New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) 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.
*Withdrew due to not fitting inspection templates numerous times.[2]
**While he had started the race, he would have to be relieved by Martin Truex Jr. for practice sessions and qualifying, as Earnhardt Jr. was recovering from burns suffered from a sports car race. However, as Earnhardt Jr. did start the race, he was credited with the finish.[3]
Practice
First practice
The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 23, at 11:20 AM EST and would last for two hours.[2]Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.678 and an average speed of 132.813 miles per hour (213.742 km/h).[4]
The second practice session would occur on Saturday, July 24, at 9:30 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Greg Biffle of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.209 and an average speed of 130.398 miles per hour (209.855 km/h).[5]
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, July 24, at 11:10 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.249 and an average speed of 130.220 miles per hour (209.569 km/h).[6]
Qualifying would occur on Friday, July 23, at 3:05 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[2] Positions 1-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[7]
Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 28.776 and an average speed of 132.360 miles per hour (213.013 km/h).[8]
Kyle Busch, driving a part-time schedule for Hendrick Motorsports, would crash in turn 4 on his warm-up lap. Since the No. 84 did not have enough owner's points for a provision, Busch would miss the race.[9]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Kevin Lepage and Kyle Busch. In addition, Ryan McGlynn, who had taken part in some of the weekend's practice sessions, also withdrew due to unknown reasons.
