Posted on by Chris Murdock

LOUDON, N.H. — Chandler Smith tallied his fifth top-five finish of the 2025 season after Saturday afternoon’s Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a runner-up, following Corey Heim, who won for the ninth time.

But the second-place finish still wasn’t what the driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford needed to secure his spot in the Round of 8 of the playoffs.

RELATED: Race results | Best photos from Loudon

While the temporary disappointment of the weekend will persist, nearly tracking down Heim in the closing laps, Smith continues to take pride in the effort demonstrated by the newly formed team during their first complete season together.

“I feel like, honestly, don’t get me wrong, we have the expectation to go win and stuff, but man, we’ve really accomplished a lot more than I think we all envisioned us to do,” Smith said on pit road post-race. “So it’s bittersweet because obviously, I’d like to race for a championship, but it’s sweet because I know that we have trucks capable of winning every time we show up to the race track. Just wasn’t meant to be, simple as that. We finished 30th at Darlington, which was on me. We had a mechanical issue last week at Bristol, finished 30th again, and came here to finish second. So move on, just going out to win these last few races.”

An early exit in the playoffs may seem like a disappointment to some on the outside for a team with two wins on the season, but the driver from Talking Rock, Georgia, had nothing but praise for his No. 38 crew.

“To accomplish what we’ve been doing on a consistent basis is — from the outside looking at, it’s like, ‘Oh, why couldn’t they?’ But when you really get into the trenches of it, and the logistics of everything and the personnel and the equipment and all, it’s really not as clean cut as what you think it is. So that’s the positive right there, being able to do that.

“We did come together and get a really good group that was bound and determined to do everything the right way and start building this program the right way, and not rush things and shortcut things, just so they can get it done right. We’re doing it the right way, and we have a really good culture at Front Row Motorsports as well that I’m proud of.”

On the flip side of the Truck Series Playoffs coin sits Rajah Caruth, the driver who bested Smith for the final spot in the Round of 8 with a 10th-place finish.

A consistent but admittedly lacking performance in the opening round for the No. 71 Spire Motorsports group gave Caruth enough to move onto the next round. The upcoming three-race stretch, which starts Fri., Oct. 3 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), makes the 23-year-old believe anything is possible.

“Man, it’s free game with the second round,” Caruth said. “You got the Roval, which is a wild card with the road course. Watkins Glen, we didn’t run as good as we should have, but Lime Rock, we were very competitive. So I’m excited to see how the Roval is for us. And then Talladega, I mean, anything can happen there. Martinsville, as you’ve seen last year, it becomes kind of jungle rules.

“I’d say (Heim) is pretty much a lock for Phoenix. (Riggs) could be pretty much as well and those last two spots are up for grabs, so just can’t take yourself out of it”

Posted on by Holly Cain

LOUDON, N.H. — Corey Heim turned in yet another successful chapter to one of the most dominant seasons in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history — claiming his record-tying ninth win of the 2025 season in Saturday’s Team EJP 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The 23-year-old Georgia native’s race effort was nearly as perfect as the NASCAR weekend setting — sunshine, cool fall temperatures set among the beautiful season-changing foliage for which New England is renowned.

Heim claimed the pole position in the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota, swept both stages, led a race-best 124 of the 175 laps, set the fastest lap of the day and then motored off to an 0.823-second victory over Chandler Smith to end the first round of the Truck Series Playoffs as dominantly as the Regular Season Champion started them.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

The nine-victory effort this year ties the single-season win mark set by former series champion Greg Biffle in 1999. And immediately after Saturday’s checkered flag, Biffle posted a photo on social media of him holding a lobster (New Hampshire’s traditional trophy award) on a beach with the caption, “Welcome to the 9-win club.”

“It’s a dream come true to be able to race with these guys,” Heim said of his team. “Seems like everywhere we go this year, we’re a contender or we win, so just can’t say enough about those guys.

