Fantasy Fastlane: Christopher Bell whoops the field at New Hampshire

With another Goodyear tire conservation race last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, my fantasy lineup laid an egg. We will give it another shot this weekend, as Goodyear will bring a new tire to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The "Magic Mile" is known for many quirks, including lobster, maple syrup, whoopie pies and Christopher Bell being top-notch. Toyota, in general, has been dominant at New Hampshire in the Next Gen era, winning all three races, all six stages and leading 83% of the laps run.

New to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can play along. With 36 cars and 36 races on the 2025 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.

MUST START:

Christopher Bell | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota

Odds: 33-10

When the 2025 schedule was announced more than a year ago, Bell’s eyes lit up. With additions to the playoffs of shorter, flat tracks like World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and New Hampshire, the No. 20 team saw a pathway to reach the Round of 8 easily. Bell ranked as the best passer at Gateway and had the second-quickest speed, according to NASCAR Insights. Sure, there’s a new tire, but Bell was among the three drivers at the July tire test who gave these tires a try. He has won two of the last three Cup trips to New Hampshire, along with a runner-up result in 2021. In 11 national touring starts, he has seven victories here and nine top-two finishes.

MUST START:

Denny Hamlin | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota

Odds: 13-2

Hamlin is the most recent winner at a comparable track to New Hampshire and has visited Victory Lane three times in the "Granite State." Six times, he’s been a bridesmaid here and has cracked the top two in the finishing order in 29% of his starts. Toyota is on a roll, leading just over 78% of the laps during the Round of 16. JGR has also had at least one car place inside the top two in the finishing order in 13 straight New Hampshire races, the longest streak ever at a singular venue.

MUST START:

Joey Logano | View stats

Team Penske, No. 22 Ford

Odds: 15-2

Logano was another driver at the July test, and according to those in attendance, the No. 22 car was blistering fast. The three-time Cup champion is a two-time New Hampshire winner, with six top 10s in the last eight trips to his home race track. He also enters one of his best tracks with consecutive top fives for the first time since June 2023.

MUST START:

Chase Briscoe | View stats

Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota

Odds: 7-1

New Hampshire is admittedly one of Briscoe’s worst circuits. Yet he finished runner-up last year on a damp race track and has top 10s in each of the last two visits. The good news for Briscoe is the No. 19 team has excelled here in recent years with Martin Truex Jr., winning the 2023 race and finishing 12th or better in the last six visits. Briscoe is the hottest driver in the series, accumulating a series-high 133 points during the Round of 16.

SLEEPER PICK:

Brad Keselowski | View stats

RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford

Odds: 25-1

Keselowski nearly nudged his way to victory last weekend at Bristol, finishing runner-up to Bell. The 2012 champion has an average finish of 10.5 in 24 New Hampshire starts, his second-best among active race tracks. He has three top-five efforts and five top 10s in the last six visits, including a dominant 2020 triumph.

SLEEPER PICK:

Tyler Reddick | View stats

23XI Racing, No. 45 Toyota

Odds: 15-1

When thinking of Reddick’s best tracks, New Hampshire isn’t at the top of mind. However, he has consecutive sixth-place finishes at the "Magic Mile" and an average finish of 11.2 through five starts. Starting last in the Round of 12, the No. 45 team needs a strong opening race.

SLEEPER PICK:

Ryan Preece | View stats

RFK Racing, No. 60 Ford

Odds: 55-1

The stats look bleak for Preece at his home venue, earning a best finish of 11th in six Cup starts at New Hampshire. However, this is the type of track where he typically excels. With 27 Whelen Modified Tour starts at New Hampshire, including a 2021 victory, he has plenty of experience compared to the rest of the field.

STAY AWAY FROM:

William Byron | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet

Odds: 11-1

As the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, Byron has a bit of a buffer to begin the Round of 12. A chunk of that gap may evaporate at New Hampshire, as it’s the only active track that Byron has yet to post a top 10 through seven attempts. Hendrick has won 114 races at 28 different tracks since last celebrating in Victory Lane at New Hampshire in 2012 with Kasey Kahne.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Kyle Busch | View stats

Richard Childress Racing, No. 8 Chevrolet

Odds: 28-1

Just about anything that could go wrong for Busch over the last couple of months has gone wrong. The same could be said about his two visits to New Hampshire with RCR, with finishes of 35th and 36th, respectively. Even dating back to the end of his JGR days, Busch has four finishes of 35th or worse in the last four races here.

STAY AWAY FROM:

Alex Bowman | View stats

Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet

Odds: 55-1

Bowman needed a miracle at Bristol to advance to the Round of 12 and nearly got it. Ultimately, he was among the four drivers eliminated from the postseason. He has a best finish of ninth through 13 New Hampshire starts and hasn’t led a single lap. In three Next Gen starts at New Hampshire, he has an average finish of 28.3, his worst at any track since 2022.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Kyle Larson vs. Christopher Bell

With three top 10s in four New Hampshire attempts with Hendrick, Larson has undoubtedly led the way for the organization here in recent years at a track it’s largely been mediocre at. His 22 laps led, however, are the fewest he’s paced the field at on ovals with multiple starts. Pin anyone up against Bell at New Hampshire, and you’re taking the No. 20 car. That is no different this weekend.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Chase Elliott vs. Chase Briscoe

Elliott is among the Hendrick drivers who have floundered at New Hampshire. His three top 10s through 11 starts are his fewest at any track with a minimum of 10 tries. Meanwhile, Briscoe is on a surging No. 19 team that excels at New Hampshire. That trend should continue this weekend.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Ryan Blaney vs. Bubba Wallace

With how strong Penske is at flatter tracks, it feels like Blaney should have more than a pair of top fives and four top-10 finishes in 12 starts. Wallace, meanwhile, has a pair of top 10s in the last three races here. Blaney gets the nod with Penske’s recent history at this style of track, granted Wallace led 73 laps at Gateway earlier this month.

FEATURED MATCHUP:

Ross Chastain vs. Joey Logano

Chastain represented Chevrolet at the July tire test and has top 10s in half of his six starts at New Hampshire. I just don’t think that compares to Logano’s No. 22 team, which is consistently in the hunt at one of his better race tracks.

MY LINEUP: Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski.

GARAGE: Tyler Reddick.

36 for 36: After saving Larson through seven months of the 2025 season, the No. 5 team had a dud performance in the tire-management race at Bristol. That pick is going to haunt me for weeks to come, with how strong Larson is at some of the upcoming venues. But this is undoubtedly Bell’s best track, so make use of the No. 20 car this weekend if he’s still available.