New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 28 of 36 (09-27-15)
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: 301 laps / 318.46 miles
Top 10 Driver Rating at New Hampshire
Jeff Gordon 106.7
Tony Stewart 104.7
Denny Hamlin 102.4
Jimmie Johnson 100.9
Brad Keselowski 98.7
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 97.5
Kyle Busch 96.7
Kevin Harvick 94.6
Clint Bowyer 92.6
Ryan Newman 91.5
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (21 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2014 pole winner:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
140.598 mph, 27.090 secs. 09-19-14
2014 race winner:
Joey Logano, Ford
98.697 mph, (03:14:53), 09-21-14
Track qualifying record:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
140.598 mph, 27.090 secs. 09-21-14
Track race record:
Jeff Burton, Ford
117.134 mph, (02:42:35), 07-13-97
New Hampshire Driver Tale of the Tape
1 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.5
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 646 laps
· Average Finish of 13
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.810, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.040, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.5, 16th-best
· 3590 Laps in the Top 15 (57.2), 14th-most
· 518 Quality Passes, 10th-most
2 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.4
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, ten top fives, 14 top 10s,
· Led 500 laps
· Average Finish of 13.6
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.684, third-best
· Average Running Position of 11.602, third-best
· Driver Rating of 102.4, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.010, fourth-fastest
· 4131 Laps in the Top 15 (72.7), fifth-most
· 602 Quality Passes, fourth-most
3 - Carl Edwards (No. 19 Sport Clips Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.0
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, four top fives, ten top 10s,
· Led 342 laps
· Average Finish of 15.6
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.333, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.152, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.0, 14th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.653, 18th-fastest
· 3376 Laps in the Top 15 (53.8), 16th-most
· 446 Quality Passes, 15th-most
4 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 Pedigree Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.7
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, six top fives, ten top 10s,
· Led 659 laps
· Average Finish of 11.2
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.429, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.902, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.7, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.813, 10th-fastest
· 4264 Laps in the Top 15 (67.9), ninth-most
· 566 Quality Passes, seventh-most
5 - Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.8
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s,
· Led 765 laps
· Average Finish of 10.6
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.143, 19th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.020, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.8, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.727, 13th-fastest
· 3793 Laps in the Top 15 (60.4), 12th-most
· 578 Quality Passes, fifth-most
6 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.9
2015 Rundown
· Three wins, 16 top fives, 21 top 10s,
· Led 863 laps
· Average Finish of 8.5
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 16.929, 17th-best
· Average Running Position of 18.742, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.9, 19th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.472, 20th-fastest
· 1928 Laps in the Top 15 (46.0), 19th-most
· 211 Quality Passes, 21st-most
7 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.9
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 467 laps
· Average Finish of 12.1
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, ten top fives, 18 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.476, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.614, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 100.9, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.118, second-fastest
· 4813 Laps in the Top 15 (76.7), second-most
· 640 Quality Passes, third-most
8 - Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.5
2015 Rundown
· Five top fives, 13 top 10s,
· Led 19 laps
· Average Finish of 13.5
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 16 top 10s; seven poles
· Average finish of 14.952, 15th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.335, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.5, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.725, 14th-fastest
· 4486 Laps in the Top 15 (71.4), sixth-most
· 536 Quality Passes, ninth-most
9 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.7
2015 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 19 top 10s,
· Led 607 laps
· Average Finish of 11.2
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, five top fives, eight top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 10.250, series-best
· Average Running Position of 12.141, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 98.7, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.927, sixth-fastest
· 2448 Laps in the Top 15 (68.2), eighth-most
· 374 Quality Passes, 17th-most
10 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.5
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 203 laps
· Average Finish of 10.3
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Eight top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.952, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.606, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.5, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.070, third-fastest
· 4700 Laps in the Top 15 (74.9), third-most
· 674 Quality Passes, second-most
11 - Martin Truex, Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.8
2015 Rundown
· One win, seven top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 536 laps
· Average Finish of 13.2
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 14.263, 14th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.386, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, 15th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.699, 17th-fastest
· 3376 Laps in the Top 15 (59.4), 13th-most
· 472 Quality Passes, 14th-most
12 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.7
2015 Rundown
· Three top fives, 13 top 10s,
· Led 208 laps
· Average Finish of 16
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, 16 top fives, 23 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 10.619, second-best
· Average Running Position of 7.841, series-best
· Driver Rating of 106.7, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 125.241, series-fastest
· 5526 Laps in the Top 15 (88.0), series-most
· 718 Quality Passes, series-most
13 - Jamie McMurray (No. 1 FLIRR Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.8
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, seven top 10s,
· Led 14 laps
· Average Finish of 15
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 21.714, 23rd-best
· Average Running Position of 21.084, 22nd-best
· Driver Rating of 70.8, 22nd-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 123.965, 25th-fastest
· 2174 Laps in the Top 15 (34.6), 20th-most
· 271 Quality Passes, 18th-most
14 - Paul Menard (No. 27 Sylvania / Menards Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 61.4
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, four top 10s,
· Led 1 laps
· Average Finish of 16.7
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Average finish of 23.765, 27th-best
· Average Running Position of 23.316, 27th-best
· Driver Rating of 61.4, 28th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 123.931, 26th-fastest
· 1227 Laps in the Top 15 (24.2), 25th-most
· 236 Quality Passes, 19th-most
15 - Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.6
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, 11 top 10s,
· Led 8 laps
· Average Finish of 16.7
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.526, 16th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.104, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.6, ninth-best
· 249 Fastest Laps Run, 42nd-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.783, 11th-fastest
· 3770 Laps in the Top 15 (66.4), 10th-most
· 510 Quality Passes, 12th-most
16 - Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Ditech Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.6
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s,
· Led 1460 laps
· Average Finish of 9.0
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.238, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.931, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.6, eighth-best
· 275 Fastest Laps Run, 48th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 124.893, seventh-fastest
· 4300 Laps in the Top 15 (68.5), seventh-most
· 510 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Sylvania 300 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
Boy, we really got some kind of Chase brewing with all kinds of drama after just one race. The defending champ, Kevin Harvick, felt Jimmie Johnson caused his wreck early in the Chicago race last week which caused him to finish 42nd and drop all the way to last place among the 16 drivers in the Chase. After the race, Harvick shoved Johnson.
