It’s good to be back.
After an absolute barn burner of a cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series begins its Round of 12. Playing host, of course, is the mile-long flattened surface of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and make no mistake, this is a tough little place to figure out.
There’s really only one sure bet when it comes to the field this weekend, and that’s last year’s winner of this race, and last week’s winner at Bristol, Christopher Bell. Some race tracks just suit a driver throughout his career. Jimmie Johnson had Dover Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon had Martinsville Speedway, and those Earnhardts owned Talladega Superspeedway.
This is about as close as it gets to that in the modern day, and Bell’s dominance here in the land of clams and lobster may very well rival that when he packs up and leaves racing behind.
A wild card in this race is the weather. Last season, this race was run in wet conditions, and boy, was it fun. New Hampshire suddenly turned into a multi-groove superspeedway of sorts.
If it rains, it shouldn’t affect Bell too much, but don’t be surprised if we get a wild underdog of a winner either.
2025 DraftKings Rules of the Road
Drivers will be awarded points based on their finishing position, position differential, fastest laps and laps led. The driver who wins the race scores 45 fantasy points, while second place gets 42 points, third gets 41 points and so on, at least through the top 10. The 11th-place finisher scores 32 points, 21st gets 21 and 31st gets 10.
However, any spots drivers lose or gain on the track are added or subtracted from their score. If the driver leads a lap, they will earn 0.25 points for each lap led and 0.45 points for each fastest lap.
Fantasy Forecast
Christopher Bell ($11,200)
After all that talk in the intro about this magical combination, you knew I was rolling with Bell this weekend.
Just in case you’re wavering on this pick, though, he’s two wins in three years, a 10.3 average finish in the Next Gen car, and an insane driver rating of 141.2 during last year’s race.
Bell wins this Sunday. That’s all you need to know.
Chase Elliott ($9,200)
Rest assured, Chase Elliott fans: he will be fine in the Round of 12, despite his disappointing finish at Bristol last week.
I’m basing this performance on how he did at World Wide Technology Raceway two weeks ago. Elliott showed real speed there for the first time since midsummer, finishing in third. This track and Gateway are very similar in makeup, and that bodes well for him.
Buyer beware, though: this team has had a terrible penchant for beating itself over the last two seasons. If they can get it together, I see a podium coming.
Tyler Reddick ($8,700)
Tyler Reddick did just enough to escape the Round of 16, but I am pretty concerned about the lack of speed he showed during the first round. Nevertheless, I like Reddick here over his teammate, Bubba Wallace. He’s finished sixth here in both 2023 and 2024, and I’m big on consistency.
This weekend, he’ll do one spot better and pick up a top five.
Carson Hocevar ($7,200)
If Carson Hocevar had fresh tires on that final Bristol restart, we’d have had a totally different narrative heading into this race weekend.
One day, and one day soon, it’ll all line up for him, and he will win a race. As for this week, though, I look at Hocevar’s performance at Gateway, and I’m he’s in line for a top 10 or 15, which is perfect for his salary.
Ryan Preeece ($7,000)
If we are going flat short track racing, you know it’s a certainty I’m telling you to sign Ryan Preece.
He ran 11th here last season, a career-best Cup Series finish at this track, but he has a storied career in the Whelen Modified Tour at this race track.
He’s definitely going to be in the top 10, but don’t be surprised if he finds the winner’s circle.
Austin Dillon ($6,500)
Unfortunately, Austin Dillon was unceremoniously eliminated from the 2025 playoffs last weekend at Bristol. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty left in the tank, though.
Dillon, of course, won at Richmond Raceway to get into the playoffs, which shares some handling characteristics with New Hampshire.
He also finished ninth here in 2023, so maybe, just maybe, he’s got one more good run left in him this season.
Prop Bets and Locks
- Chevrolet (+250) to win: The bow tie gang has looked somewhat overmatched and overwhelmed by Toyota so far in these playoffs, and usually that is not the case. Still, though, I’m surprised to see them open as underdogs here at New Hampshire. With the depth and roster that this manufacturer has, I say cash in here.
- Ross Chastain (+300) to finish top five: Chastain has been so very uncharacteristically quiet since winning the Coca Cola 600 back in May that I have routinely forgotten he’s in the playoffs. That’s probably why he’s entering this week below the cut line. But he has a good record here at New Hampshire, and he may remind us who he is by finishing second this week.
- Wallace (+130) over Ryan Blaney (-175): Look at this beautiful head-to-head matchup right here. We’ve got anything you could ever want. Two best buds locking up at a place where both should be good. They’re both in the playoffs and both could use a massive win to lock into the Round of 8. Wallace just wants it and needs it more than Blaney, though. After all, Wallace won the Brickyard 400, and those turns are pretty flat in spots. He also ran eighth at Gateway. This bet is a lock, and if you’re in the business of making money, this is your jam.
Garrett joined Frontstretch as a news writer in 2023, and became a fantasy racing and betting writer in 2024. Hailing from the heart of coal country in southern West Virginia, he's a married father of three and currently enrolled in the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at New River Community Technical College in Beaver, WV.
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