RACE DAY REPORT
NEW ENGLAND 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE INT'L SPEEDWAY, LOUDON, N.H.
SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2003

PRE-RACE NOTES &
RACE INFORMATION:

Many of Rusty Wallace's Miller Lite Dodge team members caught the IRL race from Nashville last night on ESPN2 and they were discussing it among themselves and with others in the garage area this morning. In that race, Penske driver Gil de Ferran stretched his last load of fuel to 69 laps and came home with another victory to add to his May win in the Indy 500. He took the lead when cars in front of him pitted under yellow with 27 laps remaining and benefited from two late cautions to win the race that finished under the yellow.

"Today's win was the result of a great Team effort," Gil said after the race last night. "Roger (Penske) made the right strategy calls, the car ran beautifully both in traffic and alone, and the pit stops were right on. We had a good start and I was able to pass Helio (Castroneves) and then got by Scott (Dixon). We ran in the top-five through the first two stints but had a problem with the air jack on our second pit stop and lost about ten positions (de Ferran went from third to 13th). I was able to work my way back through the field and my Marlboro Team Penske crew did a fantastic last pit stop (fuel only on lap 131) which put me in a position to retake the lead (lap 173)."

"Guess with all the talk about fuel mileage and all, a little bit of NASCAR is rubbing off on those guys over there in the IRL," said Bill Wilburn, Rusty's crew chief, as he discussed the race with Winston-Salem Journal reporter Mike Mulhern. "Now when those guys start talking about track position and all, you'll know that what we're doing over here is really making an impact. Seriously though, it was a great win for Penske Racing last night at Nashville and we're hoping to give Roger a one-two finish with his cars here today."

Points leader Matt Kenseth was fastest in both of yesterday morning's practice sessions leading up to today's race. Rusty clocked in with the 11th fastest lap in the first session and he was also 11th in the final session.

"But we're really good, I think," Bill told Mulhern. "I think we'll be strong on the longer runs. We were a tick on the loose side and she'll tighten up as the day goes along. Maybe there's something there in the numbers, too. We didn't get to qualify and we'll start 11th because that's where we are in the points. We were 11th in both practices. That No. 11 is a luck number, at least it is in (Las) Vegas."

"Does that mean that you're looking for an 11th-place finish here today then?" Mulhern asked sarcastically.

"No, you can drop one of those ones (meaning 1st-place)," Bill shot back. "That's what we're looking for here today."

Rusty was able to get out yesterday afternoon for a round of golf with long-time friend Ron Bouchard, who owns several automobile dealerships in the area. Bouchard has something that Rusty doesn't - a Winston Cup win at Talladega - and that seems to always crop up in the lighthearted fun the two have. They ventured over to the Laconia Country Club to see firsthand the vast upgrading project that facility has experienced recently.

It was picture-perfect weather here at New Hampshire International Speedway for today's New England 300. Under sunny to partly cloudy skies, the high temperature is expected to reach into the low 80s.

With the race not starting until 2:00 p.m. here this afternoon, the drivers had the opportunity to sleep in. The first thing on the agenda was an 11:00 a.m. visit to the Mobil 1 hospitality area. The driver and crew chief meeting was at 12:00 noon and there was ample time to relax before the 1:30 p.m. driver introductions.

The pit road layout for today sees Rusty, Bill and team pitting from the fifth spot up pit road. The Robby Gordon team pits in front and Mike Wallace's team goes from behind. Rusty's Penske Racing South teammate Ryan Newman and his Matt Borland-led team pit from the seventh spot. Mike Wallace pits in front and Johnny Benson's team pits behind.

The engines were fired at 2:09 p.m. and the 43-car starting field rolled down pit road at 2:12 p.m. After three parade laps, the green flag flew at 2:16 p.m.

Pole-starter and points leader Matt Kenseth led the first lap before Jeff Gordon flexed his muscle for the first time to take the lead on lap two. Dale Earnhardt Jr. got to the inside of Gordon to lead lap three, before Gordon got back around and started to stretch his lead.

John Andretti got a tap from Ken Schrader and smacked the turn one wall on lap nine to bring out the first yellow of the race. With the importance of track position, of course none of the leaders pitted.