Yes! A battle between two champions. Love it!
Harvick is now in a situation where he is going to have to most likely win either of the next two races -- Sunday at New Hampshire or next week at Dover -- to stay alive in the Chase.
As we saw last season at Phoenix, never doubt Harvick to do anything when the chips were down. However, if you did want to doubt Harvick you would have stats on your side. While Harvick has more wins than anyone at Phoenix history with seven, including the past four, he has only one win combined on the 1-mile layouts of New Hampshire and Dover.
Still, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook only dropped his odds to win the Sprint Cup from a 4/1 co-favorite last week to 6/1 on Monday, which is the ultimate sign of respect.
Here's a look at the Westgate's updated numbers:
Odds to win 2015 Sprint Cup Championship
Kyle Busch 4/1
Matt Kenseth 5/1
Joey Logano 6/1
Kevin Harvick 6/1
Jimmie Johnson 7/1
Brad Keselowski 8/1
Denny Hamlin 8/1
Carl Edwards 12/1
Martin Truex Jr. 12/1
Kurt Busch 12/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 25/1
Jeff Gordon 30/1
Ryan Newman 60/1
Jamie McMurray 100/1
Clint Bowyer 200/1
Paul Menard 300/1
Sunday's Sylvania 300 will be the second race of the season on New Hampshire Motor Speedway's 1-mile flat track. The best part of handicapping New Hampshire is that we can really get a good grasp of who should do well by looking at results from similar tracks at Phoenix (1-mile) and Richmond (3/4-mile) this season. If a driver does well on one, history shows that they do well on the other.
Back in the day when teams used to list chassis information -- the previous 20 years up until this season -- I noticed that most of the crew chiefs brought the same chassis to each of the three flat tracks, especially those that did well. The results were always there to show similarities over the years, but the chassis angle and similar set-up always stuck with me.
As a bookmaker, I lowered odds on those drivers that performed well on the three tracks and as a bettor I took advantage of other books that were not in tune with NASCAR. The trio of tracks at Phoenix, New Hampshire and Richmond have consistently been my most profitable NASCAR tracks over the past 20-plus years of betting, whether it's odds to win or head-to-head matchups. I could pinpoint the most likely winner to just two or three drivers and wager more on them instead of spreading things around more for less money.
Those trends all still hold true, but we've had a major transition of elite powers in NASCAR this season that probably makes this year the least correlated I've ever seen between the three similar tracks -- no multi-winner yet between four events.
In the first New Hampshire race, held July 19, Kyle Busch was in the middle of dominating the month and it was the beginning of a Joe Gibbs Racing domination period that is still going on now. With Denny Hamlin's win Sunday at Chicago, a JGR driver has now won nine of the past 12 races on the schedule. Joey Logano has snuck in a couple wins over that span -- a bunch of top-fives too -- and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race of randomness at Daytona, but other than that it's been all Toyota and Gibbs.
It's been quite an assault on the series, and has created a season that I've never quite seen before. I love NASCAR's ability to change mid-stream with a package, but I also love consistency. What I'm getting right now is only consistency with JGR, but it only started when the low down force package was introduced at Kentucky July 11. Before that, it was the Kevin Harvick show with a top-two finish almost every week and another guy in a bow-tie, Jimmie Johnson, had four wins. It really has been a tale of two seasons. It's been quite a while since I've seen Chevrolet look so ordinary this late.
