Ready. Set. Go. The Chase for the Sprint Cup continues as it switches over to New Hampshire for the Sylvania 300. The race will be the second-leg of the Challenger Round, which should have drivers on edge as they attempt to make the cut of 14 drivers to advance to the Contender Round. Who makes the trip to victory lane this coming Sunday?
Will it be the always reliable Brad Keselowski, who’s been hot at this track? Or will it be one of New Hampshire’s proven finishers in Ryan Newman? Read on as we take a look at the top racers to take the track for this year’s Sylvania 300.
Check out the entire list of Challenger Round drivers with our feature here.
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Sylvania 300 Preview
Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, New Hampshire
Kevin Harvick is the favorite to win the Sylvania 300 at +450 after a steady and impressive regular season had him No. 1 in the Sprint Cup standings. But that performance led to a 42nd-place finish at Chicagoland to start off the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
[sc:NASCAR240banner ]Two things may happen in this race. Either Harvick puts on one of his best races all season long to make up for his dud of a Chase opener, or he lets his backers down since he only needs a top five finish to solidify his spot in the Contender Round.
Nevertheless, Harvick’s a solid pick to impress at New Hampshire; he finished third in his last race on this track with 59 laps led. He has a 5.6 average finish on similar tracks with two top 5s, a top 10 and 439 laps led.
Brad Keselowski
If you’re looking for the best driver on New Hampshire, then it may be Brad Keselowski (+500). He finished second after leading a race-high 100 laps in the 5-Hour Eneergy 301 in July. Keselowski isn’t one to be counted out on this track; he has finished in the top 10 in seven of his last eight races in New Hampshire, including five top 5s.
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch can make a very strong case to win this race as a +500 favorite. He’s only had two races on flat tracks in his injury-shortened 2015 season. Busch finished second at Richmond on September 12 after starting fourth. He also won here at New Hampshire in July, his second of three consecutive victories. Busch has been pretty solid the past few races, placing in the top 10 in four straight. He should be one of the frontrunners in this race as a +500 favorite.
Meet New Hampshire’s Mr. Consistent., Martin Truex Jr. He’s been an excellent driver at the track with the 11th best driver rating and 11.5 average finishing positions. Truex could’ve finished in the top five in at New Hampshire in July, but a caution ultimately while he was on pit road led him to a 12th-place finish. Truex has a good car, a Chevrolet SS, one which could ultimately make him a steal at +1,500.
Ryan Newman
New Hampshire has been good to Ryan Newman. He has three career victories at the track. Newman has finished in the top 10 59 percent of the time at New Hampshire. He’s due for another big race after finishing fourth at Chicago in the Chase opener last week. Newman is +6,000 to win this race.
Long Shot
Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola has been on a roll. While he’s not in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, he’s finished the past two races in the top 10. He even finished fourth in the last race on a flat track (Richmond) on September 12. Almirola is worth a flyer at +20,000 to win this race.
Chase Grid
Rank
Driver
Points
1
Denny Hamlin
2050
2
Matt Kenseth
2052
3
Carl Edwards
2049
4
Kyle Busch
2049
5
Kurt Busch
2048
6
Joey Logano
2048
7
Jimmie Johnson
2045
8
Ryan Newman
2040
9
Brad Keselowski
2039
10
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2038
11
Martin Truex Jr.
2035
12
Jeff Gordon
2031
13
Jamie McMurray
2028
14
Paul Menard
2027
15
Kevin Harvick
2009
16
Clint Bowyer
2000
Writer’s Prediction
Newman makes a trip to victory lane with a sweet line of +6,000.
