With Brad Keselowski’s Chase-opening victory at Chicagoland Speedway, the former Sprint Cup champion is the first to enter the Contender Round.
And that means he can simply focus on remaining the king of New Hampshire this weekend at the “Magic Mile.”
Keselowski dominated the NASCAR weekend this past July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, scoring wins in both the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup Series.
For this weekend’s return trip to the 1.058-mile oval, he’ll be on Cup-only duty. But he’ll still have the chance to be the first driver since Kurt Busch (2004) to sweep both Cup races at NHMS in the same season.
Meanwhile, the other 15 Chasers will be seeking to join Keselowski in the Contender Round with a win of their own.
Keep an eye out in particular for Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick, who could’ve challenged Keselowski for victory in July at NHMS but ran out of fuel as the race stretched into green-white-checkered.
Courtesy of NASCAR’s public relations and statistics teams, here’s everything you need to know going into the Sylvania 300 – the second race of the Challenger Round in the Chase for the Sprint Cup…
NEW HAMPSHIRE-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
1 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.8
2014 Rundown
· Five wins, 12 top fives, 14 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 13.0
· Led 21 races for 1,340 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.4 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 13.6, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 93.8, ninth-best
2 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.9
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.7
· Led 19 races for 571 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, 16 top fives, 22 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 11.0 in 39 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.7
· Driver Rating of 107.7, second-best
· Series-high 437 Fastest Laps Run
· 944 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 125.153 mph
· Series-high 4,989 Laps in the Top 15 (87.9%)
· Series-high 638 Quality Passes
3 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.9
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.9
· Led 18 races for 721 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 19.3 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 21.1, 22nd-best
· Driver Rating of 72.8, 21st-best
4 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser Designate A Driver Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.5
2014 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s; six poles
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 19 races for 1,265 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.3 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 12.8, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.0, 13th-best
· 178 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 970 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.716 mph, ninth-fastest
· 3,700 Laps in the Top 15 (65.2%), ninth-most
5 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.3
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.9
· Led 12 races for 220 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Seven top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.5 in 30 races
· Average Running Position of 11.6, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.3, sixth-best
· 1,061 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.987 mph, fifth-fastest
· 4,255 Laps in the Top 15 (75.0%), fourth-most
· 596 Quality Passes, third-most
6 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.2
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.8
· Led 11 races for 163 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 8.9 in 17 races
· Average Running Position of 10.5, third-best
· Driver Rating of 103.6, third-best
· 302 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.973 mph, sixth-fastest
· 3,843 Laps in the Top 15 (75.7%), sixth-most
· 569 Quality Passes, fourth-most
7 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.8
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.7
· Led 13 races for 411 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.4 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 13.5, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 94.7, eighth-best
· 232 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.693 mph, 10th-fastest
· 3,768 Laps in the Top 15 (66.4%), seventh-most
· 504 Quality Passes, eighth-most
8 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.0
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.1
· Led 15 races for 1,035 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, nine top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.5 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 11.3, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 102.1, fourth-best
· 431 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.077 mph, second-fastest
· 4,459 Laps in the Top 15 (78.6%), second-most
· 602 Quality Passes, second-most
9 – Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.7
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 18.7
· Led 11 races for 181 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.4 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 13.9, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.5, 14th-best
· 187 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 1,002 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.664 mph, 12th-fastest
· 3,448 Laps in the Top 15 (60.8%), 12th-most
· 531 Quality Passes, sixth-most
10 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.1
2014 Rundown
· 10 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.9
· Led 16 races for 465 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.0 in 29 races
· Average Running Position of 15.5, 18th-best
· Driver Rating of 85.5, 18th-best
· Series-high 1,140 Green Flag Passes
· 471 Quality Passes, 12th-most
11 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.4
2014 Rundown
· One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.1
· Led 10 races for 204 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 16.7 in 21 races
· Average Running Position of 13.9, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 92.6, 10th-best
· 340 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 1,000 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.828 mph, eighth-fastest
· 3,709 Laps in the Top 15 (65.4%), eighth-most
· 528 Quality Passes, seventh-most
12 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.4
2014 Rundown
· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.9
· Led 9 races for 133 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 13.8 in 20 races
· Average Running Position of 14.5, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.1, 17th-best
· 972 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
13 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.9
2014 Rundown
· Two top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.1
· Led 4 races for 24 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 16 top 10s; seven poles
· Average finish of 13.6 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 13.1, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.3, 11th-best
· 4,131 Laps in the Top 15 (72.8%), fifth-most
· 490 Quality Passes, ninth-most
14 – AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.4
2014 Rundown
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 20.9
