“Up north, Modifieds are the deal,” said Logano, running fourth in the Cup series standings. “That’s as big as it gets up here.” Years before he became one of the most heralded youngsters in NASCAR, he loved going to nearby Thompson (Conn.) Speedway, where he’d watch the quarter-midgets battle on the Little T track. After that, he’d walk up the hill and see the late Ted Christopher and his rivals slug it out on the Whelan Modified Tour. He loved seeing the stock cars at Loudon, but their shorter, wider, snarling open-wheeled cousins had his heart. Advertisement New Hampshire Motor Speedway hopes others share his passion. The track is heavily promoting the Mods after NASCAR’s decision to move September’s playoff race to Las Vegas. After a 20-year run boasting both a summer and fall race in NASCAR’s top division, NHMS will host only the Foxwoods 301 this season. The former ISM Connect 300, renamed the South Point 400, will run Sept. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The parent company of that track, SMI, also owns NHMS. RELATED: Start time for Foxwoods 301 is now 1 p.m. Next July 21, Loudon will once again host a top-division race, continuing a run that began with Rusty Wallace’s win in the 1993 Slick 50 300. But it will no longer be the place where champions start their playoff runs. David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of NHMS, said as of Friday afternoon, ticket sales for this weekend rose between 3.5 and 4 percent. “We’re holding our own,” he said. “I wish everyone who was here in September was here in July. I think that’s going to take a few years to truly take hold.” Advertisement Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 winner, became the youngest victor in Series history when he won the 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at 19. He wonders how many will be watching him go for his first win of 2018. “When you think there are two races and you’re a fan that can only afford to go to one, you’re most likely going to choose the playoff race here,” Logano said. “It’ll be interesting to see what the stands look like on Sunday because now it’s an event. You can’t miss this one . . . This is the race for a lot of people where I’m from.” This fall’s Modified race, to be held Sept. 22, has been renamed the Musket 250, the tour’s longest and richest race with a $181,000 purse. The winner gets a customized Revolutionary War-era musket and a tri-corner hat. That’s the prize NHMS gave Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his farewell tour last year. Though it is not finalized, McGrath said he expected next summer’s three-day Live Nation Country Music Festival at NHMS to go on. After the Merrimack County Superior Court green-lit the concert in May, three neighbors of the track appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, citing a 1989 agreement that prohibits concerts not connected to races. The festival is expected to draw 20,000 fans and campers. Worn tires took toll Brad Keselowski won the pole for the Lakes Region 200, Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at NHMS. His car looked to be the class of the field, until Keselowski, a 34-year-old veteran running fifth in the Cup Series, was forced to start at the rear because he was late to the pre-race drivers’ meeting. Keselowski didn’t stay in the back for long, weaving his No. 22 Ford from 38th to first. Advertisement On his final pit stop, on Lap 164, Keselowski took two tires. The other challengers took four. Keselowski knew it was a mistake. “I think we would have won with four,” he said. Christopher Bell, a 23-year-old rookie from Norman, Okla., took a fresh set of Goodyears and won his third race of the season, taking the lead with 18 laps to go. Bell held off Keselowski and third-place finisher Ryan Preece, of Berlin, Conn., to win the race and climb to second in the Xfinity Series standings. Kaz Grala, 19, a Westborough resident and Worcester Academy graduate, finished 14th. The Xfinity rookie’s run in the series will not end in the playoffs, after he violated a rule mandating a qualifying attempt at every race. The lack of a sponsor forced him to miss last week’s Xfinity race at Kentucky, rendering Grala ineligble for the playoffs. After reaching Victory Lane, Bell spun donuts for so long it looked like he was trying to write his name in burnt rubber on the asphalt. “The four tires didn’t hurt us, that’s for sure,” he said. Santos wins Mod race Playing defense the entire last lap, Franklin’s Bobby Santos squeezed out Chase Dowling and beat him across the finish line, bumper-to-bumper, sparks flying, by the scant margin of 0.014 seconds to take the checkered flag of the Eastern Propane & Oil 100. Advertisement “It was crazy,” said