Posted on by Brandon White

LOUDON, N.H. — When the field came off Turn 4 to take the checkered flag in the Whelen Manufactured in America 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Anthony Nocella found himself running in the fourth position.

Rather than settle for a Top 5, Nocella instead celebrated his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory after race leaders Patrick Emerling and Eric Goodale crashed on the frontstretch while battling for the win.

Nocella has worked tirelessly during the past several years to stay competitive with the top drivers on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and was overwhelmed to finally break through in his own car at the series’ most prestigious venue.

“I’ve ran [the Whelen Modified Tour] off and on over the years,” Nocella said. “We’ve been close to getting some wins and have worked very hard, but just hadn’t gotten one yet. It’s awesome to finally get a win [at New Hampshire] of all places, especially in my family-owned car.”

RELATED: Race results from the Whelen Manufactured in America 100 at New Hampshire

Prior to his triumph on Saturday, the closest Nocella came to a victory was in 2017 at Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway, where he finished second to six-time series champion Doug Coby.

Nocella put together that performance while driving his family-owned car, which he was piloting Saturday evening for the first time since 2020 after spending most of the past two seasons driving for Danny Watts Jr.

Nocella’s familiar No. 92 showed speed from the opening laps. Nocella managed to mix it up with the leaders and briefly led early before gradually fading to the rear during a long green flag run.

Once the caution came out for Tommy Catalano’s expired engine with less than 20 laps left, Nocella knew that he had an opportunity to charge back up to the front if he made the right moves on the restarts and in the draft.

“We had a great car at the start but got too loose and faded back,” Nocella said. “This motor didn’t really like getting bogged down, but I knew we had a shot with the short run. I expected [Goodale and Emerling] to drive it in hard and wash up. That’s exactly what happened and thankfully we were in the right lane.”

Nocella watched as Emerling sailed his car around Goodale in Turn 3 on the final lap to take the lead. Goodale attempted to cross Emerling over, but ended up turning him around, allowing Nocella to slip under both of them to narrowly claim the win ahead of Kyle Bonsignore.

Once the shock of how the race ended subsided, Nocella made sure to appreciate the magnitude of obtaining his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at New Hampshire.

In the series’ history at the facility, names like Coby, Ted Christopher, Mike Stefanik, Reggie Ruggiero, Ryan Newman, and many more have all visited the track’s Victory Lane. Nocella dreamed of joining those drivers one day, but never imagined that accomplishment would also serve as his first Tour win.

Nocella plans to celebrate his New Hampshire win with his family and crew for as long as possible before going right back into the shop to make sure he can add more victories to his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour résumé.

“This is a big one for sure,” Nocella said. “We’ve been working hard for this and it’s awesome to finally get it at [New Hampshire].”

RACING REFERENCE: Career NASCAR stats for Anthony Nocella

With Kyle Bonsignore placing second, the damaged cars of Emerling and Goodale crossed the finish line in third and fourth, respectively. Jon McKennedy completed the top-five, which helped him gain precious ground on Ron Silk in the battle for the series championship after Silk was involved in an early crash.

Rounding out the top-10 were Ryan Preece, Coby, Donny Lia, Corey LaJoie and Craig Lutz.

A replay of the Whelen Manufactured in America 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway can be seen on the USA Network on Friday, July 22 at noon.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action on Friday, July 29 for the Clash at Claremont 150 at New Hampshire’s Claremont Motorsports Park. The race will be streamed live on FloRacing.

