NASCAR race at New Hampshire: How to watch, starting lineup and predictions

A banner at the top of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s website greets visitors. “Welcome back race fans,” the graphic letters read, along with a logo for the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 race. Just below that (no scrolling required!) is a bright yellow bar hosting links related to the track’s “COVID-19 Notice of Risk and Policies” for the Sunday event.

That weekend has finally arrived, when NASCAR and its fans return to New England, but not without additional precautionary measures. Along with the updated coronavirus policies implemented for fans at other Speedway Motorsports properties, such as Texas and Bristol, NASCAR teams and drivers received another notice from the state through the sanctioning body.

“They want us to stay outside of the New Hampshire community, you could say,” No. 95 driver Christopher Bell said. “We have to pretty much stay within our own confines. They don’t want us going out to restaurants or anything like that. It’s pretty much, ‘fly in and race, and fly out’ anyway. They’re taking extra precautions this week.”

The state is advising any individuals traveling into New Hampshire from states outside of New England to self-quarantine for 14 days. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said during a news conference Thursday that ticket sales for Sunday’s race indicate that “nearly 90 percent” of the 12,000 fans expected will come from within New England. But most team members and NASCAR officials are from the Charlotte-area, and some have traveled to different states over the past week without a Cup race last weekend.

They will be limited to travel between their hotel and the speedway. Teams that violate that rule will be fined by NASCAR, according to Sununu.

“I’m not worried, but it will be interesting to see what happens,” Sununu said.

The speedway in Loudon, which seats over 75,000, according to the Boston Globe, is limited to a 35-percent capacity in accordance with state consultation.

FOX Sports reported that, as of Monday, Sullivan County Health Department said no cluster had been identified related to NASCAR’s All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which hosted the most fans at a sporting event (over 20,000) since the pandemic. The county was still waiting on test results from a number of labs and results from its contact tracing method, according to the report. There was not an immediate update from the health department when requested Friday.

“I think it’s a matter of just doing your part,” Bell said of the ongoing coronavirus track safety procedures. “Wearing masks when you need to and making sure that you’re staying away from people, and just using common sense.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE RACING

NASCAR and its teams don’t want a shutdown, especially with many of them still in the hunt for a playoff bid to continue into the postseason. After the last Cup race at Kansas Speedway, 10 drivers have secured their spot in the playoffs, while others, like Jimmie Johnson, have dropped below the 16-driver cutoff.

Sunday pole-sitter Aric Almirola (+134 points up) leads defending Cup champion Kyle Busch (+120) and his brother Kurt Busch (+119) as the first drivers above the cutoff without a race win. Then it’s Clint Bowyer (+42), Matt DiBenedetto (+35) and William Byron (+10) seeking to defend their spots from drivers just outside the cutoff like Tyler Reddick in 17th (-10), Erik Jones in 18th (-12) and Johnson in 19th (-18).

Reddick and Jones could be two drivers to watch based on their recent move up the points ladder and history at the track. Reddick finished fourth off an 11th place start at the track last year in the Xfinity Series, while Jones finished in third place during last year’s Cup race. Johnson, however, is the active driver with most top-10 finishes at the track, with 22.

Still, this race could end up looking a lot like last week: A battle between Harvick and Hamlin coming down to the checkered flag, with Martin Truex Jr. sprinkled in the top-three at the finish. Harvick won at Loudon last season by holding off Hamlin on older tires. A win this week would bring Harvick to a tie with Hamlin for the most race wins in the series this season, at five each.

While a win is becoming even more essential for drivers on the points bubble as the regular season calendar winds down, protocols should also be a priority this weekend in order to keep the sport, and teams in it, around through playoffs.

WEATHER IN LOUDON

As a hurricane potentially rolls through North Carolina this weekend, NASCAR should be safe from major storms in New Hampshire. Sunday morning, light rain cells were moving in over Loudon, according to AccuWeather radar, but those are expected to dissipate before the 3 p.m. race. As of noon Sunday, the temperature was 77 degrees with a projected high of 84 degrees. The National Weather Service projects only a 30 percent chance of rain Sunday evening, while AccuWeather reports a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

QUOTABLE THIS WEEK

1. Jimmie Johnson tested an IndyCar chassis for the first time Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The seven-time Cup champion has been eyeing a transition to IndyCar following his retirement from full-time NASCAR racing at the end of this season.

“It only lit the fire more. I want to do this more than ever before,” Johnson told The Associated Press.

2. NASCAR announced Thursday that the Daytona Road Course race on Aug. 16 would have some procedural updates, including the addition of a chicane off the oval Turn 4 and the implementation of the high downforce package with 750 horsepower engine to help control high speeds.

“I guess my personal opinion on safety is, not necessarily the slower the better, but the slower the safer,” No. 6 driver Ryan Newman said. “And that’s just something that definitely needs to be considered.”

3. Michael McDowell auctioned off the bumper of the No. 43 car that driver Bubba Wallace left on McDowell’s hauler during the All-Star Open. Wallace crashed out of the race with a destroyed car following contact with McDowell. The incident prompted heated quotes from Wallace. McDowell’s No. 34 team saved the bumper and auctioned it off to benefit Motor Racing Outreach, a Christian organization that provides spiritual support to drivers and their families. CarParts.com made the winning bid of $20,034 earlier this week, and said it would match the donation to Victory Junction, a camp for children with serious medical conditions established by former racecar driver Adam Petty.

“We turned a situation where there’s not a lot on the line — It’s the All Star Open, right? So it’s not a points day. It’s not going to (define) your year — So we turned a crummy night into a good situation,” McDowell told The Observer.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR RACE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE

• Race: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

• Distance: 318.46 miles, 301 laps (stages end on laps 75, 185, 301)

• When: Sunday, 3 p.m.

• TV: NBCSN (broadcast starts at 2:30 p.m.)

• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• 2019 Race Winner: Kevin Harvick

STARTING LINEUP FOR NASCAR RACE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE

This story was originally published August 2, 2020 at 6:00 AM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription