The 24th annual New Hampshire Motor Speedway 301 will begin on Sunday, July 17th at 1:30 pm E.T. on the NBC Sports Network. The six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, will start out in front of the field. Johnson had the fastest time of 28.430 seconds in the last qualifying round on Friday.
Furthermore, Johnson will look to make it his fourth win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He last took the checkered flag out in front in the summer of 2010. Odds-makers have Johnson at 8/1 to win here on Sunday.
Kyle Busch will start on the outside of Jimmie Johnson for the start of the New Hampshire Motor speedway 301. The Joe Gibbs Racing stand-out pulled his #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota off of the truck with speed. Consequently, Busch displayed top five speeds in two of the three practice rounds. His qualifying efforts on Saturday fell a little short when Johnson edged him in the final round.
“Rowdy” Busch was the victor for the summer race at New Hampshire Motor speedway in 2015. The reigning Sprint Cup Champion has won here on two occasions. Las Vegas has him slated at a 5/1 favorite to drive on to victory on Sunday.
Martin Truex Jr. will start behind Jimmie Johnson in the third position. The Joe Gibbs Racing newcomer posted the fastest time in the first round of qualifying. His times faded to outside of the top ten in the following two practice sessions. Obviously, his crew chief dialed his #78 Furniture Row Toyota back in for qualifying. TTruex Jr. finished in eighth the last time he race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Line-setters have him at a tempting 15/1 to take the checkered flag in front.
Teammates Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick also reside in the top ten qualifying spots. Busch sits in the fourth position and Harvick in eighth. Kurt Busch drove his way to two top ten practice times. As a result, he found the right set-up for an outstanding qualifying round. The seasoned veteran swept both races here in 2004 and won again in the fall of 2008. Vegas has him at a lofty 20/1 favorite.
Kevin Harvick is licking his chops to get started at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Last year, the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion dominated the fall event by leading 216 of the 300 circuits spun. Harvick ran out of gas on lap 298 in the fall race and conceded the win to Matt Kenseth. He finished out his day in a disappointing 21st place.
Redemption is on the #4 Freaky Fast Chevrolet’s team for the 2016 event. Harvick posted the 18th quickest time in the first round. The savvy driver put that session behind him and improved to the fourth fastest in the next two. Furthermore, Harvick posted the fastest ten lap and 15 lap averages. Odds gurus placed Harvick at 5/1 to win the 24th Annual New Hampshire Motor Speedway 301.
Denny Hamlin, the Daytona 500 winner, might be the most consistent car so far this weekend. Hamlin posted top five times in all three practice rounds leading up to the race. His speed did not tail off in the qualifying session and he rounds out the top five in fifth.
The speedster led 27 laps here in the fall contest and finished behind teammate and race winner Matt Kenseth. Hamlin also drove on to victory in the Xfinity Series race a day earlier. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is a 8/1 favorite to drive his #11Fed Ex Office Toyota to glory.
Team Penske cohorts Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are lurking in the top ten starting slots. Logano will start behind Martin Truex Jr. in the fifth spot and Keselowski a little further back in ninth. Logano raced his way to a fourth place finish at New Hampshire motor Speedway in the fall. He led a total of 12 laps in the contest.
His teammate Keselowski led a race high 101 revolutions but couldn’t catch race winner Kyle Busch after he took the lead on lap 257. The #2 Miller Lite speedster settled for a second place finish. Keselowski has won a season high four races including last weeks contest in Kentucky. Las Vegas knows the power the two drivers bring to the table for the race on Sunday. Logano is a 8/1 favorite and Keselowski a tad better at 6/1.
Erik the Huns Fantasy Line-Up:
A: Kevin Harvick
B: Denny Hamlin Matt Kenseth Kasey Kahne
C: Matt Dibenedetto
Odds to Win the 24th Annual New Hampshire Motor Speedway 301:
| Kevin Harvick | 5/1 |
| Kyle Busch | 5/1 |
| Brad Keslowski | 6/1 |
| Denny Hamlin | 8/1 |
| Joey Logano | 8/1 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 8/1 |
| Carl Edwards | 8/1 |
| Matt Kenseth | 8/1 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 15/1 |
| Kurt Busch | 20/1 |
| Chase Elliott | 20/1 |
| Kyle Larson | 30/1 |
| Austin Dillon | 60/1 |
| Ryan Newman | 60/1 |
| Kasey Kahne | 60/1 |
| Tony Stewart | 60/1 |
| Ryan Blaney | 80/1 |
| Jamie McMurray | 80/1 |
| Greg Biffle | 100/1 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 200/1 |
| Paul Menard | 200/1 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 300/1 |
| Trevor Bayne | 300/1 |
| Aric Almirola | 300/1 |
| Clint Bowyer | 300/1 |
| Danica Patrick | 300/1 |
| Casey Mears | 500/1 |
| Chris Buescher | 1000/1 |
