Tailgaters in one of New Hampshire's camping areas take in the July race. Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Tailgatin': Loudon

New Hampshire International Speedway is in a beautiful part of the country. The September race brings fans to New Hampshire as autumn is setting in, with leaves changing to rich reds and golds. The track is located not too far from the White Mountains, so that means plenty of lakes for fishing, beautiful valleys and picturesque landscapes.

The speedway is located in Loudon, N.H., on Route106, around 10 miles north of Concord, N.H. If you are coming from the south, take I-93 to exit 15E (I-393). Take Exit 3 and turn onto Route 106 North. The speedway will be 10 miles north on the right.

Fans camped along the backstretch have an up-close view of the race. Credit: Autostock

If you are coming from the north, take I-93 to the Tilton Exit 20 to Route 140 through Belmont to Route 106 South. Follow Route 106 South to the Speedway which is approximately 8 miles.

I have been told that the state of New Hampshire brings in school buses on race weekend to get fans to the track. There is also a shuttle that you can pay for to bring you to the track.

Items allowed in the grandstands at New Hampshire: a cooler, a scanner and a bag or backpack.

All coolers, bags and backpacks are subject to search. Coolers can be either soft- or hard-sided and must be 14 inches or less in all dimensions.

New Hampshire has more than 400 acres of free parking for cars and RVs at the north end of the property, behind Turns 3 and 4. Check in at the south gate. One word of caution about the free parking: They had race day parking lots full of RVs by the Thursday before the races last year.

Speedway camping is $100 in advance and $125 at the gate. You can enter as early as Sunday, September 11 at noon. The lots will remain open 24 hours a day throughout the events. The parking spots are 16 ft. x 30 ft. in a rocky gravel parking lot with no amenities. All RV drivers and their guests are required to have race day tickets in their possession before driving onto speedway property. No one without race day tickets will be allowed onto the property. Tents are not allowed on speedway property.

NEW HAMPSHIRE INT'L Vivid autumn colors on display at New Hampshire. Credit: Autostock •   Track Page •   Travel info •   Tickets •   Official Web site

In the past, there has been some confusion about camping and parking at New Hampshire. Many people who have contacted me concerning camping at New Hampshire have said they did not have enough space to open their awnings. If you have any trouble with your camping spot at the track, the workers in Guest Services are extremely helpful. Some fans ended up being able to choose their own spots and had enough room to park and not have their awnings touch.

There are a number of parking fields with free shuttle service (every 15 or 20 minutes) between Mudgett Hill Road (starts about 1 mile south of the main gate) and Asby Road (1/4 mile north of the main gate). There is also nice parking on Hollow Route Road between Route 106 and Mudgett Hill Road.

Inbound thru traffic is not allowed from the back side of Asby Road (coming through Canterbury) toward the track. However, if you can show a printed pass from a residential parking and/or camping vendor, they will let you enter to access these lots. But they will not let you take Asby Road all the way to the track.

The Jack Daniel's Experience, an exhibit featuring sights, sounds and artifacts from the Jack Daniel's distillery, will be on display Saturday afternoon outside the tunnel between Turns 1 and 2. Dave Blaney, driver of the No. 07 Jack Daniel's car, is also expected to make an appearance.

The speedway is located in a scenic area -- the Merrimack Valley. There is great fishing nearby in the towns of Weare, Elkin and Lee. In New Hampshire there are more than 100 waterfalls and 1,300 lakes and ponds. Many of these waterfalls and lakes are located in the White Mountain National Forest along with numerous hiking trails, camping locations, biking, bird watching, hiking, climbing and spectacular views of the breathtaking mountains in all the fall colors.

There are scenic drives located in the Merrimack Valley along with seven state parks:

• Route 4, Boscawen
• Route 129, Loudon
• Route 127, Hopkinton to Salisbury
• Routes 13 & 77, Mont Vernon to Weare
• Route 28 to 28 Bypass, Derry & Manchester

There are also loads of golf courses within 20 miles of the track for all the golfing NASCAR fans. Certainly, there is plenty to do in the area before and after the races -- enough to take up an entire weekend.

The race at New Hampshire International Speedway has always been a great opportunity for Canadians and New Englanders to get their NASCAR fix relatively close to home. Now, of course, the track is host to the first race in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, so the fall race can be one of the most exciting of the year for any fan.

Jo Ann Hlavac is the co-producer of Laidbackracing.com, a fan site devoted to NASCAR tailgating. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.