Three spots. Four races. That’s all that remains until the NASCAR Playoffs begin.
Aric Almirola became the 13th different winner of the 2021 season Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He was well below the cutline entering the 22nd points-paying events, sitting all the way down in 27th and 232 points outside the picture. Now he’s essentially guaranteed a postseason chance.
The three drivers currently safe from elimination despite a zero in the win column are Denny Hamlin (+283), Kevin Harvick (+82) and Tyler Reddick (+5). Austin Dillon is then in 17th – the first out – followed by Chris Buescher (-121) and Matt DiBenedetto (-143).
Those straddling the line – Reddick and Dillon – are teammates at Richard Childress Racing, too. Reddick is in his second season behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet. Dillon has driven the No. 3 Chevy since 2014.
“As we get closer to the playoff, though, we will need to have a clean race and get a win to secure our spot,” Reddick said. “I know our team can do it and we will keep battling.”
Before Sunday, both Reddick and Dillon were a part of the 16-driver field. Reddick had a 96-point buffer in 15th, and Dillon was up by 104 points in 16th. Almirola’s win bumped them, but their finishes didn’t help cushions. Reddick placed 13th, while Dillon was 17th.
“We had to overcome a few different things – overshooting the pit stall and scrubbing the wall – but even though that cost us track position, I steadily worked my way back up inside the top 10,” Reddick said. “There were a few different strategies in play at the end when we were racing against the darkness. I hate we didn’t get to run the full distance, because I think we could have finished better than 13th.”
The race did end eight laps early, completing 293 of the 301 laps, due to darkness. NASCAR threw the red flag nine laps in as rain fell. It lasted one hour, 41 minutes and 22 seconds.
The four tracks remaining on the schedule are Watkins Glen International (Aug. 8), Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course (Aug. 15), Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 22) and Daytona International Speedway (Aug. 28). The Cup Series has never raced Indy’s road layout, and Daytona is constantly referred to as a wild-card venue.
Reddick is still seeking his first career win. Meanwhile, Dillon has three career wins — the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017, the Daytona 500 in 2018 and at Texas Motor Speedway last year. Reddick has one top-five (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and 11 top-10 finishes this year. Dillon has one top five (Daytona) and six top 10s. Reddick didn’t qualify for the playoffs in his 2020 rookie season and turned out 19th in the final rankings. Dillon made the playoffs by virtue of a win — his fourth career trip to the postseason — and was eliminated in the Round of 12.
“There’s a lot of fight left in this team so don’t count us out of the NASCAR Playoffs battle yet,” Dillon said. “We’ll take these next few weekends to regroup before Watkins Glen.”
Tuesday, July 20
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of 2021 Radioactive — Part 1, FS1
Wednesday, July 21
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of 2021 Radioactive — Part 2, FS1
9 p.m., NASCAR Presents: This Racing Life (re-air), FS2
9:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of 2021 Radioactive — Part 1 (re-air), FS2
10:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of 2021 Radioactive — Part 2 (re-air), FS2
With a stunning victory in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Aric Almirola sent shock waves through the NASCAR Cup Series’ Playoff standings.
With hard-charging Christopher Bell closing behind him, Almirola crossed the finish line at the 1.058-mile track .657 seconds ahead of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win the third race of his career and give Stewart-Haas Racing its first ostensible playoff berth of the 2021 campaign.
After battling Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney — who waged their own internecine war shortly after the start of the third stage — Almirola had to hold off Bell to win for the first time this season and for the first time on a track that isn’t a superspeedway.
Almirola entered Sunday’s event 27th in the Cup standings. Leaving New Hampshire, he’s eligible to compete for the series championship, barring the unlikeliest of circumstances.
“This is by far one of my favorite race tracks,” an elated Almirola said after taking the checkered flag. “I love coming up to the New England area and racing. I love this race track. I had this race won a couple of years ago, and I gave it away — I lost it. And I am so glad to win a race here with this race team.
“It’s so good, man. We’ve been through so much, and I just stood the test. Everybody has just been working so hard. … There’ve been so many people who have continued to support us through the crappiest year ever. Man, this feels so good for them. My pit crew did a phenomenal job on pit road. There’s no doubt we’ve struggled, but guess what? We’re going playoff racing.”
