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NOTES: This weekend's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire kicks off the "Race to the Chase," a 10-race stretch that precedes the Sprint Cup playoffs. So the scramble is on for many drivers to the secure a top-12 spot before the series returns to New Hampshire for the first Chase race on September 19. Carl Edwards currently holds the coveted 12th position, but NASCAR fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr lurks behind in the 13th spot, as he trails Edwards by 57 points. Earnhardt Jr has finished seventh and 11th in the last two races. Edwards dropped two positions in points after a 29th-place run at Sonoma. Joey Logano is the defending race winner. One year ago, Logano, in his rookie season, benefited from crew chief Greg Zipadelli's gutsy late-race pit strategy for his first Sprint Cup win in the rain-shortened race at New Hampshire. Logano, who hails from Middletown, CT, overcame a one-lap deficit after cutting his left-rear tire in the late-stages of the race. He was the only driver who had yet to pit during the final round of green flag stops. Ryan Newman gave up the lead when he ran out of fuel and coasted into in the pits. That allowed Logano to take the top spot for the first time. He then conserved enough fuel before rain fell on the track. NASCAR displayed the red flag 28 laps short of the 301-lap scheduled distance, with the race being called shortly after. Logano's first win came in his 20th start. In 2008, Kurt Busch became a multiple winner of this race, as he defeated Michael Waltrip under the caution for his 18th career Sprint Cup title. Busch, who started 26th on the grid, led the final 10 laps to take the checkered flag. Pole sitter Patrick Carpentier finished 31st, while Tony Stewart, who placed 13th, led for a race-high 132 laps. Starting in the 11th position, Denny Hamlin moved his way to the top and reclaimed the lead on lap 256 of the 300-lap race and held on to defeat Jeff Gordon by less than a second in 2007. Pole sitter Dave Blaney, who led the first 30 laps, placed 29th. Hamlin led twice for 46 laps, as he recorded his third of four career Sprint Cup titles. Dale Earnhardt Jr led six times for a race- high 64 laps and finished fourth. In 2006, Kyle Busch recorded his third career Sprint Cup title, as he crossed the finish line 0.406 of a second ahead of Carl Edwards at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Busch reclaimed the lead from Elliott Sadler on lap 240 and held on the rest of the way in front of an estimated crowd of 100,000. Busch, who started fourth on the grid, led for a race-high 107 laps. Pole sitter Ryan Newman, who led for just 16 laps, placed 39th out of 43 cars. Only six cars failed to finish the race. Busch now totals nine Sprint Cup titles. Tony Stewart led a whopping 232 of the 300 laps in 2005 to win his 22nd of 37 career Sprint Cup titles. Stewart crossed the finish line 0.851 of a second ahead of defending champion Kurt Busch. Pole sitter Brian Vickers finished 11th. With his win, Stewart joined Jeff Burton as the only multiple winner of this race. Burton won this race three consecutive seasons from 1997 through 1999. Stewart won this race for the first time in 2000. Kurt Busch swept both NHMS events in 2004, the second consecutive year a driver had won both races. Busch captured the New England 300 later that year by less than a second over Jeff Gordon after a late-race caution for his 10th of 18 career Sprint Cup victories. In 2003, Jimmie Johnson won both NHIS races. Gordon is a three-time winner at this track and is the only driver to win a NASCAR race at New Hampshire from the pole position (1998), when he captured the New Hampshire 300. In fact, 10 of the 17 winners of this race have started outside the top-10, including last season. Gordon is the all-time lap leader at NHMS, with 1,205 laps led. In 30 previous races, the pole sitter has won only four times and never in this event. The best finish a pole sitter for the summer race was second by Mark Martin in 1993 and Jeff Gordon in 2001. This and That about NHMS: Groundbreaking for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway was August 13, 1989. It was the first superspeedway to be constructed in the United States since 1969. The official opening was June 5, 1990 with the first race being a Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990. The track was renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008. There have been 30 Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one a year from 1993 through 1996 and two-a-year since. Four drivers have competed in all 30 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek. Burton is a four-time winner at the "Magic Mile." The Sprint Cup Series returns to Daytona International Speedway on July 3rd for the Coke Zero 400. Tony Stewart is the defending race winner. 06/22 16:37:39 ET