Logano, Bell and Chastain hold major playoff advantage heading to New Hampshire

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs land at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend, with three drivers holding an early edge before racing even begins.

The Mobil 1 301 takes center stage on Sunday (2pm ET, USA) as the Round of 12 begins with a crucial showdown in Loudon.

A key milestone on the road to this weekend’s race came back on July 22 and 23, when NASCAR tire supplier Goodyear conducted a two-day test of the planned setup.

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Three drivers took part in July tire test

Three drivers took part in that test, meaning Bristol winner Christopher Bell (Toyota), Ross Chastain (Chevrolet) and reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano (Ford) all have crucial advance warning on just what to expect from the rubber in use this weekend.

Goodyear says the setup was first introduced at Martinsville in November 2024 as part of NASCAR’s focused effort to improve short-track racing, offering drivers more grip and increased lap-time fall-off.

NASCAR says the July test confirmed those characteristics, with Logano noting that Goodyear had “no doubt created falloff” among various different tires tested.

Goodyear confident about setup

Goodyear NASCAR product manager Rick Heinrich is confident the planned setup will deliver the desired results on track, explaining: “The tire setup we’re bringing to New Hampshire has performed very well at various tracks this year, including the recent race at Richmond.

“This is the first time that NASCAR Cup Series teams will see this setup at New Hampshire. We introduced this setup to deliver more grip and increased lap-time fall-off over the course of a run and it has certainly met those expectations so far this year.”

NASCAR Cup Series tires for New Hampshire