JIMMIE JOHNSON
WINS NEW ENGLAND 300
Loudon, NH: In a race where crew chiefs played the biggest role, Jimmie Johnson takes the checkered flag at New Hampshire International Speedway.
With all of the beating and banging and side by side racing, the #48 Lowes Chevrolet had the strength to get by the field into victory lane. His teammate and part owner, Jeff Gordon, led the most laps, but crew chief Chad Knaus made the best pit calls giving Jimmie the track position he needed to win.
Kevin Harvick also lead several laps in the #29 Goodwrench Chevrolet. His crew chief, Todd Berrier tried several different strategies to keep that car up front. Kevin battled his way back, but couldn't catch Jimmie Johnson. He finished the race 2nd.
Championship points leader, Matt Kenseth started on the pole due to qualifying being rained out on Friday. His car started out extremely tight and Matt soon fell back in the field. The #17 DeWalt Ford finally came around and Matt was able to finish the race 3rd. He increased his points lead by a substantial margin, now 234 point ahead of Jeff Gordon.
Several of the top 10 drivers can thank their crew chiefs for getting them there. Wise use of pit strategies helped them to gain track position when it counted. Ryan Newman in the #12 Alltel Dodge thought he may be short on fuel, but crew chief Matt Borland convinced him to stay out. Ryan finished 4th. Robby Gordon had been scraping and banging other cars all day, but the #31 Cingular Chevrolet ended in 5th. Dale Earnhardt Jr and Tony Eury, Jr thought they could get the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet up front when other cars would need to pit. Unfortunately, cautions threw that tactic out. Still, Jr was able to finish 6th.
The #88 UPS Ford of Dale Jarrett had not seen the top 10 since the win at Rockingham in February. DJ finished 7th. Steve Park finished a remarkable 8th in the #30 AOL Chevrolet. After moving up to 2nd at one point in the race. Then, being slammed into the wall on lap 154, Jeff Burton brought the #99 Citgo Dodge in 9th. Rounding out the top 10 was Greg Biffle in the #16 Grainger Ford.
Hot tempers were the order of the day as difficult passing changed side by side racing into bashing and smashing. John Andretti, now driving the NetZero Pontiac, was the first to be eliminated. He got together with Jimmy Spencer in the #7 Sirius Dodge on lap 9 and struck the wall. Jr bumped the rear of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge causing Rusty Wallace to spin. Later, Rusty tangled with Tony Stewart as the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet tried to squeeze past him. Tony scraped the wall, bounced off and slammed into Rusty causing the rear bumper guard to fly up and over the retaining fence. Luckily, no one was injured.
Early in the race, the "Gentlemen's Agreement" was sorely tested as Greg Biffle in the #16 Grainger Ford and Jeff Green in the #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet tried to get back onto the lead lap. Jeff Gordon refused to slow down and let them pass. On the restart, Greg expressed his displeasure as he moved over and whacked Jeff. Greg later received an invitation to the "Big Red Truck".
As the season moves on and tempers flare, the "Gentlemen's Agreement" may become more of a factor in
relation to the Championship. Race leaders ultimately will not allow others to pass if they feel those
drivers could become a threat later in the race or have an affect in the points standings. Look out
fans, this could get quite messy.
Article by S. Kipple
7/20/03
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