Venue | New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
---|---|
Location | Loudon, New Hampshire, United States |
First race | 1993 |
Distance | 318.458 miles (512.508 km) |
Laps | 301 |
Previous names |
Slick 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) |
Most wins (driver) | Jeff Burton (3) |
Most wins (team) | Joe Gibbs Racing (6) |
Most wins (manufacturer) |
Chevrolet Ford (8) |
Surface | Asphalt |
Length | 1.058 mi (1.703 km) |
Turns | 4 |
The New Hampshire 301 is a 301 lap (318.458-mile (512.508 km) annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.
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.
Newell Rubbermaid, through its Lenox Industrial Tools subsidiary, was the title sponsor of the race from 2006 to 2012. Organizers added an extra lap from 2008 to 2012 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." for seven years, The title was a misnomer, however, as races at New Hampshire are not run by miles but instead by laps. 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.