(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
Bobby Santos III celebrates victory in the Whelen Modified Tour Eastern Propane & Oil 100 last July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Photo: Fran Lawlor/RaceDayCT)
Since it’s opening race in 1990, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has long-served as one of the premier stages on the schedule for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
This weekend is no different.
Racing will kick off Friday with the fifth running of the All-Star Shootout for the Whelen Modified Tour.
The 20-car, 35-lap special event will serve as a precursor to Saturday’s Eastern Oil & Propane 100.
Saturday’s racing will be capped off with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in the United Site Services 70.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New Hampshire
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The next big test to Justin Bonsignore’s 2018 title run comes Saturday.
Eastern Propaneoil 100In 17 races at New Hampshire, the Long Island driver has just five top fives and seven top 10s. Last year, he was fifth and 17th in the two races. However, Bonsignore also has been to Victory Lane at the “Magic Mile,” having won the fall race in 2016.
It’s always possible a non-championship contender takes the checkered flag. Bobby Santos III swept the races there last year, while Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Newman has a pair of points wins – although none since 2010. And while Jon McKennedy has dropped out of the title race with two missed starts, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in Victory Lane on Saturday.
With the big-money Musket 250 looming in September, this weekend’s visit to the “Magic Mile” will kick off with the special-event sprint. Last year, Ryan Preece won for the first time at New Hampshire in the non-points race. While no driver has swept the weekend, in the previous four editions, the all-star winner had previously won at NHMS.
RACE FACTS
RACE: Eastern Propane & Oil 100
PLACE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
DATE: Saturday, July 21
TIME: 2 p.m. ET
TELEVISION: NBCSN, Wednesday, July 25 — 7 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.058-mile oval
2017 WINNER: Bobby Santos III
2017 POLE: Ryan Preece
EVENT SCHEDULE: Friday — Garage Opens: 8 a.m., Final Practice: 10-11:40 a.m.; All-Star Shootout: 2:10 p.m.
Saturday — Garage Opens: 7:30 a.m., Qualifying: 9 a.m., Autograph session: 11 a.m.-Noon; Eastern Propane & Oil 100: 2 p.m.
TWITTER: @NHMS
HASHTAG: #Eastern100 #NWMT
RACE CENTRAL LIVE | ENTRY LIST
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 36 cars, including provisionals.
The first 30 cars will secure starting positions based on qualifying. The remaining six spots will be awarded through the provisional process.
Qualifying will consist of two consecutive qualifying laps per vehicle. Faster lap determines qualifying position.
After qualifying all vehicles will proceed immediately to the impound area. Only minor adjustments will be permitted following qualifying (i.e. stagger checked, set tire pressure, plug in generators, install radios and driver drink bottles). Stagger must be checked without jacking up the vehicle.
The Eastern Propane & Oil 100 will be 100 laps (105.8 miles).
The maximum tire allotment available for this event is twelve (12) tires per team. Four (4) tires used for qualifying must be used to begin the race. The tire change rule is four (4) tires, any position.
RACE FACTS
RACE: ALL-STAR SHOOTOUT
PLACE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
DATE: Friday, July 20
TIME: 2:10 p.m. ET
TELEVISION: NBCSN, Saturday, July 28 — 12:30 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.058-mile oval
2017 WINNER: Ryan Preece
2017 POLE: Rowan Pennink (random draw for pole)
EVENT SCHEDULE: Friday — Garage Opens: 8 a.m., Final Practice: 10-11:40 a.m.; All-Star Shootout: 2:10 p.m.
TWITTER: @NHMS
HASHTAG: #WhelenAllStar #NWMT
RACE CENTRAL LIVE | ENTRY LIST
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 20 cars, invitation only.
A random draw will be held to determine starting positions for the Special Event.
