Ryan Newman: Didn’t like Whelen Modified race? Find a new hobby

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — Race fans dream of finishes like we saw in Saturday’s Eastern Propane & Oil 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

On the final lap of the 100-circuit event, Bobby Santos III and Chase Dowling were neck-and-neck for a quarter-mile drag for the checkered flag, resulting in a 0.014-second margin of victory for Santos’ fourth NHMS win.

MORE: Race results

Oh, and all the while they were fending off a fast and furious Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular in Ryan Newman, who had a front-row seat to what made a strong, early case for moment of the weekend.

“I don’t know what much else to say,” Newman said following the race. “If you didn’t like that, then you need to find another hobby.”

And that’s coming from a guy whose only job Saturday was to win the race, but finished third.

It wasn’t even just the final turn that was thrilling — Santos, Dowling, Newman and Friday’s All Star Shootout winner Justin Bonsignore traded spots at the front of the field more than half a dozen times over the final four laps.

MORE: Bonsignore pulls away late for All Star win

So it’s no wonder Newman routinely makes his way into the mods races whenever his day job brings him to the “Magic Mile.”

It’s just plain, old fun.

“You watched it. Right there (is what makes me want to do this.) That’s good racing, good drivers. It’s fun. It’s simple,” said Newman, who will line up 18th in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (1 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR). “It’s just the way racing’s supposed to be, in my opinion.”

Newman’s passion for the NASCAR pipeline is clear — he ran the Camping World Truck Series Dirt Derby at Eldora Raceway earlier this week for the second time in its five years of existence — but does he feel compelled to help these series and its younger drivers grow, or is he just here for the thrills and trophies?

“I don’t feel a personal responsibility (to help grassroots racing grow); I want to come here and win races and put on a good show,” he said. “Today, like I said, it’s sad to say, but it’s even fun when you don’t win, racing like that. … I don’t get in the race car and put my helmet on because I feel the responsibility to grassroots racing, but I want to know that I’m doing my best and it makes a difference for grassroots racing. That makes me feel a little bit better, but that’s not my goal.”

In fact, Newman feels that the Whelen regulars do a good enough job of their own — the racing speaks for itself and they don’t clamor for the boost the Richard Childress Racing driver or other Cup Series regulars might give by joining the field.

“I think there are guys that are deserving to be in the series and need to grow and move up. … I’d rather it be here on this weekend and see a bunch of guys like Chase (Dowling) that might eventually get to race on Sundays someday, rather than (Cup) guys that come back and, so to speak, cherry pick,” said Newman.

“I think it’s fine just the way it is.”

After Saturday’s race, the fans would likely agree.

Posted on July 21, 2018July 22, 2018 by Staff Report

On Sunday, NASCAR Digital is live streaming the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series inspection process from a camera inside the Optical Scanning Station on our YouTube channel from 9-11 a.m. ET.

Bookmark our YouTube channel here to watch, or come back to this article, where we’ll embed the YouTube stream (below).

Cars go through inspection inside a black tent with a collection of 16 cameras and eight projectors attached to its inner structure. An additional camera is positioned below the vehicle to measure the underside.

Once a car rolls in, the projectors cast light in a series of lines and dots over the body to create a coordinate system for the cameras. In roughly 30 seconds, those cameras capture the measurements of those light patterns and create a 3-D heat map — also called a point cloud — that helps officials determine whether a car is in compliance.

Posted on July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 by RJ Kraft

Kurt Busch grabbed my attention by winning the Busch Pole Qualifying Award and showing speed in practice before Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (1 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After three practice sessions and qualifying, we’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions for the 20th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018.

Remember that the start time has moved up an hour to 1 p.m. ET and the garage locks at the end of Stage 2.

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Kyle Busch
2: Martin Truex Jr.
3: Brad Keselowski
4: Denny Hamlin
5: Kurt Busch
Garage: Ryan Blaney

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | How the new Fantasy Live works
MORE: Fantasy analysis for New Hampshire | Driver stats | Full lineup | 10-lap averages

Analysis: I’m keeping Kyle Busch, Truex Jr., Keselowski and Hamlin from my original lineup. That foursome has looked solid this weekend and have strong histories at the “Magic Mile.” I had Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson in my original lineup, but I am valuing track position to get stage points at a track where it is known to be tough to pass. Because of that I am swapping both of them out, although I debated the Larson decision for a bit since I have four uses left. However, I liked some other plays better this weekend, and Larson will be solid at Pocono, Michigan, Bristol and Darlington.