“But got to keep it going,” continued Heim, who now has 20 wins in 85 career starts. “Still have four more races left [this year] and want to break that [single-season wins] record. Shout out to Greg Biffle. He’s a great dude. Dream year for me personally, and just have to keep it going. It’s awesome. Gotta keep the ball rolling.”

Smith’s runner-up showing was an inspired rally to advance to the next round of the playoffs, but ultimately, the Front Row Motorsports driver came up 10 points short of moving on in the championship battle. ThorSport Racing’s Jake Garcia, who finished 16th Saturday, also failed to move on in the title fight.

“Just a lot of bad luck, but honestly, I’m a faithful guy and been doing a lot of praying about it, and my prayers been specific for the Lord’s will, and obviously it wasn’t in his will for us to advance to the next round, obviously,” Smith said.

“Super grateful for these group of guys that we assembled on this 38 team and we huddled together before the race and I let them know this doesn’t define us no matter what the outcome. I’m proud of each and every one of them.”

MORE: Smith reacts to Round of 10 elimination 

Smith’s Front Row teammate, Layne Riggs, finished third at New Hampshire, and the season’s three-time winner will begin this next three-race round of playoff competition ranked second to Heim — 47 points behind the championship favorite.

Heim’s rookie teammate, Gio Ruggiero, crossed the line fourth in one of his best showings of the season. And reigning series champion, ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski, was fifth.

The championship lineup going forward with points reset includes — in order — McAnally-Hilgemann’s Daniel Hemric, Majeski, McAnally-Hilgemann’s Tyler Ankrum, CR7 Motorsports’ Grant Enfinger, Spire Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth and Halmar-Friesen Racing’s Kaden Honeycutt.

Caruth’s gamble to stay out on old tires to gain extra points in Stage 2 proved critical in his advancement. He finished 10th.

“It was kind of best-case scenario, the 38 [Smith] didn’t win and we got good stage points,” Caruth said. “Just proud of my Spire team. We just kept getting better, and the truck was decent. I don’t feel like tenth was really indicative of where we could have finished, but that’s how it went with how the tires were today, the way the cautions fell and our strategy.”

Enfinger, Honeycutt, Corey LaJoie, Christian Eckes and Caruth rounded out the top 10.

The Craftsman Truck Series returns to competition with an Oct. 3 series debut (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval — the first race of the final three-race run to decide which four drivers will be eligible for the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Craftsman Truck Series garage concluded without issue, confirming Heim as the race winner. No trucks will return to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.

Truck Series Round of 8 graphic.
NASCAR Creative Design
Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series travel north this weekend for playoff racing in the “Granite State” at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 kicks off Sunday afternoon, while the Truck Series cements its Round of 8 on Saturday with its first elimination race of the season. Bookmark this page and come back often for your race-week essentials — from links to qualifying order, average practice speeds, results and more.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule | TV listings

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Nine sets for the weekend (seven new race sets, one set transferred from qualifying and one set for practice). Teams are also allowed four wet-weather sets, if needed.

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Race day: Saturday at noon ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Five sets for the weekend (three new race sets, one set transferred from qualifying and one set for practice). Teams are also allowed three wet-weather sets, if needed.

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Qualifying Results
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

Posted on by Brandon White

LOUDON, N.H. – One thought crossed Tyler Rypkema’s mind as he entered Turn 3 on the final lap of Saturday’s Mohegan Sun 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

He was not going to be denied.

Justin Bonsignore had put on a defensive clinic during the final 20 laps of Saturday’s race, ensuring that Rypkema and anyone else behind him could not get to his inside. An overtime restart gave Rypkema one final opportunity to go on the offensive and deny Bonsignore a third consecutive New Hampshire win.

RELATED: Complete results from the Mohegan Sun 100

Out of patience while simultaneously running out of time, Rypkema muscled Bonsignore out of the groove in Turn 3 to take the lead on the final lap, only for Bonsignore to get back to his bumper. The ensuing scuffle to the checkered flag saw Rypkema emerge battered and bruised, but also as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner for the first time.

