LOUDON/LEE — New Hampshire race fans don’t need to wait for Sunday to see the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series dive into competition this weekend. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will be racing Friday at 6:15 p.m. at Lee USA Speedway.
Also on Friday, at 4 p.m., Chase Briscoe jumps in to defend his win at the Dirt Duels at the flat track in Loudon, on the grounds of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will also host Sunday’s USA TODAY 301 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Busch, who currently drives for Richard Childress Racing, returns for his second straight attempt at the $10,000 to win Keen Parts 150 in a Pro Stock. Last year he came up just short to Hudson, New Hampshire’s Derek Griffith, settling for a second-place finish.
Briscoe, who has deep roots in dirt racing, will be chasing his second straight win at the Sig Sauer Academy Dirt Duels at the flat track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, after winning convincingly last year.
“Chase Briscoe taught our guys how to get around last year, and I don’t think he’s going to have it as easy this year,” said Justin St. Louis, president of Sprint Cars of New England, which is sanctioning the Dirt Duels. “This is a marquee event for SCoNE. It’s the biggest purse they compete for, in front of the biggest crowd we see each year.”
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John Esburnett, general manager at Lee USA Speedway, said having NASCAR Cup Series drivers compete at these grassroots racing events does a great job of bridging the gap between NASCAR fans and local racing fans.
“These events are really important,” Esburnett said. “NASCAR is taking steps in recent years to reconnect to grassroots tracks, and this is great for the tracks and fans. Keeping the national level connected with the local level gets people excited and it will only help the sport grow at both levels.”
Kyle Busch looks to pick up win against local drivers
Kyle Busch is looking to improve on last year’s second-place finish at Lee USA Speedway.
“Kyle is a competitor, and I don’t think he wants to settle for second again,” said Esburnett. “To have such a high quality driver come here and compete with our local drivers means a lot to us. We are really thankful that he takes time out of his busy weekend to come here.”
Busch said after the 2023 Keen Parts 150, he was happy the race fit into his busy schedule since he doesn’t get to compete at short tracks much since shutting down his own team.
“It fit in my schedule,” Busch told the Portsmouth Herald last summer. “And if I can get something like this in, I always want to do it. The fans in this area are great, and if I can do something for the fans, and support a short track like this, I like to try to do that.”
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Busch isn’t just at Lee for an appearance. He is there trying to win, and Esburnett said that makes the race even more special for fans and competitors.
“I think our fans got to see the real racer in Kyle last year,” Esburnett said. “He has a lot on his shoulders right now. I would never say there are expectations of him, but last year it was cool to see him take some time after the race with staff and fans and you got to see a side of Kyle that the media doesn’t always cover. He’s a good guy and a true racer.”
If the $10,000 payday for winning the Keen Parts 150 wasn’t’ enough to get the local drivers amped up to compete on Friday night, beating a NASCAR legend is something they can tell their grandchildren about.
“This is a very special moment, and something our local guys look forward to,” Esburnett said. “We are lucky to have Keen Parts on board as a sponsor, and give $10,000 to win, but there are also bragging rights for any of the guys who can finish ahead of Kyle.”
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In addition to the Keen Parts 150 Pro Stock race, the weekly Super Street, Ridge Runner, Six Shooter and Pure Stock divisions will also be competing, looking for big wins on the big stage in front of Busch and a packed house of fans.
Chase Briscoe looks to defend his win in the fourth annual Dirt Duels
New England might not be considered a hotbed of dirt track racing, but dirt racing is continuing to grow across the region, and on Friday night the flat dirt track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway takes center stage. Unlike Busch in Lee, Chase Briscoe was able to pin down a win last July. He will return on Friday night, looking to become the first repeat winner in the race’s four year history.
“It was a lot of fun working with (Briscoe) last year,” said St. Louis. “He was one of the best sprint car drivers in the country as a kid, and he is still excellent in these cars. He hasn’t lost a step.”
The SCoNE sprint cars will be joined on Friday night by Granite State Mini Sprints and the Xtreme Dirt Midget Association, and St. Louis said this is the biggest stage of the season for those drivers, all of whom will be looking to add “beat a NASCAR Cup Series driver on the flat track” to their resumes.
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“We really value the extra eyes on this race,” St. Louis said. “Not only is it our biggest crowd of the year, but the race is also broadcast on Flo Racing (streaming service). This is our Daytona. New Hampshire Motor Speedway has always been a champion of the little guy, and bringing this type of opportunity to our local dirt racers is just another example of that.”
St. Louis said the leadership at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, since day one, has created opportunities for short track racers to be showcased through their facility, and Friday night’s dirt duels are the continuation of that mission.
“They do it because it’s the right thing to do for the industry, the drivers and the fans,” St. Louis said. “New Hampshire Motor Speedway is essential to racing in the region, and have the notoriety that comes with winning there.”
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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kyle Busch, Chase Briscoe to race at local small track events Friday
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