The 2024 USA Today 301 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 23, 2024, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Contested over 305 laps -- extended from 301 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 1.058-mile (1.703 km) speedway, it was the 18th race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. Christopher Bell won the race, his 9th career win, and his 3rd of the 2024 season. Chase Briscoe finished 2nd, and Josh Berry finished 3rd, matching his career-best finish. Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five, and Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., John Hunter Nemechek, Martin Truex Jr., and Ross Chastain rounded out the top ten.

2024 USA Today 301
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 18 of 36 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series
Date June 23, 2024 (2024-06-23)
Location New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire
Course Permanent racing facility
1.058 mi (1.703 km)
Distance 305 laps, 322.69 mi (519.415 km)
Scheduled Distance 301 laps, 318.458 mi (512.603 km)
Average speed 84.832 miles per hour (136.524 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 3.250 (Pandemic Formula)
Most laps led
Driver Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 149
Winner
No. 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network USA
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte
Nielsen Ratings 1.0 (1.88 million)
Radio in the United States
Radio PRN
Booth Announcers Doug Rice and Mark Garrow
Turn Announcers Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Pat Patterson (3 & 4)

Report

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Background

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New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval.

The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Noah Gragson Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Kaz Grala (R) Rick Ware Racing Ford
16 Ty Dillon (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota
43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota
45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Haley Rick Ware Racing Ford
54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
71 Zane Smith (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
77 Carson Hocevar (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Official entry list

Practice

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Carson Hocevar was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 29.865 seconds and a speed of 127.534 mph (205.246 km/h).[10]

Practice results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 77 Carson Hocevar (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 29.865 127.534
2 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.917 127.312
3 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 29.940 127.214
Official practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying for the race was cancelled due to inclement weather. Chase Elliott will start on the pole was awarded the pole for the race as a result of NASCAR's pandemic formula with a score of 3.250[11]

Starting lineup

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
3 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
7 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
8 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
9 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
10 4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
12 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota
13 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
14 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
15 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
16 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
17 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
18 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
20 77 Carson Hocevar (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
21 10 Noah Gragson Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
22 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
23 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
24 51 Justin Haley Rick Ware Racing Ford
25 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
26 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
27 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford
28 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota
29 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
30 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
32 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota
33 31 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34 71 Zane Smith (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
35 15 Kaz Grala (R) Rick Ware Racing Ford
36 16 Ty Dillon (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race

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Race results

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Stage results

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Stage One Laps: 70

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 9
3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 8
4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 7
5 4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 6
6 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 4
8 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 3
9 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 2
10 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 115

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 9
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 8
4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 6
6 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 5
7 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 4
8 4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 3
9 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 2
10 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage results

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Stage Three Laps: 116

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 305 57
2 23 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 305 35
3 10 4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 305 43
4 19 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 305 37
5 15 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 305 32
6 12 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 305 33
7 13 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 305 30
8 28 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota 305 29
9 7 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 305 42
10 8 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 305 31
11 31 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 305 26
12 16 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 305 30
13 32 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota 305 24
14 27 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 305 23
15 25 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 305 22
16 18 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 305 21
17 20 77 Carson Hocevar (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 305 20
18 1 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 305 29
19 29 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 305 18
20 36 16 Ty Dillon (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 305 0
21 11 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 305 16
22 35 15 Kaz Grala (R) Rick Ware Racing Ford 305 15
23 26 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 305 14
24 14 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 305 27
25 2 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 305 25
26 3 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 305 11
27 21 10 Noah Gragson Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 305 10
28 9 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 305 9
29 24 51 Justin Haley Rick Ware Racing Ford 305 8
30 35 71 Zane Smith (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 304 7
31 33 31 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 303 6
32 6 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 305 22
33 22 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 268 4
34 17 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 265 3
35 30 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 222 2
36 5 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 142 2
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 6 among 5 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 14 for 85
  • Red flags: 1 for 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 49 seconds
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 48 minutes, and 14 seconds
  • Average speed: 84.832 miles per hour (136.524 km/h)

Media

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Television

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USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, four-time and all-time Loudon winner Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte called the race from the broadcast booth. Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman, and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.

USA
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Kim Coon
Parker Kligerman
Marty Snider

Radio

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PRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race from the booth when the field races down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race from turns 1 & 2 and Pat Patterson called the race from turns 3 & 4. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan and Alan Cavanna handled the duties on pit lane.

PRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Doug Rice
Announcer: Mark Garrow
Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright
Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson
Brad Gillie
Brett McMillan
Alan Cavanna

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "2024 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "New Hampshire Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  3. ^ Taranto, Steven (October 4, 2023). "NASCAR Cup Series 2024 schedule announcement: New additions, race dates, plus the complete calendar". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  4. ^ "NASCAR unveils 2024 Cup schedule as Atlanta, Watkins Glen move to playoffs". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. October 4, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  6. ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  7. ^ "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  8. ^ "USA TODAY 301 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  10. ^ Utter, Jim (June 22, 2024). "NASCAR Cup NHMS: Hocevar leads brief practice; Sunday start time changed". Motorsport.com. Loudon, New Hampshire: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  11. ^ Utter, Jim (June 22, 2024). "NASCAR Cup NHMS: Qualifying rained out; Chase Elliott on pole". Motorsport.com. Loudon, New Hampshire: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 22, 2024.


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