[Racer Duck]

When it comes to short track racing choices in the dead of winter, a trip to Florida for New Smyrna’s World Series of Asphalt Racing or Lakeland’s Speedfest are about the only events that come to mind. Some racers move indoors for the winter months too – by attending the Chili Bowl in Oklahoma or the Gambler’s Classic indoor races in Atlantic City.

What all of those events have in common are either a location where the weather is mild or a roof over the track to keep out the cold and elements. They also have fancy racecars with all of the latest racing parts like Super Late Models, Modifieds or Midgets.

On the other hand, the Pre Hangover 150 at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, New Hampshire has absolutely none of that. The location of the race is within 50 miles of the Canadian border, so it’s cold. Damn cold in fact. It’s snowy too. The track surface is actually 10 inches of packed snow.





State of the art machines? That might apply to some of the snowmobiles in the parking lot, but it doesn’t apply to what hits the track. The racecars are mostly just off-the-road examples of some pretty sad and tired production vehicles.

Somehow though, what might seem like a recipe for disaster to any sane person was a successful raceday at Riverside for the second year in a row. The stands were more than half full and license plates from every New England state except Rhode Island were spotted in the parking lot or pit area. Everyone from fans to competitors were just happy to be on hand to get their racing fix in the middle of the holiday season and promoter Dick Therrien looked like a marketing genius after the event instead of being having to be fitted for a straitjacket.

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[LSC9901]

I have a nephew that races in Groveton in the summer months.

[Racer Duck]

that's just down the road, isn't it LSC?