The Sprint Cup drivers will chase a win this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in NASCAR‘s Bad Boy Off Road 300. For the Chase Grid drivers, the race on the track called the “Magic Mile” could be a make-or-break race for their playoff hopes.
The New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a 1.058-mile track with just seven degrees of baking at the highest through the turns. That makes it all but a flat track and a true challenge for drivers and teams. One could say that the “magic” in this mile track is getting to the end of the race with no damage to your car. Actually winning the race for many would be more of a miracle than magic.
For some of the Chase Grid drivers, this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race could all but eliminate their hope of advancing to the Round of 12 even though there is one more race in the current Round of 16 after this weekend. Below is how the Chase Grid looks heading to New Hampshire.
Which Sprint Cup drivers have performed the best over their careers at the “Magic Mile?” Let’s take a look.
Top 10 Driver Rating at New Hampshire
Jeff Gordon – 106.1
Denny Hamlin – 103.3
Tony Stewart – 103.0
Jimmie Johnson – 100.8
Brad Keselowski – 99.8
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 97.4
Kyle Busch – 97.2
Kevin Harvick – 96.7
Ryan Newman – 90.5
Kasey Kahne – 90.4
(NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 races {23 total} among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.)
There are 14 active Sprint Cup drivers who have won at New Hampshire and nine of those drivers are on the Chase Grid currently. Six drivers have scored three wins at the track and include Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Chasers Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and winner of the last two New Hampshire races Matt Kenseth.
Clint Bowyer and Chasers Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch have all won a pair of races on the “Magic Mile.”
The drivers that have scored a single win at New Hampshire are Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Chasers Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick. Kevin is one of the four drivers currently below the cutoff line on the Chase Grid and needs to have a very good race this weekend to improve that position. Of course, a win would give him (or any Chase driver) an automatic advance in The Chase to the next win.
It’s not really a short track. However, when NASCAR races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway it often looks like a short track race with cars sliding and hitting each other. That brings focus and temper control into the mix for the drivers.
Which driver will be able to keep themselves and their car under control for 300 laps (317.4 miles) to have as hot at the win? Will the winner be a NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase driver or will a non-Chaser play the role of spoiler by winning the race?
We will all see what stories are written when the action starts in the Bad Boy Off Road 300 Sunday, September 25th at 1 PM central time (2 PM eastern time) from the “Magic Mile” of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
