Posted on by Staff Report

That’s a wrap for practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Ryan Blaney penned the fastest speed with a 133.572 mph lap around the 1.058-mile oval during the third and final practice Saturday. The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford is seeking his first victory this season Sunday in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Denny Hamlin, though, was right behind Blaney at 133.226 mph. Kyle Busch was third at 132.739 mph. Kevin Harvick (132.688 mph) and Martin Truex Jr. (132.646 mph) were fourth and fifth, respectively.

RELATED: Final practice results | 10-lap averages | New Hampshire starting lineup

Alex Bowman’s backup ended up needing a backup, as his second No. 88 Chevrolet made contact with the wall and sustained enough damage that he’ll have to use a teammate’s car for the rest of the weekend. Hendrick Motorsports ultimately decided to bring out Jimmie Johnson’s backup from the hauler for Bowman. Johnson came in 10th at 132.475 mph, while Bowman was 18th with 132.057 mph.

Matt DiBenedetto blew two tires during during the afternoon practice alone, too. He ended up 20th with a speed of 131.560 mph.

Blaney’s No. 12 team, the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford of Paul Menard, No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet of Chris Buescher and the No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet of Landon Cassill all served 15-minute penalties for being late to inspection. Daniel Hemric’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet failed inspection twice, so his team was also docked 15 minutes of practice time.

Byron, Larson go to backup cars as Jones tops second practice

Erik Jones zoomed to the top of Saturday’s morning practice leaderboard at New Hampshire, clocking a best lap of 133.427 mph.

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will be looking for his first win of the season Sunday. He’ll have to fend off pole-sitter Brad Keselowski, who had the second-best performance with a fast lap of 133.394 mph. Aric Almirola was third at 133.366 mph, followed by Busch (133.240 mph) and Blaney (133.138 mph) rounding out the top five in order.

RELATED: Practice 1 results | 10-lap averages | Full New Hampshire schedule

Not everyone’s practice went as well.

William Byron hit the wall early on and has to switch to a backup car for any further action. Kyle Larson also clipped the wall immediately after and swapped out cars as he had front and right rear damage.

That means five teams will be driving a backup car on race day: Byron, Larson, Bowman, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

LOUDON, N.H. – It could be just a coincidence that six current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers share the distinction as three-time winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

No, says reigning series champion Joey Logano, who will try to add his name to the list in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at the Magic Mile (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“This race track is one that, for me earlier in my career, was the most frustrating track for me to go to, which always was awful because it’s my home track, and it’s where you want to run the best,” Logano said on Friday at New Hampshire.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | Keselowski wins Busch pole

“There are tracks like New Hampshire or Richmond or Martinsville that it seems like – and Sonoma is a little bit like this – but once you get something that works and the driver and the team understand what you need to be really good, not just in practice and not just in qualifying, but in the race when you have a long run or trying to pass cars and what traffic and restarts are, and once you figure out that balance, (you can be successful).”

In fact, New Hampshire is such a “feel” race track that, once a driver and team unlocks the secret, the likelihood of repeated success rises exponentially. That’s why Kevin Harvick could win in 2006 in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and find success in both a Chevrolet (2016) and a Ford (2018) for Stewart-Haas Racing.

“You go through spells of capitalizing on things and having good cars and mediocre cars and circumstances, and I think that part of this sport is those streaks come and go at certain race tracks,” said Harvick, the defending winner at Loudon. “At RCR we had a lot of good, flat-track races at Richmond and Loudon, and we only won here one time, and I thought this was one of our better tracks.

“So I think as you look at different race tracks, I feel like we’ve always run fairly well here. I feel like we probably should have been to Victory Lane 10 times here, but you look at the results, and it’s just hard to win these races, but over the last few years it’s gone OK and we’ve been on the right side of it.”

Of the active three-time winners, Ryan Newman got his first victory at the Magic Mile in 2002, his rookie season. Jimmie Johnson swept both races at the track in 2003, and Kurt Busch followed with a sweep in his 2004 championship season.

“There are certain tracks that, when you find a nice setup, it stays hot for a while, and you’re able to use it the next time you come back, because not much changed, whether it’s been aero or the tires,” said Busch, last Sunday’s winner at Kentucky Speedway. “I remember in 2004 when I swept the two races here, the second race had a lot of weather issues and we didn’t get a lot of practice time.

“So, we were all forced to use the setup that we used at the first race. That helped us as a race-winning team to be able to sweep the races that year. It’s similar to Bristol. If you find that right setup, it works for a little bit.”

Or, as Logano said, you can develop a knack that can last for a decade or more, as three-time winners Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have done.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

LOUDON, N.H. – Starved for a pole position for nearly two years, Brad Keselowski put a decisive end to the qualifying drought Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, edging Kyle Busch for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Fastest on the first of his two laps in time trials, Keselowski beat Busch by .015 seconds, covering the one-mile distance in 27.927 seconds (136.384 mph). Busch clocked in at 136.311 mph.

