NASCAR and INDYCAR Are Coming to NHMS
Loudon, NH — NASCAR and INDYCAR zoomed through historical Boston Common today, revving up race fans for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 on July 17 and the IZOD IndyCar Series MoveThatBlock.com INDY® 225 on Aug 14., at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya and IZOD IndyCar Series reigning champion Dario Franchitti shook the windows on Beacon Street in Boston, Mass., by racing their cars through Boston Common during the heat of lunch hour.
After a strong seventh place finish at Pocono Raceway this weekend, Juan Pablo Montoya, drove into Boston behind the wheel of his No. 42 Earnhardt-Ganassi with Felix Sabates Target Chevrolet. No stranger to speed; Montoya boasts two pole positions at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and also won his only Indianapolis 500 in May of 2000. Montoya shared his excitement on returning to NHMS this season.
“New Hampshire is a really cool place to race,” said Montoya. “It’s one of my best tracks. You can run a lot of different grooves, which makes for a great race. It is the type of race track where in the first part of the race it’s smooth, half-way through its not as easy, and with 100-laps to go if you want a position you are probably going to have to move a car out of the way.”
Dario Franchitti, driver of the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda is considered to be one of the best racecar drivers in the world. Franchitti boasts three IZOD IndyCar Series championships and two Indianapolis 500’s. He drove a partial season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008 for Chip Ganassi Racing. After winning the first Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, he currently sits second in the championship point standings. Franchitti is excited for some fast racing at “The Magic Mile.”
“I really am looking forward to racing at New Hampshire this year,” said Franchitti. “I am really happy the series added three short tracks to the schedule, New Hampshire being one of them. My teammate Scott Dixon did a tire test at the track last year, at one point he called me to say ‘man you should see how fast we are going.’ I reckon we will be pushing at least 4G’s in the corners when we race.”
The two racing superstars were joined by Randy Bernard the CEO of INDYCAR and Jerry Gappens the New Hampshire Motor Speedway executive vice president and general manager. Both took part in the Paul Revere-style event where horses were traded for the hundreds of horsepower that a NASCAR stockcar and an IIndy car produce.
“In his day, Paul Revere was the fastest messenger in America,” said Gappens. “Now drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti are the speediest. We are extremely glad to be here at Boston Common which has such a rich tradition in the city, to showcase the rich tradition that these forms of racing have at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.”
“I am thrilled to be bringing INDYCAR back up to New Hampshire in August,” said Bernard. “We haven’t been there for 13 years and I am looking forward to coming back to NHMS with a vengeance. We have the fastest most versatile racecars and drivers in the world and I really feel like with both of these and the right competition, entertainment and value we will give the fans a great experience.”
The day ended with another Boston tradition, lunch at Cheers, home of the Bull and Finch Pub, where exterior shots were used for the hit television show Cheers.
Don’t miss your chance to see Juan Pablo Montoya at the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 on July 17 or Dario Franchitti at TheMoveThatBlock.com INDY® 225 on Aug 14. . Purchase your tickets now by calling “The Magic Mile” ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931 or by visiting www.nhms.com.
Sources: NHMS PR