Juan Pablo Montoya (Right) talks with Mark Martin (Left) in the garage prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway likely will be decided by either a late-rack track position gamble or someone who makes a great restart in the closing laps.
The reason is that the flat, 1.058-mile NHMS oval is one of the most difficult tracks to pass on in the entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. On top of that, there will be some different agendas among the top competitors: With 10 races left until the Chase for the Sprint Cup, drivers solidly in the Chase already can gamble for a victory and the 10 bonus points in Chase seeding.
But for the guys in roughly positions eight to 16, they won’t have that luxury and instead will have to be more conservative.
“It’s all about making the Chase and we’re doing everything in our power from the team to myself to the crew chief making the calls and being smart,” said Juan Pablo Montoya, who is 12th in points despite not having a single top-five finish all season. “I think if you could run like top-five every week then you could get away with being a little more aggressive. We’re not. We’re running top-10, not top-five.”
The gamble vs. points race strategy played out two weeks ago in Michigan International Speedway, when Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle were battling for the victory in the closing laps.
Both secure in the Chase, Johnson and Biffle ran each other out of gas on the last lap of the LifeLock 400. Mark Martin, who entered that race 13th in points, knew he couldn’t afford to run out of gas and finish 25th, so he played it conservatively and saved gas in the final laps of the event. Ironically, by being safe, Martin won the race as he was in third place when Johnson and Biffle ran out of gas, handing Martin the race.
Expect some late-race gambling again on Sunday. The race could come to fuel mileage or who takes four tires, two tires or gas only on the last pit stop.
