Stop me if you've heard this before: Martin Truex Jr. won a stage at a Cup Series race.
Truex won the first stage of the second playoff race of the postseason, which was his 19th stage win of the season.
Stage winner: MTJ!
Call @MartinTruex_Jr, because he's on a roll... a lobster roll! He wins Stage 1 at @NHMS! #NASCARPlayoffs #TruexJr pic.twitter.com/ygRD9NMMgq
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 24, 2017
Related: Top NASCAR driver thinks the stage format provides a 'safety net' for drivers in the playoffs
It was a largely uneventful opening stage. Playoff driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. struggled early on as he hit the wall coming off of Turn 2.
For the second consecutive week, it's a rough start to the race for @StenhouseJr.
He gets into the wall coming off Turn 2. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/pfqCC03fGW
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 24, 2017
A few cars were overheating, which is a bit odd to see at this point in the season up in New Hampshire. It's at least something worth monitoring over the last two stages of the race.