Saturday was hazy and overcast as the potential for rain loomed over NASCAR’s Cup Series drivers heading into Sunday’s Dollar Tree 301 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Despite that, qualifying and the scheduled doubleheader provided plenty of action for fans. Some camped out on the hill, sitting on granite boulders, and plenty of others were planted in the stands for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races.
Tyler Reddick set himself up for success early on Saturday in Cup qualifying after a rough time during practice. He won his fourth pole position of the year, followed closely behind by Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry.
“We have some big decisions to make between now and Sunday morning; we’ll do our best to get them right,” Reddick said, thinking ahead to the weather forecast and what the team took away from Saturday’s practice.
The group was rounded out by Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron in third and with the championship points leader, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, filling in the second row in fourth.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Team EJP 175
Connor Zilisch, Connor Zilisch and then … Layne Riggs.
The regular-season finale of the truck series was always going to be hard-fought, with some drivers looking to make it into the top 10 and compete for a season title. It took double overtime to decide a winner, and Riggs grabbed the checkered flag to win his sixth race of the regular season.
It didn’t take long for the excitement to kick off on “The Magic Mile.” Right at the start of Saturday’s race, Luke Baldwin’s No. 33 spun out along the first turn. Soon after, John Hunter Nemechek drifted into the wall, taking a big hit.
Zilisch won stage one after overtaking Riggs 33 laps into the race. The 20-year-old has proven to be one of the most talented rising stars in racing and tactfully overtook Riggs after a tough battle turn after turn.
The second-stage restart brought exciting four-wide racing and a very, very tight field of drivers.
Jake Garcia took two tires on the right side for a quick pit stop and jumped eight spots going into the second stage. He stayed ahead after the tight restart, too, as his team looked to make up points to get into the chase, but he didn’t hold on for long.
Garcia, Stewart Friesen and Tyler Ankrum battled all day for position to get into the chase, but the finish was good enough to give Ankrum a seven-point advantage and sneak into it.
Zilisch could not be stopped in stage two after falling behind on the restart. Twenty-eight laps into the stage, he passed Smith and Garcia quickly on a restart to take yet another lead.
Riggs, the regular-season leader and champion, finally regained his advantage soon after the stage three restart and comfortably cruised for most of the stage. That was until a few cautions threw the whole field for a whirl. He held the lead through the restarts and double overtime to come out ahead.
Riggs is the racer to beat in the chase.
“Statement win,” he said. “This is awesome.”
Layne Riggs dominated once again in the NASCAR truck series and cemented his spot at the top as the regular season in New Hampshire. Credit: RICH MIYARA / NH Sports Photography
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Mohegan Sun 100
This is exactly what the New Hampshire fans wanted to see. The Whelen Modified Tour race is loved at The Magic Mile, especially after last year’s exciting photo finish.
Between rain delays and cautions, Jonathan McKennedy saved his last drop of gas for when it mattered most. He overtook Tommy Catalano on the last lap and pushed his car to victory, running out of gas just as he crossed the finish line.
McKennedy beat out Catalano by 0.215 seconds, while Ryan Preece finished third, only 0.308 seconds behind, on Saturday afternoon.
During last year’s push for a win, Tyler Rypkema overtook Justin Bonsignore on the final lap and took a hit that slammed the front of his car into the wall. Rypkema won the race as his front right tire flew through the air.
It was always going to be tough to top that on Saturday. The weather decided to not allow the Modified drivers to try and top it, as a caution brought the cars back into the pits with 25 laps to go.
The race was halted for 30 minutes as the track dried and the thick mist passed over. It was a difficult race across the board, between the high-speed drafting and the changing track conditions throughout the day.
McKennedy took the lead with 14 laps remaining but still had to battle fiercely with Austin Beers, Catalano and Preece as they shuffled and nearly made contact around every turn. It was a dogfight to the end, one that ultimately belonged to McKennedy.
