The NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Sunday’s race (2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network).
This race is the lone date at the 1.058-mile track. Christopher Bell won there during the 2022 season.
Seven races remain until the Cup playoffs begin. Here is a look at the drivers to keep an eye on Sunday night:
FRONTRUNNERS
Christopher Bell
Points position: 4th
Best finish this season: 1st (Bristol Dirt)
Past at New Hampshire: He started fifth, led 42 laps and built up a lead of more than five seconds over Chase Elliott. Bell finished second behind Aric Almirola in 2021 after darkness shortened the race. He has three Xfinity Series wins at New Hampshire in three starts.
Kevin Harvick
Points position: 9th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Darlington I)
Past at New Hampshire: He has four career wins at the track, including three in the past eight races. Harvick only has one finish worse than sixth in his past nine starts (36th in 2017).
Brad Keselowski
Points position: 12th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Atlanta I)
Past at New Hampshire: He has two wins in 22 career starts at the track. He finished seventh in his first race at New Hampshire with RFK Racing.
Denny Hamlin
Points position: 6th
Best finish this season: 1st (Kansas I)
Past at New Hampshire: He has three career wins at the track and six second-place finishes. Hamlin has never failed to finish a race at New Hampshire.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Kyle Larson
Points position: 8th
Best finish this season: 1st (Richmond I, Martinsville I)
Past at New Hampshire: He has finished second in three different races, but his best finish since joining Hendrick Motorsports is seventh in 2021. Larson is still seeking consistent finishes in 2023 after six DNFs.
Michael McDowell
Points position: 16th
Best finish this season: 4th (Atlanta I)
Past at New Hampshire: He has a career-best finish of 17th at New Hampshire and an average finish of 32.5 after 10 DNFs in his first 12 starts. McDowell only sits three points above the playoff cutline.
Bubba Wallace
Points position: 17th
Best finish this season: 4th (Las Vegas I, Kansas I, Charlotte)
Past at New Hampshire: He has one top-five finish in five career starts (2022) and an average finish of 19.6. He fell below the cutline after Atlanta but is only three points out of a playoff spot.
