PLAYOFF CUTOFF
15th #99 Tracker +3
16th #34 Hubcap +3
—-
17th #23 Claw -3
18th #16 Wildcat -13
19th #54 Coral -26
20th #2 Tuck -38
21st #31 Leo -41
22nd #48 Mayor Humdinger -44
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, New Hampshire
Track type: Oval
7 races to go till the playoffs and we head upstate for the 1-mile New Hampshire race in Loudon. This track is nicknamed, "The Magic Mile '' for its good luck here. The winner also gets a gigantic lobster to celebrate.
SATURDAY (QUALIFYING)
10 drivers were in contention for the pole, and the first car to set a lap had issues starting his lap.
Rick: We got a car around in turn 1! It's Rocky hard into the outside wall! And that'll more than likely be a backup car.
"I'm sorry guys. I just lost it." The mix replied.
After Rocky's car was towed away, everyone continued qualifying.
#20 Radio: Go ahead Skye.
Rick: Liberty is currently on pole, unless her teammate has something to say about it! She has a great turn 1 and turn 2. Going into turn 3, loses a little, and out of turn 4… She's done it! She's on pole for now!
#20 Radio: Good lap Skye. P1 for the moment.
"Good car today guys. But let's be patient." Skye replied.
Jeff: Arrby is on his lap, and not looking fast at the moment, and he's only good for 7th best! Skye, the defending winner, is on pole for tomorrow's race!
#20 Radio: Well done Skye. Pole position secured.
"Let's go guys! Back to back New Hampshire wins has a nice ring to it!" Skye happily said.
SUNDAY (RACE DAY)
STARTING LINEUP
1. #20 2. #19 3. #10 4. #22 5. #12 6. #45 7. #24 8. #23 9. #6 10. #8*
11. #3 12. #99 13. #4 14. #16 15. #5 16. #47 17. #34 18. #9 19. #31 20. #11
21. #41 22. #2 23. #38 24. #7 25. #48 26. #17 27. #14 28. #21 29. #42 30. #43
31. #1 32. #78 33. #15 34. #51 35. #77 36. #54
STAGES: 70/115/116 #20 Radio: #19 inside, clear her as fast as you can Skye and… green flag!
GREEN FLAG
Rick: Who has the magic wand today? The green flag waves! We're racing at the Magic Mile!
Dale Jr.: The cars dive into turn 1, and Skye gets ahead, but her teammate is right behind!
#20 Radio: #19 on your bumper. Just run your race.
LAP 2/301 Leader: Skye
Rick: Here comes the #19! Liberty wants the lead and she takes it away from Skye!
#19 Radio: Clear of the #20. Good by two.
"Let's go guys!" Liberty happily spoke.
LAP 28/301 Leader: Liberty. Dale Jr.: We got a car spinning off of turn 2! It's the #16 car. Wildcat was running in the 11th position, but he only lost a few spots.
CAUTION #16 Radio: Are you okay Wild?
"Yeah, just had a tire go down." Wildcat said.
LAP 30/301 Leader: Wheeler
Everyone would come into pit road for 4 fresh tires and fuel. Except for one pup
#47 Radio: Stay out Wheeler. Stay out.
"Are you sure?" Wheeler asked in confusion.
#47 Radio: Yep. We're confident these tires will hold on.
LAP 34/301 Leader: Wheeler
GREEN FLAG
Rick: Green flag is back out. Wheeler is already falling back like a rock! Arrby takes the lead, and it's Liberty from 4th to 2nd on the restart!
#47 Radio: Just run your best pace Wheeler.
"I knew that was a bad idea! What were you guys thinking?!" Wheeler asked, annoyed.
LAP 43/301 Leader: Arrby
Jeff: We saw the #19 was the best early on, and she's challenging the #24 for the race lead.
Rick: Here comes the #19! To the inside, and she takes the top spot away!
#19 Radio: No pressure, drive away now.
"She's too fast." Arrby said.
LAP 70/301 Leader: Liberty
Liberty would run away with over a 2 second lead up on Arrby.
#19 Radio; Bring it home for the stage finish.
Rick: She has dominated the first stage, and Liberty will take stage 1!
LAP 71/301 Leader: Liberty
CAUTION
#19 Radio: Green checkered. Just be careful, someone hit the wall and is smoking, we think it's the #8.
"10-4 team." Liberty replied. (edited)
Rick: And something has happened further back! The #8 of Rocky has major right rear damage!
Jeff: Same with the #7! He also has damage. Looks like two separate incidents.
#8 Radio: Is it killed? "Yep. Taking it to the garage." Rocky replied.
LAP 73/301 Leader: Liberty
Everyone would come into the pits and Liberty would keep the lead easily. But one car had an issue.
