AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded four top-five finishes and seven top-10s. During this race last year, he finished fourth after leading 64 laps. He has led a total of 243 laps at the Loudon, N.H., track.
NEW HAMPSHIRE CHASSIS: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet engineers have selected Chassis No. 88-490 for Sunday’s race at New Hampshire. This Impala SS is the same chassis the team raced at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway earlier this season when Earnhardt led 15 laps and nearly won before being involved a late-race accident.
HENDRICK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 26 races at NHMS, Hendrick Motorsports has posted six wins, 24 top-five finishes and 38 top-10s. The organization has recorded at least one top-five finish in 17 events and at least one top-10 in all but two races.
TESTING TEAM: The No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet team tested two weeks ago at The Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile to prepare for this Sunday’s race at New Hampshire. The Nos. 5 and 48 teams also participated in the test, while the No. 24 team tested at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.
LOCAL CONNECTION: Two members of the No. 88 team consider NHMS their home track. Rear-tire changer D.J Richardson, 38, hails from Leomister, Mass., roughly 85 miles south of the Loudon venue. Richardson has been a member of the team since 2006 and formerly competed as a driver in the ARCA Series. Jackman Rick Pigeon grew up in the town of Fairfax, Vt., located approximately 185 miles north of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Pigeon, 32, has worked for Hendrick since 2001.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY): “I really like racing at New Hampshire. I really like running there; we’ve always run well and led some laps. It’s a good racetrack; it’s a lot like racing used to be. The crowd is a lot smaller, the infield congestion is less, and it’s just a lot easier for me to negotiate my way around the entire weekend.”
EARNHARDT (ON SPENDING TIME AT A NATIONAL GUARD TRAINING FACILITY LAST WEEK.): “Last week we went to Camp Butner in North Carolina and had a blast. We were able to use the rifle range and test out all their computer-simulated exercises. It was a cool day, a team-building experience, and it was real fun. It makes you appreciate what the members of the Guard do a lot more when you see it firsthand.”
TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS: (ON NEW HAMPSHIRE.): “It’s a perfectly flat, one-mile track, and it’s kind of unique because it takes a lot of braking. A lot of people say it looks like a paperclip. It’s like an oversized Martinsville. You’ve got to have your drive off, good brakes to get into the corner, and your car has to roll in the center really well. Over the last couple years, there haven’t been two grooves. Pretty much the low groove is where it’s at. The biggest thing is you’ve got to make sure your car has really good drive off and the roll in the center really nice.”
EURY (ON HOW YOU PREPARE FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE.): “We go to Milwaukee. It’s fairly similar to Loudon. That’s probably the only track around here that has the speed that can get your timing down so you can do what you need to do. We tested with the car we had at Richmond and one other car. We went up there last year and learned quite a bit. It puts the driver into a rhythm. We’ve got a lot of different kind of tracks coming up and you throw that short track right in the middle—it’s good for him to go there and get his timing back.”
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