Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — Sunday’s USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway wasn’t the first “official” use of wet-weather tires by NASCAR, but it sure felt like the one that helped usher the sport through the threshold to the next era of stock-car racing.

Battling pop-up rain showers nearly all day — followed by thunderstorms, lightning and the faint threat of a tornado watch to the south later in the afternoon and evening — the hurdles standing between NASCAR and a complete race were aplenty.

Thanks to the teams’ ability to implement Goodyear’s wet-weather product with NASCAR’s direction, the race saw all 301 laps completed — and then some.

A nearly two-hour delay in the final stage with the “Magic Mile” getting absolutely pelted with downpours for most of that window would’ve typically made it an easy call for NASCAR to wave off the remainder of the race with driver and fan safety and coming darkness in mind after needing to dry the track. Instead, drivers were able to re-fire engines at 6:43 p.m. ET and run all the way to the finish on wet-weather tires, with Christopher Bell — who got a little bit of experience on them in Saturday’s Xfinity Series win as well — emerging victorious for the weekend sweep just after 8:10 p.m. ET.

“Oh, we would have (had to call the race if we didn’t have wet-weather tires). We’d have been done with 82 laps ago,” said NASCAR SVP of Competition Elton Sawyer. “It gave us an opportunity to get back green. You know, we were up against it with daylight as well, but kudos to our teams, our drivers, our owners, and especially Mr. (Jim) France for his vision. …

“I think the way we started this whole wet-weather-tire-process was basically we wanted to get our races started on time. And it really played into our hand yesterday to get the Xfinity race started on time and to get our races back to green as quick as possible if we’ve had a delay, which we had today, so you know, kudos to Goodyear. Again, this was Jim France’s vision of what wet-weather tires could do. We ran 301-plus laps today. Went into the overtime. Our fans that bought a ticket, they got to see some great, exciting racing. And there’s still some things that we’re learning through this process and in all honesty, we’d like to be out of the tire business. We’d like to just turn that over to the teams. But as we continue to take small steps and learn, eventually, we’ll get there. We just want to do this in the safest way possible.”

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

NASCAR’s foray into wet-weather racing on ovals was an ambitious one; while road-course and street racing lend themselves quite well to racing in the wet, it’s basically unheard of otherwise. Thus, there was some industry skepticism that it could be accomplished successfully — skepticism that was quickly quashed once the race went back to green and produced truly mesmerizing racing.

“I was probably the biggest skeptic when they said they wanted to run wets at the ovals. I thought they were crazy, and they proved me wrong for sure,” said race-winning crew chief Adam Stevens. “They did a really good job of coming up with a plan methodically of how wet was too wet … and they figured out once they got the water off the race track that you can run it, and that was probably the best way to dry the track, too. So those are all boxes I never thought we would have checked from the way that that whole project started out but kudos to them for for being visionaries in that regard. And Mr. France for pushing the limits. I don’t think there was probably a lot of support for that. But as we narrow down what works, it’s pretty clear today that it worked.”

Once racing resumed, NHMS saw the track widen out massively, with drivers going four, five, sometimes six-wide searching for preferred grooves that fit both their own personal comfortability but also their car’s.

The top 10 was littered with drivers who come from a dirt background seeking the wet, with drivers used to pavement angling for any dry spots they could find.

kyle larson looks on
Torey Fox | NASCAR Digital Media

“It was fun. You know, I think when it’s like that, I think that’s why you see a lot of the dirt racers kind of migrate to the front,” said fourth-place finisher Kyle Larson. “I just think we know what to look for. We know what to feel for, even though it’s pavement, you know, you’re still kind of looking and scanning. That’s why you see (Tyler) Reddick up front. Bell, myself, (Chase) Briscoe. … Props to the pavement guys who figured it out quick, too. I wish the conditions would’ve stayed wet because that was a lot of fun. (Ryan) Blaney was up there, too. I mean, he’s not a dirt guy but he’s got the genetics. So, no surprise that he’s he’s up there, too. So yeah, that was fun. Just wish it would stay wet longer. … I do (consider this a success).”

