CMT 300 (1997) Farm Aid on CMT 300 (1998) Dura Lube/Kmart 300 (1999) Dura Lube 300 sponsored by Kmart (2000) New Hampshire 300 (2001–2002) Sylvania 300 (2003–2015) Bad Boy Off Road 300 (2016) ISM Connect 300 (2017)
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 (318.458-mile (512.508 km) 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.
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.
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 318.5 miles (512.6 km) in length while the fall race remained at 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.[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]
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]
2001: Race postponed from September 16 to November 23 due to 9/11.
2002: Race shortened due to rain.
2010: Clint Bowyer's was found to have illegal car modifications in the post-race inspection, and he was penalized 150 points, while crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended four races.
