The Cup Series teams kick off the second round of the playoffs with a trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This marks the first race of the Round of 12, and it provides an opportunity to move on to the Round of 8.
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Christopher Bell is the defending winner at the New England track, which returns to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season. If he wins again, he will automatically move one step closer to the Championship 4.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Cup Series race information
Weather: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for mostly sunny skies throughout the day. A high of 69 degrees and no chance of rain at the start of the Cup Series race.
Green flag time: The grand marshal will give the command to fire engines at 1:55 p.m. ET. The starter will wave the green flag at 2:05 p.m. ET.
Starting lineup: Joey Logano won the pole. Full starting lineup
Pre-race: The garage opens at 11 a.m. ET. Driver introductions will take place at 1:15 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins with "Countdown to Green" on USA Network at 1:30 p.m. ET. Race coverage continues at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network.
The invocation will be at 1:46 p.m. ET. The Canadian national anthem will be at 1:47 p.m. ET. The national anthem will be at 1:48 p.m. ET.
Stages: The race will consist of three stages. The first stage ends at Lap 70. The second stage ends at Lap 185. The scheduled end of the race is Lap 301.
Playoff picture: The Cup Series playoff drivers have completed the first round. Twelve advanced while Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, Josh Berry, and Austin Dillon all fell out of championship contention at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin leads the standings into the Round of 12 with a 26-point cushion. The other drivers above the cutline are William Byron (+24), Kyle Larson (+24), Bell (+20), Ryan Blaney (+19), Chase Briscoe (+10), Chase Elliott (+5), and Bubba Wallace (+1).
The four drivers below the cutline are Austin Cindric (-1), Joey Logano (-2), Ross Chastain (-2), and Tyler Reddick (-3).
Past winners: Five active Cup Series drivers have celebrated wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Bell has won two of the last three races at the 1.058-mile track.
Kyle Busch and Hamlin each have three wins at the track. Logano and Brad Keselowski each have two wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