It was so interesting to hear the different feedback based on different backgrounds from drivers in their immediate feedback after the race. While Larson and non-dirt driver Chris Buescher didn’t agree on how to best get around the track once the tires were on, there was one thing they did agree on.

“Oh, ultimately, yeah (it was a success). I mean, we’ve finished our race. I think it worked,” said the No. 17 RFK Racing driver. “It’s dark. It was hard to see there at the end, just where moisture was and wasn’t, but ultimately, it worked out. I certainly would have loved to have done it when it first started in damp conditions; I think when we first went under red those conditions seemed a little more ideal to me with just that really light mist. They actually kept moisture in the track for a long period of time to where I think you would have seen the tire shine more in those conditions versus you know, all these cautions at the end, and us having to put three sets on to make sure that they weren’t blistering or really just peeling, but it worked. … We did pretty dang good and I’m not a dirt guy.”

All in all, a bellwether (pun extremely intended) day for the sport, with plenty of takeaways as NASCAR continues to build the notebook for the continued evolution of racing in the damp. NASCAR will look at everything — from both races this weekend — and use the data and feedback collected to further improve on an already successful experiment.

“Once we get back to the R&D Center, we’ll start downloading exactly how this race unfolded,” Sawyer said. “If you think about it, you know, we’ve only got maybe four data points. We ran the trucks in Martinsville, the All-Star Race with the Cup cars, this year at Richmond with the Cup cars, and now here, which is one of the faster short ovals that we run on. So we’ll get back and we’ll look at all the things that transpired today and if we should have put on dries, but the more we looked at it, I think staying on wets was the right decision to end the race.

“Absolutely (this was a success). I mean, if you go back and look at the reason we came up with this, and we started working through it with our teams and the folks that the R&D Center, it was to do exactly what we did yesterday with the Xfinity race and what we did today with the Cup race. So yes, very successful.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Michael McDowell and Ryan Blaney had a civil post-race discussion on pit road Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with McDowell apologizing for late-race contact that cost both drivers solid finishes in the USA Today 301.

McDowell sent his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford deep into Turn 1 on a restart with nine laps remaining in regulation, with all cars on wet-weather tires in damp conditions following afternoon showers at the 1.058-mile track. McDowell’s Mustang slid up into the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Blaney in their contest for second place, with both drivers making a long, smoky slide through the corner behind leader Christopher Bell — the eventual winner in overtime. Both drivers continued on to log lead-lap finishes, but neither returned to the top 10.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Blaney — winner of the NASCAR Cup Series’ preceding race, last weekend at Iowa Speedway — said the remorse didn’t provide much solace after his 25th-place result in the 36-car field.

“An apology’s nice, but it’s not going to bring back what he did,” said Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion. “I mean, I knew what he was trying to do. It was like a low-percentage move. I mean, it’s wet down there, and you’re just going to shove it off in there and what do you think’s going to happen? You’re going to take both of us out. So I know he’s got to win and all that, and that’s his excuse, but you’ve got to be a little bit more calculated than that, and it just stinks that we’re at the expense of it. Man, I really thought we had a decent shot to contend.”

McDowell continued to finish 15th, admitting post-race that the move was prompted in part as a last-ditch effort to qualify for the Cup Series Playoffs. He’s currently winless and ranks 22nd in the postseason picture, 99 points below the provisional elimination line with eight regular-season races remaining before the 16-driver playoff grid is set.

“I was just explaining that I was in a do-or-die situation. I had to go for it,” McDowell told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. “I know it was a low-percentage move, but I had to try. All the guys that went to the bottom (lane) in (turns) one and two on those restarts just got freight-trained, so I knew I needed to enter in the middle, and I just got the left sides right on the wet paint, and it just kind of took off.

“So I hate it for Blaney, and I know it ruined his day, ruined my day, too, and I apologize to those guys for that, but I’m at a point in the season where I have to go for it, too. So you don’t know until you get there, and I was just in there a little too deep.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

LOUDON, N.H. — Christopher Bell continued his dominance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, claiming a sweep of the NASCAR race weekend, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver really had to earn that broom in Sunday’s weather-challenged USA Today 301.

