CONCORD, N.C. – This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
And as the second race in the Challenger Round approaches, drivers are preparing their strategies to advance in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and ultimately become this year’s champion.
“We need to be competitive at both New Hampshire and Dover. We need to run 10th, 11th or 12th at the worst so that we can get into that next round without being a top-five car, but after that it’s going to have to be a top-five car,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “We know that, we understand that, so we’re trying as hard as we can to improve things and get to where we need to be to be able to race for the championship.”
Tune in to this Sunday’s race to see where Earnhardt and his teammates take the checkered flag. But before you do, here are a few things you should know:
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday's race will air live on NBCSN at 2 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? Tune into PRN or SiriusXM to catch the Loudon radio coverage. This weekend’s qualifying session will take place Friday evening on NBC Sports Network. Tune in to this weekend’s practice sessions this Friday and Saturday mornings. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, September 25:
12 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Network
4:45 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, September 26:
9 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, CNBC
11:30 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, CNBC
Sunday, September 27:
2 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Race, NBCSN/ PRN/ SiriusXM (2:15 p.m. ET green flag)
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: This weekend, Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will compete in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS and No. 48 Lowe’s ProServices/Hitachi Chevrolet SS, respectively. Earnhardt will drive the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS at the 1.058-mile oval this Sunday.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has nine wins, six pole positions, 42 top-five finishes and 69 top-10 finishes. Kahne most recently visited Victory Lane for the organization at the track in 2012.
KAHNE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway is one of 11 tracks where Kahne has notched a career victory. The driver won at the 1.058-mile oval in 2012 after starting on the front row in the second position. He battled to take the lead for most of the race, but with 66 laps to go, Kahne finally took over the top spot and stayed there all the way to Victory Lane where he received the track’s iconic trophy – a lobster. The win marked Kahne’s first at the track and his 14th career victory. Kahne now has 17 career victories.
#IRONMANJG: On Sunday when Gordon takes the green flag, he will break a tie with former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Ricky Rudd and set the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR history with 789. Gordon currently holds the longest consecutive starts streak from the beginning of a career – he has never missed a race since his Nov. 15, 1992, debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
GORDON AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion leads all drivers in top-five finishes, top-10 finishes, laps led and laps completed (11,967) at the 1.058-mile track.
JOHNSON AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Johnson has earned three lobster trophies at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his career. He swept both events in 2003 and earned another victory in 2010. Johnson has an average start of 11.6 and an average finish of 10.7 at the 1.058-mile track.
EARNHARDT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Earnhardt has yet to win at the 1.058-mile oval and claim the prized rock lobster traditionally given away at New Hampshire. However, the driver of the Nationwide Chevrolet SS has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last four events at the track.