Concord’s Robert Fiske has worked at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the Lee Speedway as a flagger, and as an avid NASCAR fan, he could not miss the hauler parade in front of the State House to kick off race weekend.
During the early afternoon on Friday, Main Street in Concord was lined with the bright and colorful haulers that carry all the essentials this weekend’s Cup Series drivers will need to compete around ‘The Magic Mile.”
Fiske attended races at NHMS as far back as 1990, he said, and has met big stars in the sport and been as involved as he can. He even owns his own fantasy stock car series, and sets up model cars with a drag strip in his house to simulate the real thing.
As he sat from a bench on North Main Street, he looked across to the State House patiently awaiting the haulers to come through, honk their horns and drum up excitement for the action.
“It’s just great to see everybody here. It looks like we’re getting ready to do it, because the highway department’s here,” Fiske said.
He said he’s most excited for the Whelen Modified race on Saturday because of the larger number of driver entries and the open wheel action. Few places compare to NHMS races in his eyes, so it’s all enjoyable.
Concord resident Robert Fiske waited for haulers to come through as he sat on a bench downtown.
Robert Fiske sat on the curb waiting for haulers. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte waved the green flag in front of the State House to inaugurate NASCAR race weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Led by the NHMS Toyota Camry XSE pace car and a state police escort, approximately 40 18-wheeled NASCAR Cup Series haulers made their way to drive north from Hills Avenue to Loudon Road before making their way onto 393 East.
“Our state is proud to host race fans from around the world every year for the NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” said Ayotte. “I’m thrilled to bring the race-day excitement to Concord with this year’s hauler parade right outside our State House. Looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Granite State for an exciting NASCAR weekend.”
Governor Kelly Ayotte waved NASCAR haulers through downtown Concord with a green flag. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
This Sunday at 2 p.m., NHMS will host its biggest race in years as the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 12’s first round kicks off in the Granite State.
New Hampshire is the first of three races in the round and will set up potential comebacks, or desperate brink-of-elimination situations for some.
How do NASCAR playoffs work?
The Cup Series follows an elimination-style postseason format. Each round (16, 12, 8, 4) contains three races, with the final race of each round eliminating four drivers from the postseason
For example, in the table below, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick are currently below the cut-off line.
Current NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings:
PositionDriverNo. and ManufacturerPoints Ahead/Behind1Denny Hamlin#11 Toyota+262William Byron#24 Chevrolet+243Kyle Larson#5 Chevrolet+244Christopher Bell#20 Toyota+205Ryan Blaney#12 Ford+196Chase Briscoe#19 Toyota+107Chase Elliot#9 Chevrolet+58Bubba Wallace#23 Toyota+19Austin Cindric#2 Ford-110Joey Logano#22 Ford-211Ross Chastain#1 Chevrolet-212Tyler Reddick#45 Toyota-3
Among the various haulers, spectators observed the names and numbers of some of this year’s playoff contenders displayed on the sides of each one, such as Bubba Wallace’s McDonald’s-sponsored Toyota Gazoo Racing hauler.
The Team Penske hauler in downtown Concord. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
A young NASCAR fan motioned for hauler trucks to honk their horns as they drove down Main Street. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
No. 51 Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware hauler truck in Concord. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
Playoff driver Ross Chastain’s hauler truck driving through Concord. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
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