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Take 5: New Hampshire previews Phoenix championship possibilities
By Terrin Waack | Tuesday, August 4, 2020
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The NASCAR Cup Series completed its 20th race of the 2020 season Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski won the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. But what were some of the other race highlights? Here are NASCAR.com's five biggest takeaways from the recent on-track action.
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Building his case: Brad Keselowski won his third race of the 2020 season and continues to admittedly have his best season to date. He's now at eight top-five and 15 top-10 performances, bringing him to an 8.6 average finish. Keselowski led a race-high 184 of 301 laps at New Hampshire and crossed the finish line 1.647 seconds ahead of the field. It, quite frankly, was a dominating performance, which is important as the NASCAR Playoffs creep closer and closer. Keselowski could very well be a title contender alongside Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick -- the only drivers above Keselowski on the playoff leaderboard.
"Gosh, I would love to make a run at that championship," Keselowski said. "I'm dying to get the second championship. We've been knocking on the door the last few years, had some run‑ins, some bumps and bruises. Looks like we'll have a shot at it this year. I'm really thrilled to death about that."
"Gosh, I would love to make a run at that championship," Keselowski said. "I'm dying to get the second championship. We've been knocking on the door the last few years, had some run‑ins, some bumps and bruises. Looks like we'll have a shot at it this year. I'm really thrilled to death about that."
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Foreshadowing the finale: The rules package the NASCAR Cup Series ran at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the same one it'll run in November at Phoenix Raceway for the 2020 championship race. Both the venues are home to intermediate tracks -- New Hampshire measures 1.058 miles, while Phoenix is a mile on the dot. Both are relatively flat, too. Joey Logano won at Phoenix earlier this season, while Brad Keselowski just took the checkered flag at New Hampshire.
"We took things all the way back from Phoenix -- notes from Phoenix -- applied them to how we came here because it was the same tire," said Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of Keselowski's No. 2 Team Penske Ford. "You have to use all the information you can get and treat each race like a practice session and try to learn as much as you can."
"We took things all the way back from Phoenix -- notes from Phoenix -- applied them to how we came here because it was the same tire," said Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of Keselowski's No. 2 Team Penske Ford. "You have to use all the information you can get and treat each race like a practice session and try to learn as much as you can."
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Crashing out early: Kyle Busch's 2020 bad luck continued at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had to park his No. 18 Toyota just 16 laps into the 301-lap event after a flat tire sent the car sailing into the outside wall. He was scored in 38th place -- last place. The DNF added to the NASCAR Cup Series reigning champion's 20-race winless streak. Busch is still in the postseason picture thanks to his points cushion, but he'd be in 13th place if the playoffs started today. He's 94 points above the cutline despite losing 26 points of cushion on Sunday.
"I blew a right-front tire for some reason," Busch said. "I have no idea why. Way too early in the going for anything to be wrong or even to build enough brake temp or brake heat. I don't know. Just hate it for our Pedigree team and the fight that we've been having this year seems to be continuing."
"I blew a right-front tire for some reason," Busch said. "I have no idea why. Way too early in the going for anything to be wrong or even to build enough brake temp or brake heat. I don't know. Just hate it for our Pedigree team and the fight that we've been having this year seems to be continuing."
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Adding bad news: Jimmie Johnson also struggled in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race. Though he didn't crash out like Kyle Busch, Johnson did have an on-track incident. He and Clint Bowyer made contact on Lap 63 of 301 that left Johnson's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet spinning. There wasn't bad damage, but it did make Johnson lose track position. He rallied back to finish 12th but remains below the postseason cutline. Johnson sits 25 points behind William Byron, his teammate. This is still the seven-time champ's final full-time season.
"A day full of challenges but we salvaged a decent finish," Johnson tweeted after the race. "My team is hungry and ready for the double header @MISpeedway."
"A day full of challenges but we salvaged a decent finish," Johnson tweeted after the race. "My team is hungry and ready for the double header @MISpeedway."
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Examining the bubble: As already mentioned, William Byron is the first driver above the cutline -- safe by 15 points. He gained five out of the race in Loudon, New Hampshire. Matt DiBendetto (also gained five) and Clint Bowyer (gained one) are right above him with a 40-point and 43-point cushion, respectively. They all held their ground from last week's standings. The first driver on the opposite side of the cutline is Tyler Reddick -- down by 15 in the same position. Jimmie Johnson is out by 25 points; he gained a spot but lost seven points. Erik Jones is then down by 31 after losing 19 points and a position. There are six regular-season races left, then the 16-driver playoff field will be set.
"This team never gives," Reddick said, "and we're fighting for every spot we can as we approach the cut-off to make the playoffs."
"This team never gives," Reddick said, "and we're fighting for every spot we can as we approach the cut-off to make the playoffs."
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