New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.600-mile (2.575 km) road course, which includes much of the oval.
The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
(i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
The first practice session was held on Friday, September 23, at 1:30 am EST, and would last for 55 minutes.[2]Ben Rhodes, driving for ThorSport Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.838, and an average speed of 132.076 mph (212.556 km/h).[3]
The final practice session was held on Friday, September 23, at 3:30 am EST, and would last for 55 minutes.[2]Matt Crafton, driving for ThorSport Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.663, and an average speed of 132.882 mph (213.853 km/h).[4]
Qualifying was held on Saturday, August 17, at 10:10 am EST.[2] Since New Hampshire Motor Speedway is under 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length, the qualifying system is a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[5]
William Byron, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 28.667, and an average speed of 132.864 mph (213.824 km/h) in the third round.[6]
^Nemechek initially finished 9th respectively, but was disqualified after height violations were found in post-race inspection. A few days later, Nemechek was penalized 10 owner points, with crew chief Gere Kennon being fined US$6,000.[7]
