The 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series reached its halfway point at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with Cole Custer and Christopher Bell battling it out through the stretch. Bell used his three-wide pass to outrank his opponents and win his fourth consecutive Xfinity Series race. Here are key takeaways that racing fans need to learn from the recently concluded NASCAR Xfinity Series hosted in New Hampshire.
1. Taking stock
The New Hampshire Motor Speedway tournament proved that NASCAR’s wet weather tires work better than they were intended. In several cases so far, there has not been a single moment that these tires have failed. They allow the races to start and resume sooner after the rain while providing a more entertaining race compared to Nascar’s regular short-track product since the drivers need to for moisture on the track.
It has been quite entertaining to watch drivers trying to figure it out and there haven’t been any disastrous moments that would make drivers and fans reconsider racing on wet tracks. And now that these tires have proven to work, it will be nice if NASCAR lets the drivers and teams manage their own races. However, NASCAR is currently taking a conservative approach with the tires since the concept is relatively new.
2. Will Chase Elliot win the playoffs?
Despite a slump performance last season, Chase Elliot has been among the best NASCAR drivers in recent times. Elliot is popular for his on-track performance and has been the NASCAR Cup Series’ most popular driver six times. The #9 driver qualified for the 2024 playoffs with his victory at Texas this spring and motorsports bettors can use the DraftKings promo code to bet on him. However, the tournament features other favorites like Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney.
3. Fastest Car Tracker
For about 90 minutes, Tyler Reddick seemed to have the win at hand before the race was stopped because of the rain and an approaching storm that looked like a race-ender. But in the end, it was Bell who took the win for the fastest car in dry and wet conditions. However, he wasn’t convinced he drove the fastest in dry conditions.
In an interview, Bell revealed he didn’t believe he had the dominant car. However, in the absence of any compelling stats or data, fans can assume that Bell indeed had the fastest car.
4. Ranking the top three
Here’s a mini power ranking following the recently concluded NASCAR Xfinity Series in New Hampshire.
- Christopher Bell: In the last five matches, Christopher Bell has led the series in all major categories, including top fives, top 10s, wins, average finish, and laps led. His average finish is quite eye-opening, with his worst performance being at Sonoma.
- Kyle Larson: After winning at Sonoma, Kyle Larson had the best car in IOWA and did not do anything to make fans believe his speed will disappear this summer.
- Ryan Blaney: While Ryan Blaney should have won in Gateway, he won in Iowa before being taken out in New Hampshire while in the top five remaining four laps.
