yes! [laughing] i don't believe it. i'm tom miranda, and for more great hunting tips, aim your internet browser to espnoutdoors.com. . it's a beautiful day in new england. green flag time is about 2:16. temperatures about 70 degrees and only a 10% chance of rain. nascar's postseason is here. let the chase begin. previously in the race to the chase -- >> greg biffle. biffle is out of gas. to the bottom of the racetrack. >> here he comes for the first time as an owner/driver, tony

stewart. >> jimmie johnson becomes a three-time winner at the brickyard 400. >> third gear, fourth gear, pops the champagne, jeff gordon. >> newman goes way up the racetrack. >> the 99 has been the best car. the 42's not bad there, either. >> he made it. great job. >> hell yeah, that's what i'm talking about, boys. >> 12 drivers, ten races, one champion. an elite fraternity with an extreme initiation. thousands of grueling miles earns a place in this line, but it gets you no further. for an ice-cold conquerer the path to the prize is well-worn but never guaranteed. a battle tested warrior tries to seize the crown has both master and commander. a veteran of victory must negotiate this new road to ultimate glory.

nine more contenders complete in volatile band of brothers, each with equal reason to believe. if you want a shot at immortality, you've come to the right place. welcome to the chase. captioning provided by espn, inc. it's a crisp, cool day here in new england. the leaves are changing colors, and it must be chase season. hello, everybody. welcome to "nascar now." i'm mike masaro alongside boris said. the postseason is upon us. the chase takes the green flag today at the one-mile new hampshire motor speedway, and

boris, in your opinion, what's it take to be successful in new hampshire this afternoon? >> well, i think it will take a really good handling car, perfect pit stops and more importantly no mistakes on the track. >> perfection. that is the key. we'll be watching for it for the next ten weeks. we'll be watching for several story lines as well beginning with mark martin. he's a championship runner-up four times but has never won it. is he prime for a break through this year? jimmie johnson is on a mission of his own. three-time defending series champ's quest for an unprecedented fourth straight title. it's high gear today. and wan pablo montoya appears to be in it to win it. qualifying for his first chase race ever he starts on the pole after setting a new tract record. >> i think it's a big thing because you get a good pit selection. we talked about that before the weekend started. you know, it's nice. i think it's nice to be able to run this good.

nobody really wrecks much in the chase, and we have great cars every week. the trucks are coming up to us, they all should be pretty good. a little lady luck on our side, and we'll be fine. >> the top five positions today are occupied by chase drivers starting with pole sitter monto montoya. tony stewart is on the outside of row one, kurt busch and denny hamlin are on row two while biffle and brian vickers are the only two chasers starting outside the top 20. certainly qualifying on the pole has alleviated some stress for juan pablo montoya, but the chase pressure isn't gone completely and as the pressure builds over the next ten weeks, mental toughness could be a factor. for more on this aspect of the chase, we head to loudon and bring in marty smith. what's the mindset of the chasers heading into race one? >> reporter: well, mike, when the debate arises as to who really are championship

contenders, names like stewart and martin are brought up at this point. any 12 drivers can win it in history. only once has the points leader prior to the reset gone on to win it all. that was tony stewart in 2005. >> it does not matter what did you last week. it doesn't matter what you did the last 26 weeks. this is a second chance here. this is a new beginning, and you know, you can't look at last season and say who is going to be in the chase this year. you can't look at the first part of the season and say who is going to be strong in the last ten. it's not lip service. i mean, it really has the field that any 12 can win this thing. that's good for me. i want to be that guy. >> you have ten weeks you have to be flawless, and every one of us know that. and so all of us prepared the best we can to make ten perfect weeks. >> i've been it for three years, and i haven't won it the three years. i know what not to do. you can't let one race get you

down or bother you. you mean, you can go on a roll here in these last ten races. >> going to do my best each and every lap, and that's no different the last ten races than the first 26. just look forward to the opportunity. loudon has been a good track for us. >> i don't think there's anybody stronger than us at this point, but you know, that's what everybody is going to come in here and say. you know, it's be excould you tell using that week in and week out over ten weeks. >> we've exceeded my expectations and we certainly will race with every ounce that we have for the championship that's ten races away. and who knows what happens between now and then. >> we've all sat and met with each other this week and said, hey, it's game time again. so the good thing is even though we didn't have a stellar last four weeks, we've had a break and it's given us a chance to catch our breath and get ready for the last ten-week stretch.

