New Hampshire Motor Speedway - NHMS South Oval
El New Hampshire Motor Speedway forma parte regular de la serie NASCAR, operando desde 1990 en Loudon, Nueva Hampshire, a una hora y media de camino desde Boston, Massachusetts. La famosa pista de carreras de NASCAR es un típico óvalo de 1.058 millas (1.703 km) con alto peralte en las curvas. Pero esto no es todo lo que el complejo de el NHMS tiene para ofrecer, ya que también tiene un circuito de carretera de 1.6 millas (2.57 kilómetros) que comparte una porción de la pista oval y que regularmente alberga el Loudon Classic, la carrera de motocicletas más antigua en los Estados Unidos. La adición de seis curvas con impresionantes cambios de elevación al óvalo de NASCAR incrementa el nivel técnico requerido para completarla de forma satisfactoria.
Las carreras comienzan en el medio de la recta frontal, yendo en sentido contrario de las agujas del reloj y tomando la curva uno justo antes de ingresar a la pista oval. La curva 1A y la dos llevan a una recta trasera corta que utiliza los segmentos rectos con peralte de la pista oval hasta llegar a la curva número tres, en la cual los corredores giran fuertemente a la izquierda y comienzan a subir colina arriba. Los conductores después bajan en la curva cinco para enfrentarse con una curva número seis de alto peralte, donde tocan fondo y comienzan a subir de nuevo. La curva número nueve hace rechinar los neumáticos y lleva al reingreso a la pista oval en una curva número 10 de 90°, para luego completar el circuito con las curvas 11 y 12.
The South Oval configuration at New Hampshire Motor Speedway represents one of several road course variants that combine portions of the 1.058-mile NASCAR oval with technical infield sections and extensions, creating a layout ranging from 1.55 to 1.6 miles featuring 12 turns across the Loudon facility's multi-use complex. This configuration utilizes a breathtaking hillside loop that climbs into the countryside beyond the backstretch to a 180-degree bowl turn before plunging back down to the oval, creating dramatic elevation changes uncommon at oval-based road courses. The South Oval variant serves primarily sports car club racing, motorcycle events, and high-performance driving experiences seeking a technical challenge that rewards chassis balance and driver commitment through blind crests and compression zones.
What distinguishes the South Oval from NHMS's other road course configurations is the specific combination of oval banking transitions with the hillside excursion section, creating corner sequences where drivers navigate between flat infield asphalt and banked oval surfaces mid-corner. The 180-degree bowl turn at the hillside's apex demands absolute commitment approaching blind over a crest, while the descent back toward the oval creates compression that punishes hesitation or poor line selection. New England's four-season climate creates dramatic seasonal variations-summer sessions see track temperatures exceeding 50°C on exposed oval sections, while spring and autumn events operate in conditions where morning frost can delay track opening and afternoon temperatures create significant grip evolution. The facility's location in Loudon, approximately 30 kilometers north of Concord, positions it as New Hampshire's primary road racing venue, with the South Oval configuration providing a unique character distinct from the facility's other road course variants. The layout's integration of oval and road course elements creates specific overtaking opportunities where multiple racing lines exist through banked sections before braking into tight infield corners that reward precise entry speed.
