With defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney getting on the board at Iowa last weekend, that puts more pressure on non-winners like Martin Truex Jr. to grab a victory and solidify their playoff standing. Truex, and other big names like Joey Logano and Kyle Busch, have a chance to pick up that needed win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this Sunday in the USA Today 301.
Don't miss our betting picks for this week's Cup Series event, and stay abreast of the latest odds movements.
Odds to win 2024 USA Today 301
| Driver |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | +400 | +450 | +400 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +500 | +500 | +450 |
| Denny Hamlin | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Kyle Larson | +600 | +600 | +650 |
| Ryan Blaney | +750 | +700 | +650 |
| Joey Logano | +850 | +800 | +850 |
| William Byron | +1,200 | +1,200 | +1,200 |
| Chase Elliott | +1,100 | +1,400 | +1,200 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1,200 | +1,600 | +1,600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1,800 | +1,800 | +2,200 |
| Ty Gibbs | +2,000 | +2,000 | +2,000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2,500 | +2,500 | +3,000 |
| Kyle Busch | +3,000 | +3,000 | +4,500 |
| Josh Berry | +3,000 | +3,500 | +3,000 |
| Chris Buescher | +3,000 | +2,500 | +2,800 |
| Bubba Wallace | +4,000 | +4,000 | +4,500 |
| Alex Bowman | +5,500 | +4,000 | +6,000 |
| Noah Gragson | +10,000 | +10,000 | +10,000 |
| Chase Briscoe | +10,000 | +10,000 | +8,000 |
| Daniel Suarez | +10,000 | +15,000 | +15,000 |
Odds as of 6-20-2024.
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USA Today 301 field
A field of 36 drivers will contest this year's New Hampshire race, and Martin Truex Jr. is among the favorites despite going 0-fer the first 17 races of the campaign after dominating last year's Crayon 301 over this course (254 laps led, sweep of the first two stages).
Truex is one of six drivers trading below +1,000 at DraftKings ahead of qualifying, with Chase Elliott leading a flight of five drivers between +1,100 and +2,000 right after that. Considering 10 drivers have already won at least one race this year, it's not surprising to see so many drivers bunched up atop the board.
USA Today 301 expert picks and predictions
Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 6-20-2024.
USA Today 301 pre-qualifying favorites
Denny Hamlin (+600)
Denny Hamlin has 12 straight Top-15 finishes on this track, including a runner-up in two of the last five years at that. He won in 2017 and was 11th at Martinsville and runner-up at Gateway (two most similar tracks).
Martin Truex Jr. (+500)
Martin Truex Jr. had five Top-10 finishes in his first seven New Hampshire starts. Then, he had two over his next 13 tries there. But, over the last 10, he’s had nine results in the Top 10 again, including seven of the last eight in the Top 7. He started on the pole, swept both stages and led a race-high 172 laps in a fourth-place finish in 2022 and swept both stages while leading 254 laps in last year’s win.
Christopher Bell (+400)
Christopher Bell won at Phoenix and while seventh there last year, he swept both stages and had the race won before engine problems relegated him to seventh. Bell has two Top-2 finishes in his last three Loudon starts, including a 2022 victory.
USA Today 301 sleepers
Joey Logano (+850)
The two-time Cup Series champion has six Top-10 finishes in his last seven Loudon starts including fourth in both 2020 and 2021 and runner-up last year. Over the last 13 Loudon tries, Logano has 10 Top-10 finishes with seven in the Top 5. He finished sixth at Martinsville and fifth in Gateway.
Brad Keselowski (+1,200)
Brad Keselowski finished third at Gateway and has four consecutive Top-7 finishes in his last four Loudon starts including a 2020 win and fifth last year.
Tyler Reddick (+1,800)
Tyler Reddick was sixth here last year, seventh at Martinsville and fourth at Gateway.
Third in 2022 and eighth last year. Bubba Wallace was fourth in Martinsville this season, too.
USA Today 301 fades
Kyle Larson (+600)
Kyle Larson does have five Top-10s in his last eight tries including two runner-ups and a third-place effort last year after leading six laps. Larson was runner-up at Martinsville but winless in Loudon.
William Byron (+1,200)
William Byron has no Top 10s in six tries here. He's been 15th or worse in four of the last seven points-paying races.
Chase Elliott (+1,100)
Chase Elliott has just two Top 5s in 10 starts here, but one was a runner-up two years ago. Probably a safer play for a +400 Top-3 finish instead with the points leader having seven Top-5 finishes in the last 11 weeks, including four in the last seven.
Alex Bowman (+5,500)
Alex Bowman has just one Top 10 (9th in 2021) in the same six starts as Byron at New Hampshire.
USA Today 301 prop pick: Ryan Blaney Top 3 Finish
Ryan Blaney is a tough one to figure for an outright victory (+750) as three of his last four Loudon finishes were 18th or worse.
However, he was fifth in 2021 after leading 64 laps, finished fifth in Martinsville, and ran out of gas while leading the final lap in Gateway. Coming off of a win in Iowa, I like a Top-3 finish wager.
Pick: Ryan Blaney Top 3 Finish (+180 at DraftKings)
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Popular motor sports futures odds
New Hampshire Motor Speedway track analysis
The track didn’t change between last year and this one, so I still expect this event to go through Joe Gibbs Racing. Chevrolet has just one win in the last 17 New Hampshire tries.
Also, Loudon is a track that rewards typically the best. Of the last 16 New Hampshire race winners, 13 were Cup champions. Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almiorla are the lone exceptions but outside of Almirola, the other two at least made the Championship 4 in the season of their wins here, too.
USA Today 301 trends
- Ten of the last 13 races saw the driver that led the most laps fail to win in the end. Six of the last 11 drivers to lead the most laps failed to even score a Top 5.
- This could be Joe Gibbs Racing’s week again to shine, again. They’ve finished runner-up in four of the last six Loudon tries and six times in the last 10 New Hampshire races overall. They won the only four that they didn’t finish second in, including the last two years.
- Hendrick Motorsports’ last Loudon win came back in 2012. In 2021, the team finished 7-9-18-21. 2022 was 2-11-14-35, and last year was 3-12-14-24.
Previous winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
This race has been held regularly over the years but has gone by many names. This is the first year it's listed as the USA Today 301. In 2023, it was the Crayon 301, and the Ambetter 301 before that in 2022. From 2018-21, it was called the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. Below is a list of recent winners at the 301-lap event.
| Year | Winner |
| 2023 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2022 | Christopher Bell |
| 2021 | Aric Almirola |
| 2020 | Brad Keselowski |
| 2019 | Kevin Harvick |
| 2018 | Kevin Harvick |
| 2017 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2016 | Matt Kenseth |
| 2015 | Kyle Busch |
How to make USA Today 301 picks
NASCAR betting is a nuanced process that can take any number of factors into account, and spans several different types of bets. Fortunately, our How to Bet NASCAR guide walks you through the basics, including how to read odds, different markets that are available, and what to consider when making your bets.