Posted on by Brandon White

Whelen Manufactured in America 100

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Pos. No.  Name Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 92 Anthony Nocella Nocella Paving/K&D Associates/Airgas 100
2 22 Kyle Bonsignore Chalew Performance/MTT/Munn’s Auto 100 0.071
3 07 Patrick Emerling Captain Pip Marina & Hideaway 100 0.228
4 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 100 0.357
5 79 Jon McKennedy Middlesex Interiors 100 0.392
6 40 Ryan Preece Hunt Brothers Pizza/www.racechoice.com 100 0.513
7 7 Doug Coby Mayhew Tools 100 0.730
8 3 Donny Lia Propane Plus/Huntington Honda 100 0.884
9 17 Corey LaJoie Needham Bank 100 1.095
10 82 Craig Lutz Danny’s Cesspool Pool Service 100 1.345
11 64 Austin Beers Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical 100 1.600
12 51 Justin Bonsignore Phoenix Communication Inc. 100 1.890
13 44 Bobby Santos, Jr. Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 100 2.668
14 20 Ed McCarthy McCarthy Marine Sales 100 5.411
15 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant 99 1 lap
16 34 J.B. Fortin Red Camel Racing/Johns Fuel/John Tree Removal 98 2 laps
17 78 Walter Sutcliffe, Jr. Last Minute Racing 98 2 laps
18 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric 96 4 laps
19 32 Tyler Rypkema Northeast Drilling/MUSCO 92 8 laps
20 54 Tommy Catalano FX Caprara 81 19 laps
21 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes 49 51 laps
22 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 46 54 laps
23 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 35 65 laps
24 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Enterprises 27 73 laps
25 5 Kyle Ebersole Ebersole Excavating Technique Chassis Ford 27 73 laps
Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — The Nos. 9 and No. 10 Chevrolet Camaros of Noah Gragson and Landon Cassill, respectively, were disqualified after post-race inspection after Saturday’s Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Cassill took the checkered flag third, followed closely by Gragson in fourth. The two drivers were scored 37th and 38th officially after the penalty. The top five was revised to race winner Justin Allgaier, Trevor Bayne, Brandon Brown, Jeremy Clements and Austin Hill.

RELATED: Official results | Weekend schedule

The No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevy was disqualified for violating Rule Book section 14.17.3.2.1.2.a (Post-Qualifying and Post-Race Front Body Inspection Heights) with the car too low in the front. The No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevy violated Rule Book section 14.17.3.2.2.2.a (Post-Qualifying and Post-Race Rear Body Inspection Heights) with the car too low in the rear.

Gragson is locked into the Xfinity Series playoffs, currently sitting fourth in the playoff standings. The penalty is a costly one for Cassill — Saturday’s finish would have been his second-best of the season and best since landing a top five at Talladega earlier this spring. He would have been inside the top 10, but now sits on the cutline in 12th. He stands 61 points ahead of Brown, in 13th.

Cassill led 17 laps late in the race as his team cranked on his No. 10 all afternoon and it came alive late in the final stage. It’s now all for naught.

“I really thought that I would keep the lead, but I just needed a little more right-rear tire,” he said before inspection negated his result. “I kind of struggled with that all day, we tightened the car up all day, and it was better. I mean, that’s when it really came to life. But I just needed a little bit more to hang on to be able to keep the lead and win the race.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Justin Allgaier prevailed in an action-packed Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, earning his third victory of the season and a very special birthday present for his wife, Ashley. A race trophy.

The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet delivered Chevy’s first win at the 1.058-mile track in 15 years. It’s Allgaier’s third win of the season — coming a comfortable 3.869 seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver Trevor Bayne, who was trying to earn the JGR team its seventh consecutive New Hampshire win.

RELATED: Official results | Weekend schedule

“We finished second here last year to one (Toyota) and I told these guys I really wanted to win here,’’ said Allgaier, who now has three wins in the last eight races. “This place has been so much fun over the years.’’

“First of all, it’s my wife’s birthday, so if I can’t be with my wife on her birthday, the best thing to do is take home a trophy to her. Just proud of the team.”

It was, at times, a dramatic drive for the 36-year-old Illinois driver. He had an incident with Julia Landauer’s car early — apologizing to her after the race. And although he ran top five for most of the day, he didn’t actually lead the race until 48 laps remaining — dicing it up with Landon Cassill, who was looking for his first career win.

The two exchanged the lead five times in the closing 60 laps with Allgaier able to pull away for good with 19 laps to go.

