NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, July 18

The Time: 3 p.m. ET

TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 318.46 miles (301 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 75),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 185), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 301)

NASCAR Cup Series

The Magic Mile to host 50th running of NASCAR Cup Series race

The NASCAR Cup Series 2021 regular season schedule is winding down with just races to go and this weekend the best side-by-side racing in sports heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the 50th running of the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on July 18 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was August 13, 1989. The 1.058-mile paved oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England. Speedway Motorsports, Inc. agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on January 11, 2008, and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The first NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was on July 11, 1993 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace driving a Team Penske Pontiac (105.947 mph, 02:59:45).

There have been 49 NASCAR Cup Series races held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year from 1997-2017. In 2018, the track reverted back to just one event per season. The 49 NASCAR Cup Series races at New Hampshire have produced 22 different pole winners and 24 different race winners.

Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman leads the series in poles at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with seven (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011 sweep, 2013). This weekend’s starting lineups were determined by Metric Qualifying and as a result Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch will start on the pole. Busch will be joined by JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr. on the front row.

Among the 24 NASCAR Cup Series winners at New Hampshire, seven are active this weekend.

NBC Sports TV Analyst and former driver Jeff Burton (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (2006, 2016, 2018, 2019) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with four victories each. Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski is the most recent Cup winner at New Hampshire taking home the trophy last season after putting on a dominant performance of leading 184 of the scheduled 301 laps.    

Clinch Scenarios in the Granite State

With just five races remaining in the regular season in the NASCAR Cup Series time is running thin for drivers to ensure their spot in the Playoffs. Gazing ahead to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, five drivers have already clinched their spots on wins and points with several others having the opportunity to do the same this weekend. 

Already Clinched

The following five drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman.

Can Clinch Via Previous Wins

The following drivers could clinch if they build up enough points to ensure they will not be left out of the Playoffs due to not all winning drivers having a slot available:

William Byron: Would clinch with 15 points

Joey Logano: Would clinch with 48 points

Ryan Blaney: Could only clinch with help

Brad Keselowski: Could only clinch with help

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, Denny Hamlin.

Playoff Bubble: Five races remain in regular season

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch not only grabbed his first win of the season last weekend, but also secured himself a spot in the Playoffs with the victory leap frogging several winless drivers in the postseason outlook standings. With chances to win starting to run out, tensions are rising for those outside the Playoff cutline without a win.

NASCAR Cup Series Winless Drivers Vying For A Playoff Spot

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon (15th) and Tyler Reddick (16th) in the last two spots inside the Playoff cutline can rest assured it will be difficult to catch them on points with five races to go. But what should worry them, is if the series sees another new winner or two that is below them in the driver standings, they could be bounced out of Playoffs. Currently, Reddick is in the last postseason transfer spot in the standings - 96 points above Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher.

Of the drivers below the Playoff cutline, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman has achieved the most success at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Newman is tied with Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch for the second-most wins at the 1.058-mile track with three each. In total, Newman has made 35 series starts at New Hampshire posting a series leading seven poles, three wins (2002, 2005, 2011), seven top fives and 20 top 10s (second-only to Harvick). 

Plus, don’t forget New Hampshire has been home to first-time winners in the series. Five NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski is looking for back-to-back wins at New Hampshire

Four drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep), Kurt Busch (2004 sweep), Matt Kenseth (2015 fall, 2016 spring) and Kevin Harvick (2018, 2019). This weekend, Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski will look to become the fifth different driver to win consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. 

If he accomplishes the feat this weekend at New Hampshire, it would be just the second-time in Brad Keselowski’s career he has won back-to-back races at the same track joining Bristol Motor Speedway (8/27/11 and 3/18/12). Last season, Keselowski took home the trophy at New Hampshire after putting on a dominant performance leading 184 of the scheduled 301 laps. 

“Loudon is a track that takes a lot of finesse to get around,” Keselowski said. “You have to be really smooth with your inputs, take care of your car in some ways, but also know when to push it. We’ve got a lot of top-fives – only two wins – but I feel like we could have won there a half dozen times.”  

This season, Brad Keselowski is currently 10th in points and has secured a spot in the Playoffs on wins. In 21 starts this year, he has posted one win (Talladega), six top fives and eight top 10s. The Michigan native has also made 20 series starts at New Hampshire posting two wins (2014, 2020), eight top fives and 13 top 10s.

