The 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on July 13, 2014, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Contested over 305 laps, it was the 19th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. This race was the last NASCAR broadcast for TNT until 2025, ending a 32-year broadcast partnership with Turner Sports. Brad Keselowski won the race after leading 138 laps. Kyle Busch was second, while Kyle Larson (finishing as the best rookie), Matt Kenseth, and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five. Behind Larson, the top rookies of the race were Austin Dillon in 14th, and Cole Whitt in 28th.

Report

Background

The track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, opened June 5, 1990, as a four-turn oval track, long. The track's turns are banked at two to seven degrees, while the front stretch, the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at one degree and are 1,500 feet in length. The track has a grandstand seating capacity of 93,521 spectators. Brian Vickers was the defending race winner from the 2013 race.

Entry list The entry list for the Camping World RV Sales 301 was released on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, at 11:18 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-three drivers were entered for the race.

Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 Eddie MacDonald Go FAS Racing Ford 33 Morgan Shepherd (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 66 Jeff Burton Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 87 Timmy Hill Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 93 Mike Bliss (i) BK Racing Toyota 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing FordOfficial entry list Key Meaning (R) Rookie (i) Ineligible for points (PC#) Past champions provisional

Practice

First practice Jimmie Johnson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.148 and a speed of . Joey Logano crashed his car in turn one after blowing a left-rear tire; he likened the blowout to a similar occurrence in the race in 2013, adding that he was not "even close to saving that. I needed about 500 more yards of straightaway to save that one".

Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.148 135.313 2 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.169 135.212 3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.179 135.164Official first practice results

Qualifying

Kyle Busch won the pole with a new track record lap time of 27.574 and a speed of . After qualifying second, Johnson stated that "it's so tough to get a good lap around here...but Kyle found a little bit more out there than us".

Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.820 27.574 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.828 27.642 3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.762 27.785 4 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 27.893 27.786 5 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 27.900 27.798 6 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 27.776 27.839 7 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 27.791 27.841 8 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 27.870 27.862 9 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 27.861 27.877 10 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.910 27.970 11 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.880 27.994 12 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 27.884 28.024 13 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 27.927 — 14 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 27.945 — 15 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.953 — 16 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 27.953 — 17 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 27.960 — 18 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 27.968 — 19 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 27.971 — 20 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 27.975 — 21 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 27.982 — 22 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.022 — 23 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.043 — 24 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.064 — 25 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 28.112 — 26 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.133 — 27 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.150 — 28 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.168 — 29 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.189 — 30 66 Jeff Burton Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 28.189 — 31 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 28.283 — 32 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 28.332 — 33 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.363 — 34 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 28.506 — 35 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 28.514 — 36 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 28.583 — 37 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.591 — 38 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 28.816 — 39 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.916 — 40 32 Eddie MacDonald Go FAS Racing Ford 28.951 — 41 93 Mike Bliss BK Racing Toyota 29.124 — 42 87 Timmy Hill Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 29.439 — 43 33 Morgan Shepherd Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 29.783 —Official qualifying results

Practice (post-qualifying)

Second practice Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 28.478 and a speed of . Aric Almirola was forced to unload his backup car after suffering a left-rear tire blowout like Logano and crashing in turn three. Almirola was perplexed as to the reason why the blowout occurred, describing the situation as "weird".

Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 28.478 133.745 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.619 133.086 3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.630 133.035Official second practice results

Final practice Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.583 and a speed of .

Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 28.583 133.254 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.687 132.771 3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.694 132.739Official final practice results

Race

First half The race was scheduled to start at 1:16 p.m. Eastern time, but the start was delayed by a few minutes due to technical difficulties before the pre-race command. Kyle Busch eventually led the field to the start. Jimmie Johnson had to make an unscheduled stop for a flat left-rear tire on lap seven, losing a lap in the process. A second blowout for Johnson – a left-front tire – five laps later, saw him hit the wall and brought out the first caution of the race on lap 14. The damage to the car ended Johnson's race, scored in 42nd position. The race restarted on lap 21 with Busch leading the field; he held the lead until the 63rd lap, when his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin assumed the lead. Hamlin gave up the lead on lap 74 to make his first stop, and Brad Keselowski assumed the lead. Keselowski ceded the lead to Kyle Larson when he made his pit stop, before the lead cycled back to Hamlin at the completion of green flag pit stops.

Second half

Keselowski retook the lead on lap 90, and held the lead until the second caution of the race on lap 112, caused by debris. Keselowski lost the lead during the pit cycle; he was beaten out of the pits by Kyle Busch, but Larson had stayed out and assumed the lead. Larson led the field to the restart on lap 119, holding the lead until lap 127, when Matt Kenseth took the lead. On lap 139, Keselowski returned to the lead of the race, and maintained his position until the third caution period of the race, due to debris on the backstretch on lap 153. Joey Logano took the lead during the pit stops, but lost the lead to Clint Bowyer at the restart on lap 158. Keselowski retook the lead on lap 177, just as another debris caution was called for. Keselowski maintained his lead for the next stint of the race, before the caution flag was flown again, on lap 212.

On this occasion, the caution period was down to a collision in turn three, between Logano and Morgan Shepherd, who at 72, was further extending his record of being the oldest driver to compete in a Sprint Cup race. Logano complained that he had “just got taken out by the slowest guy out there", while also stating that NASCAR should implement a driver's test. NASCAR defended Shepherd, saying he passed all the requirements, had his speed monitored, and ran well enough in relation to the leaders not to be black-flagged. NASCAR required that a driver run within 115% of the fastest final practice lap, which was 32.87 seconds at Loudon. Shepherd was well within the limits, running 31-second laps. Shepherd would ultimately finish the race as the last car running, 27 laps down in 39th position. During the pit stops, Bowyer exited first, and led the field to the restart on lap 219.

Final laps Keselowski retook the lead on lap 230, holding the lead to the sixth caution of the race, on lap 249 for debris. Jeff Gordon stayed out while the leaders pitted and assumed the lead. Gordon held the lead until 32 laps to go, when Keselowski returned to the lead of the race. Keselowski maintained his lead until the end, despite a seventh caution – which caused a green–white–checker finish – with four laps to go, when Justin Allgaier hit the wall in turn three. Keselowski held off the advances of Kyle Busch to win for the second time in three races, and for the third time in 2014. Keselowski described the performance as "definitely good for when we come back here in September", but also stated that his team "have to keep working and plugging away". Gordon maintained his championship lead, despite running out of fuel in the closing stages, and ultimately finished 26th.

Race results