Cassill, who led 17 laps, ultimately had his third-place finish disqualified for post-race inspection violations — the rear of his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet was ruled too low.

The fourth-place finisher, Allgaier’s JR Motorsports teammate Noah Gragson in the No. 9 JRM Chevrolet, was also disqualified after a failed post-race inspection. His car failed front body inspection heights and was too low. The DQ dropped him from fourth place to fifth place in the season standings, now 99 points behind leader AJ Allmendinger but safely in the playoffs with two victories.

The two disqualifications moved fifth-place finisher Brandon Brown in the No. 68 Chevrolet into third place in the official race results — the best result and first top five of the season for the 29-year-old Virginian’s family-owned team.

It may have been a Toyota-dominated Victory Lane for most of the past few years, but even with the disqualifications to Cassill and Gragson, Chevrolet drivers still made up nine of the top 10 positions on Saturday.

Ty Dillon, Austin Hill, Kyle Weatherman, Mason Massey and Bayley Currey rounded out the top 10. It marked the second top-10 finish of Weatherman’s season and the second top-10 result of both Massey’s and Currey’s careers.

The race included 10 caution periods (including a nearly eight-minute red flag), and there were 15 lead changes among 10 drivers with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs leading the most laps (49) on the day.

Both Gibbs and championship leader Allmendinger were noticeably absent from that group atop the scoreboard. Gibbs’ No. 54 JGR Toyota suffered a mechanical problem just after the Stage 2 break and he finished 21st — the second week in a row he’s had a sub-20th-place showing.

Allmendinger was involved in one of the multi-car accidents, hitting the wall with 58 laps remaining and forced to pit for extensive repairs to his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. He finished one position ahead of Gibbs in 20th place.

The race was red-flagged with 125 laps complete after contact between the cars of Sheldon Creed and pole winner Josh Berry sparked a multi-car stack-up exiting Turn 2. Myatt Snider, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton and Riley Herbst all piled in behind Berry’s spinning No. 8 Chevrolet, with Sieg’s No. 39 entry vaulting up after heavy contact from Burton’s No. 27.

WATCH: Major crash prompts red flag

The rough day for Gibbs and the good day for Allgaier shook up the points standings with Allmendinger now leading Allgaier by 16 points. Gibbs is now third place, 28 points back.

Landauer placed 36th in the 38-car field in her Xfinity Series debut, completing just 90 laps after involvement in a pair of crashes with her No. 45 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet. Contact with the No. 7 Chevy of Allgaier on Lap 34 sent her car spinning into the inside retaining wall, and a Lap 98 tangle with Matt Mills left Landauer’s car with terminal damage.

The Xfinity Series’ next race is scheduled next Saturday (5 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Pocono Raceway.

Note: All other cars passed post-race inspection without issue, affirming Allgaier’s victory.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — What a week.

Silly Season saw a seismic shock on Tuesday, with Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick dropping in on a 23XI Racing video conference call to announce he’d be joining the Toyota-backed organization as a full-time driver starting in 2024.

Given Reddick is locked up with RCR for 2023, just picked up his first Cup Series win earlier this month and offers the organization its best shot at picking up its first championship since Dale Earnhardt’s seventh title in 1994, the news came as a surprise to probably everyone outside of the small group of people who negotiated the 26-year-old’s future deal.

As if that wasn’t enough, as teams were just getting set up for the race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday afternoon, Ty Dillon dropped a bomb on Twitter with a statement saying — after just 19 races together — he and Petty GMS “mutually agreed to go our separate ways” at the conclusion of 2022.

The two-car Petty GMS organization appeared to be one on the rise, building a solid foundation with a pair of talented former prospects looking to re-establish themselves as Cup Series presences. Dillon’s abrupt departure announcement was almost as surprising as Reddick’s.