Last season’s wins leaders Harvick, Hamlin head to New Hampshire still winless in 2021

Last season’s NASCAR Cup Series winningest drivers, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, head into this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway riding long winless streaks they are hoping to snap. 

Harvick is coming off a career-year in wins in the NASCAR Cup Series putting up nine victories in 2020, but this season he hasn’t been able to capture a checkered flag. Harvick’s winless streak has now reached 28 races, dating back to Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 19, 2020.

Despite the slow start to the season, Harvick should carry some optimism with him into this weekend as he leads all active Cup drivers almost every traditional statistical category at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In 37 starts at the 1.058-mile track he has posted four wins (2006, 2016, 2018, 2019), 13 top fives and 21 top 10s. He finished fifth in this event last season.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin currently holds the points standings lead over Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson by a mere 10 markers after Atlanta. As Hamlin looks to hold on to the coveted points lead, he also is searching for his first win of the 2021 season, and much like Harvick, his streak dates back to last year at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 4, 2020 - 26 races ago.

Hamlin should feel positive about his chances this weekend at New Hampshire though. In 27 starts he has put up three wins (2007, 2012, 2017), 11 top fives and 16 top 10s. Plus, he has finished runner-up in the last two races at the 1.058-mile facility.

Another feather in Hamlin’s cap this weekend is Joe Gibbs Racing leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Cup Series with 11 victories – Tony Stewart (2000, 2005), Denny Hamlin (2007, 2012, 2017), Joey Logano (2009), Matt Kenseth (2013, 2015, 2016), Kyle Busch (2015, 2017).

NASCAR’s history in New England

Among the six states that make up New England in the United States (Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire), the NASCAR Cup Series has competed at tracks in four of them.

The first NASCAR Cup Series race held in the New England states was at Thompson Speedway, now known as Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, a half-mile paved oval located in Thompson, Connecticut on Oct. 12, 1951. The first race was won by Neil Cole driving a 1950 Oldsmobile. It was Cole’s lone career win in the series.

A total of 102 NASCAR national series races have been held in the state of New Hampshire, all at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway – the most of any of the tracks in New England.

NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

New England Patriots Wide Receiver Gunner Olszewski to driver Pace Car - On Sunday, July 18, Gunner Olszewski, all-pro punt returner and wide receiver for the New England Patriots, will trade the pigskin for the keys to the official Toyota Camry TRD pace car as he leads 40 of NASCAR’s best to the green flag for the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 – the 50th NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). Born in Alvin, Texas, six-foot Olszewski will enter his third season with the New England Patriots this year.

“This is a dream come true,” said 24-year-old Olszewski. “My brother and I grew up watching NASCAR with our dad, and I’m still a huge fan today. I can’t believe I get to lead the field to the green flag at ‘The Magic Mile!’”

Patriots’ safety Patrick Chung (July 2018), offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (July 2017), offensive tackle Matt Light (September 2016), linebacker Rob Ninkovich (July 2015) and wide receiver Julian Edelman (July 2014) have all served as pace car drivers, making Olszewski the sixth member of the New England Patriots to get behind the wheel of the official Toyota Camry pace car at NHMS.

Other notable pace car drivers include Boston Bruins forward Chris Wagner (July 2019), Richard Rawlings of Discovery Channel’s “Fast N’ Loud” (September 2017), Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard (July 2016), Olympic triathlete Sarah True (September 2015) and Boston Bruins legend Brad Park (September 2014).

Cruisin’ for a Cause - Fans in search of the ultimate thrill have the opportunity to experience “The Magic Mile” from the driver’s perspective as part of Speedway Children’s Charities’ (SCC) Laps for Charity event. For just a $40 donation to the New Hampshire Chapter of SCC, fans can drive three laps in their personal vehicle or ride in the NHMS pace car on Thursday, before NASCAR’s best try to tame the track at Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. For more information visit NHMS.com.

Larson extends contract with Hendrick Motorsports to 2023 - Hendrick Automotive Group, via its HendrickCars.com brand, will become the 35-race majority sponsor of Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team in both the 2022 and 2023 NASCAR Cup Series seasons. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports has extended the driver’s contract for one year through 2023.

