With seven races remaining before the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, only five secured positions remain unclaimed.
The pressure is continuing to ratchet up ahead of Sunday’s Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell are 15th and 16th in the standings, tied in points (407). Bubba Wallace trails them by three points, while A.J. Allmendinger is 13 points back. Rookie Ty Gibbs is only 26 points back trying to earn a playoff spot in his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series season.
Also in a precarious situation is 2020 series champion Chase Elliott, who is 23rd in the standings, 60 points behind the cutoff mark after missing a combined seven races. Fellow veteran Alex Bowman is 22nd (44 points back) after missing three races due to injury. Neither has previously won at New Hampshire.
Ryan Preece enters the race ranked 25th — 81 points out of playoff contention — and is hoping to become the sixth driver to record their first career win at New Hampshire. One of those is another Connecticut native, reigning series champion Joey Logano.
“I always say it’s my favorite race weekend of the year,” Preece said. “I grew up going to the track with my father and grandfather. I had a lot of success here in the modifieds, and it’s just a place I’m comfortable at. Driving in and out of the track each day still brings back a lot of memories. It’s a racer’s track, there’s really no place like it. Someone like me, I’ve had to fight to get where I am, and I don’t take any of it for granted and this is a place that helped me achieve my goals.”
Who will hoist the live lobster given to the driver that takes the checkered flag at the 1.058-mile oval? Our auto racing experts provide their five best bets along with a longshot pick to consider at “The Magic Mile” this week.
CRAYON 301
The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
The Date: July 16, 2:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 1.058-mile oval
Defending Champion: Christopher Bell
Cup Series Leader: William Byron
TV: USA
Radio: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
BEST BETS
Martin Truex Jr. (+500 at BetMGM)
Truex will be looking to rebound from a 32nd and 29th in his past two races after charging to the top of the standings. He’s now second and enters New Hampshire with a pair of wins among his nine top-10s this season. Truex is the book’s biggest liability this week, having been backed by 8.4 percent of the total bets on the winning driver and the most total money at 23.0 percent since opening at +700.
Christopher Bell (+600)
Bell is trying to join Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick in successfully defending at New Hampshire. Bell and Kyle Busch are the only two drivers to have won in every NASCAR national series at the track. Bell has a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win in 2017 and joins Busch as the only drivers to win three consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series races for a grand total of five New Hampshire victories.
William Byron (+1000)
The Cup Series points leader has to be a strong consideration every week. Byron leads the series with a career-high four wins as he prepares to make his 200th career start. He’s second in the series with 11 top-10s this year and has led the most total laps with 742. Byron also leads the grid with seven stage wins.
Kevin Harvick (+1000)
Harvick is the highest-ranked driver in the standings without a win yet this season and sits 126 points above the playoff cutoff line. He has four career victories at New Hampshire, which is tied for the all-time lead with Jeff Burton.
“It’s definitely a racetrack that we’re looking forward to going to and I can’t wait to finally, hopefully, get to Victory Lane,” said Harvick, who has nine top-5s in the past 12 New Hampshire races. “Loudon is one of those places that checks a lot of boxes for us to go up there and have a good weekend.”
Kyle Busch (+1100)
As noted above, Busch has won at New Hampshire in every NASCAR national series. That includes three times in the Cup Series. He’s already a three-time winner this year and is the book’s third biggest liability, having drawn the most total bets (9.1 percent) and second-most money (7.9 percent). Busch leads the series with 12 top-10s this year.
LONGSHOT PICK(S)
Brad Keselowski (+2000)
Keselowski is a two-time winner at New Hampshire in both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series. He is 100 points clear of the current playoff cut line, but could secure his spot in the race for the championship with a win Sunday. Keselowski has held steady at +2000 while being backed by 4.0 percent of the total money wagered on this week’s winner.
Ryan Newman (+10000)
A three-time race winner, Newman holds the all-time record with seven poles at New Hampshire. He will make just his second start of the season, driving for Rick Ware Racing. He’s a true longshot, but Newman is the book’s biggest liability this week, having drawn 3.0 percent of the total bets and 4.0 percent of the money.
–Field Level Media