RELATED: T.Dillon, Petty GMS to split | Silly Season roundup

“So many things have happened this week,” Dillon said. “Obviously, I’m so focused on doing the best I can in the 42 this year, and get all I can prove to people that I can win races in the Cup Series and that I’m one of the best 36 drivers in the series, which I know I am. But I’m a free agent, which is always exciting, you know, and it’s just a bridge to the next opportunity that I’m looking forward to taking advantage of, and I’m gonna have fun with it. You know, this week’s been tough dealing with all the news about leaving, but from here forward, I get to focus on what’s next. And also leaving it all out on the line knowing I’m not coming back, it’s kind of freeing in a sense to just go and give it all I have every weekend. And you know, I think it’s only going to be the best for me, and I wish the best for them in the future.”

Dillon elected not to divulge any of the details of the split, saying “that’s probably a question for (Petty GMS),” and Jones mentioned not being privy to the full extent of it as well — “I don’t know all the insides of it. Obviously, there’s probably some business stuff there” —  but wait a minute. Perhaps there is no acrimony. Perhaps a different scenario presented itself, abruptly and unexpectedly, for Dillon’s future.

Reddick’s move means the No. 8 car will be available for 2024 if RCR keeps two cars. The team’s other car is driven by Austin Dillon, Ty’s brother. The team is owned, of course, by Childress — Ty and Austin’s grandfather. It almost feels too perfect of a scenario to just line Ty up to replace Reddick a year and a half from now, maybe throwing him back in an Xfinity car with the team to bridge the gap year. But it’s a possibility that the 30-year-old Welcome, North Carolina, native has certainly entertained.

“Obviously, I’ve always wanted to race for my grandfather since I started racing,” said Dillon, currently 27th in points. “So that’s certainly something I’ll be looking at. But you know, there’s a lot of things to still happen throughout the year. And there’s lots going on with that situation. But I’m available. I’m available for everyone. So we’ll see what happens.”

To some degree, it has always felt inevitable Childress would eventually field Cup cars for his grandsons, it just hasn’t played out in that way to this point for various reasons. This might open the door to making it a reality, and if it does, Dillon would have had one of the most topsy-turvy, winding paths to a competitive premier series ride in recent memory.

Austin’s trajectory was extremely straightforward, starting his full-time NASCAR career with RCR in 2010 in the Camping World Truck Series, winning the title the next year, doing a similar two-year stint in the Xfinity Series — with another title in 2013 — before hopping in Earnhardt’s former No. 3 in 2014, where he has been since. Ty was on essentially the same path with two seasons in Trucks and three at the Xfinity level before starting full-time in Cup in 2017 with Germain Racing, where he was until 2020 before the team closed its doors. After Ryan Newman left the team in 2018 there was speculation Ty would replace him, but Ty elected to stay with Germain and the car — which was then the No. 31 Chevrolet — went instead to Daniel Hemric, who eventually ceded it to Reddick the next year.

Ty Dillon’s last two years then saw a handful of unfruitful starts with Cup startup Gaunt Brothers Racing, 12 Xfinity starts split across four different teams with just three top 10s and now an early ending to what seemed like, from the outside, a good long-term home for him with “The King” and Maury Gallagher’s operation.

“It’s certainly not easy (to maintain my determination), but I think as you grow and you mature, situations happen in your life,” Dillon told NASCAR.com. “At the end of the day, you have your family and the people that matter most and they believe in you. And if you don’t believe in yourself to begin with, you’ll never give yourself the full opportunity. So I’ll never give up on myself and knowing that I can do it. I’ve proven to myself that I can do it. Just a matter of situations coming together. And I think one thing about it, and it’s our family motto with my wife and kids, is that we’re Dillons and we don’t quit, so I can’t show them any quit in my life. And I can use whatever happens in my life, whatever comes and goes as an example for them to live off of in the future.”

As Dillon’s outlook at the moment is murky at best, Jones indicated Saturday he could be announcing a long-speculated extension with Petty GMS in the near term. The Byron, Michigan, native further negotiated his deal with Gallagher earlier this week over FaceTime — while in the “Great Lakes State” for his grandfather’s 90th birthday — and says the paperwork is down to just “pretty small details here at the end of the day” and is “for the next year at least, and hopefully more in the future, too.”