i feel like we're ready to go. >> mike, the average finish among eventual race winners in this case is tenth. if you remove jimmie johnson's 39th place effort in 2006, that average finish jumps to 2.8. >> we remember back in 2004 when kurt busch won this race and went on to the championship. mark martin is atop the standings entering the chase, kyle busch did last year but he finished the season 10th. jimmie johnson going for his fourth straight title. no one has scored more chase wins, top 5s or top 10s than johnson. what do you think the main focus of the chasers is going into this race? >> well, i think there's some guys like tony stewart and jimmie johnson, they want to get it turned around the last four races haven't good for those guys. guys like brian vickers who seems like the momentum is on his side and he's charging.

everybody wants to get off to a good start. like a golf tournament. you're at the first tee get one on the fairway and gets points on the board and go from there. mistakes are bad right now. if you look at kyle busch, last year he had technical problems, he had car problems, i think a sway bar or something broke, and he had a terrible first race. that puts you in a big hole. i mean, for sure this is the most competitive chase we've seen to date, and i think it's going to take ten perfect races to win the championship. >> you mentioned being in that big hole. if a driver does walk away, like we mentioned kyle busch a year ago with a bad finish in race one, how much does that weigh on their mind and affects their mindset moving forward? >> i think it really does. you have to go for broke. you really got to go for the win the next race, and that could lead to more mistakes. some of the guys -- if you look at how juan pablo came into the chase, he's been points racing and very conservative putting points on the board and trying to finish in the top ten. if you can do that for a few

races and try to let the reins loose and go for the win, it's easier. >> always easier to start with the least amount of pressure as possible. things can spiral out of control in a hurry. still under the hood, this is the time of year when the 48 team thrives, but hear why the road to be cup may be a little bit tougher for jimmie johnson this year. >> winning the chase is all about peaking at the perfect time. we'll explain why denny hamlin appears to be doing just that. and new hampshire is joey logano's home track, and in his first race there he went to victory lane. we'll hear from this year's top rookie next. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ext. ex

41 to go, rain could be eminent. >> they want to steal a win here today in new hampshire. they're trying to hold off as long as they can. >> he's going to surrender the lead here. logano still on points. >> 34 laps to go. the rain is here. >> i tell you, this is a dream come true. that's for sure. >> nascar has declared the race official. congratulations to joey logano,

winner. >> and joining us now is sliced bread himself joey logano. that was certainly one of the more unpredictable races of the season. looking back at that race, how would you describe it? >> like you said, unpredictable. that was out of control. we went from running okay, we were about 15th and 20th place all day, and got a left rear cut-down and went down a lap. and we pitted later than everybody else. when we got the lucky dog we pitted and a lot of guys stayed out. gave us extra fuel to get the win. unpredictable would be the word. >> you made a pit stop yourself this week in your hometown of middletown, connecticut. what's it like coming back home as a winner? >> it was awesome. i couldn't believe all the people there at the home depot. we make store appearances at about every racetrack you go to.

there was people everywhere. the race is a good two and a half hours away, and that place was packed. we did about two and a half hours of signing and they kept coming the whole time. it was really neat to see. it was cool to be back at the hometown and see everybody, too. >> i can assure you you're generating quite a bit of excitement near your home state of connecticut. let's look at the big picture now. the chase begins today. as a non-chaser, what do you think it's going to be like when you get in a situation sometime in the next ten weeks where you're racing door to door with a chaser? >> you have to be smart. i don't think it's going to be any different. last week was more pressure to not screw up around a guy trying to make the chase than now, even. at the same point we're still out there to race. we still have our own goals we have to do with the home depot toyota. as far as racing with those guys, races the same way i have been, running as clean as you can and be smart. we have our own goals we're

trying to do. >> of course, one of those chasers is your teammate denny hamlin. how can you help denny win this championship? >> i don't know, i mean, there's not a whole bunch of things i can do, actually. try to relay information as much as we can. between the three teams i think we do a good job, but all of us working together, there's not a whole bunch to do but some things you can. >> joey, after his win in richmond last week denny said joe gibbs racing placed a major emphasis on this racetrack. in what ways do you feel like jgr is better today than you were back in june? >> yeah, i mean, this place is -- if you look at joe gibbs racing as a whole, a lot of guys that work there are from the northeast. everyone wants to run good here. this is a homecoming for a lot of these guys. we're always trying to run good at new hampshire here, and yeah, this is a very tough racetrack to get around. get your cars working, to know what you want is really, really

