One year ago, Kevin Harvick held off a hard-charging Denny Hamlin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a battle that saw the two beat and bang through the final lap to end a 21-race winless streak for the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
There’s every reason to believe that fans could be treated to the same thrilling finish again this year between the two in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Harvick and Hamlin have been the cream of the crop in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, combining to win nine races – a series-leading five for Hamlin and four for Harvick – out of the 19 contested thus far. Hamlin won the most recent race at Kansas, while Harvick last visited Victory Lane in Indianapolis at the beginning of July.
Following the Kansas win, Hamlin reflected on the rivalry that has developed with Harvick over the past 12 months.
“What you’ve seen from us in the last year with the 11 and the 4 is a lot of mutual respect,” Hamlin said. “We race each other with a lot of mutual respect because we know it won’t be the last time. We still have probably many years of battles ahead of us. We’ve been around the sport a long time. We butted heads early in my career. He’s certainly a guy that I personally would like to model myself after.”
The duo is pretty evenly matched at New Hampshire in nearly every way on paper – Harvick leads all active drivers in wins at New Hampshire with four while Hamlin has three. Harvick is tied with Matt Kenseth for series-most top fives among active drivers with 12 each; Hamlin is close behind them with 10. And Hamlin leads the series in runner-up finishes at New Hampshire with five second-place results; including last year. Harvick has finished second or third a total of three times at the “Magic Mile.”
But while the spotlight will surely be on the two drivers who have dominated the season thus far, New Hampshire also puts the pressure on the postseason push for drivers on the bubble. With only seven races to go before NASCAR’s Playoffs begins, 10 drivers are locked into the postseason on wins, leaving six spots up for grabs.
Clint Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto and William Byron are currently hanging on to the final three slots based on points, but their lead is precarious and they can be knocked out if a driver outside of the current Playoff 16 wins in an upcoming week. And seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, driving in his final full-time season, is 18 points outside the Playoff picture.
Of those battling on the Playoff bubble or sitting on the outside looking in, Johnson, Kenseth and Ryan Newman lead the group with three wins each in Loudon. Bowyer has two wins at New Hampshire.
And although they are both in a secure position in the points, brothers Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch are still looking for their first win of the year and each have three wins at New Hampshire.
Or could we see a first-time series winner this weekend? It has happened before. New Hampshire is home to five first-time Cup winners; including Joey Logano’s first series career victory in the June 2009 race in his rookie year.
Meet Melissa, the August Member of the Month for the Official NASCAR Fan Council.
Name: Melissa Current City: Riverside, California Member Since: 2017
Getting to KNOW Melissa:
Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“I was invited to attend the race weekend at our local track and loved it! This was in 2001 and back then we had all three series at the track which was a very exciting! Since then my husband, my children and I have gone to every race at Auto Club Speedway.”
Q. What is your favorite part about NASCAR?
“There are many things I like about NASCAR! The competitiveness of the drivers and teams, different tracks each week with different strategies and the values the NASCAR community has for our country.”
Q. What is your favorite NASCAR memory?
“Oh wow can I share more than one? Michael McDowell is my son’s favorite driver. He took the time to meet with our family in 2014 at Sonoma. My son was only 10 and was the happiest kid on earth! Another favorite was driving my favorite driver, Kevin Harvick around the track during driver introductions in Fontana.”
Q. Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Driver: “Kevin Harvick, I love his drive and passion!”
Track: “Sonoma Raceway.”
OEM: “Ford.”
Raceday Traditions: “We watch the race every weekend as a family. We usually cook brunch and sit around watching the race on TV and listen to our favorite drivers on RaceView.”
Q. What are some of your hobbies?
“I like going to dinner with friends but most of the time just relaxing at home and watching movies with my family makes me happy.”
FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK MELISSA FOR HER CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HER IN 2020!
Look for Melissa on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld a behavioral penalty Wednesday that was originally issued July 14 to team owner Tony Clements, relative to the No. 51 NASCAR Xfinity Series team at Kentucky Speedway.
The penalty concerns the following sections in the 2020 NASCAR Rule Book: Sections 12.8.1.b Member Conduct Guidelines and 7.7.2.j Team Event Roster Guidelines. Clements, head of the family-owned No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing team, was fined $10,000 for what the official penalty report classified as “non-compliance with essential personnel/team event roster rules.”
Upon hearing the testimony, a three-person National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled Clements violated the rules stated in the penalty notice and upheld the original penalty assessed by NASCAR.
Clements has the right to appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer, in accordance with Section 15 of the NASCAR Rule Book.
