Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (⏰ Monday, noon ET | 📺 USA, NBC Sports App | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Monday's NASCAR Cup Series race in Loudon, the 20th points-paying race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.
Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | New Hampshire 101
📍 Location: Loudon, New Hampshire 📐 Track length: 1.058 miles 🎟️ Buy tickets: Find weekend passes, seats for the race 💰 Cup Series race purse: $7,520,319 📏 Race distance: 318.46 miles | 301 laps 🔢 Stages: 70 | 185 | 301 -- 🚨 Race postponed: Weather forces move to Monday; get details 🚪 Entry list: Cup Series drivers entered 📋 Starting lineup: Christopher Bell races to pole | See full recap 🚗 Pit stall assignments: Where drivers will pit on Monday 🏆 Most recent winner: Christopher Bell, 2022 Key things to watch 🔑 Saturday's sessions Despite his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell capturing the pole position, Martin Truex Jr. looked most consistent during the afternoon's practice and qualifying sessions. Truex rolled his way to P2 on both results boards, only bested by an incredible showing from Michael McDowell in the lone practice session. Nonetheless, Bell's pole position should make him the driver to beat as the reigning track winner and already among the favorites to win this weekend. Aric Almirola, who was victorious in Loudon in 2021, will roll off P3 trailed by the Team Penske duo of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Leading the charge for the Chevrolet camp is series points leader William Byron, who rolls off seventh. | Read the full practice, qualifying recap Big story line Which driver on the outside of the playoffs looking in will make the biggest statement? Plenty of drivers under the elimination line are searching for a massive win to lock their team into the Round of 16. But for a handful, there's still a pretty significant points path to the postseason. Only one driver will reach Victory Lane, but others can do their best to maximize what they get out of the race. For instance, Bubba Wallace is only three points behind Daniel Suárez and Michael McDowell, leaving him slightly out of the playoff picture. AJ Allmendinger sits only 13 back from Suárez and McDowell. A big points day, or a faulty finish, from any of these drivers could swing the standings dramatically. And plenty of other drivers are in the mix, as well -- including Chase Elliott, who's surging up the standings after being sidelined for a handful of races. It's going to be a fight to the finish, every single week. And just one win by a driver below the top 16 could change the entire outlook. | Check out the current playoff outlook History tells us... Christopher Bell will get back on track this weekend. Bell has been phenomenal at New Hampshire in the Next Gen era, finishing top two in both races, including a dramatic victory in 2022. Though he managed to ace the Bristol Dirt Race earlier this season, his recent results have left him sliding down the projected playoff standings. In his last eight races, Bell has six finishes outside the top 10, spotlighted by a 36th-place result at Kansas Speedway. The race could not come at a more ideal time for Bell, who has won at New Hampshire at every level of the NASCAR national series -- once in Cup, three times in the Xfinity Series and once in the Craftsman Truck Series. He just knows how this place works. At a track that Joe Gibbs Racing has historically dominated, Bell will be a major focus and potentially contend for his second win of 2023. He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for... Chris Buescher. At 70-1 opening odds, Buescher jumps off the page as a driver who presents incredible betting value this weekend. While Buescher has never finished better than 15th in his nine starts at Loudon, momentum might be on his side this time around. The No. 17 RFK Racing driver has six top-10 finishes in the last 10 races and is trending upward after a solid run at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Buescher has yet to find Victory Lane this year, though he's proven he can win in the Next Gen era after a dominant 2022 performance at Bristol Motor Speedway. Like teammate Brad Keselowski, Buescher is currently in the projected playoffs based on points -- so he should be trying to maximize his situation every single week. If you're looking for a long shot, keep your eye on Buescher. | See complete list of DraftKings betting odds