NASCAR notes - Race is Chase tutorial

Race is Chase tutorial

At least a handful of the drivers racing in today's Sprint Cup race in New Hampshire will be thinking about another race here in September.

The second race of the season on the 1.058-mile oval will be the start of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, contested among the 12 top drivers in the season points.

There are 10 races left in the regular season. But for the drivers and teams expecting to be part of the Chase, the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 today is a learning experience.

"I think this is a very important race," said Kurt Busch, whose victory in the fall of 2004 helped propel him to the championship in the first year of the Chase format. "This starts the Chase when we come back here in September."

Busch, who has since moved from Roush Fenway Racing to Penske Racing, said it's always important to learn as much as you can from the first of two races in a season at the same track.

"Even though California is the second race of the year, you know in the back of your mind that it's a Chase race when you go back there in October," he said. "So it fits with all the other tracks that we've been to thus far that fit into the Chase."

Jeff Gordon, second in the points and a four-time champion, echoed Busch.

"We feel like this is a very important race, very important track," Gordon said. "We are in a position in the points to be a little more risky in our setup, in our pit strategy. But the most important thing is getting the car really dialed in this weekend so that when we come back for the Chase, that we start it off right."

Working out

Gordon's recent back problems have had an unexpected upside.

"The thing with my back is it's almost a blessing in disguise because I've always been fairly fit without having to do much," the four-time Cup champion said. "And I think that because of that, my core had gotten a little bit weak, and I think over the last few years, especially with some wrecks, it's contributed to my back problems.

"Now, I'm getting much stronger. So I'm actually in better physical shape than I've been in a long time."

Head man

Marcos Ambrose was walking around the garage area yesterday wearing a camouflage Army bucket hat sent to him by members of an Australian army unit serving in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The hat, similar to a brimmed fishing hat, came along with a letter from Task Force 633 International Security Assistance Force expressing support for the Australian driver. The servicemen also thanks the JTG-Daugherty Racing team and Ambrose for reminding them of the "enjoyable things in life" and "making a difference in their lives."

- From Wire Reports