It helped Almirola’s cause that NASCAR cut the race eight laps short of the scheduled 301 circuits because of darkness, a move necessitated by a rain delay that commenced after eight laps had been completed and Kyle Busch’s polesitting car had been wrecked beyond repair.
Bell thought an extra eight laps might have made the difference.
“I didn’t know how many laps they cut it short, but definitely whenever I saw the board and saw that we were eight laps short, it stings, man, because I feel like I probably had a little bit better pace than him, and I was able to get to him,” said Bell, who won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the track.
“I know lapped cars were giving him a bad time, but I was able to get to him, and it was going to be a heck of a race.”
Penske teammates Keselowski, Joey Logano and Blaney ran third, fourth and fifth, respectively, with Logano recovering from a two-lap penalty incurred during the rain delay. Nicked for the two circuits when a crewman worked on his car during the red-flag period, Logano used two free passes under caution to his advantage.
Kevin Harvick finished sixth after winning the first stage and leading a race-high 66 laps, the first time since May 9 at Darlington the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford had been at the front of the field.
Ford drivers claimed five of the top six finishing positions, with Bell in a Toyota being the only exception. Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin completed the top 10.
Almirola’s victory set up a battle between Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon for the 16th and final playoff berth. Both were comfortably situated in points before the race, but Almirola’s win reduced the number of available non-winner spots in the postseason from four to three.
Reddick currently leads Dillon by five points for the last playoff-eligible position with four regular-season events remaining.
On Lap 6, as rain began falling with sudden intensity, frontrunner Kyle Busch spun into the Turn 1 wall, crushing the rear of his No. 18 Toyota. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. suffered a similar fate on the wet track, damaging the front end and splitter of his No. 19 Camry.
Hamlin spun behind Busch and Truex, making slight contact with the No. 48 Chevrolet of Bowman, but Hamlin had more time to react after witnessing the ill fortune of his JGR teammates and escaped major damage.
NASCAR officials were surprised at how quickly mist turned to hard rain rendered the track too treacherous to continue the race.
“As (race director) Tim Bermann is about to put out the yellow, we look down and (Busch) is already getting loose,” said NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell.
“I’ve been here a number of years. That’s the first time I’ve seen that in terms of how quickly it came upon us. Certainly mist, we’ve raced in mist conditions before. The track got slick, obviously, in a hurry, and it was unfortunate what took place.”
The wreck eliminated Busch from the race in 37th (last) place. Truex recovered to finish 12th.
Logano suffered corollary damage when debris from the track stuck in the throttle linkage and prevented the throttle from opening fully. Because a crew member began working on the car before the red flag was lifted, Logano incurred the two-lap penalty.
Notes: The Nos. 12 (Blaney) and 99 (Daniel Suarez) each had one lug nut not properly secured in post-race inspection, and that will result in a fine to the respective crew chiefs when penalties come out later this week. No other issues were found during inspection, validating Almirola’s victory.
The red flag was displayed early in Sunday’s 301-lap NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after a burst of rain led to multiple cars spinning out, including the No. 18 of race-leader Kyle Busch.
Busch, the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 polesitter, was leading six laps into the 301-lap event, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. behind him. The two Toyotas entered Turn 1, and as rain started to fall, the track got wet and they spun. Further back, teammate Denny Hamlin’s car did the same.
“We were fortunate,” Hamlin said. “I think we were just far enough up the field to be in the wreck, but far enough back to where I saw the leaders wrecking and were able to check up and brake 100 feet which kept us out of the wall. It was fortunate and unfortunate, but we’re going to be fine.”
The No. 18 of Busch backed into the wall, sustaining the most damage. The front of Truex’s No. 19 was hit, too. Hamlin and the No. 11 made contact with Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and then also clipped the wall, with less damage.
Everyone besides Busch returned to the race when it restarted.
“The lap before I went into (Turn) 1 and it shoved the nose really bad and I was able to keep it under control. It wasn’t bad enough,” Busch said. “The next time I went down there, hell, I lifted at the flag stand – maybe a little past the flag stand, don’t get too dramatic – and just backed it in.”
Rain fell down harder soon after, and NASCAR threw the red flag three laps later. Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy held the lead after Busch and Truex wrecked.
