LOUDON, NH — On the weekend of June 21-23, the eyes of the NASCAR racing world turn to Loudon.
Sports fans begin arriving in New Hampshire throughout the week. For those fans, whether they are camping at the track, visiting friends or settling into a local hotel, the days leading up to the NASCAR Cup Series USA Today 301 offer plenty of opportunities for fun and adventure at and around the track.
Whether fans are looking for outdoor adventures or indoor activities, the list of options for racegoers leading up to race weekend is endless. Fans who attend the race annually have different traditions that they keep when in the Loudon area.
“I think people who go beyond race day have things they like to do in the area,” said Rob Ellis of Bennington, Vermont. “You can try a different restaurant or maybe try something different from time to time, but traditions are traditions. “I think a lot of people who travel, like us, go to places they know they enjoy every year.”
Fans of all ages can try out a racing simulator at the New England Racing Museum.
Hiking, golf and other outdoor attractions draw fans
New Hampshire is well known for its natural spaces, and a short drive from New Hampshire Motor Speedway is Bachelder Town Forest Trails, where Ellis visits every year for NASCAR race weekend.
“My wife and I take our kids to hike those trails every year weather permitting,” Ellis said. “We usually arrive at the track on Thursday morning and spend the weekend there. If it doesn’t rain or it’s too hot, on Friday morning we will walk along the Bachelder trails.”
Andy Carpenter, of Keene, NH, prefers a little competition with his walks, and he scratches that itch at Loudon Country Club every year, where he meets friends on race weekend to play a quick 18 holes.
“A group of friends and I go play a game every year,” Carpenter said. “It’s as much a part of the race weekend as the actual racing is right now.”
Within 45 minutes of New Hampshire Motor Speedway are several state parks, including Ahern State Park in Laconia, Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, Clough State Park in Weare, and Ellacoya State Park in Gilford.
Further: Everything you need to know about the NASCAR weekend KeynoteUSA 301 New Hampshire
New England Racing Museum Brings Racing History to Life
One of the current exhibits at the New England Racing Museum is the 1956 Mercury, which Russ Truelove raced at Daytona Beach.
Sunday’s USA Today 301 will give the current generation of NASCAR Cup Series drivers a chance to make history. The history of racing in New England has a rich heritage that is on full display at the New England Racing Museum, which is located right next to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Route 106 in Loudon.
For a $15 admission (children 12 and under are free), racing fans can immerse themselves in the heroes and stories of the past from across the region. Tom Netishen, executive director of the museum, said NASCAR week is the busiest week of the year. Last year, when the weather wasn’t conducive to track action, nearly 500 people a day passed through the museum.
“Our mission is to discover, preserve and educate the public about the history of racing in New England,” Netishen said. “Everything we do is tied to educational purposes.”
One of the museum’s current masterpieces is the 1956 Mercury, which Russ Truelove raced in the Daytona Beach road races, which ran until 1959 before the current Daytona International Speedway was built.
Truelove raced in Bridgeport, Connecticut, before competing at Daytona, and his car is the only race car with ties to New England that raced on the Daytona speedway that is known to still exist, according to Netishen.
“It’s a really interesting piece of New England racing history,” Netishen said. “And people can come in and see it along with all of our other exhibits.”
The museum has some interactive exhibits, such as an iRacing simulator, a digital track map with interactive displays of a wide variety of tracks, and a research library with over 5,000 photographs. It also features displays of Joey Logano’s 2018 Martinsville-winning race car and the modified 1981 “Old Blue” driven by Ron Bouchard, among many more.
“We have 25 racing cars and 12 motorcycles,” Netishen said. “We try to change about half the cars each year. That way, there will always be something new for people to see when they come to the race weekend.”
The museum also hosts driver appearances during the week. NASCAR determine. Fans can check the museum’s Facebook page or website for updates.
Further: NASCAR fans come to NH Motor Speedway for the race and stay for community camping
The week of the race, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
A list of other driver appearances can be found at nhms.com/events/nascar-cup-series/appearances.
Check out Funspot arcade, Tanger Outlets and more
For fans arriving early in Loudon, there are plenty of entertainment options nearby. The track is just a half hour from Funspot in Laconia, and there are plenty of pop-up shops along Route 106 or the short drive to the Tanger Stores in Tilton.
Fans can also take a quick trip to Concord, the state capital, to visit shops and restaurants there. That’s where Erika Dean and her sister Jessika Melendy meet on the Friday of race weekend each year.
“We like to try a different restaurant every year,” said Dean, who will be attending his fifth race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the last seven years. “We usually try a new restaurant in Concord or near Concord. “Then we went out on Friday night.”
This year, the sisters will forego the Concord nightlife to attend the Dirt Duels at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Flat Track after dinner on Friday night, but Dean said there is just as much fun among the campers as there is at the halfway. the track like a night on the town.
“It’s just a fun weekend,” Dean said. “There are a lot of places you can go and do things, but honestly, what we have the most fun about is being at the rink and being around other fans, going to the parties at the camps and seeing the bands that play at the rink. at night. “You can still have fun without having to worry about driving at night.”
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This article originally appeared in Portsmouth Herald: Fun Things to Do for NASCAR Cup Series Fans KeynoteUSA 301 in NH
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