3 THINGS WE LEARNED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
1. No gas, no go
Kevin Harvick didn’t stick around for the Q&A session after his raceleading Chevy ran out of fuel three laps from Sunday’s finish, springing Matt Kenseth to victory. Kenseth may not be super-fast, but he knows how to manage his gas tank. Harvick led 216 laps to Kenseth’s 27.
2. New ironman
Kudos to Jeff Gordon for establishing the record for all-time consecutive NASCAR Cup Series starts. His 789th consecutive start is one better than Ricky Rudd’s “Ironman” effort. It took Gordon 22 years, 10 months and 12 days. Gordon will extend that record with eight more starts in ‘15.
3. Toyota’s gain
Martin Truex Jr.’s race team will move from the Chevy camp to Toyota in 2016 and hitch its wagon to the Joe Gibbs Racing juggernaut. If Gibbs truly allows Truex into the inner circle, he will become a Chase contender for the rest of his career. “If,” as they say, is a big word.