GRC Returns to NHMS on July 11
The Global RallyCross Championship will kick off race weekend at NHMS by running the SYLVANIA SilverStar zXe GRC on July 11.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Global RallyCross officials announced today that the popular SYLVANIA Silverstar zXe Global RallyCross Championship race will return next month as part of the NASCAR race weekend activities. The popular, extreme sports event will run on a new day, Thursday, July 11 as part of the weekend and kick-off FanFest activities.
Door-to-door collisions. A 70-foot jump. And a 10-time X Games gold medalist in Victory Lane highlighted last year’s debut event. Overwhelmed by the positive feedback from fans, NHMS and GRC officials have worked since February to bring the series back this July. A new course setup will include a 140-foot long dirt ramp, which will replace the 70-foot steel ramp jump.
The star-studded field will include Ken Block, Brian Deegan, defending GRC series champion Tanner Foust and defending NHMS race champion Travis Pastrana. The extreme sports legend won a thrilling four-lap, 10-car finale at last July’s SYLVANIA SilverStar zXe.
“New Hampshire had some of the best racing last year,” said Pastrana. “The track was a lot of fun, with great opportunities to pass. It had good use of the banking, road course, jump, dirt and an interesting but epic berm over the pit wall. I look forward to seeing what they come up with for us this year.”
It will be the first of two races on the weekend for Pastrana, who will also be among the field in the New England 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday, July 13. Pastrana is in his first full season in the Nationwide Series is piloting the No. 60 for Roush Fenway Racing.
Last year, stars from NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series (such as Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and NASCAR President Mike Helton) hung around to watch the jaw-dropping action from pit road.
“You could see by the reactions of the fans, including some of our most well-known NASCAR drivers that this was an electrifying event,” said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of the speedway. “I, for one, can’t wait to see what GRC has in store for us this year with this new course. The new course, with the additional dirt element forced us to move this to a prime Thursday evening slot and will highlight our FanFest night activities.”
Many are returning for the encore race which thrills and delights for race fans. Even the entitlement partner is back for a second time. SYLVANIA, is partnering with the speedway again this year for the SYLVANIA Silverstar zXe Global RallyCross event.
“Everyone at SYLVANIA Automotive is thrilled to be a part of bringing GRC back to the fans at NHMS,” said Joe Verbanic, SYLVANIA Automotive Marketing Manager. “This fast paced edge-of-your-seat racing really broke out in a big way last year. Our fans totally loved it and with their encouragement, we extended our sponsorship to the GRC events at Bristol, Atlanta and Charlotte this year.”
The GRC Lites, a new rallycross class that will support the series’ wildly popular Supercars class, will also be a part of the Thursday night lineup. The Lites are a tightly controlled “spec” class, designed with an emphasis on driver skill, and produce just over half the power of the top Supercar vehicles and are designed to be more manageable for developing star drivers.
As the new featured attraction of FanFest, grandstand gates will open at 1 p.m. with GRC Lites & Supercar Heats, an autograph session, last-chance races and two feature events will highlight the GRC action on track. Additional activities include the popular NASCAR Hauler Parade, which will start at 4 p.m. plus a NASCAR driver autograph session and live band to follow the GRC racing at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday night GRC tickets are priced at $20 for adults, children aged 12 -16 are $5 and those ages 11 and under free. Tickets (as long as they are purchased by July 1) for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Town Fair Tire 100 and NASCAR Nationwide Series New England 200 on Saturday, July 13 will be honored for admission to the SYLVANIA SilverStar zXe Global RallyCross event at no additional cost.
Tickets for the entire New Hampshire 300 weekend can be purchased by calling the NHMS ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931 or by visiting www.nhms.com. Be sure to keep up with the latest “Magic Mile” news by logging onto the tracks Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nhmotorspeedway and on Twitter @NHMS.
Sources: NHMS.com