To round out my main lineup, I’m taking Kurt Busch. I wrote about avoiding him earlier this week, but he has shown plenty of speed this weekend by sitting on the pole and posting the fourth-best 10-lap average in final practice. While he has just four top 10s in his last 14 starts at New Hampshire, two of those top 10s have come in the last three starts. He also has an average of 39 points in the two 1-mile-track races this season at ISM (Phoenix) and Dover. Stats can paint a picture entering a race weekend, but speed talks as well — and the 2004 champion has it.

For my garage, I’m turning to Ryan Blaney. YRB had the best 10-lap average in second practice and was sixth on the 10-lap board in final practice. I went back and forth between him and Erik Jones, but I’m giving the edge to the Team Penske driver.

For the stage and race-winner picks, I’m going with Martin Truex Jr. to take both stages and Kevin Harvick — who was freaky fast in Saturday’s practices — for the race win. I only have two uses left with Harvick and I’m locked on playing him at Michigan and Darlington, so I want to save the use but still try to get some points from him.

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Eric Johnson

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the eve of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway: “During the offseason I reflected on our 2017 season and tried to figure out what we need to do to be faster and to be better in 2018. I think that as a team we know what we need to do and we’re still trying to make our cars faster and faster on all types of race tracks. For me, I looked at the mistakes that we made in the race car and I want to try and minimize those coming into 2018.”

Straight out of Olive Branch, Mississippi, Stenhouse may have been looking into some sort of crystal ball coming into the Daytona 500 as both faster Fords and minimizing mistakes have played roles in the tales of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford outfit.

The two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, as well as the entire Roush Fenway Racing enterprise, have hung tough. And whether it’s chasing tenths of a second or scratching and clawing for points, they are still very much in the story line of finding a way into the playoffs.

Stenhouse enters this weekend a mere nine points below the cutoff line for the run to Homestead-Miami. On Saturday, NASCAR.com spoke with the wheelman. In good spirits and keen to get things rolling, it’s clear this Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is of great importance.

Ricky, what’s your take on New Hampshire Motor Speedway and racing at this place come tomorrow afternoon?
It’s fun. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a short track like New Hampshire. It’s flat and similar to a Phoenix. We’ve had some good top 10 runs here. We struggled at the second race here last year and so we’re trying to forget that one (Note: Stenhouse placed 15th) and think about more what we did at the beginning of last year when we came here twice. Now we only come here once.

Obviously tomorrow is a very important race for both you and Roush Fenway Racing. Do you feel confident about your race car and the notes you and the team have utilized to dial it in?
The team is confident. You know, we had some new things in the car for the first practice session and that didn’t go as well as planned, so like you said, we’ll go back to our notebook and kind of look at the notes and figure out how to get our car driving how we want it to and try to make the most out of it. We’re only nine points out of being in the playoffs. We’ve got some work to do, but we can see that opportunity ahead.

Yes, while the results have not been spectacular or easy to come by in ’18 – at least thus far – you’re right there standing on the cutoff line and poised to find your way into the playoffs, huh?
Yeah, I definitely like the position that we’re in after some of the races that we’ve had this year and some of the not-so-good performances that we’ve had, so to be in this position and to feel like we have kind of struggled up to this point, I think it’s an OK position to be in. We just have to make sure we’re consistent and don’t give up points when we don’t have to.

Yeah, I was going to ask you Ricky, the tracks coming up — Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Darlington and Indianapolis — add up to a big mixed bag. Do you like these tracks?
It is a mixed bag and we’ve ran OK at all of those — not spectacular. Watkins Glen is probably the worst of the bunch for us. Bristol, I think we’ve got a real good shot at maybe even getting a win there. Then we wouldn’t really have to worry about the points. But you know I think we’ve got some new stuff coming and hopefully we can get some new cars out on the track and pick up a little bit of speed.

Are the No. 17 Ford race cars where you want them to be for this mad dash toward the playoffs?
Well, I don’t feel good with where we’re at. I feel like we kind of stalled out there for a while and weren’t really working on anything spectacular, but it showed signs of maybe being better. I think now, over the last month and a half or so, we’ve kind of got a direction and I feel like the team is confident with the new cars that they’re building and with the things that we’re going to bring to the race track. I like where we are headed, I just wish, and we all wish that we could get there a little quicker.

WATCH: Playoff outsiders look to break through at New Hampshire

Hey, how is Jack Roush doing? He still right there smack in the middle of it all?
Oh yeah, Jack is good. In every meeting he is always giving his opinion and kind of reflecting back on some of the times that he struggled in the past and the ways they went about it as a company to figure out those issues. He comes to the track at 85 percent of our races and 85 to 90 percent of our meetings, so he’s definitely well-engaged and anxious to see us start running better.

