R&J Racing heads to Sylvania 300 looking to make its own headlines

LOUDON, N.H. - With NASCAR's Chase for the Championship field set, Tony Raines and the BoSPOKER.net Dodge hope to make their own headlines in Sunday's Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire International Speedway.
"When they created the Chase for the Championship, they knew it would bring a lot of attention for the sport during the final 10 races," Raines said. "At the same time, most of that attention would be for the 10 teams in the Chase. The real challenge for everyone else is to create their own attention."

Raines was the victim of two late-race accidents last Saturday at the Richmond International Speedway - both triggered by Chase contenders who were trying to race their way into the playoffs.

"You can't go three-wide at Richmond, and in both accidents you had drivers who were trying to make something happen," Raines said. "I understand that. I was the middle guy in both three-wide passes, and I had nowhere to go. You hope it's not something that carries over into the final 10 races.

"You want those 10 guys in the Chase to be able to race for the championship, but there are 32 other cars out there trying to win the race, too. Just because they're racing for the championship doesn't mean any of us should race any differently than we do at any other time."

The one-mile oval at New Hampshire reminds crew chief Glen Darrow of an oversized Martinsville Speedway.
"It's twice the size as Martinsville, but it has the very same challenges," he said. "You have long straightaways and very tight, very flat turns. It really puts a strain on the car, the brakes and the motor. With Ernie Elliott building our motors, that area's not a concern for us. We know we're going to have horsepower. That allows us to concentrate on making the car fast through the turns."

Raines said the race between 10 drivers to qualify for the final four positions in the Chase created a lot of tension at Richmond. With the Chase field now set, he hopes things get back to normal.

"I hope things calm down," he said. "You had a lot of desperate people doing desperate things at Richmond. People were being very aggressive, doing whatever it took to make the Chase. I'd probably do the same thing if I were in their position.

"Not only does everyone not in the Chase have the challenge of getting their cars right at New Hampshire, they face the challenge of trying to steal some of the thunder from the guys in the Chase. Just because we're not in the Chase doesn't mean we're not out there racing hard. We're there to win, too."

BoSPOKER.net Fast Facts

. The Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire International Speedway will be Tony Raines' fifth race since joining R&J Racing in August.

. In three starts with R&J Racing this year, Raines has won $280,025.

. The Sylvania 300 will start at 1:10 p.m. It will air live on TNT at 12:30 p.m. and on MRN radio at 12:30 p.m.