Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loundon, New Hampshire, Sunday, 3 p.m.
NASCAR heads north to New Hampshire and “The Magic Mile’’ for Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, where the winner’s trophy is an actual lobster.
This race began in 1993. Jeff Burton won three straight titles from 1997-99 and no other driver has repeated here since.
If it happens Sunday it would mark two firsts.
Kevin Harvick, who won at New Hampshire in 2018 and sits in third place with 645 points in this year’s standings, is still looking for his first win of the season.
In a season where NASCAR fans have seen six different winners the past six weeks, five different team winners the past five weeks, a 20-year old driver win one week and a 40-year old win the next, what they have not seen is Harvick get the checkered flag.
Despite winning four stages and leading for 450 laps this season, Harvick does not even have a top three finish. Is he due? Or is he done?
When the 43-year-old Harvick won in New Hampshire last year it was his sixth win, of what would be eight on the season. With just seven races left in the regular season this might be Harvick’s last best shot.
Playoff race: Five drivers are within 12 points in the standings for the final three playoff spots as the season begins to wind down.
Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson are tied for 14th with 481 points and Eric Jones (473) is just eight points back for 16th and the last playoff position.
That leaves Ryan Newman (471) and Daniel Suarez (469) just barely on the outside looking in at 17th and 18th place.
Here are Sunday’s selection for the winner, the top three, top five and your fantasy leagues. Of course they come with the help of experts Scott “Tobacco Road’’ Baker and Mike “Left Turn’’ Sweeney. The selections were all over the place this week, without a true consensus.
Brad Keselowski (9-1): That’s pretty good odds for the driver fourth overall in the standings and has a win here (in 2014) on his resume. He also got the pole so those odds may come down. BK was the only driver mentioned by all three “experts’’.
Martin Truex Jr. (4-1): The New Jersey native finished fourth here last year and third in 2017. He’ll be in the mix again, for sure. Also keep this little note in mind -- Toyotas have won here four of the past six years.
Joey Logano (10-1): “Tobacco Road’’ touted his guy Joey (actually TR is not exactly a Logano fan) to win his third race of the season and increase his lead over Kyle Busch for first place in he overall standings.
Kevin Harvick (6-1): It’s basically now or never for Harvick this season.
Longshot Play: Kurt Busch (20-1): Can he do it two straight weeks?