On Sunday, the New Hampshire Motor Speedway will play host to a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race for the first time since 2017.
The ‘Magic Mile’ is the setting for the opening race of the Round of 12, a pivotal race in the 2025 postseason.
The one-mile venue has always been unique, but there are more question marks surrounding this year’s race at NHMS than there have been in a long time.
When New Hampshire used to host postseason races, the track had two dates on the NASCAR calendar, ensuring playoff teams had notes from earlier in the season to refer back to. That’s not the case this year.
It will also be difficult for teams to look back at their 2024 New Hampshire notes, given that the final 86 laps were run under never-before-seen wet-weather conditions that featured rain tires.
All of those factors make for what should be a thrilling NASCAR Cup Series playoff race on Sunday.
Even for the drivers who aren’t in the playoff field, New Hampshire is still a wild card. That’s the case for Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith, who will go into the weekend at New Hampshire on the heels of a third-place finish in the Bristol Night Race.