Wednesday’s panel consisted of the following three individuals:
Cole Pearn is returning to the racing world for the month of August.
Ed Carpenter Racing announced Wednesday the NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief will join its NTT IndyCar Series engineering staff for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team has pegged Pearn as the lead engineer on Conor Daly’s No. 47 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet.
“I am super excited to get a chance to compete in the Indy 500 with Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter Racing,” Pearn said in the news release. “I wasn’t sure when I would want to get back to racing, but this is a great opportunity to do so. To be able to do it at a high level was too hard to pass up. Obviously, it will be a steep learning curve but getting to work with (No. 20 engineer) Pete Craik again and the rest of the ECR team is about the best situation I could hope for!”
Pearn retired from full-time NASCAR duties at the end of the 2019 season after working atop Martin Truex Jr.’s pit box for five years. Over the course of 179 starts together, the two won the 2017 championship and 24 races overall.
This will mark Pearn’s first Indianapolis 500 experience as an engineer.
Ed Carpenter Racing has two full-time IndyCar entries but will enter a third car for the Indianapolis 500 driven by Daly. Pearn has a tie to the organization as well in Pete Craik — the lead engineer for Carpenter’s No. 20 — who also worked with Pearn at Furniture Row Racing and was part of the 2017 championship team.
The 2020 Indianapolis 500 was originally scheduled for May 24, but COVID-19 forced the postponement of the event. The 104th running will now take place Aug. 23. Unlike in NASCAR, there will also be IndyCar practice and qualifying for this race.
NASCAR revealed Tuesday it has modified the pit-stop procedure for the stand-alone race in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at World Wide Technology Raceway this season on Aug. 30. Meanwhile, for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ stand-alone event at Road America on Aug. 8, a modified version of the pit-road procedures announced in January will be used.
Here’s how the Gander Trucks procedure works: There will be three stages in the race with Stage 1 ending at Lap 55, Stage 2 ending at Lap 110 and the final stage scheduled to end on Lap 160. Teams may choose to pit, or not, during the stage breaks, and the field is frozen during that time.
Those who do pit will have three minutes to complete their work during the stage breaks. If a team goes over that time, they will be sent to the rear on the ensuing restart. The order drivers enter pit road is the order they will line up off pit road. Trucks that elected to pit will line up behind those trucks remaining on track — lead-lap trucks followed by lap-down trucks, the free-pass, waive-around trucks and any penalty trucks.
Additionally, all caution periods will be quickie yellows, meaning there will be one opportunity to add fuel and/or make adjustments. There will be no changing of tires except during stage breaks. NASCAR will work with teams on flat tires or damaged rims.
The new rules for Gander Trucks are meant to provide more green-flag racing in the final race of the 2020 Triple Truck Challenge as drivers compete for the cash bonus. The Gander Trucks used a similar procedure at Eldora Speedway in recent years.
“We believe these updated procedures are the best fit for the lone NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series standalone race of 2020,” said Brad Moran, Gander Trucks managing director. “Given the importance of this race in the Triple Truck Challenge and the Gander Trucks playoffs, we wanted to provide our fans with more green-flag racing and place the fate of the bonus in the drivers’ hands.”
For the Xfinity Series, the new rules include the field will be frozen at the time of caution. When pit road opens, all cars may pit and teams may add fuel or change up to four tires. (Four tires and fuel would require two pit stops to complete a full pit cycle.)
Stage breaks will consist of a full pit cycle, meaning two opportunities to pit to add fuel or change tires while pit road is open.
NASCAR has the discretion to call a quickie yellow during non-stage breaks, giving drivers the chance to pit to add fuel or change tires. Fuel only may be added during green-flag stops, with pit stops for tire changes on green-flag stop only being permitted by NASCAR for flat tires, significant damage, etc.
There’s a minimum 60-second time limit for teams making green-flag stops and an 80-second maximum time for teams making yellow-flag stops.
In the case of inclement weather, teams will be permitted to change from dry-weather tires to wet tires (or vice versa) under yellow- or green-flag conditions.
The NASCAR Cup Series makes its lone trip to the Granite State for Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
With the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series taking the weekend off, the NASCAR Cup Series will be the only national series in action for the 301-lap, 318.46-mile event.
Before we get set to race at the “Magic Mile,” here’s a primer for the 20th race of the NASCAR Cup Series season with just seven races remaining in the regular season.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, located in Loudon and about an hour north of Boston, is a 1.058-mile asphalt oval that opened in 1990. The speedway was built by the late Bob Bahre, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 93, as well as his brother, Gary. The turns have 2-7 degrees of variable banking, while the 1,500-foot long straightaways have 1 degree of banking.
