Story By: KRISTEN LESTOCK / NHMS – LOUDON, NH – New Hampshire Motor Speedway is well known for its NASCAR race weekends, but the summer is filled with other events as well. The property has a jam-packed fun-filled month with events throughout June, including Dale Jr. Foundation’s Safe Kids 301, the 95th annual Loudon Classic as part of Motorcycle Week, the Short Track Showdown and more.
“We love to make people smile when they come to New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” started David McGrath, New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s executive vice president and general manager. “We want everyone that walks through the gates to have a fun day with their families and friends. When we see smiles on everyone’s faces, we know we did our job as the leader of motorsports activities in the Northeast.”
The month of June opens with the Boston Chapter of the BMW Club of America. This June 2 event provides an opportunity to other members to meet BMW lovers as well as enjoy show love to their ultimate driving machines.
The Sports Car Club of New Hampshire will make two Autocross appearances at NHMS this month, on June 3 and June 24. Are you ready to get behind the wheel, and put your sports car driving skills through the test of a time-trial competition? Registration is required.
The 14th annual Dale Jr. Foundation Safe Kids 301, previously named the Safe Kids 500, on June 6 gives kids and families the chance to take a couple of laps around the track on their very own bicycle for free. Kids will also learn about health and safety at the fair held in the infield garage. Registration begins at 5:00 p.m., and the track will be open from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Last fall, the event was rebranded during the Jr. Nation Appreci88tion Tour, which celebrated the retirement of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and included an $8,800 donation from the New Hampshire Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities and NHMS for helmets for this year’s event.
Laconia Motorcycle Week kicks off with the Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet and the Cystic Fibrosis Trail Ride – both June 8-10. The U.S. Classic Racing Association’s FIM North American Vintage Road Racing Championships are June 9-10, and Motorcycle Week continues through June 16 with NHMS serving as the perfect place to stop for demo rides, vendor displays, food, entertainment and more as the way to event headquarters at Weirs Beach. Additionally, the 95th annual Loudon Classic will take place June 15-17. It’s the longest running motorcycle race in America and has been held on-site since long before the speedway was built, when it was simply a road course knows as Bryar Motorsports Park.
The Mini Oval Series Legends and Bandolero Divisions will race on the 0.25-mile mini oval, which is located between turns 1 and 2 on the NHMS oval, June 16. The series pull drivers from across New England and hosts some combination races with the local Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour, based in Maine. You can also see these series at Monadnock Speedway on June 9 and Speedway 51 on June 23.
June 16-17 you can catch the Moat Mountain Road Course Series on the 1.6-mile road course, featuring drivers from across New England who compete in monthly doubleheaders that coincide with the Loudon Road Race Series weekends. The road course challenges drivers with difficult elevation changes and tight switchback turns that go both left and right.
The New England Short Track Showdown will showcase the four pillars of the New England racing community: the Valenti Modified Racing Series, Granite State Pro Stock Series, North East Mini Stock Tour and Street Stock Showdown, June 23-24.
The Rusty Wallace Racing Experience offers both driving and ride-along experiences. Driving packages vary from a basic four-lap experience to a robust 50-lap run. Opportunities to drive or ride on NHMS come on June 30, July 1 and 28-29 and Sept. 15-16.
The NH Karting Association comes to NHMS June 30 and is an affordable opportunity for aspiring racers of all ages. The local series runs most of its races on the specially-designed Reserved RV Karting Course, which includes a portion of the legendary bowl in the NHMS road course.
For full schedule and ticket information on all 2018 events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including the July 20-22 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the September 21-22 Full Throttle Fall Weekend, please stop by the ticket office, visit the speedway website at www.NHMS.com, or call Fan Relations at (603) 783-4931.