#20 Radio: Skye, we need to come back in. We didn't get the lug nut tightened on one of the wheels.
"Come on team. You're better than that!" Skye said.
#19 Radio: #24 will be on your inside, you're better than him.
LAP 78/301 Leader: Liberty
GREEN FLAG
Rick: Green flag is back out and Liberty gets away well ahead of Arrby as they go into turn 1!
#19 Radio: #24 two back, no pressure, just run your race.
LAP 130/301 Leader: Liberty
Green flag pit stops were taking place and one car had issues as that was going on.
Dale Jr.: Got a car going slowly in turn 3! Charger is limping to the pits.
#51 Radio: How bad is it Charger?
"Right front is killed. I'm going to the garage." The bulldog replied.
LAP 162/301 Leader: Liberty
Rick: Spinner in turn 4! The #43 of Rex is around, and more bad luck for the Dino pup in 2023.
CAUTION
#43 Radio: Get the car back rolling Rex.
"I can't wait for this year to be over." Rex replied.
LAP 164/301 Leader: Liberty
Everyone would come into the pits, but the Duke of Flappington would take two tires and claim the lead. Ryder, Rubble, and Zuma also took two tires putting Liberty in 5th with four tires.
"Are you sure the tires are tightened? The right rear feels strange." The Duke asked his team.
#10 Radio: We're confident that they are.
LAP 169/301 Leader: Duke of Flappington
GREEN FLAG
Rick: Back underway we go at New Hampshire! The Duke is ahead of Ryder going into turn 1.
#10 Radio: #5 inside, clear go low- oh what the hell?!
Dale Jr.: Oh! The Duke is up the track! He's in the wall! The right rear tire looks bent! I'm not sure they got that tire tightened when they were on pit road!
CAUTION
"I TOLD YOU THE TIRE WASN'T TIGHTENED!" The Duke roared on the radio.
The team didn't say anything because they knew they messed up.
"What happened to the Duke?" Ryder asked.
#5 Radio: The #10 team didn't get the right rear tightened and he went around.
LAP 175/301 Leader: Ryder
GREEN FLAG
Jeff: Green flag back out! Ryder gets a good launch on the outside of Rubble and Liberty follows through with her 4 fresh tires as they come out of turn 2!
Dale Jr.: Oh! The #5 goes high in turn 3! The #19 is gonna take advantage and she clears Ryder off of turn 4!
#19 Radio: Great job there Liberty. He messed himself up.
LAP 185/301 Leader: Liberty
#19 Radio: #5 is way far back. Just bring it to the line.
Rick: When the pressure is on her, it seems she has no problem with it, and as she comes out of turn 4, Liberty will win stage 2!
LAP 186/301 Leader: Liberty
CAUTION
#19 Radio: You have swept the stages. Good job. "Thanks guys. Let's finish this race." Liberty said.
LAP 188/301 Leader: Liberty
#19 Radio: Staying out here. Staying out Liberty.
#12 Radio: Stay out Ella
#22 Radio: Do not pit here Rubble. Stay out
Several cars would stay out, but Ryder would be the first of many cars to pit for 4 fresh tires.
LAP 192/301 Leader: Liberty
GREEN FLAG
Rick: The final stage is underway here in New Hampshire!
Dale Jr.: Liberty gets away well from the Penske teammates, and Ella on the outside off of turn 2 on her teammate and goes from 4th to 2nd, and she wants the top spot!
#12 Radio: Clear of the #22. Go chase down the #19.
LAP 236/301 Leader: Liberty
The gap was 1.3 seconds from the top 2, and Ella knew she had to do something.
"I'm coming into the pits this lap." Ella informed her team.
#12 Radio: We're ready for you Ella.
Dale Jr.: The #12 is pitting now, hoping to get ahead of the #19 when she pits.
Jeff: This needs to be a perfect stop for Ella in order for this to work. Oh, they're slow on the left side! They'll be lucky if it's sub 12 seconds- No, it's 13.4 seconds! A terrible pit stop for the #12 team!
"What happened there?!" Ella demanded.
#12 Radio: We messed up on the left side. Just try and make up as much as you can.
LAP 237/301 Leader: Liberty.
#19 Radio: In this lap Liberty.
"Copy that team." Liberty said as she made her way to the pits.
Rick: Liberty stops in her box, good on the right side as they change tires, now the left side looks just as good. 9.7 seconds is all it took, and she'll come out about 4 seconds ahead of Ella!
"Good job guys!" Liberty said.
#19 Radio: 64 laps to go Liberty. You got this.
LAP 271/301 Leader: Liberty
Rick: Got a car in the wall in turn 1! It's Moby and the right front wheel is completely bent!
CAUTION
"I lost the brakes. Perfect." Moby said, pissed off.
#42 Radio: Take it to the garage Moby.
