Winston Cup drivers will race at New Hampshire International

It began as a dream; something many naysayers felt simply would not fly in a region like New England.

Bob Bahre believed, though.

Then, he made it happen.

Four years later, the New Hampshire International Speedway is expected to bring an estimated 300,000 people into the central New Hampshire area for a number of events set to be held during the summer.

Topping the list for NHIS this season include scheduled dates for the NASCAR Winston Cup tour (July 11), the Indy Car Tour (Aug. 8), and the NASCAR combination race, the New England Chevy Dealers 250 (Aug. 22). Many other weekends are booked up also, including the 70th annual Loudon Classic for motorcycles on June 18-20.

“We’re very excited about the season,” said Susan Russo, NHIS’s spokeswoman. “We have a wide complement of racers, from the motorcycles to the Indy Cars to stock cars. The Winston Cup event will be beyond our wildest dreams. Everybody here has been working to fulfill the dream of the Bahre’s. It is an exciting time.”

What started as a dream concocted by a motor sports family from Maine was quickly embraced by the communities surrounding Loudon, N.H. – including the state capital, Concord.

“It feels good to know you’ve accomplished something that’s going to work,” said Bahre. “We’ve still got a long way to go. The town and the state – people can’t believe it! They’re excited about it. The whole state is really thrilled.”

Bahre, the one-time owner of Oxford Plains Speedway, decided to build the track with no predetermined dates. He took what he could get and let the results of each and every race speak for itself.

It has been said that NHIS’s impressive showing with the Indy Cars last season helped NASCAR pick the one-mile track for a coveted Winston Cup weekend.

“Well, it worked out,” Bahre added. “At one time, I thought we’d get a Cup date a year soon. When we didn’t get it sooner, I didn’t know if we’d ever get the thing.”

Bahre did get the date, however, and the New England fans scooped up all the tickets in one day. All 60,000 of them.

“That’s unheard of,” said Russo, who used to work at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. “I don’t know of it happening with any other racing event.”

“I guess the fans are hungry for good racing,” Bahre said.

With the growth of the track, one can’t help but wonder what more NHIS can do to boost motor sports in the New England region. According to those in the know, the answer seems to be little else.

“I think we have a pretty full plate right now,” Russo said. “But we’ve got that variety, both with the road course and the oval. We’re open 30 straight weeks, and the track is almost always used.”

Instead, the people at New Hampshire International will continue to work to make the track better and the races better. All in all, the people will continue to make New Hampshire International Speedway – the Bahre family dream – better and better.