Kasey Kahne was not a very accomplished road course driver before this past weekend. He learned how to drive on dirt in Washington and had never won a race at a road course before. That last part changed this past weekend at Sonoma.
Kahne held off a charging Tony Stewart in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 to snap a 37-race stretch without a Sprint Cup win.
The 29-year-old Kahne has had a frustrating 2009 campaign with only four top-10 finishes coming into this past weekend's race. With the win, he moved up to 13th in the point standings and is now just outside of The Chase.
Stewart, who came in second on Sunday, increased his lead in the point standings over Jeff Gordon to 84 points.
The Cup series moves to "The Magic Mile" at New Hampshire this weekend for the LENOX Industrial Tools 301.
NHMS is a one-mile flat track with only two degrees of banking, making it one of the most difficult oval tracks on the circuit. The weather in Loudon, N.H. is sometimes problematic and has frequently figured into the result. Tracking the weather forecast could be as important as having the fastest car on Sunday.
Last year, it was Kurt Busch who took home the checkered flag in this event. Tony Stewart had been dominating the race but it was Busch who ended up getting the win after the frontrunners decided to pit under caution and the race was called due to weather.
Considering the fact that weather could end up playing a major part in this race, it could be a good week to take a risk on a driver you wouldn't normally consider. If you love flat tracks, this weekend's race should be right up your alley.
Tier 1 Start -- Kurt Busch
Sure, Busch did get lucky to earn the victory at New Hampshire in 2008, but it's not like he hadn't been in Victory Lane before. Busch has three wins at New Hampshire in his career and placed sixth in the second race there in 2008. He's having a solid 2009 campaign and this has been one of his better tracks over the years.
Others to consider: Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson
Tier 1 Sit -- Ryan Newman
Newman does have two career wins at New Hampshire in his career, but has only two top-10 finishes at the track in his last six races, with a ninth and 10th place finish in 2007. Don't let Newman's prior success at NHMS fool you into taking a flier on him this weekend.
Others to avoid: Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch
Tier 2 Start -- Jeff Burton
Burton has had a long history of success at New Hampshire throughout his career including two wins, but hasn't taken the checkers there since 2000. He has finished in the top 10 in five of his last seven races there and will hopefully make it six out of eight. Tier 2 is surprisingly weak at NHMS, so it'll be tough to make too great of a choice.
Others to consider: Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards
Tier 2 Sit -- David Reutimann
This is the second week in a row that Reutimann should be avoided. He has an average finish of 24.5 in four career races at NHMS with only one finish even in the top 20. He's finished outside of the top 15 in three of his last four races in 2009, so look elsewhere this week.
Others to avoid: Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer
Tier 3 Start -- Martin Truex, Jr.
Truex has finished in the top 10 in each of his last four attempts at New Hampshire, with three of those four finishes being fifth or better. His average finish there is 9.8, the second-highest average of any driver behind Denny Hamlin. Truex is a pretty safe pick for this weekend's race.
Others to consider: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick
Tier 3 Sit -- Jamie McMurray
This is certainly not one of McMurray's favorite tracks on the circuit. He finished 41st and 39th in two races at New Hampshire in 2008 and has only three top-10 finishes there in 12 career races. He has an average finish of 23.6, making him a must-sit this weekend.
Others to avoid: Marcos Ambrose, Joey Logano
Tier 4 Start -- Michael Waltrip
Waltrip had his best career finish at New Hampshire in the 2008 version of this weekend's event, finishing second behind Kurt Busch. Of course he was a bit lucky to get that result, but he has finished in the top-10 there on other occasions in his career. Waltrip is a veteran and might be better able to judge the weather than some of the other drivers on the track, so take a flier on him this weekend.
Others to consider: Bobby Labonte, Reed Sorenson
Tier 4 Sit -- A.J. Allmendinger
Allmendinger has made three career starts at New Hampshire and has the worst finishing average of any driver. His best career finish was 33rd, so stay away from him this weekend despite his seventh place finish at Infineon last week.
Others to avoid: Sam Hornish, Jr., David Stremme
Tier 5 Start -- Robby Gordon
Gordon has actually won at New Hampshire before in his career and typically posts a good result at the track. He has only three finishes of 30th or worse, with three top-10s to his credit as well. He's a solid bet to at least finish in the top 30.
Others to consider: Joe Nemechek, Paul Menard
Tier 5 Sit -- Brad Keselowski
Keselowski said earlier this week that he doesn't feel like he's any closer to locking down a ride next season in the Sprint Cup and hasn't run in the Cup series since May 9. He is frustrated and obviously may not be active for this weekend's race. Unless he's in the starting lineup this week, keep benching him.
Others to avoid: John Andretti, Scott Speed
Ian's Starting Five
Tier 1 -- Kurt Busch
Tier 2 -- Jeff Burton
Tier 3 -- Martin Truex, Jr.
Tier 4 -- Michael Waltrip
Tier 5 -- Robby Gordon
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