CONCORD, N.C. – This Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports will take on the 1.058-mile oval of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Loudon track is the only remaining speedway the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit twice, with the second visit being during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
A Hendrick Motorsports win this weekend would mark its 10th at New Hampshire. Currently, the organization has double-digit victory totals at 10 active Sprint Cup Series tracks.
Be sure to catch this weekend’s race at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network to see if Hendrick Motorsports will make New Hampshire its 11th track with double-digit victories. Here is what else you should watch for this weekend:
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday's race will air live on NBC Sports Network at 1:30 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 practices, also on NBC Sports Network, this Friday and Saturday. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, July 17:
11:30 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Network
4:45 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, July 18:
10 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, CNBC
12:30 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, NBC Sports Network
Sunday, July 19:
1:30 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Race, NBC Sports Network /PRN/SiriusXM (1:45 p.m. ET green flag)
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: This weekend, Kasey Kahne will compete in the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon will pilot the No. 24 AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet SS, while Jimmie Johnson drives the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS. Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. will race the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS this Sunday in Loudon.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Hendrick Motorsports has nine wins, six pole positions, 41 top-five finishes, 67 top-10 finishes and 2,524 laps led at New Hampshire. The nine wins have come via five different drivers, with Kahne most recently finding Victory Lane at the 1.058-mile oval. In July 2012, he started from the outside pole and led 66 laps en route to the organization’s ninth victory at the track.
SUMMER SESSION: Kahne is not known to take a summer break during the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, as 10 of his 17 career victories have been achieved between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
KAHNE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In 22 starts at the Loudon track, Kahne has one win, three top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes. He has also led 305 laps at the 1.058-mile oval.
DELAYED HOMECOMING: Gordon’s visit to Pittsboro, Indiana, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway market to help promote the upcoming Brickyard 400 has been rescheduled for Thursday, July 23. The 43-year-old driver lived in Pittsboro and attended nearby Tri-West High School while racing as a teenager throughout the Midwest.
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 (11,666) at the 1.058-mile track. He is also the only driver to compete in all 40 Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
SO FAR, SO GOOD: Heading into the second half of the season, Johnson's average start is 14.2 and average finish is 10.6, and he has completed 98.2 percent of all possible laps run. Johnson is second in the point standings, but his series-leading four wins have him seeded first in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup grid.
JOHNSON AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: In the last 20 races at New Hampshire, according to NASCAR loop data, Johnson has the fourth-best driver rating of 102.1. During that span, he has an average finish of 11.0 and has led 322 total laps at the track.
EARNHARDT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Earnhardt ranks third among drivers for laps run in the top 15 at New Hampshire, according to NASCAR's loop data statistics. During the last 20 races at the 1.058-mile oval, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has spent 74.2 percent of his laps running in the top 15. He is ranked sixth in the driver rating category at New Hampshire with a score of 97.1.