The 29-year-old Oklahoman beat Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe to the finish line by 1.104 seconds in overtime in a race that lasted six hours — including a two-hour-plus rain delay — and ultimately ended with the field on wet-weather tires, marking only the second time in NASCAR history a points-paying race used the newly developed tires for damp conditions.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: NHMS

Bell’s No. 20 JGR Toyota led a race-best 149 of the 305 laps Sunday, a day after he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the 1.058-mile New England oval. He is now one of four drivers to have three NASCAR Cup Series wins on the season. It was his ninth career series win.

Bell was so excited with the victory he even promised he would “pick that sucker up,” referring with a smile to the traditional lobster given to race winners in Victory Lane, something he previously was reluctant to do.

“It was literally the tale of two different events. You never know how this thing is going to shake out whenever you change so many things like that and have adverse conditions,” said a beaming Bell, who now has seven wins in 11 national series starts at the New Hampshire track — collecting his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series win on Saturday. “I personally love adverse conditions because you’re always trying to think outside the box.

“When we went back out [on wet-weather tires after the red-flag delay], I was feeling around and it felt like the normal Loudon groove was really really slippery so I tried to just run down or up, but [crew chief] Adam [Stevens] really put the tune on this thing, and it was running good. This is really cool.”

SHOP: Race winner gear

It was certainly new territory for the series and the sport. In years past, perhaps the race would just have been stopped when the rain showers came through, with enough laps in the book to make it an official points event.

But with the recent development of wet-weather tires for shorter ovals, NASCAR instead opted to wait out the showers and give the grooved tires a try on a damp track. NASCAR officials said they would have absolutely had to just call the race early had it not been for the tires.

“We’d have been done with 82 laps to go and instead it gave us a chance to go back to green,” NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer told reporters after the race. “Kudos to our drivers, our owners and especially [NASCAR CEO] Jim France for his vision.”

Those final 86 laps of competition — which included the overtime stretch with cars on the wet-weather tires — changed up the complexion in multiple ways. Drivers who had been out of the mix previously — like Briscoe and his SHR teammate, third-place finisher Josh Berry — worked their way forward quickly and kept Bell honest.

Others, such as Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who had been third when the race was red-flagged struggled a bit more on the wet-weather tires. Hamlin finished 24th.

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who was runner-up when the red flag flew, instead finished 25th after a collision with Michael McDowell in their contest for second place in the closing laps of regulation. McDowell was able to continue and finished 15th.

MORE: Collision foils Blaney, McDowell late

Briscoe smiled and said, “Two hours ago we couldn’t even run 25th and the rain saved us. Awesome recovery. This is one of my worst race tracks so to run second is kind of surprising, to be honest. The rain kind of saved us because if it wasn’t rain, we would have probably run maybe 24th but had a couple good restarts.”

Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson finished fourth followed by RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher — another driver who dramatically moved up in the field after the red flag.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who was leading the race when the red flag came out with 219 laps complete, finished sixth, followed by JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek, JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain — notable comebacks for Truex and Chastain, who were both involved in earlier caution periods.

The finish for Larson now brings him into a tie with Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott on top of the standings with Hamlin in third place, 40 points back. Elliott was involved in an accident with Joey Logano just before the red flag and finished 18th.

With eight races remaining to set the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field, there was substantial movement in the bottom half of the standings with drivers currently in playoff position based on points not having scored a win yet.

Team Penske’s Logano, who finished 32nd Sunday, moved into the final playoff points position, and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace dropped out of points eligibility after an accident with 35 laps left in regulation eliminated him from the race. Wallace finished 34th out of the 36 cars and is now 17th in the playoff standings, one position below the cutoff.

A handful of other playoff hopefuls found trouble in the course of the event, with Alex Bowman becoming the first retiree with engine woes on his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He ended up last in the 36-car field.

Kyle Busch’s postseason hopes took another damaging hit after three incidents — a Turn 2 tangle with Noah Gragson in the second stage, a Lap 216 stack-up that sent his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy spinning again, and finally a single-car crash into the Turn 4 wall under caution on a damp track before the race went back green.

