The Crayon 301 is a 301 lap ( annual
NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
stock car race
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It or ...
held at the
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a Oval track racing, oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nickna ...
in
Loudon, New Hampshire
Loudon is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,576 at the 2020 census. Loudon is the home of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The main village in town, where 711 people lived at the 2020 census, is defined a ...
.
Christopher Bell is the defending winner, having won it in 2022.
History
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
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, , and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series c ...
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
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...
won the race after it was called due to rain after 284 laps. One year later,
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas Logano (born May 24, 1990), is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, and part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Seri ...
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. Starting in 2018, it became the only event at the track because their fall race would be moved to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
During the practice for the 2000 event,
Kenny Irwin Jr.
Kenneth Dale Irwin Jr. (August 5, 1969 – July 7, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver. He had driven in all three NASCAR national touring series, and had two total victories, both in the Craftsman Truck Series (today Camping World Tru ...
was killed after he lost control of his car, which slammed head on into the wall, causing it to flip onto its side. His cause of death,
basilar skull fracture
A basilar skull fracture is a break of a bone in the base of the skull. Symptoms may include bruising behind the ears, bruising around the eyes, or blood behind the ear drum. A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak occurs in about 20% of cases and m ...
, was the same cause that killed Busch Series driver
Adam Petty
Adam Kyler Petty (July 10, 1980 – May 12, 2000) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He was the fourth generation from the Petty family to drive in races in the highest division of NASCAR racing, mostly in what was then kno ...
eight weeks prior at
Busch 200 at the same track, leading NASCAR to make significant rule changes to maintain driver safety, including an experiment on using a
restrictor plate
A restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles (e.g., motorcycles) for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to li ...
for the next New Hampshire Cup race that season, the
Dura Lube 300.
Race sponsorship
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Brands is an American manufacturer, marketer and distributor of consumer and commercial products. The company's brands and products include Rubbermaid storage and trash containers; home organization and reusable container products; Contig ...
, through its
Lenox Industrial Tools
LENOX Tools is an American brand of hand tools, power tool accessories, and industrial band saw blades. It largely produces saws, saw blades, utility knives, snips, and other cutting tools.
The brand was founded in 1915 as the "American Saw and M ...
subsidiary, was the title sponsor of the race from 2006 to 2012. Starting in 2008, organizers added an extra lap 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." Under the Lenox Industrial Tools sponsorship, the race was in length while the fall race, the
Sylvania 300
The ISM Connect 300 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock car race that was , traditionally held in mid-September at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, the other one being the Ambetter 301 in July.
The New England ...
, is . After Lenox Industrial Tools left as title sponsor,
Camping World
Camping World Holdings, Inc. is an American corporation specializing in selling recreational vehicles (RVs), recreational vehicle parts, and recreational vehicle service. They also sell supplies for camping. The company has its headquarters in L ...
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.
In 2017, the race (along with the track's Xfinity Series race the day before) received sponsorship from water sports store Overton's (which is owned by
Camping World
Camping World Holdings, Inc. is an American corporation specializing in selling recreational vehicles (RVs), recreational vehicle parts, and recreational vehicle service. They also sell supplies for camping. The company has its headquarters in L ...
), branding it the Overton's 301.
Starting in 2018,
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more t ...
, located in
Ledyard, Connecticut
Ledyard is a New England town, Town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a American Revolutio ...
, became the title sponsor of the race after announcing a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the racetrack on May 31, 2018.
In 2022,
Ambetter, which was the title sponsor of the
Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire in 2021, became the title sponsor of the race, replacing Foxwoods. Before the 2022 Cup Series race at the track, it was announced that Crayon Software Experts, which replaced Ambetter as the title sponsor of the
Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire in 2022, would sponsor the track's Cup Series race in 2023.
It had been announced the previous week that Ambetter would move their title sponsorship to the
spring Cup Series race at Atlanta in 2023.
Trophy
Unlike other races, the trophy is in the form of an
American lobster
The American lobster (''Homarus americanus'') is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as Atlantic lobster, Canadian lobster, true lobster, norther ...
provided by Makris Lobster and Steak House of
Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
.
The restaurant selects the largest lobster in its tank, usually weighing in at 20 lbs or more. After the winning driver poses with the lobster on victory lane, Makris pressure cooks it and sends the meat to the winning pit crew while a taxidermist reassembles the shell and mounts it on a trophy for the driver.
There were some exceptions to this tradition. After winning the race in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...
donated his lobster to the
New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African and southern rockhopper penguins, giant Pacific octopuses, weedy seadra ...
; it died shortly after its arrival.
Past winners
Notes
*2000, 2008, and 2009: Race shortened due to rain.
*2006, 2013, and 2014: Race extended due to a
NASCAR overtime finish.
*2020: Race postponed from July 19 to August 2 due to schedule changes resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
*2021: Race delayed due to rain and shortened by eight laps due to darkness.
Multiple winners (drivers)
Multiple winners (teams)
Manufacturer wins
References
External links
*
{{NASCAR Cup Series races, state=collapsed
1993 establishments in New Hampshire
NASCAR Cup Series races
Recurring sporting events established in 1993
Annual sporting events in the United States