IndyCar returning to New Hampshire

[Mark in Oshawa]

As for New Hampshire, about bloody time they added it. Best oval race I ever saw in terms of sheer balls and driving talent was in 92 with Tracy and Mansell virtually lapping the field in their own private duel carving in and out of traffic...

[GRW1983]

According to Curt Cavin, New Hampshire & Baltimore will be on next year's schedule. It seems IndyCar are, once again, aiming for 17 races. So it seems we are gaining an oval and a street track to take the count to 19, but we'll have to lose 2 races to accomodate New Hampshire & Baltimore. I fear we'll lose Watkins Glen as that is at the end of it's current contract for Baltimore and maybe a Kansas or Homestead to accomodate New Hampshire.

Potentially, next season would still be an 8-oval, 9-road/street course split with Indy, Texas, Iowa, Chicago, Kentucky, Motegi, New Hampshire and Kansas/Homestead as the ovals and Brazil, St.Pete, Barber, Long Beach, Toronto, Edmonton, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma & Baltimore as the road/street courses. There are also rumours of returns to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Milwaukee & Fontana as a return to IndyCar's roots.

For 2012, I'd like to see the series expand to 20 races with an even 10/10 split of races. The 10 ovals could be 4 short ovals of Iowa, Milwaukee, New Hampshire & Phoenix, 4 x 1.5 mile ovals of Chicago/Kentucky, Las Vegas, Motegi & Texas & 2 x 2.5 mile super-speedways of Indy & Fontana.

The 5 street tracks could be Baltimore, Brazil, Long Beach, St.Pete & Toronto. The 5 road courses could be Barber, Cleveland, Edmonton, Mid-Ohio & Road America. From the current list you'd lose Chicago/Kentucky, Homestead, Kansas & Sonoma. Of course, this is just my take on things but I think this schedule could work. It would give lots of variety on the ovals as well as having a good mix on the road/street/airport tracks.

[DBell]

As for New Hampshire, about bloody time they added it. Best oval race I ever saw in terms of sheer balls and driving talent was in 92 with Tracy and Mansell virtually lapping the field in their own private duel carving in and out of traffic...

That was a terrific race. But is NH the same track it was in 92? Didn't it get "Nascarized", i.e. more banking, a few years back after the deaths of Adam Petty and others? I always like my ovals more on the flatter side for ow racing.

[DBell]

By the way, why didn't Cavin mention the many CART races that were held at NHIS? Why do so many in the media continue to treat CART and the CCWS like they never happened? Some very big names -- Rahal, Mansell, and Al Unser Jr -- won races there.

Didn't you get the memo? Nothing before 1996 existed and Scott Dixon is the winningest driver in Indy car history. I think Jag said it in another post, the winner rights the history, except in this case it's more like the survivor. It's a giant pile of crap, but that's the way it is.

[harvick#1]

That was a terrific race. But is NH the same track it was in 92? Didn't it get "Nascarized", i.e. more banking, a few years back after the deaths of Adam Petty and others? I always like my ovals more on the flatter side for ow racing.

no, NHIS is still a flat track, there were rumors they were gonna repave NHIS into a progessive banked track, but thankfully, it never went through....yet

[Lee Roy]

no, NHIS is still a flat track, there were rumors they were gonna repave NHIS into a progessive banked track, but thankfully, it never went through....yet

In 2002, in an effort to increase competitive racing, the track's corners were turned into a progressive banking system, as the apron was paved and became part of the track, and the track's banking was varied from 4 degrees in the lower two lanes to 12% grade (about seven degrees). The addition of SAFER barriers to the corner walls was made in 2003.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Ham...Motor_Speedway

[harvick#1]

there were talks though that the banking was gonna be 20-25 degrees, I was glad they never went with it though

[Oli_M]

I don't want to drag this off topic, but being from the UK I've got a quick question to ask - Pocono - I've seen youtube vids of indycar racing there in the past, and I think the NASCAR races there can be pretty good - what's the reason that Indycar no longer goes there? It should be fairly close the New York market??

Staying more on topic - from what I've seen over the past three years (when I've really watched Indycar) - the shorter, flatter tracks do seem to produce the better racing and possibly demand more skill, so NHMS looks like a fairly good move to me.

[Mark in Oshawa]

That was a terrific race. But is NH the same track it was in 92? Didn't it get "Nascarized", i.e. more banking, a few years back after the deaths of Adam Petty and others? I always like my ovals more on the flatter side for ow racing.

The progressive banking that is there essentially means it is slightly less than flat. You watch the NASCAR boys this weekend up coming and then tell me how banked that place is!

They added just enough to allow the NASCAR guys to run side by side and race a bit. The banking had nothing to do with the Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty death's.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I don't want to drag this off topic, but being from the UK I've got a quick question to ask - Pocono - I've seen youtube vids of indycar racing there in the past, and I think the NASCAR races there can be pretty good - what's the reason that Indycar no longer goes there? It should be fairly close the New York market??

Staying more on topic - from what I've seen over the past three years (when I've really watched Indycar) - the shorter, flatter tracks do seem to produce the better racing and possibly demand more skill, so NHMS looks like a fairly good move to me.

The reason they wont go there I think mainly is due to the real bumpy nature of Pocono. IT is a NASCAR track in the eyes of fans, and CART quit going there years ago because I think of the speed on the main straight. Sprint Cup cars are hauling into Corner 1 at 200mph, so one can only imagine the clip a modern Indy Car would be going around this place.

While less than 2 hours from New York City, really it might as well be 6..New Yorkers don't care about racing except if they are in the Ad business.