The  "Racing For Clean Air" Team Captain Andy Santerre
Continues Top-5 Running With Solid Second Place NHIS
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LOUDON, N.H. - Brad Leighton drove to victory lane at New Hampshire International Speedway for the eighth time in his career in Saturday afternoon’s New Hampshire 125 NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch North Series race. It was Leighton’s first win of the 2003 season and the first for his new Irving/Mainway Ford team. Overall, it was Leighton’s 21st Busch North victory, second on the all-time list. He started eighth and passed Paul Wolfe on the 97th lap in the only lead change of the race.
Point leader Andy Santerre was second, less than a car length behind Leighton, but boosted his series lead to 173 points over fifth place finisher Mike Stefanik. Wolfe held on for third, with Mike Johnson fourth. Ryan Moore, Joey McCarthy, Kelly Moore, Jamie Aube, and Dale Shaw completed the top ten. Of the 40-car field, 27 were running at the finish, with 18 on the lead lap. Leighton averaged 89.569 miles
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per hour as six caution periods consumed 39 laps. The final caution resulted in the race being extended from 125 to 128 laps to achieve a green-white-checker finish.
Wolfe took the lead from first-time Bud Pole winner Mike Gallo at the start and held it when all the lead lap cars pitted for fuel at lap 39. Leighton took second from Santerre on lap 46 and became Wolfe’s challenger throughout the middle stages. Wolfe, bidding to give Dodge its first Busch North Series win, dominated each restart, but as every green flag run unfolded his car began to push and Leighton applied ever-increasing pressure. Finally, Leighton seized the low groove in turn one on lap 97, ran even with Wolfe down the back straight, and settled the issue in turn three. Santerre took second two laps later but got only one good run at Leighton, coming to the checkered flag.
Gallo, who won the Bud Pole at a non-record speed of 125.211 miles per hour, chased Wolfe hard for the first third of the race but was involved in contact on pit road and finished 22nd. Martin Truex Jr., winner at NHIS in July, was part of the same incident and never moved back into contention, ending the day 15th. Among the other contenders, Mike Olsen cut both right-side tires at the same time and settled for 19th, one lap down, while engine trouble dogged both Eddie MacDonald and Dale Quarterley, who were placed 27th and 32nd respectively. Tom Carey retired with a broken oil line and a finished 36th.
Dale Shaw won the PowerAde Power Move of the Race Award for advancing 17 places, from 27th to 10th. Ryan Moore was the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Race. The Busch North Series joins the NASCAR Winston Cup Series for the second week in a row next weekend, with the MBNA America 150 set for Dover International Speedway on Friday, September 19.
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