Christopher Bell on pole alongside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr.; full grid list

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the northeast this weekend for the Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s just now more than a mile mostly flat oval. The Joe Gibbs Racing stable goes into the weekend as heavy favourites, but weather will likely be a factor for the third week in a row.

Here’s everything you need to know before the Crayon 301:

Crayon 301 qualifying results

1. Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2. Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

3. Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

4. Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford

5. Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford

6. Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota

7. William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet

8. Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota

9. Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford

10. Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

11. Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

12. Daniel Suarez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

13. Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

14. AJ Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

15. Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

17. Michael McDowell (34), Motorsport Ford in the front row

18. Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

19. Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

20. Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

21. Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

22. Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford

23. Todd Gilliland (38), Motorsport Ford in the front row

24. Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsport Chevrolet

25. Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet

26. Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford

27. Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

28. Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford

29. Noah Gragson (42), Chevrolet Legacy Motor Club

30. Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet

31. Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

32. BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford

33. Ryan Newman (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford

34. Cole Custer (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford

35. Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsport Chevrolet

36. Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Crayon 301 TV, streaming, radio schedule

All times Eastern

Saturday
12:05 PM – 12:50 PM: Practice (US, NBC Sports App, PRN)
13:00 – 14:15: Qualification (USA, NBC Sports App, PRN)

Sunday
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Pre-Race Show (US)
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Crayon 301 (US, NBC Sports App, PRN)

Colored pencil 301 details

Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1,056 mile oval), Loudon, New Hampshire
Length: 301 laps for 318.458 miles
Banking: Turns – 2-7 degrees | Straight – 1 degree
Last year’s winner: Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing

Top drivers and best bets for the Crayon 301

Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have won six of the last 11 races at Loudon and as such are well represented among the favorites according to BetMGM. Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin all go into the weekend with more than 10-to-1 odds to visit Victory Lane.

Best odds of winning
• Christopher Bell +600
• Martin Truex Jr. +600
• Denny Hamlin +800
•Kyle Larson +900

Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote about the betting prospects for Loudon earlier this week and suggests staying away from fourth JGR driver Ty Gibbs (+3500). Gibbs has only raced in one national series event at Loudon – last year’s Xfinity race – turning a second-row start into 21st.

Bromberg points to 2021 series champion Chase Elliott (+1200) and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney (+1600) as good mid-tier value bets. Elliott finished second in New Hampshire last year, while Blaney was remarkably consistent there with an average start of 10.5 and average finish of 12.8 in 10 career entries.

Ryan Newman leads the list of part-timers

Ryan Newman – who raced full-time in the Cup Series from 2002-2021 and won 18 races – will make only his second start since leaving the series when he drives the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford entry this weekend. Cole Custer will make his second start in a row in the No. 15 Ware Racing machine, while BJ McLeod will make his 12th start in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford as he continues to share time with Josh Bilicki and Anthony Alfredo.

Crayon 301 entry list

Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsport Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Ryan Newman (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
AJ Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Motorsport Ford in the front row
Todd Gilliland (38), Motorsport Ford in the front row
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Noah Gragson (42), Chevrolet Legacy Motor Club
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet
Cole Custer (5
1), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsport Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Daniel Suarez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Crayon 301 weather forecast for the weekend

Rain and thunderstorms are forecast all weekend, including an 84% chance of rain on Sunday. NASCAR does have a wet weather package that includes brake lights, windshield wipers and grooved tires that allow the cars to race on a damp track, but no more than drizzle.

Given NASCAR’s protocols (see above) for moving race start times in conjunction with the predicted deluge, a postponement to Monday afternoon seems most likely.