Dollar Tree 301
The Dollar Tree 301 is this week’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It’ll be the 25th race of 26 for the regular season and the penultimate race of the regular season. Next week’s race at Daytona, the Coke Zero 400, will be the final chance for drivers to qualify for the Cup Series Chase.
The track in Loudon is a 1.058-mile loop and was a twice-a-year stop a decade ago, but there has only been one race annually here since 2017. We’re back to a Sunday afternoon race after a Saturday night one last week.
How to Watch The Dollar Tree 301
When: Sunday, August 21, 2026
Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Channel: USA
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Winners and Standings
It was a big weekend for Joey Logano, who picked up his second win of the season. It was his second win in four races, as he also won at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Even though wins are worth more points this season, it does seem like we might have our 16 playoff drivers and all but Corey Heim look to be in the postseason chase. Heim is not a full-time driver, so he isn’t accumulating points.
The race winners are Tyler Reddick (5), Hamlin (4), Chase Elliott (2), Shane van Gisbergen (2), Ryan Blaney (2), Heim (2), Gibbs (2), Logano (2), Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, and Chase Briscoe. Wins no longer automatically qualify drivers for the playoffs, as the top 16, regardless of number of victories, have a chance to win the championship.
Hamlin didn’t pick up his fifth win, but he did pick up another top-five finish. It was his fourth straight top-five finish and he leads by 115 points over Blaney, who leapfrogged Gibbs last week with a stage win and the fastest lap. Gibbs now sits third, with Reddick and Briscoe filling out the top five. Elliott, Christopher Bell, Larson, Logano, and Chris Buescher fill out the top 10.
Dollar Tree 301 Winners
Perhaps Bell will be able to pick up his first win of the season here, as he’s got two wins, three top-five finishes, and four top-10 finishes in his six starts at New Hampshire. In 32 career races, Hamlin has only has three wins, but 11 total top-five finishes and 19 top-10 finishes. Hamlin’s average finish of 9.9 is the best of any driver.
It might be too little, too late for Brad Keselowski, whose average finish of 11th is one of the highest in the field. He has two wins in 25 starts with 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10 finishes. He’s currently 19th in points with 489 and the cut-off for a playoff spot is 567 from van Gisbergen.
Dollar Tree 301 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
