Ah, Loudon. One of my favorite tracks on the Sprint Cup Series circuit. The ‘Magic Mile’ has hosted some exciting races, and a large variety of winners. It has also been known to favor different teams every year.

Last year Joe Gibbs Racing won both Loudon races. Kyle Busch won the Summer race, and Matt Kenseth claimed the Fall race. Denny Hamlin has also recently brought his no. 11 car to victory lane here. Carl Edwards is the only driver on the team that has yet to win at Loudon. But it could happen this weekend, seeing how strong the JGR drivers have been this year.

But they will have to beat Stewart-Hass Racing. Kevin Harvick has a win here, and he dominated both of last year’s races. Kurt Busch has 3 wins here, and a strong car. Even Danica Patrick has had some strong runs here. But the team’s best Loudon driver is Tony Stewart. Stewart has 3 wins here, 14 top-5s, the most laps led here since 2005 (971), and the best driver rating in that time period (103.4). No argument here. With Mike Bugarewicz on the pit box, Stewart is a strong contender this weekend, as is the rest of SHR.

Penske Racing enters New Hampshire on a hot streak. With 3 wins in the past 4 races, they look to make it 4 out of 5 at Loudon. Both Joey Logano and Brad Keslowski have won here recently, but they have some serious competition to deal with to make it 4 out of 5. But still, it’s possible. I’d rather not though.

Hendrick Motorsports will have to run Loudon without their star. Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a concussion due to wrecks at Michigan and Daytona, and will sit out Loudon and possibly more races. Alex bowman will substitute for him. Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne have each enjoyed success at Loudon, but they have been unimpressive as of late. That leaves Elliot and Bowman. Bowman has shown that with good equipment he can run well, so a good finish is possible. A win? Not likely. As for Chase, anything seems possible. He’s had some foul cards dealt to him in recent weeks, but he’s still the best at Hendrick right now. So he seems most likely to win.

Others in the field who are fast are Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, Ryan Blaney, and Trevor Bayne. These five are all battling on the Chase bubble, and most of them have past success at Martinsville. Any of them could pull a surprise win.

Now, who do I think will win. Well, Tony Stewart has been so fast in recent weeks, and he is pretty much the best driver here. So he’s my main pick. But don’t count out the young ones. Austin Dillon, Chase Elliot, and Kyle Larson are all looking good, and all three seem so close to their first wins. So watch Stewart and the younglings.