New Hampshire Motor Speedway Adds Night Dirt Track Races For Cup Weekend

Do you like dirt racing? Do you like night races? Do you like night dirt races?!

If so, then you’ll want to get to New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, July 19.

NHMS will host a pair of dirt races — one for U.S. Legend Cars International, the other for the USAC Dirt Midget Association — under the lights on its new 0.25-mile flat dirt track. The event, coined the “Friday Night Dirt Duels presented by New England Racing Fuel,” will kickstart the track’s NASCAR weekend, which culminates Sunday, July 21 with the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301.

The event will replace the Fan Jam, which previously was held in the speedway’s infield.

https://twitter.com/NHMS/status/1138821839323578368

“We’re always looking for ways we can improve the fan experience and add new features to our race weekend to give fans more opportunities to see the drivers and enjoy racing,” New Hampshire Motor Speedway executive vice president and general manager David McGrath said in a statement. “The Friday Night Dirt Duels will be a low cost, high energy event with some fan-favorite drivers racing in a short track setting. This is going to be a great show for New England race fans.”

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Corey LaJoie and Daniel Hemric will compete in the 35-lap U.S. Legend Cars International feature race. Fellow Cup star Ryan Blaney will serve as grand marshal for the event, which will pay $2,000 to its winner.

The 30-lap USAC Dirt Midget Association race will mark the organization’s first appearance at NHMS.

“This is an incredible opportunity for our teams to be racing at such an iconic venue such as New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” Mark Hann, series director for USAC Dirt Midget Association, said in a statement. “The fans will be seeing a historic event since this will be the first time that a USAC and NASCAR race takes place on the same weekend at the same facility in New England.”

Gates at NHMS will open at 6 p.m. ET, with practice beginning shortly thereafter. Heat races start at 7:30 p.m.