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In The Know – New Hampshire

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  Crayon 301 (Round 20 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 16

●  Location:  New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon

●  Layout:  1.058-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  301 laps / 318.46 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 115 laps / Final Stage: 116 laps

●  TV/Radio:  USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

As a 23-year veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series with 60 career wins, Kevin Harvick has a lot of good racetracks. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is one of them. The driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has made 39 starts at the 1.058-mile oval and won four times – tied with retired driver Jeff Burton for the most all-time. And when he hasn’t ended his race in victory lane, Harvick has been well within the vicinity. He has 14 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes, both of which lead the series among active Cup Series drivers

Aric Almirola:

Aric Almirola won the July 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After a two-hour rain delay, he and the field battled daylight. With darkness closing in on the 1.058-mile oval, Almirola sprung to life late and pulled off the surprise victory. The win catapulted him from 27th in the standings to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in his career. Almirola is in the exact same points position heading into this weekend’s race.

Chase Briscoe:

The 28-year-old driver has four top-10 finishes this season, three of which came on tracks measuring 1 mile or less. Briscoe finished seventh at Phoenix Raceway and fifth at the flat, paperclip-shaped Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. He also earned a fifth-place effort in the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway dirt race.

Ryan Preece:

Ryan Preece and the No. 41 Mohawk Northeast Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) are heading home to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, approximately two hours and 45 minutes from Preece’s hometown; Berlin, Connecticut. The Cup Series heads North for afternoon action at the 1.058-mile oval on Sunday, July 16 at 2:30 p.m. EDT on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang:

You get a giant lobster for winning at New Hampshire. Other than scaring your kids with it in victory lane, what do you do with it?

“My lobster, they mounted on a board. It sat in a closet and his claws fell off and some of his arms and legs fell off, so we took the lobster off the board and we used the board for a skateboard ramp. That was what happened to my first lobster because he just fell apart and we used the board for Keelan’s skateboard ramp.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

Does it give you a lot of confidence knowing you won at New Hampshire in 2021?

“It certainly does give me a lot of confidence going back to New Hampshire and to know that we are capable of winning. I get really excited about going to a place where I have notoriously run well at and, every time I show up to New Hampshire, I have just a tremendous amount of confidence. I know what I need out of my racecar. I know what I want it to feel like and so, because of those things, I just show up with the right mindset. And, if we have the car and we execute, I know we’re capable of winning. I do get excited and fired up about going to New Hampshire. It was an awesome day in 2021, and holding that lobster in victory lane and celebrating with all my team guys and knowing that that catapulted us into the playoffs gives me a lot of good memories as I get ready to go to New Hampshire this weekend, knowing that we can do that again.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Gen.G Mobil 1 Ford Mustang:

In the last three weeks, we’ve seen a change, even if a slight one, in the performance of the No. 14 team. Do you feel like anything has changed?

“There has definitely been a change in team dynamics – the way we communicate and prepare. I know I’ve been held way more accountable over the last two or three weeks. I feel like we’ve run some good races, like Chicago, where the strategy just didn’t really work out for us. We’ve been able to capitalize on better starting positions, which helps out in the race if maybe we don’t have the best speed. We’ve seen track position become so important, so that helps a little more, to have a starting spot that is 10 to 15 positions better. I do think that we’ve seen that light at the other end of the tunnel and it’s just a matter of getting there. I’ve heard some comments from people outside of the organization saying it’s not better, but it’s not going to be a quick change. It’s going to take time and that’s where you just have to keep believing and knowing what we’re working toward.”

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 Mohawk Northeast Ford Mustang:

Is this a race that you’ve been looking forward to and have circled on your calendar?

“Absolutely. I put in a lot of preparation at going over details with Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and amongst my team every week, but when you see places like this, you put in that extra little bit. That  little bit more to make sure because, you know at the end of the day, me going to New Hampshire versus me going to Kansas is my opportunity; my opportunity  to win at a place like New Hampshire is greater. Definitely, I have a really good idea and feel for what I need to get around New Hampshire Motor Speedway fast. We’ve been heading in that direction. I feel really confident with what we’re bringing that we can be a contender.”