Full circle homecomings for New England drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

After winning the pole on Saturday afternoon, Joey Logano reminisced about his early beginnings in New Hampshire.

Race weekend was action-packed with three different races, familiar faces for local fans and full of fond memories for local drivers.

On Saturday, three New Hampshire drivers competed in the Whelen Modified race, while the truck series playoff round of 10 featured a career-best performance by Massachusetts’ own Blake Lothian.

Logano came into the weekend below the cut-off line in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff’s second round, but had a strong qualifying performance to position himself for a comeback race at his home track in Loudon.

During the post-qualifying press conference, he talked about his first exposure to the sport at age seven, and how he was able to share that experience with his son this year.

“I was watching the Modified race with my son, my oldest son, and you just kind of go back. He’s seven. I was seven the first time I came here. I was watching the races this morning, like, ‘This is pretty cool,’ so it’s a full circle moment,” Logano said.

For the seasoned Logano and the young up-and-comer Lothian, who both drove the No. 22 cars in their races, the weekend was a strong homecoming in different senses, which was a delight to fans.

Whelen Modified Mohegan Sun 100

Andy Seuss, from Hampstead, led the charge for local drivers in one of the most exciting races of the weekend and came in fourth.

He was just 0.438s behind the winner, Tyler Rypkema, in Boehler Racing Enterprises’ No. 3 Ole Blue Modified.

It was a tight finish as Rypkema’s front wheel smashed against the wall after being hit in the back by No. 51 Justin Bonsignore, and while his wheel spun through the air, he crossed the finish with three wheels on the track.

Two other granite staters, Bennington’s No. 43 Matt Kimball and Hudson’s No. 29 Mike Marshall, finished in 11th and 15th place, respectively.

The Mohegan Sun 100 set the bar high for fans in terms of action-packed expectations and created a buzz of excitement in the stands to kick off racing on “The Magic Mile.”

CRAFTSMAN Truck Series EJP 175

Lothian, 23, said he would be content with a top-25 finish in his return to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway as a professional driver.

In a race that had eight cautions and 13 drivers knocked out, the Massachusetts native had a career-best truck series placement and finished 20th.

He skillfully avoided the wrecks on the back stretch and turns three and four to stay running and finish strong in front of his friends and family.

“Surreal. Walking out onto the grid is just like the craziest moment, feeling in the world, I’ve ever had,” he said after the race.

Keeping the tires clean, staying focused on temperatures and making small adjustments to be quicker were key to the race, Lothian said.

Manchester Eastern Bank branch manager and huge NASCAR fan, Frank Talarico, had the chance to talk to Lothian in Concord before the start of race weekend.

As a Logano fan, seeing his workplace sponsoring the No. 22 for the truck series was an awesome sight, said Talarico.

“Blake’s car is pretty cool. You know, you see the cars drive by, you get that feeling of the exhileration of the win, the smell, the feel of NASCAR,” he said.

Eastern Bank President and CEO Quincy Miller was equally excited to sponsor a local racer. His bank had never sponsored a racer before, so he was very happy Lothian reached out.

“I was talking to his parents yesterday and they were reminiscing on sitting on that hill as kids, like when Blake was just a child watching everybody down here,” Miller said. “They’re telling us that story, and it’s giving us chills listening to it. And then, now he comes full circle.”

Lothian will return to racing in the ARCA Menards Series and left the track he grew up at for the Kansas Speedway, with an impressive truck performance and a dream fulfilled.

NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs MOBIL 1 301

The stands were packed for the playoff race on a warm Sunday afternoon.

Logano led the start of the MOBIL 1 301 playoff race in New Hampshire in pole position, while NHMS defending champion Christopher Bell started 19th and 10 other playoff drivers prepared for race day in New Hampshire.

Logano was accompanied by teammate Ryan Blaney on the front row, and their affiliate teammate Josh Berry started in third.

Boston Bruins anthem singer Todd Anguilly sang the Canadian and American anthems before the start, while the Maine Air National Guard’s 101st Air Refueling Wing flew its KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft “The MAINEiacs.”

Ryan Blaney went on to take the lead at the end of stage one. Logano would fight back and take first back by the end of stage two, but in the end, Blaney’s dominant performance and good defense ahead of Berry kept him in the lead to win at New Hampshire.

Race results were not available at print time.