“Every race at New Hampshire seems to be a race to Turn 3 and who could get to the bottom,” Rypkema said. “Justin protected really early and really low, so I hooked back to the top and got a better arc down into [Turn] 3. We made a little contact there, but nothing I haven’t seen [Bonsignore] do many times here.

“I knew we were really good, we just had to get up and be there going into [Turn] 3 [by getting] a run off of [Turn] 2.”

Rypkema’s breakthrough NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumph was eight years and 83 starts in the making.

After he spent his first seven seasons competing for his family-owned operation, Rypkema took over Boehler Racing Enterprises’ iconic No. 3 Ole Blue Modified near the end of 2024. Rypkema became Ole Blue’s full-time driver for 2025 with the goal of joining names like Ryan Preece, Tony Hirschman and Bugsy Stevens as a winner in the historic car.

Entering the Mohegan Sun 100 with three top 10s on the year, everything fell into place for Rypkema to have his best run of the season. He maintained solid track position throughout the morning, but found himself trailing Bonsignore in the closing stages, unable to overtake the four-time series champion.

Knowing that Bonsignore would not give him the bottom on the final lap, Rypkema charted his own path to the lead. The aggressive maneuver on Bonsignore in Turn 3 got Rypkema the top spot, but it also left an opening for Bonsignore to get back to his outside on the frontstretch.

Rypkema attempted to block Bonsignore’s momentum and the two made contact. Rypkema and Bonsignore both ended up against the outside retaining wall, but it was Rypkema who got to the finish line first, albeit without his right-front tire.

Although the overtime restart and the presence of the draft at New Hampshire were going to leave him vulnerable, Bonsignore felt better execution on the final lap could have prevented Rypkema from building the run he needed.

“[Rypkema] had too good of a run and I didn’t have a good [Turns] 1 and 2,” Bonsignore said. “There was not much I could do. I tried crossing him over and didn’t get a good exit. He had me clear off of [turn] four and I don’t know why he decided to go to Victory Lane junked. But congrats to him, he executed well.”

Tyler Rypkema
Ole Blue was towed to Victory Lane after sustaining damage at the end of the Mohegan Sun 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR Regional)

By holding on to the lead with a destroyed car, Rypkema successfully continued Ole Blue’s winning legacy that has been ongoing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for decades. Prior to Saturday, the most recent driver to win in Ole Blue was Jake Johnson, who did so at Monadnock Speedway last May.

The only thing Rypkema didn’t enjoy about his win was seeing Ole Blue sustain so much damage, but he knows Boehler Racing Enterprises will remain resilient, much like his resolve to finally earn a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win.

“[Bonsignore] went a little early to make the block,” Rypkema said. “I was able to get back up top and get a good arc down in. If he had done it a little later, I would have had to roll him on the top and that probably wouldn’t have happened. It just happened to work out, but it sucks the car is torn up.

“I wasn’t lifting until I was crossing that start-finish line, so we got it.”

Bonsignore brought his damaged car home in second, with Craig Lutz, Andy Seuss and Matt Hirschman following him to round out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 finishers included Woody Pitkat, Anthony Nocella, Eric Goodale, Austin Beers and Jon McKennedy.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action two weeks from now with another prestigious event, the Eddie Partridge 256 at Riverhead Raceway. The green flag will wave at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 6, with FloRacing providing live coverage of the on-track action.

Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Race results
Pos. No. Name Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE Power/SYP/Northeast Drilling 101  —
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc 101 0.072
3 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 101 0.216
4 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 101 0.438
5 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Bar Harbor Bank and Trust 101 0.48
6 82 Woody Pitkat USNE Power/McKinney Construction/Horton Ave Materials LLC 101 0.752
7 17 Anthony Nocella Keene Towing & Recovery/Copart/Xtreme Autobody/Sontag Motorsports/Bells Septic 101 0.906
8 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 101 1.302
9 64 Austin Beers G&G Eletric Supply/Dell Electric/Fastrack Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Int/AP Marquadt & 101 1.565
10 79 Jonathan  McKennedy Stuarts Auto/Christophers Towing/John Young Landscaping 101 1.647
11 43 Matt Kimbell J&M Towing/Birch Financial/Central Mass Tree 101 1.96
12 44 Chase Dowling S&S Paving/Harshaw Paving 101 2.283
13 18 Ken Heagy Speed 77 101 2.85
14 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Midwest/Eighty-Two Services 101 5.592
15 29 Mike Marshall MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 101 6.101
16 13 Michael Christopher Jr* Mohawk Northeast 99 2 Laps
17 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc. 99 2 Laps
18 06 Sam Rameau Quality Fleet Services/Powell’s Stone and Gravel 94 7 Laps
19 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Wanick Construction 94 7 Laps
20 22 Kyle Bonsignore MTT/ChaLew Performance/Munns Auto 93 8 Laps
21 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 93 8 Laps
22 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 77 24 Laps
23 77 Gary Putman Curb Records/Mohawk Northeast 72 29 Laps
24 16 Ron  Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 65 36 Laps
25 15 Joey Cipriano III Eastern Propane & Oil/The Bass Plating Company 29 72 Laps
26 14 Jake Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Washtronics/Anastasi Trucking 16 85 Laps
27 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive/ Mohawk Northeast 6 95 Laps

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Qualifying results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc 29.202 130.429 2 2
2 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 29.277 130.095 2 2 0.075
3 79 Jonathan  McKennedy Stuarts Auto/Christophers Towing/John Young Landscaping 29.365 129.705 2 2 0.163
4 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE Power/SYP/Northeast Drilling 29.367 129.697 2 2 0.165
5 14 Jake  Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Washtronics/Anastasi Trucking 29.454 129.314 2 2 0.252
6 16 Ron  Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 29.49 129.156 2 2 0.288
7 44 Chase Dowling S&S Paving/Harshaw Paving 29.514 129.051 2 2 0.312
8 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 29.611 128.628 2 2 0.409
9 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc. 29.645 128.48 2 2 0.443
10 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 29.647 128.472 2 2 0.445
11 13 Michael Christopher Jr* Mohawk Northeast 29.653 128.446 2 2 0.451
12 15 Joey  Cipriano III Eastern Propane & Oil/The Bass Plating Company 29.715 128.178 2 2 0.513
13 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 29.719 128.16 2 2 0.517
14 43 Matt Kimbell J&M Towing/Birch Financial/Central Mass Tree 29.768 127.949 2 2 0.566
15 17 Anthony Nocella Keene Towing & Recovery/Copart/Xtreme Autobody/Sontag Motorsports/Bells Septic 29.772 127.932 2 2 0.57
16 22 Kyle Bonsignore MTT/ChaLew Performance/Munns Auto 29.783 127.885 2 2 0.581
17 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 29.796 127.829 2 2 0.594
18 64 Austin Beers G&G Eletric Supply/Dell Electric/Fastrack Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Int/AP Marquadt & 29.8 127.812 2 2 0.598
19 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Wanick Construction 29.817 127.739 2 2 0.615
20 82 Woody Pitkat USNE Power/McKinney Construction/Horton Ave Materials LLC 29.897 127.397 2 2 0.695
21 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive/ Mohawk Northeast 29.911 127.338 2 2 0.709
22 77 Gary Putman Curb Records/Mohawk Northeast 29.98 127.045 2 2 0.778
23 8 John-Michael Shenette USNE Power Midwest/Eighty-Two Services 30.07 126.664 2 2 0.868
24 06 Sam Rameau Quality Fleet Services/Powell’s Stone and Gravel 30.1 126.538 2 2 0.898
25 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Bar Harbor Bank and Trust 30.383 125.36 2 2 1.181
26 18 Ken Heagy Speed 77 30.806 123.638 2 2 1.604
27 29 Mike Marshall MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 31.204 122.061 2 2 2.002

