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| Kyle Busch (18) grabs the lead from Brad Keselowski (2) (Google Images) |
After the finish we saw at Kentucky one week ago, fans were no doubt looking forward to seeing what the "Magic Mile" had to offer. Following some scuffed paint and bent sheet metal, it came down to two of the best at New Hampshire dukeing it out for the victory.
Harvick Edges Hamlin for Fourth Loudon Win
After it seemed that Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske would keep their stranglehold on the rest of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field, it's been somewhat refreshing to see three different race winners in as many weeks. |
| Kevin Harvick scored his first win of 2019 (Google Images) |
The race began with polesitter Brad Keselowski choosing to start on the outside of Kyle Busch. In spite of the VHT "grip strip" that had been laid down prior to the green flag, Busch sprinted out to a commanding lead over the rest of the field, grabbing the Stage 1 victory.
Stage 2 saw the action on the track pick up a bit. Daniel Suarez and Daniel Hemric got together on lap 111, sending Hemric's No. 8 into the wall and relegating the rookie to a last place result. Ricky Stenhouse Jr also made hard contact with the wall off turn two, after losing a right front tire on lap 138.
Clint Bowyer has been on the playoff bubble for a few weeks now. After coming close to a victory at Kentucky one week ago, the two-time Loudon winner had some issues in this race. On lap 146, Bowyer slid up the track off turn four, making heavy contact with Martin Truex Jr and damaging his post season hopes. While Truex was able to rally, Bowyer was relegated to 20th place.
After Aric Almirola won the race's second stage, Hamlin established himself as the driver to beat. The three-time Loudon winner led 118 circuits, but following a couple of late spins by Kyle Larson, Harvick stayed on track for the final run, while Hamlin pitted and took right side tires.
While it seemed as though Hamlin would make quick work of passing the No. 4, Harvick was able to hold off Hamlin, leading to a side-by-side battle on the last lap of the race.
“I really didn’t want to see that traffic there at the end,” Harvick said. “It made my car tight when (Hamlin) got to me. He tried to move me out of the way down there and I knew that was coming, as close as he was. So I just stood on the brakes — half-throttle down the back straightaway.
“I was like, ‘You’re not getting under me again,’ and he drove to the outside of me and I waited until he got to the outside of me and put a wheel on him.”
Behind the leaders, Erik Jones grabbed his second third place result in a row, Ryan Blaney finished fourth, and Matt DiBenedetto stunned everyone with a fifth place showing. Truex Jr rallied from their wreck with Bowyer to finish sixth, Ryan Newman finished seventh, Kyle Busch crossed the line in eighth, Joey Loganon finished ninth, and Keselowski came home tenth.
The Monster Energy Cup Series’ next race is the Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway, scheduled Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Stage 2 saw the action on the track pick up a bit. Daniel Suarez and Daniel Hemric got together on lap 111, sending Hemric's No. 8 into the wall and relegating the rookie to a last place result. Ricky Stenhouse Jr also made hard contact with the wall off turn two, after losing a right front tire on lap 138.
Clint Bowyer has been on the playoff bubble for a few weeks now. After coming close to a victory at Kentucky one week ago, the two-time Loudon winner had some issues in this race. On lap 146, Bowyer slid up the track off turn four, making heavy contact with Martin Truex Jr and damaging his post season hopes. While Truex was able to rally, Bowyer was relegated to 20th place.
After Aric Almirola won the race's second stage, Hamlin established himself as the driver to beat. The three-time Loudon winner led 118 circuits, but following a couple of late spins by Kyle Larson, Harvick stayed on track for the final run, while Hamlin pitted and took right side tires.
While it seemed as though Hamlin would make quick work of passing the No. 4, Harvick was able to hold off Hamlin, leading to a side-by-side battle on the last lap of the race.
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| Harvick poses with his team, and his dinner, in victory lane (Google Images) |
“I was like, ‘You’re not getting under me again,’ and he drove to the outside of me and I waited until he got to the outside of me and put a wheel on him.”
Behind the leaders, Erik Jones grabbed his second third place result in a row, Ryan Blaney finished fourth, and Matt DiBenedetto stunned everyone with a fifth place showing. Truex Jr rallied from their wreck with Bowyer to finish sixth, Ryan Newman finished seventh, Kyle Busch crossed the line in eighth, Joey Loganon finished ninth, and Keselowski came home tenth.
