# Nascar Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The USA TODAY 301 is a 301 lap (318.458-mile (512.508 km) annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.
Martin Truex Jr. is the defending winner, having won it in 2023.

## History

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. Starting in 2018, it became the only event at the track because their fall race would be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
During the practice for the 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 next New Hampshire Cup race that season, the Dura Lube 300.

### Race sponsorship

Newell Rubbermaid, through its Lenox Industrial Tools subsidiary, was the title sponsor of the 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 318.5 miles (512.6 km) in length while the fall race, the Sylvania 300, is 317.4 miles (510.8 km). 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.
In 2017, the 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.
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.
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. 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. It had been announced the previous week that Ambetter would move their title sponsorship to the spring Cup Series race at Atlanta in 2023.

## Trophy

Unlike other races, the trophy is in the form of an American lobster provided by Makris Lobster and Steak House of Concord, New Hampshire. 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.
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.

## Past winners

| Year | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor | Race Distance | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) | Report | Ref |
| Year | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor | Laps | Miles (km) | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) | Report | Ref |
| 1993 | July 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:59:45 | 105.947 | Report | |
| 1994 | July 10 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:37:24 | 87.599 | Report | |
| 1995 | July 9 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:57:56 | 107.029 | Report | |
| 1996 | July 14 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco/Havoline | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:12:30 | 98.93 | Report | |
| 1997 | July 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:42:35 | 117.134 | Report | |
| 1998 | July 12 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:04:54 | 102.996 | Report | |
| 1999 | July 11 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:06:56 | 101.876 | Report | |
| 2000 | July 9 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | The Home Depot | 273* | 288.834 (464.833) | 2:48:01 | 103.145 | Report | |
| 2001 | July 22 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:06:28 | 102.131 | Report | |
| 2002 | July 21 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:26:14 | 92.342 | Report | |
| 2003 | July 20 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:16:29 | 96.924 | Report | |
| 2004 | July 25 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Irwin Industrial Tools/Sharpie | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:14:36 | 97.862 | Report | |
| 2005 | July 17 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | The Home Depot | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 3:05:36 | 102.608 | Report | |
| 2006 | July 16 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's | 308* | 325.864 (524.427) | 3:12:51 | 101.384 | Report | |
| 2007 | July 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | FedEx Ground | 300 | 317.4 (510.805) | 2:55:59 | 108.215 | Report | |
| 2008 | June 29 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite | 284* | 300.472 (483.562) | 2:48:56 | 106.719 | Report | |
| 2009 | June 28 | 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | The Home Depot | 273* | 288.834 (464.833) | 2:57:45 | 97.497 | Report | |
| 2010 | June 27 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:48:38 | 113.308 | Report | |
| 2011 | July 17 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Army | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:03:33 | 104.1 | Report | |
| 2012 | July 15 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:44:24 | 116.226 | Report | |
| 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 | |
| 2014 | July 13 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | Redd's Apple Ale | 305* | 322.69 (519.319) | 2:58:03 | 108.741 | Report | |
| 2015 | July 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Interstate Batteries | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:56:06 | 108.504 | Report | |
| 2016 | July 17 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Dollar General | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:57:53 | 107.416 | Report | |
| 2017 | July 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Office | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:00:36 | 105.8 | Report | |
| 2018 | July 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Busch Beer | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 2:52:56 | 110.49 | Report | |
| 2019 | July 21 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Busch Beer/National Forest Foundation | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:03:37 | 104.062 | Report | |
| 2020 | August 2* | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | Western Star/Alliance Truck Parts | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:10:22 | 100.372 | Report | |
| 2021 | July 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Smithfield | 293* | 309.994 (498.887) | 3:07:52 | 99.004 | Report | |
| 2022 | July 17 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Rheem | 301 | 318.458 (512.508) | 3:14:45 | 98.113 | Report | |
| 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 | |
| 2024 | June 23 | | | | | | | | | | Report | |