The Cup Series’ next race is the Ally 400, scheduled next Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) at Nashville Superspeedway.

Note: Post-race inspection was completed without issue in the Cup Series garage, confirming Christopher Bell as the winner.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott and Joey Logano traded paint in a final-stage crash during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Elliott restarted 11th and Logano 12th on the 194th of a scheduled 301 laps, when Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford struggled to turn in the first corner, making contact with Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Both cars sustained damage but continued further back in the running order.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Elliott started from the pole, and Logano took the green flag sixth in Sunday’s USA Today 301. Logano told his No. 22 team on the radio that he felt like something had broken in the right-front and that the car would not turn before his contact with Elliott’s No. 9.

Elliott entered the event as the Cup Series points leader. His 18th-place finish at New Hampshire puts him in a tie for the points lead with his Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson. Logano ranked 15th in the standings before the race and stood minus-6 in the provisional playoff rankings relative to the elimination bubble. The two-time champ now moves to plus-13 above the elimination line after a 32-place finish.

Posted on by Staff Report

Alex Bowman found mid-race trouble in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event, heading to the garage early at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after engine problems struck his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Bowman was running 17th in the 36-car field when the caution flag flew for Daniel Hemric’s Turn 2 spin, and he pulled the No. 48 Chevy to the pits in the 144th of 305 laps. His crew looked under the hood as the rough-running car spewed smoke before the team opted to go behind the wall.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

The team did not return to the track after the engine woes, and Bowman was credited with a last-place finish in the USA Today 301. Bowman had started a promising fifth after Saturday’s qualifying session was scrapped by rain.

Bowman entered the event in 12th position in the Cup Series standings with just a 66-point margin above the provisional postseason elimination line. His cushion shrank only slightly to plus-59 atop the bubble.

After Sunday’s show, just eight races remain in the regular season before the 16-driver playoff field is set.

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

LOUDON, N.H. — A future version of Justin Bonsignore will beam with pride when he reflects upon what he accomplished at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 22, 2024.

He’ll recall tying the late Ted Christopher for third on the all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win list with a victory in the Mohegan Sun 100, then following the triumph with a statement performance in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut. He’ll value the fact that he did it all literally surrounded by family and figuratively upheld by the entire Modified racing community.

But that’s not the version of Justin Bonsignore that climbed out of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after Saturday’s Sci Aps 200. That one had no idea how to feel.

RELATED: What to watch Sunday at New Hampshire

Justin Bonsignore
(Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

The three-time Modified Tour champion backed up his Saturday-morning win with a 22nd-place Xfinity finish that was not indicative of the race he ran at the Magic Mile. Such a result left the 36-year-old disappointed on a day that represented a celebration of Modified racers and short-track competitors as a whole.

“I don’t like to get emotional, but it is emotional to accomplish what we did today,” Bonsignore said. “I’m a race-car driver, though. I wanted to win. I don’t know if we had the driver to win today.”

Many presumed the Holtsville, New York, native would make the Modified racing community proud in his Xfinity debut, especially given the quality of his equipment under the JGR banner. Few could have predicted Bonsignore’s assessment would be incorrect: The team did, in fact, field a driver capable of winning.

Bonsignore, who entered Saturday with minimal simulation time and virtually no on-track experience in the Xfinity car, started 25th and carefully advanced a few positions before a strategy call during an early caution catapulted him to the front row. He proceeded to lead three laps before settling for competitive spots inside the top five. His lap times were consistent with those of his JGR teammates, including NASCAR Cup Series driver and eventual race winner Christopher Bell.

Bonsignore said he learned more about the car with each lap, though uninformed observers might have assumed a teacher and not a student was driving.

Including Saturday morning’s race, Bonsignore has three wins in 26 Modified Tour starts at New Hampshire. Beyond his familiarity with the track’s 1.058-mile layout, that experience did little to prepare him for Saturday afternoon’s challenges. He explained the difference in the Xfinity car’s handling compared to his Modified as tire wear becomes a factor; the Xfinity cars rapidly burn up right-front tires, and Mods take a toll on right rears.

