This Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series stops at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the USA Today 301, and there are some new favorites at the top of the odds.
There’s been a lot to cover in NASCAR over the past few weeks: Martin Truex Jr. announced his retirement at the end of the season, leading to much speculation about who might take that spot next year. As always, we have the latest news from our NASCAR experts Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi, as well as their picks for this Sunday’s selection.
You can watch the USA Today 301 – New England’s only Cup Series race – on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA.
Let’s get started!
How did the drivers react to racing on Iowa’s somewhat bumpy track last week? The race seems to have been a great success, but perhaps it was more due to the enthusiasm of the fans than the quality of the track?
Jeff: Honestly, the race itself was pretty great. It definitely ranks among the best short track races of the next-gen era, and is one of four races to score over 90 percent in my “good race poll” so far this season. Although the track looked odd with its partial resurfacing, there were actually overtaking opportunities and enough competition throughout the race to keep it interesting the whole time. The excitement of the fans helped, but the racing was also pretty solid.
Jordan: After the race, drivers were mostly positive about the surface and the overall quality of racing at Iowa, which is a surprising development given the pessimism that preceded the race weekend. And everyone should be happy with the outcome, as Iowa was undoubtedly one of the best short track races of the Next Gen Car era. It will be interesting to see if NASCAR now decides to complete the resurfacing of Iowa, or leaves it at that, as the partial resurfacing has proven to be effective.
Rumor has it (and your articles) that Chase Briscoe is a top candidate to replace Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing after Truex retires at the end of this season. On the other hand, an open seat probably gives some Xfinity and other drivers hope. (Sam Mayer, who earned his second Xfinity win of the season on Sunday at Iowa, said it “makes me so mad” that teams aren’t considering him for Cup positions. Interesting!) What other scenarios are likely, or is Briscoe almost a sure thing?
Jeff: I’ll leave most of the Silly Season talk to Jordan (the real expert here), but Briscoe to JGR definitely sounds like a done deal. He’s the most attractive free agent on the market right now and has the added benefit of having affiliates like him, like Mahindra Tractors. In Iowa, Briscoe said he doesn’t have anything to announce right now, but confirmed he has multiple offers from teams for the first time in his career, which is nice.
Jordan: Chase Briscoe is the leading candidate to replace Martin Truex Jr. at JGR, with an announcement expected soon. Because Briscoe is the best free agent available and meets so many of the criteria JGR is looking for (experience, proven winner, good teammate), it was a no-brainer that the team recognized Briscoe and then courted him to take Truex’s spot. Briscoe should do well at JGR. As for Sam Mayer’s Cup prospects, there is no place in the open-race Cup environment where he would fit well and have a good chance of being successful. Spending another year developing in Xfinity wouldn’t be the worst thing for him. And if he keeps winning at this pace, he will be in demand.
Sam Mayer has two wins and five other finishes of fourth or better in the last nine races. And since last year, Mayer’s six series wins put him behind only John Hunter Nemechek (8). https://t.co/JFYYFH6LF1
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) June 15, 2024
Speaking of Truex’s retirement, what are your fondest memories of Truex’s career and the NASCAR era he represents?
Jeff: Truex was almost an afterthought in terms of prospects to win, having won just three times in his first 10 full seasons. But when he teamed up with Furniture Row Racing and crew chief Cole Pearn, he developed into a constant threat and eventually became champion. Now we don’t even think about his immense talent at Joe Gibbs Racing, but it’s notable that he was inducted into the Hall of Fame so late in his career. He was always a quiet, somewhat shy guy, but he earned his respect on the racetrack.
Jordan: Although Truex wasn’t with Furniture Row for long, that five-year run left a lasting impression that extended beyond his 2017 championship season. In all but one year, his first with the team, Truex contended for the title and was a dominant force on the track. What he accomplished was all the more impressive not only because it wasn’t an expensive superteam with hundreds of employees, but because they did it with a kind of anti-conformity that’s fairly unique in NASCAR. In some ways, their collective attitude was not unlike that of the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s.
I promise this isn’t just about Truex, but his last win was last year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the track this Sunday. Does he have a real chance to win here? The competition is tough, with six active drivers (Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Truex) already having won at Loudon.
Jeff: Truex definitely has a chance to win, but this will be one of the most competitive races of the season. A few months ago it seemed like Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports would dominate these types of racetracks, but suddenly Team Penske showed up and you could really expect a win for Ryan Blaney, so it should be very interesting to see which team comes out on top on Sunday.
Jordan: In any case, Truex can win on Sunday. In fact, he should be considered one of the favorites. But as Jeff noted, Team Penske’s trio of Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric have made big gains in recent weeks, especially at tracks that have similar characteristics to New Hampshire. Blaney or Logano are expected to be big factors in Sunday’s outcome.
What can you tell us about Armani Williams? What we know: He is the first NASCAR driver diagnosed with autism and he is aiming for a start in the Xfinity Series. Is he someone we should keep an eye on?
Jeff: Williams certainly has a unique platform and will make its Xfinity Series debut this weekend in New Hampshire. However, expectations should be very low. Williams will drive for JD Motorsports, a team that typically runs outside the top 20 and whose cars often don’t finish on the lead lap on oval tracks. So if Williams can simply finish the race without incident and end up just a few laps behind the leaders, that would be a great accomplishment for its first Xfinity start.
Jordan: The goal is the same for almost every driver making their debut in the series, especially for a small team like JD Motorsports. Williams needs to complete as many laps as possible and avoid accidents. If they can do that, their debut can be considered a success.
Who do you think should win in New Hampshire?
Jeff: I did my 12-question interview with Christopher Bell this week because I had a feeling he was going to win the race, so I see no reason to change that now. This is one of Bell’s favorite tracks and he races there all the time. That said, I think Saturday’s practice will tell us a lot about which team (JGR, Hendrick, Penske) has the upper hand. At Gateway, a similar track, the Penske drivers dominated the 10-lap averages in practice and then nearly took a one-two after Bell’s engine blew up, so pay close attention to practice before making your predictions.
Jordan: Bell is so strong that he’s the clear favorite. But call it just a hunch, in my opinion Joey Logano is a good favorite to win. Penske’s performance at both Gateway and Iowa was so remarkable that it feels like Logano is on the verge of his breakthrough and his first points win in over a year.
Which outsider should we consider?
Jeff: If there was ever a week to give Ryan Preece (+20000) a chance, this is it. Stewart-Haas Racing has shown some speed at short tracks, Preece is racing for his career after SHR announced it would close at the end of the year, and he has plenty of experience at New Hampshire (he’s a New England guy who has made a whopping 26 starts at the track in the Whelen Modified Tour). Preece has shown at times that he can show his skills at short tracks, like last season at Martinsville. New Hampshire would be a great time for a top-10 finish, just like we predicted for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. last week at Iowa.
Jordan: There are many candidates this week: Josh Berry (+3500) was very fast in Iowa, so it would be no surprise if that continued in New Hampshire; Alex Bowman (+4000) is in need of a win for a long time; and let’s not forget Kyle Busch (+3000), who may be in a slump but is certainly capable of winning at a track where he has three wins and led over 1100 laps.
Odds for the winner of the NASCAR race in New Hampshire
Odds via BetMGM.
(Photo by Christopher Bell: Logan Riely / Getty Images)
