| Race Title: | USA Today 301 |
| Series Long: | NASCAR Cup Series |
| Venue: | New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
| Location: | Loudon, New Hampshire, United States |
| Sponsor: | USA Today |
| Distance: | 318.458miles |
| Laps: | 301[1] Stage 1: 75 Stage 2: 110 Final stage: 116 |
| Previous Names: | Slick 50 300 (1993–1995) Jiffy Lube 300 (1996–1999) thatlook.com 300 (2000) New England 300 (2001–2003, 2005) Siemens 300 (2004) Lenox Industrial Tools 300 (2006–2007) Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (2008–2012) Camping World RV Sales 301 (2013–2014) 5-hour Energy 301 (2015) New Hampshire 301 (2016) Overton's 301 (2017) Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 (2018–2021) Ambetter 301 (2022) Crayon 301 (2023) |
| Most Wins Driver: | Kevin Harvick (4) |
| Most Wins Team: | Joe Gibbs Racing (14) |
| Most Wins Manufacturer: | Chevrolet (20) |
| Surface: | Asphalt |
| Length Mi: | 1.058 |
| Turns: | 4 |
Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Cup Series has been held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway since 1993. The race is currently held as a 301 lap (318.458miles race and under the USA Today 301 name for sponsorship reasons. A second race in September was also formerly held at the track from 1997 to 2017 until it was moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway starting in 2018.[2]
Christopher Bell is the defending winner, having won it in 2024.
The race has been traditionally run in July, but from 2007 to 2010 it was run in late June or early July as the race preceding the Coke Zero 400 in order to allow that race to run as close to the 4th of July as possible. In 2011, the race returned to its traditional mid-July date. From its inaugural running in 1993 through 2007 the race was 300 laps, but after O. Bruton Smith and his company SMI bought the track, their first date was given the moniker of the extra mile and was increased to 301 laps. In 2008, Kurt Busch won the race after it was called due to rain after 284 laps. One year later, Joey Logano became the youngest winner in NASCAR Cup Series history after the race was also shortened because of rain after 273 laps, at the age of 19 years, 1 month, and 4 days.
From 1997 to 2017 (except in 2001, as it was rescheduled as the season finale due to September 11 attacks on the week of the race's original schedule), a second race was held at the track every September, which came at the expense of the fall race at North Wilkesboro Speedway; Jeff Gordon won the inaugural race. From 2004 to 2010, it was the playoff opener race before being moved to Chicagoland Speedway.[3] Starting in 2018, the fall race would be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.[4]
During the practice for the July 2000 event, Kenny Irwin Jr. was killed after he lost control of his car, which slammed head on into the wall, causing it to flip onto its side. His cause of death, basilar skull fracture, was the same cause that killed Busch Series driver Adam Petty eight weeks prior at Busch 200 at the same track, leading NASCAR to make significant rule changes to maintain driver safety, including an experiment on using a restrictor plate for the second New Hampshire Cup race that season. A race won by Jeff Burton leading almost every lap of the race resulting in the experiment being reverted (for Cup cars only) the following year. The second 2003 race, which saw several drivers nearly colliding with an immobilized Dale Jarrett attempting to race back to the caution, resulting in NASCAR banning the practice effective from the next race at Dover; instead, NASCAR would freeze the field immediately at the caution and allowed the first car one lap down (or multiple laps down, if there were no cars one lap down) to rejoin the lead lap. This is officially called the "free pass" by NASCAR, but is widely known by fans and journalists as the "lucky dog" rule.[5]
Newell Rubbermaid, through its Lenox Industrial Tools subsidiary, was the title sponsor of the first race from 2006 to 2012. Starting in 2008, organizers added an extra lap to represent that Lenox Industrial Tools "is looking for users and suppliers of industrial tools that go the extra mile, whose jobs are physically demanding, day after day, and still find time to contribute to their communities in a meaningful way." The race was dubbed "The Extra Mile at the Magic Mile." Under the Lenox Industrial Tools sponsorship, the race was 318.5miles in length while the fall race remained at 317.4miles. After Lenox Industrial Tools left as title sponsor, Camping World picked up the sponsorship of the event through its RV Sales department for 2013 and 2014, and since the 301 moniker became popular with the fans, NHMS decided to keep their July event 301 laps long. In fact, the first two races with the 301 lap distance did not go the whole distance.[6]
