A look at New Hampshire’s winners and losers:
WINNERS
Tyler Reddick – The winner of the Circuit of the Americas in March, Reddick didn’t do better than 27th in the last five races. He went to New Hampshire and scored points in the first two stages before crossing the finish line sixth. Reddick is 13th in the standings with six races to go heading into the playoffs.
Chase Briscoe— Has not finished in the top 10 since Talladega on April 23. Entered the New Hampshire weekend with six consecutive finishes outside the top 20. He finished 10th after a well-deserved clean day.
Bubba Wallace— Entered Monday’s race below the playoff line after five straight races outside the top 15. He suffered a brake problem early in New Hampshire, but recovered and finished eighth. That puts him ahead of Michael McDowell and Daniel Suarez in the hunt for a playoff spot.. Wallace is 15th in the standings.
Michel McDowell — Came on the weekend try to focus on points after several struggles in New Hampshire. Scored a bonus point in Stage 1 and kept the car clean throughout the race. Finished a career-best 13th at New Hampshire and kept his spot above the playoff boundary line. Mission accomplished for him and team leader Travis Peterson.
somewhere in the middle
Brad Keselowski— The RFK Racing driver-owner was quite happy to leave New Hampshire. He had a “maybe (an) 11th-place car” and he finished fifth after a strong day on track and in pit road. He also expressed frustration after he and Chris Buescher failed to contest the win. They just aren’t where he wants them to be from an owner’s perspective.
LOSERS
Kyle Busch— Started the 301-lap race from the back of the pack after hitting the wall in practice and qualifying. He struggled to move through the field before the warning flew on lap 29 for AJ Allmendinger’s rotation. Busch ended the day in the garage after spinning and hitting the outside wall on the final lap of Stage 1. It was his third DNF in the past four races at New Hampshire.
Ryan Blaney— Started fifth and scored points in the first two stages. He was able to fight for the win on the final stage with a fast Penske Ford team, but he received a penalty for crushing his air hose during his final pit stop. Ended the day 22nd overall.
Christopher Bell— Started from the post and got points in the first two stages. Had to stop to fix a loose wheel before stage 2 restarted. It then spun and hit the wall with 13 laps to go in the race. Bell finished 29th.
Aric Almirola — Almirola started the race on the second row, and he stayed in the top five for the majority of the first two stages. He was able to fight for the win after using a two-tire strategy to take the lead, but a pit road issue resulted in his wheel becoming disconnected. Almirola hit the wall and ended the day 34th.