Inexperience did not cost Bonsignore what might have been a top-10 finish in his debut. Chaos was the culprit.

Justin Bonsignore
Justin Bonsignore (No. 19) leads the NASCAR Xfinity Series SciAps 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 22, 2024. (Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Sammy Smith on a late restart made what appeared to be incidental contact with Bonsignore’s rear bumper, sending the No. 19 spinning into a multi-car pileup. Bonsignore’s recollection of the incident was pointed: “My rear tires weren’t on the race track. I know that much.”

He proceeded with minimal damage, but without the track position that aided his attempt at a single-digit finish, he opted against pushing JGR’s car to a slightly better result in the closing laps.

Perhaps subconsciously, Bonsignore knew he had done what he came to New Hampshire to do.

Bell, for example, understood his teammate for the day made a substantial impact: “I hope and pray we have more elite short-track racers like that coming to the NASCAR [national] series.”

JGR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. expressed a similar sentiment Saturday morning when asked about Bonsignore’s Xfinity debut: “It’s huge, and it’s really special. This place has put a lot of people on the map.”

The Modified and Northeastern short-track racing communities stood behind Bonsignore on Saturday in ways that were both obvious (shaking his hand and wishing him luck) and subtle (sticking around after the Modified Tour race to watch his Xfinity effort). And he repaid their support with both his impressive run his post-race reminder that the Modified Tour is rich with talent.

“Anything you can accomplish there, you’re beating the best guys in our area,” he said. “You could put any of these guys in these cars. Ron Silk would come out here and would have done the same thing today.”

Justin Bonsignore
(Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Bonsignore was adamant about his desire to take another shot at an Xfinity Series win. He was surprised by how much information he was able to absorb Saturday, reinforcing the experience-is-the-best-teacher mantra. He believes more laps would result in a better finish, and he’s looking forward to testing that theory if another opportunity arises.

Beyond his time at the front of the field Saturday — “that was kind of cool for a little bit,” he said — Bonsignore did not let himself pause to soak in the moments that made June 22 a new pillar of his career. There were plenty from which to choose.

He was recognized early Saturday morning for his 200th Modified Tour start, which occurred last July at New Jersey’s Wall Stadium Speedway.

He won his 42nd Modified Tour race by beating his cousin, Kyle Bonsignore, in a last-lap dash to the finish. His dad said Justin and Kyle were 8 years old the last time he can remember the cousins racing each other for a win without crashing.

For the second time, he was joined in Victory Lane by his 7-month-old son.

The roar of the crowd that followed the announcement of his name during Xfinity Series driver intros was among the loudest Saturday.

He competed for a victory in a car he’d never raced against some of stock-car racing’s best competitors. His final driver rating was 99.3, the fifth best in the field.

And afterwards, even through the downer that was his place in the final running order, he smiled.

“I’m just really proud of the effort we put in,” he said. “Hopefully I made some people proud in this area.”

The future version of Justin Bonsignore won’t need to question whether he did.

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 38 RSS Racing Ford for driver Matt DiBenedetto was disqualified after Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race after the car was found with three unsecured lug nuts on the right-rear wheel at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

DiBenedetto had driven to what was initially credited as a 17th-place finish in Saturday’s SciAps 200. The three unsecured lugs, however, were violations of Sections 8.8.10.4 (Tires and Wheels) and 10.5.2.5 (Safety Penalties and Penalty Options) in the NASCAR Rule Book for the Xfinity Series.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

DiBenedetto, who started a season-best 10th in Saturday’s race, was dropped to last place in the 38-car field.

No other issues were found in post-race inspection, confirming Christopher Bell’s overtime victory in Saturday’s 203-lap event.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer dominated to a season-high 114 laps led in Saturday’s SciAps 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driver even led the field to green on the final — of several late and physical — restarts.

He walked away from the “Magic Mile” still winless as the calendar approaches July.

Cup Series championship contender Christopher Bell emerged victorious in NASCAR Overtime, taking advantage of contact between Custer and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Sheldon Creed by making a three-wide pass on the inside just after the white flag and holding on from there.

