Kentucky Speedway has made no decision on when to repave:

Kentucky Speedway has made no decision on when to repave:
 It's still too soon for Kentucky Speedway general manager Mark Simendinger to answer one of the biggest questions moving forward about the 1.5-mile oval in Sparta, Ky. When's the time to finally re-pave? "We've got a track that certainly produced great races," Simendinger said Sunday, after Kyle Busch won the previous night's Quaker State 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. "Normally you'd say, 'Don't touch those.' But we also have a track that took us almost four hours to dry, so that's not good." Paired with a new NASCAR rules package that drew rave reviews from drivers, Kentucky Speedway's 15-year-old surface produced its best Cup Series product yet on Saturday night. Competitors were able to pass both on the yellow line and near the wall, with Busch and eventual runner-up Joey Logano changing the lead more than once inside the final 20 laps. While all three races during the triple-header weekend went off without a hitch, qualifying for each -- plus extra Cup Series testing time for the low-downforce rules package -- was washed out. Rain didn't necessarily prevent a dry track, but rather "weepers" -- ground water spewing up through cracks in the track surface. "It was a very, very unusual situation as far as us being in the middle of July and having such saturated ground," Simendinger said. "We don't want to overreact -- let everything settle in and get feedback from our drivers and maintenance guys." Either way, Simendinger said, a potential re-pave wouldn't happen before the NASCAR Xfinity Series' return to Sparta, Ky., this September. Then track officials have until the following summer to make a decision about the surface for next summer's Quaker State 400 weekend.(Louisville Courier-Journal)(7-13-2015)

5-hour ENERGY Shots Sponsor NHMS

5-hour ENERGY Shots Named Entitlement Sponsor of July 19
Sprint Cup Series Race at NHMS
The 5-hour ENERGY 301 will run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
on Sunday, July 19 at 1:30 p.m.

LOUDON, N.H. - The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway has received an entitlement boost from the makers of 5-hour ENERGY shots before it drops the green flag next weekend. Speedway officials announced on Monday that the energy shot will be the title sponsor for the 5-hour ENERGY 301 on July 19.

The 5-hour ENERGY 301 will cap off the Magic Mile's 25th anniversary race weekend, July 17-19, joining a jam-packed schedule that includes XFINITY Series, Whelen Modified Tour and K&N Pro Series East races.

"5-hour ENERGY shots have made a significant impact in the motorsports world and this entitlement sponsorship is another example of their continued support in the sport of NASCAR," said David McGrath, vice-president of corporate sales at NHMS. "I have confidence that everyone at the makers of 5-hour ENERGY will see the impact of their race sponsorship here in the New England region and look forward to working with them for the foreseeable future."

With a significant presence in NASCAR for nearly a decade, 5-hour ENERGY shots are the primary sponsor of Clint Bowyer's No. 15 Toyota. Bowyer is a two-time New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner and was the first driver to ever win a race across the Granite Stripe, the speedway's start/finish line, installed in September of 2011.

"New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a special track for us and Clint, and we're proud to play a part in the 25th anniversary weekend," said Melissa Skabich, communications director for the makers of 5-hour ENERGY.

The 5-hour ENERGY 301 will drop the green flag at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, live on NBC Sports Network.

For more details and ticket information on events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, or to purchase tickets to the July 5-hour ENERGY 301 or September SYLVANIA 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends, please stop by our Ticket Office, visit the speedway website at www.nhms.com, or call our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931.

-NHMS-