Can you get a win this year? Would you guys need to take a big swing at something to find your way into Victory Lane?
We’re trying to take big swings here in the near future in trying to bring some faster cars to the race track. I think our best two options to get a win are Bristol and Talladega before the end of the season.

I know it’s a passion play and something close to your heart, so how has your NOS Energy Drink-backed World of Outlaws been doing?
It is close to my heart. The sprint car team, man, we started off on fire and we’ve won five races in total and four with the Outlaws. It’s been really cool. Sheldon [Haudenschild] has been doing an awesome job and got his first World of Outlaws win this year. We’ve struggled as of late, but we’re right there and it won’t take much to kind of get back our momentum that we had at the beginning of the season.

OK, I have to hit you with it: I’m sure you’ve had your fill about talking about it, but as far as the Kyle Busch post-Daytona/Kentucky saga, have you seen the man over there in New Hampshire?
No, I haven’t seen Kyle. Obviously, I talked to him at Kentucky, but he didn’t really have a whole lot to say when I talked to him. Yeah, we got together there at Daytona and that was one was clearly my fault, but I wasn’t real happy with some of the things that he said and he wasn’t happy with some of the things I did, but eventually I’m sure we’ll move past it.

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. – Daniel Suarez isn’t quite where he thought he’d be.

Just past the halfway mark of his sophomore Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign, the Joe Gibbs Racing product sits 20th in points – exactly where he finished a season ago – on pace to fall below his 2017 figures in top 10s, laps led, average start and average finish. In his 19 starts this year, Suarez has finished off the lead lap in 10 of them – the same amount from his entire 36-race rookie season.

Thrust into the seat of his No. 19 JGR Toyota after the sudden departure of the incumbent Carl Edwards, Suarez performed admirably in his rookie season. He finished just shy of Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and Erik Jones, and ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the standings.

A step forward in Year Two – especially given how strong the organization is overall, and how fast his mentor and teammate, Kyle Busch, has shown to be this season – would have thought to be in store for the 26 year old.

It has yet to unfold, but hope remains.

With a shot at the final seven checkered flags of the regular season to clinch his spot in the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs, Suarez and Co. have more questions than answers at this point – the focus is clear, however, and dead-set on this one, tiny thing.

“We just need speed,” Suarez told NASCAR.com Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “We’re not exactly where we wanted to be. Our expectations were much higher than this, but this is where we’re at right now and we have to work from this.

” … When things are going well, everything is good. But when things are going bad is when the experience has to come to the table to put everything under control. I feel like this year so far, I have had rough weeks and I don’t feel like I have done a good job moving forward quickly and fixing the problems quickly. But that’s part of racing.”

It’s also part of the process of a driver earning his stripes at the premier series level, arguably the most challenging undertaking across motorsports’ rich history.

Easy to forget, it is, how far Suarez has come in such a short amount of time – the Monterrey, Mexico, native was racing full-time in the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series and K&N Pro Series East a mere four years ago. For reference, Jones, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney were all racing full-time or close to it at the national series level that year, soaking in knowledge from veteran teammates and gleaning track data at the same venues they race at now.

If anything, Suarez might actually be overperforming based on how traditional models of drivers with his experience level suggest he should be performing.

So, of course there are going to be bumps in the road. Teams seem to be favoring youth over experience to a degree these days, so there’s an understanding that dips like this and unmet personal expectations are going to happen.

What sets these drivers apart is how they respond.

“Last year, we had a lot of issues as well, a lot of changes, but even with that we were extremely strong and we never had the speed problem,” he said. “This year, we’ve had that problem sometimes. It’s just experience. I’ve never been in this situation before, where I’m struggling to find speed for so long. I’m sure I’m going to figure it out, it’s just going to take some time.

“It’s not one thing (we’re missing), it’s a combination of things. But we have a great group of guys and I feel like I can drive and I’m sure I can figure it out.”

Perhaps New Hampshire is where Suarez finds his magic: In two 2017 races at the “Magic Mile,” he placed sixth and eighth. Combine that with the fact that he’s finished outside the top 10 at Dover and Phoenix (NHMS’ two closest tracks in comparison) just once in six races at those two tracks, and everything certainly seems to be lining up as a striking opportunity for him.

Two weeks after seeing his teammate Jones unexpectedly break through for his first Monster Energy Series win in his 57th start, could Sunday mark Suarez’s signature moment, in his 56th?

