N
N2racin44
Guest
Conditions may not be much better? Yikes! If you were a driver would you want to race on such a track knowing that if you get up in the gray area by just a hair you could end up smackin the wall?
Conditions may not be much better? Yikes! If you were a driver would you want to race on such a track knowing that if you get up in the gray area by just a hair you could end up smackin the wall?
The boys are going to earn hazardous duty pay next month. 
At least Bahre has realized there is a problem and has admitted it. I read somewhere, that the whole track will be repaved by next year.
There just isn't time to do it now, and have it "cured".
I'll be holding my breath for all the drivers.
At least Bahre has realized there is a problem and has admitted it. I read somewhere, that the whole track will be repaved by next year.
There just isn't time to do it now, and have it "cured".
I'll be holding my breath for all the drivers.
H
HappyHour
Guest
Nice for him to step up to the plate after calling the drivers "Prima Donnas". And this guy wants to keep 2 races at his track?
Knew I'd seen an article somewhere! LOL
http://www.concordmonitor.com/stories/spor...0821_2002.shtml
Bahre says track is not in top shape
NHIS owner's admission gives credence to drivers' complaints
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
By JOSH POLTILOVE
Monitor staff
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loudon
New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre acknowledges his track was at least partly to blame for conditions during July's New England 300 Winston Cup race.
After that event, most Winston Cup drivers claimed that turns 3 and 4 were coming apart, causing multiple accidents. Tony Stewart called NHIS "a sandbox." Jerry Nadeau went a step farther, calling it "the worst racetrack I've ever raced on."
At the time, Bahre defended his track, implying that the drivers who hadn't won were crybabies. He said that the drivers' tires, not his track, were to blame. The tires were coming apart and making things slick, he claimed.
But Bahre has since changed his mind about NHIS's condition.
He acknowledged this week that when turns 3 and 4 were repaved in June to fix minute cracks, the pavement was not given enough time to cure. As a result, the turns became slick during the race due to the heat, Bahre said.
"The top basically came off, but nothing broke up," Bahre said. "It didn't really break up. . . . It was sort of like a sand part on the top. That stuff, it's like if you threw sand on the track."
Multiple accidents occurred on turns 3 and 4 in July, causing four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon to suggest that the race be halted until the track could be repaired. Among the Winston Cup drivers to crash at those turns were Stewart, Elliott Sadler, Kyle Petty, Steve Park and Michael Waltrip.
Matt Kenseth also blamed the turns for the flat rear tire he sustained with 10 laps left. Kenseth was leading the race, so that flat may have cost him a win.
"I'm not a track owner, so it's hard for me to say, but with these cars and these tires, you ought to know better than to pave the track in June, because you know it's gonna come apart in July when it's 90 degrees out," Kenseth said after the race.
Bahre admits that problems remain with his track. It isn't 100 percent now, he acknowledged, and won't be next month either.
Turns 3 and 4 haven't been repaved because they wouldn't have enough time to cure. Instead, Bahre said, Pike Industries used rubber tire rollers to pack down the turns during two or three hot days since the July event.
"I don't think we'll have a problem," Bahre said. "I really don't."
Still, "if you look at it, you can just see where some of this stuff on the top is a little loose," he said.
It might be loose now, but Jeff Burton's car chief, Pierre Kuettel, said the No. 99 team hasn't had any concern yet about heading back to Loudon this September.
"I think that most of the time we put our faith in the people promoting the race and putting the track back together," Kuettel said. "I don't think it's something we think about or dwell on."
Meanwhile, Bahre will repave his track during the off-season. Again. This time, the entire track will get new pavement, not just turns 3 and 4.
Kuettel assumes the track will be perfect by next July. But then again, he said, you never know.
"Heck, it's gonna take 500 years to cure the cement in the Hoover Dam," Kuettel said. "But like I said, I'm not a paving specialist."
http://www.concordmonitor.com/stories/spor...0821_2002.shtml
Bahre says track is not in top shape
NHIS owner's admission gives credence to drivers' complaints
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
By JOSH POLTILOVE
Monitor staff
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loudon
New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre acknowledges his track was at least partly to blame for conditions during July's New England 300 Winston Cup race.
After that event, most Winston Cup drivers claimed that turns 3 and 4 were coming apart, causing multiple accidents. Tony Stewart called NHIS "a sandbox." Jerry Nadeau went a step farther, calling it "the worst racetrack I've ever raced on."
At the time, Bahre defended his track, implying that the drivers who hadn't won were crybabies. He said that the drivers' tires, not his track, were to blame. The tires were coming apart and making things slick, he claimed.
But Bahre has since changed his mind about NHIS's condition.
He acknowledged this week that when turns 3 and 4 were repaved in June to fix minute cracks, the pavement was not given enough time to cure. As a result, the turns became slick during the race due to the heat, Bahre said.
