Late in the Bad Boy Off Road 300 Kevin Harvick found his way to win the second race in NASCAR‘s playoffs to win at New Hampshire.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup race on the track nicknamed the “Magic Mile” didn’t have magic for all of the Chase Grid drivers. A handful of those drivers had issues that made them have to battle back to get on the lead lap to just have a decent finish in the race.
The race was uneventful as far as yellow flags early on. However, near the end there were more caution periods issued. By the end of the race there was a total of six cautions for a total of 31 laps under the yellow flag.
The lack of wrecks didn’t mean there was a lack of action. The lead in the race was exchanged 14 times among eight different drivers. Martin Truex Jr. followed up his previous week’s win at Chicagoland with another impressive race leading a race high 141 laps of the 300 lap (317.4 mile) race.
However, when the final re-start came with just six laps remaining, it was Kevin Harvick that raced out to the front of the field and stayed there to claim the win. Matt Kenseth claimed second place with Kyle Busch taking home a third place finish. Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth place respectively. See the complete race results for the Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway here.
Brad Keselowski moves up a spot to the top of the point standings after New Hampshire with Martin Truex Jr. slipping back a spot to second. Kyle Busch holds steady at third while Matt Kenseth jumps up three places to fourth. Joey Logano remains at fifth place in the points. See the complete NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings here.
The biggest benefit for Kevin Harvick that comes with the win at New Hampshire is that he now automatically advances to the next round of The Chase along with Martin Truex Jr. who won Chase race number one at Chicagoland. See the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid here.
The 14 Chase contenders that have not won in the first two races in the Round of 16 now face an elimination race at the track nicknamed the “Monster Mile.” The Chase Grid will be cut down to 12 drivers with a chance to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship following the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway Sunday, October 2nd.
By: Buck Stevens
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Comcast Business Toyota, leads the field to the green flag during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Comcast Business Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Cars race during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, leads Martin Truex Jr, driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Martin Truex Jr, driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Core Toyota, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, leads Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, and Martin Truex Jr, driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, lead the field to the line for a restart during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 ditech Chevrolet, leads Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 ditech Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 ditech Chevrolet, celebrates with a burn out after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 ditech Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 ditech Chevrolet, and his son, Keelan, pose with the winners’ decal in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images)
- LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 ditech Chevrolet, and his son, Keelan, place his name on the Chase Grid in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)