Know Your Track: New Hampshire

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Track Name: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

           

Nicknames: "The Magic Mile"

Location: Loudon, New Hampshire

Capacity: 88,000

Date of First Race: July 11, 1993

Layout: New Hampshire is a 1.058 mile asphalt oval. The track's four turns feature variable banking, going from 2 degrees at the bottom of the turn to 7 degrees at the top.

Current Sprint Cup Races:

• July 19, 2015 - 5-Hour Energy 301, a 318.5 mile, 301 lap regular season points race. This is a Sunday afternoon event.
• September 27, 2015 - Sylvania 300, a 317.4 mile, 300 lap Chase race. This is the second race of the Challenger Round and the second overall Chase race. This is a Sunday afternoon event.

Most Wins:           

• All-Time: Jeff Burton, 4 wins
• Active: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, 3 wins each
• Latest Winner:
• 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301: Brad Keselowski
• 2014 Sylvania 300: Joey Logano

Description: The Magic Mile has been the staple track in the Northeast for NASCAR since 1993. With the exception of road courses, this is the flattest track NASCAR runs on. Essentially a giant sized Martinsville, good brakes and braking technique here is key as drivers say they have to tip-toe around the turns to avoid spinning out. 

Sadly, the track experienced two tragic deaths in 2000. Adam Petty, grandson of NASCAR legend Richard Petty, and Kenny Irwin Jr. both passed away in separate crashes. In both instances, the throttles got stuck wide open coming off of the turn and their cars went head on into the outside wall. Both drivers suffered basilar skull fractures (the same injury that would kill Dale Earnhardt the following year). NASCAR required cars to race with restrictor plates for both races at the track in 2000, the first time they had to be used outside of Daytona and Talladega, and this was odd in the fact that speeds are drastically slower at New Hampshire compared to the other two tracks.

The track does add an interesting wrinkle to the Chase since it is one of the five tracks in the Chase that is not 1.5 miles. It's Chase race used to be the opening race of the Chase until Chicagoland Speedway bumped New Hampshire back to the second race of the Chase.

Notable Races:

• 2001 New Hampshire 300 - The race was originally scheduled to be the first race after the September 11th attacks, but was postponed. It was postponed so long that it ended up hosting the final race of the season in 2001 for the first and only time. Many speculated that the weather, since the race was held after Thanksgiving, would wreak havoc on the event, but it turned out to be a non-factor.

Fun Facts: New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the largest sports facility in all of Northeast America.