NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series News & Notes – New Hampshire Motor Speedway

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Next Race: Team EJP 175
The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Track Length: 1.058 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, September 20
The Time: 12 p.m. ET
The Purse: $782,900
TV: FS1, 12 p.m. ET
Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 185.15 miles (175 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 55),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 110), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 175)

Where To Watch NASCAR This Week:

Friday, Sept. 19

NCTS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS2 at 4 p.m. ET)

Friday, Sept. 20

NCTS Race: Team EJP 175 (FS1, NRN, SiriusXM at 12 p.m. ET)

NCS Practice & Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, PRN, SiriusXM at 3 p.m. ET)

Sunday, Sept. 21

NCS Race: Mobil 1 301 (USA, PRN, SiriusXM at 2 p.m. ET)

New Hampshire Storylines and Insights:

• This week marks the 21st running of a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and the first since September 2017.
• New Hampshire held one Truck Series race annually every year between 1996-2011, then again from 2014-2017.
• 2025 is the 10th season of Playoffs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2016-2025).
• New Hampshire serves as the third track of the seven-race NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs and the elimination race of the Round of 10: Darlington, Bristol and New Hampshire, two drivers will be eliminated after New Hampshire.
• NCTS race stages at New Hampshire: 55/110/175.
• This is the third Playoff race at New Hampshire, it was previously in the Playoffs in 2016 and 2017, both times serving as the opening race of the postseason.
• The first 14 New Hampshire races were 200 laps; the race was shortened to 175 laps starting in 2010. This is the seventh 175-lap race at New Hampshire.
• New Hampshire is the fifth of six “new” tracks for the Truck Series in 2025, and the fourth that previously held Truck Series races.
• Grant Enfinger and Daniel Hemric are the only Playoff drivers who previously raced in the Truck Series at New Hampshire.
• Christopher Bell is the only driver to win at New Hampshire in the Truck Series, then go on to win the Championship (2017).
• The average start position of the New Hampshire winner in the last 10 races was 1.4. All 10 winners started on the front row.
• 65% of the New Hampshire races have been won from the front row (13 of 20), most of any track in Truck Series history with more than seven races.
• The driver who led the most laps won nine of the last 10 races at New Hampshire, including the last six.
• Corey Heim and Layne Riggs have won the last seven races, the last race not won by either driver was Michigan on June 7^th (Stewart Friesen). No two drivers have won eight straight races in Truck Series history.
• Corey Heim is one win away from tying Greg Biffle for most wins in a single season (9 – 1999).
• Corey Heim is 219 laps led away from tying the all-time single season laps led record (Mike Skinner, 1,533 laps – 1996)
• Corey Heim (187) and Layne Riggs (181) have led 368 of the 397 laps in the Playoffs so far.
• Corey Heim has led 21 consecutive races, the longest streak in Truck Series history.
• Chandler Smith’s average finish of 30.0 is the worst among Playoff drivers through two Playoff races in Truck Series history.
• 16 races this season have been won by drivers aged 25 or younger, tied for the most ever in a single Truck Series season (2021).
• Chevrolet has not won in eight races (Rajah Caruth – Nashville in May) after winning six of the first 12 races of 2025. This is Chevrolet’s longest winless streak in the Truck Series since the Fall of 2018.
• This race serves as the cutoff race before the Round of 8, the bottom two drivers in Playoff standings will be eliminated from the Playoffs.
• Heading into New Hampshire this weekend, Daniel Hemric (+51 points) and defending series champion Ty Majeski (+46 points) have the two largest point cushions on the Round of 8 cutline among drivers not locked in.
• Kaden Honeycutt (+18) and Rajah Caruth (+14) sit in the final two spots in the Playoff standings to transfer to the Round of 8 on points. Caruth made his first appearance in the Round of 8 last season.
• Jake Garcia (-14) and Chandler Smith (-24) are the two drivers currently below the Playoffs’ Round of 8 cutline. Smith has made the Round of 8 twice previously in his career – 2021, 2022.
• The 2025 season has produced 223 lead changes in the Truck Series, the sixth-most through 20 races in series history.
• Veteran Matt Crafton leads the Truck Series at New Hampshire in starts (15), top-10 finishes (10), lead lap finishes (12), and laps completed (2,782).
• Five different drivers have won the last five Truck Series races at New Hampshire.
• Corey Heim has held the points lead in the Truck Series for the last 16 consecutive races, dating back to Homestead-Miami (3/21/25).
• Corey Heim has earned six Xfinity Fastest Lap Awards this season; the next highest driver has two.

NCTS Clinch Scenarios For New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Playoff Race #3):

Already Clinched

• The following two drivers have clinched a spot in the 8-driver field of the next round: Corey Heim, Layne Riggs.

