Keep an eye on these five drivers this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the second Chase race in the Round of 16.
After a runner-up finish to open the Chase, Logano is up for another strong outing if recent form at his home track holds up. While Logano has led only 85 laps over the last four New Hampshire races – including zero in each of the last two – he’s picked up a win (fall 2014), a fourth, and two thirds.
The reigning Sprint Cup champion has also steady in Loudon with six top-10 finishes (including a win in July 2015) and a 343 laps led over his last seven races there. Rowdy paced 133 laps in the July race before finishing eighth.
One expects Truex and the No. 78 team to be pretty loose with a Chicagoland win – and advancing to the Round of 12 – in their pocket. But remember what happened to them at Loudon in July; Truex led 123 laps only to finish 16th after suffering a broken shifter late in the race. Avenging that defeat with a victory would send their confidence through the roof
Chicagoland was no doubt frustrating for Harvick, but better to face a one-point deficit to the cut line than a 22-point gap like he did coming out of there last season. Look for him to be a threat again at New Hampshire.He’s posted three top fives and led 379 laps over the last four races at this track.
He hasn’t been especially dominant in winning the last two New Hampshire races. In last year’s Chase race, he took advantage of race leader Harvick running dry with two laps to go, and he only led 38 laps in his July win. But make no mistake: The Magic Mile has been one of his best tracks since he joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013 (three wins, six top-10 finishes in last seven races).
