On Sunday, the New Hampshire Motor Speedway will play host to a NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff race for the primary time since 2017.
The ‘Magic Mile’ is the setting for the opening race of the Spherical of 12, a pivotal race within the 2025 postseason.
The one-mile venue has all the time been distinctive, however there are extra query marks surrounding this 12 months’s race at NHMS than there have been in a very long time.
When New Hampshire used to host postseason races, the observe had two dates on the NASCAR calendar, guaranteeing playoff groups had notes from earlier within the season to refer again to. That is not the case this 12 months.
It is going to even be troublesome for groups to look again at their 2024 New Hampshire notes, provided that the ultimate 86 laps have been run beneath never-before-seen wet-weather situations that featured rain tires.
All of these components make for what ought to be an exhilarating NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff race on Sunday.
Even for the drivers who aren’t within the playoff discipline, New Hampshire remains to be a wild card. That is the case for Entrance Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith, who will go into the weekend at New Hampshire on the heels of a third-place end within the Bristol Night time Race.
“It is a actually bumpy place,” Smith stated in response to a query from Yardbarker on Tuesday concerning the traits of the observe. “I really feel prefer it’s underrated with how bumpy it’s, so your skill to get by the bumps and preserve a well-handling automotive is tremendous vital.”
Smith is in an attention-grabbing place in regard to his preparation for New Hampshire. A 12 months in the past, Smith drove for Spire Motorsports, which means he would not have entry to his notes from his lone Cup Sequence begin on the observe. The excellent news? Todd Gilliland, who drove the No. 38 Ford in 2024, completed twelfth, giving Smith’s workforce some expertise operating on the entrance.
“I simply assume the expertise that I bought there and the time I had within the dry will likely be vital to recollect and look again on,” Smith stated. “I do know the 38 group ran nicely there final 12 months, so hopefully it interprets.”
Smith is not the one driver within the discipline hoping a strong 2024 run at NHMS carries over to Sunday. Bristol Night time Race winner and defending New Hampshire winner Christopher Bell will likely be competing for his fifth win of 2025 — a victory that would carry him to the Spherical of 8 for the third consecutive season.
The Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will go inexperienced shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, with protection on USA Community, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
All quotations obtained firsthand until in any other case famous.