As part of the agreement, HendrickCars.com will also sponsor Larson in all non-NASCAR events in which he competes, including branding on the driver’s helmets, gloves and firesuits. The 28-year-old native of Elk Grove, California, is a prolific dirt racer who has won 56 times since January 2020 in a variety of cars and series outside of NASCAR. In addition to Larson, HendrickCars.com is the primary sponsor of four-time NHRA champion Greg Anderson.

“The chance to extend my contract with Hendrick Motorsports and have such an awesome sponsor in HendrickCars.com are things I don’t take for granted,” Larson said. “I feel like I’m driving for the best team and the best sponsors in the sport. To know that our on-track performance is having positive business influence off the track is very important because I want to return the incredible support they’ve given me. Everyone at Hendrick Automotive Group has made me feel like part of their team, and it’s exciting to be able to represent a company that loves racing like I do. I feel like we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible.”

Kyle Larson is currently leading the NASCAR Cup Series in wins this season with four victories.

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart

The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, July 11

The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 400.4 miles (260 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 260)

NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series gears up for second stop of 2021 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Slipping and sliding will be what the NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be preparing for as they get set to take on the NASCAR Cup Series’ oldest surface (last repave was in 1997) this Sunday, July 11 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 3:30 p.m. ET.

This weekend’s Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart will be the 115th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the second this season. Atlanta Motor Speedway is a 1.54-mile paved oval located in Hampton, Georgia just south of Atlanta. Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts from the pole position. The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970, and it was renamed to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990. The track layout was reversed, and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.

The previous 114 NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway have produced 52 different pole winners and 45 different race winners. NASCAR Hall of Famer Buddy Baker and Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman lead the series in poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway with seven each.

This weekend’s race had the starting lineups determined by Metric Qualifying and as a result the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion and most recent winner (at Road America last weekend) Chase Elliott will start from the pole and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch will join him on the front row.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway with nine victories (1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000). Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (2001, 2018, 2020) and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch (2002, 2009, 2010) lead all active series winners at Atlanta with three victories each.

Six active former NASCAR Cup Series winners are entered this weekend; including Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney who grabbed his first Atlanta Motor Speedway win of his career earlier this season. Three of the six active Atlanta Cup race winners this weekend, are looking for their first win of the 2021 season – Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin.

Clinch Scenarios: Time is running out to secure a Playoff spot

With just six races remaining in the regular season in the NASCAR Cup Series time is running out for drivers to secure their spot in the Playoffs. Looking ahead to Atlanta Motor Speedway, five drivers have clinched a spot on wins and points with several others having the opportunity to do the same this weekend. 

Already Clinched

The following five drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman.

Can clinch via previous wins

The following drivers could clinch if they build up enough points to ensure they will not be left out of the playoffs due to not all winning drivers having a slot available: William Byron: Could only clinch with help. Joey Logano: Could only clinch with help.

Can clinch via win

The following drivers would clinch on a win alone this weekend: William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, Denny Hamlin.

Impossible to Clinch this weekend

Even with a win, Kevin Harvick would not clinch a Playoff spot on wins since there still exists the possibility of all winners failing to make the Playoffs. If they can't clinch with a win, no winless driver below them in the standings could clinch either.

Regular Season Championship battle tightens with six races to go

Following the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway back on May 16, driver standings leader Denny Hamlin had grown his points cushion to a stout 101 points over second place, but since then Kyle Larson has rallied and has closed that points deficit to just three points, tightening up the race for the Regular Season Championship with just six races to go. 

Winning the NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship not only garners the prestige of the accomplishment, but it also pays 15 Playoff points. That’s the equivalent to three race wins or 15 stage wins worth of Playoff points, quite the haul. 

The NASCAR Cup Series started awarding the Regular Season Championship in 2017. Since then, three different drivers have accomplished the feat – Kevin Harvick (2020), Kyle Busch (2019, 2018) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017).  In two of the past four seasons, the regular-season champ has gone on to win the Playoff title — Truex in 2017 and Busch in 2019.

