Kevin Harvick won the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, scoring his ninth Nextel Cup victory in his 205th career start.
Harvick has posted victories in three of the last six races, also winning at Watkins Glen and Richmond. This is his fourth victory in 2006. Harvick won at Phoenix earlier this season.
Harvick extended a 39-race streak of running at the finish that began at California in 2005, the longest current streak.
Harvick won the $60,000 Nextel Leader Bonus for winning the race and leading the points at the end of the event.
Harvick moved into 56th on NASCARs all-time winners list.
Harvicks victory today was the 16th Chevrolet victory in 27 races in 2006. That victory clinched the 2006 Manufacturers Championship for Chevrolet – the 30th time that they have won the Manufacturers Championship, including each of the last four years.
Harvick has scored 11 straight top-15 finishes, extending a streak that began at Daytona in July.
Harvick became the fifth different race winner in the last five races at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Harvick scored his first victory in 12 races at New Hampshire International Speedway and sixth victory in 159 races on a superspeedway.
Harvick won the race from the Bud Pole, the third time in 24 Nextel Cup races at New Hampshire that a driver won from the pole. This marked the sixth time in 2006 that a race was won from the Bud Pole.
Harvick scored his third straight top-10 finish at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Harvick climbed from third to first in the point standings, 35 points ahead of second-place Denny Hamlin This is the first time that Harvick has been the point leader in his 205-race career.
Harvick led the most laps for the second time in 2006. Harvick also led the most at first Richmond.
Race winner Harvick led seven times for 196 laps including the final 84 laps.
This is team owner Richard Chidress 81st Nextel Cup victory and his second at New Hampshire International Speedway. His other victory here was by Robby Gordon in November 2001.
Notebook Items
Tony Stewart (second) scored his 15th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his 10th top-10 finish in 16 races at New Hampshire. Stewart remained 11th in the point standings with a 313-point lead over 12th-place Greg Biffle This is the first year that Stewart will not finish among the top-10 since his first full-time season in 1999. Stewart missed The Chase by 16 points. He is chasing the $1 million bonus for finishing 11th in the final point standings. Jeff Gordon finished 11th in 2005 and Jamie McMurray finished 11th in 2004, the inaugural year of the Chase.
Jeff Gordon (third) scored his 13th top-10 finish in 2006 and his 13th top-10 finish in 24 races at New Hampshire. Denny Hamlin (fourth) scored his 14th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his second top-10 finish in two races at New Hampshire International Speedway. It was his 10th straight top-15 finish.
Hamlin was the highest finishing rookie for the 14th time in 2006.
Brian Vickers (fifth) scored his first top-10 finish in his last seven races and his sixth top-10 finish in 2006. It was his first top-10 finish in six races at New Hampshire International Speedway.
At least one of the Raybestos Rookie-of-the Year contenders has scored a top-15 finish in all 27 races this season.
Elliott Sadler (sixth) scored his seventh top-10 finish in 2006 and his fourth in 16 races at New Hampshire.
Jeff Burton (seventh) scored his 16th top-10 finish in 2006 and his 11th top-10 finish in 24 races at New Hampshire.
Dave Blaney (ninth) scored his second top-10 finish in 2006, both in the last two races.
Jimmie Johnson (39th today) dropped from second to ninth in the point standings. He has been ranked among the top 10 for 96 consecutive races. Johnson has been running at the finish in all 27 races in 2006.
The Chase Divers
Race #27 at New Hampshire marked the first of the 10 races in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup. Five of the 10 Chase drivers finished in the top 10. All 10 of The Chase drivers changed points positions at New Hampshire.
Kevin Harvick climbed from third to first in the point standings. Harvick is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for first time. He is one of five first-timers to compete in The Chase.
Harvicks 35 point lead over second-place Denny Hamlin is the biggest point lead after Race #1 in the threeyear history of The Chase.
Denny Hamlin climbed from fifth to second in the point standings. Hamlin is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for first time. He is the first Raybestos rookie contender to compete in The Chase.
Matt Kenseth dropped from first to third in the point standings. He is now 41 points behind point leader Harvick. Kenseth is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for the third straight year. He is one of just three drivers to do so. Kenseth finished eighth in 2004 and seventh in 2005
Jeff Gordon climbed from ninth to fourth in the point standings. Gordon is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for the second time in three years. He is one of just two drivers that have competed in two of the three. Gordon finished third in 2004 and 11th in the 2005 final standings.
Jeff Burton climbed from eighth to fifth in the point standings. Burton is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for first time.
Mark Martin climbed from seventh to sixth in the point standings. Martin is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for the third straight year. He is one of just three drivers to do so. Martin finished fourth in 2004 and 2005.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., dropped from sixth to seventh in the point standings. Earnhardt Jr. is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for the second time in three years. He is one of just two drivers that have competed in two of the three. Earnhardt Jr. finished fifth in 2004 and 19th in the 2005 final standings.
Kasey Kahne climbed from 10th to eighth in the point standings. Kahne is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for first time.
Jimmie Johnson dropped from second to ninth in the point standings. Johnson is competing in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup for the third straight year. Johnson finished second in 2004 and fifth in 2005.
Kyle Busch dropped from fourth to 10th in the point standings. He is one of five first-timers to compete in The Chase.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(9-17-2006)
