Restarts loom large as Chasers return to Loudon

Forget the mountain backdrop, or the tall trees ringing Lake Winnipesaukee, or candlepin bowling or pink, steaming lobsters fresh from the pot. This season's first Cup race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was defined by one thing, and it wasn't pretty. An eight-car pileup born of a double-file restart won't find a place on Granite State tourist brochures.

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And yet, as the circuit returns to the Magic Mile for Sunday's opening round in the 10-week NASCAR playoff, few things will loom larger than all that crumpled sheet metal and all those hurt feelings left in the wake of the track's June race. The first hurdle to winning the Cup Series title presents itself right away, in the form of crowded double-file restarts on a tight oval that's already shown it can produce its share of calamity.

"I keep saying we still haven't seen the worst-case [scenario] with these double-file restarts," said Carl Edwards, who opens the Chase in ninth place, 40 points behind leader Mark Martin. "I think that there's huge potential for a shake-up based on that, especially as we get toward the end of the year and the stress level for everyone gets higher and higher and more is on the line for different people for different reasons."

New Hampshire was as close as we've seen to a worst-case scenario thus far. In the fourth week after the double-file rule change was implemented, and on the tightest oval the circuit had competed on to that point, eight cars suffered damage when the inside lane was slow to get started midway through the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun his tires, Martin Truex Jr. made some light contact with the No. 88 car, Kyle Busch rear-ended the No. 1 -- and suddenly busted-up vehicles were everywhere (watch video). (Continued)