Rusty Wallace beat Mark Martin by a margin of 1.31 seconds in the inaugural race. (ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)
Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Cup Series race held at the track coined the “Magic Mile” on July 11, 1993 while driving the No. 2 Team Penske Pontiac. Forty-eight Cup Series races have been held at the facility in total.
The Cup Series experimented with restrictor plates at New Hampshire in second event held in 2000. Jeff Burton led all 300 laps in the race, the third time in Cup Series history where a driver led every circuit of an event. Cale Yarborough accomplished the feat at Bristol Motor Speedway in 1973 and Nashville Speedway in 1978.
The track, originally named New Hampshire International Speedway, was officially purchased by Bruton Smith and Speedway Motorsports, Inc. on Jan. 11, 2008.
STAGE LENGTHS
Stage 1 is set to end at Lap 75, Stage 2 at Lap 185, and the final stage is slated to conclude on Lap 301.
STARTING LINEUP
The NASCAR Cup Series race will again be structured without practice and qualifying as the sanctioning body attempts to limit exposure for on-site personnel to control COVID-19’s spread. Sunday’s starting lineup will be determined by a random draw among groups in the team owner standings:
Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points
Pit-stall selection is based on the finishing order from the July 23 race at Kansas Speedway. See where drivers will pit.
RULES PACKAGE
The 2020 NASCAR rules package for short tracks and road courses will be in effect, a reduced downforce package that features a 1.17-inch tapered spacer used to achieve a target of 750 horsepower, significantly smaller rear spoiler at 2.75 inches, a quarter-inch front splitter overhang with approximately 2-inch wings and alterations to the radiator pan and the removal of its vertical fencing to reduce front-end downforce.
GOODYEAR TIRES
Since it is relatively flat, New Hampshire Motor Speedway produces minimal load compared to more high-banked tracks. Grip is therefore generated through the compounds Goodyear selects for its tire setup. Both the left- and right-side compounds have changed since last year’s race and will add grip. Teams will also try to gain grip by going below the recommended air pressures. Low left-side pressures, which some teams run down into the single digits, can cause the sidewall to over-deflect and damage the tire carcass to the point of air loss.
“We have a different tire setup at New Hampshire this year, and it is the same as what we run at Phoenix (Raceway),” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “This setup has different tread compounds than we ran at Loudon last year, and teams should see a grip enhancement as a result. The real benefit is that Loudon and Phoenix are now aligned once again, which is how it had been in the past until Phoenix was repaved about a decade ago. This will give playoff teams another race with this setup and will help them as they build their notebook for championship weekend in November.”
Teams will be allowed seven sets of tires.
STATS TO KNOW
— Kevin Harvick has won three out of the last five New Hampshire races, while the last eight events have either been won by Harvick or a Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Denny Hamlin, the other heavy championship favorite this season, has earned one win in that eight-race span.
— Are a couple of rookies set to heat up as the playoffs inch closer? With a win at Kentucky Speedway under his belt, Cole Custer has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races in 2020 as has Tyler Reddick. Christopher Bell is no stranger to Victory Lane at New Hampshire, winning in both Xfinity Series starts and one of two Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starts.
— Aric Almirola enters Sunday with an eight-race string of top-10 finishes, best in the Cup Series, but the Stewart-Haas Racing driver only has one top 10 in the last eight races at New Hampshire.
— Brad Keselowski is quietly enjoying his career-best Cup Series season. Keselowski’s 14 top-10 finishes so far this season are his best all time through 19 races. For the No. 2 Team Penske driver, New Hampshire ranks third among most top 10s in his career, owning 12 top 10s in 19 starts.
— Martin Truex Jr. owns top 10s in the last five races at New Hampshire, but he leads the all-time list when it comes to laps led in Loudon without a victory, pacing the field for 744 laps in 26 starts. Truex’s best finish is third.
Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights
LIVE COVERAGE
Tune in to television coverage Sunday on NBCSN (3 p.m. ET) or on the NBC Sports App. For full radio coverage from New Hampshire Motor Speedway, listen in to PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.
For a more interactive experience, steer over to NASCAR.com or the NASCAR app to check out an enhanced Race Center, live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the customizable live leaderboard with Scanner and the return of Drive (featuring in-car cameras).
Riding a 21-race winless streak that continued through the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season up to this point, Kevin Harvick reversed the tide by earning victory in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire. Harvick scored his fourth career victory at the track by holding off a hard-charging Denny Hamlin on older tires in the closing laps. The year prior, Harvick nudged Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch, out of the way in the final circuits to record the first of two consecutive triumphs in Loudon.
