The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Busch wins New Hampshire

Kyle Busch wins the ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire.

     Kyle Busch led 187 of 300 laps Sunday to take the ISM Connect 300. Busch started on the pole for the eighth time this year, and won his third race of 2017. All three of those wins have come in the last eight races, and during that time, Busch has 7 top-tens... Coming home 2nd was Kyle Larson, followed by Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, and Martin Truex Jr., who led 112 laps and rebounded from a pileup on lap 150.

Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Jeffrey Earnhardt involved in a wreck on lap 150.

     The only major event of the race occurred at the end of Stage 2. Kevin Harvick spun on the backstretch, sending up a cloud of smoke. Piling in were Kurt Busch and Jeffrey Earnhardt. Meanwhile, both Truex and Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun, then made contact as they tried to straighten out. Truex Jr. never lost a lap, and finished with a well-deserved top-five.
     In regards to classic points after New Hampshire, Truex Jr. only lost 8 points to Kyle Busch, and 3 points to Larson. He now holds a 21-point lead with eight races to go. The real loser was Harvick, who finished 36th and lost a lot of ground in the standings. Chase Elliott is tied for 7th, after being docked 15 points following Chicagoland. Clint Bowyer is 9th after his first top-ten finish since Watkins Glen, and Ryan Newman holds on to 10th, one point ahead of Kenseth.

RIP fall New Hampshire race 1997-2017

     As you can probably tell, I'm disappointed in the decision to move NHMS's 2nd Cup series date over to Las Vegas, starting next season. In 2018, NASCAR is set to have *TEN* cookie-cutter races on its Cup schedule, including Vegas, Chicagoland, Kansas, Kentucky, Atlanta, Texas, and Charlotte (not counting Charlotte's roval race). And NASCAR wonders why fans are bored! New Hampshire is one of several unique NASCAR tracks that have been marginalized, or simply dropped from the schedule. With fairly flat turns on a mile racing surface, New Hampshire separates itself from other speedways on the schedule. The same can be said for Darlington, Rockingham, and North Wilkesboro, two of which are no longer on the circuit. Hopefully New Hampshire doesn't suffer the same fate...
     With that, let's look back at some of my favorite fall races at New Hampshire from growing up...

2001
     The final race of the '01 season, after the 9/11 attacks pushed the New Hampshire 300 to black Friday. Jeff Gordon led nearly the entire race, only to be pushed out of the way by Robby Gordon. When Jeff retaliated, he was penalized one lap and wound up 15th. Robby went on to his first Winston Cup win. It was controversial, but at 9 years old I couldn't have been more excited for Robby after his rough season (I guess I had gotten tired of watching Jeff win everything). Gordon lost his ride early in 2001, but then replaced an injured Mike Skinner in the #31...

Robby Gordon wins the 2001 New Hampshire 300

2002
     Rookie Ryan Newman finally breaks through and wins his first Winston Cup race. With rain in the forecast, Newman held off a charging Kurt Busch to keep the lead when the race was called after 207 laps. Newman went on to win Rookie of the Year honors over Busch in 2002...

2005
     Who could forget Michael Waltrip wrecking Robby Gordon, followed by Gordon throwing his helmet at Waltrip in retaliation, and cussing him out live on TNT? I'll never forget Wally Dallenbach saying "He ducked!" as Waltrip drove by the wreck... With two laps to go, Ryan Newman pulled the slide job on Tony Stewart and grabbed the lead. It was Newman's only win of 2005, and his last until the 2008 Daytona 500.

Robby Gordon takes out his anger at Michael Waltrip, tossing his helmet during the 2005 Sylvania 300

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     Next week, the Cup series heads to Dover, with eight races remaining on the schedule. This is undoubtedly Jimmie Johnson's track; he holds a record with 11 wins there... Martin Truex Jr. could also be another driver to watch, he won at Dover last fall. And don't forget Kyle Larson, he had Dover won this June until a late race caution came out...

With eight races left, Martin Truex Jr. holds a 21-point lead over Kyle Busch.