LOUDON, N.H. — After a successful debut in 2019, the Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be back with two big events featuring the USAC-Dirt Midget Ass’n and the Sprint Cars of New England on June 18 and July 15.
The Musket Dirt Shootout on June 18 will pay $1,500 to the winner of both the sprint car and midget races. On Friday night July 15, the two divisions will be back for the Friday Night Dirt Duels. The Dirt Duels will pay $3,000 to win in each division, making it the highest-paying sprint car and midget race in New England.
Dan Piastka outside, Justin Sheridan (17), Josh Sunn (76m) and Dan Piastka race their midgets three wide at the Flat Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (John DaDalt photo)
Speedway officials have made several improvements to the quarter-mile dirt track, including the addition of 2,000 cubic yards of clay that was trucked in from Orwell, Vt., in an attempt to provide better bite for the open sprint cars and midgets. The track also improved the catch fence and upgraded the track prep equipment. For the spectators, seating was added in turns three and four and a raised viewing area for a beer garden was erected.
The USAC-DMA midgets are a D2 club focused on low cost. While they utilize the same chassis as USAC National midgets, the club only allows Quad 4, GM Ecotec and Ford Focus engines. The club also uses a spec Hoosier Tire that can last six to eight races.
The 2019 USAC-DMA midget race was won by Seth Carlson, who started deep in the pack and outdueled his teammate, Will Hull, to win.
Carlson took a few laps on the new clay recently and is very excited about the upcoming races.
“The track management and crew at NHMS have done a terrific job getting the new surface dialed in to ensure a good race for the midgets,” Carlson said. “With a slightly different configuration and new clay, we are going to see competitive, side-by-side racing all the way through the field. It should be exciting for the fans as well as the drivers. A good purse, fast race cars, a well-prepared track and a beautiful facility is a recipe for a great race day.”
Ron Giroux, series director for SCONE, is also enthused about the upcoming events.
“SCONE has been waiting to race at The Flat Track for a couple years now. We feel that our 360-winged sprint cars will put on a good race at the NHMS facility,” Giroux said. “It will also be a great way to promote our series to many race fans who have never seen our series race. Hopefully, it will open some eyes of racers in New England to see that dirt-track racing is growing around the country and here in New England.”
Will Hull finished second to Carlson in the 2019 USAC-DMA midget race and will be pulling double duty with the midgets and sprint cars.
Hull was the 2018 and ’19 SCONE champion and the 2019 USAC-DMA champion, so he will have no problem transitioning between cars.
“They drive similar, the biggest difference is you can carry speed through the corner with the wing on, while the midget gets slower,” Hull said.
Scott Holcomb has won in sprint cars and midgets and will also compete in both classes. He says, “Midgets are twitchy, while the sprint cars are smoother to drive.”
One midget driver who is looking to turn things around from the last race on the Flat Track is current USAC-DMA point leader Justin Sheridan. Sheridan has started the year with a third and two second-place finishes and has his sights set on the big payday.
“For the NH races, I’m excited to get to race at NHMS again, especially with the improvements they’ve been sharing with the drivers and teams,” Sheridan said. “The inaugural race was a success with a huge crowd and great fan engagement. I personally struggled so I’m looking for a bit of redemption this time around.”
But don’t look for weekly racing at the Flat Track. Shannon Stephens, Senior Communications Manager at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, said, “We built this facility to host events that will enhance our already established major event weekends rather than weekly racing or stand-alone events. We’re focused on three major events per year, including American Flat Track’s Laconia Short Track and the Musket Dirt Shootout to bookend Motorcycle Week at NHMS and the Friday Night Dirt Duels presented by New England Racing Fuel to kick off our NASCAR weekend in July.”
Granite State Mini-Sprints will also be racing during the Musket Dirt Shootout. Legends cars will join the card for Friday Night Dirt Duels.
Keyword: NHMS To Host USAC & SCONE Double