hard place. i know boris knows that. it's tough, but you know, the best car usually wins the race here besides last time. it's a tough place to get your car working in the middle of the corner and off the corner, and you know, it looks like a few cars figured it out yesterday in practice and they're the guys to beat. joey, best of luck today. by the way, there's really no rain in the forecast. >> we'll have to win it the old school way, huh? >> yes, you will. good luck today. >> thanks. >> transitioning to denny hamlin who entered richmond pressure-free. that suited him just fine. hamlin dominated leading 299 of the 400 laps en route to the regular season finale victory. on saturday the fourth seed spoke with nicole man ski. >> one week ago denny hamlin got the win he's been chasing for so many years. over the last nine weeks you've scored more points than any other driver. at this point is anything but a championship going to matter? >> no, not really.

we finished in the top five in points. we finished third our rookie year, so no. championship is the only thing that will do this year. >> it's also a situation where we hear people say you have to lose a championship first before you can win one. by that definition you've lost three championships. how is that experience going to help you now? >> good. i mean, i think, you know, the way we've approached it. we finished it in the top five in points. we finished the bottom in the chase before. we've also been in between. so each of the years we've kind of figured out, well, you know, that's not the way to do it. this isn't the way to do it, but you can't always control your destiny. that happened over the last couple chases, is we've had bad luck. some of it was self-induced and some of it wasn't. we do know that one thing is important, and that's starting these first two, three races off strong. >> mike, if qualifying is any indication as ho ugood his car is, denny hamlin will start fourth. >> thank you, nicole. denny hamlin is arguably the hottest driver entering the chase.

six straight top ten finishes including two wins. vickers is hot in the last nine races. for montoya and stewart they enter the chase with one top ten finished combined in the last four races. boris, let's begin the conversation with denny hamlin. we just heard from him and saw his stats. it appears he's peaking at the right time. in your opinion, what's the strength of the 11 team this year? >> one is denny seems really confident right now, and i think he gets a long with his crew chief, mike foy. they have a good rapport and make the cart better throughout the race. when you hear the in-car radio they're catalking calm and pinpointing problems. denny hamlin has been under the radar the last couple of years. all the talk is kyle busch, kyle busch is going to win the championship. right now with him in the chase alone, he's the lead guy so he'll get all the attention at joe gibbs. >> he is the senior driver, as he made us aware of in 2009.

on the other side of the coin, you see a guy like juan pablo montoya. comes into the chase a little bit flat, if you will. this week, though, he's turned it up. he's on the pole and he's been fast in every practice. what do you make of the 42 team? >> i think juan pablo, he's won formula one races and the indy 500 and indy car races and won the 24 hours at daytona. this guy knows how to get in a new situation and figure out how to do what he needs to do to win. i think he's sneaky like a fox. all year long, you know, he's been going on just collecting points, and now here he is in the chase. he's fastest in every session in weekend. it's not a question if juan pablo will win an oval race, but how many. >> he's close to getting the oval track victory several times over the course of the summer. folks, don't go away. we have plenty to come here on the show. the chase is a ten-week grind that demands focus and determination. why one champion says you need to be willing to sacrifice everything to win it. we've got the chase covered from

every angle, including analysis from a current driver. hear how jeff burton breaks down the chase coming up on "nascar the chase coming up on "nascar now." announcer: "it looks like nothing else on the road right now," proclaims "gq" magazine. did you see that? the interior "positively oozes class," raves "car magazine." "slick and sensuous," boasts "the washington times." "the most striking vw in recent memory," declares-- okay, i get it already. i think we were in a car commercial. ♪ yeah ♪ yeah.

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designed by tiffany's. it's so delicate handlers are touch it with white gloves. to win it takes a different approach. it takes an effort not for the faint of heart and is anything but delicate. >> this 48 team might be one of the best teams ever in the sport in spite of how easy jimmie johnson makes it look, this stuff is hard. what they've done three years in a row is really incredible. >> you have to go to the racetrack every week willing to sacrifice everything to win the race. >> go, go, go! yeah, you got him. >> you have to race the race. as soon as you race the competitors in the chase, you're completely off your game. you have to pinpoint who you think the key guy is to focus on and finish ahead in points. >> we look at strong and weak tracks and figure out how to capitalize in the points. >> you have to take it one week at a time and you can't plan ahead. you never can script out what's going to happen. >> there we go. >> what a move! >> into the wall. and johnson will take the lead.

