Story By: KRISTEN LESTOCK / NHMS – LOUDON, NH – Three more short track races have been added to New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Full Throttle Fall Weekend, September 11-12, 2020.
The fresh new lineup will include the American-Canadian Tour and Granite State Legend Cars along with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and ARCA Menards Series East and will crown four season champions during the two-day event.
“New England race fans spoke, and we listened,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Full Throttle Fall Weekend is now bigger and better with five heart-pounding short track races in two days. They won’t want to miss this high energy, thrilling race lineup!”
The American-Canadian Tour is no stranger to “The Magic Mile,” making nine appearances from 2009-2016 and making it’s homecoming on Saturday, September 12. The 75-lap feature is the final race of the Tour’s season championship and will hit the 1.058-mile oval at 4:00 p.m. capping off the day’s races.
Prior to the ACT race, the ARCA Menards Series East will take on a 125-lap event at 2:30 p.m., which will also mark the final race of the series championship season. The weekend’s main event, the Musket 200 presented by Whelen, is the longest mileage race on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour beginning at 12:05 p.m. rounding out the day’s races on “The Magic Mile.”
The Granite State Legend Cars will also crown two champions at Full Throttle Fall Weekend with a 30-lap Oval Series race on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on the 0.25-mile mini oval in turns one and two and a 20-lap Road Course Series event on the 0.95-mile modified road course on Friday at 5 p.m.
All Saturday ticket holders will have access to a free autograph session with all the drivers from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ARCA Menards Series East and American-Canadian Tour at 10:15 a.m. Pit passes for the speedway will allow access into the garages, on pit road and the racetrack with front-stage access for Saturday’s pre-race ceremonies, including driver introductions. Free and premium parking will be available along with various camping options.
Single-day tickets and upgrades for Full Throttle Fall Weekend are on sale now.
Steve Kirkpatrick Named NHMS’s 2019 Salesperson of the Year
Director of business development, Steve Kirkpatrick, has been named New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Salesperson of the Year for the second time for exceeding expectations in the corporate sales department. Kirkpatrick received the award on Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn., where NASCAR is hosting its annual awards banquet.
“Steve is a valued member of our corporate sales team who has demonstrated nothing but pure drive and determination,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “He’s not only strengthened existing partnerships, he’s created new ones for our speedway. We are so proud that he has been awarded with the Salesperson of the Year honor. Steve has a proven record of success, and we’re excited to see where it takes him as we head into 2020.”
Kirkpatrick has been part of the speedway’s corporate sales department since 2017 where he’s been instrumental in securing entitlement partnerships for the speedway. This year, he increased new business revenue by 72% while also growing renewal business by 30%. He manages a portfolio that includes 41 local and national business partners.
“What an honor to be recognized as the Salesperson of the Year for the second time,” said Kirkpatrick. “This award is reflective of a larger team effort, which makes it fun to come to work and achieve results together every day. Thank you to all of the great clients that I work with who understand that engaging with the most brand-loyal fans in sports is good for their business goals. I appreciate the support from the dedicated professionals here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and our parent company, Speedway Motorsports, and look forward to growing our business even more next year.”
Kirkpatrick was one of eight sales people at Speedway Motorsports, owner and operator of eight motorsports facilities around the country, to receive this award.
Kirkpatrick, who currently resides in Bedford, N.H. with his wife, Kelly, and sons, Clay, Duncan, Reid and Stewart, was born in Middletown, Conn. He graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont and earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts prior to starting his career at a sports marketing agency, Octagon. Kirkpatrick has held roles as general sales manager for Amoskeag Beverages, business development executive for event marketing agency, Gigunda Group and Inspira Marketing and as vice president of sales with a sports content startup, Gameface Media.
Along with this award, Kirkpatrick and his wife were honored with a trip to Nashville, Tenn. to attend the NASCAR Cup Series Awards Ceremony.