For Bell — it was a fourth straight NXS victory at Loudon in as many tries; for Custer, the bittersweet sting of yet another disappointment while retaining his points lead.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“I think that was probably the best New Hampshire car we’ve ever had here. It just stings so much to have it ripped away with two laps to go, you know?” he said on pit road following the race. “Being able to pull away from the 20 (of Bell) on that long green-flag run and being able to really flex our muscle a little bit there was really cool. I mean, you don’t get to do that around New Hampshire with those guys very much so, man … we’ll keep knocking on the door and we’ll get one. I’m really proud of our guys and what we did today. … It definitely stings because this is a really cool place to win at with the fans and it’s a really special place to me. So it stings a lot not to win that.”

Apart from a crash at Charlotte that saddled him with a 32nd-place finish, Custer has strung together nothing but top 10s since finishing outside of it in the season’s first two races; a pair of drafting-style tracks in Daytona and Atlanta. He’s essentially been the guy to beat since then — and he has been beat — clawing back to the points lead and holding it for the past month. As he alluded to, putting on that show and holding off a slew of strong Toyotas, including the only current back-to-back Cup Series Championship 4 contender, gives him plenty to take away from the New England track, even if there isn’t a lobster coming home with him as well.

MORE: Custer on potential for 2025 Cup Series return

In his immediate post-race analysis, Custer mentioned he’s “gonna relive what (he) could’ve done” differently, but overall knew the chances of something like that not going his way increased exponentially, with five-plus late-race restarts.

He doesn’t feel that he lost the race — “that was just good racing” — but he’s not so sure Bell won the race, either.

“I don’t know if anybody lost it or won it, honestly. I think he kind of got given it a little bit because me and 18 got together and I don’t know; I didn’t feel like I made a pure mistake so I wouldn’t say I lost it,” said Custer.

“I just gotta look back on what I could have done a little different, but it’s just hard racing around here. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

LOUDON, N.H. — Christopher Bell kept it dramatic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon, relying on a last-lap pass in overtime to claim the SciAps 200 victory — giving him a perfect 4-for-4 record in NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the 1.058-mile track.

Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pulled off a daring three-wide move with two corners to go and ultimately drove away to a 0.254-second win over teammate Sheldon Creed. The runner-up showing for the Xfinity Series championship contender Creed was the 10th of his career, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and former series champion Daniel Hemric for most runner-up finishes before a series win.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Bell, a full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor for JGR who has already scored two wins in the sport’s premier series this year, now ties Xfinity Series regular AJ Allmendinger with four Xfinity Series wins in four starts at a single track — and is the fourth different driver to earn a victory in the No. 20 JGR Toyota this season. It is Bell’s 18th win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with his wins at New Hampshire arriving in 2018, ’19, ’21 and ’24.

“I was just really fortunate, that’s for sure,” said Bell of the race-winning pass on Creed. “I feel so bad for Sheldon. He’s been really, really close to winning these things and today he did everything right to win that race. He restarted in the right lane and gave Cole [Custer] a good push. And coming to the white flag, he got Cole loose and that’s what opened the door for me.

“Very fortunate to keep my undefeated streak alive,” he continued with a smile. “We got really lucky there.”

Despite the recurring near-misses, Creed offered a smile and insisted he was encouraged that a win was close.

“I don’t know, running out of ways to lose them,” Creed said, mustering a smile before adding, “I can think of a million things I could do, that is not a stat I wanted to tie, 10 seconds before a win. … But overall, a great day and proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. Been in the hunt the past four weeks so just going to keep working hard at it.”

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Custer led the most laps on the day — 114 of the 203 total — and finished third despite having the lead on that final overtime restart. The result was tough to take, but big picture, it was still good enough to keep him in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship lead by 15 points over JGR’s Chandler Smith, who finished 15th.

While the reigning series champion Custer was out front for much of the overcast New England day — he was forced to hold off the field in four restarts in the final 22 laps hoping to claim that first victory of the season. He leaves without a trophy, but won his third stage of the season and maintains the championship advantage.

