| | | | | | | | | | New Hampshire International Speedway | The Magic Mile |
| | Loudon, NH The New Hampshire International Speedway, often referred to as “Loudon” because of its location, is a 1.058-mile track that has been hosting NASCAR races since the 1990s. The racing complex is owned by the Bahre family, and has in New England racing that go back to 1964. Bob Bahre acquired a track in Oxford, Maine, which he operated with his son, Gary, until 1986.
After nine months of construction – and following the Bahre family’s purchase of Bryar Motorsports Park – the track opened in June 1990. The original motorcycle track was redeveloped into a multipurpose track, and the facility hosted its first NASCAR touring series event, the Budweiser 300 for the Busch Series. Loudon earned a spot on the Winston Cup schedule in 1993, with Rusty Wallace claiming victory in July.
New Hampshire International Speedway hosted the first race in the inaugural Chase for the NEXTEL Cup in 2004, a race that would play a major role in how the championship battle would play out. A wreck involving Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield put a damper on their early championship hopes, opening the door for Kurt Busch, who had won the July race at Loudon as well. He completed a season’s sweep that launched him toward the 2004 NEXTEL Cup Championship.
In 2006, the infield and the track were flooded after Loudon and other New England communities experienced damaging floods after a week of near-record rainfall.
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