While Jeff Gordon lined up as the leader with his Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson second, Rusty was 12th and Ryan 15th for the lap 15 restart.

Gordon and Johnson were able to jump out with a good lead before Sterling Marlin shredded a tire to cause the second yellow on lap 20 for the debris left behin.

There were still no takers among the leaders to hit pit road. Gordon, Johnson, Earnhardt, Michael Waltrip and Kenseth made up the top five for the lap 27 restart. Rusty was up to 10th and Ryan up to 13th.

Rusty got caught up on the high side, allowing three cars around. Gordon and Johnson got another good jump and enjoyed a comfortable three-second lead over third-place Earnhardt on lap 50.

Marlin plowed into the third turn wall on lap 61 to cause the third caution of the race. This time around, all the leaders came down pit road.

Rusty went with two tires and the track position to move up to fifth for the lap 66 restart. Harvick, Kenseth, Johnson, Waltrip and Rusty made up the top five.

Jeff Gordon took on four tires and started from back in the pack on the restart, but by lap 70 he was around Rusty for fifth as the No. 2 car started sliding back. "It's just too tight," Rusty radioed in on lap 72 as he fell back to the 10th spot.

Johnson advanced to challenge Harvick for the lead on lap 75 and the two drivers put on a great show with some tough side-by-side racing. Johnson finally cleared Harvick to take the lead on lap 80 and the next lap he had teammate Gordon in tow.

The fourth caution of the race came on lap 100 and was cause by debris in the form of a camera lens in the groove in turn two.

The leaders hit pit road the following lap. This time around Rusty and crew went with four tires (-1 pond out of left-side tires) in 14.452 seconds. He fell to 20th for the lap 108 restart.

Jeff Gordon again had the lead on the restart. Tony Stewart took on only two tires and was up to second, with Bill Elliott, Johnson and Ricky Craven rounding out the top five drivers at the time. Ryan lined up in the eighth spot.

Only a lap into the run, an over-anxious Earnhardt got into the back of Rusty in turn two, causing Rusty to spin out and bring out the fifth caution of the race.

"He just slap ran all over me," Rusty radioed as the crew watched the replay in the pits and nodded that what Rusty was saying was a fact. "Hit pit road and let's get four new tires, Rusty," Bill radioed.

Rusty obliged for a 13.987-second four-tire stop and fell all the way back to 33rd for the lap 114 restart. Up front it was still Gordon leading, with Stewart, Johnson, Elliott and Jeff Burton making up the top five. Ryan was up to seventh.

Mike Wallace's turn two crash, after getting nedged by Ward Burton, brought out the sixth yellow flag of the afternoon. "This race track is just hard as hell to race on, I'll tell you that," Rusty radioed during the yellow. "But the car is a lot better with those air pressures out."

It was another breakaway for the Gordon/Johnson duo after the lap 122 restart. But at lap 135, Gordon was out by 1.1 seconds over Johnson. Jeff Burton was able to get around Johnson for second on lap 136.

"It's just too tight from the middle off right now," Ryan radioed on lap 139 while running seventh.

Debris left by Jeremy Mayfield's shredded tire on lap 144 saw the seventh caution flag of the day fly. The leaders hit pit road and again there was an array of stops. Rusty went with two rights only and minus a round of wedge, while Ryan took on four tires and fuel.

The lap 150 restart saw rookie Jamie McMurray with the lead, followed by Kyle Petty, Elliott, Harvick and Joe Nemechek. Ryan was 12th and Rusty 13th. Only two laps later, Kenny Wallace and Jeff Burton made contact in turn four to cause the eighth caution of the race.

The lap 157 restart saw Harvick waste little time getting around McMurray for the lead. On back in the pack, Stewart was attempting to go around Rusty's outside. Instead he banged Rusty form the rear in turn four and scraped the panel of sheet metal off the rear of the car. That debris brought out the ninth yellow of the day.

An angry Rusty ran Stewart down during the yellow and he rubbed up beside him, causing Bill to get on the radio and attempt to calm his driver down.

There were still 35 cars on the lead lap and several drivers, including Stewart and his teammate Bobby Labonte, chose to hit pit road during the yellow.

