New Hampshire GM: Future July races will be ‘better than ever’ – Nascar

RELATED: Las Vegas adds race for 2018

New Hampshire Motor Speedway General Manager David McGrath says “nothing is off the table” as officials at the facility begin thinking through ways to engage racing fans following the loss of one of its two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekends.
 
On Wednesday, Speedway Motorsports Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith, along with representatives of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, announced plans to move New Hampshire’s fall NASCAR races to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 2018 season.
 
SMI owns both facilities, as well as six other tracks that host Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races each year.
 
New Hampshire will retain its July NASCAR race weekend while Las Vegas will now have two tripleheader race weekends featuring all three of NASCAR’s national series — Monster Energy Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series.
 
“The reasons behind the decision are really quite simple,” McGrath said Thursday during a press conference at the Loudon track. “The city of Las Vegas and the Convention and Visitors authority made an offer that our company felt was in the best interest of the business. As a general manager I support that decision and I understand that. Certainly … it’s also very difficult. No general manager wants to see one of their races be moved. But I understand the decision.”  
 
New Hampshire Motor Speedway has two NASCAR weekends scheduled for this year: July 14-16 and Sept. 22-24. The September event is the second of this year’s 10-race playoff in the Monster Energy Series.
 
The 1.058-mile track has featured two Monster Energy Series races annually since 1997 after hosting one race each year from 1993-96.
 
McGrath said he urges fans and businesses to remember that the track will continue to “have a July race, and it’s going to be here for a long time.
 
“We will work as a team to make that race bigger and better than it’s ever been,” he said. “More importantly we are not going to stop there, we are going to work to find new things to bring to this property. … We won’t stop.”
 
“Give me some time,” he added in a message to NASCAR fans. “Let me show you what we are capable of as a team. We are here to help you.”