New Hampshire Motor Speedway results from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on July 16th, 2017
Today, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series unloads at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. But this isn’t the same New Hampshire. PJ1 trackbite has been installed in lane 1 and lane 3. The primary groove, lane 2, through the middle lacks the sticky stuff. Two grooves, perhaps even 3 at New Hampshire.
View full 2017 New Hampshire results from the NASCAR Cup Series race below.
Related: NASCAR Xfinity Series results from New Hampshire – July 15, 2017
Kyle Larson thought he had the pole after qualifying on Friday. However, he failed post-qualifying inspection. Unapproved rear deck-lid. His pole time was disallowed. Instead of starting on pole, he will start last. Instead, Martin Truex Jr and Jimmie Johnson will set the front row.
Related: NASCAR explains Kyle Larson’s qualifying infraction
75 laps in stage 1, 75 in stage 2 and 151 in stage 3. A total of 301 laps around NHMS.
Green flag, Martin Truex Jr takes the lead in turn 1. Matt Kenseth is down on the bottom line, he rolls by Jimmie Johnson for 2nd. Penalty! Jimmie Johnson beat the ‘new’ polesitter to the start finish line. He will have to do a pass-through.
Matt Kenseth is all over the bumper of Martin Truex Jr for the lead. Kenseth only hangs there for 2 laps. He might have backed off the throttle on purpose so he doesn’t eat through his tires trailing in the dirty air of the leader.
Kyle Larson started 39th. It’s now lap 6 of 301, he’s up to 23rd.
Lap 35, competition caution. Kyle Larson is inside the top 10. The track has multiple groove. Typically the primary groove, nobody is running the middle lane. The field is split between running the 3rd lane or running right against the inside yellow line. Larson, has selected the high groove.
Green. Erik Jones has a tire rub. Trouble in turn 3, caution. Erik Jones has gone straight in turn 3. He cut a tire, the car didn’t turn at all. He was running just outside the top 5. Moments earlier he had contact on pit road as Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones all left pit stalls at the same time. They ran out of room, Erik damaged a fender and led to this cut tire. His day is likely over.
Lap 47, Green. The outside line prevails on the restart. Martin Truex Jr chose the outside line. A bump from Kyle Busch and they both clear Matt Kenseth. Kyle Busch is all over Martin Truex Jr for the lead.
Lap 50, Kyle Larson is up to 5th. He’s looking for a way by Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray. They run side-by-side ahead of him, nowhere to go, Larson backs out to let them fight it out for 3rd. As soon as they get single file, Larson gets back in it and picks them both off. Patience.
8 to go in stage 1, Cole Whitt has blown up. Caution. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and more are on pit road.
Green, a two lap shootout to a stage 1 win. Kyle Larson picks off Jamie McMurray. Martin Truex Jr wins stage 1! His 14th stage win in 2017.
Stage 1 Results: 1. Martin Truex Jr; 2. Matt Kenseth; 3. Kyle Larson; 4. Jamie McMurray; 5. Kyle Busch; 6. Kasey Kahne; 7. Ryan Newman; 8. Ryan Blaney; 9. Denny Hamlin; 10. Chase Elliott;
Red flag. There’s a hole in the racetrack. Track officials will apply a fast drying epoxy to fill the hole. The track was last re-paved in 2002.
Green flag on stage 2. Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney lead the field to green. Kyle Busch gets it done on the bottom. Jimmie Johnson is back up to 5th after going to the tail on lap 2. Brad Keselowski gets a good jump further back. Daniel Suarez see’s that run coming, he pulls low on entry to block the run, a bump from Keselowski, they all continue.
Lap 89, Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr tangle in the middle of 3-4. Dillon was in the middle, Ricky Stenhouse turned down slightly to get a good exit, possibly pinching Dillon at the same time. Dillon was already there. Just fighting for space, they touched. Dillon went around in front of the field. AJ Allmendinger stomped on the brake pedal, he pitched the sideways, mid-corner, on purpose. AJ drove down the banking to avoid the sliding Dillon, he missed it by a 1/2 inch.