Gazing to this weekend at Atlanta, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will be working to build on the slim points lead he has left. Hamlin has made 22 series starts at the 1.54-mile track posting one pole, one win (2012), six top fives, nine top 10s and has led 418 laps. He finished fourth at Atlanta earlier this season.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson returns to Atlanta not only hunting for the points lead but also looking for redemption from earlier this season, when he dominated the event leading 269 of the 325 scheduled laps (82.7%) only to finish runner-up to Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney by 2.083-seconds. With a pass for the lead with eight laps left in the Atlanta race back in March, Blaney took the air out of an otherwise dominating performance by Kyle Larson. It was Larson’s second top five and fourth top 10 of his seven career starts at the 1.54-mile track. And ironically, Larson has led the exact same number of laps at Atlanta as Hamlin has at 418.

Kevin Harvick is hungry for a win in 2021

After putting up a career best nine-win NASCAR Cup Series season in 2020, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the 21st race of the 2021 season still winless and looking to secure a spot in the Playoffs. Last season’s regular season champion, Harvick, hasn’t visited Victory Lane since Bristol Motor Speedway in September of 2020 – 27 races ago – his longest winless streak since coming to SHR in 2014.

On a positive note, Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of Harvick’s best tracks statically. He is tied with Kurt Busch for the most wins among active drivers with three each. In total he has put up three wins (2001, 2018, 2020), nine top fives, 16 top 10s and two poles. His average finish in 31 series starts at Atlanta is 12.783, third-best. Plus, he is ranked in the top-10 of several key pre-race Loop Data categories with an Average Running Position of 11.728 (seventh-best), a Driver Rating of 101.4 (series-best), 606 Fastest Laps Run (series-best), and 5,085 Laps in the Top 15 (third-most).  

Keep an eye on Harvick this weekend, in four of his last six starts this season he has posted top-10 finishes. 

NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Atlanta Motor Speedway to undergo reprofile before 2022 - Following the July 11 Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart, Atlanta Motor Speedway will break ground on a historic project to create the next generation of Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2022.

Following 10 months of confidential research, development, testing and simulation with engineers and iRacing, the reprofile will increase the current 24-degree banking in Atlanta’s turns to 28-degrees---higher than any other intermediate track on the current NASCAR circuit. Straightaway banking will remain five degrees. In addition to the new high banks, the racing surface will become narrower with an overall decrease in width from 55 feet to 40 feet. New widths will be 52 feet on the front stretch, 42 feet on the back stretch and 40 feet in the turns.

“As Atlanta’s racing surface has aged, we’ve challenged ourselves to reimagine what NASCAR racing at an intermediate track can be,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “With high banks in the turns, narrower width and new pavement technology, Atlanta will be unlike any other mile-and-a-half track on the circuit. It’s all new for ’22 and this will be specifically designed for close, competitive racing.”

Construction is slated to begin the week following the July 11 Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart, with the next generation Atlanta Motor Speedway making its debut in 2022 in conjunction with NASCAR’s Next Gen car.

Honorary dignitaries for this weekend at Atlanta – This weekend will be packed full of great entertainment and racing action and Atlanta Motor Speedway has invited several great dignitaries to join in on the festivities.

As previously announced, breakout star BRELAND will get race fans revved up for the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart with a live concert on the pre-race stage at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 11.

Employees of the College Park, Ga., Walmart store will serve as Grand Marshals for the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart on Sunday, July 11. The team earned the opportunity through a contest between Walmart locations to say the most famous words in motorsports and kick off 400 miles of racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s national anthem will be performed by country singer and songwriter Corbette Jackson. Jackson grew up in Newnan, Ga., before moving to Nashville to pursue a career as a country music artist. Currently one of the most played independent artists on country radio, Jackson is currently preparing for the release of a new fundraiser single “Small Town Kid”, with profits from the song going to the Coweta Community Foundation tornado relief fund.

Atlanta Operatic Tenor Timothy Miller will perform “God Bless America” during pre-race festivities for the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart. Miller is well known for his performances before Atlanta Braves home games and brings his powerful and legendary voice to NASCAR for the first time on Sunday.

And streaking across the sky above Atlanta Motor Speedway during the national anthem on Sunday will be a C-130 and two HH60 gunner helicopters piloted from Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga.

Ford is looking to keep the wins streak alive – The longest consecutive wins streak by a manufacturer in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway is five victories by Ford (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) and this weekend the manufacturer is looking to keep the streak alive and make it six. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney is the most recent Ford winner at Atlanta taking home the trophy earlier this season.

In total, nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford (34), Pontiac (11), Dodge (nine), Mercury (eight), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Toyota (three) and Oldsmobile (one).