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Track profile: Everything to know about Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire
By Adam Fenwick | Published: May 23, 2023 7
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Adam Glanzman/NASCAR
Located a short drive from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Lee USA Speedway has been a staple of the New Hampshire racing scene since it first opened in 1964. First operating as a dirt track and now as a paved 0.375-mile paved oval, Lee USA Speedway has been entertaining New England race fans for more than 50 years.
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The track has hosted countless races through the years. It was reconfigured from a tri-oval to an oval in the mid-1980s, a move that gave the facility new life. The track continues to host weekly racing in addition to special events, including the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Granite State Derby.
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Adam Glanzman/NASCAR
The track has played host to some of NASCAR’s greatest stars, with competitors like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte, Tim Richmond and Buddy Baker among those known to have turned laps at the historic New Hampshire racing venue. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans also raced his modified at the track several times through the years. Current NASCAR competitors like Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Brett Moffitt and Ryan Truex have turned competitive laps at Lee USA Speedway, with Wallace even winning an ARCA Menards Series East (then NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) event at the track in 2010.
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Adam Glanzman/NASCAR
The track now known as Lee USA Speedway opened for the first time in 1964 as a third-mile dirt tri-oval under the ownership and direction of Bob Bonser. Interestingly, the track featured two elevation changes, one uphill and the other downhill. Originally known as Lee Raceway, the facility didn’t remain a dirt track for very long. In 1965, the track was paved in an effort to attract the New England Super Modified Racing Association, a goal that was accomplished later in the year.
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The track continued to operate until 1979, when due to financial reasons the facility was closed. It sat dormant for the next few seasons until three men – Kenny Smith, Russ Conway and Charlie Elliott – came together to purchase and reopen the facility in 1983. Prior to reopening, the track was reconfigured from its tri-oval layout to the current 0.375-mile oval shape. With the new configuration came a new name – Lee USA Speedway.
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In 1986, the track was sold once again, this time to the MacDonald family, who operated the track until early 2018. The track is now owned by Norman Wrenn Jr., who also owns two other New Hampshire race tracks – Monadnock Speedway and Claremont Motorsports Park.
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Lee USA Speedway is part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, with the track hosting weekly racing for the Late Model Sportsman, Street Stocks, Six Shooters and Pure Stock divisions. In addition, the track has hosted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the ARCA Menards Series East several times in its history.