See where your favorite driver will pit in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The 2020 NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola is more than just a military appreciation platform – it’s a campaign that salutes all who have gone above and beyond to keep their fellow members of society safe and healthy. During a global pandemic that impacted almost every aspect of our daily lives, they have been there for us – doctors, nurses, EMTs, first responders, etc. Now, it’s our turn to be there for them and to give recognition where it’s deserved the most.
In this edition of NASCAR Salutes Refreshing Moments, NASCAR.com is highlighting the work of two members from the American Medical Response. Since 2017, NASCAR has partnered with AMR, a recognized leader in emergency medical services, to expand the capabilities of its medical support model and enhance on-track incident responses.
Rejeanne Boissonneault is a paramedic and operations supervisor with AMR in Massachusetts. She has worked for AMR for seven years. When she was asked to travel to New York City to help out with the COVID-19 response, there was no hesitation for Boissonneault. She served as a task force leader on the New York City deployment for a month with her responses including coming to the aid of 911 and COVID-related calls.
“I was in a response vehicle and ran high-acuity calls (calls that require paramedics),” Boissonneault said. “Each task force leader had about 20 ambulances under them. It gave me a sense of gratitude for being healthy and my family being healthy. It opened your eyes to things and made you very grateful.”
Robert Galvin works for AMR’s Peer Support Team and is a regional manager of patient care services. He was also part of the team deployed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Galvin served as a medical officer for more than 1,600 caregivers, who also deployed to help New York City first responders when COVID-19 struck and 911 call volume tripled. Galvin worked out of the Forward Operating Base at the Bronx Zoo and was there every day by 6 a.m. ET.
Photo courtesy of AMR
Galvin credited his military experience with helping him for this deployment. He served his country in the United States Army from 1986-90 as a communications chief — setting up communications and towers as part of the Forward Operating Base. Emergency response is a calling Galvin found after struggling to “get reacclimated to life” after his military service, a period of time that saw him homeless for three years.
“When people started coming into medical, often times you could tell they were in crisis,” Galvin said. “I was there to interact … helping them to work through their individual situations. It was unbelievable. I was meant to be there. I had faced some of the same things they were facing.”
For the first time ever, NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola kicked off with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the platform shifted to a mid-summer window due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola, which runs through July 31, will see the NASCAR industry honor United States Armed Forces and front-line healthcare heroes as part of this year’s expanded program — an industry-wide opportunity to recognize and thank those who keep society safe and healthy.
NASCAR issued penalties Tuesday after last weekend’s events at Kansas Speedway, handing down fines to a pair of NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series teams.
Both the No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Racing team and the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports team were penalized after one lug nut was found not safely secured on each vehicle during a post-race check. As a result, crew chiefs Kevin Bellicourt (No. 19) and Danny Stockman (No. 51) were fined $2,500 for the safety infractions.
Derek Kraus finished seventh in the No. 19, with Brandon Jones right behind him in eighth while driving the No. 51.
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 28, 2020 – NBC Sports announced today that long-time NASCAR analyst and team owner Brad Daugherty has joined its NASCAR commentary team. He is scheduled to make his debut with NBC Sports during the Michigan doubleheader weekend of August 8-9.
Daugherty will primarily join the team of studio analysts for pre- and post-race coverage alongside current NBC Sports NASCAR analysts Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty. He will also join the broadcast booth for select Xfinity Series races.
“I’m extremely excited and I’m looking forward to spending time with all of the folks at NBC Sports and talk racing,” said Daugherty. “I want to thank NBC Sports for giving me this historic opportunity and share my passion and insight about this sport that I’ve loved for more than 30 years. I’m boisterous, I love to laugh and talk, and I think my excitement will translate to the viewers watching at home.”
“Brad’s energy, emotion and passion for NASCAR make him a perfect fit for the NBC Sports team,” said Jeff Behnke, vice president of NASCAR production and motorsports, NBC Sports. “His ability to inform, entertain and simply share his love of the sport will be terrific for the fans and viewers.”
A life-long NASCAR fan from Black Mountain, N.C., Daugherty wore the No. 43 as a nod to Richard Petty during his eight-year NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft from the University of North Carolina. Daugherty is part-owner of the JTG Daugherty Racing Cup Series team and has previously served as a NASCAR analyst for ESPN.
NBC Sports continues its coverage of the 2020 NASCAR campaign this weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, August 2, at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
