Held over the course of a three-day weekend, the Amalie Motor Oil New England Nations showcase the top drivers in the International Hotrod Racing Association.
The event is a must see for all fans. The New England Dragway provides fans more then just racing. Fans are able to just go through the pits and talk to the drivers and crewmembers (as long as they are not trying to drive their car. That is frowned upon).
The owners of the New England Dragway set up the perfect weekend for race fans. Nothing could ruin this weekend.
Almost.
Mother Nature decided to be a cranky old lady, and make this journal a tough one to write. Not even Mother Nature can stop hard Knox Sports though.
Friday
5:30 p.m.: Stuck in traffic on 495 with a little rain. Not a good start to this weekend, but that is ok it just means the week has nowhere to go but up….hopefully.
6:20 p.m.: Heavy traffic finally comes to an end just past Haverhill. This has to be a sign of good things to come.
6:45 p.m.: finally off of the highway and just a right turn away from reaching the New England Dragway.
6:52 p.m.: Apparently the GPS location of New England Dragway Corp. does not lead tot the dragway. Curse you Tom Tom.
7:03 p.m.: Now at the New England Dragway. Now the best weekend ever can begin. Already off to a good start by talking to a cool older man named Bob from South Carolina about everything from soup to nuts.
7:20 p.m.: talking to shareholder Doug Adams, the rest of the events for the night were called off due to rain, but racing would resume Saturday morning. Adams is one of those men who know everything that goes on at the track. If he says there will be racing, then there will be racing. Saturday calls for only a few showers. No problem, this great weekend can begin tomorrow.
11:30 a.m.: The thought of racing, and a few drinks to go with it, encourage sleep. More to talk about tomorrow.
Saturday
9:00 am. Woken up by the sound of track dryers. That has to be a good sign. Drying the track means cars are about to get on.
9:17 a.m. Not so fast my friends. Rain picks up again. Blow Dryers outright leave.
9:28 a.m. Doug is spotted with a disgusted look on his face. That is never a good sign. He informs everyone in the camping area there is a large band of rain coming. This will cause more delays.
9:29 a.m.: Trying to stay optimistic. It is supposed to be the best weekend.
10:00 a.m.: An announcement was made. Rain should stop in a couple hours and racing should be a go by about 2:30. Whew. Not to kill time until then.
10:45 a.m.: To kill time took a road trip with others around the area. Viewing lovely scenic New Hampshire.
11:06 a.m.: Trying to find a restaurant, and ended up taking a wrong turn at a nudist colony. Could not make this up. Dave wanted to explore more, but it seems logical that a nudist colony is not much of a party site in a cold rain storm. A side note that Dave was in the bag at this point.
11:52 a.m.: A shameless promotion to Newick’s Seafood in Dover, NH. Amazing food, cheap beer, and a check error in the customer favor made it the best seafood experience in sometime.
2:12 p.m.: After lunch, and an alcohol run, news spread that another rain continued delaying racing a little longer. Might as well take advantage of this newly acquired beer.
4:30 p.m.: The wait for more racing lead to an announcement that racing was postponed again until tomorrow due to another band of rain. Even with no racing still chances at having fun.
4:40 p.m.: Took advantage to go down to the pits and talk to the drivers, and receive free merchandise from sponsors. The New England Dragway knows how to treat fans, and make them feel like priority number one.
4:55 p.m.: The great part about IHRA racing is the drivers and crew members always look forward to talking to fans, and keeping them updated. Top Fuel driver Bruce Litton’s crew held a makeshift press conference describing how they prepare for the race when they had no chance to qualify.
5:20 p.m.: Sponsors keep promotions and contests going to let the fans know they are not forgotten. Even with no racing at NED fans still have plenty to do. Always an important feature mentioned in future columns.
8:30 a.m.: After waking up from an alcohol induced sleep that also caused a huge gap in this journal, a new joy was found as there were blue skies.
9:30 a.m.: Engines fired up for racing within the hour. Those who wait are rewarded….with amazing racing.
10:30 a.m.: First race underway. It was everything that could be dreamed of. A redneck discovery of Christmas.
10:37 a.m.: One of the cars loses a tire, and hits the wall. While this will normally get the crowds going crazy and loving every minute it does cause another delay, which just reminds all fans of what they just went through this weekend. No big deal. Back to racing in a few moments.
12:07 p.m.: Another delay due to an injury in the pits, and a lack of another ambulance. Even the slightest delay gets fans a tad fidgety.
12:20 p.m.: A bit of an interesting sight. Snowmobile drag racing on an asphalt surface. Basically racers going 150 miles per hour on a snowmobile with no snow underneath. Try and figure that one out physics dept.
12:33 p.m.: The main event. Top Fuel Racing. A division where 300 miles per hour will not guarantee any driver one of the fastest eight times.
Despite Mother Nature being a cranky old puss for most of the weekend, The New England Dragway and IHRA Nationals were a great time. Much applause goes out to the owners, and crew members who did everything they could to keep the fans into the event.
If the weekend was that successful with minimal racing, it can only mean one of the most exciting events when the weather conditions are ideal.
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