New Hampshire Motor Speedway

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

"The Magic Mile"
Location	1122 Route 106 North Loudon, New Hampshire 03307
Capacity	93,521 (Grandstand) 105,491 (Total)
Owner	Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Operator	Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
Broke ground	August 13, 1989
Opened	June 5, 1990
Former names	Bryar Motorsport Park (1960–1989) New Hampshire International Speedway (1990–2007)
Major events	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lenox Industrial Tools 301 Sylvania 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series New England 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series New Hampshire 175 IZOD IndyCar Series IZOD INDY 225 Motorcycles Loudon Classic
Oval
Surface	Asphalt & Granite
Length	1.058 mi (1.703 km)
Banking	Turns – Variable banking at 2/7 degrees (12% grade) Straightaways – 1 degree banking
Lap record	0:21.466 (Andre Ribeiro, Tasman Motorsports, 1995, CART PPG IndyCar World Series)
Road Course
Length	1.6 mi (2.57 km)

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile," the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval.

The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

History

The track opened as New Hampshire International Speedway in June 1990, after nine months of construction following the Bahre family's purchase of the Bryar Motorsports Park. The existing road circuit was redeveloped into a multi-purpose track, with NASCAR added to the popular Loudon Classic motorcycle, WKA go-kart and SCCA races on the complex. It was the largest speedway in New England, and later expansion has made it the largest sports venue of any type in the region. Its construction was extremely unusual for a race track, in that it was designed and constructed without consulting engineers, and using just one surveyor (whose primary job was to plant stakes) to help. NASCAR made its debut at the track in July 1990, with a Busch Series race won by Tommy Ellis. For three years, the Busch Series hosted a pair of races at the track each year.

The Busch races were successful. Loudon gained a spot on the Winston Cup Series schedule in 1993. Rusty Wallace won the inaugural Slick 50 300 in July of that year. That race was also Davey Allison's final race: the next day, Allison was fatally injured in a helicopter crash.

In 1996, Ernie Irvan captured the win in the July race, making it one of the more emotional victories in NASCAR history. The win came less than two years after Irvan suffered a near-fatal crash at Michigan International Speedway, where he was given less than a 10% chance of survival.

After the 1996 season Bahre and Bruton Smith bought North Wilkesboro Speedway and moved one of its Winston Cup dates to New Hampshire. The second race is held in the middle of September. From 2004 to 2010, it was the site of the first event of the Chase for the Championship. In 2011, however, NHMS will host the second race in the series, following the opening event at Chicagoland Speedway.^{[citation needed]}

The speedway was the first for NASCAR to start the field in two groups under the warm-up laps to help set pit speed.

The track also hosted open wheel racing for seven years, hosting CART from 1992–1995, then the Indy Racing League from 1996–1998. One of the open wheel winners was Tony Stewart who later won two Winston/Nextel Cup races at the track as well.

In 2000, the track was the site of a pair of fatal accidents which took the lives of promising young drivers. In May, while practicing for a Busch Series race, Adam Petty perished when his throttle stuck exiting the second turn, resulting in a full speed crash head-on in the middle of the third and fourth turns. When the Winston Cup Series made their first appearance of the season, a similar fate befell 1998 Rookie of the Year Kenny Irwin, Jr. For safety reasons, track owners decided to run restrictor plates on the cars during their return trip to the speedway in September 2000, making it the first track in recent history outside of Daytona and Talladega to use them. It would be the last one as well; an uneventful race won by Jeff Burton, which had no lead changes, was the result of the experiment. It was the first wire-to-wire race since the 1970s.

The 2001 New Hampshire 300 was originally scheduled for September 16, the Sunday after the September 11 terrorist attacks. NASCAR initially announced that the race would be held as scheduled, but the event was postponed until November 23 of that year, which was the Friday after Thanksgiving. There was much concern about the weather, but race day turned out to be unseasonably mild. Robby Gordon won that race.

In 2002, in an effort to increase competitive racing, the track's corners were turned into a progressive banking system, as the apron was paved and became part of the track, and the track's banking was varied from 4 degrees in the lower two lanes to 12% grade (about seven degrees). The addition of SAFER barriers to the corner walls was made in 2003.

During the September 2003 Sylvania 300, an incident occurred at this track involving Dale Jarrett where his car was stuck in the middle of the race track and was in danger of getting hit while other cars raced back to the caution flag. As a result, NASCAR banned racing back to the caution flag, resulting in a "free pass" (popularly referred to as "the lucky dog") in which the first car behind the leader not on the lead lap would get their lap back during each caution period in all of NASCAR's national and regional series.