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Mohegan Sun 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communications Inc 28.995 131.361 25 25
2 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 29.118 130.806 9 24 0.123
3 79 Jonathan  McKennedy Stuarts Auto/Christophers Towing/John Young Landscaping 29.174 130.555 29 29 0.179
4 3 Tyler Rypkema USNE Power/SYP/Northeast Drilling 29.218 130.358 18 30 0.223
5 44 Chase Dowling S&S Paving/Harshaw Paving 29.221 130.345 23 24 0.226
6 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc. 29.293 130.024 25 25 0.298
7 16 Ron  Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 29.301 129.989 25 25 0.306
8 15 Joey  Cipriano III Eastern Propane & Oil/The Bass Plating Company 29.348 129.781 36 44 0.353
9 56 Trevor Catalano USNE Power 29.373 129.67 20 23 0.378
10 14 Jake  Lutz* Advantage Trucks/Washtronics/Anastasi Trucking 29.424 129.445 35 35 0.429
11 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 29.426 129.437 22 23 0.431
12 64 Austin Beers G&G Eletric Supply/Dell Electric/Fastrack Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Int/AP Marquadt & 29.43 129.419 28 29 0.435
13 13 Michael Christopher Jr* Mohawk Northeast 29.432 129.41 15 15 0.437
14 21 Stephen Kopcik* Newtown Pools/Wanick Construction 29.452 129.322 24 29 0.457
15 17 Anthony Nocella Keene Towing & Recovery/Copart/Xtreme Autobody/Sontag Motorsports/Bells Septic 29.468 129.252 10 14 0.473
16 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 29.524 129.007 19 32 0.529
17 22 Kyle Bonsignore MTT/ChaLew Performance/Munns Auto 29.546 128.911 7 23 0.551
18 82 Woody Pitkat USNE Power/McKinney Construction/Horton Ave Materials LLC 29.622 128.58 20 21 0.627
19 06 Sam Rameau Quality Fleet Services/Powell’s Stone and Gravel 29.626 128.563 31 31 0.631
20 43 Matt Kimbell J&M Towing/Birch Financial/Central Mass Tree 29.635 128.524 24 25 0.64
21 8 John  Michael-Shenette USNE Power Midwest/Eighty-Two Services 29.657 128.428 16 35 0.662
22 77 Gary Putman Curb Records/Mohawk Northeast 29.675 128.35 35 37 0.68
23 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 29.716 128.173 22 27 0.721
24 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive/ Mohawk Northeast 29.778 127.907 9 20 0.783
25 60 Matt Hirschman Elite Towing/Bar Harbor Bank and Trust 29.987 127.015 35 35 0.992
26 18 Ken Heagy Speed 77 30.112 126.488 20 20 1.117
27 29 Mike Marshall MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 30.352 125.488 39 43 1.357

 

Posted on by George Winkler

Racing Insights is back with NASCAR Insights stats specifically tailored for the entire of Round of 12 tracks. By looking at performances on similar tracks, Racing Insights has come up with ratings for each driver in speed, long-run speed, passing, defense and restarts to see who’s set up well for the upcoming Cup Series Playoffs races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Weekend schedule

What we’ve done in the chart below is total up those numbers and order the drivers from lowest to highest (with the lowest being the best or the most likely to do well in this round). What’s immediately noticeable from this batch of stats is that Denny Hamlin isn’t among the top eight playoff drivers in the chart. He comes in at just ninth because he’s 15th in both passing and restarts. Does that mean Denny is doomed to fizzle out in the Round of 12?

