Following a tire-wear thriller that capped the Round of 16 at Bristol, NASCAR now shifts to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the 58th Cup Series race at the track, opening the Round of 12 this season.
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While Loudon has staged 15 playoff races before, this marks its first since 2017 and makes it the eighth different venue to host the fourth race of the postseason. A win here will not only ease the pressure heading into the remaining two events in the Round of 12 but will also put serious prize money on the line.
Veteran reporter Bob Pockrass revealed on X that the Cup Series purse for this weekend totals $9,797,935, up from $7,876,911 last year. That figure encompasses payouts for past performances, contingency awards, year-end point contributions, and additional benefits.
One rung below in the Xfinity Series, the payout drops sharply. The purse sits at $782,900, well below the $1,270,055 distributed a year ago.
Purses for New Hampshire weekend, including all payouts, all positions, plus contingency awards, contribution to year-end points fund, etc.; for Cup, includes all charter team payouts for competing and historical performance.
Cup: $9,797,935
Truck: $782,900
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 17, 2025
Favorites for the weekend
By the past numbers, Denny Hamlin stands as the odds-on favorite. Fresh off a P31 at Bristol after his Gateway victory, he will roll into New Hampshire with a 9.9 average finish, three wins, and 11 top-fives in 31 starts.
Brad Keselowski, though, will also loom just as large. With a 10.5 average finish, two wins, and 10 top-fives in 24 starts, he could be a threat to the field, as he will most likely carry the momentum from last weekend, after nearly stealing Bristol from Christopher Bell in a runner-up effort.
Beyond those two, Christopher Bell will draw attention as the next best bet. Already a playoff race winner in the Round of 16, Bell will chase back-to-back wins with a 12.2 average finish at New Hampshire. He knows the fast way around the track, having outdueled his current teammate Chase Briscoe last year by leading 149 laps en route to victory.
Toyota has set the tone this postseason, sweeping the first three races. With Hamlin, Bell, and Briscoe all in stride, they carry the best chance to extend that dominance into the Round of 12 as well.
With Kansas Speedway next, it pans in Toyota’s favor even more before the Charlotte Roval aims to provide a wildcard winner, maybe in the form of Shane van Gisbergen, who finds himself out of the playoffs. The upcoming few weekends are shaping up to be crucial and exciting as drivers near the final challenge, with the ultimate prize in the sport on the line.
