Carl Edwards sweeps New Hampshire poles

Here are five predictions for what might transpire this weekend in New Hampshire.

There was no reason for any drivers to lace up the gloves and channel their inner Floyd Mayweather and spar a few rounds Friday against the bag.

Kurt Busch will start third Sunday.

“I truthfully don’t know what to expect”, Johnson said. “I practiced that one this morning”.

“I didn’t really see any of it and I don’t know“, Matt Kenseth said.

Harvick and Johnson didn’t have much of one, either.

Asked to describe what led to the post-race incident with Johnson, Harvick remained tight-lipped and deflected the conversation elsewhere. But Harvick is on the ropes on the track as the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship shifts to New Hampshire. The only non-Chase driver in the top 10 is Kyle Larson.

That puts Harvick firmly in the elimination zone unless he can race his way out of danger this week or next weekend at Dover worldwide Speedway, and Harvick has been notably fuming about Johnson all week.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., 19th on the speed charts, commended his team for its effort on Friday, acknowledging “It’s what we’ve been lacking here for a long time…the aggression we had here today is something we have to keep in mind”. “It’s a fine line of being really aggressive and going for it and not getting enough”. He added that he doesn’t need the media to make threats, stating that he can do that himself. “I can do that myself”.

Last year, Harvick won the Sprint Cup championship because he pulled out two victories when he needed them.

Jimmie Johnson: Finishing 11th dropped him from first in the stanings to seventh.

For his part, Johnson was pushed down to the apron by Logano and likely saved Harvick and other front-runners by avoiding him. Harvick finished 42nd. That’s not the situation that any of us wanted to have happen. He has had a lot of recent success at the New England track including two career wins overall, and finishes of first, eighth, second, second and second in his last five starts on the oval.

“I wasn’t surprised that he was that upset”, Johnson said. “I certainly know what to hope for, but there is no telling what will take place”.

In retrospect Harvick would have fared better by pitting for his rubbing tire before it exploded, even if he lost a lap in the process.

Now, the No. 48 Chevrolet could be locked in Harvick’s sight.

“I can completely understand the frustration and anger that would be built up in a situation like that”, Gordon said. “I think that right front air hurt me in the middle”. This season, Harvick has also been consistently fast and he scored a dominating win at the similarly configured Phoenix track earlier in the year.

Kenseth leads the standings and has four wins.

With the win last weekend at Chicagoland, Denny Hamlin automatically qualifies for the next round of the Chase.

“I’ve been on the flip side of that before and although I wasn’t happy to see whoever it was”.

“The vehicle was super-fast in practice”, Edwards said.

“That’s not bad”, said Logano of his eighth place on the grid. “Obviously, the 4 vehicle is one of the fastest cars every week”.

The Chase intensity continues Sunday afternoon in the Sylvania 300 from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway and here are some drivers to watch…

Following the race at Chicagoland, Clint Bowyer was in fifteenth and six points behind the transfer position to get to the next round of the Chase.