Ryan Newman won the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, scoring his 12th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in his 143rd career start.
Newman scored his second win at Loudon in eight races. He scored his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in the September 2002 race here.
Newman scored his first victory of 2005. His last victory came at Dover in September 2004, 35 races ago.
Newman has scored 11 top-10 finishes in 27 races in 2005.
Newman became the 13th different race winner in 2005.
Newman climbed from 10th to third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
This was Newmans 11th superspeedway victory in 112 career superspeedway races.
Tony Stewart led the most laps for the ninth time this season, the most of all drivers. Kurt Busch has led the most in four races this season.
Newman led three times for 66 laps including the final two.
Newman scored the third victory for car owner Roger Penske at New Hampshire International Speedway. This was Penskes 57th victory as a car owner and first in 27 races this season.
The 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Is On
As a result of his finish in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway Tony Stewart took the early lead in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup by just 20 points over second-place Greg Biffle. Stewart along with nine other drivers will race over the remaining nine races of the 2005 season to determine the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion who is expected to win in excess of $5 million:
Eight drivers in the top-10 in points changed positions at New Hampshire.
Kurt Busch (35th today) started the 2004 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup by scoring a victory at New Hampshire and scored top10 finishes in the first six races of the Chase.
Seven of the 10 drivers who made it into the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup are doing so for the second straight year. Greg Biffle, Rusty Wallace, and Carl Edwards are new to the Chase in 2005.
Eight of the 10 drivers competing in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup have scored at least one victory in the first 27 races of the 2005 season. Five of the 10 drivers have scored multiple victories led by Stewart and Biffle each with five.
Three of the Ford Five of Jack Roush Racing finished in the top 10: Kenseth (third), Biffle (fourth) and Martin (seventh).
Jamie McMurray (12th) climbed from 13th to 11th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
A total of $1 Million will be paid to the driver who finishes 11th in the final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Additionally, the 11th-place driver will also join the top-10 drivers on the stage at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Awards Banquet in New York in December.
Tony Stewart (second) has scored 13 straight top-10 finishes including 10 top fives extending a streak that began with a second-place finish at Michigan in June. Stewart has scored 19 top-10 finishes in 27 races in 2005, the most of all drivers. Stewart remained first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings for the seventh straight race..
Matt Kenseth (third) scored his fifth top-10 finish in his last five races. Kenseth climbed from ninth to fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fifth) scored his first top-five finish in his last nine races, since his victory at Chicagoland.
Rusty Wallace (sixth) extended a 40-race streak of running at the finish that began at Bristol in August 2004. Wallace has scored 22 top-15 finishes in 27 races in 2005.
Jimmy Johnson (eighth) dropped from fourth to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has ranked in the top-10 of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings for 60 consecutive races, the longest current streak. The streak began at Atlanta in March 2004.(NASCAR Statistical Service)(9-18-2005)