"The top basically came off, but nothing broke up," Bahre said. "It didn't really break up. . . . It was sort of like a sand part on the top. That stuff, it's like if you threw sand on the track."
Multiple accidents occurred on turns 3 and 4 in July, causing four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon to suggest that the race be halted until the track could be repaired. Among the Winston Cup drivers to crash at those turns were Stewart, Elliott Sadler, Kyle Petty, Steve Park and Michael Waltrip.
Matt Kenseth also blamed the turns for the flat rear tire he sustained with 10 laps left. Kenseth was leading the race, so that flat may have cost him a win.
"I'm not a track owner, so it's hard for me to say, but with these cars and these tires, you ought to know better than to pave the track in June, because you know it's gonna come apart in July when it's 90 degrees out," Kenseth said after the race.
Bahre admits that problems remain with his track. It isn't 100 percent now, he acknowledged, and won't be next month either.
Turns 3 and 4 haven't been repaved because they wouldn't have enough time to cure. Instead, Bahre said, Pike Industries used rubber tire rollers to pack down the turns during two or three hot days since the July event.
"I don't think we'll have a problem," Bahre said. "I really don't."
Still, "if you look at it, you can just see where some of this stuff on the top is a little loose," he said.
It might be loose now, but Jeff Burton's car chief, Pierre Kuettel, said the No. 99 team hasn't had any concern yet about heading back to Loudon this September.
"I think that most of the time we put our faith in the people promoting the race and putting the track back together," Kuettel said. "I don't think it's something we think about or dwell on."
Meanwhile, Bahre will repave his track during the off-season. Again. This time, the entire track will get new pavement, not just turns 3 and 4.
Kuettel assumes the track will be perfect by next July. But then again, he said, you never know.
"Heck, it's gonna take 500 years to cure the cement in the Hoover Dam," Kuettel said. "But like I said, I'm not a paving specialist."
T
TN-Ward-Fan
Guest
So Bobby boy has admitted what millions of people already knew, that his track is junk. Well hooray for him. AXE THAT PLACE, NASCAR!!!! You don't need that track. Make him either present an acceeptable facility or move the races to any of the dozens of tracks that do have them. They'll never get a track to survive those New England winters. Not with 43 stock cars on it. It's a pancake, it's slick as owl poop, it's single groove at best....just write it off, Helton et al. Cut your losses and go elsewhere.
Hehehehe, I told y'all Yankees don't need to be trying to mess with stock car racin'. :grrrr: :ROFLMFAO:
Hehehehe, I told y'all Yankees don't need to be trying to mess with stock car racin'. :grrrr: :ROFLMFAO:
G
GVezz
Guest
Hello all,
I am new to this board and haven't posted much, but this issue infuriates me.
It seems Bahre was only trying to make the racing at his track better by repaving the corners, and what he succeeded in doing was making a already "boring" track worse.
New Hampshire was originally intended for use by NASCAR, CART, IRL, AMA and other forms of Open Wheel racing. Now that everyone but NASCAR and the AMA Superbike races have backed out on the track, its time to make some major changes to the track in the off season that are condusive to Winston Cup Racing. (i.e. more banking in the corners)
NASCAR should accept nothing less than a total reconstruction of this track, and if that does not happen they should pull both Cup races from the schedule.
Just my opinion.
I am new to this board and haven't posted much, but this issue infuriates me.
It seems Bahre was only trying to make the racing at his track better by repaving the corners, and what he succeeded in doing was making a already "boring" track worse.
New Hampshire was originally intended for use by NASCAR, CART, IRL, AMA and other forms of Open Wheel racing. Now that everyone but NASCAR and the AMA Superbike races have backed out on the track, its time to make some major changes to the track in the off season that are condusive to Winston Cup Racing. (i.e. more banking in the corners)
NASCAR should accept nothing less than a total reconstruction of this track, and if that does not happen they should pull both Cup races from the schedule.
Just my opinion.
J
JarrettFan
Guest
I totally agree with you TWF! This is the time that NASCAR needs to get a backbone and tell Bahre we are not going to risk another drivers life so you can have a so called race at your facility. This would be a great time to cancel that race and give the teams a well deserved weekend off.
P
pbunch
Guest
Dig It up and make a dirt track out of it,I would love to see the guys run a dirt race in there schedule.
B
blhawk97
Guest
No kidding Bob I would think the guys driving around the tracks would know if it was tearing up better than you. Maybe next time you should listen to them they are the experts. :takethat: :takethat: :takethat: :takethat:
E
eeff
Guest
before Mr. Barhe waste any more mnoet na$car needs to tell him to make the banking no less than 20 degress be fore he puts down the new asphalt!