Can Clinch Via Points

• If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 7th winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Daniel Hemric, Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, Kaden Honeycutt or Rajah Caruth.
  • Daniel Hemric: Would clinch with 5 points
  • Ty Majeski: Would clinch with 11 points
  • Grant Enfinger: Would clinch with 28 points
  • Tyler Ankrum: Would clinch with 28 points
  • Kaden Honeycutt: Would clinch with 39 points
  • Rajah Caruth: Would clinch with 43 points
  • Jake Garcia: Could only clinch with help
  • Chandler Smith: Could only clinch with help
• If there is a new winner from Jake Garcia or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 6th winless driver in the standings.
  • Daniel Hemric: Would clinch with 19 points
  • Ty Majeski: Would clinch with 25 points
  • Grant Enfinger: Would clinch with 42 points
  • Tyler Ankrum: Would clinch with 42 points
  • Kaden Honeycutt: Would clinch with 53 points
  • Rajah Caruth: Would clinch with 56 points
  • Jake Garcia: Could only clinch with help
  • Chandler Smith: Could only clinch with help

Can Clinch Via Win

• The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Daniel Hemric, Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, Kaden Honeycutt, Rajah Caruth, Jake Garcia, Chandler Smith.

Historical & Significant Events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

• New Hampshire Motor Speedway was built at the site of the former Bryar Motorsports Park. It is the largest sporting venue in New England at over 1,100 acres and seating for over 92,000.
• New Hampshire Motor Speedway is 75 miles north of Boston, 42 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and 250 miles from Montreal.
• Bryar Motorsports Park opened as a kart track in 1960. A 1/5 mile dirt oval ran near the later paved tracks from 1961 to 1963; it was also referred to as Route 106 Midway Raceway. The 1.6 mile road course ran cars from 1964 to 1988, and motorcycles only in 1989. A paved 1/5 mile oval ran from 1965 through 1988, and a 5/8 mile paved oval from 1968 through 1988. A 1/4 mile paved drag strip operated in the 1970s.
• Bob Bahre purchased Bryar in 1989. The existing complex was dismantled and the one mile paved oval and 1.6 mile paved road course were built with much of the work done by Bob Bahre and his brother Dick.  After just nine months of construction the oval successfully opened on July 15th, 1990, with a Xfinity Series race won by Tommy Ellis over Harry Gant.
• The road course opened in 1991.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was on July 11th, 1993 and was won by Team Penske driver Rusty Wallace over pole winner Mark Martin.
• In the early years drivers and fans complained about the problems with the track surface and the lack of a passing zone. In 2002 NHIS widened the lower turn areas between turns 1 and 2 and between turns 3 and 4 to create a second groove that would make for safer, more exciting racing. The banking was changed from 12 degrees to 2-7 degrees. Then in June cracks were found, and Bob Bahre was forced to fix the problems with just three weeks for the surface to cure before the first Cup race. Many said there was not enough time before the heavy Cup cars scheduled for July.  During the July Cup race marbles built up in turns 3 and 4. Several drivers blamed the marbles for causing most of the 14 caution flags.
• In 2003 turns 1 and 2 and turns 3 and 4 were repaved; they paved into the straightaways so the transition will be ‘squared and even’ and not angled. The asphalt was mined in Trinidad and then shaped into pellets in Germany before it was shipped to the US to be melted and combined with an aggregate. Drivers praised the track surface after the initial event on the repaved track.
• After years of speculation that the track was for sale Speedway Motorsports bought the track for $340 million in 2008. Since then, many changes and improvements have taken place including the expansion of the usable infield space by over 400%, new and enhanced safety fencing, new shower and restroom facilities, a new electronic scoreboard, leveling (evening) of the walls between pit road and the pit area, moved the Cup Series to the center garage, and added a new pedestrian sidewalk through the Turn 2 tunnel.
• In addition to the NASCAR Cup races, the track hosts several other racing series, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The track also hosts the New England based ACT late model series, PASS north series, Loudon Road Race Series, SCCA sports cars, Legend and Bandolero cars, World Karting Association go-karts and racing schools.
• Starting in 2018 NHMS held only one Cup race, their second date was transferred to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• Over 2,000 Dunkin Donuts stores are located in the New England; a quarter of all of their stores.
• Since 2010, NASCAR Cup Series winners have been presented with a trophy lobster in their Victory Lane celebration. But this isn’t just your average lobster. It’s gargantuan and ranges in size from 20-26 pounds
• It takes approximately seven years for a lobster to reach 1 pound in size and can reach a maximum age of 100 years and grow to be 3 feet or more in overall body length.