Ambetter 301 Race Preview and Pick
NASCAR Cup Series: Ambetter 301
Sunday, July 17, 2022 at 3 p.m. ET (USA) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire
Last Week's Race
Last week was something of a dream come true for Chase Elliott.
The Quaker State 400 took place last week in the vicinity of Atlanta.
Given this race's location, it was a homecoming for Elliott who, for the most part, grew up in Georgia.
He won this race, and his victory was convincing.
No doubt, the race was a competitive one.
But Elliott was a threat from the beginning since he won pole position.
He also won the first two stages of the race.
Overall, he led 96 of the laps.
With a few laps to go, he made the crucial pass, skillfully earning his win.
His victory was certainly meaningful to him on an emotional level.
Not only did he win, but he got to be rewarded by a highly supportive crowd, well-aware of his deep tie to Georgia.
Plus, he remains atop the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings.
He leads everybody with 684 points. Ross Chastain is 50 points behind him, and then there is an even steeper drop-off to Joey Logano in third place.
Because it is hard and rare in NASCAR to win back-to-back races, we may exclude Elliott from our list of candidates to win the upcoming race.
Race Info
This week, the Ambetter 301 takes place in New Hampshire's motor speedway, in a small town -- named Loudon -- in a small state.
Unlike the NASCAR Cup Series races that took place most immediately prior to last week's competition in Atlanta, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is eminently familiar to NASCAR drivers.
For this week's New Hampshire rendition, drivers must complete a total of 301 laps.
As has almost always been the case this season, there will be three stages for this race.
Stage 1 requires drivers to complete 70 laps.
Stage 2 ends upon completion of lap 185.
Stage 3 consists in the remaining 116 laps.
Entry List
As is customary, an entry list for the upcoming racing event has already been published.
36 teams/drivers out of 40 possible spots are posted on this entry list.
Thus, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
This year and in this race, the order in which driver start the race gets determined via qualifying.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday, the day before the race, at 12:15 p.m. ET and it finishes at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Qualifying will be two groups, single-vehicle, one lap, and two rounds.
As is often the case, a practice session immediately precedes qualifying.
Practice takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET on the same day.
Track Info
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is known as "The Magic Mile."
It is a rare one-mile track -- Phoenix and Dover host the other two one-mile NASCAR tracks.
Its length is 1.058 miles per lap.
So, in completing 301 laps, drivers will have accumulated around 318 laps.
This asphalt and granite track is known for its wide turns.
Drivers will need to use these turns well in order to corral strong momentum for their vehicles.
There is not a lot of banking here to help them increase their speeds.
The turns are banked variably, between two to seven degrees, which is vastly less than other venues.
Meanwhile, the straightaways are banked at one degree.
My Favorite Bet
Bovada offers strong match-up betting opportunities for this race.
My favorite bet is to favor Ryan Blaney head-to-head against Chase Elliott.
Blaney is rounding into form, having finished top-six in four of his last five races.
This is just the track in which to expect another strong effort from Blaney because it is historically one of his favorite ones.
He has finished top-five in two of his last three efforts here.
Conversely, Elliott has finished 18th, ninth, and 29thin his last three races here.
Plus, he is primed for a letdown since he is coming off an emotional win.
Both history and the situation speak against him while Blaney is in a great spot.
For the above reasons, bet on Blaney to finish ahead of Elliott.
Best Bet: Ryan Blaney (-130) to Finish Ahead of Chase Elliott at Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Ambetter 301
Sunday, July 17, 2022 at 3 p.m. ET (USA) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire
Last Week's Race
Last week was something of a dream come true for Chase Elliott.
The Quaker State 400 took place last week in the vicinity of Atlanta.
Given this race's location, it was a homecoming for Elliott who, for the most part, grew up in Georgia.
He won this race, and his victory was convincing.
No doubt, the race was a competitive one.
But Elliott was a threat from the beginning since he won pole position.
He also won the first two stages of the race.
Overall, he led 96 of the laps.
With a few laps to go, he made the crucial pass, skillfully earning his win.
His victory was certainly meaningful to him on an emotional level.
Not only did he win, but he got to be rewarded by a highly supportive crowd, well-aware of his deep tie to Georgia.
Plus, he remains atop the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings.
He leads everybody with 684 points. Ross Chastain is 50 points behind him, and then there is an even steeper drop-off to Joey Logano in third place.
Because it is hard and rare in NASCAR to win back-to-back races, we may exclude Elliott from our list of candidates to win the upcoming race.
Race Info
This week, the Ambetter 301 takes place in New Hampshire's motor speedway, in a small town -- named Loudon -- in a small state.
Unlike the NASCAR Cup Series races that took place most immediately prior to last week's competition in Atlanta, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is eminently familiar to NASCAR drivers.
For this week's New Hampshire rendition, drivers must complete a total of 301 laps.
As has almost always been the case this season, there will be three stages for this race.
Stage 1 requires drivers to complete 70 laps.
Stage 2 ends upon completion of lap 185.
Stage 3 consists in the remaining 116 laps.
Entry List
As is customary, an entry list for the upcoming racing event has already been published.
36 teams/drivers out of 40 possible spots are posted on this entry list.
Thus, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
This year and in this race, the order in which driver start the race gets determined via qualifying.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday, the day before the race, at 12:15 p.m. ET and it finishes at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Qualifying will be two groups, single-vehicle, one lap, and two rounds.
As is often the case, a practice session immediately precedes qualifying.
Practice takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET on the same day.
Track Info
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is known as "The Magic Mile."
It is a rare one-mile track -- Phoenix and Dover host the other two one-mile NASCAR tracks.
Its length is 1.058 miles per lap.
So, in completing 301 laps, drivers will have accumulated around 318 laps.
This asphalt and granite track is known for its wide turns.
Drivers will need to use these turns well in order to corral strong momentum for their vehicles.
There is not a lot of banking here to help them increase their speeds.
The turns are banked variably, between two to seven degrees, which is vastly less than other venues.
Meanwhile, the straightaways are banked at one degree.
My Favorite Bet
Bovada offers strong match-up betting opportunities for this race.
My favorite bet is to favor Ryan Blaney head-to-head against Chase Elliott.
Blaney is rounding into form, having finished top-six in four of his last five races.
This is just the track in which to expect another strong effort from Blaney because it is historically one of his favorite ones.
He has finished top-five in two of his last three efforts here.
Conversely, Elliott has finished 18th, ninth, and 29thin his last three races here.
Plus, he is primed for a letdown since he is coming off an emotional win.
Both history and the situation speak against him while Blaney is in a great spot.
For the above reasons, bet on Blaney to finish ahead of Elliott.
Best Bet: Ryan Blaney (-130) to Finish Ahead of Chase Elliott at Bovada
