Crayon 301
NASCAR Cup Series
VenueNew Hampshire Motor Speedway
LocationLoudon, New Hampshire, United States
Corporate sponsorCrayon Software Experts[1]
First race1993 (1993)
Distance318.458 miles (512.508 km)
Laps301[2]
Stage 1: 75
Stage 2: 110
Final stage: 116
Previous namesSlick 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)
Most wins (driver)Jeff Burton (3)
Most wins (team)Joe Gibbs Racing (9)
Most wins (manufacturer)Ford (12)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.058 mi (1.703 km)
Turns4

The Crayon 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.[3]

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

Foxwoods Resort Casino was the title sponsor of the race from 2018 to 2021

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6][7]

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.[8] 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.[1] It had been announced the previous week that Ambetter would move their title sponsorship to the spring Cup Series race at Atlanta in 2023.[9]

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.[10][11] 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.[12][13]

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.[13]

Past winners

Year Date No. 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 [14]
1994 July 10 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:37:24 87.599 Report [15]
1995 July 9 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont 300 317.4 (510.805) 2:57:56 107.029 Report [16]
1996 July 14 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco/Havoline 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:12:30 98.93 Report [17]
1997 July 13 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide Batteries 300 317.4 (510.805) 2:42:35 117.134 Report [18]
1998 July 12 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide Batteries 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:04:54 102.996 Report [19]
1999 July 11 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide Batteries 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:06:56 101.876 Report [20]
2000 July 9 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac The Home Depot 273* 288.834 (464.833) 2:48:01 103.145 Report [21]
2001 July 22 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:06:28 102.131 Report [22]
2002 July 21 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:26:14 92.342 Report [23]
2003 July 20 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:16:29 96.924 Report [24]
2004 July 25 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Irwin Industrial Tools/Sharpie 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:14:36 97.862 Report [25]
2005 July 17 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet The Home Depot 300 317.4 (510.805) 3:05:36 102.608 Report [26]
2006 July 16 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's 308* 325.864 (524.427) 3:12:51 101.384 Report [27]
2007 July 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet FedEx Ground 300 317.4 (510.805) 2:55:59 108.215 Report [28]
2008 June 29 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge Miller Lite 284* 300.472 (483.562) 2:48:56 106.719 Report [29]
2009 June 28 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota The Home Depot 273* 288.834 (464.833) 2:57:45 97.497 Report [30]
2010 June 27 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's 301 318.458 (512.508) 2:48:38 113.308 Report [31]
2011 July 17 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet U.S. Army 301 318.458 (512.508) 3:03:33 104.1 Report [32]
2012 July 15 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Farmers Insurance 301 318.458 (512.508) 2:44:24 116.226 Report [33]
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 [34]
2014 July 13 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford Redd's Apple Ale 305* 322.69 (519.319) 2:58:03 108.741 Report [35]
2015 July 19 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Interstate Batteries 301 318.458 (512.508) 2:56:06 108.504 Report [36]
2016 July 17 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Dollar General 301 318.458 (512.508) 2:57:53 107.416 Report [37]
2017 July 16 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota FedEx Office 301 318.458 (512.508) 3:00:36 105.8 Report [38]
2018 July 22 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Busch Beer 301 318.458 (512.508) 2:52:56 110.49 Report [39]
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 [40]
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 [41]
2021 July 18 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Smithfield 293* 309.994 (498.887) 3:07:52 99.004 Report [42]
2022 July 17 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Rheem 301 318.458 (512.508) 3:14:45 98.113 Report [43]
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 [44]

Notes

  • 2000, 2008, and 2009: Race shortened due to rain.
  • 2006, 2013, and 2014: Race extended due to a NASCAR overtime finish.
  • 2020: Race postponed from July 19 to August 2 due to schedule changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.[45]
  • 2021: Race delayed due to rain and shortened by eight laps due to darkness.[46]
  • 2023: Race postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.[47]

Multiple winners (drivers)

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

Multiple winners (teams)

Wins Team Years Won
9 Joe Gibbs Racing 2000, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015–2017, 2022, 2023
6 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

Manufacturer wins

Wins Manufacturer Years Won
12 Ford 1994, 1996–1999, 2001, 2004, 2014, 2018–2021
9 Chevrolet 1995, 2003, 2005–2007, 2010–2012
7 Toyota 2009, 2013, 2015–2017, 2022, 2023
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

References

  1. 1 2 "Crayon Named Entitlement Partner for 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Race at New Hampshire". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Stage lengths for 2021 NASCAR season". NASCAR. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Logano wins for 1st time in 20 starts". ESPN. Associated Press. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  4. ↑ Loftus, Mike (29 June 2008). "Kurt Busch makes the right call at Loudon". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Overton's To Sponsor New Hampshire NASCAR Weekend In July". New England Sports Network. June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Foxwoods Resort Casino and NHMS Announce Major Sponsorship". www.nhms.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  7. ↑ "New Hampshire Motor Speedway partners with Foxwoods for NASCAR weekend". Concord Monitor. May 31, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Ambetter Named Entitlement Partner for 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Race at New Hampshire". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ambetter Health named entitlement partner for Atlanta's spring NASCAR Cup Series race". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Unique trophies in NASCAR". NASCAR. September 25, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ Martinelli, Michelle R. (July 18, 2017). "Denny Hamlin describes his terrifying encounter with a 44-pound monster lobster". USA Today. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  12. ↑ Dean, Sam (July 13, 2011). "The Strange Fate of the Giant Lobster NASCAR Trophy". Bon Appétit. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  13. 1 2 Duckler, Ray (July 18, 2018). "Racin' crustacean: The story behind the living trophy given to the big winner at NHMS". Concord Monitor. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  14. ↑ "1993 Slick 50 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ "1994 Slick 50 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  16. ↑ "1995 Slick 50 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ "1996 Jiffy Lube 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ "1997 Jiffy Lube 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  19. ↑ "1998 Jiffy Lube 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  20. ↑ "1999 Jiffy Lube 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  21. ↑ "2000 thatlook.com 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  22. ↑ "2001 New England 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  23. ↑ "2002 New England 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  24. ↑ "2003 New England 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  25. ↑ "2004 Siemens 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  26. ↑ "2005 New England 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  27. ↑ "2006 Lenox Industrial Tools 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  28. ↑ "2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  29. ↑ "2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  30. ↑ "2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  31. ↑ "2010 Lenox Industrial Tools 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  32. ↑ "2011 Lenox Industrial Tools 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  33. ↑ "2012 Lenox Industrial Tools 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  34. ↑ "2013 Camping World RV Sales 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  35. ↑ "2014 Camping World RV Sales 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  36. ↑ "2015 5-hour Energy 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  37. ↑ "2016 New Hampshire 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  38. ↑ "2017 Overton's 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  39. ↑ "2018 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  40. ↑ "2019 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  41. ↑ "2020 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  42. ↑ "2021 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  43. ↑ "2022 Ambetter 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  44. ↑ "2023 Crayon 301". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  45. ↑ McCormack, Kathy (June 25, 2020). "New Hampshire Motor Speedway will allow fans at NASCAR race in Aug". WFXT. Associated Press. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  46. ↑ Sturniolo, Zach (July 18, 2021). "NASCAR's Scott Miller explains why New Hampshire race was shortened". NASCAR.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  47. ↑ Taranto, Steven (July 16, 2023). "NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire: Crayon 301 postponed to Monday due to rain". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
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