Junior: rock star and rock solid

Down the road

New Hampshire

INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Sylvania 300

* When: 1 p.m. ET Sunday

* Length: 300 laps/317.4 miles

* TV: TNT

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NASCAR and NEXTEL Cup competitors alike were fearful that the second New Hampshire race of 2001 might be the coldest in history. The event had been rescheduled from September, its usual place on the schedule, to late November because of the tragedies of Sept. 11. Fortunately, the weather smiled on NASCAR, and the season finale went off without a hitch.

Mobil 1 is ideal for severe conditions such as driving in cold weather.

M@IL BONDING

LEE SPENCER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Do you think Hendrick Motorsports has been experimenting with the engines, or is there reason for concern?

William Floyd, Willits, Calif.

William: According to the folks at Hendrick, the engine woes that have plagued Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 and Jeff Gordon's No. 24 were unrelated. Gordon's engine failure at California was because of a piston problem but was different from the trouble Gordon had with a piston at Michigan. And Johnson's three breakdowns also were unrelated. The HMS engine department broke down the engine last week and did not seem overly concerned.

The tuners put the engines through strenuous levels of dynamometer testing before they reach the track. Once a malfunction is identified, the same problem seldom recurs.

INSIDE DISH By LEE SPENCER

How important is getting a head start on the Chase? Huge. It's so important that both Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon tested last month at New Hampshire and several owners shook down cars for Loudon at Milwaukee. "We've experimented with things that really haven't worked out at times, but now we're back to basics," Johnson says. "It's time to points race."... Another Hendrick Motorsports teammate, two-time champ Terry Labonte, met with owner Rick Hendrick last week to discuss his future. Labonte is expected to run a limited schedule over the next two seasons, possibly reviving the No. 44, the number he won his first title with, while Kyle Busch moves into the No. 5 Chevrolet.... NASCAR inspected 11 cars after the Richmond race to ensure there was no impropriety with the drivers who qualified lot the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Although inspections lasted well into Sunday morning, no issues were found.... Expect NASCAR to scrutinize the new points format closely before deciding whether to use it in the Busch Series and Craftsman Trucks Series. NASCAR vice president of corporate communications Jim Hunter says adapting the system in the two lower series is a possibility, but the issue would have to be "debated internally" first.... Robby Gordon's luck is turning-at least in the Busch Series. Gordon won the Emerson 250 after 23 Busch career starts, and he confirmed last week that his primary Busch sponsor, Fruit of the Loom, has signed on for 24 races in 2005. But when asked about his status with Richard Childress Racing, Gordon replied, "Those are the only plans 1 do have right now." Gordon's contract expired last month, and he has not been told if it will be renewed. But Gordon is prepared to run his own Cup team if he is cut loose by RCR .... Busch Series points leader Martin Truex Jr. will get another Nextel Cup start in the No. 1 Chevrolet at New Hampshire this weekend, with Enterprise Leasing as the sponsor. Truex relieved his boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was suffering from painful burns, at New Hampshire in July and finished 31st.... Joe Gibbs Racing still is looking for a crew chief to lead the No. 11 FedEx car in 2005. Sources say Slugger kabbe, crew chief for Michael Waltrip, is a candidate. Labbe is one of the best crew chiefs in the garage and would be great for a start-up team. Finding a driver is another matter. Although IGR is expected to run J.J. Yeley in additional races this season, sources say FedEx is looking for a more experienced driver. Jamie McMurray, Robby Gordon and Dave Blaney have been mentioned as prospects.... Former MB2 Motorsports driver Jerry Nadeau met with team G.M. Jay Frye last week to discuss his Cup future. Initially, Nadeau was going to run an A-B-C (ARCA-Busch-Cup) program in 2005, but Frye says doctors want to wait until May--two years after Nadeau's crash at Richmond--to determine Nadeau's condition. If Nadeau checks out OK, he could run ARCA and Busch races in 2006.