NASCAR New Hampshire 2016: Start time, TV schedule and live stream for New Hampshire 301

Against the backdrop of its most popular figure unexpectedly out with concussion-like symptoms, NASCAR stages a midsummer event that at first glance may seem unimportant, yet in the grand scheme presents a snapshot of how a key playoff race could unfold.

Among the 10 tracks comprising the Chase for the Sprint Cup, eight host two races annually, of which no venue stages its races closer together than New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- a 10-week gap between Sunday’s race (1:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network and streaming at NBC Sports Live Extra) and the Sept. 25 New England 300.

That condensed scheduling means those who run well on Sunday will in all likelihood see that performance carry over to September, where a victory guarantees advancement to the second round of NASCAR’s playoffs.

“The guys that are fast this time around will probably be fast next time around when we come back here,” Brad Keselowski said Friday. “That makes this weekend a pretty important weekend for us.

“Generally, what works here in the first race carries over to the second race because the car specs and development cycle is relatively close. I think it is a good indicator for sure and important for us to run well, being that it is in the Chase when we come back.”

The raised stakes of the September race is why defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch and crew chief Adam Stevens are emphasizing little things this weekend. Lest the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team commit a preventable mistake occuring at a very inopportune time.

“This is a race that you will focus a little bit more effort on and make sure that you’re a little cleaner in your changes during practice,” Busch said.

With Keselowski and Busch owning four and three victories, respectively, their Chase berths are secured. Both figure to be among the contenders on Sunday, and a repeat of their duel from a year ago wouldn’t surprise.

Last year, Keselowski led a race-high 101 laps only to lose the lead -- and ultimately the race -- late to Busch due to an untimely caution that greatly benefited Busch. Keselowski finished second. In the fall, he was positioned second when NASCAR penalized him for jumping a restart.

Keselowski enters New Hampshire having won consecutive races at Daytona International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway.

“It sure has been a good ride the last two weeks and that is all you can ask for as a driver, to be up front and have a chance to win races,” Keselowski. “We have had that and been able to capitalize on it. I feel really good about that. We need to keep it going.

“There are a lot of things getting thrown at us this weekend to maybe throw that off the rails: a different rules package with the cars and the tire compounds are drastically different, which throws the car setup for a whack. It isn’t a layup weekend for us. We are going to have to really fight hard to get on top here and I know we are committed to doing that.”

That Keselowski has locked up one of the 16 Chase spots available provides a distinct advantage at New Hampshire. The flat one-mile track typically has extended periods of green flag racing, which as a byproduct sees the outcome decided on fuel-mileage.

With the comfort of nothing to lose, Keselowski says crew chief Paul Wolfe can afford to gamble -- be it on fuel mileage or tire strategy.

“As a driver there is only so much you can really do, short of just wrecking someone,” Keselowski said. “I feel like it is the opposite as a driver -- you have four wins and you don’t want to piss anyone off. But the team is like, ‘No, we have four wins so let’s put that part in we thought would break. but aren’t sure.‘ Or, ‘Let’s call that crazy pit strategy.’ It is two different worlds but an interesting change once you’ve won a race.”