Santos, who piloted the No. 44 Chevy though a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race that featured seven cautions, cars cutting low and sliding through turns and a host of late positional changes. Santos, 32, a 2004 graduate of Tri-County Regional Vocational Tech, has won three consecutive Whelen races at NHMS, sweeping both events last year. He also won here in 2016, giving him four Loudon wins among his 17 Modified Tour victories. Sitting next to the 20-year-old Dowling at the postrace news conference, Ryan Newman had a good time with it. “You needed more mow-tah,” the South Bend, Ind., native said, teasing Dowling for his New England accent. Newman, the pole sitter, finished third after battling back from seventh place. He will start 18th in the Foxwoods 301, but likes his grassroots-style tuneups, especially thrillers. “Just an awesome race,” Newman said. “If you didn’t like that, you need to find another hobby.” Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattports.<doc-sep>Thanks to some aggressive driving down the stretch, Kevin Harvick took home the checkered flag for the sixth time this season at the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 in New Hampshire. With eight laps to go, Harvick began to hit leader Kyle Busch with some bump-and-runs to knock him off the course. One lap later, Harvick did just that to give himself a sizable lead for the remainder of the race. "I didn't want to waste a bunch of time behind him." @KevinHarvick explains his move on @KyleBusch . pic.twitter.com/64IMrZrus7 — NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 22, 2018 NASCAR SCHEDULE: Dates, times, TV info Luckily the post-race comments were relatively civil between the two. Busch understood that that was how racing shakes out sometimes, but added that how one races eventually gets back to them. As for other racers, even though Aric Almirola finished in third, he likely feels pretty disappointed in his performance. After leading for much of Stage 3, he was unable to get the restarts he needed to keep his lead, which was eventually given up to the eventual top two racers. Sporting News followed along the race for live highlights, updates and standings below. Here's what you might have missed NASCAR at New Hampshire: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 highlights All times are in Eastern Daylight. 7:18 p.m. — Harvick takes home the checkered flag after his aggressive driving puts him over Busch! 7:16 p.m. — Harvick shoves Busch out of the way for the lead with seven laps to go! 7:15 p.m. — Harvick is hitting Busch with some bump-and-runs. Eight laps to go. 7:14 p.m. — Ohhhhh buddy! Eleven laps to go. This one isn't over folks! 13 to go and @KevinHarvick is right there in his pursuit of @KyleBusch . Get to @NBCSN ! pic.twitter.com/KPvPMz3JsP — NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 22, 2018 7:10 p.m. — Meanwhile, outside of the top five. Sixteen laps to go. This day could be huge for @RyanJNewman ! He entered @NHMS 79 points behind 16th in the standings, but currently runs 6th! pic.twitter.com/kYBcfh1itZ — NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 22, 2018 7:08 p.m. — Twenty to go! 7:07 p.m. — Aric Almirola has moved up to fourth. Top three remain the same. 25 laps to go. 7:04 p.m. — Big three are in the top three: Busch, Harvick and Truex. Thirty laps to go. 7:01 p.m. — Almirola drops from third to sixth on the restart. Only 37 laps to go. 7:00 p.m. — Going green with 40 to go! Going green with 40 laps to go with Busch, Harvick, Almirola, Truex, Kurt Busch, Elliott #NASCAR — Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) July 22, 2018 6:55 p.m. — The 18 beats the 10 off of pit road! Kyle Busch takes the lead followed by Harvick and then Almirola. 6:54 p.m. — Caution with 45 laps to go in the race. Lap 246 - ⚠️ for @ClintBowyer @dennyhamlin was the lucky dog — Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) July 22, 2018 6:50 p.m. — Keselowski finally gets his brakes checked out after coasting for the past couple laps. Fifty laps to go. 6:48 p.m. — Safe to say that this would be a huge win for Almirola. Lap 244. Not so fast! @Aric_Almirola tracks down @KevinHarvick and re-takes the lead with 60 to go! pic.twitter.com/4UNyZiLPTr — NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 22, 2018 6:44 p.m. — We've got a tight one here, folks! Lap 238. So here’s the situation: Aric Almirola leading at New Hampshire with 65 laps to go, ahead of teammate Kevin Harvick. Next-closest driver (Kyle Busch) is four seconds behind them. So it’s 10 vs. 4 right now. — Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 22, 2018 6:39 p.m. — Oh my this could have been bad. Kurt Busch pits with 74 laps to go as does Ryan Blaney. And the two nearly hit each other on pit road! Blaney went to leave, Busch stopped and they both sat there for a bit. That’ll be costly for both #NASCAR — Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) July 22, 2018 6:38 p.m. — Accident with no caution. 