What's next for NH?
The folks at the Breaking Limits public relations firm asked that very question of a few drivers in light of the facility's recent takeover by Speedway Motorsports Inc., and here's what they said:
Marc Mitchell, Driver of the #15 Ergon Toyota in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series:
“Bruton’s big strength has been making facilities more fan friendly. The racing at New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) has always been top notch. That’s not going to change. I think you’ll see Bruton add lots of bells and whistles that give fans more exciting ways to enjoy the race. Maybe he’ll spruce up the garages or add more suites. Usually anything he does is an improvement, and I’m sure New Hampshire will be the same.”
Bobby Labonte, NASCAR Sprint Cup Veteran:
“I don’t think it will be too long before New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) has a dirt track or drag strip attached to it. Bristol, Las Vegas, Texas and Lowe’s all have dirt tracks or drag racing facilities, and I’m sure New Hampshire won’t be far behind. The folks in New Hampshire love all kinds of racing, and Bruton won’t fail to capitalize on that. It won’t be long before one of the campgrounds has some kind of race track running through it.”
John Andretti, Open Wheel Racing Veteran:
“I would have to say that the people that built the track and have made the improvements up till now, they have done unbelievable. They had invested an enormous amount of money in it. They are wonderful people. I think that Bruton, as good and as aggressive as he and SMI are at improving race tracks, is going to have to work at this one because they have some good people already involved. The first thing you do is, you go through and you say ‘OK, how can I make this a better experience for the fan?’ I think that will be one of the first things he looks at. The race track has been repaved a hundred times in a lot of different configurations. Right now, the track is the most competitive that it has been. You can race side by side, both lanes are fast. From that perspective, inside the wall is good. The next step is to go to the competitors and say, ‘What about the garages and the infrastructure of that part?’ Every race track can be changed and get better, there is no question. But, to say that it’s something that is going to be done easily is going to be a tough order."
