NASCAR at New Hampshire 2015: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule, More
Two races remain in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup Challenger Round. The first is set to take place Sunday, when Denny Hamlin and the series tackle the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
One week removed from Hamlin's shocking victory in Chicago, seven drivers sit within seven points of the top of the leaderboard, meaning nine other drivers have to fight one another to avoid elimination.
In other words, Sunday's event might be the most important of the season to date with so much at stake. Joey Logano won an unpredictable race last year in the same event. If that, paired with Hamlin's win, is any sign, Sunday's race stands as a must-see affair, given the gigantic Chase implications for all involved.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Viewing Details
Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC Sports Network
Live Stream: NBC Live Extra
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | 2,052 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 2,050 |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | 2,049 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 2,049 |
| 5 | Kurt Busch | 2,048 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 2,048 |
| 7 | Jimmie Johnson | 2,045 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | 2,040 |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 2,039 |
| 10 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2,038 |
| 11 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2,035 |
| 12 | Jeff Gordon | 2,031 |
| 13 | Jamie McMurray | 2,028 |
| 14 | Paul Menard | 2,027 |
| 15 | Kevin Harvick | 2,009 |
| 16 | Clint Bowyer | 2,000 |
NASCAR at New Hampshire Lineup
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 7 | Alex Bowman |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 13 | Casey Mears |
| 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 22 | Joey Logano |
| 23 | Jeb Burton |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon |
| 26 | Josh Wise |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 30 | Travis Kvapil |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt |
| 33 | BJ McLeod |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt |
| 35 | Cole Whitt |
| 38 | David Gilliland |
| 40 | Landon Cassill |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier |
| 55 | David Ragan |
| 62 | Timmy Hill |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 98 | Ryan Preece |
Drivers to Watch
Kevin Harvick
It's panic time for Kevin Harvick.
The former series leader finished 42nd last week in Chicago instead of contending for the checkered flag thanks to a wreck and scuffle with Jimmie Johnson.
Now, Harvick is looking at 15th place on the leaderboard and in need of multiple top-10 performances to advance to the next round.
"This Chase, the way it is, it can be taken away from you in a week, it doesn't matter if it's the first week or last week," crew chief Rodney Childers said, per Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press. "You just have to go race the next two and see how it works out and go from there."
None of this is to suggest Harvick's Chase is over, though—far from it. But he needs a strong performance Sunday to put himself in a position to keep his Chase chances alive in Dover.
Harvick has finished outside the top 10 twice in a row, so it's encouraging to know he finished third in New Hampshire last season. He'll need a similar performance to make it out of the first round.
Joey Logano
Logano looks great in sixth place, especially considering that he hasn't finished outside the top 10 at a race since the beginning of August.
The Penske Racing driver led one lap last week in Chicago before finishing sixth, which was good enough to keep him in the thick of things with two races to go in the first round.
He took to Twitter to comment on the performance:
Logano knows a thing or two about competing at New Hampshire. He not only won last year, but he also has two total wins, four top-five finishes and six top-10 performances in his career.
It seems to be a safe bet that Logano will once again find himself in the middle of the action late Sunday. Better execution could make his successful start to the first round even more impressive.
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin looks like the sport's greatest story.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver shred his ACL while playing pickup basketball, seemingly laughed it off and won last week after his team made a few slight adjustments to his car.
It will be interesting, though, to see whether Hamlin guns for the checkered flag at a track he enjoys or takes a bye week of sorts, given his automatic berth into the second round.
By the sounds of an interview recorded by Fryer, Hamlin might take it easy over the next few weeks. "Go have some fun the next two weeks, that's for sure," he said. "Takes some pressure off of us."
Having fun doesn't mean a disregard for winning, though. Hamlin seems to favor shorter tracks such as New Hampshire, so it wouldn't be crazy to see him place well and throw a wrench into the leaderboard below him.
Regardless, Hamlin has become one of the best stories for both good and bad reasons. It's clear that the bad doesn't outweigh the good, however, meaning an unexpected contender for the championship has emerged.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
