Fans headed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) for New England’s only NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) weekend are in for a wicked good time at “The Magic Mile” as drivers take to the track for three full days of action-packed racing this Friday through Sunday, Aug. 21-23. From Bell needing a dose of “The Magic Mile” to break his second-place spell to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) drivers battling it out for their final chance to make The Chase, there will be no shortage of thrilling, white-knuckled excitement for fans to enjoy. Here are five must-watch storylines headed into the weekend:

Can Bell Break the Spell?

He may have clinched a position in The Chase following this past Saturday’s race at Richmond Raceway, however, with zero wins and seven second-place finishes so far this season, it seems Christopher Bell is under some sort of spell. The cure may be a dose of “The Magic Mile.” Bell’s New Hampshire dominance is unmatched with seven wins in 12 starts across NASCAR’s top three series guaranteeing he’s got the Dollar Tree 301 circled on his calendar. He’s racked up two NCS wins, three top-fives and four top-10s for an average finish of 11.2 in his six NCS starts. He’s got an average finish of 1.5 in the NCTS with one win and two top-fives in two starts and most dominantly, he maintained 2026an average finish of 1.0 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series after winning all four of his NHMS starts.

It Takes Skill

Only five active full-time NCS drivers have won at NHMS – Denny Hamlin, Bell, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and defending winner Ryan Blaney. Hamlin leads the field with three New Hampshire wins, which means a trip to victory lane this Sunday would put him three-wide at the top of NHMS’s winningest drivers list alongside Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick, both of whom were named to the 2027 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. Bell, Keselowski and Middletown, Conn. native Logano have two New Hampshire wins apiece while defending race winner Blaney has one. Of these drivers, Hamlin, Blaney and Bell have clinched their Chase spots while Logano is currently ninth in The Chase with two races left to go. Keselowski is currently on the outside of the top-16 looking in from 19th place, so a third New Hampshire win will not only add another Loudon the Lobster to his collection, it may also help secure a spot that he’s desperately looking for in The Chase.

Double Duty

Race fans will have multiple opportunities to cheer on their favorite NCS drivers this weekend with a handful of them pulling double duty starting on Doubleheader Saturday. Bell, Nemechek and Connor Zilisch will all be competing in the Team EJP 175 NCTS race while NASCAR Clash winner and Berlin, Conn. native Ryan Preece will be competing in the Mohegan Sun 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) race. Bell has two NCS wins and one NCTS win at New Hampshire while Preece has one NWMT win. Nemechek has a best New Hampshire finish of eighth in the NCS and fifth in the NCTS. Zilisch will be making his New Hampshire debut this weekend.

NCTS Chase will be Set

Saturday’s Team EJP 175 will serve as the final chance for the NCTS drivers to solidify their position in The Chase, which will kick off Sept. 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Layne Riggs (currently P1), Kaden Honeycutt (P2), Chandler Smith (P3), Christian Eckes (P4), Gio Ruggiero (P5) and Ty Majeski (P6) have all clinched their positions in The Chase. Current points leader Riggs finished third last year in his first NHMS start while Honeycutt, who won this past Saturday at Richmond Raceway, finished seventh, Smith finished second, Eckes finished ninth, Seekonk, Mass. native Ruggiero finished fourth in his home track debut and Majeski finished fifth. Of the current Chase drivers who are not locked in, Grant Enfinger (P7) finished sixth last year at NHMS while Ben Rhodes (P8) finished 24th following a crash, Daniel Hemric (P9) finished 12th, Tyler Ankrum (P10) finished 11th.

Can Dollar Tree Sweep the Weekend?

On top of being the Official Value Retailer of Speedway Motorsports and putting their name on Sunday’s NCS race, Dollar Tree has also put their name on vehicles in all three series competing at “The Magic Mile” this weekend. On Doubleheader Saturday, John Hunter Nemechek will drive the No. 5 Dollar Tree Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage in the Team EJP 175 NCTS race and Justin Bonsignore will pilot the No. 51 Dollar Tree modified for Kenneth Massa Motorsports in the Mohegan Sun 100 NWMT race. On Sunday, Nemechek and Erik Jones will both be sporting their Dollar Tree paint schemes on their No. 42 and No. 43 Toyota Camry XSEs for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in the Dollar Tree 301 NCS race.

On-track action kicks off Friday with practice and qualifying for the NWMT and NCTS plus SIG SAUER Academy Dirt Duels at The Flat Track. The action continues on Doubleheader Saturday with the Team EJP 175 NCTS race and the Mohegan Sun 100 NWMT race following NCS practice and qualifying. The on-track action culminates Sunday with the Dollar Tree 301 NCS race. Don’t miss all of the exciting off-track entertainment including the “The Magic Mile” Happy Hour Show, Trackside Live, The Groove fan hangout, concerts from Everybody Wants Some and Tim Dugger, Family Movie Night featuring “Zootopia 2,” driver appearances, fireworks and much more.

For a full NASCAR weekend schedule, visit NHMS.com/Events/NASCAR-Cup-Series/Schedule/.

Tickets:

For tickets and camping for New England’s only NCS weekend, featuring the Dollar Tree 301 NCS race, Team EJP 175 NCTS race, Mohegan Sun 100 NWMT race and SIG SAUER Academy Dirt Duels, fans should visit NHMS.com or call 833-4LOUDON. Tickets for kids 12 and under are just $10 on Sunday, free on Doubleheader Saturday and start at $10 on Friday.

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