The Busch Pole Award was Keselowski’s fourth at the “Magic Mile” and his first there since the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford set the track qualifying record in 2014 (20.090 seconds at 140.598 mph). After 11 of his 14 previous career pole runs, Keselowski has finished in the top 10, including two victories. His only victory at Loudon, however, came from the seventh starting position (2014).

RELATED: Qualifying results

“This definitely surprised me,” said Keselowski, who last won a pole in the August race at Michigan in 2017. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a pole. We’ve had really good cars but haven’t been able to make the most of it with the driver in qualifying, so it’s nice to get one here in Loudon.”

Track position aside, the primary benefit of winning the pole at New Hampshire may well be the selection of pit stall No. 1, closest to the exit from pit road.

“The first pit stall will be huge for sure,” Keselowski said. “This track on pit road has a lot of chaos. I’m not saying you can’t wreck in pit stall No. 1, but it’s a little harder there and it certainly makes life a lot easier for your pit crew. It’s like you’re in the HOV lane (on pit exit).”

Kurt Busch, last Sunday’s winner at Kentucky Speedway, qualified third at 136.238 mph. Erik Jones will start fourth, followed by Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Matt DiBenedetto and two-time Loudon winner Joey Logano in order.

MORE: Weekend schedule

Jones matched his best effort in time trials this season, having also qualified fourth at both Bristol Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway. His No. 20 Toyota showed significant improvement over practice earlier in the day.

“It was kind of a struggle this morning, but actually there (in qualifying) it felt pretty good,” Jones said. “Definitely a lot better than what we had in practice. I missed it a little bit on the lap. It had some more in it. Just didn’t hit it right.

“The Stanley Camry felt good there, so I think that was the first time all day I’ve had a good feel in the car, and if we can kind of transfer that into (Saturday’s practice), that’d be a positive.”

Alex Bowman, who locked himself into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with a victory at Chicagoland Speedway, will start last after failing to complete a lap in time trials because of a broken drive shaft and will go to a backup car, the team later confirmed via Twitter.

“There was a big boom and something broke,” said Bowman, who had begun his first lap before the part failure. “I don’t know. I haven’t looked at the car. Obviously, the drive shaft broke. I don’t know if the gears or the drive shaft went first. It took out a lot of stuff on the way out. There’s oil everywhere. Just part of it.

“I don’t like New Hampshire. I’ve always struggled here. I’m a selfish, biased race car driver, so places I struggle, I don’t like. It’s going to be hot, and certainly we have our work cut out for us starting from the back. But we’ll make it a good day.”

Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman qualified 23rd and 26th, respectively, in backup cars after wrecking in practice.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. – Kyle Larson is going to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2020.

Contract discussions didn’t reach the negotiation table, and it was never in question – to Larson – where he would be racing next season.

“I am wrapped up (for next year),” Larson wryly told reporters Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.) “There have been no contract negotiations. I am still there through next year. I don’t know why all the contract stuff has been coming up. I think because people try to make things up. Yeah, I don’t know. I am there, so not really sure what else to say.”

RELATED: Full weekend schedule for New Hampshire

A report from the Sports Business Journal emerged Thursday indicating Larson was “set to return to the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet next season, per sources, despite some suggestion that he could land elsewhere.”

As Silly Season begins over the late summer months those suggestions had started to become a bit more audible and unavoidable but were, according to Larson, unfounded.

“It’s not frustrating to me because as long as I know what’s going on, I know what the truth is,” Larson said. “I don’t really care what everybody else thinks. I know where I’ll be next year. … I like being at Chip’s place. He’s an amazing boss and gave me my shot. I’m very grateful for everything he’s done.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. – John Elway, Peyton Manning … Kurt Busch?

NASCAR’s most recent winner is well-versed in the fine art of riding off into the sunset after seeing both Broncos quarterbacks famously win their second and final Super Bowls in their last season slinging the pigskin.

Busch, 40, is racing on a one-year deal with Chip Ganassi Racing. The 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion sits seventh in points standings coming off a thriller of a victory at Kentucky Speedway. With a handful of weeks left before the NASCAR Playoffs, he may be Chevrolet’s best bet for a title in 2019.

Though he has been just a hair below the elite class of the field this season – such as Joe Gibbs Racing’s studs and the pair of former champs at Team Penske – the very nature of NASCAR’s playoff system allows the realistic possibility Busch could grit his way into racing for a title for the first time under this format at Homestead-Miami Speedway this fall.

And then it comes down to just three drivers separating him from eternal stock-car glory … and potentially joining his gridiron heroes among the few-and-far-between to win and walk off for good.

“It’s always hard to play ‘what if;’ I don’t want to put too much ahead of it and it would be the ultimate scenario, right?,” Busch said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). ” …  I’ve got a lot of boxes checked off. Even last year, to get my first-ever superspeedway pole at Talladega (Superspeedway), last October; not a lot of guys would put much emphasis in that category, but it’s like all right. Now I have a pole on short tracks, road courses, intermediates, and finally a superspeedway pole.”