>> we have to bring everything we have now to loudon, new hampshire when we get there. we want to feel like loudon is daytona. >> as kurt busch begins his chase for the nextel cup for the victory. >> congratulations. week one in the books. >> we finished fifth in all races, and he's won the title. we all know that. we all train to win every single race. >> three wide to the outside goes greg biffle. >> unbelievable move. >> that's the best driver of the best car and the bestticker that won that race. one and two. >> i don't feel like coasting and consistency is the way to do it. >> you can win a championship in the last ten races without a win. >> tony stewart in the 2005 nascar champion. >> you finish fifth and get a top five, there's somebody ahead of you you're racing for the championship. you have to beat those guys and

win a couple of races. >> while we may not have the fireworks or the big move to win three or four races, we hope we also don't have the younger mistake of ignorance. >> biffle right in front of junior. >> carl edwards. >> a lot of chasers are involved in this one. >> that's what they get in there. >> there's two different approaches. you can either go and be the aggressor or you can be the conservative guy that lays back and tries to finish the event. there's no guarantees in either position. >> i think there's something to be said for how we manage stress the last two years, and hopefully we can do it again for four. >> one guy who knows what it's like to be in the chase, jeff burton. although he came up short this year, he's a three-time chaser. we've asked for his insight before every chase race this season. he spoke with marty smith about his thoughts on new hampshire. >> jeff, when you enter new hampshire as one of the chase drivers, how is your mindset different than it was just one

week ago in richmond, virginia? >> i think it depends on the was you're in. if you were in the chase, you knew you were in last week, then the season starts today. if you had to earn your way in last week, then it's kind of a continuation of last week. so i really think it depends on the momentum of your team and where you were last week. >> drivers seem to differ on the importance of first couple races. some say you can rally if you get down. many say it is impossible to rally if you have a bad run here at new hampshire. how important is new hampshire and dover and kansas, those first three races? >> you never know what will happen in the chase. you may get a chase where nobody has problems, or you may get a chase where everybody has problems. the only thing i know is the better start you get, the better chance you have of winning. you're only allowed a few mistakes, and if you have one early, you can't have it later. i think a good start is really important. >> some guys, too, are saying and in the past couple years you've almost had to average a top five finnish in every race to win it, but some guys don't

expect that this year. what do you expect it will take? >> i expect that i don't know. i've seen it won a couple different ways. three years ago jimmie johnson had all kinds of problems ft first few races and they found awe way to win it. last year it took a 5.2 average to win it. you can win it several different ways. you don't know what kind of chase race you have until its over. you can look back on the it, but there's no way to look ahead of it. >> some people feel like non-chasers are second-class citizens. do you feel like a second-class citizen. >> well, it's hard being not in the chase for a lot of reasons, and all of our goals are to be in the chase. when you don't meet a competition goal, that's a difficult thing to deal with. when i was in the chase, i had the opinion that the racetrack belongs to everybody on the racetrack. it's not just for the guys in the chase. not being in the race, i have that opinion. you have to show the guys in the chase some respect, and they're not going to talk about you on

television if you're not out there winning the race. the story is about the chase, as it should be, and i don't feel like a second-class citizen but i certainly don't have the same feel in this race this year as i have in the previous years by being in the race. >> jeff burton knows how's way around new hampshire motor speedway, his four wins here the most in track history. >> thanks, guys. we'll have more from jeff burton as the chase continues. nicole manski is in the garage. >> to expound more, these guys who are in the chase, their season is not lost. every single guy still has goals. for example, joey logano, his goal for the season, to win more races and to finish in the top 20. we're standing in front of dale earnhardt jr. his goal is to help his three teammates in the chase. we're sandwiched between two rcr cars. their goal? to get the team back to prominence. kevin harvick would like himself

back to vikt ray lane. they may be not in the chase, but their season is not lost. mike. >> that is for sure. still lots of trophies on the line. thank you, nicole. still ahead, despite scoring just one top ten finish in the last ten races, jimmie johnson doesn't seem concerned. what about chad knaus? what does he think? they're the open-wheel ground pounders that define the new england racing landscape. we'll have modified highlights from ham