“We were excited for the opportunity to race here at one of my favorite tracks,” Truex said. “Now we’re out. We’ll be able to get some work done on it, but it’s not pretty.”
The red flag lasted one hour, 41 minutes and 22 seconds.
Four cars will also be moving to the rear for multiple pre-race inspection failures. They are:
–No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet of Quin Houff (was going to start 36th)
–No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Corey LaJoie (was going to start 26th)
–No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet of Ryan Preece (was going to start 25th)
–No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford of BJ McLeod (was going to start 32nd)
Preece, a Connecticut native, won the Whelen Modified Tour race on Saturday with a third-to-first move on the final corner at New Hampshire.
Kyle Busch had used up his eligibility for this year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Ty Gibbs had the week off.
But the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota they have driven to a combined seven victories this season was still around — much to the chagrin of the series regulars.
Competing in the Xfinity Series for the first time since he finished third in the final standings in 2019, Christopher Bell led 151 of 200 laps, swept the first two stages and won Saturday’s Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The victory was Bell’s third straight at the 1.058-mile track and the 17th of his career. It was the sixth straight win for Joe Gibbs Racing at New Hampshire, which did not host an Xfinity Series race last year because of schedule changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bell was the only former New Hampshire winner in the field for Saturday’s race. He finished a comfortable 6.241 seconds ahead of runner-up Justin Allgaier, who held off third-place Daniel Hemric during the final 45-lap green-flag run.
From Bell’s standpoint, the secret to success was easy to define.
James Gilbert | Getty Images
“What I’ve got figured out is I’ve got really, really fast race cars to drive,” said Bell, who started 14th and took the lead for the first time on Lap 44 — one circuit before the end of the first stage. “I just love being here with Joe Gibbs Racing. All these Supras I’ve had for the last three times I’ve been here have been amazing.
“Hopefully, the Camry is just as good tomorrow (in the NASCAR Cup Series race), but it just feels good to win.”
A flat right-front tire shot Patrick Emerling’s Chevrolet into the outside wall in Turn 4 to cause the fifth and last caution of the race on Lap 149. After an adjustment to his No. 7 Chevrolet designed to create short-run speed, Allgaier battled Bell side-by-side after the final restart on Lap 156.
But the strength and turning ability of Bell’s car, set up by crew chief Chris Gayle, soon prevailed, and Bell pulled away as Allgaier and Hemric fought for the second position.
“Obviously, it was a good short-track battle there,” Allgaier said. “This place is difficult, but it’s fun. You’re out there and you’re sliding around a lot. We didn’t start off the race like we wanted to, and (crew chief) Jason (Burdett) and the boys did a great job of making adjustments and getting us where we needed to be at.
“I wish I knew what we needed there. The Gibbs cars definitely had something we didn’t have today. We’ll go back home, we’ll keep working on it and hopefully get our Brandt Camaro into Victory Lane sooner than later.”
Series leader Austin Cindric ran fourth, followed by Harrison Burton. Justin Haley, Myatt Snider, Josh Berry, Brett Moffitt and Riley Herbst completed the top 10.
Herbst made a remarkable recovery from an early accident on a Lap 26 restart and now trails Michael Annett by 32 points for the final playoff position. Annett missed Saturday’s race — with Berry as his substitute — after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his right femur.
NASCAR opted not to apply traction compound to the third lane of the racing surface, though the PJ1 had been used for recent races at New Hampshire.
Accordingly, Bell believes racing Saturday without the compound will give him an advantage in Sunday’s Cup race.
“Especially coming here, the Xfinity rules package is really similar to the Cup rules package,” Bell said. “I hope we have a really fast Camry tomorrow.”
The NASCAR Xfinity Series is idle the next two weeks, returning Aug. 7 (4 p.m. ET, CNBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Watkins Glen International.
Note: NASCAR’s post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage was clear with no issues, thus confirming Bell’s victory.
LOUDON, N.H. — Ryan Preece finally got the win he’d been hoping for.
On a last-lap overtime dive to the outside in Turns 3 and 4, Preece sprinted around Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore to go from third to first to win the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Whelen 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon.
Preece was showered in cheers by the crowd after the native New Englander put on an incredible show.
