Veterans Look to Defend Their
Home Turf in NH This Weekend
Even as the NASCAR Camping World Series East has expanded from its
northeastern roots and its schedule now includes some of the top short-track
facilities on the East Coast, New Hampshire Motor Speedway remains the
undeniable series home base.
Some of the most accomplished names in series history will be back at the
'Magic Mile' to defend their home turf against the latest crop of young
drivers looking to make their mark.
Names like Brad Leighton (No. 55 Irving Oil Chevrolet) and Mike Olsen (No.
61 KDD Auto Parts Chevrolet) will climb back behind the wheel. Dale Shaw
will serve as crew chief as his son, Dale Shaw Jr., makes his NASCAR Camping
World Series debut. And the series most recent winner, Ryan Truex (No. 00
NAPA Toyota), will try to make it two in a row at a track in which both his
father and brother have wins at.
Among the most notable names entered in the Heluva Good! 125 is Leighton,
who hails from Center Harbor, N.H.. While the 1999 & 2000 series champion
has cut back his NASCAR schedule in recent years, the two races at New
Hampshire remain highlighted on his calendar.
"We're all short-track racers up her in the northeast," Leighton said, "and
when we go there, it's a big deal. It's always been a big deal for me.
"This place has treated me so well and I've always treated the speedway with
respect. We put a lot of effort in there and it's paid off."
Leighton, 47, has more wins around the 1.058-mile oval than any other series
driver with eight. Four times he's captured the track's championship, which
is awarded to the driver with the highest total points accumulated at New
Hampshire during a season.
He's come close to adding to that total in recent years. In 2007, he ran
second to eventual series champion Joey Logano. Last year, he was spun
trying to take the lead late in the late going of the June event, and led 44
laps in the Septmber race before being sidelined with three laps to go
because of fuel issues.
"Based on last year's performance, we definitely felt we were in contention
to win both events," Leighton said. "It's really the same car, the same
crew - all volunteer."
The car, owned by championship car owner Steve Griswold, is being housed in
Charlotte, N.C., at Andy Santerre Motorsports. Former NASCAR Nationwide
Series crew chief Matt Goslant has been working to get the car ready for the
weekend.
"I'm hoping we run well for him," Leighton said. "I'm out there to win and
have fun. He's out there to make a name for himself, and I'd like to win to
help him."
Olsen, the two-time series champion, has been busy fielding a car for
Jonathan Smith. He'll make his first start since the final race of 2009 and
just his fifth in the last two seasons. That includes a pair of
seventh-place finishes at New Hampshire last year.
Olsen's lone win there came in 2006, where he memorably tracked down race
leader Sean Caisse in the closing laps. As the day grew hotter and the track
got slicker, Olsen kept his cool and reeled in Caisse, who had led 86 laps,
and made the winning pass on the final lap.
Dale Shaw Jr., 19, has had success running in the New England short tracks
and will make his debut in the series where his dad is a former champion
(1994) and is fourth on the all-time win list with 19 victories. Three of
those wins for the elder Shaw came at New Hampshire (Sept. 1996, May 1997,
and Aug. 1998).
Ryan Truex earned his first career win at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
Ryan's father, Martin Truex, won at New Hampshire in 1994, while Ryan's
brother, current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr., won there
in 2000 and 2003.
In addition, two other New Englanders are looking forward to returning to
their home turf. Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet) will
look to match Leighton's mark with a third straight win at what he calls his
home track. MacDonald, from Rowley, Mass., swept both races there last year.
And Uncasville, Conn., driver Matt Kobyluck (No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino
Chevrolet) used a pair of third-place runs in 2008 to propel him to his
first NASCAR championship.
