The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs head to the first race of the Round of 12 this Sunday with the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. With the first eliminations last week, the field of 12 remaining is incredibly tight in terms of who could advance. It's likely that a notable contender could be eliminated this round.

With those stakes in mind, it's time to take our questions about Sunday's race -- and the playoffs as a whole -- to our NASCAR experts, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi. They'll make predictions for the race and the playoffs, plus picks for the winner.

But first, for context, here are the odds for the race and the playoff winner.

Here we are, down to 12 drivers. Can you help us reset expectations for the Round of 12? Who is looking strongest for these next three races/who has the advantage beyond just points standings?

Jeff: This round contains three very different tracks -- a 1-mile flat track in New Hampshire, a 1.5-mile intermediate track in Kansas and a Frankenstein road course/oval hybrid (the "Roval") in Charlotte, N.C. The goal for contenders in this round should be to either win one of the first two races or accumulate as many points as possible before heading to the Roval, thus removing some of the stress about heading to a strange track where bizarre circumstances can quickly end playoff dreams. The next two races will once again be strong suits for Joe Gibbs Racing, which swept Round 1 with all three of its playoff drivers. We'll be watching to see if Team Penske can rise to the top on one of its favored track types or if the Toyota train keeps rolling again this week at New Hampshire.

Jordan: Hard to have a better opening round than what Joe Gibbs Racing turned in: Not only did it sweep all three races, but did so by having all three of its championship-eligible drivers score a victory. That's impressive. And there is every reason to think the organization can run its winning streak to four this weekend at New Hampshire, a track where it so frequently excels. Then comes Kansas, another oval where it's strong. It's still too early to make declarative statements regarding the championship, and a lot can change, and will change, over the next few weeks. That said, JGR is well-positioned to have some combination of Chase Briscoe/Denny Hamlin/Christopher Bell advance to the final round. And let's note that the only organization ever to have three drivers qualify for the Championship 4 in the same year is JGR in 2019. Could the team do it again?

The four drivers who were eliminated in the first round didn't come close to pushing themselves above the cut line -- what about the four below it now?

Jeff: Yeahhhh, that first round was not exactly drama-filled. Josh Berry had three last-place finishes in a row (oof), Shane van Gisbergen never finished better than 25th, Austin Dillon missed a chance to capitalize on others' misfortune with three average-at-best runs and Alex Bowman's pit crew knocked him out of the playoffs single-handedly with two putrid pit stops in the opening two races. This time, it's much closer, and you could make a legitimate case for each of the remaining 12 drivers to advance. My pre-playoffs championship pick, Joey Logano, enters Round 2 below the cut line -- as does another of my Round 3 predictions in Austin Cindric. With the point standings so close, though, the circumstances are ripe for a favorite to be eliminated at the Charlotte Roval in three weeks. Any sort of mechanical failure or ill-timed crash might simply be too much to overcome now that some of the underdogs are out.

Jordan: If Round 1 is all about being good, not great, and just avoiding disastrous mistakes to move on, this round is about stepping up, as the 12 drivers left are all tough "outs" with each capable of winning any given week. This means it's even more imperative to execute, as any points left on the table are magnified in importance, which often becomes the difference between advancing and elimination. How tight the field is also increases the likelihood that a notable contender or two will be eliminated this round. Just look at some of the names currently below the cut line: Logano, the defending Cup champ, and Tyler Reddick, who last year won the regular season points title. Add everything up, and the intensity will certainly be ratcheted up, likely culminating in what should be again a dramatic round finale at the Charlotte Roval.

For New Hampshire specifically, do you expect tire wear strategy to be a big part of the race, yet again? Is Christopher Bell the one to beat, like the odds suggest?

Jeff: Goodyear is bringing a new tire to New Hampshire, and Bell -- the reigning New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) winner who also won Bristol last week -- was one of three drivers who got the chance to test there in July. Crew chief Adam Stevens told SiriusXM Radio this week that while the two-day test involved running on a variety of different tires, they did get to make laps on the one that teams will use this weekend, which could be a treasure trove of information. The other drivers who tested at NHMS were Ross Chastain and Logano, and Logano crew chief Paul Wolfe told me last month they were very intentional in picking that NHMS test to try and give themselves the best chance in Round 2. Keep an eye on those three drivers for sure, given the rest of the field hasn't even seen the track since June 2024.

Jordan: There may be increased tire wear at New Hampshire due to the new compound Goodyear is bringing, but there is little chance that compound will wear anything close to what occurred last weekend at Bristol. That was an anomaly, unique to Bristol. How New Hampshire races tend to play out is usually a little more straightforward, though strategy is still an important element. This is a track that favors the best drivers and teams, making it a worthy addition to the playoffs.

What's the biggest storyline to watch this weekend?

Jeff: For me, a big storyline to watch is Hendrick Motorsports. The organization largely hasn't looked like itself lately, just lost one of its playoff cars (Bowman) in Round 1 and got a scare from another (Chase Elliott). If Kyle Larson and William Byron can show up at New Hampshire with convincing speed and have a solid race, that would go a long way to boosting confidence and alleviating some of the concerns floating around -- while also sending a message that the championship might not run through Toyota after all. In the meantime, I'm expecting New Hampshire to be more of a JGR/Penske battle.

Jordan: The Hendrick storyline is certainly one to follow. In Round 1, we saw glimpses of what Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team are capable of, but they still aren't operating to their full potential. This round offers a great opportunity for Larson and company to regain their form, as he dominated in winning at Kansas earlier this year and is typically fast at the Roval. And Byron and his No. 24 team are much in the same boat. We should have a good understanding of where both stand after Kansas and whether there is confidence in either to make a title run. Another driver to watch is Reddick, who had a rather ho-hum regular season and has yet to win this year. But he and the No. 45 23XI Racing team showed some flashes in the first round, so maybe he's on the cusp of breaking out.

Who is your favorite to win this week?

Jeff: I hate to be boring here, but there's a reason the three JGR drivers are the favorites. I could make a case for any of them. Maybe I'm wrong and there will be a surprise, but it's probably Bell or Briscoe, then Hamlin as the top three picks. I'll try to get more creative in the next question below, promise.

Jordan: Hamlin's three New Hampshire wins are tied for most among active drivers. Bell has won two of the past three Loudon races. And the No. 19 team of Briscoe has historically been fast here when it had Martin Truex Jr. driving, who Briscoe replaced this year. This is a long way of saying that Joe Gibbs Racing is the heavy favorite to win on Sunday, though it's hard to discern which one of the three to pick. But because Bell tested here this summer and has had the most recent success here, let's go with him.

Who is a long shot you like?

Jeff: Considering he did the tire test, I'm pretty surprised to see Chastain at +4000. But honestly, there are a few decent long shots this week, at least odds-wise: Josh Berry at +3500, Austin Cindric at +4000, Ryan Preece at +6000 and Carson Hocevar at +6000. So here's what I'd like to see someone try, if you can find a sportsbook where this would be doable: Put Chastain, Berry, Cindric, Preece and Hocevar into some sort of top-10 Round Robin -- just by twos and threes, though, not like a full Canadian -- and see if you can't link a few small plus-money wagers together. Don't go crazy, but it might be worth a try.

Jordan: Berry finished third in his only New Hampshire start last year, and that was with a team not nearly as strong as his current team, Wood Brothers Racing. This makes him an intriguing long-shot prospect. Another name to consider is John Hunter Nemechek. The Legacy Motor Club driver has come on strong as of late, consistently showing greater speed and two weeks ago finished sixth at Gateway -- a track that shares many characteristics with New Hampshire.

NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire odds, predictions for playoffs' high-stakes Round of 12