Bruce: New Hampshire has a long history of varied winners
RELATED: Driver reports for New Hampshire
MANCHESTER, N.H. — It was a streak interrupted, and another begun.
Blame, or credit, Joey Logano.
The Team Penske driver’s first win in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series in 2009 kept alive the streak of what would eventually become 13 different winners in victory lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
It’s the most for any track, a mark shared with Texas Motor Speedway.
Career win No. 1 for Logano came on a rainy day in Loudon in ’09 – the race was shortened from 301 laps to 273 due to a late afternoon storm.
He was 19 at the time, driving the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing and suddenly the series’ youngest winner.
Five years later, last September in fact, Logano, now driving for Team Penske, returned to the winner’s circle at the 1.058-mile track.
Career win No. 7 halted the streak at 13. And re-set it at 11.
Two of the winners on the current list won’t be around to contend for the title in Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR). Mark Martin’s retired and Brian Vickers remains on indefinite leave due to health issues.
The remaining drivers on the list have the credentials to contend and the talent to scuttle the streak — Logano, teammate Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have already won at least once this year. Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne have, obviously, won here before.
But the lineup of those not among the recent NHMS winners is equally impressive. It includes defending series champion Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards. Each has won this year.
Toss in Jamie McMurray, seventh in points and having a solid season.
Jeff Gordon? He’s only won here three times, his average finishing position (11.4) is top-five material and the four-time series champ sports the best driver rating among active drivers at NHMS (107.3).
Overlook another youngster, Kyle Larson, at your own risk. The Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates driver made his first two starts at New Hampshire last season, but his finishes were third and second. Also worth noting — in 2012, Larson won the K&N Pro Series East race at NHMS.
Ask the drivers, and most will tell you track position is crucial because passing often proves to be difficult. Much like Martinsville in design with slightly banked corners, New Hampshire features straighaways twice as long.
Driver Ryan Newman described it as “just two dragstrips and a hairpin turn.”
Winners have come from a variety of starting spots — from the front row to as deep as 38th.
Johnson describes races there as “scrappy,” and part of that might be due to their length. One of the series’ shorter races, the 301-mile event offers limited opportunities to pit and make adjustments.
The names of winning drivers might be varied, but it’s been something of a streaky track for the automakers. Chevrolet drivers won six in a row during the most recent run before Toyota drivers won three straight. Ford teams took both races last year.
Those with Chase plans already booked — and the list continues to grow — could spend the weekend tinkering in hopes of having the right setup in place when the series returns later this year.
For others, it’s one more opportunity to join that club.
And those opportunities are dwindling.