It was Harvick at the point on the lap 170 restart, with Nemechek, McMurray, Waltrip and Johnson completing the top five. Ryan was seventh and Rusty regrouped to restart 13th.

Again it looked like a charge to the front by the No. 24 and No. 48 cars. That was slowed, however, when McMurray slammed hard into the turn two wall to bring out the 10th caution flag on lap 196.

During the yellow flag cautions, it was another mix of stops. Rusty went with two tires and a wedge adjustment in 11.493 seconds, while Ryan got four with air pressure adjustments in 14.865 seconds.

"Make sure you get it full," was both crew chiefs' comments on the radio.

It was Jeff Burton leading on the lap 203 restart, with Harvick second, Jeff Gordon third, Earnhardt fourth and Craven fifth. Rusty lined up seventh, while Ryan was 13th.

A full lap wasn't complete before the 11th yellow of the race flew for debris on the frontstretch. Rusty and several of the leaders pitted for a splash of fuel to insure they could go the distance. Jeff Gordon, Craven, Robby Gordon, Ryan, Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett were among those who stayed out. Rusty fell to 23rd in the field

After the lap 212 restart, Gordon jumped out to a 2.2-second lead in only 13 laps, but the big thing on all minds was now fuel mileage.

"Ryan, save all the fuel you can," Matt radioed on lap 225. "We're showing we'll be about eight laps shy, but if we get some cautions and you stay off the gas, we can do it."

There were 33 cars still on the lead lap when Christian Fittipaldi crashed on the frontstretch after getting tapped by Waltrip in lap 233.

The 12th caution period of the day proved pivotal as Jeff Gordon hit pit road for four tires and fuel, knowing that he couldn't make the distance without stopping.

That saw Ryan inherit the lead for the lap 240 restart. Robby Gordon was second, with Steve Park third, Jarrett fourth and Johnson fifth. Many of the teams running up front were begging officials to blow the track in order to get more fuel-preserving caution laps, but NASCAR didn't go for that. Rusty was 17th.

"Read me the intervals to second," Ryan suggested to Matt as a fuel-conserving aid. He did just that until Johnson marched up to take the lead on lap 264. Then, in full-court fuel conservation mode, Matt would give Ryan the intervals back to Harvick and then Kenseth.

At the end of the day, the No. 12 team had nursed their car to a fourth-place finish behind winner Jimmie Johnson, the No. 29 car and the No. 17 car.

So, it's Johnson winning his second race of the 2003 season and becoming the third multiple winner of the year, joining Ryan and Kurt Busch, who have three wins each. Harvick finished second, with Kenseth third, Ryan fourth and Robby Gordon fifth. Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Steve Park, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle rounded out the top 10 finishers. Rusty was credited with a 17th-place finish.

Kenseth extended his points lead over Gordon (who finished 24th today) by a 2,848 to 2,614 margin. Earnhardt is third with 2,575; Bobby Labonte fourth with 2,472; Johnson fifth with 2,429; Michael Waltrip sixth with 2,373; Harvick seventh with 2,316; Busch eighth with 2,243; Stewart ninth with 2,226 and Rusty back up to 10th with 2,203. Ryan is tied with Robby Gordon for 13th with 2,178.

The NASCAR Winston Cup tour now heads back to Pocono Raceway for next Sunday's running of the Pennsylvania 500. The race has a 1:00 p.m. EDT starting time and features live coverage by TNT-TV and MRN Radio.

The NASCAR Winston Cup tour now heads back to Pocono Raceway for next Sunday's running of the Pennsylvania 500. The race has a 1:00 p.m. EDT starting time and features live coverage by TNT-TV and MRN Radio.

POST-RACE QUOTES:

RUSTY WALLACE:
"We were tight most of the day and learned a lot that we can apply when we come back here during the fall. We thought and hoped we'd do better than that. It was yeat another one of those fuel mileage and track position deals. It wasn't fun to get turned around like we did and those guys know we won't stand for that crap. When the day was done, though, it could have been better and it could have been worse. At least we were able to get back up there in the top 10 in the points."

BILL WILBURN:
"We didn't run very good today. We got run into a few times today, but that doesn't happen if you're driving away from them, and we didn't do that today."