A dozen Sprint Cup races have been contested here since Busch’s victory. A dozen different winners have followed.
And the driver favored to end that streak has much in common with the driver who set it all in motion.
Brad Keselowski, like Busch a former Sprint Cup champion, has won the last two Sprint Cup races, at Richmond and Chicagoland. He also won here in July.
Keselowski was fastest in qualifying on Friday. He was fastest in practice Friday and again Saturday in the morning session. And only Jeff Gordon was faster in the day’s final practice, a late charge finally displacing the 30-year-old from atop the leaderboard.
Keselowski also drives the No. 2 Miller Lite-sponsored entry for team owner Roger Penske.
The 13 different winners at a single venue is a record among tracks on the current schedule. Sonoma (California) Raceway has seen 10 different winners in the past 10 races.
In order, it has been Busch, Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth and Keselowski in Victory Lane.
Among those who could extend the streak are Jeff Gordon, a three-time winner at NHMS, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., sixth and 10th here in his last two starts, and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson, third here in July and third a week ago at Chicagoland.
There’s no single reason for the variety of winners here, said Gordon.
"Hard work is one," the four-time Sprint Cup champion said. "When you get beat, you go to work and you try to improve your car and improve your performance.
"But at this track, you can get away with some interesting track position strategy that can get you that win. Sometimes it comes down to a long run, and a car on a long run could be the one to beat."
On other occasions, late-race cautions could take away such an advantage, and those that are fastest over the short runs could have the upper hand.
Fuel mileage is also often a factor.
"I think there is very little consistency in the trends here," Gordon said, "as to how this race finishes. … That’s why you never give up; that’s why you fight all the way to the checkered flag."
Keselowski doesn’t deny that his car has plenty of speed, but admitted "winning here … isn’t all about speed.
"The strategy end always seems to come into play," he said. "I think more often than not, this turns into a bit of a fuel mileage race for whatever reason, I’m not sure why, and that can really shake it up."
The lack of multiple racing grooves and the shortness of the event offer fewer opportunities for advancement as well. And those things can negate speed for a driver with a fast car stuck back in the pack.
"It’s so difficult to pass that being the fastest car here is probably more so than most other places not always the strongest indicator of success," he said.
Hamlin, twice a winner at New Hampshire, said he believes the streak will end this weekend.
"One of those 13 will win for sure," the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said.
"Track position is so important at this race track, and that’s why you see a lot of guys really battle the fuel mileage here. They get within a fuel window, and they don’t pit anymore. Track position just means that much in our sport right now, so you have to do everything you can to both have a fast car and have that track position.
"It’s a tough balance because everyone around you is going to do the opposite when they know you have a dominant car."
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