LAP 273/301 Leader: Liberty
Zuma and Harold Humdinger stayed out while everyone else came for tires and fuel, but one driver had her day ruined by running over equipment.
Dale Jr.: We're getting word now. Ella has a pit road penalty for running over the tire gun. You cannot run over equipment. She'll have to start from the tail end of the field.
#12 Radio: We have a penalty for the tire gun you ran over. Sorry Ella.
Ella growled quietly as she knew her chances of winning were over thanks to her pit crew again.
"Fine." Ella said quietly.
LAP 278/301 Leader: Zuma
GREEN FLAG
Rick: 24 laps to go here at Loudon!
Dale Jr.: Zuma gets away with the lead but Liberty on the inside! She's challenging for the lead, and she gets it done! That #19 is unstoppable today!
#19 Radio: #4 outside, clear.
"YES!" Liberty exclaimed.
LAP 280/301 Leader: Liberty
Jeff: We got a car spinning on the backstretch! The #48 keeps it straight, and the caution is out.
CAUTION
#48 Radio: What happened there?
"What do you think happened?! I got loose." The mayor replied, annoyed.
LAP 286/301 Leader: Liberty
GREEN FLAG
Rick: It's Liberty and Rubble on the front row. Green flag is back out!
Dale Jr.: They dive into turn 1 and Liberty easily clears Rubble as they come off of turn 2!
#19 Radio: No pressure. 15 to go when you get to the line.
LAP 288/301 Leader: Liberty
Dale Jr.: We got a crash in turn 3! Skye has lost it on her own and she's in the wall! The right rear of that car looks crushed!
CAUTION
#20 Radio: Bring it to the pits. We'll do the best we can.
"I'm sorry guys. Had a top 10, and I just lost it." The cockapoo apologized.
"Come on. Can we just finish this race please?" Liberty asked.
#19 Radio: I know. These cautions are starting to get annoying Liberty.
LAP 293/301 Leader: Liberty
GREEN FLAG
Rick: 9 laps to go, and Liberty gets the jump again, and leads into turn 1!
#19 Radio: #22 three back. Just pull away.
LAP 300/301 Leader: Liberty
Dale Jr.: Got a car in the wall in turn 4! It's Coral, but we stay green.
"Sorry guys." Coral said. "I overdrove it."
#54 Radio: No caution. Keep going.
#22 Radio: You're 7 tenths back Rubble. Give it everything you've got!
"I don't know if I can catch her." Rubble replied.
Rick: Liberty comes out of turn 4. She'll see the white flag! One lap to go presented by Credit One Bank!
LAP 301/301 Leader: Liberty
WHITE FLAG
Rick: She has dominated all day long here in New Hampshire, and as she comes off of turn 4, Liberty is gonna win the Magic Mile!
"Let's freaking go boys!" Liberty exclaimed. "Thanks for the fast car!
#19 Radio: Well done Liberty. No one was on your level today. You dominated this race!
#22 Radio: Runner up Rubble. Good job all day.
"Thanks guys. We'll get 'em next time hopefully." The bulldog replied.
#4 Radio: 4th place Zuma. Good job holding off everybody else with those tires.
"Yeah. I really want that win though." Zuma said.
Liberty did her burnouts on the front stretch and was congratulated by her team. She was looking more like a threat for the championship as every race went by.
Reporter: Liberty, it's your third win this season. Confidence must be at an all time high for you. What's your thoughts as the postseason gets closer and closer for this team?
"This #19 car is fast every day. We're having a completely different season than what we had last year, and it's awesome that I'm a favorite for the championship. We're gonna continue to get more wins and confidence is high right now, but we'll stay focused for these next 6 races and see if we can do more." Liberty said.
RESULTS
1st #19 Liberty
2nd #22 Rubble
3rd #5 Ryder
4th #4 Zuma
5th #6 Shade
6th #45 Everest
7th #11 Marshall
8th #23 Claw
9th #3 Harold Humdinger
10th #14 The Cheetah
11th #43 Rex
12th #9 Chase
13th #34 Hubcap
14th #48 Mayor Humdinger
15th #17 Rory
16th #99 Tracker
17th #31 Leo
18th #47 Wheeler
19th #16 Wildcat
20th #21 Dwayne
21st #38 Al
22nd #12 Ella
23rd #1 Sweetie
24th #24 Arrby
25th #2 Tuck
26th #77 Copycat
27th #54 Coral
28th #41 Gasket (-1)
29th #20 Skye (-2)
30th #15 Mix (-2)
31st #78 Ladybird (-6)
32nd #42 Moby (DNF)
33rd #7 Alex (-125)
34th #10 Duke of Flappington (DNF)
35th #51 Charger (DNF)
36th #8 Rocky (DNF)