The Special Event will be a thirty-five (35) lap race split into two (2) segments with a mandatory caution displayed at lap twenty (20), unless the caution is already out at lap twenty (20). The overall thirty-five (35) lap event will have a thirty (30) minute time limit. All caution laps will count except the period after lap twenty (20) until the race is restarted. Pit road will be closedduring the entire event.
When the yellow is displayed at lap twenty (20) the race will be restarted by the car’s last completed green flag lap except for those cars involved in a random number selection that will determine the number of cars to be inverted for the restart. The procedure for determining the random number will be determined and announced to the teams during the Driver/Crew Chief Meeting. Any car finishing the first segment of the race in positions one (1) through eight (8) will be subject to the inversion.
Four (4), five (5), six (6), seven (7) or eight (8) will be inverted. No tire changes will be permitted during the event unless it is
an approved Emergency Change Tire. No fueling permitted during the event.
At the twenty (20) minute mark of the event, if the first segment has not been completed, NASCAR will display the yellow and the random number selection procedure for the inversion will take place. Caution laps will not count during this period until the race is restarted. When the race is restarted under this procedure the second segment of the event will be ten (10) laps or until the time limit expires.
At the twenty-five minute mark of the event, NASCAR will announce to the competitors over the NASCAR Race Control channel there are five (5) laps remaining in the event. If the yellow flag is displayed during this five (5) lap period the race will be restarted with one attempt at a green, white, checkered flag finish.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at New Hampshire
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Since NASCAR lowered the minimum age to compete in the touring series in 2007, the K&N Pro Series East event at New Hampshire has been a defining moment on the resume of a number of rising stars. Joey Logano (2007), Ryan Truex (2010), Max Gresham (2011), Kyle Larson (2012) and William Byron (2015) all won at the “Magic Mile” en route to their series titles.
In addition to Larson and Byron, NASCAR Next drivers or alum have won all seven races at New Hampshire since the program began in 2011.
Defending series champion Harrison Burton returns for his third start of 2018 — he was third at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and second at Bristol Motor Speedway — and he was fourth at New Hampshire last year. Bill McAnally Racing’s Derek Kraus will be in the No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota that Todd Gilliland drove to a nearly eight-second win last year, while both K&N Pro East points leader Tyler Ankrum inherits the DGR-Crosley No. 17 that Chase Purdy won the pole and finished runner-up in.
Ronnie Bassett Jr. has three top fives in his four starts at the track.
RACE FACTS
RACE: United Site Services 70
PLACE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
DATE: Saturday, July 21
TIME: 6:45 p.m. ET
TELEVISION: NBCSN, Wednesday, July 25 — 6 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.058-mile oval
2017 WINNER: Todd Gilliland
2017 POLE: Chase Purdy
EVENT SCHEDULE: Friday — Garage opens: 12:30 p.m. ET; Practice: 4-4:30 p.m.; Final practice: 6-6:45 p.m.; Group qualifying: 7:05 p.m.
Saturday — Garage opens: 3 p.m. ET; United Site Services 70, 6:45 p.m.
TWITTER: @NHMS
HASHTAG: #UnitedSS70 #KNEast
RACE CENTRAL LIVE | ENTRY LIST
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 36 cars, for each race, including provisionals.
Qualifying groups will be determined by each vehicle’s overall fastest single lap from the official practice sessions.
The first 32 cars will secure starting positions based on the group qualifying session for the United Site Services 70. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process.
Each group qualifying session will be five (5) minutes in duration and the fastest single lap speed of each vehicle will determine starting positions 1st through 22nd. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on a vehicle after the vehicle enters the track to begin the qualifying session. Vehicles may not
return to the track or make any further qualifying laps unless directed to do so by a NASCAR Official or in the event of a caution. If a vehicle returns to pit road, the vehicle’s qualifying attempt is complete.
The United Site Services 70 will be 70 laps (74.06 miles).
The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Eight (8) tires for practice, four (4) tires for qualifying and to begin the race for a total of twelve (12) tires.
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