In 2017, the first race (along with the track's Xfinity Series race the day before) received sponsorship from water sports store Overton's (which is owned by Camping World), branding it the Overton's 301.[7]
Starting in 2018, Foxwoods Resort Casino, located in Ledyard, Connecticut, became the title sponsor of the race after announcing a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the racetrack on May 31, 2018.[8] [9]
In 2022, Ambetter, which was the title sponsor of the Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire in 2021, became the title sponsor of the race, replacing Foxwoods.[10] Before the 2022 Cup Series race at the track, it was announced that Crayon Software Experts, which replaced Ambetter as the title sponsor of the Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire in 2022, would sponsor the track's Cup Series race in 2023.[11] It had been announced the previous week that Ambetter would move their title sponsorship to the spring Cup Series race at Atlanta in 2023.[12] USA Today became the title sponsor for the 2024 race.[13]
Unlike other races, the trophy (for the July race only between 1997-2017) is in the form of an American lobster provided by Makris Lobster and Steak House of Concord, New Hampshire.[14] [15] The restaurant selects the largest lobster in its tank, usually weighing in at 20 lbs or more. After the winning driver poses with the lobster on victory lane, Makris pressure cooks it and sends the meat to the winning pit crew while a taxidermist reassembles the shell and mounts it on a trophy for the driver.[16] [17] [18]
There were some exceptions to this tradition. After winning the race in 2008, Kurt Busch donated his lobster to the New England Aquarium; it died shortly after its arrival.[18]
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) | Report | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||||||
| 1993 | July 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:59:45 | 105.947 | Report | [19] | |
| 1994 | July 10 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:37:24 | 87.599 | Report | [20] | |
| 1995 | July 9 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:57:56 | 107.029 | Report | [21] | |
| 1996 | July 14 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco/Havoline | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:12:30 | 98.93 | Report | [22] | |
| 1997 | July 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:42:35 | 117.134 | Report | [23] | |
| 1998 | July 12 | 99 | Ford | Exide Batteries | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:04:54 | 102.996 | Report | [24] | |||
| 1999 | July 11 | 99 | Ford | Exide Batteries | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:06:56 | 101.876 | Report | [25] | |||
| 2000 | July 9 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | The Home Depot | 273* | 288.834 (464.833) | 2:48:01 | 103.145 | Report | [26] | |
| 2001 | July 22 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | UPS | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:06:28 | 102.131 | Report | [27] | ||
| 2002 | July 21 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:26:14 | 92.342 | Report | [28] | |
| 2003 | July 20 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:16:29 | 96.924 | Report | [29] | ||
| 2004 | July 25 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Ford | Irwin Industrial Tools/Sharpie | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:14:36 | 97.862 | Report | [30] | ||
| 2005 | July 17 | 20 | Chevrolet | The Home Depot | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:05:36 | 102.608 | Report | [31] | |||
| 2006 | July 16 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's | 308* | 325.864 (524.427) | 3:12:51 | 101.384 | Report | [32] | |
| 2007 | July 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chevrolet | FedEx Ground | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:55:59 | 108.215 | Report | [33] | ||
| 2008 | June 29 | 2 | Dodge | Miller Lite | 284* | 300.472 (483.562) | 2:48:56 | 106.719 | Report | [34] | |||
| 2009 | June 28 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | The Home Depot | 273* | 288.834 (464.833) | 2:57:45 | 97.497 | Report | [35] | ||