Matt Kenseth led 352 of 400 laps at Richmond two weeks ago in one of the more dominating performances of the season. He's won three of the past seven races and grabbed his first and only win at NHMS in 2013 during his first year with JGR.
I like the desperation angle with Harvick this week, and I also like Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski to run strong, but there is just too much going right with JGR to go against them, and they come in waves at you. The real question is which one do you pick? Kyle Busch hasn't won in a while and he's a two-time NHMS winner. Hamlin has won two times there, while Edwards is searching for the first of his career.
If we could bet Mega-Sports pari-mutuel style like 15 years ago -- fire it up again with William Hill Mr. Vic Salerno, who brilliantly introduced the product with LeRoy's -- I would box an exacta with Kenseth and Busch and then maybe key those two to Hamlin and Logano on the back end of a trifecta.
Harvick, my pick to win the Chase, is in bad shape right now and while I will never doubt him, I have come to believe that the JGR cars are better than everyone else on 1.5-mile tracks even with the regular aero-package that the season started with. There was some inkling that we might go back to June-type results, but momentum and knowledge have catapulted Toyota and JGR past everyone else.
Hopefully the next nine Chase races don't reflect what we're seeing lately, but I certainly wouldn't be upset for my pocket if Hamlin won his first title.
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #20 Matt Kenseth (7/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (5/1)
3) #22 Joey Logano (7/1)
4) #11 Denny Hamlin (12/1)
5) #4 Kevin Harvick (5/1)
Drivers to Watch - New Hampshire
By Sportsbook.ag
New Hampshire hosts the Sylvania 300 on Sunday and the drivers will be amped up with only two races left until the contender round begins. New Hampshire Motor Speedway features a track that runs 1.058 miles and has variable banking at 2/7 degrees on the turns and one degree banking on the straightaways.
Denny Hamlin won last week’s myAFibRisk.com 400 race and that put him in second in the Chase rankings and he’s now guaranteed a spot in the next round. Hamlin was racing on a torn ACL, which made the feat even more impressive. Joey Logano will be very excited to get back to Loudon, as he won the Sylvania 300 in 2014. A few other drivers that will be looking forward to this race are Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer. The three of them have all won this event twice and that type of experience will give them plenty of confidence this weekend.
With only nine races left this season, let’s take a look at who could be improving their chances of winning the Chase by coming up with a win on Sunday.
Drivers to Watch
Joey Logano (7/1) - Joey Logano was the winner of the Sylvania 300 just a year ago and will be looking to defend that crown on Sunday. Logano isn’t only a good pick this weekend because of that, though. He is entering this race in tremendous form, finishing sixth just a week ago at Chicagoland and racking up six top-10 finishes in a row. He was the winner in two of those six races and will be looking to keep his excellent racing up with another win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin (10/1) - As previously mentioned, Denny Hamlin is coming off of a victory last week and it’s never a bad thing to tail the hot driver. Hamlin is getting some pretty favorable odds at 10-to-1 and he knows what it takes to get the job done, especially at this track. Hamlin was the winner of the Sylvania 300 back in 2012 and should not be slept on heading into this race. His torn ACL did not seem to bother him at all, but that could change at any given time.
Jeff Gordon (20/1) - Jeff Gordon has not won a single race on the year, but he has not been driving poorly. He has still totaled 13 top-10 finishes on the year and has as good a chance as anybody to come away as the winner on Sunday. Gordon won the Sylvania 300 in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998, and he has been driving well recently also. Gordon finished in just 14th a week ago, but he finished in seventh at the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Sep. 12. He’ll be looking to finally break through with a victory this weekend and he’s a good play at 20-to-1.
Ryan Newman (60/1) - Like Gordon, Ryan Newman has won the Sylvania 300 twice in his career and he is getting absurd 60-to-1 odds this coming weekend. Newman looked great at the myAFibRisk.com 400 just a week ago, finishing in fourth place at the race. He comes into this one after finishing in the top 10 in three of the past five races and is a major bargain at these odds. He is certainly worth placing a unit or two on, as he is due for a victory this season.
Odds to win Sylvania 300
Kevin Harvick 9/2
Brad Keselowski 5/1
Kyle Busch 5/1
Joey Logano 7/1
Matt Kenseth 8/1
Denny Hamlin 10/1
Jimmie Johnson 10/1
Carl Edwards 12/1
Kurt Busch 12/1
Martin Truex Jr 15/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 20/1
Jeff Gordon 20/1
Kyle Larson 35/1
Jamie McMurray 40/1
Austin Dillon 60/1
Clint Bowyer 60/1
Kasey Kahne 60/1
Ryan Newman 60/1
Tony Stewart 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
Aric Almirola 200/1
David Ragan 200/1
Paul Menard 200/1
Greg Biffle 300/1
AJ Allmendinger 500/1
Casey Mears 500/1
Danica Patrick 500/1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr 500/1
Sam Hornish Jr 500/1
Trevor Bayne 500/1