Matt Kenseth wins New Hampshire 301

LOUDON, N.H. – A look at all the action and results from Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

WINNER: Matt Kenseth emerged as the winner, passing teammate Joe Gibbs Racing Denny Hamlin to assume control on the 1-mile track with 33 laps remaining.

Kenseth, who won the Chase race at New Hampshire last September, held off the Chevrolet of Tony Stewart to claim his second victory of the season. Team Penske's Joey Logano in a Ford nipped Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick in a Chevrolet in a photo finish for third.

But most of the 318-mile race was all about Toyotas, primarily those driven by Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kenseth. Busch, who led a race-high 133 laps, had been the main competition for Truex prior to Kenseth’s emergence, but the defending series champion fell to eighth at the finish.

The victory was Toyota’s ninth of the season.

Truex had a dominant car much of the day and led 123 laps but staggered home over the final 40 laps after a clutch issue, finishing 16th. He started the closing restarts in fourth gear.

RIDING FOR JUNIOR: Twenty-three-year-old Alex Bowman performed well as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s replacement in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet.  He climbed into the top 10 in the race’s second half, reaching eighth, but finished 26th (on the lead lap) after a blown tire sent his car slamming into the wall on lap 273.

Earnhardt Jr. sat out the race while recovering from concussion-like symptoms. It is not known when he will return.

TWO FOR THE SHOW: The race’s first half was dominated by two drivers – Busch and Truex Jr. Of the first 150 laps, Busch led 86 and Truex 63. The only other leader in the first half of the race was pole winner Jimmie Johnson, who led only the first lap. Busch took the lead on lap two and led for 35 laps in a row at one point.

CRUNCH: The cars of Carl Edwards, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne were involved in a backstretch crash with 17 laps left in the race. The accident started when Newman hit Edwards. Larson’s car slid onto the apron grass.

BUESCHER SPINNER: The race’s second caution occurred on lap 101 when Chris Buescher spun out of turn two. The first caution – at lap 37 -- was a NASCAR competition caution, called because of morning rain that changed the nature of the track surface.

CLEANING IT: Debris on the track brought out the day’s third caution flag on lap 220 and the fourth on lap 265.

RAIN, RAIN WENT AWAY: Sprinkles in the morning hours dampened the speedway, but weather cleared in time for the race to go green near its scheduled start time.

New Hampshire 301

Sunday's results from the 1.06-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway (starting position in parentheses):

1. (18) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 301.

2. (12) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 301.

3. (6) Joey Logano, Ford, 301.

4. (8) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 301.

5. (28) Greg Biffle, Ford, 301.

6. (19) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 301.

7. (25) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 301.

8. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 301.

9. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 301.

10. (22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 301.

11. (14) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 301.

12. (1) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 301.

13. (15) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 301.

14. (29) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 301.

15. (9) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 301.

16. (3) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 301.

17. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 301.

18. (24) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 301.

19. (26) Aric Almirola, Ford, 301.

20. (13) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 301.

21. (10) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 301.

22. (4) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 301.

23. (31) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 301.

24. (32) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 301.

25. (11) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 301.

26. (20) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 301.

27. (21) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 300.

28. (30) Landon Cassill, Ford, 299.

29. (35) Chris Buescher, Ford, 299.

30. (23) David Ragan, Toyota, 299.

31. (16) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 299.

32. (34) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 297.

33. (37) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 295.

34. (7) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 294.

35. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 294.

36. (38) Eddie MacDonald, Ford, 293.

37. (40) Ryan Ellis(i), Chevrolet, 292.

38. (33) Brian Scott, Ford, 278.

39. (27) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Electrical, 191.

40. (39) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Accident, 94.

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 107.416 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 57 minutes, 53 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 1.982 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 36 laps.

Lead Changes: 13 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: J. Johnson 1; Kyle Busch 2-36; M. Truex Jr 37; Kyle Busch 38-88; M. Truex Jr 89-171; Kyle Busch 172-182; M. Truex Jr 183; B. Keselowski 184; Kyle Busch 185-220; M. Truex Jr 221-257; M. Kenseth 258-264; M. Truex Jr 265; D. Hamlin 266-270; M. Kenseth 271-301.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 4 times for 133 laps; M. Truex Jr 5 times for 123 laps; M. Kenseth 2 times for 38 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 5 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 1 lap; J. Johnson 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick, 636; B. Keselowski, 622; Kurt Busch, 602; C. Edwards, 587; J. Logano, 571; Kyle Busch, 556; M. Truex Jr, 540; M. Kenseth, 521; J. Johnson, 514; D. Hamlin, 505; C. Elliott, 499; R. Newman, 497; A. Dillon, 488; J. Mcmurray, 474; D. Earnhardt Jr., 461; T. Bayne, 447.