The second race in the Chase happens on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Denny Hamlin won the first race of the season here, when he still needed to clinch his spot in the playoffs, having not previously won on the year. It is one of the flattest tracks on the schedule, aside from Martinsville and Phoenix, and at 1-mile in distance matches the length of PIR and Dover. With the flatness and distance at play, the laps leader will likely come from a driver near the front of the field and positional differential will play less of a role with just five drivers with a +6 mark in the category over the past five races.

Track Data

 Avg.Avg.     Laps  HighLow Avg.DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5sTop 10sTop 20sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Matt Kenseth102.8524551740160121.17.243.58.70
Kevin Harvick10.66.85144428301210117.73.870.7514.15
Denny Hamlin68.2512358001150106.6-2.2204.00
Kyle Busch8.412.25123432701370115.5-3.881.7516.35
Joey Logano8.811.650334120337090.3-2.830.60
Brad Keselowski8.88.45023510702150105.50.426.755.35
Martin Truex Jr.8.49.25013540113160114.6-0.8100.2520.05
Kurt Busch712.85013400522097.4-5.800.00
Kyle Larson1715.450124102310841.60.250.05
Dale Earnhardt Jr.161630112100525091.502.50.83
Jimmie Johnson3.811.65003411622095.3-7.80.250.05
Ryan Newman17.4155002400727077.42.400.00
Kasey Kahne9.2185002300928081.4-8.800.00
Austin Dillon2214.85001400822069.87.200.00
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.21.215.650014001024071.35.600.00
Jamie McMurray12.816.45001400626084.2-3.600.00
Daniel Suarez146100110066086.1800.00
Clint Bowyer26.422.65001100734062.23.800.00
Danica Patrick2521.8500039013401663.22.250.45
Ryan Blaney15.316.2540003001123078.2-0.9500.00
Aric Almirola23.423.650003001543161.7-0.200.00
Chase Elliott9.319.3330002101134092.7-10.030.250.08
Paul Menard232150002001525062.5200.00
Trevor Bayne29.825.850002001638153.9400.00
A.J. Allmendinger20.419.8500011301323068.60.63.250.65
Ty Dillon251610001001616068.7900.00
David Ragan19.83050001001841151-10.200.00
Cole Whitt32.531.2540000102438140.11.250.250.06
David Gilliland35.524.520000002128048.91100.00
Chris Buescher28.32830000002530047.40.300.00
Landon Cassill27.429.650000002338045.3-2.200.00
Brett Moffitt32.53020000002733046.82.500.00
Michael McDowell22.330.3330000002639146.1-8.0300.00
Matt DiBenedetto2730.850000002835041.8-3.800.00
Corey LaJoie313110000003131037.8000.00
Jeffrey Earnhardt39.73530000003337028.24.700.00
Reed Sorenson36.33530000003436031.21.300.00
Gray Gaulding343510000003535028.8-100.00
Erik Jones63910000003939139.7-3300.00

Top-15 Drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Historically

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5sTop 10sTop 20sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFPts.Pts.Pts./race
Matt Kenseth18.611.8353112029414014016.8103.52.96
Jimmie Johnson10.510.48313102127323114210.0280.752.60
Denny Hamlin10.81023391420549013700.8137.255.97
Kurt Busch11.715.613338142154101421-3.91135.254.10
Ryan Newman10.113.973137182472271393-3.87180.55.82
Kevin Harvick13.112.82332101825706113400.28176.55.35
Kyle Busch10.313.682529131878721380-3.38196.757.87
Joey Logano16.716.171826812104014020.53261.44
Clint Bowyer1616.26232481451611371-0.261295.61
Brad Keselowski11.410.1916161014349313501.2187.255.45
Kasey Kahne11.717.152713101830501383-5.4576.252.82
Dale Earnhardt Jr.16.215.3534081524378034340.8594.52.78
Martin Truex Jr.11.713.26230492054913371-1.56137.255.97
Jamie McMurray18.519.7929047183203413-1.2980.28
Kyle Larson15.411.717034615023103.693.750.54

Top-15 Drivers at 1-mile Tracks (since February 2015)

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow  DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5sTop 10sTop 20sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Kevin Harvick10.37.471541012131,35211370118.12.8333822.53
Matt Kenseth7.511.36143691130301392107.5-3.8675.755.41
Jimmie Johnson9.213.815238111822141099-4.645.53.03
Kyle Busch7.911.43141891166421372111.4-3.5316611.86
Joey Logano9.112.8715158111891137196.7-3.7747.253.15
Dale Earnhardt Jr.12.515.55111448690143292.1-3.0517.251.57
Denny Hamlin8.110.33151310132171123096.3-2.2354.253.62
Martin Truex Jr.9.910.8151381486811401107.6-0.921714.47
Ryan Newman15.614.33151351370139178.91.271.750.12
Kyle Larson11.911.0715069123300231093.70.8382.55.50
Brad Keselowski10.512.0715048132470238196.4-1.5761.754.12
Kurt Busch7.914.47150481110537192.2-6.570.250.02
Kasey Kahne13.414.53150361100428184.9-1.1300.00
Chase Elliott10.310.899035810703340100.2-0.5926.752.97
Jamie McMurray12.114.67150251230240184.7-2.570.750.05

Drivers to watch this week

Matt Kenseth: Kenseth is the first driver that comes to mind when thinking of NHMS. He has two wins in the last five races and four top-fives and the worst finish from him is sixth. Kenseth has the highest driver rating at 121.l in the field as well. The only downside to him is the 174 laps led in that span, but that still places him fourth in the field. To finish it off, he has 20 top-10s in 35 career races here.

Kevin Harvick: Aside from Kenseth, Harvick is the only other driver to have four top-fives in the last five races and is one of three in the field with 10-career top-10s. He also has a win in this most recent five-race span along with 283 laps led. Harvick’s 706 career laps led are second only to another driver on this list, Kyle Busch. He is looking to add to his win total on the year, after just one win at Sonoma and he could very well win for the third team here on Sunday given his recent record at 1-mile tracks.

Martin Truex Jr.: MTJ has never won a short track race; he came close at Richmond two weeks ago, but fell short on the final lap. Having said that, he still makes the list this week for his three top-10s in the last five races here and being the laps led leader with 401. A sterling 114.6 driver rating puts him fourth in the field as does his 9.2 average finish in the last five races. He has proven all year that he has a car that can perform anywhere, any weekend, as has sat on the pole already here. Truex Jr. should have the speed again this weekend as well.

Jimmie Johnson: JJ hasn’t been heard from much since his summer hot streak, which netted him three wins. The 48-car now comes to Loudon where they have notched three top-10s in the last five and have a very good history. In 31 career races, Johnson has three wins, 10 top-fives, 21 top-10s and 323 laps led at NHMS. Also there’s his eight top-10s in 15 1-mile races since February 2015. With three wins already in the bank it isn’t imperative that he gets one Sunday, but it would surely help his chase for eight.

Kyle Busch:Busch has the worst average finish of anyone on this list, 12.2, in the last five races. However like Kenseth and Harvick, he does have a win and three top-10 finishes in that span. He is second, to Truex, with 327 laps run up front, but does have the most overall in his career here with 787. Kyle was dominant until a couple of pit stop errors had him a lap down and in the middle of the pack for the second and third stages last week at Chicago. That speed should be back again this week.