| | | | | | FUN PLACE TO VISIT | Labonte enjoys New Hampshire fans and track | |
| | SceneDaily Staff Don't count Bobby Labonte among those who believe that New Hampshire Motor Speedway will lose a NASCAR Sprint Cup race date. While he sees some changes he would like to be made to the track, the driver says that he thinks the series needs to visit that area of the country twice a season.
Labonte, driver of the No. 43 Petty Enterprises Dodge, says that he loves both the fans and the 1.058-mile track. He says that he's impressed by the passions of the fans each time he heads to the track.
“I remember going to that first race at New Hampshire in 1993 and seeing a bunch of pure race fans," he said. "They were as passionate about our sport as fans in Charlotte or Talladega. It has remained that way through the addition of a second race. They love what we do and they love the show that we put on.
"That trickles down to the garage area; there are a lot of drivers, crew chiefs and mechanics that are from New England. So it’s important to the lifeblood of the sport for NASCAR to maintain a large presence in New England.”
Labonte also likes the track itself based on its unique nature.
"There’s not another track on our schedule that is the same length and shape," he said. "It’s similar to Martinsville in how you drive it, but New Hampshire is twice the size. Both are what you call 'paperclip-shaped' tracks with long straights and tight corners."
Now, he's waiting to see what happens to the track. Since Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. has purchased the facility, Labonte expects to see changes and improvements.
He doesn't expect, however, to see any less Cup races there.
“SMI is the new owner of New Hampshire and I’m sure everyone is anxious to see what they will do there," he said. "There are a lot of rumors flying around. In the end, I think both races will stay in New Hampshire because that area is just too important. New England is a racing hotbed and that is the only track we have up there.
"Bruton may go in there and add some banking to the track. That may be a good idea. I like the track, but it was built for modifieds, not heavy stock cars. A little progressive banking would be great.”
| | Posted June 26, 2008 , 6:20 pm EST
Last Updated June 27, 2008 , 6:15 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