Not exactly. Hamlin’s ranking of fourth in long-run speed gives him hope that if any of these races ends with a long green-flag run, then he could just as easily be dancing in Victory Lane. What these numbers also don’t take into account is that Hamlin is resting atop a pile of 34 playoff points, sitting 26 markers above the cutline and theoretically gives him some wiggle room should he have a subpar showing in any of the three races.

MORE: Playoff hub page

On the flip side is Chase Elliott, who is the fourth-highest driver on the chart behind only William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell. This rating suggests that we shouldn’t sleep on the 2020 champion, even though he started the playoffs with finishes of 17th, third and 38th. He could easily turn things around and get back in the championship conversation this year, should these numbers hold up — sixth in speed, seventh in long-run speed and in passing. He’s also third in defense, so if he does get to the front, he’ll likely be able to close out the win.

For the record, when we did this exercise for the Round of 16, the formula was 11-for-12 in how it ranked the playoff drivers, with Josh Berry being the lone top-12 driver who did not advance. What’s different about this time around is that the playoff drivers are much more tightly grouped as they take up 12 of the top 13 spots in the chart. That could mean that the difference in advancing or not advancing could be razor-thin this round and provide plenty of excitement for the fans.

MORE: Check your Playoff Grid Challenge score

Check out the full list to see what jumps out at you that could be interesting for the Round of 12:

DriverSpeedLongRunPassingDefenseRestartsTotal
William Byron*2324112
Ryan Blaney*1116413
Christopher Bell*32310523
Chase Elliott*67731033
Bubba Wallace*91468340
Kyle Larson*45187741
Tyler Reddick*510415842
Joey Logano*126511842
Denny Hamlin*841551547
Chase Briscoe*7118131251
Alex Bowman1181916256
Ross Chastain*17161221158
Austin Cindric*13914111966
AJ Allmendinger19181312971
Ryan Preece1621919671
Brad Keselowski14131692173
Kyle Busch181910181681
Chris Buescher151221202290
Josh Berry101523242092
Ty Gibbs202011212496
Daniel Suarez2422201717100
Carson Hocevar2126173014108
Shane van Gisbergen2317252223110
Michael McDowell2225222913111
Austin Dillon2623271427117
Zane Smith2724292325128
John H Nemechek2828262526133
Erik Jones2530242733139
Justin Haley2927283328145
Noah Gragson3029303231152
Todd Gilliland3332322629152
Cole Custer3431342834161
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.3134313135162
Riley Herbst3233353430164
Ty Dillon3535333532170
Cody Ware3636363636180

*Denotes playoff driver

Posted on by Nate Ryan

As New Hampshire Motor Speedway re-enters the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time in eight years, it seems appropriate to revisit one of the track’s September traditions, especially given that this year’s Round of 12 opener lands on the eve of autumn.

Few rituals are as synonymous with the fall season as a New England-style Thanksgiving meal, and playoff race day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway once featured an annual nod to one of the region’s most celebrated culinary customs.

Catered by a nearby farmhouse restaurant, an enormous spread of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash and gravy would be laid out in the media center a few hours before the green flag.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Paint Scheme Preview: New Hampshire

With apologies to the pilgrims, this buffet had little to do with conjuring the historical significance of a harvest.

It was a bounty that signified the meat of the NASCAR schedule was about to begin.

The Cup playoffs are always accompanied by a spike in tempers, tension, and turning points as the temperatures drop. Amid the brisk weather that heralds the famous foliage of the surrounding area, the 1.058-mile oval nestled in the bucolic countryside of Loudon, New Hampshire, has been the site of many flashpoints and definitive developments in the NASCAR championship.

The “Magic Mile” opened the inaugural Cup Series Playoffs — then known as “The Chase” — on Sept. 19, 2004, with a victory for Kurt Busch, who would capture the championship without scoring another win that year and solidify the track’s importance in setting the tone for a title.

For seven consecutive seasons, New Hampshire kicked off the playoffs — and often in memorable fashion.

