NASCAR at New Hampshire 2014: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More

The Chase for the Sprint Cup got underway last week with 2012 champion Brad Keselowski grabbing the early edge by winning the MyAFibStory.com 400. He carried that momentum to Loudon, where he'll start on the pole for the Osram Sylvania 300.

This week's race marks the second of three in the current round of the Chase. The bottom four drivers after next weekend will be eliminated from championship contention. The new format adds a little extra pressure to these earlier playoff races.

So while drivers attempt to push toward the front, they also have to avoid disaster that could leave them in danger of getting cut next week. It creates an interesting dynamic, so let's take a look at all of the key race information followed by some drivers to watch and a prediction.

Race Info

Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire

When: Sunday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Live Steam: WatchESPN

Radio: Motor Racing Network

Qualifying Order

Pos.	Car No.	Driver	Speed
1	2	Brad Keselowski	140.598
2	1	Jamie McMurray	140.437
3	4	Kevin Harvick	140.065
4	11	Denny Hamlin	139.757
5	18	Kyle Busch	139.721
6	48	Jimmie Johnson	139.419
7	22	Joey Logano	139.241
8	99	Carl Edwards	139.017
9	31	Ryan Newman	138.946
10	42	Kyle Larson	138.881
11	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	138.865
12	55	Brian Vickers	138.759
13	24	Jeff Gordon	138.946
14	15	Clint Bowyer	138.946
15	41	Kurt Busch	138.941
16	20	Matt Kenseth	138.855
17	5	Kasey Kahne	138.825
18	10	Danica Patrick	138.779
19	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	138.577
20	9	Marcos Ambrose	138.527
21	43	Aric Almirola	138.512
22	3	Austin Dillon	138.492
23	27	Paul Menard	138.472
24	51	Justin Allgaier	138.291
25	13	Casey Mears	138.210
26	16	Greg Biffle	138.185
27	47	AJ Allmendinger	138.090
28	14	Tony Stewart	137.621
29	34	David Ragan	137.581
30	40	Landon Cassill	136.992
31	26	Cole Whitt	136.722
32	78	Martin Truex Jr.	136.697
33	93	Clay Rogers	136.650
34	38	David Gilliland	136.184
35	23	Alex Bowman	136.077
36	33	David Stremme	136.038
37	36	Reed Sorenson	135.825
38	7	Michael Annett	135.704
39	98	Josh Wise	135.246
40	83	Travis Kvapil	135.026
41	77	Corey Lajoie	134.558
42	66	Mike Wallace	133.774
43	32	Timmy Hill	133.110

Drivers to Watch

Brad Keselowski

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Keselowski is on quite a roll right now. He opened the Chase with a victory and won the pole for this week's race, which takes place at a track he won at just two months ago. It would be hard to consider anybody else the championship favorite with nine races to go.

He's trying not to get too far ahead of himself, though. The new format means drivers must be good virtually the entire Chase in order to win the title. Mike Hembree of USA Today passed along comments from him about staying in the moment.

"It's so early in the thing," Keselowski said. "With the (points) resets, these really mean nothing. I'm a long, long way from using the word favorite or feeling overly confident."

When NASCAR visited Loudon in July, he led 138 laps while no other driver led more than 62. He also has six top-10 finishes in 10 career starts at the track. All signs point to him being in contention once again on Sunday.

Jimmie Johnson

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Johnson started seventh at Chicagoland last week but never seemed to find a comfort zone. He didn't lead a lap and failed to make a late charge, finishing 12th. It was good enough to give him a little buffer above the bottom four, though, so he can take some chances as seen fit this week.

It might be a good week to take a few risks because he's enjoyed success at New Hampshire. He's finished in the top 10 a rock-solid 68 percent (17-of-25) of the time. Kyle Magda of Speedway Digest passes along another interesting note:

He'll start sixth after another promising qualifying run. Now, it all comes down whether that translates to success on race day, which it didn't last week. Johnson will want to start building some positive vibes as he hopes to capture his seventh title.

Greg Biffle

Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images

Biffle has finished in the top 10 of the final standings five times in the last six years. He's in danger of missing the first Chase cut after a poor showing last week. He was never a factor en route to a 23rd-place finish, two laps off the pace.

It's been a battle for most of the season. The No. 16 car has been good at times, but rarely great. "The Biff" has just a single top-five finish since the middle of May, and it's impossible to win a championship when you are struggling to contend at individual races.

His qualifying run this week didn't brighten the outlook. Biffle will start 26th, second-worst among Chase contenders. He's been one of the most consistent drivers in recent years, but he needs to turn things around quickly to get back in the mix.

Prediction

As mentioned, the new Chase format creates a little extra uncertainty from race to race. Drivers aren't going to take any unnecessary risks unless their backs are against the wall. These early playoff races are more about survival than anything else.

That's why it's tough to pick against Keselowski. He's been running well, has already won at the track this season and starts from the pole. In a race where there won't be an overabundance of aggressiveness, that's a recipe for a second straight victory.

Pick: Brad Keselowski