Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire - Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 Preview

brospn (60)in #sports • 6 years ago

Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Loudon, NH
Sunday July 22, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on NBCSN
1.058 Mile Flat Oval
Weather: Rain, 74°F

Previous Five Winners and Pole Sitters

Race	Race Winner	Pole Sitter
Fall 2017	Kyle Busch	Kyle Busch
Summer 2017	Denny Hamlin	Martin Truex Jr.
Fall 2016	Kevin Harvick	Carl Edwards
Summer 2016	Matt Kenseth	Jimmie Johnson
Fall 2015	Matt Kenseth	Carl Edwards

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Granite State Sunday with the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. A total of 37 cars are scheduled to enter the event. Who will find the speed necessary to capture the checkered flag at NASCAR's "Magic Mile"?

The Favorite

So which one of the NASCAR's Big Three is the favorite this week? With his strong career track record at New Hampshire, Kyle Busch is the answer.

Busch has three career victories at New Hampshire, including the last race here back in the fall, and three career second place finishes in twenty six starts. In his last ten races here, he has eight top-ten finishes. Busch is also the active leader with 974 laps led. If we throw out the demolition derby known as Daytona, Busch has finished in the top-five in six consecutive races.

This is the first and only race this season at New Hampshire, but the track's flat layout is very similar to the layouts at Phoenix and Richmond. Busch won at Richmond and grabbed a runner-up finish at Phoenix. Busch has shown consistent speed all year and his strong performance history on the circuit's flat tracks make him the favorite to win this week.

Other Drivers to Watch

There's no doubt about it, Martin Truex Jr. is currently the hottest driver in the Cup Series. Truex won last week at Kentucky and has taken the checkered flag in three of the last six races. No driver has led more laps at New Hampshire in the past four years than Truex, but the driver of the No. 78 car is winless here in twenty four career starts.

"We had our chances the past couple of years, leading a lot of laps but couldn’t complete the job," said Truex. "Last year we had the best car for a lot of that race but we didn’t at the end. Our focus this weekend is to figure out how to be better the last 75 or 100 laps in our No. 78 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry."

Truex has had success on the flat tracks this season. He took fifth place at Phoenix and led a race high 121 laps at Richmond before an equipment failure during his last pit stop knocked him out of contention. Busch finally won his first race at Charlotte earlier this year, Truex has the ability to break through at New Hampshire this week.

Kevin Harvick has five wins this season, but none in the last seven races. He has to be itching to ride into victory lane again, New Hampshire could give him the opportunity to scratch it. Harvick has an impressive history here with two wins, ten top-five and eighteen top-ten finishes in thirty four career starts. He has finished in the top-five in five out of his last seven New Hampshire races.

Harvick has also been dominant at the flat tracks this year with a win at Phoenix and a fifth place finish at Richmond. The Big Three should all be fighting for the lead once again as the race winds down at New Hampshire.

Who can give the Big Three a run for their money this week? If we look at the results of Phoenix and Richmond, the answer could be Denny Hamlin or Chase Elliott.

Hamlin finished fourth at Phoenix and third at Richmond. He has three career victories in New Hampshire, including this race last year, to go along with four career second place finishes. Hamlin has yet to win a race this season, but he found himself in the same position last year before taking the checkered flag.

"We’ve obviously had a strong showing at New Hampshire these past few seasons, and our FedEx Racing team is returning with the goal to repeat last year’s success," said Hamlin. "We were able to come from the back and take home the win last July, and we’ll do whatever it takes to do that again so we can lock in our spot to the 2018 Playoffs."

Elliott finished eleventh in both New Hampshire races last year, but has found much more success on the flat tracks this season. He finished in third place at Phoenix and improved to second place behind Kyle Busch at Richmond, his best finish so far this year. Elliott is still hovering around the cut-off line for the rapidly approaching playoffs, a win at New Hampshire would guarantee him a spot.

Because of the dominance of the Big Three this year, Clint Bowyer has flown under the radar despite being the only other Cup Series driver with multiple wins. He could turn the group into the Big Four with a win at New Hampshire. The veteran driver is known for loving to race on the flat tracks, Bowyer has two career wins here and finished in seventh place in both races here last year. Bowyer is in the middle of his best season in recent memory and a win at New Hampshire will not shock anybody.

News Around the Track

Hendrick Motorsports has announced Chad Knaus has signed a two-year contract extension to remain as the crew chief for the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson through 2020. Knaus has been Johnson's crew chief since 2002, the duo have won a record tying seven NASCAR Cup Series Championships.

"I think Jimmie and I have gotten to the point where we really understand one another," Knaus said. That's quite an understatement.

Furniture Row Racing released a statement Wednesday that 5 Hour Energy will be discontinuing its sponsorship of defending NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. after this year. 5 Hour Energy is the primary co-sponsor along with Bass Pro Shops for the No. 78 in 30 races this season. Truex still has sponsorship deals with Bass Pro Shops, Furniture Row, Auto-Owners Insurance and Denver Mattress. Considering the fact that Truex remains one of the top stars in NASCAR, a new partner shouldn't be hard to find.

Stewart-Haas Racing has made changes to all four of its pit crews prior to this week's race at New Hampshire after recent pit stop times for each of its cars have been lagging. All four drivers (Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch) will have a new front tire changer, while Bowyer will also have a new tire carrier.

Bowyer made his frustrations with his pit crew known publicly after the race last week in Kentucky.

"Can’t … maintain the position one … damn time on pit road. It’s about … ridiculous. I’m tired of it. I’ve had enough. Three spots every … damn time I come down pit road."

Harvick and Boywer have already claimed spots in the Chase for the Cup by virtue of winning races. Almirola and Busch currently qualify for the Chase based on drivers points with seven races remaining.