New Hampshire

New Hampshire is one of the most unusual tracks on the Cup Series circuit.

How unusual? The track has been described as "Martinsville on steroids" and is considered by most drivers as one of the toughest ovals in motorsports.

The Bahre family opened New Hampshire International Speedway in 1990. Their roots in New England racing go back to 1964, when Bob Bahre acquired a track in Oxford, Maine, which he and his son, Gary, operated until 1986.

Efforts to bring a major racing facility took off in 1989 when ground was broken for New Hampshire International Speedway on a site about 10 miles north of Concord, New Hampshire's capital city.

The track opened its gates for the first time in June 1990 and hosted its first NASCAR touring series event, the Budweiser 300 for the Busch Series. The Cup Series followed in July 1993, with Rusty Wallace getting the victory.

Jeff Burton's list of multiple victories at New Hampshire International Speedway includes the Dura Lube 300 in 2000 in which Burton led every lap.

In 2004, the speedway played host to the first race in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup. As it turned out, that race played a big role in how that battle for the championship played out.

Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield were involved in a wreck that put an early dent in their championship hopes, while Kurt Busch, who had won the July race at New Hampshire as well, completed a season's sweep that propelled him toward the 2004 Nextel Cup championship.

Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the facility in 2008 and changed the name to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.