“I’m from Berlin, Connecticut, born and raised, and I have my local tracks in Connecticut,” Preece said. ‘But when it comes to the big three (national touring series) and the Cup Series, this is the only track that’s two and a half hours away. … But this is New England. and all of us New Englanders, we’re kind of our own breed. It’s just really cool to win in front of them all.”
The race was pushed to overtime when J.B. Fortin and Eric Goodale collided on the front straightaway with two laps to go, setting Silk and Preece on the front row for the final restart.
In a backup car following a crash in Saturday morning’s practice, Silk got the jump on the restart with a massive push from Bonsignore into Turn 1. The No. 85 of Silk shot to the lead but had the field strong in tow, thanks to the effect of the draft.
Silk led to the white flag, but Bonsignore had an outstanding run off Turn 2. He darted to the inside, but Silk hung a left to defend. Preece, meanwhile, held his line against the outside wall while the two leaders lost momentum.
Bonsignore jumped out to lead for a brief moment, but Preece rocketed around both drivers to launch to his first win at the “Magic Mile.”
“I can play it back in my head probably a billion times and probably do 10 different things off of Turn 2, but that’s the move you think you got to make,’ Bonsignore said. “And Ronnie did exactly what I would have done as the leader and probably stalled us both out too much and then Ryan got a good run.”
Bonsignore also elected not to take fuel when the caution fell at Lap 74, choosing to take tires and track position instead. Off Turn 4 on the final lap, Bonsignore said the engine stumbled, hindering any momentum coming back to the checkered flag.
In third place, Silk completed an impressive effort in a backup car that had zero practice laps on it and just two qualifying circuits before Saturday’s contest.
“All you can do at this place is put yourself in a position to win at the end and then it kind of just falls where it falls,” Silk said. “But yeah, to have zero laps of practice on this car and have a good run like that, it’s really good.”
The race kicked off with a caution on Lap 1 when Matt Swanson drifted wide off Turn 4 and contacted the outside wall. As the field scattered around him, Max McLaughlin was turned into the outside wall, and both drivers’ days ended early.
After a lengthy cleanup period, the race got back underway at Lap 12, kicking off a long 62-lap green-flag run.
The front end of that run featured incredible fights for the lead between Bonsignore and Preece, who traded the lead seemingly every other lap as the draft came into play.
“It’s always fun,” Bonsignore said. “We understand what each other is trying to do. You can’t be tucked up behind the guy for too many laps. Otherwise, you start to run hot. So it’s more of a game of just ‘Hey, I need to lead to cool the motor back off and lead three, four laps and get the lead back.’ But at the same time you want to be the leader because if the caution comes out, you want to make sure you’re lined up as the leader, so it’s a game of cat and mouse.”
Bonsignore held the lead at the Lap-74 caution, which flew for Bryan Dauzat’s failed engine, and elected to take tires only while the majority of the leaders pitted for both fuel and tires.
At Lap 93, Tyler Rypkema suffered a right-rear tire puncture heading into Turn 1 and spun driver-side into the outside wall before climbing out under his own power.
That set up a restart with four to go, leading to the eventual contact between Fortin and Goodale.
Patrick Emerling entered Saturday’s race with a three-point lead over Bonsignore in the championship standings but instead left with a disappointing 13th-place finish, at one point losing a lap to Bonsignore.
Doug Coby came into Saturday’s race fourth in points 41 points out despite missing the event at Oswego Speedway, but a blown motor ended the six-time champion’s day after just 44 laps.
Completing the top five behind Preece, Bonsignore and Silk were Ronnie Williams and Jon McKennedy. Andy Seuss, Dave Sapienza, Bobby Santos III, Kyle Bonsignore and Timmy Solomito rounded out the top 10.
Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
(⏰ 3 p.m. ET | 📺 NBCSN | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s race, the 22nd points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.
Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a 1.058-mile layout located in Loudon, New Hampshire Green flag: 3:18 p.m. ET TV/Radio: NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: Showers. High near 73. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%, according to NOAA.gov Race Distance: 301 laps, 318.46 miles Stages: Stage 1 – 75 laps | Stage 2 – 110 laps (ends at Lap 185) | Final Stage – 116 laps (scheduled to end at Lap 301) Pit-road speed: 45 mph Caution car speed: 50 mph New Hampshire 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: See the full lineup Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where | Expert breaks down pit selections
Five to watch
Here are five big story lines we’ll be following at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
1. It certainly was a NASCAR week to remember, and we now know officially Brad Keselowski and Matt DiBenedetto will no longer be with Team Penske and Wood Brothers Racing, respectively, after the season. Now what? Well, there are still 15 races left for each of them with their respective teams, and they’re each capable of winning — particularly at New Hampshire. The 2012 champ Keselowski is the defending winner of the race, showing last season his proclivity with this rules package, extending his top-10 run at the “Magic Mile” to five in the last six there. DiBenedetto, while up and down this season, is currently on the rise and has finished sixth or better in the last two NHMS jaunts. With plenty to prove, look for these two Ford drivers to come out swinging this weekend.
2. It’s kind of hard to believe given the blistering start to the season he had, but Denny Hamlin may be looking to prove himself this weekend, as well. Despite still narrowly holding onto the points lead, last year’s seven-time winner is still mysteriously winless in 2021, but that could change Sunday. He has been in contention there lately — he was passed for the win in each of the last two Loudon races — and it has been a productive track for him in general. With three wins and six runner-up finishes at New Hampshire, he has finished top two in a third of his NHMS starts. Beyond Hamlin, this could be a boon of a weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole — all four of its drivers are excellent there.
3. In a vein similar to that of Hamlin, his fellow 2020 dominator in Kevin Harvick will be looking to rock out big time Sunday in the Granite State. Arguably the best driver at Loudon the past decade, Harvick has arguably also had the most head-scratching, winless season after he put up nine victories last year. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has won three of the last six NHMS events, has finished top five in six of the last seven and crew chief Rodney Childers has four wins there — most among all crew chiefs and at least one for all three manufacturers. You’d think this is where he puts it all together, but we’re well past the halfway point and Childers has implied there isn’t much left speed to be found in the No. 4’s last 15 races with the Gen 6 car. Still, Harvick is an all-world talent behind the wheel and could out-maneuver faster cars Sunday for what would be a strong statement victory.
4. OK, so if so many other drivers and teams have a shot to win — consider all Penske/Gibbs drivers as legitimate contenders —where does that leave the season’s best team in Hendrick Motorsports? Well, it’s tough to say. On one hand, it has been so dominant in this middle portion of the season it’s unrealistic to expect the powerhouse team to just bow down to Loudon’s typical magicians. On the other, it was unrealistic to expect the other teams to not catch up at some point, and this weekend might be when we really start to see shades of that. Hendrick drivers have just three total top 10s among them the past two weeks (of course, one of them was Chase Elliott‘s Road America win) and New Hampshire hasn’t been a strong track for Rick Hendricks’ group in quite some time. Kyle Larson still has the second-best odds out there at 21-4, but it seems oddsmakers are favoring the Fords and Toyotas overall. And they’re probably right.
5. How about a different Chevrolet driver landing in Victory Lane, though? How about the one who did last week? Kurt Busch shocked the world last Sunday — well, not if you read Power Rankings every week — when the 42-year-old out-dueled his younger brother for the win at Atlanta, but the question remains if Busch will find the fountain of youth again this weekend. He’ll certainly need it, as his three NHMS wins all came in 2008 or earlier, having finished 17th or worse in three of the last four races there. He has also only won back-to-back races once in his career, at Martinsville/Atlanta in 2002. Perhaps we’ll see another new winner this weekend (relatively likely considering what we said about Hamlin/Harvick), and apart from the drivers already mentioned it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a Tyler Reddick, AustinDillon or RossChastain victory Sunday, though those feel much less certain than Busch looked entering Atlanta. Either way, with five races remaining before the playoffs, there’s plenty to watch and Sunday should be a thrill ride.
