NOTES AND QUOTES FROM NBCSN’S NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE COVERAGE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

“This is unbelievable, this feels unbelievable.” – Race winner Matt Kenseth on earning his place in the round of 12

“This is as good as we have run for a sustained period of time, maybe in my career.” – Runner-up Denny Hamlin to Kelli Stavast

“It is entertainment sport – not a fair sport.” – Brad Keselowski to Dave Burns on his restart penalty

LOUDON, N.H. — September 27, 2015 — NBCSN presented the second NASCAR Sprint Cup Playoff race this afternoon from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The second Chase race culminated with Matt Kenseth outrunning Kevin Harvick in a fuel-mileage showdown during the final laps.

Inside the NBCSN broadcast booth, race announcer Rick Allen and analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte called the action. Working the pits were NBCSN reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro and Dave Burns.

Race Results 

Chase Playoff Standings *Unofficial

The following are highlights from afternoon’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race coverage on NBCSN.

Race winner Matt Kenseth to Massaro: “I was giving Kevin everything we had and I thought he was going to beat us. He had a better car today but I guess he was just a little short on fuel. This is unbelievable, this feels unbelievable.”

Runner-up Denny Hamlin to Stavast: “I am very happy with where we are right now. This is as good as we have run for a sustained period of time, maybe in my career.”

Keselowski to Burns on his restart penalty: “It is entertainment sport – not a fair sport.”

Letarte on Brad Keselowski’s controversial restart immediately following the call: “It is a ‘ball and strike’ call. I don’t know the right answer. We aren’t NASCAR, we don’t make this decision. They are obviously saying that the No. 16 (Biffle) didn’t want to go yet and the No. 2 (Keselowski) pushed the issue. That is the call they are making in the tower.”

Letarte’s post-race comments on NASCAR’S restart penalty for Keselowski: “There have been inconsistencies until now. But NASCAR mentioned they added cameras, they added things to help them make these calls.”

Letarte on the final portion of the race: “This is what racing is all about. This is what we talk about. It doesn’t have to be door-to-door, banging fenders, to have a great race. This right here is a chess match. It’s a chess match while performing your task…worrying about traffic, worrying about your breaks, worrying about fuel. These drivers have to be in complete control of the entire situation.”

Jeff Gordon’s prediction for Dover to Snider: “You know Harvick is going to be on a tear, maybe even Kyle Busch. Those guys have had some unfortunate circumstances.”

Letarte on race team dynamic: “Race teams are a lot like football teams. You are going to hear the quarterback’s name a lot just like the drivers’ names. But there are so many people top to bottom within the organization that make these cars successful –engineers, mechanics, pit-crew…it truly takes a full organization to be successful.”

Burton on Danica Patrick’s crash: “Danica was expecting Ryan Newman to go all the way down to put his left side closer to the yellow line. She was protecting her spot, trying to arc in the corner. Ryan Newman thought ‘you are not coming down that far.” Ryan Newman didn’t do that on purpose, but ultimately it looked like Ryan didn’t give her the room that she expected.”

Burton’s mentality following a crash: “Until everybody went by me, I was always expecting to get hit again…sitting in the middle of the race track and somebody T-boning you, that’s one of the biggest fears a driver has.”

Patrick to Massaro after her crash: “Newman has always been fair, I know that he was working to get past me. It is that time of the year. It is the Chase, people are racing hard and they want everything they can get…I did not get the good end of the stick.”

– NBC SPORTS GROUP –