Ty Dillon and Erik Jones race on the track.
Getty Images

Jones appears to have found a comfortability with Petty GMS, having the option at this juncture to speak to other teams but saying he’s not really interested in doing so and would rather just get everything settled with his extension. The feeling must be mutual, because the Chevy organization is seeking his feedback for who will be his future teammate, even if that decision is still a ways away.

“I don’t, right now (who will be in the 42),” Jones said. “You know, obviously, those talks go on a little bit. And, you know, as we’ve made this decision, you know, I get asked kind of who I think (it should be) a little bit right, which I appreciate that, you know, that they trust me to try to go pick somebody, which it’s still up to them at the end of the day. But obviously, there’s a few names out there that, you know, are probably deserving of a shot in the Cup Series. I don’t think it’ll be a guy (currently) in the Cup Series.”

As for what’s next for Dillon, well, he still has plans to finish out the season with Petty GMS. But in the meantime, he said “there’s been conversations starting” with other teams. There’s no question he still believes in himself and his ability, it’s just a matter now of if there’s a team out there that wants to take a flier on him.

“I have a lot of the year still left, we have 17 races or so to go to continue to show what I can do,” he said. “And a lot of things will still happen with other seats and other rides and the sport in general. So like I said, I’m a free agent, and I can talk to whoever and I’m available. So we’ll see how that plays out.

“I’m certainly never giving up on my dream. And that’s winning Cup races and championships, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get myself to that position with a team that really believes in me and wants to give me a good shot.”

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
(⏰ 3 p.m. ET | 📺 USA Network, NBC Sports App | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 20th regular-season event of the 2022 campaign.

Race-day info 📝

Where: Loudon, New Hampshire
Approximate start time: 3 p.m. ET | Full weekend schedule
TV/Radio: USA Network, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule
The purse: $7,102,088
Forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86 degrees, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker
Race distance: 301 laps | 318.46 miles
Stages: 70 | 185 | 301
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 50 mph
New Hampshire 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: Where drivers will start
Pit stalls: Where drivers will pit

Key things to watch 🔑

Big story line

What will New Hampshire race like this time around? With the weather primed to be hot and sunny, cars could be slipping and sliding around the flat, 1.058-mile oval as we have seen at times in the past. Teams have already compared it to Phoenix Raceway, Richmond Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, trying to pull notes from each to get a better handle on what to expect Sunday. We already know one thing for sure: expect to see a lot of shifting. But with increased shifting and close racing through the turns, that leaves room for a lot of mistakes we have already seen cost drivers big time due to the Next Gen’s new shifting pattern. Comparing those valuable notes to key in on a race-winning setup early in qualifying, and giving yourself valuable track position, could be the difference in a stellar finish on Sunday. Miss it by a wide margin and you will likely be playing catchup all afternoon.

Who’s hot? Who’s not? 

Is there a driver in better form than Chase Elliott right now? Elliott is as scorching as the summer heat, finally landing the elusive victory at his home track in Atlanta Motor Speedway. And with that monkey off his back, there is little in the way of his focus on running down another Cup Series championship. Even when he is not reaching Victory Lane, his results are still remarkable — eight more top 10s in the last 15 races (not including the three wins, pushing the total to 11). However, New Hampshire has been his Achilles’ heel in the past, finishing 11th or worse in six of his eight starts. If he can continue his impressive form Sunday at a track where he has struggled mightily, the debate for the current championship favorite should end.

For Kyle Busch, the last handful of races has not gone to plan. From Kansas Speedway to World Wide Technology Raceway, Busch looked like the driver to beat this season, stringing together a trio of top-three results. Since then, he has yet to finish inside the top 19 — a four-race slump. Adding to the Busch fans’ growing concern is back-to-back DNFs at New Hampshire. But with a new car and a new race package, Sunday would be the perfect time to hit the reset button and pick up some playoff momentum. If anyone can do that, it is the two-time Cup Series champion.

