NASCAR may be in Richmond, Va. this weekend, but 610 miles north, the campgrounds at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) are set to welcome thousands of campers starting this Saturday after nearly a year of preparation for New England’s only NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) weekend, Aug. 21-23.
“It starts in the winter, and it really never ends,” said New Hampshire Motor Speedway Operation Event Manager Joey Lembo when asked about preparing the facility for NASCAR. “It’s a full cycle here.”
Once the final checkered flag flew on the 2025 racing season, the team at NHMS started preparing the facility for the winter months.
“Four seasons mean that we are encased in ice for about two to three months out of the year, meaning all our water is shut down,” said Lembo. “Any outside activities pretty much come to a halt. So come April, it’s time to fire up all the electricity, water, different things around property, make sure everything works, and that process carries on to about June.”
Once the snow melts, it’s time to revive the facility and prepare it not only for the summer NASCAR weekend, but also for track rentals that start in April and Motorcycle Week in June, and when New England weather strikes, the NHMS Operations team simply shifts gears to remain on schedule.
“Obviously, most of us do work outside,” said Lembo. “That is where most of the things need to get done, but good hot weather is good for us. It helps us be able to do what we need to do. Rain just means you gotta go inside, and there’s plenty to do inside, whether it’s painting a suite or working under the grandstands, touching up things in the Media Center. There’s always stuff to do everywhere on property.”
The outdoor prep includes regular mowing and weed whacking across the 1,200-acre property, painting lines in parking lots and campgrounds, power washing buildings, grandstands and trams, scraping and painting the racetrack walls, crack sealing the asphalt surface of the 1.058-mile oval, rebuilding fan amenities, setting up temporary fencing and hanging banners and various signage all over property.
Message boards and safety cones are placed both on and off NHMS property to ensure the most efficient traffic flow. The team also places hundreds of portolets and dumpsters throughout campgrounds and other fan areas to prepare for the tens of thousands of race fans who will be on site for the next nine days, turning NHMS into a mini city.
“Getting it just right for when the campers move in is kind of down to a science,” said Lembo. “We will be ready for campers to move in on Saturday.”
— New Hampshire Motor Speedway —