New Hampshire Motor Speedway has drawn packed houses to the Granite State since it first welcomed NASCAR’s premier series more than thirty years ago. Beneath the accents and lobsters lies a racing culture as passionate as anywhere in the country. But in recent years, local drivers have faced tougher roads to success.
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For drivers, climbing the NASCAR ladder from New England has become a steep uphill battle. The competition is fierce, the financial demands are immense, and opportunities are harder to come by for those hailing from regions outside the sport’s traditional strongholds.
New England’s heritage on the track is rich. But that alone doesn’t help young drivers who need deep pockets to realize their dreams. First-rate equipment and a clear pathway to the top series are tough to secure. Those hurdles exist for everyone, yet they loom larger for those far removed from established racing hubs, which is why most who pursue a career end up relocating to North Carolina, the home base for nearly every Cup team.
Joey Logano, who’s currently 6th in the standings, stressed that reality in a recent interview when asked about the obstacles facing New England prospects.
The Penske driver noted that among their road crew, at least five hail from the area, meaning the majority of a group of only seven or eight trace their roots back to New England.
“I think all of us, when we come up here, we really want to perform because it’s home. You’re representing New England, to your point, if it may be harder for people to make it in NASCAR. I mean, most of the time, you’ve got to move to Charlotte, no matter where you’re from,” Logano said.
The 35-year-old added, “You have to move to Charlotte if you want to do it right because that’s where all the race teams are… So, yeah, you have to move and that makes it tough, but when you come home you want to be able to show what you can do, so you feel like you’re representing everyone up here.”
Still, undeniably, New England, covering Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, has produced plenty of talent across NASCAR’s ranks. Logano, Mike Stefanik, Ricky Craven, Andy Santerre, Pete Hamilton, Rob Moroso, Bugs Stevens, Ted Christopher, Jerry Nadeau, and Reggie Ruggiero are just a few of the names engraved into the region’s legacy.
