Championship racing is back in New England, with the NASCAR Cup Series returning to the “Magic Mile” at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with this weekend’s Mobil 301.
Once a staple of NASCAR’s early postseason, Loudon, N.H., will host the Round of 12 of the Cup Series playoffs, the first time there have been championship stakes in New Hampshire since 2017.
Twelve drivers remain in the hunt for a title, including the last four NASCAR Cup series champions plus Denny Hamlin, a three-time winner in New Hampshire who has yet to win a championship. Hamlin’s team, Joe Gibbs Racing, has dominated the playoffs thus far in sweeping the Round of 16 and winning the last three playoff races.
The defending race winner, Christopher Bell, also drives for Joe Gibbs Racing and currently sits fourth in the playoff standings.
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Here’s what you need to know about the NASCAR postseason’s return to the “Magic Mile.”
NASCAR at New Hampshire Motor Speedway schedule
NASCAR Cup Series events are in bold.
Saturday, Sept. 20
9:15 a.m. — NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Mohegan Sun 100 (TV: FloRacing)
12 p.m. — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Team EJP 175 (FS1)
3 p.m. — NASCAR Cup Series practice (truTV)
4:10 p.m. — NASCAR Cup Series qualifying (truTV)
Sunday, Sept. 21
2 p.m. — NASCAR Cup Series, Mobil 1 301 (USA Network)
Story lines to watch
▪ High-stakes racing is finally back in New Hampshire after close to a decade away. Loudon was long home to the postseason opener with a September date from 1997-2017, but was moved to a July slot in recent years. Now, the “Magic Mile” — which is actually 1.058 miles in length — is back in the playoff spotlight in opening the Round of 12 this weekend.
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▪ All eyes will be on Denny Hamlin, considered by many to be the greatest NASCAR drive to have never won a Cup, as he takes another crack at the title. The 44-year-old, a 59-time winner in the Cup Series, won the Enjoy Illinois 300, the second of three Round of 16 races, to take the lead in the Cup Series playoff standings heading into the Round of 12.
Hamlin had a little trouble at Bristol last week, with two of his pit crew facing a suspension after violating a safety rule when Hamlin lost his front right wheel during the race. His team opted to defer that suspension a week, maintaining his full crew for this weekend’s trip to New Hampshire.
Loudon has been a happy hunting ground for Hamlin, who has won three times around the “Magic Mile.” A fourth would put him in a strong position heading into the Round of 8.
▪ Defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano has some work to do, sitting in the danger zone in 10th place with the field set to be cut down to eight drivers in three races’ time. Fortunately, the three-time champion has also had success in New Hampshire, with two wins — including his first Cup Series win in 2009.
▪ Another successful driver at Loudon is Christopher Bell, Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate who has won two of the last three races here and is in fourth place in the standings. After a run to the Championship Four in 2023, the 30-year-old has his eyes set on a title run with seven races to go.
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▪ Between Bell and Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing sit Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron, the two-time reigning Daytona 500 champ, and Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion. The two Hendrick drivers, behind the wheels of Chevrolets, haven’t been able to break the Joe Gibbs Racing/Toyota dominance through three playoff races, and neither has ever won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
▪ The rest of the field still chasing the title includes 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Tyler Reddick.
▪ Maine’s Ricky Craven, a two-time Cup Series race winner, will serve as the honorary pace car driver, leading the field to the green flag to start the race on Sunday.
Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.