Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):
● Clint Bowyer started 16th and finished fourth, earning seven bonus points.
● By lap four, Bowyer had piloted the No. 14 Toco/Haas Automation Ford Mustang into the top-10.
● Bowyer fell to 11th on lap 19 when he was passed by his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Kevin Harvick.
● “Tight on the throttle,” said Bowyer over the radio on lap 24.
● Pitted for four tires, fuel and a right-rear wedge adjustment while under caution on lap 47. Pit crew gained three spots.
● Restarted eighth on lap 50 and grabbed four spots to rise to fourth by lap 51.
● Held steady in fourth through the end of the stage, whereupon Bowyer pitted for four tires and fuel.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-150):
● Bowyer started ninth and finished 29th.
● The No. 14 Toco/Haas Automation Ford Mustang dropped to 11th on lap-82 restart, but Bowyer rejoined the top-10 on lap 94.
● Bowyer stayed out when the caution flag flew on lap 109. He jumped from ninth to third behind leader Harvick and second-place Denny Hamlin.
● After starting third for lap-117 restart, Bowyer fought to hold onto the spot with Hamlin and SHR teammate Aric Almirola.
● By the end of lap 117, Bowyer was fifth with a two car-length advantage over sixth-place Brad Keselowski.
● Keselowski passed Bowyer on lap 122, putting the No. 14 Toco/Haas Automation Ford Mustang into sixth place.
● Caution on lap 136 allowed Bowyer to pit on lap 140. He got four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Trouble on left-front tire change led to a slow stop, dropping Bowyer to 17th for the lap-143 restart.
● Bowyer made contact with Martin Truex Jr., on restart, resulting in significant right-side damage.
● Multiple trips to pit road were needed. Bowyer stayed on the lead lap, but fell to 29th.
● More pit stops were made at the conclusion of the stage, but Bowyer stayed on the lead lap.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 151-301):
● Bowyer started 26th and finished 20th.
● “It’s tight,” said Bowyer on lap 175 while running 22nd. Damage to right-front corner of racecar affected handling. Fell one lap down.
● Caution on lap 214 allowed Bowyer to pit and continue working on No. 14 Toco/Haas Automation Ford Mustang. He was 21st.
● Lined up 24th for lap-218 and lap-224 restarts and raced for the 20th-place “lucky dog” position (the first car one lap down).
● Climbed to 21st by lap 227, with 20th-place Ryan Preece in his sights.
● Passed Preece for 20th on lap 240 to put himself in “lucky dog” position.
● SHR teammate Daniel Suárez passed Bowyer for 20th on lap 253, earning the “lucky dog” spot and jettisoning Bowyer to 21st.
● “It won’t turn anymore,” said Bowyer moments after being passed by Suárez.
● Caution on lap 264 allowed Bowyer to pit for four tires and fuel on lap 266.
● Bowyer lined up 20th for the lap-273 restart, the second driver one lap down.
● Bowyer held steady among the top-20 straight through to the finish.
Notes:
● Bowyer earned his 14th top-20 of the season and his 14th top-20 in 26 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire.
● Harvick won the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301to score his 46th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his fourth at New Hampshire. His margin of victory over second-place Hamlin was .210 of a second.
● Harvick is now tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker for 16th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list.
● This was Harvick’s 23rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory and his milestone 100th top-10 since joining SHR in 2014.
● There were nine caution periods for a total of 48 laps.
● Only 18 of the 37 drivers in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301finished on the lead lap.
● Joey Logano remains the championship leader after New Hampshire with a three-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Gander RV 400 on Sunday, July 28 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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