It is time to race for the Lobster at the New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. In what will be the first of two stops at the track this year, the 1.058-mile circuit always provides some of the most exciting racing on the Sprint Cup Circuit. Track position plays a huge role in these races with just seven drivers having a +5 positional differential or better. JGR and Penske have split each of the last four races at the track with Penske slightly ahead in the top-five finish count.
Let’s look at the data to see what else can be gleaned from the numbers.
| Avg. | Avg. | Laps | High | Low | Avg. | Difference | Laps Led | Laps Led | ||||||||
| Driver | Start | Finish | Races | Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Top 20's | Led | Poles | Finish | Finish | DNF | Rating | Pts. | Pts. | Pts./race |
| Joey Logano | 5.8 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 88 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 110.8 | -6.2 | 22 | 5.50 |
| Brad Keselowski | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 320 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 125.3 | 0 | 80 | 20.00 |
| Kyle Busch | 6.8 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 158 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 0 | 107.3 | -5.2 | 39.5 | 9.88 |
| Matt Kenseth | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 108.7 | 5 | 9.75 | 2.44 |
| Kyle Larson | 11.5 | 13.25 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 84.8 | -1.75 | 3.5 | 0.88 |
| Kevin Harvick | 7.3 | 14.25 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 379 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 119.1 | -6.95 | 94.75 | 23.69 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 17.3 | 12.25 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 97.9 | 5.05 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Carl Edwards | 6 | 10.5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 38 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 92.4 | -4.5 | 9.5 | 2.38 |
| Ryan Newman | 17 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 86 | 6 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4.8 | 15.25 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 73 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 0 | 104.7 | -10.45 | 18.25 | 4.56 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 5 | 18.75 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 1 | 80.2 | -13.75 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Greg Biffle | 23 | 15.5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 68.9 | 7.5 | 3 | 0.75 |
| Jamie McMurray | 10.3 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 91.3 | -4.7 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 19.3 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 85 | 8.3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kurt Busch | 10.5 | 20.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 36 | 0 | 84.7 | -10 | 0.25 | 0.06 |
| Kasey Kahne | 12 | 15.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 23 | 0 | 84.8 | -3.5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 21.8 | 19.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 39 | 1 | 74.3 | 2.3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Austin Dillon | 21.3 | 13.75 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 0 | 72.8 | 7.55 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Tony Stewart | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 30 | 0 | 71.2 | 4 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Clint Bowyer | 16.5 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 34 | 0 | 76.2 | -3.5 | 9 | 2.25 |
| Aric Almirola | 21 | 21.75 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 43 | 1 | 65.9 | -0.75 | 0 | 0.00 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 24.8 | 16.75 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 70.2 | 8.05 | 3.25 | 0.81 |
| Paul Menard | 21.8 | 18.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 25 | 0 | 71.7 | 3.3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Casey Mears | 24 | 23.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 38 | 0 | 59.7 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Danica Patrick | 22.3 | 26.25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 40 | 1 | 65.5 | -3.95 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Trevor Bayne | 32 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 32 | 0 | 54 | 8 | 0 | 0.00 |
| David Ragan | 19 | 31.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 42 | 2 | 53.3 | -12.5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Cole Whitt | 31.8 | 29.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 38 | 0 | 46.4 | 2.3 | 0.25 | 0.06 |
| Ryan Blaney | 16 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 77.1 | -7 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Landon Cassill | 27.3 | 31.75 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 38 | 0 | 46.2 | -4.45 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Reed Sorenson | 37 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 33 | 0 | 42.5 | 5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Michael Annett | 38.3 | 31.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 36 | 0 | 40.3 | 6.8 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Josh Wise | 37 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 33 | 0 | 39.9 | 6 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 35 | 32.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 35 | 0 | 39.4 | 2.5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Eddie MacDonald | 40.5 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 37 | 0 | 32.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 42 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 29.8 | 7 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Michael McDowell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Chase Elliot | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Key Drivers on 1-Mile Tracks