“New Hampshire actually is one of the few places on the NASCAR schedule that I’ve been racing in everything – K&N, Trucks, Xfinity, Cup. It’s one of the few race tracks that I have more than three years of experience at. I feel comfortable at this place for whatever reason. We had a strong performance here last year and we’re not expecting anything less on Sunday,” said Suarez, who will line up ninth in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (1 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“There’s been a little bit of ups and downs lately so I feel like this place could be a good one to turn it around and start beating some people. … We just have to make it happen, have some fun and go out and do our thing.”

It’s one thing to be in a slump. It’s another to acknowledge it. But it’s only in the latter that changes can be sought, forward progress can be made and success can be celebrated.

Joe Gibbs Racing has the right driver to accomplish this.

“Mentally, actually, I feel like for whatever reason in my background I have had a lot of tough situations in my career very early when I was young. And I feel like I taught myself how to be in these situations, so mentally I feel like I’m very strong. I could say that I’m one of the strongest guys in the garage area, mentally. I just feel that way. It’s very hard for me to be down. I’m very confident in myself and what I’m capable of. And when I’m not, I know how to fix it.

“But sometimes in racing, things depend on a lot of factors. It’s not like biking, where it’s just one guy and that’s it,” Suarez said, gesturing at NBCSN’s television coverage of the Tour de France on the TV in his hauler.

“Sometimes you have to have confidence in yourself and be smart enough to manage everything else. I feel like I’ve been missing some of that, but I’ve been learning and I’m sure we’re going to be where we deserve to be, soon.”

Posted on July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 by Staff Report

Martin Truex Jr. popped up to the top of the leaderboard late to lead final practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex, who won last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, turned a lap of 131.624 mph in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

Kevin Harvick, who drove 92 laps combined in Saturday’s two practice sessions, finished second at 131.556 mph in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five. Pole-sitter Kurt Busch was 12th in final practice in the No. 41 SHR Ford.

Michael McDowell brought out a red flag midway through the session when he wrecked the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. McDowell was treated and released from the infield care center, and he told NBCSN that the team would move to a backup car for Sunday.

Late in practice, Landon Cassill crashed the No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet, and that team also rolled out its backup car. Cassill also was treated and released from the infield care center.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet both served 15-minute penalties for failing pre-qualifying inspection twice — the No. 11 at Kentucky and the No. 95 at New Hampshire.

The start time for Sunday’s race, the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, was moved up to 1 p.m. ET because of rain in the forecast, with coverage on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App.

Practice 2

Defending race winner Denny Hamlin put down the fastest lap in Saturday morning’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota circled the 1.058-mile track at a speed of 132.942 mph, edging Ryan Blaney in the Team Penske No. 12 Ford at 132.526 mph.

RELATED: Practice 2 results | 10-lap averages

Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, was third at 132.462 mph, Kyle Busch was fourth in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Kevin Harvick was fifth in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Kasey Kahne, in the No. 95 for Leavine Family Racing, was the top Chevrolet driver in eighth place. Pole-sitter Kurt Busch was ninth in the No. 41 SHR Ford.

Posted on July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (1 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 by Staff Report

NASCAR and track officials have moved up the start time for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to 1 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) because of the potential of wet weather.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Lineup in photos

The Monster Energy Series race was originally set for 2 p.m. ET. That start time — and all pre-race ceremonies — have been moved up to one hour earlier.

Officials reached that decision Saturday morning, faced with a chance of precipitation in the race-day forecast at the 1.058-mile track.

Kurt Busch will start on the pole for the race while Martin Truex Jr. rolls off second. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney round out the top five starters.

MORE: Photos from Loudon | Paint schemes

Posted on July 20, 2018July 21, 2018 by Staff Report

LOUDON, N.H. — Early bird Kurt Busch ran his best lap of the day in the final round of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s Foxwoods 301 (1 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The first driver on the track for decisive Round 3, Busch covered the one-mile distance in 28.511 seconds (133.591 mph) to edge reigning series champion Martin Turex Jr. by .019 seconds. Truex will start from the front row for the seventh time this season.

RELATED: Qualifying results | Weekend schedule

“I don’t want to second-guess anything, so when the crew chief (Billy Scott) says ‘Go,’ you just go,” said Busch, who won his first Busch Pole Award in 35 races at the Magic Mile, his third of the season and the 25th of his career. “I like the way we made the right changes through each of the rounds, and we stuck to a game plan.

“That’s exactly what you hope to have each time you go to qualifying, where you don’t have to deviate away from the plan you set in place.”

In fact, the three rounds of qualifying for Busch followed a script that had been written before the first round began.

“We discussed it, and the call was made back at the hauler before the qualifying session started,” Busch said. “It was almost like a non-discussion. It was, ‘This is what’s going to happen in Round 1, this is what’s going to happen in Round 2, and here’s what’s going to happen in Round 3’—and we stuck to our plan.”

