NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Sylvania 300

The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Sept. 27

The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. (ET)

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 317.14 miles (300 laps)

 

Gordon Set to Become NASCAR’s All-Time Consecutive Starts Leader

When Jeff Gordon starts his engine in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he will pass Ricky Rudd as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series consecutive starts leader by beginning his 789th straight race.

NASCAR’s new Iron Man has not missed a start since making his series debut at Atlanta on Nov. 15, 1992 – a span of 22 years, 10 months and 12 days.

NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Rudd’s streak began on Jan. 11, 1981 and ended on Sept. 20, 2005. Over the stretch, he amassed a 23 wins, 194 top-fives, 375 top-tens and 29 Coors Light Pole Awards. While impressive, his stats pale in comparison to Gordon who boasts four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, 92 wins, 323 top-fives, 467 top-tens and 80 Coors Light Pole Awards.

Gordon cannot afford to get overly sentimental on Sunday because he has a fifth Sprint Cup Series title to earn. He sits in the 12th and last Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup transfer spot, three points above Jamie McMurray on the cutoff line. But remember, a win gets a driver into the next round and Gordon boasts three victories at New Hampshire – tied for the lead among active drivers.

No ACL, No Problem:

Hamlin Advances to Challenger Round with Chicagoland Victory

Denny Hamlin, competing with a torn ACL, became the first driver to advance to the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by winning Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.  The victory was the 26th of Hamlin’s career, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen for 27th on the all-time list.

No matter where Hamlin finishes in the next two Challenger Round races, he automatically transfers to the Contender Round, which has races at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega.

Maybe more impressive than Hamlin’s win is the bet he won with arguably the fiercest competitor in sports – his pal Michael Jordan.

After the race, Hamlin explained:

“Well, I know one thing for sure.  The first thing I’m going to do is text Michael Jordan. He texted me on Wednesday. He said he was in Monte-Carlo. I popped in his head like I always do, which I thought was a little odd.  He says, I know you’re about to head into the playoffs. I just want you to know I’ve never admitted to anybody that anyone is better than me at anything my whole life. But if you win this race this weekend, I will admit that you’re a better driver than I am.

“I thought, Wow! That would be awesome. I just thought of that just now. So the first thing I’m going to do is text him and say, ‘Admit it, I’m better than you, and I want everyone to know.’”

Keselowski Joins Elite Company with Tenth Straight Top-Ten Finish

With his eighth-place finish at Chicagoland, Brad Keselowski became the fifth driver in the Chase Era (2004-present) to record ten straight top-ten finishes – a club that only includes Sprint Cup Series champions.

Others to make the feat include Kevin Harvick (2015), Tony Stewart (twice 2005 and 2009), Jeff Gordon (2007) and Jimmie Johnson (2005).

Ninth on the Chase Grid following his eighth-place showing at Chicagoland, Keselowski heads to New Hampshire where he owns one win, five top-fives, eight top-tens and three Coors Light Pole Awards in 12 starts.

Harvick Hobbles to New Hampshire, in Trouble Following Chicagoland

For the second straight season, Kevin Harvick has his back up against the wall in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

He wrecked at Chicagoland after continuing to race following a bump from Jimmie Johnson, finishing 42nd. He is now 22 points behind Jeff Gordon on the cutoff line with two races left to get to the Challenger Round.

He likely needs a win to advance.

Last season, Harvick found himself in a similar situation after placing 33rd at Martinsville to open the Eliminator 8. He won one race later at Phoenix in a do-or-die situation to salvage his championship run.

The difference between now and then is that Harvick owns Phoenix – he’s won the last four races there. At New Hampshire and Dover – the sites of the next two Chase events – Harvick has only visited Victory Lane once – fall 2006 at New Hampshire.

Harvick has placed third in the last two races at New Hampshire. Although he only has one win at The Magic Mile, his loop statistics there show a strong finish is likely. Harvick’s New Hampshire peripherals include the sixth-best average running position (11.931) and the eight-best driver rating (94.6).

Logano Lobbies for Another Lobster at New Hampshire

Joey Logano hopes to lift another lobster in Victory Lane as he tries to defend his New Hampshire Motor Speedway fall win from last year.

Logano, who grew up roughly 2.5 hours away from The Magic Mile in Middletown, Connecticut, claims two wins, four top-fives and six top-tens at the place he considers his home track. He ranks third on the Chase Grid after placing sixth in NASCAR’s playoff opener at Chicagoland.

The 25-year-old Team Penske driver earned his first career Sprint Cup Series victory as a member of Joe Gibbs Racing at New Hampshire on June 28, 2009.

Busch Can Bust Out Brooms at New Hampshire

Kyle Busch will attempt to become the first driver to sweep a track this season in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

‘Rowdy’ roared to Victory Lane at New Hampshire in July leading 95 laps on the way to his third of four wins this season. Since his triumph at the 1.058-mile track, Busch has six top-tens in eight starts, including one win and two runner-ups.

Overall, Busch has two wins at New Hampshire and has finished first, eighth, second, second and second in his last five starts there.

He ranks fourth on the Chase Grid following his ninth-place finish at Chicagoland.

Chase Update: Two Races to Go in Challenger Round

Two races remain in the Challenger Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Elimination of the four winless drivers with the least points happens at the end of the Challenger Round.  At the moment, Jeff Gordon sits in the 12th and final transfer spot ahead of Jamie McMurray (-3 points).

Denny Hamlin has already advanced to the Contender Round with a win, Hamlin will have company if another Chase-eligible driver wins at New Hampshire.

Drivers who are a part of the 16 challengers with a win at New Hampshire are: Jimmie Johnson (3), Ryan Newman (3), Kurt Busch (3), Gordon (3), Bowyer (2), Hamlin (2), Kyle Busch (2), Brad Keselowski (1) and Kevin Harvick (1).

It is in Hamlin’s best interest to win again because it would block a potential chance to transfer from Harvick, who is the defending series champion and led the circuit in points earned in the regular season.

Non-Chase-eligible drivers in the field who have won at New Hampshire and can block a transfer spot with a visit to Victory Lane include: Tony Stewart (3), Greg Biffle (1) and Kasey Kahne (1).

There are scenarios where a Chase driver can clinch a spot in the Contender Round without a win this weekend – though it’s a long shot. A driver can clinch without a win if they have a 45-point lead – or a 44-point if they own the tie-breaker – over the tenth-highest non-winning Chase driver if a Chase driver that’s not Hamlin wins at New Hampshire, or a 45-point lead over the 11th-highest non-winning Chase driver if a non-Chase driver or Hamlin wins at New Hampshire.

Beast of the Northeast:

Ryan Preece Making Sprint Cup Series Début At New Hampshire

Anyone who follows motorsports in the Northeast knows the name Ryan Preece.

The NASCAR Next alum won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 2013, placed runner-up in the series in 2012 and 2014 and leads its standings this year with four wins, six top-fives and 12 top-tens in 12 starts.

On Sunday, Preece will make his Sprint Cup Series début in the No. 98 Tommy Baldwin Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, located just under 180 miles from his hometown of Berlin, Connecticut.

Preece has made three NASCAR national series starts in his career – all in the XFINITY Series with a high finish of 14th at New Hampshire last summer. He finished better than he started in every race.