When the dust settled at Richmond last week, Joey Logano claimed the checkered flag and continues his momentum build towards the Chase. Now, just two races remain before NASCAR’s postseason begins. This week, NASCAR heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the 2026 Dollar Tree 301.
With the clock winding down on the regular season, the battle at the cutline is sure to heat up. The Magic Mile has seen drama in the past, could Sunday’s race add to the history?
Let’s dive in.
2026 Dollar Tree 301 Entry List
As was the case at Iowa, only the 36 charter entries will be competing in the field at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Considering the stakes for the Chase battle, I don’t hate the absence of open cars. Of course, that isn’t likely to be the case for next weekend’s regular season finale at Daytona.
The Magic Mile is calling with two races remaining until The Chase.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 19, 2026
Watch all the action at @NHMS on @NASCARonUSA. pic.twitter.com/CyCzZMFNDv
New Hampshire’s flat, one-mile layout sees racing that features all the classics of short tracks. Bent fenders and hot tempers will likely be a piece of the action, especially as drivers get desperate on late race restarts fighting for every possible position. Still, this generation of car faces the same issues that plague it at other short tracks. Passing will be incredibly difficult and track position will be at a premium. Strategy is often a factor here at New Hampshire, increased only by the challenges of the NextGen vehicle.
Post-Season Picture
Last week’s race at Richmond saw three additional drivers join Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and Tyler Reddick as locked into the Chase. Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Christopher Bell are now all locked in as well. While the rest of the drivers of the cut line are not mathmatically safe, for all intents and purposes I believe only Shane Van Gisbergen could be bumped out at this stage.
Let’s take a look at the current point standings.
- Denny Hamlin (locked in)
- Ryan Blaney -115 (locked in)
- Ty Gibbs -127 (locked in)
- Tyler Reddick -138 (locked in)
- Chase Briscoe -254
- Chase Elliott -274
- Christopher Bell -274
- Kyle Larson -309
- Joey Logano -310
- Chris Buescher -316
- Carson Hocevar -324
- William Byron -339
- Daniel Suarez -351
- Bubba Wallace -382
- Austin Cindric -395
- Shane Van Gisbergen -402
- Ryan Preece -452 (50 points below cut line)
- Ross Chastain -465 (63 points below cut line)
- Brad Keselowski -480 (78 points below cut line)
- Erik Jones -483 (81 points below cut line)
While New Hampshire can get fiery at times, this isn’t a track known for massive bursts of chaos like Daytona next week. SVG is the driver I’m keeping an eye on to potentially fall below the cut line, but that isn’t likely to happen in one week. The road course specialist could struggle this weekend and with this being a track Ryan Preece has a lot of familiarity with, I wouldn’t be surprised if the #60 gains on the #97. Additionally, SVG’s Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain has picked up a lot of steam in recent weeks. If both drivers make up ground on Van Gisbergen this weekend, expect Daytona and the final Chase spot to come down to the wire.
2026 Dollar Tree 301 Race Predictions
Penske drivers Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano combined to lead 263 of the 301 laps at New Hampshire in 2025. If you add in Penske affiliate Josh Berry, the team led 273 laps. I believe it is safe to assume that the Penske Fords will once again be the class of the field come Sunday.
Outside of the Penske camp, I’m keeping an eye on both Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin who have had success here in the past. Ty Gibbs had early trouble here last year but given his recent form, expect the #54 to factor into the equation as well.
After winning this race in 2025, @Blaney and @Team_Penske head to @NHMS looking for another lobster. pic.twitter.com/uFCEfJPUQw
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 19, 2026
If you’re looking for a driver outside of the Penske, Hendrick, and JGR camps to compete for the win on Sunday, I might take a chance on Ross Chastain as the #1 finished in the top ten last year.
Ultimately though, I have to stick with Penske winning for the second straight week. I believe this week, Joey Logano’s teammate Ryan Blaney will claim the checkered flag at New Hampshire for his second straight win at the circuit.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this week!
Saturday 08/22
NASCAR Cup Series Practice – 9:30 a.m. CT on TruTV
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 10:35 a.m. CT on TruTV
Team EJP 175 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 12:30 p.m. CT on FS1
Mohegan Sun 100 (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) – 3:30 p.m. CT on FloRacing
Sunday 08/23
Dollar Tree 301 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 2:00 p.m. CT on USA and HBO Max
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