Camping at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

[S.D. Grady]

Hi guys!

Right now the generator is purring, Classic rock is rocking and silence has settled over the campgrounds at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  I'll be checking in each day and let you guys know what's happening around here.  So far, we've spotted quite a few drivers' RV's arriving from Richmond.  The corner gas station is backed up while they load up on diesel with their toweds holding the golf carts.  One had a SmartCar trying to keep up behind it    The SCCA ran here today, so quite a few classic cars on flatbeds passed us going in the other direction. 

More changes for the campgrounds--drainage grates and holding ponds!  Woo Hoo! Our feet may stay dry.

Time to cut the generator and settle in for the night.  I shall catch ya'll later!

[S.D. Grady]

For the most part, we still have crickets in Lot L at NHMS.  Times are changing...lots of SMI logos all over the place.  This place feels more corporate these days *sigh*  Not too sure if it was Jr.'s car hauler that passed me on Rte. 106 today, but it sure was purdy.  In years gone by, this lot filled up on Sunday, with only a few rows at the end left to fill in with late RV arrivals.  This year, it nearly echoes.  Most of the RV's have multiple year stickers, and they are also higher end rigs.  A few pop-ups are around, but not many.

Is it the economy? Is it the racing? 

The Whelan Modified "office" had the hood up on its truck.  The Camping World sales tent was beginning to break down...***patriots just won**** giant pallets of product.  You know, even the local Walmart doesn't see to have the overflow of NASCAR stuff I usually see on race weeks.  Tomorrow should see the beginning of the arrival of the midway trailers and staging for the Speed Stage.

Anticipation lingers in the air.  I'm fully enjoying it.  Catch ya later!

[Tyyrus]

Hey S.D. I fondly remember the mid week anticipation with the generator setting the beat ! Have a Great week and keep us posted to the Early arrivals ! I used to love the Thursday night light show that the Transports provided .

[S.D. Grady]

Oh! It's been a busy day...not all of it good.  All the T-shirt haulers are here.  Click on the link for some pics (from a very cheap camera...good thing everything is staying in one place)

http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk245/SDGrady_2008/NHMS%2009-09/

I'll be typing up a looong post in a minute or twenty.

Man, it is slow in filling up the campground.  We bought the "bigger" lot this year, but still only 3 more RV's parked at the end of the row today.  Sheesh!

One thing for the photos...I'm thinking Kyle's team might want to take that image off the side of the hauler.  It can't be good for team morale    Nothing but a great big zero!

We will have lost some of the Thursday night thrill...they went and fixed the entry and exit to the lot where the haulers wait to enter the track.  Nobody's gonna bottom out anymore!  We used to tease the rookies 

[S.D. Grady]

Now for the long note:

Life sometimes is not fair.  It screws with you from time to time just to keep that in perspective.  Yesterday hubby was up nice and early running the cable for the satellite TV (there's no halvsies at the track).  He bent over to pick up the cable...and his back twanged.  Flat on his back.  Could not move.  We spent 24 hours with ice and Advil to no avail.  The race weekend looked hopeless, let alone we're a hundred miles from home and our doctor.

This morning, we phoned the doc and he said...you need to go to the ER.  You can't MOVE!  He couldn't go up a single step or stand.  Well...I know these tracks are like mini-cities on wheels.  So I called for help. 

A HUGE thank you goes out to the security folks in L Lot, the front-end loader driver who stopped to help, the Loudon EMT's and Ann, the PA at the ER.  Hubby took the ride to the hospital, spent four hours being x-rayed and poked before they loaded him up with the needed meds to stop the back from spasming.  And sent us home (to the track...the RV is nearly as comfortable as the house)

We're taking it easy, but he managed to walk down to look at the haulers with me, complaining about a blister on his foot... not his back.  I'm not sure how climbing 48 rows will go on Sunday, but it's clear we will survive the week in a much better frame of mind than I thought possible 24 hours ago.

He got the Wii set up and was playing Indiana Jones when I returned from errands. 

The sun's setting and the chilly autumn air is descending.  For a day that began in despair and pain, the evening is looking pretty good.

Thanks NHMS for having the personnel on to help us out when we needed it!

[Tyyrus]

Nice Pic's S.D. Gentlemen start your Golf Carts lol !

[S.D. Grady]

No pics this morning 

Yesterday we saw the Army building their climbing wall, Toyota constructing their Pit Pass racing simulators, Sprint rolling their promotional Chase car across the midway and all those t-shirt haulers were maneuvered into place.  At Loudon that's a meticulous, time consuming effort...a little bit like Tetris, matching the number of haulers to the shape of the mini-mall area.

It was amusing.  Most of the time the music piped around the track is rock or at the very least some popular country hits.  Not yesterday morning.  Big Band and Charlie Brown type jazz lent a soothing noise to the building chaos.

Last night, as I headed out to do some errands, the Whelan Modified teams and Camping World East series were arriving.  Woo Hoo! Yeah, yeah...there's something called the Chase this weekend.  But I can't help it...I live for those modifieds.  And now the East series really serves as a training series for the big boys, so it's worth watching. 

Ryan Truex, Jarit Johnson and DiBennedetto (can never remember how to spell that one...but he's been amazingly solid this year.)

Lots more campers arrived, along with the dude who still hasn't moved up to the quieter generators at the end of the row. *sigh*  Nearly ran over a game of washers yesterday, too.

Gotta go!

[S.D. Grady]

More pics...no speed shots.  But the huge piles of tires always fascinate me, anyway.  It's qualifying day for the Whelan Modifieds and the Camping World East today.

http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk245/SDGrady_2008/NHMS%2009-09/

The haulers will be entering the infield in about an hour...see ya later!

[FS_Amy]

Your account is making me miss my "home track!"  But I'm off to St. Louis for a wedding, so a trip to NH is not in the cards.

I didn't know Jarit was racing though.  That's great, means they found some money somewhere!  Tell him, Julian, and Shawn hi for me!

[S.D. Grady]

Last night was the hauler parade...the track must've promoted it this time.  I'd say about 1000 people showed up for it (in July I'd there were about 200-300).  Now the track has Milo the Moose...the less said *cough cough*

The Chasers went in all together with Milo waving a green flag.  The Chasers made a deal of keeping their horns wound up.  Everybody cheered!  Makes me giggle each time.  Sitting next to us was a baby about, oh, I'll give him 8 months old.  Every time those horns went off he just about bounced out of his stroller.  Big eyes.  Just ate up all the lights on those big haulers.  He's a fan already.

After the Chasers disappeared into the tunnel we waited, and waited...and waited.  Finally the second wave of haulers came by, led by the No. 20 hauler for Joey Logano.  Apparently the driver never heard of "Break for Moose! It could save your life!".  Milo had to run for his!   

At the tail end of the parade, Reutimann's and Ambrose's haulers stopped right in front of us.  Milo put on a show of trying to get the haulers to budge.  The driver for Ambrose radioed ahead to the No. 00 hauler to tell him to let off the breaks a smidge.  Milo thought he'd managed to move that No. 00.  Made the crowd laugh.

Anywho, today is qualifying, lots of interviews with the Chasers and the Camping World East race!

Times have changed.  When we first started camping at the track, we couldn't sit outside with the fire because we were choked out by the hammering of really loud generators (including the ones that ran the lights for the campground).  I think this year there is one generator from the 90's.  Everybody else is running the nice and quiet generation...you can chat with your neighbor standing over these new ones.

Gotta go!  Time to face the day....