Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (⏰ 3 p.m. ET | 📺 NBCSN | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday's race, the 22nd points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.
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Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a 1.058-mile layout located in Loudon, New Hampshire Green flag: 3:18 p.m. ET TV/Radio: NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: Showers. High near 73. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%, according to NOAA.gov Race Distance: 301 laps, 318.46 miles Stages: Stage 1 - 75 laps | Stage 2 - 110 laps (ends at Lap 185) | Final Stage - 116 laps (scheduled to end at Lap 301) Pit-road speed: 45 mph Caution car speed: 50 mph New Hampshire 101: Get the full lowdown Starting lineup: See the full lineup Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where | Expert breaks down pit selectionsFive to watch
Here are five big story lines we'll be following at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. 1. It certainly was a NASCAR week to remember, and we now know officially Brad Keselowski and Matt DiBenedetto will no longer be with Team Penske and Wood Brothers Racing, respectively, after the season. Now what? Well, there are still 15 races left for each of them with their respective teams, and they're each capable of winning — particularly at New Hampshire. The 2012 champ Keselowski is the defending winner of the race, showing last season his proclivity with this rules package, extending his top-10 run at the "Magic Mile" to five in the last six there. DiBenedetto, while up and down this season, is currently on the rise and has finished sixth or better in the last two NHMS jaunts. With plenty to prove, look for these two Ford drivers to come out swinging this weekend. 2. It's kind of hard to believe given the blistering start to the season he had, but Denny Hamlin may be looking to prove himself this weekend, as well. Despite still narrowly holding onto the points lead, last year's seven-time winner is still mysteriously winless in 2021, but that could change Sunday. He has been in contention there lately — he was passed for the win in each of the last two Loudon races — and it has been a productive track for him in general. With three wins and six runner-up finishes at New Hampshire, he has finished top two in a third of his NHMS starts. Beyond Hamlin, this could be a boon of a weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole — all four of its drivers are excellent there. 3. In a vein similar to that of Hamlin, his fellow 2020 dominator in Kevin Harvick will be looking to rock out big time Sunday in the Granite State. Arguably the best driver at Loudon the past decade, Harvick has arguably also had the most head-scratching, winless season after he put up nine victories last year. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has won three of the last six NHMS events, has finished top five in six of the last seven and crew chief Rodney Childers has four wins there — most among all crew chiefs and at least one for all three manufacturers. You'd think this is where he puts it all together, but we're well past the halfway point and Childers has implied there isn't much left speed to be found in the No. 4's last 15 races with the Gen 6 car. Still, Harvick is an all-world talent behind the wheel and could out-maneuver faster cars Sunday for what would be a strong statement victory. 4. OK, so if so many other drivers and teams have a shot to win — consider all Penske/Gibbs drivers as legitimate contenders —where does that leave the season's best team in Hendrick Motorsports? Well, it's tough to say. On one hand, it has been so dominant in this middle portion of the season it's unrealistic to expect the powerhouse team to just bow down to Loudon's typical magicians. On the other, it was unrealistic to expect the other teams to not catch up at some point, and this weekend might be when we really start to see shades of that. Hendrick drivers have just three total top 10s among them the past two weeks (of course, one of them was Chase Elliott's Road America win) and New Hampshire hasn't been a strong track for Rick Hendricks' group in quite some time. Kyle Larson still has the second-best odds out there at 21-4, but it seems oddsmakers are favoring the Fords and Toyotas overall. And they're probably right. 5. How about a different Chevrolet driver landing in Victory Lane, though? How about the one who did last week? Kurt Busch shocked the world last Sunday — well, not if you read Power Rankings every week — when the 42-year-old out-dueled his younger brother for the win at Atlanta, but the question remains if Busch will find the fountain of youth again this weekend. He'll certainly need it, as his three NHMS wins all came in 2008 or earlier, having finished 17th or worse in three of the last four races there. He has also only won back-to-back races once in his career, at Martinsville/Atlanta in 2002. Perhaps we'll see another new winner this weekend (relatively likely considering what we said about Hamlin/Harvick), and apart from the drivers already mentioned it wouldn't be too surprising to see a Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon or Ross Chastain victory Sunday, though those feel much less certain than Busch looked entering Atlanta. Either way, with five races remaining before the playoffs, there's plenty to watch and Sunday should be a thrill ride.Race-day staples
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Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy. • Betting odds for New Hampshire race | See the odds • New Hampshire race provides teaching moments for NASCAR bettors | Find out why • One-stop shop for NASCAR betting information | Check it out • Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot • Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQWicked good racing up north
NASCAR is back in New England with a race at the "Magic Mile." Take a look at some track history and what happened last time out.
• Remember this?: Memorable moments from New Hampshire | See the moments • Boy, oh boy: Relive Clint Bowyer's first career Cup Series win | Watch the 2007 Sylvania 300 • A lot of lobster: All-time wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway | See the winners • Locked in at Loudon: How JGR has put together history NHMS run | Analysis • Throwback '2' last year: Keselowski victorious at the Magic Mile in '20 | See how Kes won