Going to a Race at
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) is located
in Loudon, NH, a very small town about an hour and fifteen minutes north of Boston and
about ten miles to the North and West of Concord, N.H.
Traffic for the BGN races are a breeze, since they only
draw 25-30,000 for those events. WC races now draw over 100,000 spectators, and traffic on
race day is a patience tester. I once made the mistake of leaving Concord at 10:00 A.M.
and missed the green flag at 1:15, so a word to the wise is that you cannot leave early
enough! (To encouage early arrivals, NHIS opens the gates at 5 AM)
There are basically two routes into the track, which is on Route 106 in Loudon. From the
South, you have to take I-93 North to a short east-west connector (Exit 15) which is in
Concord, then onto Route 106 North. If it is after 9 A.M and you are just getting to
Concord, consider going north about 15 miles on Route I-95 (Exit 20). This will send you
past the track, and you can then back-track down from the North. The roads from this
direction are not as good, but it is away from the population centers and there is
somewhat less traffic. All exits are clearly marked with green on white
"Speedway" signs.
There are acres of free parking around the track (dirt roads with lots covered in
woodchips, so don't bother washing your vehicle prior to the race). Even with all of the
parking, however, late arrivals will need to park in a satellite lot and be driven to the
track in a school bus. This is not as bad as it sounds, since traffic cops seem to hustle
the busses along, and no one minds if you pop a cold one while in the bus.
For the campers, NHIS instituted for the Fall 2000 Race that all RV drivers must have a
race ticket before driving onto the property. Parking is again free, and I have noticed
that the campers seem to be placed very close to the track.
Everyone can bring in a 14" tall cooler, which is the size of a standard Igloo
Playmate. It will sit nicely under your seat, with no loss of leg room. The seats
themselves are aluminum benches with continuous molded seat backs. They are fairly roomy
and comfortable; you may want to bring along a seat cushion.
There are three grandstands. The North (Laconia) stand wraps around Turn 4, The main stand
parallels the front stretch and the South (Concord) stand wraps around Turn 1. The main
grandstand is futher divided into North-South designations, with the start/finish line
being the boundary.
The sight line from just about every seat is good. Since it's a fairly new track, thought
was given to putting up very low garages, and the back strech is actually elevated six
feet for better viewing. The slope of the the seats is gradual, so there is not a vast
improvement from a $70 Row 15 seat to a $90 Row 40 seat. (I have never sat below row 10,
which run in the $50-60 range).
There is one two-story building along turn four, and that is the only
view-blocker in the infield. The scoring pylon only lists the top six or seven places, so
a radio with headphones tuned into the local MRN/PRN station is helpful. They do broadcast
the radio play-by play over the PA system, but it is tough to hear it unless there is a
caution. It is a loud track.
As for places to stay, there are numerous hotels/motels in Concord, Manchester, Weir's
Beach and Salem, NH. I have had good luck in renting condos up in the White Mountains, and
there are plenty of condos around Lake Winnepesaukee, too.
If you're reading this, you already know the web is the
way to find a place to stay, so just type New Hampshire into your favorite search engine
and find a spot. NHIS.com is the track website and is worth a visit.
There is no shortage of things to do in the region, whether you want a
big-city/history kind of place (Boston) or camping in the White Mountains or hitting the
beaches in New Hamphire, Maine, or Cape Cod.
Thanks jrogers@chubb.com.
Other links:
NASCAR Primer - a
four-part series designed to introduce NASCAR to its newest fans
Track Reviews - get the
low-down on what you need to know about attending a race at these track
Have something to say about a race you've attended? Contact us to write about the track and your
experience.
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