6:36 p.m. — Pitting throught the last few laps. 222: Daniel Suarez 223: Matt Kenseth 224: Logano, Bowyer, Jones, Truex Jr. 225: 3, 24, 88, Harvick 226: 6:34 p.m. — Keselowski has lost his breaks and he's been sliding down the leaderboard ever since. Lap 220, Almirola still leads. 6:33 p.m. — We've got a new race leader! Lap 218. 6:32 p.m. — Denny Hamlin struggling on the track. Lap 217. 6:24 p.m. — Lap 200 standings update: 6:21 p.m. — Rain starting to appear on the horizon. Lap 195. Some small rain cells building to the south/southwest. pic.twitter.com/HUYl6ZEaXu — Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 22, 2018 6:12 p.m. — We've got 125 left. 125 laps to go at New Hampshire. It’s Kurt Busch-Almirola-Elliott-Truex-KyBusch-Harvick-Blaney-Keselowski-Bowyer-Logano. — Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 22, 2018 6:06 p.m. — Aric Almirola sitting in P2 now. Lap 165. 6:01 p.m. — Final stage is underway! 6:00 p.m. — Review from pit road indicates Kurt Busch will lead at the restart. Lap 155: On official review, No. 41 Kurt Busch now appears to have beaten No. 9 Chase Elliott off pit road. #Foxwoods301 — NASCAR Alerts (@NASCAR_Alerts) July 22, 2018 Off pit road: Elliott, Kurt Busch, Truex, Harvick, Almirola, Logano, Blaney, Bowyer, Keselowski, Johnson. Again all took four tires #NASCAR — Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) July 22, 2018 5:54 p.m. — Busch's attempt at taking the lead is for naught. Elliott takes the stage, his first of 2018. Only the third win by a Chevrolet this season. 5:51 p.m. — Kurt Busch caught Chase Elliott with five laps to go in Stage 2. Here's an Elliott stat to go with the lead loss. . @chaseelliott has not earned a stage win in 2018. He posted three last year #NASCAR — Lee Spencer (@CandiceSpencer) July 22, 2018 5:48 p.m. — Truex is dropping. “Just lost entry and center,” says Martin Truex Jr. He’s gone from the lead to third late in this stage #NASCAR — Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) July 22, 2018 5:46 p.m. — It appears as though Kurt Busch might have a chance to catch Elliott before the stage ends. Fourteen laps to go for Stage 2. 5:44 p.m. — Chase Elliott takes the lead with 21 laps to go. 5:40 p.m. — Chase Elliott catching Martin Truex Jr. Twenty-five laps left in the stage. 5:34 p.m. — Frustrations running high on the track. “Way to go dipshit 41. Ugh … We just suck,” Kyle Busch says. “Will not turn to the bottom …” among his laundry list of issues with the 18 car #NASCAR — Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) July 22, 2018 5:32 p.m. — Is it truly a comeback if he won the pole? Regardless, Busch trying to return to the lead! Lap 108. The #BuschPole winner is clawing his way back. KB41 moves into P3 and sets his sights on the 78 & 9. pic.twitter.com/YWupRu89cZ — NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 22, 2018 5:27 p.m. — Truex holding onto the lead firmly. Then Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. 5:20 p.m. — Dillon getting a pass-through violation. 5:18 p.m. — Order off of pit road. Stage 2 is underway! Off pit road: Truex, Elliott, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Harvick, Bowyer, Logano, Almirola, Menard. All took four tires #NASCAR — Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) July 22, 2018 5:16 p.m. — Updated playoff standings! Updated playoff point standings after Stage 1 at New Hampshire: 1. Kyle Busch — 30 2. Kevin Harvick — 27 3. Martin Truex Jr. — 26 4. Clint Bowyer — 10 5. Joey Logano — 7 (No one else has more than 5) — Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 22, 2018 5:12 p.m. — Martin Truex Jr. wins the stage, and gets another playoff point. 5:09 p.m. — Joey Logano has gone from P28 to P10, despite replacing all four tires on his car during a pit. 5:05 p.m. — Chase Elliott passes Jimmie Johnson for P2 Lap 61. 5:01 p.m. — Pitting and restart order: Restart order with 20 to go in Stage 1: Truex-Blaney-Johnson-Stenhouse-Elliott-KuBusch-Larson-KyBusch-Bowyer-Kenseth-Harvick-Keselowski-Menard-Hamlin-Jones. — Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 22, 2018 4:58 p.m. — Caution for debris on lap 53.<doc-sep>Mike Hembree USA TODAY LOUDON, N.H. — The start of Sunday’s Foxwoods Casino Resort 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway finally began Sunday after being delayed by more than three hours. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. ET but was delayed by wet weather. The track had been pounded by rain since early Sunday morning, and more rain fell in the early afternoon. The green flag dropped at 4:24 p.m. once the rain stopped and track drying was complete. New Hampshire Motor Speedway does not have lights so NASCAR will attempt to finish all 301 laps before sundown in New England. The race will become official at the end of Stage 2. The segments for today's race: Stage 1: 75 laps, Stage 2: 75 laps, Stage 3: 151 laps. STICKY TRACK:Traction compound could play big role in race CUP DRIVERS:Would welcome schedule shakeup<doc-sep>
