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.

How To Watch

Coverage – 3 p.m. ET

Green Flag – 3:15 p.m. ET

TV – NBCSN

Radio – PRN

Distance – 301 Laps/318.46 Miles

Stage Lengths – 75/75/151

Race – 20 of 36

Defending Race Winner – Kevin Harvick

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.

So far this weekend, both look good. Busch was second and fourth respectively in practice and third on long run speed. He starts second.

Logano, was 10th and sixth in practice and starts eighth.

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. He was third in practice on Saturday morning and stars ninth.

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. He has been ho hum this weekend in being 13th in both practice sessions but starts 16th.

Daniel Suarez is also on the playoff bubble, but has two top eight finishes in his last three New Hampshire starts too. He was fifth and 20th respectively in practice but only starts 13th.

So, can they get a driver to victory lane for the first time of the season? Right now, I’d say no.

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. He crashed in practice on Friday and starts in the rear on Sunday. He was 10th in practice on Saturday morning but seventh on the 10 lap averages.

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. This could be the weekend he comes out of that though. He was in the top four of every session in every metric this weekend and starts second.

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. He will roll off sixth on Sunday after being fourth on the 10 lap average chart in race practice on Saturday.

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. He was quickest in every metric on Saturday morning and will start fourth on Sunday.

JGR has three of the top six starting spots and I think will shine on Sunday.

You’d think you can trust Penske too. 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. He’s been strong so far though. He will start on the pole and was second on short run speed on Saturday and fifth on the 10 lap average.

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. He was 10th and sixth in practice and rolls off eighth.

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. He also was in the top five of every session this weekend including rolling off fifth.

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, can they go four straight?

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. But, he crashed on Saturday morning and will have to start from the rear on Sunday.

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. He was only 15th and 21st in practice though but does start third.

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. He had a big moment in qualifying on Saturday and will start last.

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. He crashed on Saturday though and starts from the back too.

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. He was 14th and ninth in practice but also eighth on the 10 lap average chart. He starts 10th.

Chase Elliott is slumping lately but was fifth in this race last year. He also was first and eighth respectively on single lap speed and starts 12th.

Prediction

1. 20 Jones – This is his weekend. We’ve had three straight races with a first time winner this season, why not a fourth? Jones, enters New Hampshire with three top eight finishes in his last four starts on the season including six in the last nine overall. In New Hampshire, he finished sixth in 2017 too. This weekend, he was quickest in practice on Saturday morning on single lap runs including being fastest in all the long run metics. He will start fourth too.
2. 18 KyBusch – He has seven top three finishes in his last 11 starts in New Hampshire, four of which runner-ups and two more wins. Busch, qualified second in his No. 18 Toyota and was second and fourth respectively in the first two practice sessions. He was third on the 10 lap averages. On top of all of that, Busch has five top five finishes in his last seven starts on the season too.
3.  2 Keselowski – The Team Penske driver has hit a dry spell on the season but this could be the weekend it ends. Keselowski, has 10 top 10 finishes in his last 14 New Hampshire starts and was ninth and second respectively in practice this weekend. He was fifth on the 10 lap average charts including winning the pole for Sunday’s race in his No. 2 Ford. 
4. 12 Blaney – Blaney, has two straight top 10 finishes in New Hampshire. He was fourth and fifth respectively in the first two practice sessions to go along with being second on the 10 lap average report on Saturday morning. The Team Penske driver qualified fifth too. 
5. 19 Truex Jr. – He has five top 10 finishes in his last six New Hampshire starts. Truex, also is looking to get back on track. He does that with a top five again on Sunday in New Hampshire.