· Led 5 races for 68 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One top 10
· Average finish of 24.2 in 11 races
· Average Running Position of 23.6, 28th-best
· Driver Rating of 63.8, 28th-best
15 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ortho Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 80.5
2014 Rundown
· Three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.6
· Led 6 races for 109 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 15.7 in 24 races
· Average Running Position of 14.9, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.6, 16th-best
· 1,109 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· 480 Quality Passes, 10th-most
16 – Aric Almirola (No. 43 Smithfield Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 73.6
2014 Rundown
· One win, two top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 20.9
· Led 5 races for 23 laps
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, one top 10
· Average finish of 21.3 in eight races
· Average Running Position of 24.3, 32nd-best
· Driver Rating of 61.9, 31st-best
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 28 of 36 (09-21-14)
Track Size: 1.058-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 2 to 7 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 2 to 7 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 1 degree
Banking/Backstretch: 1 degree
Frontstretch Length: 1,500 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet
Race Length: 300 laps / 317.4 miles
Top 10 Driver Rating at New Hampshire
Tony Stewart……………………….. 110.0
Jeff Gordon………………………… 107.7
Denny Hamlin………………………. 103.6
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 102.1
Kyle Larson………………………….. 99.1
Dale Earnhardt Jr…………………… 97.3
Clint Bowyer…………………………. 95.9
Kyle Busch…………………………… 94.7
Brad Keselowski……………………. 93.8
Kasey Kahne………………………… 92.6
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (19 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Coors Light Pole winner: Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 136.497 mph, 27.904 secs., 09-20-13
2013 race winner: Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 107.573 mph, (02:57:02), 09-22-13
Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch, Toyota, 138.130 mph, 27.574 secs., 07-13-14
Track race record: Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134 mph, (02:42:35), 07-13-97
New Hampshire Motor Speedway History
· Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.
· The 1.058-mile oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.
· Speedway Motorsports, Inc. agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on January 11, 2008 and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Notebook
· There have been 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.
· 158 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; 123 in more than one.
· Two drivers have competed in all 39 races at New Hampshire: Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon.
· Mark Martin won the inaugural Coors Light pole at New Hampshire in 1993 with a speed of 126.871 mph.
· 18 drivers have Coors Light poles at New Hampshire, led by Ryan Newman with seven.
· Five drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at New Hampshire: Ken Schrader (1997 sweep); Jeff Gordon (1998-1999); Rusty Wallace (1999-2000); Ryan Newman (twice – 2003-2004 and 2011 sweep); Juan Pablo Montoya (2009-2010).
· Youngest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (07/17/2005 – 21 years, 8 months, 23 days).
· Oldest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (07/21/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 13 days).
· 24 different drivers have won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Burton with four.
· Two drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep) and Kurt Busch (2004 sweep).
· Youngest New Hampshire winner: Joey Logano (06/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).
· Oldest New Hampshire winner: Mark Martin (09/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).
· Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with nine; followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.
· Five different manufacturers have won at New Hampshire; led by Chevrolet with 18 victories; followed by Ford with 12 and Toyota with four.
· Jeff Burton is the only driver to win the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three consecutive years in a row (1997, ’98 and ’99)
· Five of the 39 (12.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Ryan Newman in 2011.
· The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at New Hampshire.
· Eight of the 39 (20.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from the front row: eight from the pole and seven from second-place.
· 21 of the 39 (53.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Nine of the 39 (23.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at New Hampshire was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.
· Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are tied for the series lead in runner-up finishes at New Hampshire with five each.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at New Hampshire with 16; followed by Tony Stewart with 14.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at New Hampshire with 22; followed by Tony Stewart with 18.
· Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at New Hampshire with an 8.680.
· Denny Hamlin leads NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with an 8.941.
· All 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano won at New Hampshire in their second appearance.
· Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire without visiting Victory Lane at 30.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the July 1, 2007 race won by Denny Hamlin over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.068 second.
· 17 of the 31 NSCS races scored by electronic scoring at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.
· Three of the 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races have resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2006 (300/308), 2013 (301/302) and 2014 (301/302).
· Four of the 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was June 28, 2009 – the race was called on Lap 273, 28 circuits shy of the 301 scheduled laps.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway four times: 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2009.
· Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have made their first career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Joe Nemechek (7/11/93), and Joey Logano (9/14/08).
· Brad Keselowski (9/19/10) is the only active driver to post his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· Four active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Joe Nemechek (9/19/99), Ryan Newman (9/15/02), Clint Bowyer (9/16/07) and Joey Logano (6/28/09).
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,371 laps led in 39 starts.
· Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: July 2013 – Started 32nd, finished 37th; Sept. 2013 – Started 21st, finished 27th; July 2014 – Started 29th, finished 22nd.
NASCAR in New Hampshire
· There have been 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.
· 15 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as New Hampshire; Jamie Aube is the only one of the 15 to record a victory in NASCAR national series competition. Aube won July 12, 1987 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME; it was his only start that season.
