The NASCAR Xfinity Series takes on New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16 (2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network). This race will provide drivers with the opportunity to become the first winner since 2016 not named Christopher Bell or Kyle Busch.
The two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have combined to win the past five Xfinity Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Busch won in 2016 and 2017 while leading 267 combined laps. Bell then captured the races in 2018, 2019, and 2021 while leading 430 combined laps and sweeping all three stages during his most recent appearance. There was no winner in 2020 due to COVID-19 preventing NASCAR from racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Neither Bell nor Busch will be at the track for the Xfinity Series race. The two-time Cup Series champion retired from the series after sweeping all five of his starts in 2021 to reach 102 career wins. Bell hasn’t suited up for any Xfinity Series races after starting two in 2021 and winning once.
Their absence will provide the Xfinity Series regulars with an opportunity to win and secure some much-needed points. Though they will have to contend with Cup Series driver William Byron, who will join JR Motorsports for the race.
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No Current Xfinity Series Drivers Have Wins at New Hampshire
GettyKyle Busch celebrates an Xfinity Series win in 2017.
The race at the 1.058-mile track will be intriguing because there will not be a clear favorite with past success at the track. None of the drivers on the Xfinity Series entry list have reached Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Busch has six wins at the New England track while Bell has three. Denny Hamlin won in 2015 while Brad Keselowski added two wins of his own in 2012 and 2014. The list of New Hampshire winners also includes Martin Truex Jr. (2005), Carl Edwards (2006), Kevin Harvick (2007), and Tony Stewart (2008).
Justin Allgaier will be one name to watch. The veteran driver for JR Motorsports has the most experience at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 10 starts. He has seven top-10 finishes in the Xfinity Series, including four of the past five races. His most recent start was a runner-up behind Bell in 2021.
Byron, for comparison, only has one Xfinity Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He suited up for JR Motorsports 2017, and he started seventh overall in the No. 9 Chevrolet. He ultimately finished third behind Busch and Ryan Preece.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Trio Will Draw Attention
GettyBrandon Jones has a win at a one-mile track.
There is no clear winner heading toward the Crayon 200, but there are several drivers that will have favorable odds. Allgaier is chief among this group, which also includes Noah Gragson and AJ Allmendinger. The list also includes the Joe Gibbs Racing trio.
None of the three drivers that will compete this week — Ty Gibbs, Brandon Jones, and Trevor Bayne — have previous wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. However, Gibbs is a driver that has already reached Victory Lane four times in the first 17 races.
Gibbs doesn’t have any experience at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but he has two top-10 finishes and one top-five in two career starts at Phoenix Raceway, another one-mile track. He has also shown that he can contend for wins at every style of track.
Bayne has made four Xfinity Series starts and six Cup Series starts at NHMS. He struggled to contend at the top level of NASCAR, but he has performed well in the Xfinity Series with three top-10s and one top-five. Bayne also led 58 laps during the 2011 race before getting caught up in a wreck.
Like Bayne, Jones doesn’t have the most experience at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He only has five starts with two top-10 finishes to his name. Though Jones has more success at Phoenix with six top-10s, three top-fives, and one win in 13 career starts. He also finished second behind Gragson during the 2022 spring race.
Phoenix and New Hampshire are not a perfect comparison, so past success at one won’t directly translate to the other. There are some similarities in that they are both one mile in length with flatter turns. NHMS has variable banking from two to seven degrees in the turns while Phoenix uses eight to nine degrees in Turns 1 and 2 and 10-11 in Turns 3 and 4.
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NASCAR Drivers Will Snap a Unique Streak at New Hampshire Motor Speedway