Race-day staples
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
•Power Rankings: Ryan Blaney heating up before strong Penske track | Scope the ranks •Paint Scheme Preview: Magical paint schemes for Loudon | See the schemes •Fantasy Fastlane: See which drivers to use, avoid | Full Fantasy advice |Set your roster •Preview Show: Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver preview the race | Watch the show •Bubble Watch: Where drivers closest to the cutline stand before New Hampshire | See the bubble
Get in on the action
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
• Betting odds for New Hampshire race | See the odds
• New Hampshire race provides teaching moments for NASCAR bettors | Find out why • One-stop shop for NASCAR betting information | Check it out • Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
Wicked good racing up north
NASCAR is back in New England with a race at the “Magic Mile.” Take a look at some track history and what happened last time out.
•Remember this?: Memorable moments from New Hampshire | See the moments • Boy, oh boy: Relive Clint Bowyer’s first career Cup Series win | Watch the 2007 Sylvania 300 •A lot of lobster: All-time wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway | See the winners
• Locked in at Loudon: How JGR has put together history NHMS run | Analysis
• Throwback ‘2’ last year: Keselowski victorious at the Magic Mile in ’20 | See how Kes won
Fast facts
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• Chevrolet has only won one of the last 14 NHMS races (Harvick, 2016). The last time by a current Chevy driver? Kurt Busch, 2008.
• The Stage 1 winner has never gone on to win the race at NHMS. The Stage 2 winner has won twice. • The race winner led 54 laps or fewer in six of the last eight races at NHMS. In the other two they led more than 180 in each. • The average green flag stretch at NHMS in 2020 was 21 laps, the shortest in the last nine races there. • The final lead change came with 30 or more laps to go in nine of the last 12 races at the “Magic Mile.”
Catch the pack
Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• You’re up, kids: Cindric, Burton making move to Cup in 2022 | See the details • Like family: Harrison Burton teams with Wood Brothers | Read more
• DiBenedetto opens up: Matt DiBenedetto on losing Wood Brothers Racing ride: ‘It does suck’ | See what he said
• From 21 to 2: Why Roger Penske switched Austin Cindric’s 2022 Cup plans | Read more
• Silly Season tracker: Keep tabs on who’s headed where for next season | See the details • Blueprint followed?: Did Team Penske, Wood Brothers follow Hendrick in driver shuffle | Full analysis
• Extending the pact: Kyle Larson to stay at Hendrick through 2023 | Read more
• Evolving stance: Rick Hendrick explains how he’s changed his mind on letting drivers run other disciplines | Read more
• Long-term view: Rick Hendrick aims “to keep the band together” in current lineup | See what he said
Say what?
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
“New Hampshire has been a really hit-or-miss place for us. It’s just a different track. It takes a differing driving style, I feel like, than some of the other places. I look at Loudon as being more of its own animal. We’ve had a couple solid runs here, but never a dominating performance. I don’t feel like personally it has been my best place.” — Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
“I’m not crazy about touching the lobster. My wife (Morgan) is excited about it. I will probably let her hold it (if I win).” — Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
“New Hampshire is fairly difficult. I feel like it’s a track that, historically, the veteran drivers do really well at with their experience there. It’s just a tough racetrack. You have to have a lot of grip in your car to run well. And honestly, this is one of the tracks that Rudy (Fugle) and I have done the best at in our careers. We have some testing notes there and know what works well and what the car needs to do. I’m honestly pretty excited about going to New Hampshire this weekend. It’s a track that Rudy and I have been looking forward to going to all season long.” — William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a track that I’ve had to work really hard at to understand how to run better and get around there properly. I put a lot of work in over the off-season to be better at places like short tracks and road courses where you use a lot of brake, and New Hampshire is a track where you definitely need to manage your brakes well. We’ve done a really good job this year improving at tracks I found challenging before, so I’m excited to see what that means for New Hampshire this Sunday.” — Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
The NASCAR Cup Series is back in New Hampshire, and the 1.058-mile oval could be the opportunity that hungry veterans like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick need to get that elusive first win of the season. With a win, they qualify for the postseason.
“The Magic Mile” — as the Loudon, New Hampshire track is also known — hosts a critical race this weekend, as the NASCAR Cup Series is now down to five races remaining in the regular season. After this weekend, the season will have a two-week break while the Olympics are going on. After the Olympics, four races remain in August before the postseason begins in September.
Could a veteran snag this critical win, or will Kyle Larson continue his 2021 dominance after signing a contract extension this week with Hendrick Motorsports?