| Avg. | Avg. | Laps | High | Low | Difference | Laps Led | Laps Led | |||||||||
| Driver | Start | Finish | Races | Wins | Top 5's | Top 10's | Top 20's | Led | Poles | Finish | Finish | DNF | Rating | Pts. | Pts. | Pts./race |
| Kevin Harvick | 7.4 | 7.93 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 2,183 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 130.6 | -0.53 | 545.75 | 38.98 |
| Matt Kenseth | 10.5 | 9.62 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 132 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 1 | 105.9 | 0.88 | 33 | 2.54 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 8.4 | 15.57 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 343 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 2 | 95.2 | -7.17 | 85.75 | 6.13 |
| Brad Keselowski | 8.1 | 7.93 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 535 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 108.7 | 0.17 | 133.75 | 9.55 |
| Joey Logano | 7.4 | 10.14 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 213 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 105.8 | -2.74 | 53.25 | 3.80 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 14.5 | 13.07 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 63 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 2 | 97 | 1.43 | 15.75 | 1.13 |
| Kyle Busch | 6.2 | 16.85 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 341 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 3 | 102.7 | -10.65 | 85.25 | 6.56 |
| Kyle Larson | 10.3 | 11.43 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 99 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 90.6 | -1.13 | 24.75 | 1.77 |
| Denny Hamlin | 6.6 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 230 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 0 | 94.7 | -6.4 | 57.5 | 4.11 |
| Jamie McMurray | 11.4 | 13.14 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 86.6 | -1.74 | 0.5 | 0.04 |
| Kasey Kahne | 14.6 | 14.21 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 85 | 0.39 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kurt Busch | 10.8 | 16.79 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 39 | 1 | 92.3 | -5.99 | 0.25 | 0.02 |
| Ryan Newman | 15.4 | 14.79 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 1 | 81.3 | 0.61 | 1.5 | 0.11 |
| Carl Edwards | 9.6 | 12.79 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 135 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 95.5 | -3.19 | 33.75 | 2.41 |
| Aric Almirola | 20.1 | 17.36 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 2 | 73.9 | 2.74 | 0 | 0.00 |
Drivers to watch this week:
Kevin Harvick: Another week, another track that Harvick does well at. If you are looking for top finishing positions, Harvick can help with two top-fives in the last four races there as well as leading in the "laps led" department with 379. He is also far and away the most dominant driver at 1-mile tracks with five wins, nine top-fives, and 2,183 laps led which are all the most of any driver in the last 14 races. He will cost you, though. Harvick is the most expensive driver this week, which could make it imperative to be wise with the low-budget picks.
Brad Keselowski: Keselowski has found his groove in the last two races in winning both, including pulling off the old "I’m running out of gas" trick on Carl Edwards last week. When asked after the Father’s Day week which of the next tracks he was looking forward to the most, he answered Loudon. Already with two wins and now he wants to go after New Hampshire too? Watch out. He does have a win, two top-fives, three top-10s, and the second-most laps led (320) in the last four races at the track. A slightly cheaper option than the aforementioned Harvick, he could help with budgeting further on down the roster.
Joey Logano: Dating back to the July 2013 race at New Hampshire, he has a win and five top-10 finishes, including three straight runner-ups in both races in 2013 and the July race in 2014. He is one of the JGR cars that has done very well this season and has a good history at the New England circuit and at a $9,900 price tag, he is worth a play in GPP formats and potentially cash.
Chase Elliot: Elliot has never raced at New Hampshire in a Sprint Cup car but does have two years of history at the track on the Nationwide and XFINITY Series. He finished ninth and eighth in 2015 and 2014, respectively, and seven and six of the drivers ahead of him were full-time Sprint Cup drivers. He has also shown very good showing at the two other 1-mile tracks (Phoenix and Dover) this year with no finishes worse than eighth. Elliott has proved week in and week out that he can be counted on for solid performances.
A.J. Allmendinger: Most consider Allmendinger only a road course driver and save him for Sonoma and Watkins Glen, but New Hampshire could also make sense. He owns the second-best positional differential only behind Martin Truex Jr. at a +8 but has led more laps than Truex, which makes him a slightly better option. New Hampshire Motor Speedway makes passing hard so the few guys that can do it need to be considered for the lineup and Allmendinger at $7,100 makes a lot of sense budget-wise.
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