| 2010 | June 27 | 48 | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:48:38 | 113.308 | Report | [36] | |||
| 2011 | July 17 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Army | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:03:33 | 104.1 | Report | [37] | |
| 2012 | July 15 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:44:24 | 116.226 | Report | [38] | ||
| 2013 | July 14 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine | 302* | 319.516 (514.211) | 3:14:10 | 98.735 | Report | [39] | |
| 2014 | July 13 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | Redd's Apple Ale | 305* | 322.69 (519.319) | 2:58:03 | 108.741 | Report | [40] | ||
| 2015 | July 19 | 18 | Toyota | Interstate Batteries | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:56:06 | 108.504 | Report | [41] | |||
| 2016 | July 17 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | Dollar General | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:57:53 | 107.416 | Report | [42] | ||
| 2017 | July 16 | 11 | Toyota | FedEx Office | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:00:36 | 105.8 | Report | [43] | |||
| 2018 | July 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | Busch Beer | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:52:56 | 110.49 | Report | [44] | ||
| 2019 | July 21 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | Busch Beer/National Forest Foundation | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:03:37 | 104.062 | Report | [45] | ||
| 2020 | August 2* | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | Western Star/Alliance Truck Parts | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:10:22 | 100.372 | Report | [46] | ||
| 2021 | July 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Smithfield | 293* | 309.994 (498.887) | 3:07:52 | 99.004 | Report | [47] | ||
| 2022 | July 17 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Toyota | Rheem | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:14:45 | 98.113 | Report | [48] | ||
| 2023 | July 17* | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Reser's Fine Foods | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:08:07 | 101.572 | Report | [49] | |
| 2024 | June 23 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Toyota | Rheem | 305* | 322.69 (519.415) | 3:48:14 | 84.832 | Report | [50] | ||
| Wins | Driver | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Jeff Burton | 1997–1999 |
| 2 | Tony Stewart | 2000, 2005 |
| Kurt Busch | 2004, 2008 | |
| Jimmie Johnson | 2003, 2010 | |
| Kyle Busch | 2006, 2015 | |
| Denny Hamlin | 2007, 2017 | |
| Kevin Harvick | 2018, 2019 | |
| Brad Keselowski | 2014, 2020 | |
| Christopher Bell | 2022, 2024 |
| Wins | Team | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2000, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015–2017, 2022-2024 |
| 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | 1995, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2012 |
| 4 | Roush Racing | 1997–1999, 2004 |
| Team Penske | 1993, 2008, 2014, 2020 | |
| Stewart-Haas Racing | 2011, 2018, 2019, 2021 | |
| 2 | Robert Yates Racing | 1996, 2001 |
| Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Ford | 1994, 1996–1999, 2001, 2004, 2014, 2018–2021 |
| 9 | Chevrolet | 1995, 2003, 2005–2007, 2010–2012 |
| 8 | Toyota | 2009, 2013, 2015–2017, 2022-2024 |
| 2 | Pontiac | 1993, 2000 |
| Dodge | 2002, 2008 | |
| Wins | Sponsor | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Exide Batteries | 1997–1999 |
| The Home Depot | 2000, 2005, 2009 | |
| 2 | Miller | 1993, 2008 |
| Lowe's | 2003, 2010 | |
| FedEx | 2007, 2017 | |
| Busch | 2018, 2019 | |
| Rheem | 2022, 2024 |
| Driver | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 1997–1998 |
| Ryan Newman | 2002, 2005 | |
| Clint Bowyer | 2007, 2010 | |
| Matt Kenseth | 2013, 2015 | |
| Kevin Harvick | 2006, 2016 |
| Team | Years Won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Hendrick Motorsports | 1997–1998, 2003, 2009 | |
| Richard Childress Racing | 2001, 2006–2007, 2010 | ||
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 2012–2013, 2015, 2017 | ||
| 3 | Roush Fenway Racing | 2000, 2004, 2008 | |
| Team Penske | 2002, 2005, 2014 | ||
| 2 | Stewart-Haas Racing | 2011, 2016 |
| Manufacturer | Years Won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Chevrolet | 1997–1999, 2001, 2003, 2006–2007, 2009–2011, 2016 | |
| 5 | Ford | 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2014 | |
| 4 | Toyota | 2012–2013, 2015, 2017 | |
| 1 | Dodge | 2005 |