Annual Nascar Event In NH Boosting Local Business
LOUDON, N.H. - It's Race Week in New Hampshire. Already, NASCAR fans are descending on the track in anticipation of a weekend full of races.
By Tuesday morning, hundreds of campers were already staking out their spots. One stands out.
"We figured why not do Christmas in July too," said 17-year-old Dominick Longobardi.
For him, New Hampshire Race Week is as much a holiday as Christmas.
"It's like you're here with 100,000 of our closest friends," said Longobardi.
WBZ-TV New Hampshire Bureau Chief Lauren Leamanczyk reports.
That's why the Longobardi family was waiting when the gates opened to claim a good spot and erect their shrine to their favorite drivers.
Location is key and they snagged an ideal spot right where the drivers come in and they can see the track from their camp.
Inside the speedway, the crew is revving up to host a crowd that on Sunday will make this racetrack New Hampshire's biggest city. Race organizers expect more than 110,000 people.
They'll fuel the local economy with hundreds of millions of dollars, packing hotel rooms and restaurants.
"It's incredible, it really is," said Kim Leaman.
She and her husband are from New Brunswick, Canada and will spend six days in New Hampshire. It's an annual tradition they say is like nothing else in sports.
No matter whose flag you hoist, the experience is the same.
"When you're there live it's just the excitement. Everybody's there for the same thing," Kim said.
Tickets are getting close to selling out for Sunday, but there are plenty available for the other races this weekend.