Lap 93, green flag. Kyle Busch resumes as the leader out of turn 2. He pulls Kevin Harvick to 2nd. Truex Jr is up to 11th, he restarted 24th after he pitted at the conclusion of stage 1.
Lap 116, Martin Truex Jr is on the bumper of Ryan Blaney for 2nd. Martin Truex Jr gets a great exit off turn 4. He has a run on him. A slight misjudge, Truex Jr barely clips the back bumper as he’s pulls out of line. Contact, they both continue. Side-by-side down the front straight. Blaney lifts early at the entry of 1. Truex to 7th.
15 to go in stage 2. Kyle Busch leads Kevin Harvick by 5 seconds. But Denny Hamlin is all over Kevin Harvick. He gives him a slight shove into turn 3. Kevin Harvick gets the message. Harvick takes the bottom lane, leaves the top open for Hamlin. The #11 drives right by, move Hamlin to 2nd.
5 to go, Martin Truex Jr is battling with Jimmie Johnson for 5th. At the front, Kyle Busch is all alone.
Kyle Busch wins stage 2! He’s led 72 laps today. Another dominating day for Toyota at New Hampshire so far. Toyota’s have led 92% of the laps here in the previous two years. That percentage will increase after today’s event as Toyota’s have led every lap in the race so far.
Related: NASCAR fans hate Toyota
Stage 2 Results: 1. Kyle Busch; 2. Denny Hamlin; 3. Kevin Harvick; 4. Kurt Busch; 5. Matt Kenseth; 6. Kyle Larson; 7. Clint Bowyer; 8. Dale Earnhardt Jr; 9. Daniel Suarez; 10. Chase Elliott;
Did Kyle Busch learn anything is yesterday’s Xfinity race? Stage 2 winner comments, “A little bit. You know, it’s ever changing. Gotta keep moving around with the stuff that’s on the track. It’s almost back to the primary groove being the best groove.”
The field hits pit road. It’s the first time all day the pit stops have netted a change in positions at the front. Denny Hamlin picks up the lead on pit road. The jack fell early for Kyle Busch. He will restart 4th.
Green flag on the final stage. Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick lead the field into turn 1. Martin True Jr gives a huge push to Kevin Harvick. Harvick nearly clears Denny Hamlin at the exit of turn 2. Harvick can’t drive it to the wall like he needs, he has to lift a bit to make room for Hamlin, who still hangs to his outside. Truex drives to the bottom, 3 wide for the lead at the exit of turn 2.
Denny Hamlin holds the lead going into 3. Harvick slips back to 4th, Truex to 2nd. Truex gives it a little too much throttle on the exit of 4, he was alongside Hamlin, trying to take the lead. Wheel spin and Kyle Busch carries the high side momentum around the outside of Truex. Move Kyle Busch to 2nd.
Lap 164, Martin Truex Jr has returned to the back bumper of Kyle Busch. The #18 pulls low at the entry of turn 1. Kyle brakes early and allows Truex Jr to drive around on the outside. Truex back to 2nd.
Lap 168, Martin Truex Jr has caught Denny Hamlin. Truex tries the bottom, can’t get it done. 5 laps later, Truex is there again. He drives it deep into turn 1, he’s below the yellow line on entry. It’s a slidejob! Truex has to check up to avoid the wall on exit. Denny Hamlin swings back under him on exit. Truex does it again in the turn 3. This time it sticks. New leader, Martin Truex Jr.
Lap 175, Joey Logano has pulled to the garage.
90 to go, Martin Truex Jr still leads. Kyle Larson is on a charge. Clint Bowyer is on the move. He’s passed Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick in the last 15 laps. Bowyer is inside the top 5 for the first time all day.
81 to go, Daniel Suarez is on pit road, pitting from 10th. He starts the pit cycle.
82 to go, the leader has a flat tire! Martin Truex Jr takes it to pit road. A flat tire but he hardly lost any time at all. If that was going to happen, it was perfect time, right at the start of the the pit window. Kyle Busch assumes the lead.
72 to go, Martin Truex Jr just un-lapped himself. He runs 16th.
