New Hampshire Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions

New Hampshire Motor Speedway always provided some very good racing action, although it might be shortened this weekend, as the weather forecast isn’t looking too favorable. NASCAR has already moved Sunday’s start time up to 1:00 pm ET (in case you didn’t know–be sure to get your Fantasy NASCAR picks in) but even then, there’s no guarantee we go green. Rain in the forecast always allows fantasy players the opportunity to go a little “off-sequence” with some picks and take some risks as well, since there will be plenty of teams looking to steal a victory if Sunday’s race is shortened by weather. There is no track that is extremely similar to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but if you had to compare tracks, Phoenix and Richmond are probably the closest. Harvick won at the former while Kyle Busch took the checkered at the latter.

Kurt Busch is on the pole for this weekend’s race with heavy favorites Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin starting right beside/behind him. The full starting lineup for the Foxwoods 301 can be found by clicking here. NASCAR actually had a “normal” schedule this weekend, with a practice session and qualifying on Friday followed by two more practice sessions on Saturday. Those speeds can be found here: Practice #2 – Happy Hour. Also be sure to check out our in-depth notes for each of those sessions, which can be found here: Practice #2 – Happy Hour.

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Final Top 25 Rankings for New Hampshire

1. Martin Truex, Jr. – Starts 2nd – DraftKings Price: $11,300 – FanDuel Price: $12,700
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**

Eight of the last nine Cup Series races have ended with Martin Truex, Jr. finishing 4th or better, and that also includes three wins in the last six. Don’t be surprised if Truex makes it nine of the last ten (and possibly even another win) here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. Kyle Busch and Truex have been in a league of their own here at Loudon lately, and looking specifically at the #78 Toyota, it’s amazing that he hasn’t won: Truex has led at least 112 laps in each of the last four races at this track, but has no finish better than 3rd over that span. In fact, Martin has never finished better than 3rd here at New Hampshire over the course of his 24 career starts. That could change this weekend, though, because Truex has another hot rod to work with on race day; the #78 Toyota was 6th-best in ten-lap average during Practice #2 and wound up 2nd-best on that chart in Happy Hour. He had the best overall average speed in that final practice as well, and Joey Logano has Truex as the guy to beat this weekend. I don’t disagree.

2. Kevin Harvick – Starts 14th – DraftKings Price: $11,000 – FanDuel Price: $12,300
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**

I don’t consider Kevin Harvick the guy to beat heading into this weekend’s Foxwoods 301, but he should nonetheless be counted on for a top 5 finish. The #4 team ran into problems here in the fall race last season, but Harvick still has five top 5 results in the last seven races at the Magic Mile along with two career wins over the course of 34 starts. Looking at similar tracks this season, Harvick went to victory lane at Phoenix–although he only led 38 laps–and then he finished 5th at Richmond after starting 10th and leading 8 laps. This weekend, the #4 Ford has been fast (big surprise, huh?), and it ranked 4th-best in ten-lap average during Practice #2. In Happy Hour, Harvick was P1 on that chart. A lot of eyes are going to be focused on Martin Truex, Jr. as the dominator for this race, but if Kevin Harvick can get to the front quickly from his 14th-place starting spot, he’s got a really good car to work with and can definitely challenge for the win.

3. Kyle Busch – Starts 3rd – DraftKings Price: $11,600 – FanDuel Price: $12,500
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**

Kyle Busch is a Fantasy NASCAR stud at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He’s a three-time winner here and has finished inside the top 5 in ten of his twenty-six career starts (38.5%). Additionally, Rowdy has been the best here as of late, with an average driver rating of 129.0 over the last four Magic Mile races, including a dominating win from the pole here last fall. As far as the summer races goes at Loudon, Busch is always a threat to win: he’s led at least 53 laps in each of the last five July races at this track while also posting finishes of 12th, 8th, 1st, 2nd, and 2nd. This weekend, the #18 Toyota ranked 5th-best in ten-lap average during Practice #2 and 7th-best in Happy Hour. Kyle has just one finish outside of the top 5 in the last seven Cup Series races overall, and that was at the wreckfest Daytona race. In other words, it’s hard to see him not making it seven of eight here this weekend.