Stewart, who drove the previous ten seasons in Gibbs' #20 with Zipadelli as his crew chief, had the dominant car in the 2008 race at New Hampshire but was the victim of Busch's good fortune.

“Yeah, I'm happy for Zippy and Joey and all the guys on The Home Depot team,” Stewart said. “Man, you take 'em any way you can get 'em. That's as much a strategy as shocks and springs and everything else. They still had to work to get themselves in that position, so they did a good job.”

The battle for the final positions in the twelve-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup tightened considerably. Positions ten-14 (Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne and Reutimann, respectively) are covered by a spread of 17 points. Montoya (twelfth Sunday) held on to the twelfth spot by one point over Kahne, who finished tenth.

The fabrication shop at Richard Childress Racing faces a busy week after a lap 175 wreck damaged the cars of RCR drivers Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears. Mears was able to stay on the lead lap and finished eleventh. After repairs in the garage, Burton returned to finish 31st and Harvick 34th.

by Reid Spencer/Sporting News