Race day consists of grilling, sitting in traffic, grilling some more, drinking “soda,” grilling som

New Hampshire calls itself home to many sports. It hosts two NCAA hockey powerhouses, an AHL hockey team (farm team of the 2011-12 Stanley Cup Champions), a Double-A Baseball team , countless independent semi-professional sports teams, and an abundance of scholarly sports. New Hampshire chose just one sport to host at the most elite level: Stock Car Racing.
The little town of Loudon, breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals New Hampshire is home to one of only 24 tracks in the U.S. that host the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series- stock car racing's highest breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals level of competition. An even greater honor than being one of those 24 tracks, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has the privilege of kicking off "The Chase for the Cup" each year. "The Chase" as fans call it for short, is the part of the NASCAR series that is the equivalent breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals of the playoffs in other team or "ball-and-net" sports, like football. The series consists of 26 regular season races, and 10 "playoff" races.
Though there is no official name for the week before the race in Loudon, Speed Week refers to the 7 days leading up to the Sunday of the "big race." As a child, I used to be a part of this incredible experience. Growing up in New England, I was just a short drive from the speedway, but my family would participate in the festivities breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals as if we were from Texas or California. We took campers, tents, driver merchandise, and grilling equipment and set out for the campgrounds around Loudon.
The week leading up to the big race sees campers, cars, trucks, vans, etc. decked out in driver colors and numbers, from all 50 states converging on the campgrounds and hotels within a 25-50 mile radius of the track. Once they all land in their spots, the socializing begins. Families from all over the country gather around fires and swap stories of their histories, travels breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals to other races, and more importantly breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals who the favorite is for the upcoming Sunday.
As the weekend breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals approaches, the feeling of anticipation becomes palpable. Radios stop playing music. Instead, voices of NASCAR experts ring through the grounds and hotels. As the driver trailers begin to trickle in, tremendous energy is injected into the fans, pushing "who's better" arguments amongst themselves to a level that would rival any reality-TV show. Then, when it gets to the point where rival fans begin practical joke contests, race day hits.
Race day consists of grilling, sitting in traffic, grilling some more, drinking "soda," grilling some more, and finally the race. As if the week wasn't enough, the build-up before the race itself is unrivaled in sport spectacles. Helicopters fly VIPs in and out of the infield, mechanics feverishly breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals hammer on the cars in the pit-lane, the PA rattles off fan information; "buzz" is the most literal description of the time leading up to the race.
After everyone is so wound up, they're ready to pop, 43 of the fastest athletes in the world roar through the green flag and on to 300+ miles of racing at over 120mph average. When all is finished, more than 90,000 people have left a massive footprint on New Hampshire. The Magic Mile has hosted NASCAR for just under 20 years. Legendary names like Dale Earnhardt (Sr.), Ernie Irvan, and Rusty Wallace have raced on the flat 1-mile oval.
Speed Week and Race Days effect New Hampshire communities in more ways than can be classified. It offers an opportunity none of the other New England states, and only a select few nationwide have: The opportunity to show off who we are as New Hampshirites, and what the "Live Free or Die" state has to offer.
When NASCAR comes to town, so does the rest of the country. Each year the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, known to locals and racing fans as "The Magic Mile," throws 2 parties for 43 of the fastest athletes on the planet. The Magic Mile seats over 93,000 fans (just less than the population of the Greater Manchester breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals area). A spectacle unlike any other sport, NASCAR events house the largest attendance of any sport on the planet, including soccer. The largest venue on the NASCAR circuit, Indianapolis breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals Motor Speedway seats 200,000 spectators during Sprint Cup races.
Not only is the event itself an incredible experience, but it has a profound affect breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals on New Hampshire as a whole. According to a study performed by Southern New Hampshire University's Sport Management Chair, Doug Blais "A Sprint Cup weekend can generate $100-$200 million for the local and regional economies." The same report explains that in 2011 the two races that the New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosted added about $179 million in spending, much of which was from non-NH breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals residents. The event also created 2,500 short-term jobs, leading to over $100 million in income for New Hampshire breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals residents. As the second race in 2012 approaches, New Hampshire breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals residents eagerly anticipate breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals the positive effects the race will bring this year.
The 2012 Silvania 300  race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway is on September breckenridgecolorado vacation rentals 23, 2012. The Sprint Cup race will take the green flag at approximately 2pm. For more information about the race, or to get tickets, visit NHMS.com
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