Truex felt he lost what could have been a pole-winning run in the first corner.

“I just missed Turn 1 just slightly there in that last run on the first lap, but overall it was a solid day,” Truex said. “We had a decent practice – a short practice, you know, because we waited a little bit for the VHT (traction compound) to kind of get run in, and we went out there and ran and were probably a little bit off further on balance more than we needed to be at the end of practice.

“So made some changes for qualifying, and the guys did a good job of getting it right and we were close. So couple thousandths, a few inches here or there in a different spot on the race track and might have been able to make it up, but a solid effort for us, and we can go get them on Sunday from second.”

Led by his brother, Kyle Busch, Toyota drivers occupied the top five positions in Round 2, but Kurt Busch broke the monopoly in the round that counted in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Kyle Busch ended up third, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, as Camry drivers claimed positions two through four on the grid.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman earned the eighth starting position in the fastest Chevrolet.

“To come here and qualify a solid top 10 means the car is probably a whole lot better than that, which is a good thing for me come Sunday,” said Bowman, who entered this race weekend with an average starting position at Loudon of 30.8 and previous best qualifying effort of 18^th.

With Erik Jones earning the seventh position and Daniel Suarez qualifying ninth, JGR drivers placed all four cars in the top 10. Surprisingly, Busch was the only Stewart Haas driver to make the cut for the 12-driver final round.

The Team Penske Fords of Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski will start fifth and sixth, respectively, on Sunday.

Posted on July 20, 2018July 21, 2018 by Holly Cain

Defending New Hampshire Motor Speedway race winner Denny Hamlin is hoping that the good vibes and his excellent record at the track will translate into a positive season turnaround this weekend.

The perennial Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship player is smarting from a rough month of competition – multiple races starting from the rear of the grid and misses at the checkered flag. Disappointing for this No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team that is far more accustomed to hoisting trophies and challenging in the playoffs than overcoming the kind of early season start he’s had this season.

“The last month has probably been one of the toughest in my years (at the Cup level),’’ Hamlin, 37, said Friday afternoon. “It’s just been really bad results. Not that we’ve necessarily run bad or had bad speed, just terrible results. … We need to start winning right now, running the top five, leading more laps and get to work on this season and try to make sure that we put ourselves in contention at the end.’’

His confidence – in himself and veteran team – still remains high, no matter the frustrating summer showings. He’s started 36th or worse in two of the last four races – and racing from the rear of the field automatically creates a daunting challenge. Yet his talent and the team’s effort has kept him solidly among the playoff field. He’s ranked ninth heading into Sunday’s race.

Hamlin has a healthy 10 top-10 finishes through the opening 19 races – a better than 50 percent yield. He has six top fives as well – including a season-best three third-place efforts (Daytona, Richmond and Charlotte). He’s had only two top 10s in the last six races, however.

“It doesn’t matter how many points those other guys accrue,’’ Hamlin said. “If we can win at Texas, Phoenix or Martinsville – we’re part of the Championship Four and could easily knock one of those guys out and all the hard work that they’ve put in through the entire year.’’

Sunday’s Foxwoods Casino 301 (1 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is prime opportunity. And Hamlin knows it.

He is in elite company as a three-time race winner (2017, 2012, 2007) at the “Magic Mile.” No active driver has won at the track more. He has three top-10 finishes in the last five races and hasn’t started worse than seventh since 2013.

But Hamlin comes into the race feeling understandably a bit behind on the season. Three drivers – Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch (five wins), Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (five wins) and fellow Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. (four wins) have won 14 of the 19 races thus far.

MORE: Is Hamlin a must in your Fantasy Live lineup for New Hampshire?

Truex, in particular, has been brilliant at New Hampshire, but winless despite leading a series-best 513 laps in the last four races here. Hamlin knows he’s got to step up his game — and step it up now.

He admits he’s ready to have his name thrown into the championship favorite mix – the party crasher to the “Big Three” getting all the early season attention.

“I don’t think we’ve been at that level to even be talked about at this point,’’ he said. “I think we’ve got to get better in a lot of different aspects. It’s agitating knowing that we’re capable of doing that if we put everything together, but until we do it, they deserve all the press they’ve gotten.”

And this could be the week Hamlin inserts himself in the mix.

“Certainly when you come to these race tracks, for us personally, it feels like this is a track that we certainly can win at and I’ve got a great feel for it no matter where we’re running or what cars that we’re running,’’ Hamlin said. “Certainly from my aspect, there’s not an advantage, but there’s certainly a level of comfort.

“When you come here, you know exactly what you’re looking for.’’