What to look out for at the NASCAR Cup Series race in New Hampshire (USA)

Ryan Blaney’s motivation for a second consecutive win is quite unique.

Blaney won the first Cup race at Iowa last weekend and Mais was part of the pillars in Victory Lane. If he wins today’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he will receive a Hummer.

“I’ve always wanted to hold lobster since I was a kid,” Blaney said this weekend. “So hopefully we can expand our main course offerings. Last week we had corn and this week we had lobster, and we’re trying to make it a full dinner.”

The green flag is scheduled to be raised in the United States today at 2:06 p.m. ET.

Here are three things you should pay attention to when racing:

1. Strip

Joe Gibbs Racing looks to continue its winning streak and Hendrick Motorsports hopes to end it today.

In the last 12 races at New Hampshire, a Joe Gibbs Racing car has finished in the top two. Martin Truex Jr. won the race last year for JGR. Christopher Bell won the 2022 race for the team. The last time a JGR car did not finish first or second at New Hampshire was in September 2014.

Christopher Bell spoke to the media on Friday and revealed who is expected to drive the No. 19 next year.

The weekend started well for the organization. Bell won the Xfinity race on Saturday.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway has not been a memorable track for Hendrick Motorsports. The organization won the last Cup race at the 1.058-mile track in July 2012. The driver? Kasey Kahne.

Hendrick will have three cars in the top five after qualifying was canceled and the lineup was determined by the qualifying metric. Chase Elliott is on pole. William Byron starts third. Alex Bowman starts fifth.

2. Playoff picture

There are nine races left in the regular season, including today’s race. Bubba Wallace holds the last playoff spot.

Ten drivers have secured a playoff spot with a win. This means that there are currently six places left in the points distribution.

Joey Logano is six points below the cutline. Kyle Busch is 31 points below the cutline. Chase Briscoe is 44 points below the cutline.

Logano starts sixth. Wallace starts 17th. Briscoe starts 23rd. Busch starts 30th in the 36-car field.

“I’m confident we’ll move forward,” Logano said over the weekend. “But it’s definitely not as comfortable as we’d like.”

Due to rain, qualifying in New Hampshire had to be cancelled and the lineup was determined by the qualifying metric.

3. The unexpected

Will the race go the full distance? Or will it end prematurely?

The weather forecast predicts rain for the afternoon.

In New Hampshire, track position and strategy are crucial, but the weather could cause chaos and force crew chiefs to make different strategy decisions.

The Cup race on Sunday is the 18th in the 36-race season.