Motor Sports Monday

LOUDON, N.H. - Clint Bowyer vowed to use the Chase to raise his Nextel Cup profile. One race in, and Bowyer is NASCAR's newest race winner. Bowyer raced to his first Nextel Cup victory Sunday, starting from the pole and leading 221 of the 300 laps to win at New Hampshire International Speedway. Clint Bowyer started from the pole at NHIS, relinquished the lead at only brief intervals and cruised to his first Nextel Cup victory in the Sylvania 300.

Bowyer entered the 12-driver Chase as the only contender without a victory, and had never finished higher than third in his short Cup career. But he's inched closer and closer to the front of the field, and thought he had a chance at a win last week in Richmond but spun his Chevrolet as he was making a pass for the lead. It brought him into the Chase opener as the 12th seed, trailing defending series champion Jimmie Johnson by 60 points and acutely aware of his ranking.

NEXTEL CUP STANDINGS
1. -- Jimmie Johnson 5210 Leader
2. -- Jeff Gordon 5210 Leader
3. -- Tony Stewart 5200 -10
4. +8 Clint Bowyer 5195 -15
5. +4 Kyle Busch 5175 -35
6. +1 Martin Truex Jr. 5170 -40
7. +1 Matt Kenseth 5156 -54
8. -4 Carl Edwards 5147 -63
9. -3 Denny Hamlin 5128 -82
10. +1 Kevin Harvick 5122 -88
11. -1 Jeff Burton 5119 -91
12. -7 Kurt Busch 5108 -102