What are strategy trends for the USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire?

What will it take to win the USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire?

NASCAR’s top drivers are heading to Loudon for the series’ annual stop in New England, and the only stop in the area for 2024.

The race is set for 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Tickets are still available for Sunday’s race.

Here’s what to know about the race itself before the green flag drops.

What are the stages, distance for USA TODAY 301 at New Hampshire?

The NASCAR Cup Series’ annual stop at New Hampshire features 301 laps around the 1.058-mile oval. The total race distance equates to 318.5 miles.

Sunday’s stages are set for 70 laps and 115 laps before the 116-lap shootout to the checkered flag.

Fuel window for USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire

The approximate fuel window for Sunday’s race is 77 laps. Barring a competition caution, look for drivers to stay out through the first stage of Sunday’s race and take advantage of track position in the early running.

In the second and third stages of the race, it gets tricky. With stage two set for 115 laps and the final stage set for 116, teams can elect to run the full fuel window for both stages and try to bank on a late pit stop to help them move up the running order in the late stages.

Most teams could elect to break the stages in half and try to save fuel in favor of track position, which would be beneficial down the stretch.

Average cautions for NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire

Late race cautions are not that common for NASCAR Cup Series races at New Hampshire. The 2023 race did feature a late race caution with 289 laps to go before Martin Truex Jr. drove away and won the event.

On average since 2019, there have been an average of 8.6 cautions for 48 laps. The 2023 race had eight cautions for 41 laps.

In the last five races, the average lap of the final caution is 232.4. The long green flag runs can play into the strategy, which are prevalent in races at New Hampshire.

Final lead change for NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire

In the last five years at New Hampshire, the final lead change tends to happen with plenty of laps left to run. There also tends to be quite a few drivers who find themselves at the front, and the lead changes hands quite a bit for smaller racetrack.

The 2023 race saw Martin Truex Jr. take the lead with 278 laps completed. He held on for the final 23 laps to get the win. A total of nine drivers exchanged the lead 13 times in the race.

On average in the last five years, the final pass for the lead comes around 260 with an average of 14.2 lead changes among 8 drivers. The 2020 race had 22 lead changes among seven drivers, with the final pass coming on lap 221 and Brad Keselowski winning that race.

How to get tickets for the USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire

Want the chance to see the USA TODAY 301 and how it plays out? There are still some tickets available for Sunday’s race with premium options to choose from.

SHOP: USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series race tickets

Tickets start at around $60 for adults and just $10 for kids 12 and younger to get in and see Sunday’s USA TODAY 301.

Make sure to get tickets now for the USA TODAY 301 before they’re all gone.

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