Driving under the radar

Trending upward, there is no better time for Kevin Harvick to get a win than at the track he has dominated in the past. Entering Sunday, the No. 4 team has begun to find its rhythm, reeling off three top 10s in the last four races. At New Hampshire specifically, Harvick has reached Victory Lane in two of the last four races and led laps in eight of the last 11. To put it simply, it is arguably his best track and not many are tabbing him to continue the success this weekend. Fighting for a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs, this may be his best chance to punch his ticket with a win. And as we know, Harvick, “The Closer,” knows how to come through in the clutch.

Practice and qualifying

Entering the weekend, all eyes were on Ford as the manufacturer expected to dominate Sunday. But during Saturday morning’s two-group practice session, combined results were a mixed bag — at least at the top of the chart. William Byron topped the chart in his No. 24 Chevrolet, followed by Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota. Then came the first Ford in Chase Briscoe before the Blue Oval made its presence known en masse, grabbing the seventh through tenth spots on the board. But another veteran grabbed the starlight in qualifying: Martin Truex Jr., who finished fifth in practice. Truex blitzed the field, topping an exceptional mark by Chase Elliott in the final round to snag his first Joe Gibbs Racing pole. | Full practice, qualifying recap

Kevin Harvick holds a lobster.
Kevin Harvick holds the iconic prize for winning at New Hampshire, where he is a four-time winner (Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images).

Race-day staples ✅

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

• Paint Scheme Preview: Cup and Xfinity looks for New Hampshire | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Austin Cindric quietly sizzling as the summer heats up | Latest Cup Series driver rankings
• Fantasy Fastlane: Ford aims for five-peat at New Hampshire | Top plays, sleepers
• NASCAR betting: Which driver is the favorite for Sunday? | BetMGM betting odds
• Backseat Drivers: Does Chase Elliott think he can match Bill’s 44 wins? | Watch the debate
• Playoff Watch: How the 2022 Cup Series playoff picture is shaping up | Bubble battles, playoff locks

Catch the pack 💨

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Kyle Busch: Feels like he still has a seat at JGR for 2023 | Read more
• Kurt Busch: Opens up on future, impact of Tyler Reddick signing | Read more
• Blockbuster deal: 23XI signs Tyler Reddick for 2024 season | More details
• Candidates: Assessing the top potential drivers for the No. 8 | Read more
• Penalty-free: No penalty for No. 20 team for tire mishap at Atlanta | Full details
• Analysis: Passing by Joe Gibbs Racing at New Hampshire | Read more
• Ty Dillon: Dillon, Petty GMS Motorsports to split up after 2022 | Read more
• Ryan Preece: Driver embracing role at Stewart-Haas Racing, focusing on Cup future | Read more
• Aric Almirola: Assessing Cup Series future, relishing the moment | Read more
• Corey LaJoie: Making Whelen Modified Series entry at New Hampshire | Full story
• Departure: Tyler Reddick’s wake leaves shoes to fill at Richard Childress Racing | Read more
• Official partner: NASCAR, SeatGeek launch new partnership | More details
• FloRacing: Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet collaborate to form new Sprint Car series | More details

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• BetMGM: Can Chase Elliott snap Chevy’s drought? | Full analysis
• The Action Network: Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott highlight tough matchups | Read more
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Land of the lobster 🦞

Time to embrace the sea creature, as New Hampshire provides one of the most unique prizes in sports. 

• Do you remember?: Memorable moments at New Hampshire | Relive them here
• Winner, winner: All-time winners at New Hampshire | See who has the most
• Behind the scenes: New Hampshire in photos | Scroll through the track gallery
• Last year: Aric Almirola punches playoff ticket with clutch win | Full race recap
• Race Rewind: Early drama and a big upset at New Hampshire | Watch the highlights

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Chevrolet has only one pole at New Hampshire since 2014.
• Stewart-Haas Racing drivers have won three of the last four races at New Hampshire.
• Three of the last four New Hampshire winners started outside the top 10.
• At least one driver led 100 laps or more in 14 of the last 16 New Hampshire races.
• The winner took the lead within the final 10 laps in 13 of 19 races in 2022.

