NASCAR: What to watch for in the 2018 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 24: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Caramel Toyota. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 24: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Caramel Toyota. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Race 20 takes the NASCAR Cup Series to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. Here is what you can expect to see this weekend.

The next stop on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is in the northeast at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It’s time for a little short track racing for the Cup Series, something the sport really needs after last weekend’s race at Kentucky.

There really isn’t a lot to say about the race last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. won all three stages en route to a dominant win in the Quaker State 400. There really wasn’t a single driver who had any chance of beating him this past Saturday. The biggest takeaway was that Alex Bowman crashed in stage two and lost a significant amount of ground in the championship standings as result of it.

Hopefully we are given a more competitive day on Sunday with the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire. Sunday’s race will be the first at a short track since the race at Dover in early May.

In May, it was Kevin Harvick taking the checkered flag after winning the first two stages and leading 201 of the race’s 400 laps. New Hampshire, however, is a much different track than Dover. New Hampshire is a track that is more similar to Martinsville Speedway, the track at which Clint Bowyer won in March.

What to Watch

One of the “big three” leading the way

It’s no secret that Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are all in a league of their own. If it’s not Harvick leading the way, then it’s Busch or Truex Jr. NASCAR has itself a Formula 1 issue in which the top three are essentially untouchable while the others battle to see who can finish behind them. Hopefully the gap Ryan Blaney talked about closing gets filled soon or we will see a lot more burnouts from the #4 Ford, the #18 Toyota and the #78 Toyota going forward throughout the remainder of the 2018 season.

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No love for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Kyle Busch had some very choice words for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in last Friday’s press conference. It appeared as though he might still be upset about Stenhouse Jr. ending his race early at Daytona the week prior. I think a good amount of drivers share the frustration that Busch spoke of and we very well could see the #17 Ford get bumped and banged more than once this Sunday at New Hampshire.

Toyota domination

Of the last six races held in Loudon, five were won by Toyota drivers. Last year’s playoff race was won by Kyle Busch. Last year’s July race was won by Denny Hamlin. Matt Kenseth won there in September of 2015 and July of 2016. Lastly, and Busch who won in July of 2015. The only non-Toyota driver to win  at the track since July of 2015 is Kevin Harvick, who won there in September of 2016 in a Chevrolet.

If I had to venture a guess, I would say it will be Kyle Busch getting another win in 2018. However, with Ford and Toyota being so dominant, it could very well be any one of the “big three”.

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What will you be watching for this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway? Do you believe that the “big three” will dominate once again or will another driver find his way to victory lane? Tune into the action from the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.