NASCAR – LENOX Industrial Tools 301

We headed to the NASCAR LENOX 301 in New Hampshire on the final day of our vacation.  Everyone met at 9:30AM so we could drive to the track together.  We left at 9:45AM and hit a good amount of traffic the last 9 miles.  It was going to be hot so we froze the water and Gatorade to carry in our coolers along with food.

We parked in the South Lot for an easier exit.  My plan was to cut out with 20 laps to go so we could try to avoid the traffic.  We walked from there and stopped by some of the trailers outside the gate.  We thought Tyler was going to do pull-ups at the Army Trailer to win stuff.  I looked but no Arm Wrestling station for Elmo … we could have won some money if they had that. 

We went through the gates and headed for our seats in turn 4.  We passed the merchandise trailers selling car and driver stuff.  All the NASCAR shirts, hats, jackets, sweatshirts, sun glasses, etc. from your favorite teams or drivers.

NHMS is a one mile track so an occasional accident or yellow flag resets the field.  There were no accidents but several cautions.

We did bring ear plugs.  The drivers were off the gas in the corner but it was still loud.  We did see several people with small children sitting near us with no ear plugs.  They looked uncomfortable so we gave them a couple pairs.  We also saw one new born near us with no ear protection.  What are parents thinking when they do that!!!

I walked to turn 3 playing with my camera and taking pictures as I walked.  Cars were coming into the corner doing well over 100 mph when I saw these 3 cars coming and thought COLORS … I aimed and fired thinking I got the picture I wanted until I realized my settings were wrong.  The fence is in focus, the cars are not!!  How many people go to a race to take nice pictures of the fence?  Not quite what I had in mind but it is interesting.

I also headed to the top of the stands on the straight to take a couple pictures. 

It is fun to people watch.  This guy had an interesting hat …

FYI, #5 Kasey Kahne in the Chevrolet won the Lenox 301.  Several weeks prior #5 Eric Wood won the 89^th Annual Loudon Classis motorcycle race.  Must be the lucky number for the track this year …

We did head for my truck with 20 laps remaining to try to avoid some of the traffic.  It was still heavy until we passed the Concord toll.  Elmo stayed to the end of the race. He said it was hard getting out of the parking lot and traffic on the road was real bad for him.  They didn’t get back CT until 11:00PM. 

We all enjoyed ourselves.  I told Pam the SYLVANIA 300 is in September and asked if she was interested in going.  I got the blank stare … glassy eyes … and the “Like Watching Paint Dry” reaction.  She went once for the experience but it may not be her thing …

NASCAR - LENOX Industrial Tools 301

Pam got me 4 tickets to the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 for my birthday.  I thought I would take Courtney, Anthony (Courtney's boyfriend), and Kevin.  When talking with some of my friends about NASCAR and going to the race I heard comments from ... WOW, wish I was going ... Take Me, Take Me ... It's like watching paint dry, with noise.  Kevin and I had a blast last year so this will be exciting for all of us. 

Katelyn was talking to her co workers at Panera about the race and how she really wanted to go too.  One of the regular customers heard her conversation said his company does work for NASCAR and he receives tickets to give away.  Wheeling and dealing took place and she got a ticket in exchange for 2 chocolate chip cookies.  We were all excited that she could go with us.

The gates opened at 7:00AM and the race starts at 1:00PM.  My plan was to leave around 8:00AM so we could walk around before the race.  I parked the truck in a good spot close to the exit near the South Gate so we could hopefully get out quick once the race finished.  I would put the kids together and take the one ticket that was in a different section. 

You can bring coolers and food in to the park which is nice.  Once we arrived we loaded up 2 backpacks with water, gator aid, diet coke, snacks, sandwiches, etc.

Before the race started Kevin and I tried our driving with the simulators.  Kate bought a hat and shirt and Kevin bought a shirt before we headed for our seats.  The band FOGHAT was playing at the start finish line before the game.  They sang "Slow Ride”, ”Fool for the City", and a bunch of others ...

I took the 5th ticket so the kids could sit together.  I planned to stay with the kids until someone kicked me out of the seat next to them then head to my seat.  It worked out well as the people sitting next to them had extra seats so there was room for me to stay with them for the race.  Our seats were between turn 1 and turn 2.  Kevin and I liked that seating area last year.

Unlike most sporting events the more expensive tickets are higher up in the stands away from the track where the view is better and the noise is less.  We were up 36 rows so the noise wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.   We all had hearing protection just in case.

It was a good race.  There weren't many cautions or accidents to bunch the field up so there were lots of green flag pit stops.  Cautions and crack-up's make for a much more interesting race.

At one point Kate and Kevin went down to the track to take pictures.  There is a white line 6 feet or so back from the fence.  Once the race starts security will not let you go closer than that line and they will tell you to keep moving if you stand there for more than a couple pictures.  2 reasons: it's a safety issue as cars are doing 150+ mph in the corners so car chunks could go through the fence if there was an accident, and people standing there can block the view for the people in the stands.  This is Kevin and Katelyn at the fence and the security guy telling them to move along. 

A while later this person showed up by the fence.  He was trying to get the crowd to start "The Wave".  The security guy didn't seem to want to move him along very quickly.   What's with that ...

Top 5 results; 1 was Jimmy Johnson in the 48 car, 2 was Tony Stewart in the 14 car, 3 was Kurt Bush in the 2 car, 4 was Jeff Gordon in the 24 car, and 5 was Kevin Harvick in the 29 car.

Here is the Home Depot number 20 for Anthony and the Taco Bell number 17 car for Amy and Chris.

This was me goofing around with the shutter speed ...

NASCAR - New Hampshire Motor Speedway

I took Kevin to NH Motor Speedway http://www.nhms.com/ this weekend to watch the NASCAR races. We spent some time at the US Army set up before we went to the stands. Kevin also had a turn with a race simulator which was fun. We bought a Jeff Burton CAT t-shirt to match his hat.


We watched different groups qualify and do practice laps as well as the races. FYI ...I was a bit unprepared as it was loud ... I'm sorry, I can't hear you ... speak up ... IT WAS REALLY LOUD ... I had to buy ear plugs for both of us. Many fans had radio headsets you can buy or rent to dial in and listen to pit crew conversations, etc. That would be interesting! Maybe next time.

I bought general admission tickets so we could move around in the stands. Ron Silk, # 6, won the NASCAR Whelen Modified.


Kyle Bush, #51, won the HeluvaGood! 200 truck race. We watched the races from the Main Grandstand near the Start/Finish line and from the stands behind Turn 1.
On Sunday, Mark Martin, #5, won the Sylvania 300. Kevin is a CAT fan and Jeff Burton, #31, came in 16th. in the Caterpillar Chevrolet. I must say it was difficult taking pictures on the straight when we sat close to the track. The NASCAR cars are doing 155+ mph on the straight and 100 mph or so on the corners. It may not appear so fast on TV or when you sit far away. Up close ... it's fast. We had a great time and will have to go next year.