Say what? 🎙

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

• “New Hampshire can be a challenging track. When you hit your setup just right, it’s an extremely fun track, but if you miss it, it can be one of the most difficult tracks we go to. Hopefully this gives us a chance to work on our short track program on both the Xfinity side and the Cup side.” — AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Cup Series part-time and Xfinity Series full-time)

• “With the playoff picture being as tight as it is, every point matters. Loudon is a great track for us and we need a good showing. I’m ready to see what we can do this weekend.” — Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• “We were fast and ran up front all day at Phoenix and we were fast and ran up front all day at Richmond. Gateway, we had a pretty good car. I think our car was better than what it showed. We qualified bad and had a hard time passing cars, but our teammate with the 14 was really fast all weekend and led some laps before blowing the left-rear tire, so we feel good about what we’ve got and what we’re taking and probably the most confident we’ve been in a good while.” — Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch said Saturday there’s no firm deadline for cementing a potential return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season, adding he has had talks with other teams.

Busch, a 60-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, is in his 15th season with the No. 18 Toyota team owned by Coach Joe Gibbs. Busch sits in limbo for 2023 but indicated he’s standing pat until the organization announces a change in plans.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule

“I mean, it would be nice sooner than later, but honestly, it doesn’t matter how soon or how late it gets done,” Busch said before Cup Series qualifying Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Until there’s an announcement that somebody else is driving the 18 car, then I feel like I still have a seat.”

Toyota made a big splash earlier this week with the signing of Tyler Reddick to 23XI Racing, a JGR affiliate, for the 2024 season. Busch hedged on whether that addition to the Toyota camp would impact his negotiations but admitted he’s spoken with other teams.

“The short answer is yes,” Busch said. “But you know, yeah, anything’s possible obviously. There’s all kinds of different things that can play out. It’s just a matter of what does.”

Busch ranks fifth in the current Cup Series standings, notching his lone win this season back in April on Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

LOUDON, N.H. — As one of a small handful of drivers over the age of 40 racing full-time at NASCAR’s top level, 2004 Cup Series champ Kurt Busch isn’t immune to retirement rumors.

They’ve cropped up over the past few years, almost an annual tradition at this point, but here he is still winning races and looking just as competitive only weeks shy of his 44th birthday.

Naturally, with this week’s news that up-and-coming superstar Tyler Reddick had signed with Busch’s team 23XI Racing — currently a two-car operation with Bubba Wallace driving the No. 23 Toyota — the rumor mill sparked right up again that Busch could be the odd man out before Reddick joins the franchise for the 2024 season. Team co-owner Denny Hamlin strongly reiterated during the announcement that Busch would have a seat for as long as he wants it (and has a “cushy office job” waiting for him when he does decide to hang it up) but a lot can change over a year and a half.

RELATED: 23XI signs Reddick for 2024 | Weekend schedule

For now, nothing has changed. In fact, it might’ve even opened up some new “options” for himself and 23XI.

“It’s all on the same timeline,” Busch said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Ambetter 301 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “For me, this is just now that it’s out in the open, things that we’ve been working on behind the scenes, part of the process of which drivers we were evaluating and communicating with Toyota and their development program as well. So it’s neat to have these options, that’s the key thing as well as the options part of this. It’s what it does with sponsorship, it’s what it does with Toyota’s involvement, and just the way that we’re developing some things and the infrastructure behind the scenes. This is a key movement. And that’s what we’re trying to do is do it as a team.

“It’s still the same, it’s a matter of what is the right option. And when all signs point towards this or that, the great thing that I have right now is a lot of respect from the race team. Steve Lauletta, MJ, Denny, they’ve all said that I have a seat as long as I want it. That’s so valuable to me. Just … it makes me smile, want to race harder and work harder. So there’s still plenty of options that we’re looking at.”

