The 2022 Ambetter 301 was a
NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, 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. ...
race held on July 17, 2022, at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a 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. Nicknamed "The Magic Mil ...
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 ...
. Contested over 301 laps, on the speedway. It was the 20th race of the
2022 NASCAR Cup Series
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series will be the 74th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 51st season for the modern-era Cup Series. The season will start at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the Busch Ligh ...
season.
This race was the last full-time start for
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 ...
, as Busch suffered a concussion during the qualifying for
the next race and sat out the rest of the season, eventually stepping away from full-time competition for 2023.
Report
Background

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a
oval speedway located 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 ...
, which has hosted
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a road course, which includes much of the oval.
The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by
Speedway Motorsports
Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, IndyCar Series, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has i ...
.
Entry list
* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
William Byron was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 29.877 seconds and a speed of .
Practice results
Qualifying
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Lee Truex Jr. (born June 29, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Serie ...
scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.964 and a speed of .
Qualifying results
Race
Stage Results
Stage One
''Laps:'' 70
Stage Two
''Laps:'' 115
Final Stage Results
Stage Three
''Laps:'' 116
Race statistics
* Lead changes: 8 among 7 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 9 for 52
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 14 minutes and 45 seconds
* Average speed:
Media
Television
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...
covered the race on the television side.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for '' NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving ...
, four-time and all-time Loudon winner
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey Tyler Burton (born June 29, 1967), nicknamed The Mayor, is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He scored 21 career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, including two Coca-Cola 600s in ...
and
Steve Letarte
Steven Letarte (born May 14, 1979) is an American professional NASCAR crew chief and sportscaster who works for NBC Sports as a color commentator on their telecasts for NASCAR. He also works as a consultant for Spire Motorsports, a NASCAR Cu ...
called the race from the broadcast booth. Kim Coon,
Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
Radio
PRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on
Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
Since 2008, Sirius XM Radio has had a similar channel lineup, with a few differences based on whether the individual has a Sirius, XM, or SiriusXM radio. For technical reasons, separate radios continue to be manufactured for the separate services ...
. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race from the booth when the field races down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race from turns 1 & 2 and Doug Turnbull called the race from turns 3 & 4. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan and
Wendy Venturini handled the duties on pit lane.
Standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
;Manufacturers' Championship standings
*
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
*
. – Driver has clinched a position in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambetter 301
2022 Ambetter 301
2022 NASCAR Cup Series
2022 in sports in New Hampshire
July 2022 sports events in the United States