NASCAR: Chase pressure ramping up at New Hampshire
Everything you need to know about Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, in three minutes:
Three things to watch
1. The pressure of the Chase is ramped up, with Martin Truex Jr. the only driver guaranteed a spot in the second round after he won last week at Chicagoland Speedway.
2. Carl Edwards is on the pole for a sixth time this season. He won from that position at Bristol’s spring race.
3. Drivers (and crew chiefs) will push their car templates to the limit with the announcement earlier this week that lower-tier violations won’t be penalized.
Observations
▪ NASCAR will likely get its first cool-weather race of the post-summer season. Temperatures have been cool in New Hampshire over the weekend and aren’t expected to exceed the mid-60s Sunday. It’s a welcome change.
▪ Fastest driver on the track Saturday was Kyle Larson, who paced both practice sessions (132.186 mph in the early session; 132.577 in the final session). Edwards, however, had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average (131.663) in the final session.
▪ Austin Dillon, who is 13th in the Chase standings, starts at the rear of the field after he went to a backup car when his car crashed in practice Friday.
Best bets
Three picks for your fantasy team:
Matt Kenseth: He’s won two consecutive races at New Hampshire and a third would send him into the second round of the Chase.
Denny Hamlin: He’s got nine consecutive top-10 finishes and always drives well at New Hampshire (two victories, eight top-fives). He was also second-fastest in Saturday’s final practice.
Jimmie Johnson: Something seems to go wrong each week these days for the No. 48, but he has three career victories at New Hampshire.
He said it
“A (Chase) win and how much it relaxes you is different for each round as you get further along with it.” -- Joey Logano.
N@SCAR
The garage is alive at @NHMS! #TheChase https://t.co/MMLY14H2fm
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 24, 2016
Officially booked my first race for next year. Stay tuned for details. #itsasecret
— Tony Stewart (@TonyStewart) September 22, 2016
Getting there
Race facts
Bad Boy Off Road 300
Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Track type: 1.058-mile granite and asphalt oval.
Race distance: 317 miles, or 300 laps.
Green flag: 2:15 p.m.
Weather: Sunny, high of 63. No chance of rain.
TV: NBC Sports Network.
Radio: Performance Racing Network.
This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 2:53 PM with the headline "NASCAR: Chase pressure ramping up at New Hampshire."