23XI will have a decision to make at some point, however. No car number or sponsor was made part of the Reddick announcement, just that the Michael Jordan/Hamlin-co-owned organization had signed a “franchise driver.” There was no indication of expansion, either.

It’s extremely unlikely Wallace will be squeezed out for Reddick, and Busch, based on what Hamlin has said, can dictate his future. There’s a possibility, of course, the team expands to three cars to accommodate its newest acquisition, but it’s a bit of a tall order for an organization still working to find its sea legs to a degree in its infancy. This is just its second year of existence, after all, and Hamlin himself has said time and again that it will take years to get to where he wants the team to be.

So, to count on Busch walking away after next season to post up in front of a laptop instead of a steering wheel feels less likely at this point with how Busch continues to perform. A win at Kansas Speedway earlier this year has him provisionally locked into the playoffs, and he has been sporty at the “Magic Mile” thus far this weekend, claiming a P3 spot in Saturday’s qualifying session.

MORE: Kurt Busch through the years | All of his Cup Series wins

It’s just a matter of, essentially, how long he wants to keep doing this.

“I need to call Mark Martin and double check where the fountain of youth is,” Busch cracked when asked if he’d want to race into his 50s. “It’s just … it’s respect. And it’s the opportunity that’s around us with so many different variables with the manufacturer filling sponsorships for me and having a place like this to be part of when I’m done racing. That’s important to me as well. So there’s just a lot of options right now. We just don’t have all the exact answers.

“I don’t have an (age) in my head I, again, sat down and did lists and did options and thoughts, pros and cons, when I was going from Roush to Penske, and when I was leaving Penske, and just all the lists.

“The key thing is if the phone keeps ringing, you keep racing.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. earned his first pole position in four seasons, taking the top starting spot in Saturday qualifying with a lap of 127.113 mph at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

He’ll start the No. 19 JGR Toyota in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 (3 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) alongside last week’s race winner, Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule

Truex last started on pole at Kentucky Speedway in 2018 – one of two race wins from pole in the last three times he’s started out front. Another showing like that this week would be key for Truex, who is still racing for his first victory in 2022. The 42-year-old driver’s best showing is a fourth place at Richmond, 13 races ago.

It’s the second pole position for Truex at New Hampshire – last earning the top starting spot in his 2017 championship season – and 20th pole position of his career.

“You always want to be the fastest guy, you know, whether it’s practice, qualifying or the race,” Truex said. “And we got a small victory today. So, victories are all good, and hopefully we can make it work for us tomorrow, which is obviously a lot more important.”

Kurt Busch and his 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace will start their Toyotas on the second row, followed by another Toyota, JGR’s Christopher Bell, who has three Xfinity Series wins at the track and finished runner-up to Aric Almirola in last year’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire.

Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron – who was fastest in practice – qualified sixth, followed by the defending winner Almirola, reigning series champion Kyle Larson, two-time New Hampshire race winner Brad Keselowski and four-time New Hampshire winner Kevin Harvick.

It’s the best start for Keselowski, in his first year as co-owner of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, since a third-place qualifying effort at Daytona – his only other top-10 start of the season.

The 36-car field was split into two groups, with the top five in each qualifying bracket advancing to the 10-car final round. Elliott logged the best lap in Group A qualifying, and Busch was the pace-setter for Group B.

Each group had 20 minutes of practice as a prelude to the qualifying session. William Byron was fastest in the Group A session — and fastest overall — at 127.483 mph in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Teammate Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevy led Group B with a best speed of 127.091 mph, good for fourth overall.

MORE: Practice results

Kyle Busch, who set the pace on the consecutive 10-lap averages chart, clocked the second-fastest lap in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 127.371 mph. Chase Briscoe was third-fast (127.223) and Truex was just behind Larson in fifth (127.011).

Contributing: Staff reports