Through a career that spans nearly two full decades, most of those boxes are checked, re-checked and checked again once more for good measure.

RELATED: New Hampshire weekend schedule

But what if that moment comes … and the urge is still gnawing at him to get behind the wheel in 2020? Are there really any boxes left to check that might bring the 31-time Cup Series winner back to competition next year?

“Good question. Another championship ultimately. More playoff wins. And again, the last few years I haven’t led a lot of laps and I want to lead some more laps and be up front,” Busch said. “I have yet to win the Southern 500 and yet to win at Indianapolis. Those are the top two. And if I can find a third for my trifecta, I want to win at Watkins Glen really bad.

” … And so, what would bring me back is if like Monster Energy, Global Poker, GearWrench, and everybody is putting together their advertising campaign and how they want to push to sell more product, that’s where it would hit home for me here. And then I would react to what we want to do together to make sure everybody is feeling the benefits. … I would then be approaching 42, 43 years old. There’s a lot of young talent out there and it would be that chance to maybe pick the guy or the girl who is going to come up and drive after I’m done racing.”

All this is to say that despite any actual contract papers having being signed, it certainly appears Busch will be back in the Chip Ganassi Racing garage next season – whether as a driver or in a more advisory-based role.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m driving in 2020 and beyond,” Busch said. “It would be what I’d want to do to help a program or to give my knowledge and to be part of a team and to make things work here for 2019 and continue to improve whether I’m driving or I’m not, to help all of Ganassi. It’s just a matter of if I’m driving or I’m not. …

“You’re asking me all these fun questions when everything is on a high, when everything is great and we’re coming out of Victory Lane and having fun scavenging rides home and just living at the top level. We’ll see how things all piece together. I don’t have all the full answers, but things are all pointing in the right direction to be teamed-up together (with CGR) and to continue to race and to win races and to run at a championship … But if I’m able to make a run at the championship (this year), that could change things as well, and that wouldn’t happen until the week of Thanksgiving.”

If Busch does follow in the footsteps of Elway and Manning, however, and retire on the spot at Homestead with trophy in hand, only question will remain — whether or not he’ll go to Disney World, less than four hours north of Miami.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials have ejected a Richard Childress Racing crewmember after its No. 8 Chevrolet failed pre-qualifying inspection three times Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Weekend schedule

The infractions were found before Friday’s Busch Pole Qualifying at the 1.058-mile track. Darin Nestlerode, car chief for the No. 8 Chevy driven by Daniel Hemric, was ejected for the remainder of the race weekend.

Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) will mark Hemric’s first Monster Energy Series start at New Hampshire. The 28-year-old rookie currently ranks 24th in the Monster Energy Series driver standings.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON,  N.H. – With less than half the 2019 Xfinity Series schedule remaining and postseason racing right around the corner, defending champion Tyler Reddick doesn’t know where he’ll be calling home next year – or even what division he’ll be competing in.

On a path to his second straight title, the 23-year-old NXS points leader said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Saturday’s ROXOR 200 (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), “it would be cool” if he and the rest of the series’ “Big 3” of himself, Christopher Bell and Cole Custer were racing in the Cup Series together next year, but perhaps not likely.

“I have fun racing against Christopher and Cole already but don’t know where all of us would stack up if we did go Cup racing,” Reddick said. “I have an idea of where those two would like to go, but it’s a matter of if they can go if the right opportunity opens up. You put them in the right cars, I think they’ve shown that they’re going to fly; they’re really fast. Just trying to continue to make our case every week we can so that when we get that opportunity, we can be ready for it.”

WATCH: Who will perform well at Loudon?

Reddick, who has three wins and 14 top 10s in 17 NXS starts this season, has made a pair of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts this year. He piloted the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing entry in the Daytona 500 and again at Kansas Speedway, where he picked up the first top 10 of his career at NASCAR’s top level.

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman both crushed their primary cars in separate wrecks during the closing minutes of Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

With less than four minutes remaining in the 50-minute session, Hamlin lost control of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the apex of Turns 3 and 4, backing the car into the outside retaining wall. The No. 11 crew wasted no time pulling out the backup car after Hamlin drove the car back to the garage area.

RELATED: Chase Elliott leads opening practice

As drivers salvaged the last moments of the session, Newman backed the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford into the Turn 3 wall directly after entry into the corner. The No. 6 team made the decision to unload the backup from the hauler after surveying the damage to the primary car.

Hamlin Crash
Alejandro Alverez | NASCAR Digital Media

Per the NASCAR Rule Book, both drivers will start at the rear of the field in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as a result of opting for alternative vehicles.

Hamlin was 16th in practice while Newman was 24th.

Monster Energy Series Busch Pole qualifying is set for Friday at 4:35 p.m. ET on NBCSN.