Take a look at the NASCAR racing odds for the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at Loudon:
THE ODDS-ON FAVORITE
Martin Truex, Jr. (+500)
Truex, Jr. tops the odds at Loudon, but there are many historically strong drivers in this field — even with many top veterans of the past two decades recently retired. Truex comes from a New Jersey family that has had success at the New Hampshire oval track. His father — Martin Truex Sr. — won the only NASCAR touring series race of his career at Loudon, capturing the K&N Pro Series East race (now known as ARCA Menards Series East) there in 1994. Little brother Ryan Truex also won two East races here in 2010, and Truex, Jr. won twice in the same series and won once in the Xfinity Series (2005).
While Truex, Jr. hasn’t won at Loudon in the NASCAR Cup Series, he has one of the top average finish numbers there — 12.0. He has 13 career top-10 finishes and seven career top-fives. Keep in mind, Truex, Jr. hasn’t always been in top-flight equipment during his career, either. His last six runs here have been top 10s, and he took third last year in Joe Gibbs’ equipment — the strongest team he’s raced for in his career.
Couple the historical context above with the fact that he’s won three times this season and will start second this weekend, and you can see that he’s a solid favorite.
OTHERS: Truex, Jr. is not miles ahead of everybody else in the NASCAR racing odds. Now that he’s racing with Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson (+525) has proven he can win just about anywhere at any time. With five races remaining before NASCAR begins its postseason on Sept. 5 in Darlington, Larson would be on top of the playoff standings if the regular season ended today. He’s been stellar.
Denny Hamlin (+550) is extremely hungry to get that first win of the season. He tops the regular-season standings as of today, but that will change once the NASCAR Cup Series standings reset for the postseason. Hamlin’s past two races have produced second-place finishes at this venue, and he has won three races here in his career. He also holds the best average finish (9.6) among any active driver with more than one start.
Lastly, there’s Kyle Busch (+650). He’ll start on the pole and has 12 career NASCAR wins at Loudon in the top three series: Three in the Cup Series, six in the Xfinity Series, and three in the Camping World Truck Series.
THE DARK HORSE THREAT
Kevin Harvick (+1200)
Of all of this weekend’s entrants, nobody has more career Cup Series wins than Kevin Harvick at New Hampshire. He has won four times at the track — three coming in the past six Cup races — and also has more top fives (13) and top 10s (21) than anybody in this weekend’s field.
Harvick has been at his best in his career at intermediate-length tracks that range in size from 1.00-to-1.54 miles long. Consider this: Of Harvick’s 58 career Cup Series wins, 36 of them have come at tracks in this range of length. There’s something just right about this track size. Harvick hasn’t won a race this year, but this might be a big opportunity.
THE INTRIGUING LONG SHOT
Christopher Bell (+2000)
Bell has only run a single race at New Hampshire when it comes to the Cup Series, but he’s won the past two races here (2018 & 2019) in the Xfinity Series and won the 2017 Camping World Truck Series also. In all three lower-series victories, he started No. 2 and was racing with either Joe Gibbs (Xfinity) or Kyle Busch (Trucks) — both traditionally strong in those levels. He’ll be in a Gibbs’ Cup Series car this weekend.
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Now’s your chance to make those dreams come true in Busch’s latest sweepstakes. Turn on your @BuschBeer notifications for #Foxwoods 301 this Sunday when Kevin Harvick is driving the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Then, whenever the No. 4 car is in the last three laps of a stage, tweet #BuschLightApple #Sweepstakes for your chance to enter.
Every stage is a chance for you to get one step closer to having the opportunity to devise a sweet new paint scheme for the 2014 Cup champion. There are three stages scheduled for Sunday’s race, so be sure to pay attention and get the maximum number of entries.
Heading into Sunday’s race, Harvick was in ninth place in the standings with 159 points of breathing room between himself and the playoff cutline. Harvick has made the playoffs in 12 straight seasons, including in 2014 when he won the championship.
Harvick is a four-time winner at New Hampshire, with his most recent victories coming in 2018 and 2019 in Busch Beer-sponsored cars. Harvick has 21 top-10 finishes and 13 top fives in 37 starts at the 1.058-mile track known as the “Magic Mile.”
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