NASCAR NATION

As the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup began last Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire International Speedway, there were plenty of storylines to follow. Would Jimmie Johnson be able to capture an unprecedented fifth straight title?
Or would the surging Denny Hamlin or consistently strong Kevin Harvick finally be able to knock the No. 48 team off its four-year stranglehold on the competition?
Whatever the storyline may be, few would have guessed that it would be Clint Bowyer making the headlines.
Bowyer stunned the Chase field, leading 177 of 300 laps to win for the first time in his last 88 races. Bowyer entered the race in the 12th and final spot of the Chase field, and catapulted to second place, just 35 points behind Denny Hamlin after his shocking victory.
Bowyer started second, behind Brad Keselowski, who claimed his first career Sprint Cup Series pole. He quickly passed Keselowski to take the lead, and appeared to be sailing off to a victory when several cautions bunched the field up late in the race.
Tony Stewart took the lead away from Keselowski, and he spent much of the later part of Sunday afternoon attempting to catch the No. 14 Chevrolet.
But as the laps dwindled down, it became apparent that fuel would play part in the outcome. Bowyer’s team gambled with Stewart, as both attempted to stretch their fuel to the finish. It paid off for Bowyer, as Stewart’s gas tank ran dry with just one lap remaining.
“When you dominated the race, you owe it to yourself to go out there and try and win the race,” Hamlin said. “We are the 12th seed going in, those are the kind of chances you’re going to have to take to beat these guys in this championship Chase.”
Points leader Denny Hamlin rallied late after spinning out within the final 100 laps to finish second and maintain a small lead in the standings. Jamie McMurray was third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who record his highest finish since the Daytona 500 in fourth. Kevin Harvick finished fifth.
Other Chase for the Cup drivers included Jeff Gordon in sixth, Kyle Busch in ninth, Carl Edwards in 11th, Kurt Busch in 13th, Jeff Burton in 15th, Greg Biffle in 17th, Matt Kenseth in 23rd, Tony Stewart in 24th, and Jimmie Johnson in 25th.
Ocean County native Martin Truex Jr. started 16th and finished 20th.
Chase for the Cup Standings (After 1 of 10 races): 1. Denny Hamlin (5230 points); 2. Clint Bowyer (-35); 3. Kevin Harvick (-45); 4. Kyle Busch (-62); 5. Jeff Gordon (-75); 6. Kurt Busch (-86); 7. Jimmie Johnson (-92); 8. Carl Edwards (-95); 9. Greg Biffle (-108); 10. Jeff Burton (-112); 11. Tony Stewart (-124); 12. Matt Kenseth (-136).
Camping World Truck Series: Kyle Busch captured his fifth win of the 2010 season after nudging James Buescher on the final restart at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The two were clearly unhappy about the move following the race, when the two pulled alongside one another and exchanged words. Kevin Harvick was third, followed by Matt Crafton in fourth and Austin Dillon rounding out the top five.
Todd Bodine finished ninth and holds a 257 point lead over Aric Almirola with six races remaining.
K&N Pro Series East: Ocean County native and defending East Series champion Ryan Truex captured his second victory and eighth top-10 finish in nine races after winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Truex leads the series by 118 points over Darrell Wallace Jr., and needs only to start the season finale next weekend at Dover International Speedway to clinch his second straight East Series title.
Coming Up: NASCAR returns to the area as Dover International Speedway plays host the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and K&N Pro East Series this weekend. Tickets are still available at doverspeedway.com.
Also, the Camping World Truck Series heads out west for a weekend of racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Bruce Knoll, 18, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknoll jr4cmcherald@yahoo.com