“I would have done the same thing, you know, you’re racing for the win, it is what it is,” Custer said of the tight racing between him and Creed competing for the win on the final lap. “Man, it just stings. I felt like we had the best car of the day. And that’s not easy to do at these flat short tracks. Our guys brought such a fast car. But you get put in those late-race restarts, eventually it’s probably not going to go your way. But I’m gonna re-live what I could have done.

“Just gotta keep digging,” he continued. “We’ve got the points lead, just gotta keep knocking on the door.”

JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier rallied to finish fourth with his teammate, 21-year-old rookie Carson Kvapil, rounding out the top five. Kvapil led 24 laps and used pit strategy to run among the front-runners late in the race, which featured 15 lead changes among 10 drivers.

MORE: Weekend schedule: New Hampshire

Ryan Sieg, Parker Kligerman, Riley Herbst, Alex Bowman and Cory Heim rounded out the top 10 with season-long title contenders Smith finishing 15th and Austin Hill, 25th — both being involved in incidents.

Justin Bonsignore finished 23rd in his series debut, but that finishing position was not indicative of his afternoon work. He won his third NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire on Saturday morning and then impressively ran among the top five in the Xfinity Series all afternoon — making a bold outside pass at one point early in the race to get into the top five after starting 25th in the 38-car field.

He was ultimately collected in a late-race incident that diminished his finish, but he still climbed out of his No. 19 JGR Toyota feeling rightly encouraged — his Modified team trackside cheering him on.

“Just really good pace and unfortunate we got turned around here,” Bonsignore said. “We had good pace all day long and just wished it would have stayed green there [at the end]. We were fifth and right there with Sheldon. It’s tough. These late-race restarts bunch everyone up, but all in all it was a great experience. … Hopefully we can put something together and do some more.”

The race began on Goodyear’s wet-weather tires — a first for the Xfinity Series on an oval — after a lingering shower soaked the track nearly an hour before the scheduled green flag. After some rapid drying in the opening 10-lap run, teams pitted under a yellow flag for dry-weather slicks.

The Xfinity Series’ next race is the Tennessee Lottery 250, scheduled next Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway (5 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed in the Xfinity Series garage, confirming Christopher Bell as the winner. The No. 38 of Matt DiBenedetto was disqualified due to three lug nuts loose on the right rear of the car.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

USA Today 301

(⏰ Sunday, 2 p.m. ET | USA Network | NBC Sports App | PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Loudon, New Hampshire
Track length: 1.058 mile(s)
Race purse: $7,876,911
Race distance: 301 laps | 318.46 miles
Stages: 70 | 185 | 301
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Starting lineup: Elliott, Blaney to lead field to green Sunday
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Martin Truex Jr., July 2023 | All-time winners at New Hampshire

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Saturday’s qualifying session was canceled due to inclement weather, and the starting lineup was set per the NASCAR Rule Book. Chase Elliott will lead the field to green for Sunday’s race, with Iowa race winner Ryan Blaney starting on the front row alongside Elliott. Defending New Hampshire winner Martin Truex Jr. will start seventh.

With a brief pause in Mother Nature’s activity in the Granite State, the Cup Series squeezed in a five-minute practice period for all 36 drivers. Carson Hocevar put down the quickest lap of 127.534 mph. Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, William Byron and Zane Smith made up the top five in the brief stint.  | Practice results

Big story line

Is this the toughest year to make 16-driver field in playoff era? 

While nine races still offer plenty of time for drivers near the bubble to make the 2024 postseason, it’s not about how much time is left before the checkered flag waves at the Southern 500 to close the regular season; it’s a matter of who’s fighting for said playoff spots.

Victories from Chase Elliott, Daniel Suárez and Austin Cindric this year have already guaranteed three drivers from 2023’s postseason will miss out in September. Along with Brad Keselowski’s Darlington Raceway win and Alex Bowman’s consistency to have himself 66 points above the current elimination line, the names that have murky outlooks heading into the summer are among the biggest in the sport.

