Five lessons from New Hampshire

Kurt Busch leads the field on a day that produced a lot of single-file racing and a throughly bizarre Top 5. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images Tom Bowles's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Here are five things we learned following a wet and wacky race at New Hampshire:

1. As long as you're a lead lap car, you'll always have a shot at Victory Lane.

Kurt Busch had about a 10th- to 15th-place car on Sunday, continuing his disappointing season behind the wheel of the No. 2 Penske Dodge. But some solid pit strategy by crew chief Pat Tryson made the difference in Busch's day -- and put him in position to win. With 82 laps to go and bad weather on the way, the No. 2 car was among a handful toward the back of the lead lap that pitted under a yellow flag -- giving them a little extra fuel mileage than everyone else in contention. Once the next caution came out 60 laps later, those same cars were able to stay out and assume the top eight spots in the field while the others dove down pit road for fresh rubber. In theory, those contenders should have been able to blow by the guys in front of them with new tires; but before they could mount a charge, Clint Bowyer crashed, the rains came, and the race was over.

That handed the victory to a surprised Busch, and produced a finishing order straight out of the Twilight Zone. When the clouds lifted after a bizarre finish, here were your Top 5: Busch, Michael Waltrip, J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex, Jr., and Elliott Sadler. Heading into New Hampshire, those drivers averaged out to just 26th in the season-long championship standings. None of them -- with the exception of Truex -- were within serious striking distance of the Chase.

2. Juan Pablo Montoya isn't afraid to stand up to Kyle Busch.

All season long, Cup points leader Busch has been involved in heavy contact on the race track, most notably with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Richmond in a wreck that cost both drivers a chance at the win. In each case, every "victim" has played it cool, choosing the high road over open retaliation.

Until Montoya.

When Busch played rough near the end of the race -- blocking Montoya during a restart on Lap 280 -- the Colombian was none too happy with how he was treated. So, when Busch came up to rub fenders as the final caution came out, Montoya's response was as speedy as it was deliberate: he smacked Busch's quarterpanel and sent him spinning wildly down the front straightaway. That earned Montoya a two-lap aggressive penalty by NASCAR, dropping him down to 32nd in the final running order. But if you were looking for an apology, well, think again.

"He was hitting me," Montoya claimed as he let out some frustration after the race. "[Busch] runs good? Yeah. He has great cars? Yeah. But I don't appreciate when people race me like that."

"I have no idea," responded Busch as to why things got out of hand. "I barely touched his quarter panel, and he just turned left and spun me down the front straightaway. I don't know what his beef is, but obviously NASCAR should fix it."

It's too bad Montoya's Chip Ganassi team has struggled so far this season; for if he could ever make it to the front of the pack, this twosome would be a rivalry worth watching each weekend.

3. Jamie McMurray's embarrassing mistake could be the final straw for him at Roush Fenway Racing.

On Lap 270, Earnhardt had slowed to make his pit stop when he was drilled on the apron by McMurray's No. 26 Ford. It was an ugly wreck for a slower, one-mile flat track; Junior's rear end was torn to pieces by the impact and McMurray's car was so heavily damaged it finished the race in the garage.

To his credit, the Roush Fenway driver took full responsibility for wrecking Earnhardt -- he claimed his spotter never said anything -- but that's a mistake the six-year veteran just shouldn't be making. Earnhardt's crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr. wasn't happy after the race -- "We basically got run over," he claimed -- but while Junior will bounce back next week, the real damage could be to McMurray's career. Rumors are already rampant that Roush could release him with one year left on his contract, sending McMurray in the tire tracks of what Rick Hendrick just did with an underperforming Casey Mears.

Now, with McMurray dropping to 24th in the standings -- seventh-best of the seven-car Roush/Yates Partnership -- there's more than enough reasons for him to get the pink slip. Heading to the site of his breathtaking win one year ago at Daytona this weekend, McMurray may need a repeat performance in order to save his job.

4. Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are close to ending their winless streaks.

The final results won't show it, but both Stewart and Gordon had Top 3 cars, only to be victimized by bad luck at the finish. Stewart led a race-high 132 laps before being forced to pit for fuel and four fresh tires put him back to 13th. Gordon could only do two spots better after falling into the same trap.

But throughout the day, both cars ran up front and served notice they're not as far off as people might think. Stewart typically runs best during the summer months of June, July, and August, and Gordon could have easily collected a fifth Top 5 finish in his last seven races. No matter what happens with either of these drivers, this much I know: they won't be winless by the time the Chase rolls around in September.

5. Passing is at a premium in the Cup Series right now.

New Hampshire is known for throwing up snoozers, but the amount of single-file racing proved particularly tiresome on Sunday. Time and again, track position instead of total speed won out, with cars on older tires and awful handling able to stay ahead of the pack simply due to having clean air out front.

Most drivers will tell you that's the fault of NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, but at least one major head wrench claims that's not the only issue the sport is facing.

"I wish we could get some [better] tires," Jimmie Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus said after the race. "Goodyear does a great job, don't get me wrong. They've done exactly what everybody wanted them to do, because everybody [used to] complain about the tires so much. So, they built a tire that just doesn't fall off. But now, with this car and the way the speed stays consistent and everybody runs the same speed, it's just all about track position: pitting near your window and just staying out there makes for a lame race."