By Walker Polivka
The NASCAR Cup Series continues today with the Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Read on below to see our prediction for who will win the race, as well as our top 10, dark horse, and driver to fade predictions.
Driver to Fade: Austin Cindric- The 2022 Daytona 500 champion, Cindric has had a solid rookie campaign, with 1 win, 3 top 5’s, and 6 top 10 finishes in 19 starts. New Hampshire has proven to be a mystery for Cindric, with just 1 top 10 and 0 laps led in 3 Xfinity Series starts. Making his first Cup start here, Cindric was consistently slow in both Practice and Qualifying yesterday. Cindric will have a long race ahead of him and will struggle mightily as we predict that Cindric will finish outside the top 20 today.
Dark Horse: Aric Almirola- The defending champion at New Hampshire, Almirola has shown more pace than usual in his farewell season, with 2 top 5’s and 6 top 10 finishes so far. New Hampshire has been one of Almirola’s best tracks on the schedule, with 1 win, 3 top 5’s and 5 top 10’s in 19 career starts at the track. Almirola had top 10 speed in both Practice and Qualifying yesterday and had excellent long run speed during Practice. Almirola will definitely be a top 10 finisher and could potentially be the spoiler again at New Hampshire today.
Top 10: Christopher Bell- Currently the last driver projected into the Playoffs on points, Bell is looking to improve on his 2022 stats, as he has 4 top 10’s and 10 top 10 finishes. The runner up to Almirola here last year, Bell was an absolute stud at New Hampshire in the Xfinity Series, with 3 wins and 430 laps led in 3 starts. Bell also showed solid pace in Practice and Qualifying yesterday and will start today’s race from the 5th position. Bell will most certainly be in the mix for the win, but a top 10 finish is a lock.
Winner: Martin Truex Jr.- Truex is another driver looking for their first win of the season, as he has 2 top 5’s and 7 top 10 finishes in 2022. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a track where Truex hasn’t won, but his stats are still impressive here, with 7 top 5’s, 13 top 10’s, and 25 top 20’s in 28 starts at the track. Truex has lacked speed at times this year, but showed solid speed in Practice and Qualifying and will be starting from the Pole today. Truex is overdue for a win and we predict that he will become the 14th different driver to win this season by snagging the victory at New Hampshire!