2024 NASCAR Cup Series USA Today 301 Preview
Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
It’s lobstah season for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend in Loudon, home to New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the USA Today 301. Coverage begins at 2:30PM EST on USA.
Last year’s race got moved to Monday due to rain, where Martin Truex Jr would lead 254 of the 301 laps en route to his second win of the season.
Best Bets for Cup
|
Best Bets for Cup |
Christopher Bell +450 | Top 5 -140 | Top 10 -500
Christopher Bell enters this weekend as the favorite to win for the second week in a row. After an up and down race at Iowa last weekend, Bell is looking to leave that in the rear view, as he heads to one of his better tracks. He’s won at the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck level at Loudon, with his most recent win in the Cup Series in 2022.
Martin Truex Jr +450 | Top 5 -140 | Top 10 -500
After announcing his retirement at the end of 2024 last weekend at Iowa, Martin Truex Jr is looking to cap off a stellar career on a high note. New Hampshire is a perfect track to start that. He won last year’s race on a Monday, his 30th career start at Loudon. He’s finished inside the Top 5 in six of his last eight starts at the ‘Magic Mile.’
Kyle Larson +700 | Top 5 +100 | Top 10 -340
Kyle Larson had arguably the fastest car at Iowa last weekend, but crashed after a chaotic restart with 130 to go, finishing 34th and losing the regular season points lead. Loudon is a good track for Larson to get things going in the right direction, with his best finish being 2nd three times. Last year he finished 3rd, he heads into the weekend still searching for that first win at Loudon.
Joey Logano +850 | Top 5 +130 | Top 10 -300
It’s a home track race for Joey Logano, the Connecticut native will look to drive into victory lane for the third time in his career at Loudon. He finished 2nd last year, and has Top 5 finishes in three of his last four starts. Four races since winning the All-Star race, Logano has finished inside the Top 5 twice. Some good momentum heading into the weekend.
Chase Elliott +1400 | Top 5 +220 | Top 10 -210
Chase Elliott heads into the weekend as the regular season points leader, leapfrogging ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. Elliott has an average finish of 9th on the season, with seven Top 5’s and nine Top 10’s. His best finish at Loudon was 2nd in 2022, but with the way his season is going, it’s hard to count him out.
Brad Keselowski +1600 | Top 5 +250 | Top 10 -180
The value for Brad Keselowski this weekend is great, better than what was expected with his stats at Loudon. He’s finished inside the Top 10 in his last five races at Loudon, along with recording three Top 5 finishes and a win in 2020. Keselowski will carry a special Red Sox paint scheme this weekend, looking to bring it to victory lane.
Bubba Wallace +4000 | Top 5 +550 | Top 10 +170
Bubba Wallace has been in a rough stretch over the last eight races, recording only one Top 10 finish in that span. New Hampshire once again could be the track to turn his luck around. He’s finished inside the Top 10 in both NextGen races at Loudon, with his best finish being 3rd from 2022. After that 3rd, Bubba would go on to win at Kansas, record three Top 5’s and seven Top 10’s. Be on the lookout for Bubba this Sunday.