The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the annual running of the Sylvania 300.
This is the second of three first round races in the NASCAR Chase. Currently 15 drivers are competing for the remaining 11 spots in the second round. Brad Keselowski – winner at Chicagoland – is already assured of a spot in the second round.

The Cup Series raced at New Hampshire just two months ago. Kyle Busch won the pole and led 62 laps on his way to a second-place finish. Kevin Harvick ran up front but ran out of gas with only three laps left in the race. Brad Keselowski took the lead on the restart and won his third race of the season. Keselowski also won the Nationwide race at New Hampshire that weekend.

The story of the race Sunday will be fuel mileage and tire strategy. Teams will run the risks of running out of fuel or taking fewer tires to gain track position. This strategy always puts bettors on the edge of their seats. The top teams usually rises to the top at the end of the race, so expect the drivers in the Chase to finish up front this week.

Below are my Picks for New Hampshire.

Josh’s Pick: Jeff Gordon (6 to 1)
Gordon has been the hottest driver this season. He has finished four of the last six races either first or second.  His team has been working hard and heads to a track that he has won at three times in his career. He hasn't had a lot of luck at New Hampshire lately as he has finished three of the last four races at the track outside the top 10 so Gordon is due to have a good race here and he is my pick to win Sunday.

Don’t Overlook: Jimmie Johnson (8 to 1)
Johnson has been quiet lately but he had one of the best cars at the beginning of the July race at New Hampshire. He started second and was running up front when he was involved in an accident. Johnson finished 12 of the last 15 races at the race track in the top 10 and has been to Victory Lane three times at New Hampshire in his career. Johnson is a quality pick this week.

Stay Away: Kurt Busch (25 to 1)
Busch has finished outside the Top 10 in his last six starts at New Hampshire, but he is also a three-time winner at the track in his career. He is either boom-or-bust this week and the odds are it’ll be a bust.

2014 Doc’s NASCAR Selections
·         $100 bettors up +$5,976 on the season!
·         63-37 (63%) on the season with our driver match-up selections!

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald