CONCORD, N.C. – The “Magic Mile” awaits.
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has captured nine wins, seven pole positions, 42 top-five finishes and 75 top-10s.
Kasey Kahne most recently visited Victory Lane for the organization at the track in 2012, and Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for the second-most wins all-time at New Hampshire with three apiece.
More key facts, figures and moments from the organization’s history at New Hampshire can be found below.
- Chase Elliott is set to make his fifth NASCAR Cup Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In his previous four starts, Elliott averaged a starting position of 10.5 and finishing position of 17.2. The driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy also has two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 1.058-mile speedway. In those Xfinity starts, Elliott collected a pair of top-10 finishes, averaging a starting position of 7.5 and finishing position of 8.5.
- No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 26th Cup Series race at New Hampshire from atop the pit box this weekend. In his previous 25 races calling the shots for five different drivers at the Loudon, New Hampshire, track, Gustafson has collected two wins – in 2006 with Kyle Busch and 2009 with Mark Martin. Gustafson has also collected six top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and 465 laps led.
- There are now just four racetracks on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule – five, if you count the new Charlotte ROVAL – where William Byron will make his first Cup start, including this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. However, the one-mile track has been good to the Cup Series rookie on his previous visits in the NASCAR Xfinity, Camping World Truck and K&N Pro Series. In Xfinity last season, he earned a top-five finish, starting seventh and finishing third. In the truck race the prior season, Byron won the pole and capitalized on his starting spot, leading 161 of 175 laps en route to his sixth of seven victories in the Truck Series in 2016. In the K&N Pro Series East in 2015, he qualified on the pole and again went on to win the race, leading 68 of 70 laps.
- Cup rookies have fared well at NHMS, with two having scored victories at the one-mile oval during their respective rookie seasons – Ryan Newman in 2002 and Joey Logano in 2009. Young guns have also fared well at the Loudon, New Hampshire, track, with five drivers under 21 winning races there. If Byron were to win this weekend, he would be the fifth youngest driver to win at the track
- No. 24 team crew chief Darian Grubb has also had success at New Hampshire, earning two poles (both with Carl Edwards) and two victories with two different drivers – Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.
- The New Hampshire Cup race is July 22, 2018. On that same date in 2017, Byron won his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series race, becoming the youngest driver to win a major race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- Johnson has won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three times, all wins coming with No. 48 crew chief Chad Knaus calling the shots. That mark is tied for the second-most of all drivers with former competitor Jeff Burton holding the record with four wins at the “Magic Mile.” During the 2003 season, Johnson swept both events at New Hampshire. Johnson’s latest win at the venue came in June 2010. His latest pole position was during the July 2016 weekend, when he started first and finished 12th.
- Alex Bowman has six previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The 25-year-old captured finishes of 26th and 14th at the venue in 2016. Bowman’s best qualifying effort came in fall 2016 when the Nationwide team qualified 14th. The driver has two previous starts at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, capturing two top-10 finishes. Bowman qualified fifth back in 2016 and brought home an eighth-place finish after leading seven laps. In 2011, Bowman made two starts at the one-mile track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with an average finish of ninth.
- This weekend’s race is the second event held at NHMS on July 22. If Bowman were to win this Sunday, he would be the second driver of the No. 88 to win on that particular date. Dale Jarrett piloted the No. 88 to victory on the date back in 2001. A win by Bowman would make him the first driver to capture his first career Cup Series win on July 22.
- Chief Greg Ives has called the shots five times for the No. 88 team at New Hampshire. The Michigan native has one top-five finish at the track, which came with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015.
- If Elliott, Byron or Bowman wins at New Hampshire, it will mark the ninth time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing share the all-time record, having each sent eight first-time winners to Victory Lane in Cup Series competition. Five Cup Series drivers have earned their first career victory at New Hampshire.