Tony Raines and the #96 Hꦑall of Fame Racing DLP HDTV team toughed out a respectable 22nd place finish in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at the New Hampshire Internationa💎l Speedway.

Raines finished on the lead lap of the 308-lap race after spending most of the day fighting other drivers for ꧋track position on the tight confines of New Hampshirꦆe's 1.058-mile oval.

After starting the race a respectable 15th, Raines immediately began sliding backward and complaining of a tight ra🉐ce car.

"I'm tight in the center and tight o⛦n the throttle," radioed Raines to crew chief Philippe Lopez on lap 18. "I've moved🍃 up the race track to see if that helps, but it seems to stay the same. We'll get it though."

A spin by Travis Kvapil on lap 20 allowed Lopez the opportunity to order a four-tyre change, air pressure adjustments and a round of wedge in the right rear to try to alleviate the situation. But 🔥the long pit stop put Raines all the way back in 31st when the race restarted on lap 23.

A long green flag run followed 🅷and Raines' battle with his tight race c꧒ar waged on - this time with a new wrinkle.

"I cannot pass anybody," said a frustrated Raines. "My tyres are going away. My breaks are wearing. The car's still tight. I'm working myself to death out h🌸ere."

Raines spent much of the run trying to get around the #43 car of Bobby Labonte. "I ju🍰st can't turn underneath him," said Raines. The end result was a bump down the back straightaway that left a donut on the side of Labonte's Dodge and a slight tear in the right fender of the #96 DLP HDTV Chevy.

"I was faster than the 43, but he got on the outs🌠ide of me. I got tighter and accidentally ran him into the wall," said Raines. "I didn't want to start this stuff early."

Unfort🍒unately for Raines, the altercation with Labonte was just the first of many. Raines worked all 🐓day to pass drivers on the track without incident, but bad luck just seemed to follow him.

Incidents with the #55 of Michael Waltrip, the #19 of Jeremy Mayfield and Kenny Schrader's #21 machine all resulted in dented𝕴 fenders, and in the cases of Mayfieꦺld and Schrader, spins.

"You know, a couple of them were my fault, a couple of them weren't," sai🌌d Raines. ജ"Some of the guys just don't give me an inch."

The final straw came on the last lap 🗹when Robby Gordon spun Raines while racing to the finish. The DLP HDTV Chevy limped home battle worn and weary, with a driver equally spent. Wo♑rn down from the oppressive heat and the relentless competition, Raines' 22nd place effort garnered him his eighth top-25 of the year.

The #96 DLP HDTV Chevy lost one position in Nextel Cup owner points, dropping from 27th to 28thജ. The #96 car has 1,721 points and is 15 points behind the #18 car (J.J. Yeley) and 12 points ahead of the #7 car (Robby Gordon). The #96 car is 228 points ahead of the 36th-place car (#40 - David Stremme).