The annual trip to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway is here. Last year was the first season is years that the Magic Mile had just one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend on it.

Sunday, is Year 2.

Here are the top storylines.

Points Race Still Heating Up

There are two points races to watch as we move forward. The first is the regular season championship. The race between Joey Logano vs. Kyle Busch for 15 coveted playoff points is huge. Just 11 points separate the two heading into this weekend’s race.

Then, you move to the bottom of the playoff standings for the other big battle. At this moment, it looks like it will be a four driver race for the final two spots.

There’s a 14 point gap between 14th to 18th. Two of those drivers aren’t going to make it.

So, stage points are going to be key for these drivers. They can’t afford to give them up.

Can SHR Shine?

It seems to be a weekly topic but it’s true, when will SHR get hot again? Last year, Kevin Harvick nudged Kyle Busch out of the way to win this race in New Hampshire. Harvick, has six top five finishes in his last eight tries at New Hampshire including two wins. But, on the season, Harvick has just one top five since late April with the last coming at Dover in early May.

Aric Almirola has been quick at New Hampshire too. He was fifth in 2013 and sixth in 2014. The SHR driver was also third in last year’s race. But, the Florida native hasn’t scored a top five on the season since March 11.

Clint Bowyer has two top 10 finishes in his last three New Hampshire starts but he’s lost 69 points in the standings since May 11.

Daniel Suarez is also on the playoff bubble, but has two top eight finishes in his last three New Hampshire starts too.

So, can they get a driver to victory lane for the first time of the season?

JGR/Penske Battle Again?

Joe Gibbs Racing has won this race in three of the last four years. They’ve actually been really good at New Hampshire lately too. So, can they get back in victory lane this weekend?

JGR won 10 of the first 16 races on the year but are 0-for-3 since.

In New Hampshire, Denny Hamlin has seven straight top 15 finishes but only three top 10’s. He finished 13th last year. On the season, Hamlin has just two top five finishes in his last 10 starts on the year.

Kyle Busch would be a logical favorite too. Busch, has nine top 10 finishes in his last 11 NHMS starts, seven of which in the top three. He also has two wins and four runner-up finishes as well. But, he’s somewhat slumping on the season too. In his first nine races to 2019, Busch had six top three results and nine top 10’s. Over his last 10, he only has five top fives and seven top 10’s. He’s finished outside the top 10 in two of the last three weeks too.

What about Martin Truex Jr? He’s had a roller coaster career in NHMS. Truex, had five top 10 finishes in his first seven tries in the Granite State only to follow that up with two in his next 13. But, over his last six, he’s had five top 10’s including his last four finishes being 7th, 3rd, 5th and 4th respectively.

Erik Jones only has one top 10 finish of his career in New Hampshire but does have six top eight finishes in his last nine starts on the year.

So, do you trust JGR? Their past at NHMS isn’t as good as it looks on the surface and they’re entering this weekend reeling a bit.

You’d think you can trust Penske if not. They’ve won five times in 2019 too but none since Michigan as that was the only win for them since May 11 in Kansas.

Brad Keselowski has three top six finishes in his last six starts on the season to go along with 10 top 10 finishes in his last 14 NHMS starts. But, he finished 32nd last year and ninth in 2017.

Joey Logano has zero top five finishes in his last four NHMS starts but does have two straight top 10’s. The current points leader had two finishes of 23rd or worse in his last four tries in 2019.

That leaves Ryan Blaney who has never scored a top five finish in New Hampshire and has just one top five since Bristol (13 races). But, he does have three top 10 finishes in his last five starts on the year and two straight at NHMS.

This could all open the door for someone else.

Chevy Closing The Gap

The last three weeks have shown that Chevrolet is closing the gap on the field. With only four race wins in 2018, they’ve already equaled that number this season alone. In fact, a bowtie has won in each of the last three weeks for their first three race win streak since 2015.

Now, with JGR and Penske potentially opening up the door still, look for Hendrick Motorsports or Chip Ganassi Racing to steal another win on Sunday.

Kyle Larson has two runner-up finishes in his last three NHMS starts. He has three top 10’s in his last four. He has five top 10 finishes in his last 10 starts on the season. He had just two in the first nine races in 2019.

Kurt Busch has three top 10 finishes in his last four NHMS starts. He should have won Daytona. He nearly won Michigan. He did win at Kentucky. He can win on Sunday too.

Alex Bowman finished 11th in this race last year. He’s better now. Bowman, has six top 10 finishes in his last 10 starts on the year including a win and three runner-ups. He had zero top 10’s prior.

William Byron came home 14th in this race last year. He enters this weekend with four top 10 finishes in his last seven starts including a top five in Daytona.

Jimmie Johnson may not have scored a top five at New Hampshire since 2014 but did finish 10th in this race last year. He has two top five finishes in his last three starts on the season though and four top 10’s in his last seven overall.

Chase Elliott is slumping lately but was fifth in this race last year.

So, I feel better about HMS and CGR than I do JGR or Penske right now.