 Lithium | 37/0 | 273 | Running |
| 43 | 42 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Red Bull | 34/0 | 265 | Running |
* Denotes Rookie
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