Chris Buescher (+27) and Bubba Wallace (+6) currently hold the final two playoff spots. Both drivers advanced out of the Round of 16 last year, with Buescher making a run all the way to the Round of 8.

This year though, both drivers have fallen short when the opportunity has presented itself. Buescher lost out to Kyle Larson in the closest Cup finish ever at Kansas Speedway and was walled by Tyler Reddick battling for the win in the closing laps at Darlington. While Wallace hasn’t come as close to a win as Buescher this year, tracks like Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington and Kansas Speedway should’ve offered huge points days for the No. 23 team. However, the 30-year-old veteran only scored one top 10 at those three venues and doesn’t have favorable tracks coming up this summer.

Then, there are the two active multi-time Cup champions who are on the outside looking in. Joey Logano (-6) and Kyle Busch (-31) have had forgettable campaigns in 2024. While in contention for decent runs the last few weeks, every instance of bad luck has seemingly struck the No. 8 RCR team after wrecking at Gateway while in the top 10, getting spun while in the top five on the final lap at Sonoma Raceway and then suffering a mechanical failure while in the top 10 last Sunday at Iowa Speedway.

As for Logano, the No. 22 Team Penske stable hasn’t shown consistent speed worthy of race wins. Across the last nine races, Logano has only led a combined 53 laps. He’s also trending toward his worst average finish (17.1 this season) since 2012.

TICKETS: Don’t miss the July 7 Chicago Street Race

History tells us…

Loudon is veterans’ bread and butter. While only two races have been run at the flat, 1-mile oval in the Next Gen car, a specific trend pops out — old guys rule here.

Martin Truex Jr. has been the lead guy the past two years, leading 426 of 602 laps highlighted by his commanding triumph last season, the most recent victory for him in the Cup Series.

Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin scored top 10s in both Next Gen races along with the now-retired Kevin Harvick. The only driver that bucks the trend among longtime veterans and future Hall of Famers is Bubba Wallace, who has third and eighth-place tallies in Loudon the last two seasons.

If you are keen to leaning on drivers under 30, Chase Elliott (7.0) and Chase Briscoe (12.5) have the best average finishes of those that fit that age category.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

JUSTIN HALEY. It’s not every weekend that a Rick Ware Racing driver becomes one to keep an eye on, but there’s real reason to pay attention to the No. 51 on Sunday. Recently, Haley has shown consistent top-10 speed on smaller and slower tracks. The No. 51 was among the fastest cars in the closing laps at Darlington to score a ninth-place result. Haley matched a season-best result two weeks later at Gateway. Iowa opened the door for another top 10, but the No. 51 lost spots on strategy and finished 13th. With Loudon having similar characteristics to Gateway (outside of length), don’t be surprised if you see Haley toward the top of the leaderboard during Sunday’s race. | Loudon odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Dual citizenship: Daniel Suárez sworn in as United States citizen | Read article
• Gene Haas to continue operation: Haas Factory Team to have one Cup charter, two Xfinity programs in 2025 | Read article
• Who will drive No. 19 in ’25?: Top candidates to replace Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing | Read article
• A second Cup stint?: Cole Custer on future in Cup Series; lessons learned from first stint | Read article
• Mobility Pit Box: NASCAR, Toyota develop innovative pit box for individuals with mobility challenges  | Read article
• Track treble: Drivers who won at same track in all three national series | Photo gallery
• Power Rankings: Logano looking for home-cooked lobster at Loudon | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: Who else might sneak into playoffs the rest of the way? | Read article
• Racing Insights: Fourth lobster for Hamlin? See full finish projections | Read article
• Field of 16: How the projected playoff picture shakes out pre-Loudon | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: JGR, Penske lead way at Loudon | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Revisiting New Hampshire’s best events over the years | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: Home-run designs in the Granite State | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Each of the drivers to finish top six at New Hampshire last year was a Cup champion.
• Entering this weekend, Martin Truex Jr. (1,170) and Kyle Busch (1,134) could pass Jeff Gordon (1,373) for most laps led all-time at New Hampshire.
• Four of the last eight New Hampshire winners got their first win of the season.