It's race day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for Sunday's Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race: START TIME: With rain in the forecast and no lights at the track, the race time was moved up one hour. Drivers will be instructed to start their engines at 1:07 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 1:15 p.m. ET. RACE DISTANCE: The Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 is 301 laps around the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a total of 318.46 miles. RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for tonight's race: Stage 1: 75 laps, Stage 2: 75 laps, Stage 3: 151 laps. NATIONAL ANTHEM: Kirk Young will perform the Canadian national anthem at 12:58 p.m. ET, and Vanessa Salvucci will perform the U.S. national anthem at 1:01 p.m. ET. Both anthems will be followed by a flyover by the 101st Air Refueling Wing’s KC-135 Stratoranker of the Maine National Guard. TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), with a pre-show beginning at noon ET. Radio calls can be found on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials. STICKY TRACK:Traction compound could play big role in race TRUEX:Seeks new sponsor, first Cup win at New Hampshire CUP DRIVERS:Would welcome future schedule shakeup WEATHER: Thunderstorms will almost certainly hit the area sometime Sunday morning, but the question is, will skies clear up enough in the afternoon? The Weather Channel is calling for temperatures around 70 degrees with an 80% chance of thunderstorms at the green flag. A delay at the start or mid-race is a strong possibility. LAST TIME: Joe Gibbs Racing drivers swept both races at New Hampshire last year with Denny Hamlin edging Kyle Larson by .509 seconds in July, and Kyle Busch topping Larson by a much bigger 2.641 seconds in the Septmber playoff race. NHMS only has one race this season, with sister track Las Vegas Motor Speedway getting its playoff race. LINEUP: Kurt Busch won his third pole of the season and the 25th of his career during Friday's qualifying session. Reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. qualified second. Here's the starting lineup for today's Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (car number in parentheses): 1. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 2. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 3. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 5. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 6. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 7. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota 8. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 9. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 10. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 11. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 12. (21) Paul Menard, Ford 13. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford 14. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 15. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 16. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 17. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 18. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 19. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 20. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 21. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 22. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 23. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 24. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 25. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 26. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet 27. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet 28. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford 29. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 30. (38) David Ragan, Ford 31. (6) Matt Kenseth, Ford 32. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 33. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 34. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet 35. (99) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet 36. (51) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet 37. (23) Blake Jones, Toyota