"It’s a track we’ve certainly struggled at" - NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports sounds wary of its performance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this Sunday

The NASCAR circus is all set to go plate racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend with 301 laps of the Ambetter 301 on Sunday. 'The Magic Mile', as it's often referred to as the 1-mile-long oval track situated in Loudon, New Hampshire, serves as the last opportunity for teams and drivers to gear up for the season finale.

The speedway consists of minimal banking and short overall length, which makes it similar to Phoenix Raceway, where the finale is set to take place. Teams and drivers will be looking to set up their final regular season showdown, which comes in seven races' time. The track also plays host to America's longest-running motorcycle race, The Loudon Classic.

Hendrick Motorsports have always been one of, if not the team to look out for in the Cup Series. Coming into this weekend's event in Loudon, however, things don't look completely straightforward for the Charlotte, North Carolina outfit. Alan Gustafson, crew chief for last weekend's winner Chase Elliott, elaborated on the team's past performances at the track and said:

“I don’t think we’ll be the favorites going into Loudon. It’s a track we’ve certainly struggled at. We’ve got some work to do and we’ve been working hard to get it better. It’s the same old story for us, it’s not going to change. We’re going to try do the best we can to get the #9 NAPA team operating at our highest potential and if we do that, we’re going to be in great shape and have opportunities to win a lot of races and compete for the championship.”

Gustafson also touched on the competition their rivals have put up this year and said:

“I have a huge amount of respect for our competition and what they can accomplish.”

It seems like the #9 crew at Hendrick Motorsports is not the most confident going into this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

---

Kyle Larson and William Byron also unsure of their performances in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race in New Hampshire

It seems as if Hendrick Motorsports as a team struggles to achieve good results at New Hampshire Motor Speedway as the NASCAR Cup Series drivers get ready for the Ambetter 301. Kyle Larson and William Byron also echoed Chase Elliott's crew chief's sentiments about their struggles on the 1-mile-long track.

Larson elaborated on his past performances and said:

“Loudon isn’t a track I have done a particularly great job at in the past, but I have had a few good runs there. I’m hoping this weekend is a little more successful than past races and that we can get our HendrickCars.com Chevrolet into victory lane.”

William Byron, too, had similar words to say:

“This weekend will be tough I feel like. I think New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) is a fairly difficult track to get around but also to get around consistently lap after lap. When I first started racing, I did really well there and it was one of my best tracks, but for some reason I haven’t gotten the same results in Cup.”

The NASCAR Cup Series goes live from 'The Magic Mile' for the Ambetter 301 this Sunday on USA Network.