2022 NASCAR Cup Series Race Twenty New Hampshire

Race start is slightly delayed due to rain and lightning. Martin ‘MTJ’ Truex Jr (19) and Chase Elliott (9) will lead the 36 car field to the green flag. The stages for today’s race are 70-115-116 laps.

Caution on lap 5 of 301 as Ty Dillon (42), Alex Bowman (48) and BJ McLeod (78). The 31 of Justin Haley gets into Ty Dillon (42) and Dillon turns into the outside wall in front of Alex Bowman (48) and BJ McLeod (78). PRN reports Josh Bilick (77) was also collected in the incident. Bilicki slid into the back of BJ McLeod.

Wendy Venturini of PRN reports Tyler Reddick said he saw a part of turn two come apart during that wreck. She reports he said he had never seen a track come apart like that.

The television folks are bored early and often. Judging by their coverage, with good reason. Cars simply seem to be driving around in circles without much racing.

Martin ‘MTJ’ Truex Jr. (19) leads all the laps and wins stage one.

Caution on lap 77 of 301 for a spin involving Kyle Busch (18) who spun in front of the field.

Caution on lap 87 of 301 for a crash involving Corey LaJoie (7), Harrison Burton (21), and Michael McDowell (34). LaJoie’s car was crabbing toward pit road then was on fire. Something happened that sent LaJoie’s car up the track and into Harrison Burton (21) in front of McDowell (34). The television broadcast doesn’t have a decent camera angle to provide insight into why LaJoie’s car shot up the track traveling from the inside lane into Burton who was in the outside lane. PRN says it appears Michael McDowell got into Corey LaJoie.

Wendy Venturini of PRN spent air time talking, in her weird male impersonator voice, about Austin Dillon’s water bottle tasting like a dryer sheet. PRN is – to use Doug Rice’s phrase for it – vamping. Apparently there’s not a lot of racing for them to call. Doug Rice says they’ve seen battles for 11th go one for 15 laps. He was discussing the lack of passing possible in the event.

On the television broadcast coming out of the infield care center Core LaJoie (7) said “it got hung between third and fourth gear and locked both rear tires up so they weren’t turning”. He said when the rear wheels locked up it went into a rear-wheel-slide. LaJoie said it happened earlier in the day and he was racing by himself and was able to catch it, but this time on the restart he was surrounded by cars and unable to catch it.

Caution on lap 144 of 301 for a spin by Ryan Blaney (12).

Caution on lap 151 of 301 for a spin by Chase Briscoe (14).

Caution on lap 161 of 301 for a spin by Kyle Busch (18).

Austin Dillon (3) and Brad ‘It’ Keselowski (6) are having some beef on the track. Dillon, under caution, went from the inside lane up and into Keselowski who immediately retaliated and they both went to the bottom of the track and continued bumping each other for a bit.

MTJ wins stage two.

Caution on lap 204 of 301 for a spin by Todd Gilliland (38).

Kevin ‘KHarv/Happy’ Harvick (4) hit Austin Dillon (3) as Harvick was leaving his pit stall and Dillon was attempting to enter his pit stall.

‘CBell’ (20) is 5.099 seconds ahead of second place on the white flag lap.

Christopher ‘CBell’ Bell (20) wins 5.439 seconds ahead of second place Chase Elliott (9).

MTJ (19) is very frustrated during the radio interview. He led most of the race then faded toward the end of the race due, in part, to a two-tire pit stop call. His teammate, Christopher Bell (20), put four tires on during that stop.

Chase Elliott (9) was disappointed in losing the lead to CBell. He felt he didn’t do a good enough job. He said it was poor execution on the last run and he “made a couple of mistakes and couldn’t get much breathing room”. He said at this level he “should be able to close it out when you have the lead like that”.

That was a boring ‘race’. It was not a typical Loudon race, since they generally don’t have as many crashes and spins as today’s event. That said, it was boring. It was not remotely exciting. There seemed to be several competitive cars, though few bothered to compete for most of the race. There were long stretches of cars circling the track, seemingly logging laps. It was not worth watching.

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Next Race: Pocono

GO 48 & 9!!!!