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NASCAR Cup

Wise: Loudon is its own animal

'Bigger Short Track' presents unique challenge.

Edited: Jul 9, 2013, 9:04 PM

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STATESVILLE, N.C. - Josh Wise only has two career Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but they're enough for him to know that the flat, 1.058-mile track is a unique track to attack.

Josh Wise, Ford

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

He and his No. 35 MDS Transport team head to the Loudon, N.H., oval for Sunday's Camping World RV Sales 301 ready for the challenge.

The team is coming off its third top-25 finish of the 2013 campaign after coming home 25th in Sunday's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

In addition to two Cup starts at Loudon, Wise also has three Nationwide Series starts at the track with a top finish of 20th (2008).

Comments from MDS Transport team driver Josh Wise heading to Loudon:

"Loudon is basically a bigger short track. It's comparable, I would say, to the old Phoenix. It's pretty much its own animal now. But we had some pretty good cars there last year, I think, and it's a place I look forward to going to.

It's kind of a cool track with a little bit of small banking transition and different things you can do with the drive. I always like places where you can move around a little bit.

"The short, flat tracks require a much different focus. I think set-up-wise, you focus so much on aero at the faster, high-speed tracks, and if you don't have that right, you just won't make speed. And Loudon will be a little bit of that.

I think you'll want to understand the attitude of your car and what it can be for or against you. But you tune the car a lot more mechanically at Loudon than you do on the large tracks, and that's really where your focus is.

"The feel of a good car can be misleading, too. I've only driven for Front Row in the Cup Series so I don't have any other Cup rides to compare to.

But in the Nationwide Series, I've had the opportunity to drive for really good teams like JR Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing, and I've also had opportunities with teams that don't have as much funding.

And there've been times when I thought the car that was slower drives better than the car that was faster. And that's the type of thing we experience a lot."

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