We’re back to reality this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and by that I mean that we’re back to the old rules package. Therefore, the “top dogs” like Hendrick Motorsports and Kevin Harvick/Kurt Busch should be up front on the speed charts all weekend long. Loudon is an interesting track, though, because nobody finishes inside the top 5 on a consistent basis here. Also, there tends to be a couple sleeper picks that end up inside the top 10 at the races here. We could even see a surprise winner in Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 301. This is a short race on a short track and track position will be a premium on Sunday. Starting up front is very important at this venue.
Fantasy Sleepers for Loudon
Jamie McMurray – This #1 team had a disappointing night at Kentucky last week and still managed to leave with another top 15 finish, if that tells you how their season is going. Like I’ve said before, I think Jamie McMurray is going to make this year’s Chase on consistency just like Ryan Newman did in 2014. With that being said, Loudon is a race that Jamie Mac could definitely play spoiler. Looking at the other short, flat tracks that we’ve ran at this season, McMurray finished 2nd at Phoenix and 10th at Martinsville. Looking at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he has the 5th-best average finish in the series over the last two years here (9.3) and that includes top 5 finishes in each of the last two fall races at this track. McMurray should be the #1 ranked sleeper across the board this week at Loudon.
Austin Dillon – It was typical Austin Dillon last weekend; after a solid (but scary) finish at Daytona, Austin went into Kentucky Speedway and showed great speed all weekend, leading some to believe he might be a sleeper for a top 10 finish. Then Saturday night’s race rolled around and he laid a big fat egg, finishing 25th. Of course. So it’s hard for me to say that Austin will be a solid pick this weekend at Loudon, although I guess that’s why we call them sleeper picks, right? What I do know is this: in two career Sprint Cup starts at this track, Dillon has notched finishes of 14th and 11th, which is pretty good considering that was during his rookie campaign. Now we all know he’s kind of in the sophomore slump this season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t pull off another top 15 here on Sunday. Austin finished 15th at Phoenix earlier this year, which is also a flat, short track.
Kyle Larson – Larson and the #42 team have been bringing some super fast race cars to the track lately, but they’re just not getting the finishes they deserve. Unfortunately, these disappointments to fantasy owners have been happening all season long (can you say sophomore slump?). The good news this weekend is that there is a little more hope than usual. I think Kyle really likes New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and if he doesn’t, he should. You don’t just finish top 5 in both races at a track during your rookie season and not like that venue. Larson also came home 10th in this year’s Phoenix race, which is a track that is somewhat similar to Loudon (as I mentioned before). He didn’t get to race at Martinsville because of the fainting episode. I know it’s really hard to trust this kid right now but that’s the exact reason why he’s considered a sleeper pick. The thing about Larson is that he is so talented that he could go out and win the damn thing this Sunday…