In mid-May 2006, Loudon was one of many New England communities which experienced damaging floods after a week of near-record rainfall. Several roads and bridges were washed out near the speedway. The infield was flooded, as was the track itself (while a road racing event was going on). The facility also experienced flooding in October 2005.^[1] In June 2008, the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 Sprint Cup race was ended early by a storm which caused flooding at various locations around the track, including the infield tunnel: however in that case the post-race activities were not interrupted.

Before the 2008 racing season, Speedway Motorsports purchased NHIS and other racing-related assets from the Bahre family for $340 million cash. The name of the speedway changed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The track will continue to have two Sprint Cup dates for the foreseeable future.^[2] One of the assets included in the sale was a 50% interest in North Wilkesboro Speedway. The other 50% was still owned by Bruton Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports.

NHMS representatives made a heavy push to reintroduce open-wheel racing in the form of IndyCar Series to the track in the 2009 season. However, NHMS was not included in the 2009 IndyCar season schedule.^[3]. In 2011, they will return to the track.^{[citation needed]}

NASCAR statistics

Current NASCAR events

• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Lenox Industrial Tools 301
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Sylvania 300
• NASCAR Nationwide Series – Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by Turtle Wax
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – F.W. Webb 175
• NASCAR Camping World East Series – Heluva Good! Summer 125
• NASCAR Camping World East Series – Heluva Good! Fall 125
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – New England 100
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – New Hampshire 100

NASCAR records

• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying: Ryan Newman, 28.165 sec. (135.232 mph), 7/15/2011
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race: Jeff Burton, 2 hrs. 42 min. 35 sec. (117.134 mph), 7/13/1997
• NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying: Kevin Harvick, 29.138 sec. (130.716 mph), 5/11/2001
• NASCAR Nationwide Series Race: Bobby Hamilton, Jr., 1 hr. 55 min. 2 sec. (110.368 mph), 5/11/2002
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying: Kyle Busch, 28.917 sec. (131.715 mph), 9/23/2011
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race: Ron Hornaday, Jr., 1 hr. 55 min. 39 sec. (109.780 mph), 9/15/2007
• NASCAR Camping World East Series Qualifying: Brian Hoar, 29.893 sec. (127.414 mph), 7/18/2002
• NASCAR Camping World East Series Race: Ted Christopher, 1 hr. 13 min. 9 sec. (108.476 mph), 5/12/2001
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Qualifying: Mike Ewanitsko, 28.693 sec. (132.743 mph), 7/19/2001
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race: Mike Ewanitsko, 58 min. 15 sec. (108.979 mph), 9/16/2000
• NASCAR Sportsman Division Qualifying: T. W. Taylor, 33.740 sec. (112.887 mph), 9/02/1990
• NASCAR Sportsman Division Race: Dennis Setzer, 1 hr. 33 min. 5 sec. (85.250 mph), 9/02/1990

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Records

(As of 9/19/10)

Most Wins	4	Jeff Burton
Most Top 5s	14	Jeff Gordon
Most Top 10s	18	Jeff Gordon
Starts	32	4 Drivers
Poles	4	Ryan Newman
Most Laps Completed	9254	Jeff Gordon
Most Laps Led	1207	Jeff Gordon
Avg. Start*	8.9	Ryan Newman
Avg. Finish*	7.6	Denny Hamlin

* from minimum 10 starts.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners

Season	Date	Winning Driver	Car #	Sponsor	Make	Team	Avg Speed	Margin of Victory
1993	July 11	Rusty Wallace	2	Miller Genuine Draft	Pontiac Grand Prix	Penske Racing	105.947 mph (170.505 km/h)	1.31 sec
1994	July 10	Ricky Rudd	10	Tide	Ford Thunderbird	Rudd Performance Motorsports	87.599 mph (140.977 km/h)	0.69 sec
1995	July 9	Jeff Gordon	24	DuPont	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Hendrick Motorsports	107.029 mph (172.246 km/h)	1.23 sec
1996	July 14	Ernie Irvan	28	Texaco Havoline	Ford Thunderbird	Robert Yates Racing	98.930 mph (159.212 km/h)	5.47 sec
1997	July 13	Jeff Burton	99	Exide Batteries	Ford Thunderbird	Roush Racing	117.134 mph (188.509 km/h)	5.372 sec
1997	September 14	Jeff Gordon	24	DuPont	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Hendrick Motorsports	100.364 mph (161.520 km/h)	0.209 sec
1998	July 13	Jeff Burton	99	Exide Batteries	Ford Taurus	Roush Racing	102.996 mph (165.756 km/h)	7.439 sec
1998	August 30	Jeff Gordon	24	DuPont	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Hendrick Motorsports	112.078 mph (180.372 km/h)	0.664 sec
1999	July 11	Jeff Burton	99	Exide Batteries	Ford Taurus	Roush Racing	101.876 mph (163.954 km/h)	1.347 sec
1999	September 19	Joe Nemechek	42	BellSouth	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Team SABCO	100.673 mph (162.017 km/h)	UC
2000	July 9	Tony Stewart	20	Home Depot	Pontiac Grand Prix	Joe Gibbs Racing	103.145 mph (165.996 km/h)	UC/Rain
2000	September 17	Jeff Burton	99	Exide Batteries	Ford Taurus	Roush Racing	102.003 mph (164.158 km/h)	UC
2001	July 22	Dale Jarrett	88	UPS	Ford Taurus	Robert Yates Racing	102.131 mph (164.364 km/h)	0.656 sec
2001	November 23	Robby Gordon	31	Lowe's	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Richard Childress Racing	103.594 mph (166.718 km/h)	2.008 sec
2002	July 21	Ward Burton	22	Caterpillar	Dodge Intrepid	Bill Davis Racing	92.342 mph (148.610 km/h)	0.656 sec
2002	September 15	Ryan Newman	12	Mobil 1 / Alltel	Ford Taurus	Penske Racing	105.081 mph (169.111 km/h)	UC/Rain
2003	July 20	Jimmie Johnson	48	Lowe's	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Hendrick Motorsports	96.924 mph (155.984 km/h)	1.582 sec
2003	September 14	Jimmie Johnson	48	Lowe's	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Hendrick Motorsports	133.357 mph (214.617 km/h)	6.240 sec
2004	July 25	Kurt Busch	97	Irwin Industrial Tools	Ford Taurus	Roush Racing	132.36 mph (213.01 km/h)	0.607 sec
2004	September 19	Kurt Busch	97	Irwin Industrial Tools	Ford Taurus	Roush Racing	109.753 mph (176.630 km/h)	2.488 sec
2005	July 17	Tony Stewart	20	Home Depot	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Joe Gibbs Racing	130.327 mph (209.741 km/h)	0.851 sec
2005	September 18	Ryan Newman	12	Mobil 1/Alltel	Dodge Charger	Penske Racing	95.891 mph (154.322 km/h)	0.292 sec
2006	July 16	Kyle Busch	5	Kellogg's	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Hendrick Motorsports	101.384 mph (163.162 km/h)	0.406 sec
2006	September 17	Kevin Harvick	29	Reese's	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	Richard Childress Racing	102.195 mph (164.467 km/h)	0.777 sec
2007	July 1	Denny Hamlin	11	FedEx Ground	Chevrolet Impala SS	Joe Gibbs Racing	108.215 mph (174.155 km/h)	0.068 sec
2007	September 16	Clint Bowyer	07	Jack Daniel's	Chevrolet Impala SS	Richard Childress Racing	110.475 mph (177.792 km/h)	6.469 sec
2008	June 29	Kurt Busch	2	Miller Lite	Dodge Charger	Penske Racing	106.719 mph (171.748 km/h)	UC/Called due to rain
2008	September 14	Greg Biffle	16	Dish Network Turbo HD	Ford Fusion	Roush Fenway Racing	105.468 mph (169.734 km/h)	0.505 sec
2009	June 28	Joey Logano	20	Home Depot	Toyota Camry	Joe Gibbs Racing	97.497 mph (156.906 km/h)	UC/Called due to rain
2009	September 20	Mark Martin	5	Carquest/Kellogg's	Chevrolet Impala SS	Hendrick Motorsports	100.753 mph (162.146 km/h)	UC
2010	June 27	Jimmie Johnson	48	Lowe's	Chevrolet Impala	Hendrick Motorsports	113.308 mph (182.352 km/h)	0.753 sec
2010	September 19	Clint Bowyer	33	Cheerios / Hamburger Helper	Chevrolet Impala	Richard Childress Racing	106.769 mph (171.828 km/h)	0.477 sec
2011	July 17	Ryan Newman	39	U.S. Army	Chevrolet Impala	Stewart-Haas Racing
2011	September 25	Tony Stewart	14	Mobil 1 / Office Depot	Chevrolet Impala	Stewart-Haas Racing

^[4]

Open-wheel race winners

New Hampshire Indy 225

Other racing series

Bryar Motorsports Park was one of the first venues to host a Trans-Am Series race.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Sunday Races At NHIS Flooded Out May 4th 2006
2. ^ Speedway Motorsports Purchases New Hampshire International Speedway November 2nd, 2007
3. ^ Concord Monitor – All revved up by rejection
4. ^ Race Results at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Racing-Reference.info

External links

• New Hampshire Motor Speedway official site
• New Hampshire Motor Speedway Page on NASCAR.com
• Trackpedia guide for drivers including telemetry sessions at the track (road course only)
• New Hampshire Motor Speedway on RacewayReport.com – Local area information, track specs, mapping, news and more.

Coordinates: 43°21′44″N 71°27′41″W / 43.36226°N 71.46125°W / 43.36226; -71.46125