NHRA New England Nationals Update
March 26, 2020
To Our Loyal New England Dragway Fans:
All of us at New England Dragway understand the COVID-19 outbreak is currently disrupting your lives. We are sensitive to the concerns and uncertainty felt by individuals and businesses as our nation combats what we all hope to be a short-term outbreak. We are closely monitoring the situation, as well as guidance available from state and local officials. We remain confident life will return to normal and we remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for racers and race fans alike.
We recognize NHRA’s decision to cancel the 2020 New England Nationals is a huge disappointment to our loyal fans. It's a significant disappointment for New England Dragway as well. We were initially approached by NHRA to consider the possibility of postponing the event. During a special meeting of the Board of Directors, representatives of the NHRA outlined their concerns and expressed that the issue was a time sensitive matter. With the event being five months away, the Board intended to gather more information, allow the situation to develop, and make an informed decision closer to the time of the event. The Board felt a decision to postpone was premature and notified NHRA that it wished to hold off on making a decision for 30 days. Obviously, that did not happen. We want to stress the decision to cancel the event was made entirely by NHRA and against the wishes of New England Dragway.
Even though this was not a New England Dragway decision, we apologize to those who have supported us over the years. We put significant effort into our events to provide an unmatched experience. Your passion and loyalty have helped us provide the best motor sports entertainment possible. You can be assured we will continue to work hard to ensure that tradition continues here at New England Dragway.
We also want to thank our brave first responders, exceptional medical professionals, and the resolve of each and every one of you as we overcome this challenge and work to restore normalcy to our lives.
Sincerely,
Joe Lombardo
General Manager,
New England Dragway, Inc.
June 20, 2020
Racing 2020 Underway!
If you need a fix of first-class drag racing action New England Dragway is the place to be this weekend. The track’s first event of the season is the NHRA Lucas Oil Regional with racers in all of the sportsman categories battling it out for their first NHRA Division 1 event of the season. Of course highlighting the Lucas Oil Regional events is the blistering passes courtesy of Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster. Although the field in the dragster category is mainly injected nitromethane machines. After three rounds of qualifying on Friday Sean Bellemeur put his Camaro Funny Car in the pole position with a thundering 5.518 elapsed time at more than 267 miles per hour. In the Top Alcohol Dragster field Rich McPhillips came away with top honors when his 5.238 elapsed time at more than 276 miles per hour proved his machine could handle the heat.
The big question of the weekend was, “Are spectators allowed?” The answer is a resounding yes! Fans are asked to follow CDC guidelines and maintain social distancing while enjoying more than 330 entries start their quest for the Division 1 crown. Saturday’s program kicks off at 9 AM. Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster eliminations start at 2:30 PM followed by a second round at 5 PM and the finale at 7 PM. Tickets are available at the gate.
How about the rest of the New England Dragway 2020 season? That’s set to resume its normal schedule on Wednesday, June 24. Check out the New England Dragway schedule for more information. It’s been a very long off season, but things are sure to heat up fast. Make plans to be part of it.
May 12, 2020
During their Monday, May 11 meeting, the Epping Selectmen voted unanimously to grant New England Dragway’s 2020 operating license. While this is a big step forward towards reopening, the season cannot get started until the State of New Hampshire grants permission for the season to get underway. “Members of the Board reviewed our reopening plan and felt it provides the necessary provisions to maintain personal safety,” said Joe Lombardo, General Manager of New England Dragway. A timeframe for when the Governor will allow race tracks to open is an unknown at this point. His reopening task force is reviewing proposals from all sectors of the economy and will provide their suggestions. This includes all motorsports venues in the state.
Lombardo noted if permission is granted it’s not likely the track will initially resume normal operations. “We expect opening will be conducted in phases similar to what restaurants, retail operations, and other businesses are following in conjunction with Governor Sununu’s Stay At Home 2.0 Executive Order. The most important thing to come out of the Selectmen’s meeting is the fact they recognize New England Dragway is an important part of the community and want to ensure there are no obstacles to reopening once restrictions are relaxed. Our entire racing community should applaud their support.”
Additional updates will be posted on New England Dragway’s website and social media platforms as information becomes available.
April 28, 2020
New Hampshire's current "Stay At Home" Executive Order is set to expire on May 4th, 2020. While we hoped to open on May 6th, the reality is we need to comply with whatever state rules come out in the next few days. IF allowed, our plan is to open for racing on Wednesday May 13th, 2020.
Like everyone, we want to get back to racing as soon as possible. However, we also have a responsibility to comply with state and local mandates. Track officials are actively engaged with state and local officials. As soon as information is available, we will give everyone an update.
As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding through these uncertain times.
April 15, 2020
We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time of uncertainty! As always, safety is our main priority at NED. We are following the public gathering guidance provided by State of New Hampshire officials. While the current “Stay At Home” directive targets May 4 as the time rules may be relaxed, there is a possibility the “Stay At Home” initiative will be extended. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for updates.
Once we get the green light to open our team will put measures in place to keep our employees, racers, and spectators safe. We are just as anxious as you to get the season underway and can’t wait to open those gates for you soon!🚦
March 26, 2020
Effective 11:59 PM Friday, March 27, all non-essential businesses in New Hampshire are ordered closed. This order remains in effect until Monday, May 4. Obviously, this has a significant impact on our 2020 racing schedule. It also affects our normal office hours.
In compliance with the Governor’s announcement New England Dragway’s office will remain closed. However, we will be working from home. If you need to reach us email is the best option. Although we will check voicemail periodically from our respective remote locations, email will remain our primary method of contact. All events listed on our April 2020 schedule are cancelled. This includes our drag racing activities and monthly Swap Meet.
Ideally, we will be able to resume racing after May 4. It’s important to remember the Covid-19 situation remains fluid. We’re hoping additional extensions to the Governor’s announcement are not forthcoming. Our plan is to continue monitoring state and local resources in order to keep our racing community updated through social media, nedragway.com and periodic e-blasts.
We encourage everyone to follow the guidance of your local and state officials. Compliance will help get all of us back to the excitement of drag racing.
