NASCAR heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend as the sport inches ever closer to its 2024 postseason this year. This Sunday’s USA TODAY 301 is expected to go live from the 1-mile-long track in Loudon, New Hampshire, marking the ninth remaining regular season event.
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Cup Series teams are expected to go racing at the venue for a total of 318 miles divided into three stages of 70 laps, 115 laps, and 116 laps respectively. The fuel window for when drivers need to head down to pit road during stage one is expected to be around lap 77 of the event.
Drivers will be seen either keeping out on track during the first stage to bank stage points for their respective playoff bids or will be seen prioritizing track positions for the start of the next stage to challenge for a victory later on.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LOBSTAH! 🤩🦞#NHMS | #TheMagicMile pic.twitter.com/ifSTAYXSrD
— New Hampshire Motor Speedway (@NHMS) June 19, 2024
The second and third stages of the event will see teams trend towards a fuel-saving strategy that has been a staple of stock car racing this season with 115 and 116 laps to go until the end of the race. Some teams could be seen rolling the dice and running full-fuel windows in hopes of a late race pit stop to move them up the field.
It remains to be seen whether last year’s winner Martin Truex Jr. can visit victory lane in Loudon once again and hold the famed lobster, solidifying his postseason playoff hopes in the process.
Which other drivers could sneak into the NASCAR playoffs this weekend at Loudon?
Two other drivers who are on the cusp of the 2024 postseason are two-time Cup Series champions—Joey Logano and Kyle Busch. While Busch has not been having the best of seasons with Richard Childress Racing, Logano has also failed to make an impression bold enough to solidify his place in the playoffs yet.
The #22 Ford Mustang driver will be looking to ramp up his performances this time of the year since both his teammates at Team Penske have already logged a victory in 2024. The 2022 season was also reminiscent of Logano turning the heat up on his performances just in the nick of time as the field competed deep into the playoffs.
Busch on the other hand has been trapped in a spiral of dismal finishes over the past few weeks with the #8 crew at RCR either stricken by bad luck or poor execution. He has been visibly frustrated with his performance as well as his team.
It remains to be seen whether the #8 bunch can turn a corner this Sunday in Loudon.