The Monster Energy Cup Series’ next race is the Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway, scheduled Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Bell Thumps Xfinity Field, Takes Fifth Victory
The temperature wasn't the only thing that overwhelmed the Xfinity Series field in the ROXOR 200. Christopher Bell played a major role in that as well, leading all but 14 laps en route to a dominating victory. His margin of victory was four seconds over Kentucky winner Cole Custer.
A series of pit stops on lap 33 saw Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg each lead laps, but that was the only time Bell's No. 20 Rheem Supra was not out in front of the field.
“I just had a really good race car,” said Bell after the race. “I’m very thankful to be driving these Supras for Joe Gibbs Racing. All of our partners, man, they just provide really fast race cars, and I’m the lucky guy who gets to drive them.”
Custer was able to put his No. 00 Mustang on the pole, but like the rest of his competitors, he had nothing for Bell once the race went green.
“I wasn’t driving the car right at the start of the race, so I kind of got behind on adjustments,” said Custer, who lost the lead to Bell on a hotly contested first lap. “I wish we’d had another caution so we could catch up to him.”
The race did have one eventful moment, however. On lap 153, Paul Menard hit Harrison Burton’s Toyota in Turn one, sending him around. With his car damaged, Burton was relegated to a 29th-place result. After the race, the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman approached Menard to get an explanation.
“He hit me twice, and I hit him once,” Menard said. “He was mad at me for hitting him that one time.”
Burton, however, wasn't having any of Menard’s explanation.
“We had a restart there (on Lap 148), the first thing he said he was mad about was I hit him on the restart,” said the 18-year-old Burton. “But I was on the apron, and he turned down across my nose. He got mad about that, and then I barely touched his door, and I got out of the gas because I didn’t want to hit him any harder than I did.
“Then I passed him clean, and he wrecked me. … He didn’t really seem to care, and that’s fine for him. I’m just going to go out and beat him on the race track. That’s all I can do to show these guys that I’m here to play. I’m not going to get pushed around anymore.”
Justin Allgaier finished third on the day, Tyler Reddick grabbed fourth, and Menard finished in fifth. Chase Briscoe came home sixth, part-timer Ryan Truex finished seventh, Sieg was eighth, Jones was ninth, and Noah Gragson rounded out the top ten.
While the Cup and Truck Series races will head to Pocono this weekend, the Xfinity Series will travel to the corn fields of Iowa for the U.S. Cellular 250. The race will be run on Saturday, July 27 at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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| Christoper Bell celebrates his fifth win of 2019 (Google Images) |
“I just had a really good race car,” said Bell after the race. “I’m very thankful to be driving these Supras for Joe Gibbs Racing. All of our partners, man, they just provide really fast race cars, and I’m the lucky guy who gets to drive them.”
Custer was able to put his No. 00 Mustang on the pole, but like the rest of his competitors, he had nothing for Bell once the race went green.
“I wasn’t driving the car right at the start of the race, so I kind of got behind on adjustments,” said Custer, who lost the lead to Bell on a hotly contested first lap. “I wish we’d had another caution so we could catch up to him.”
The race did have one eventful moment, however. On lap 153, Paul Menard hit Harrison Burton’s Toyota in Turn one, sending him around. With his car damaged, Burton was relegated to a 29th-place result. After the race, the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman approached Menard to get an explanation.
“He hit me twice, and I hit him once,” Menard said. “He was mad at me for hitting him that one time.”
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| Cole Custer (00) started first, but had nothing for Bell (20) (Google Images) |
“Then I passed him clean, and he wrecked me. … He didn’t really seem to care, and that’s fine for him. I’m just going to go out and beat him on the race track. That’s all I can do to show these guys that I’m here to play. I’m not going to get pushed around anymore.”
Justin Allgaier finished third on the day, Tyler Reddick grabbed fourth, and Menard finished in fifth. Chase Briscoe came home sixth, part-timer Ryan Truex finished seventh, Sieg was eighth, Jones was ninth, and Noah Gragson rounded out the top ten.
While the Cup and Truck Series races will head to Pocono this weekend, the Xfinity Series will travel to the corn fields of Iowa for the U.S. Cellular 250. The race will be run on Saturday, July 27 at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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