Kevin Harvick had the fastest lap (132.0.94 mph) during Saturday’s early practice with Edwards third (131.888), but it was Edwards who showed the most continued speed over long runs. He had the best 10-consecutive lap average among the 25 drivers that ran as many in a row.

MORE: Different packages at same track? | SN’s power rankings

During the final practice session (happy hour), Edwards secured his top rating by not only having the fastest lap (133.110), but also having the best 10-consecutive lap average among 31 drivers.  Kyle Busch, Harvick and Denny Hamlin were just behind Edwards in the average lap category.

Edwards has never won at New Hampshire, which is surprising because he’s been very good on similar flat tracks like Phoenix and Richmond. But Sunday could be his day.

The most surprising part of all the practices was how good all the Joe Gibbs cars were because they weren’t very good at Phoenix and Richmond earlier this year. Matt Kenseth’s seventh-place at Richmond is the best finish between the two. Last week, all four cars finished in the top five, but that was with a new temporary aero-package. 

Things were supposed to go back to normal this week with Harvick and Busch, the dominant Phoenix and Richmond winners, being bad to the bone again. And they were both fast during practices, and might even win the race, but Gibbs has something clicking right now. They’ve got things figured out.

Micah Roberts’ NASCAR Sprint Cup driver ratings

Odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas Super Book.

5-Hour ENERGY 301  New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday, July 19, 2015 - 1:46 pm (ET)                                   Odds         Practice 1     Qualified  Practice 2  Practice 3

  1. Carl Edwards (20/1)              4th                   1st               3rd              1st 2006 runner-up with 13.9 average finish; fastest 10-consecutive lap average in practice 2 & 3.

  2. Kevin Harvick (7/2)               9th                  12th             1st              2nd  2006 winner, third last fall; led 224 laps and won on similar flat layout at Phoenix in March.

  3. Kyle Busch (10/1)                  2nd                   4th              4th              3rd 2006 winner, 2.8 average in past four; on major major roll winning two of past three on season. 

  4. Kurt Busch (10/1)                  12th                  6th               5th            11th  Three-time winner, the last in 2008; led 291 laps and won on similar flat layout at Richmond.

  5. Joey Logano (8/1)                 14th                 2nd             13th             9th  Two-time winner on his home track, including last fall and also first career Cup win in 2009. 

  6. Brad Keselowski (6/1)          5th                 10th             18th            7th  Won this race last season, one of four drivers to lead laps at both Phoenix and Richmond. 

  7. Jimmie Johnson (6/1)         15th                  7th               2nd           13th Three-time winner, the last in 2010; 10.2 average finish in 26 starts. Finished third at Richmond. 

  8. Jamie McMurray (35/1)        3rd                 11th              7th            20th Fourth-place last fall, but most important: finished second at Phoenix, fourth at Richmond.

  9. Kyle Larson (20/1)                  1st                  17th              8th              8th Experienced most success of young career here with third last spring and runner-up in in fall.  

  10. Denny Hamlin  (12/1)         24th                  5th             17th             5th Two-time winner, the last coming in 2012; flat tracks suit his style perfectly; teammates fast. 

Note: A great handicapping tool for New Hampshire’s flat 1-mile layout is to scan over results from races run at Phoenix and Richmond earlier in season just because they require similar set-ups. Between the two races, only five different drivers led laps.

Micah Roberts, a former Las Vegas sports book director, has been setting NASCAR odds since 1994 and covers all sports with a gaming spin. Follow him on twitter @MicahRoberts7