New Hampshire 2011

Denny Hamlin qualified the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota in the 28th position and was able to gain several positions early in the race despite battling tight conditions through the center of the turns. By lap 60 he had entered the top 20 and was running 19th when the day’s first round of pit stops came under the green flag on lap 63. Hamlin’s Camry would move to the free side after the day’s second pit stop and he was racing 18th when the race hit the halfway mark. The 11 team would choose to remain on the track when a caution came out on lap 173 and was able restart inside the top ten, but loose conditions on the Camry would make it difficult to advance much further. Hamlin would pit with 74 laps remaining and the car was as its best for the final run even while trying to stretch the fuel mileage. The No. 11 Camry was gaining ground on the leaders over the final 15 laps of the race, but as he got to the bumper of the No. 24 car for fifth with two laps remaining he would run out of fuel. The result would leave the team with a disappointing 29th-place finish.

Tony Stewart captured the victory, while Brad Keselowski was second, Greg Biffle third, Jeff Gordon fourth, and Brian Vickers rounded out the top-five. There were on only three cautions for a total of 14 laps and 19 lead changes among 15 different drivers over the course of the 300-lap race.

Busch gained three position in the current NASCAR point standings and is now in sixth place 26 points behind the leader, while Hamlin remains 12th and 66 points back.

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings
1. Tony Stewart 2094
2. Kevin Harvick (-7)
3. Brad Keselowski (-11)
4. Carl Edwards (-14)
5. Jeff Gordon (-23)
6. Kyle Busch (-26)
7. Matt Kenseth (-26)
8. Dale Earnhard, Jr. (-26)
9. Kurt Busch (-28)
10. Jimmie Johnson (-29)
11. Ryan Newman (-34)
12. Denny Hamlin (-66)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Dover next weekend on Sunday, October 2 for the third race in the Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup. Live Coverage will be on ESPN starting at 1 PM ET (race starts at 2 PM ET). The race will also be carried on Sirius Radio NASCAR channel 90.