Drivers to watch, drivers with questions to answer in Crayon 301 at New Hampshire

The NASCAR schedule moves ahead and this week is the Crayon 301 at the Magic Mile, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. A legendary race with a lobster as the grand prize, this should be a fun weekend of racing. Will we see a repeat winner this weekend or perhaps a playoff bubble driver emerges?

New Hampshire is a track that is peculiar. Flat, a little banking here and there. Turns 1 and 2 are smoother and easier to ride than Turns 3 and 4. All of that factors into this being a tough track for young drivers. If you don’t have much experience on the track, it can give you fits.

So, it might be a week you look to a driver that has won multiple times this season. Perhaps even the guy that took the checkered flag last week?

Drivers to watch in New Hampshire

Christopher Bell
Not only is Bell the reigning winner of this race, he is the odds-on favorite to win. He is in the midst of one of the biggest slumps of his career, but NHMS might be where he changes that. Toyota is strong at this track, Bell needs a good race – a perfect time to do it is at the Magic Mile

Kyle Busch
A three-time winner at the Magic Mile, Kyle Busch is on quite the hot streak heading into this race. Since Kansas (P35 DNF), Busch has three top-10s, three top-5s, and a win. Seven races and his worst finish was P9 at Nashville, that is impressive no matter how you cut it. 9-1 odds for Busch to win the Crayon 301.

Kevin Harvick
Without a win this season, Kevin Harvick has left some hoping for more. However, The Closer is still in playoff contention. He has the most points out of the winless drivers and is still seventh overall in points. A four-time winner, Harvick could become the track’s all-time winningest driver if he takes the Crayon 301 checkered flag Sunday.

Drivers with questions to answer in Crayon 301

Chase Elliott
Once again, Elliott finds himself needing to answer many questions. The main one is, can he win a race this year before it is too late? With 60 points and seven races between him and playoff eligibility, Elliott needs to make a serious run sooner rather than later. He has the best average starting position at NHMS out of any other driver in NASCAR history. Now he needs a finish to go with it.

Joey Logano
For far too long, Logano has been given a pass. Perhaps it is because the defending champion already has a win this season. However, that won’t matter much if he can’t get back to victory lane. Only three top-5 finishes since that March win and results of P19, P8, and P17 in his last three races.

Brad Keselowski
Atlanta was a heartbreaker for Keselowski, that’s for sure. Still, we need to see more improvement from the No. 6 driver. He’s in the playoff field, for now. No top-5 finishes since Darlington this year, Keselowski has gone 81 races without a victory. He’s won at New Hampshire before and will try once again to claim the giant lobster for himself.