Newman Another New 2011 Winner
Ryan Newman joined the parade of 2011 winners after his start-to-finish win from the pole at New Hampshire. He becomes the 13th different winner this season, matching the total from all 36 races last season. The last time there were more different winners through the first 19 races was 2003 (14).

Looking at the list of drivers still winless this season, you could make this fair assumption: That number will grow. Especially since wins are at a premium in the 26-race regular season because of the two wild card spots to get in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Here’s the list of winners from last year who are still winless in 2011: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Reutimann.

A rundown of that group…

Stewart nearly won at New Hampshire, and has some strong tracks coming up. Figure on Smoke locking down the elusive win at either Indianapolis (where he has two wins) or Watkins Glen (a series-high five wins).

Biffle might have an adaptation period for a bit. His No. 16 team welcomed a new crew chief atop the box – Matt Puccia – and growing pains might surface. Still, Biffle is a proven winner. Figure on Michigan in August as a best-guess win opportunity.

Bowyer has struggled of late, coming off three consecutive finishes outside the top 10. His average finish in the last three: 29.3. His team – Richard Childress Racing – is too good to keep down, and his teammate Kevin Harvick held the points lead for a week. Strong at short tracks, Bowyer’s a threat at either Bristol or Richmond.

At the outset of 2011, McMurray was the darling pick for a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup spot. Thus far, that prediction hasn’t panned out. It looks like McMurray will need a wild card spot if he hopes to make the Chase. He won the next race on the schedule last season – Indianapolis.

Simply put, Montoya dominates at road courses. No need to get cute on this analysis: Watkins Glen is his best opportunity.

Reutimann has proven his mettle on intermediate tracks; both his career wins (Charlotte and Chicagoland) have come on tracks 1.5-mile in length. Could he find a home in Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane?

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(July 17, 2011)

LOUDON, N.H. — Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart started 1-2 in Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and after a wild jumble of divergent strategies in the 19th NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the season, that’s the way they finished the race.

“One hell of a day boys—one hell of a day,” Stewart radioed to his team as he approached the finish line .773 seconds behind his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate. Both drivers helped themselves immensely in their respective quests for berths in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, as Newman posted his first victory of the year, his third at the 1.058-mile track and the 15th of his career.

Denny Hamlin came home third, followed by Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson. Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Martin Truex Jr., Marcos Ambrose and Kurt Busch completed the top 10.

Kyle Busch entered the race as the series points leader but exited the event after blowing his right front tire and slamming the Turn 2 wall on Lap 59. Before the tire blew, Busch had been working traffic after a four-tire pit stop under caution on Lap 31—his second stop under that yellow—put him deep in the field for a restart on Lap 35.

“Blew a bead,” Busch said, referring to the edge of the tire that sits on the wheel. “Fastest car here—getting through the field pretty good and kind of the only guy passing guys, I guess, there. We made some big changes there on that pit stop.

“We came back and got four (tires) just to make sure we got all the changes we wanted to. Working our way up through there. Just blew a bead, I guess, transferring too much brake heat through the wheel.”
After extensive repairs, Busch returned to the track on Lap 134 and finished 36th.