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While Rick Hendrick may have swapped crew chiefs at the end of 2010, New Hampshire Motor Speedway has gone one step farther.
The one-mile oval has moved the Sprint Cup garages to the virtual center stage starting with the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 weekend July 13-15th.
"With the garage switch to the middle, where the visibility will be so much greater from the main grandstands. I think it gets them a little closer to the action,” said Jerry Gappens the executive vice president and general manager of the track, adding “it's our sport's version of the locker room."
Gappens credits John Zudell "our vice president of facilities and operations. He's been part of Bruton's development team. John pretty much rebuilt Bristol, Las Vegas and Sonoma. He made the move up from Charlotte with me in 2008. He's got a vision with the fan amenities from his experience the great SMI facilities. It starts with Bruton; he puts money back in the facilities for the fans."
Zudell explains "this is a culmination of about four years of planning. When we rearranged the south half of the infield in 2009, it started the conversation of putting the Sprint Cup Series in the center garage. This upcoming season, fans will be able to see Cup drivers in the center of the infield."
The track announcement said "fans will now have a garage that's far more accessible than previous years, while still providing teams more maneuverability - which is crucial given pre-race pit pass distribution, has increased by nearly 300 percent."
"The increase brings a lot more fans close to the pit-road activities," added Zudell of the spike in pre-race pit passes. "We've added two more crossover gates on the front stretch that will give us more capacity to get people in and out in the rush just prior to the race."
Additionally the pit stalls at the pits #29-43 will be leveled with the pits south of the start finish line.
There's more than meets the eye at the "Magic Mile".
"This time we've done more to the infrastructure piping and drains," said Gappens adding "people wouldn't notice kit with the naked eye. We reconfigured the tunnel. Actually put a sidewalk in the tunnel. There never had been an actual sidewalk in the tunnel."
Instead of being just another aging track New Hampshire Motor Speedway has a comfort factor unknown to other ovals.
As Gappens noted "I'm really proud of it. It has a kind of a Fenway Park/Wrigley Field feel to it."
The one-mile oval has moved the Sprint Cup garages to the virtual center stage starting with the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 weekend July 13-15th.
"With the garage switch to the middle, where the visibility will be so much greater from the main grandstands. I think it gets them a little closer to the action,” said Jerry Gappens the executive vice president and general manager of the track, adding “it's our sport's version of the locker room."
 |
| The line between white and dirt shows how high cold pit road had been. (Photo: NHMS) |
Gappens credits John Zudell "our vice president of facilities and operations. He's been part of Bruton's development team. John pretty much rebuilt Bristol, Las Vegas and Sonoma. He made the move up from Charlotte with me in 2008. He's got a vision with the fan amenities from his experience the great SMI facilities. It starts with Bruton; he puts money back in the facilities for the fans."
Zudell explains "this is a culmination of about four years of planning. When we rearranged the south half of the infield in 2009, it started the conversation of putting the Sprint Cup Series in the center garage. This upcoming season, fans will be able to see Cup drivers in the center of the infield."
 |
| Construction of pit road area at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Photo: NHMS) |
The track announcement said "fans will now have a garage that's far more accessible than previous years, while still providing teams more maneuverability - which is crucial given pre-race pit pass distribution, has increased by nearly 300 percent."
"The increase brings a lot more fans close to the pit-road activities," added Zudell of the spike in pre-race pit passes. "We've added two more crossover gates on the front stretch that will give us more capacity to get people in and out in the rush just prior to the race."
Additionally the pit stalls at the pits #29-43 will be leveled with the pits south of the start finish line.
There's more than meets the eye at the "Magic Mile".
 |
| Construction worker at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Photo: NHMS) |
"This time we've done more to the infrastructure piping and drains," said Gappens adding "people wouldn't notice kit with the naked eye. We reconfigured the tunnel. Actually put a sidewalk in the tunnel. There never had been an actual sidewalk in the tunnel."
Instead of being just another aging track New Hampshire Motor Speedway has a comfort factor unknown to other ovals.
As Gappens noted "I'm really proud of it. It has a kind of a Fenway Park/Wrigley Field feel to it."