64 to go, Kyle Busch is on pit road. Trouble! A penalty has been issued to Kyle Busch, too fast entering pit road. Dale Earnhardt Jr leads. It’s the first time that anything but a Toyota has led this race.
56 to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr is praying for a caution. He’s a lap away from flipping the fuel reserve switch. 55 to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr is on pit road. Martin Truex Jr is back to the lead. Kyle Busch is running 11th, with much fresher tires.
42 to go, Matt Kenseth has fresher tires than the leader. .4 tenths quicker. He catches Martin Truex Jr drives under him at the exit of 4. New leader.
40 to go. Caution. Ryan Newman is around. Newman thinks he had a bit of help, Kasey Kahne was behind him, that was a battle for 27th.
Matt Kenseth took 2 tires. The other 9 cars in the top 10, took 4 tires. Dale Earnhardt Jr is the lone car to stay on the racetrack. More trouble for Kyle Busch, speeding on pit road, again.
35 to go, green flag. Martin Truex Jr hits the apron. He wiggles, chases it up the track. Larson is through on the bottom, Harvick is around on the top. Truex drops through the middle. Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin made quick work of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Battle for the lead! Denny Hamlin pulls up to the rear bumper of Matt Kenseth at the exit of turn 4. The air is pulled from the rear spoiler of the lead car, Kenseth wiggles. Denny Hamlin drives under him on exit and to the lead. New leader, Denny Hamlin.
25 to go, Kyle Larson moves around Matt Kenseth for 2nd. Kenseth swings back under him, refusing to forfeit the position. The revenge attempt only allowed Martin Truex Jr is catch them both. As Matt Kenseth is overdriving it on the bottom, Truex picks the high-side and drives right by, Truex to 3rd.
10 to go, Kyle Larson is catching Denny Hamlin. Both of them have left Martin Truex Jr.
3 to go, Denny Hamlin is swapping lines. Experimenting as he feels the pressure from Larson.
2 to go, Larson is just .5 seconds back now.
Denny Hamlin holds off Kyle Larson. Denny Hamlin gets it done in the backup car. Hamlin wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway! It’s his first win of 2017 and the first win of the year for Joe Gibbs Racing.
View full 2017 New Hampshire Motor Speedway results below.
Denny Hamlin comments from victory lane, “It’s a great feeling. I know we’ve been getting better and better as the year goes on. Definitely needed a win for the organization, for myself. The playoff’s are coming up so we gotta get going.”
The runner-up, Kyle Larson, “I felt like if I ever got close enough to him… I could carry a lot more speed entry to middle than he could. I could have maybe got it pointed better on exit than him. Had to start last, [finished 2nd] that’s the 3rd time out of 4 that we’ve done that. Wish we could’ve got a win.”
3rd place runner Martin Truex Jr, “I don’t think our car was as good there at the end, the last two runs. The VHT wore off there at the end, probably the last 100 laps. Once we got that fire tire, I don’t know if it knocked some cooling off the right front tire or what but I couldn’t run with them.”
Next week, NASCAR heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Author: Shane Walters
Video Highlights
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series – July 16, 2017
Results
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series – July 16, 2017
Related: New Hampshire Starting Lineup
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Larson
3. Martin Truex Jr
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Daniel Suarez
7. Clint Bowyer
8. Kurt Busch
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Jimmie Johnson
11. Chase Elliott
12. Kyle Busch
13. Danica Patrick
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
15. Austin Dillon
16. Ty Dillon
17. Jamie McMurray
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr
19. Ryan Blaney
20. Trevor Bayne
21. AJ Allmendinger
22. Paul Menard
23. Landon Cassill
24. Aric Almirola
25. Chris Buescher
26. Michael McDowell
27. Ryan Newman
28. Kasey Kahne
29. David Ragan
30. Matt DiBenedetto
31. Corey LaJoie
32. Ryan Sieg
33. Jeffrey Earnhardt
34. Reed Sorenson
35. Gray Gaulding
36. Josh Bilicki
37. Joey Logano
38. Cole Whitt
39. Erik Jones
Links
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
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