The 2005 race was among the most contentious in playoff history, with Busch stridently marching into Scott Riggs’ pit stall after being spun on the third lap, and Robby Gordon angrily tossing his helmet into Michael Waltrip’s car under caution (and then hurling a vulgarity in a nationally televised interview).

In 2007, Clint Bowyer stunningly earned the first victory of his Cup career in his playoff debut. Three years later, he beat Tony Stewart in a dramatic battle that ended with both cars running out of fuel at the checkered flag. When Bowyer’s car failed post-race inspection, Richard Childress Racing appealed its case with the testimony of a former NASA engineer who worked on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. (The team still lost its case after arguing that a push to Victory Lane by a tow truck knocked the car out of compliance.)

MORE: Memorable Loudon moments | All-time New Hampshire winners

That marked the last time New Hampshire held the opener, but there were seven more playoff races and several other impactful moments leading up to the championship.

En route to his third title, Tony Stewart turned his New Hampshire victory in 2011 into an endless dissection of his reference to the “dead weight” that he shook free to win the first two races of the playoffs after a winless regular season.

Because of an air pressure mistake in qualifying, Denny Hamlin started 32nd with a dominant Toyota and breathtakingly swept through traffic to lead the final 193 of 207 laps (he might have lapped the field from the pole) during the 2012 New England running.

In 2015, Matt Kenseth snatched a victory from Kevin Harvick, who ran out of fuel while leading with three laps remaining. A year later, Harvick took revenge by forcefully seizing the lead from Kenseth on a restart with six laps remaining.

In other words, NASCAR has rarely gone hungry for stoking the playoff drama at New Hampshire.

Thankfully, it’s once again time to feast.

Posted on by Brandon White

With one weekend of racing remaining to score NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series points, veteran Jacob Goede holds a two-point advantage over young Chase Johnson in the Division I national standings.

Goede, who won the Weekly Series national title in 2019, has enjoyed a stellar season of Super Late Model racing between Dells Raceway Park, LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway and Elko Speedway. Across those three tracks, Goede has amassed nine victories and 25 top five performances.

How Goede performs in Elko’s first of two Late Model feature on Saturday will be crucial towards whether he earns a second national title, as it is the only one that counts towards the standings. Goede believes this year could be one of his final opportunities to earn a national title, which is why he is determined to find Victory Lane at Elko.

RELATED: Full NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series standings

“If I could somehow pull this off, it’d mean the world,” Goede said. “I’m getting to the end of my career I feel like. My kids are getting busier with sports and we’re racing quarter midgets too. My racing stuff is getting tougher to keep up with. I’ve got a small team and work a full-time, so racing is still just a hobby.

“With the level of competition we’re competing with, [another national title] would mean a lot to me and my family in general.”

Chase Johnson
Chase Johnson trails Jacob Goede by two points in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I standings with one weekend left. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)

Over in the Southeast, Johnson has put together a stellar campaign during his first full season in Division I. Fifteen victories across 25 starts this year not only have Johnson within range of national title, but also atop the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I Rookie of the Year standings and Dominion Raceway’s American Racer Late Model points.

Should Johnson usurp Goede this weekend, he will become the youngest Weekly Series national champion at 17 years old, surpassing Layne Riggs, who won in 2022 at the age of 20. With Saturday’s race at Dominion scheduled for 118 laps, Johnson intends to be smart and methodical so he can secure the most prestigious accomplishment of his young career so far.

“[A national championship] is something you can keep with you for the rest of your life,” Johnson said. “You really don’t know [what to feel] until you win. If we can pull it off, it’d be amazing. We’ve got to close out the deal and we’re all working hard to try and give it the best shot we’ve got.

“It’s pretty cool to be in this situation and I’m thankful to have a chance this late in the year.”

On-track action at Dominion Raceway begins at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday evening, while Elko’s festivities commence at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET. The 2025 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I national champion will be officially announced next week. Tickets are available at elkospeedway.com or dominionraceway.com, respectively.